A turkey named Courage gave thanks to President Obama for saving his life on the day before Thanksgiving. Honouring a 62-year-old tradition, the President pardoned the bird on Thanksgiving eve.
The tradition of a turkey pardon at Thanksgiving began with President Truman in 1947. Courage comes from Ellsworth, Iowa. The name Courage was chosen by voters (投票人)who took part in a survey posted on the White House website. The lucky turkey walked on the lawn of the Rose Garden and posed for the cameras at the presidential podium(讲台).
The dinner that has become known as the First Thanksgiving was actually a harvest festival celebrated in December of 1621. That’s when English settlers in Plymouth, Massachusetts, gave thanks for the progress they had made after a hard winter in their new country. As America grew, Thanksgiving customs also spread and got bigger. George Washington declared that the first national Thanksgiving would be on November 26, 1789. In the decades to follow, however, people celebrated Thanksgiving locally, with no official date. President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November 1863 a national day of Thanksgiving. It stayed that way until 1939, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved it one week earlier. He wanted to lengthen the shopping period before Christmas to encourage gift-buyers and to help businesses. So Congress（议会） ruled that, after 1941, Thanksgiving would be an official federal holiday falling on the fourth Thursday of November.
This year we celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday, November. Millions of Americans got together to give thanks with friends and family. The lucky turkey, Courage, was one of them. After his pardon, Courage would be sent to Disneyland Resort in California, where he would be the grand assemble of Disney’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.That the turkey Courage was pardoned was decided by ________.
| A．George Bush | B．Congress | C．President Truman | D．the public |
The first Thanksgiving Day was held to ________.
| A．celebrate the harvest of British settlers |
| B．celebrate the progress of Americans |
| C．encourage the struggle with British settlers |
| D．celebrate the joy of all Americans after a hard winter |
In 1939, President Roosevelt put forward the national day of Thanksgiving to ________.
| A．encourage the economy | B．help the poor |
| C．please Congress | D．lengthen the summer holidays |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
| A．President Obama pardoned a turkey before Thanksgiving because of the economic crisis |
| B．the turkey named Courage was pardoned by President Roosevelt before Thanksgiving |
| C．the pardoned turkey walked on the lawn of the Rose Garden on Thanksgiving eve |
| D．the pardoned turkey will appear in a celebrating parade of Thanksgiving Day |
第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I suddenly heard an elephant crying as though frightened．Looking down，I immediately recognized that something was wrong，and ran down to the edge of the near bank．There I saw Ma Shwe with her three-month-old calf(young elephant)struggling in the fast-rising water，and it was a life-and-death struggle．Her calf was floating and screaming with fear．Ma Shwe was as near to the far bank as she could get，holding her whole body against the rushing water，and keeping the calf pressed against her huge body．Every now and then the rushing water would sweep the calf away.
There was a sudden rise in the water and the calf was washed clean over the mother’s body and was gone ．Ma Shwe turned quickly to reach it and pressed the calf with her head and trunk(象鼻)against the rocky bank．Then with a huge effort，she picked it up in her trunk and tried until she was able to place it on a narrow shelf of rock．
Just at this moment．she fell back into the river．If she were carried down, it would be certain death．I knew，as well as she did，that there was one spot where she could get up the bank，but it was on the other side from where she had put her calf．While I was wondering what I could do next，I heard the sound of a mother’s love．Ma Shwe had crossed the river and got up the bank and was making her way back as fast as she could，roaring(吼叫)all the time，but to her calf it was music.
56．The moment the author got down to the river bank he saw ．
A．the calf was about to fall into the river
B．Ma Shwe was placing the calf on the rock
C．the calf was washed away by the rising water
D．Ma Shwe was holding the calf against the rushing water
57．How did Ma Shwe manage to save her calf from the fast-flowing water?
A．By pressing it against her body．
B．By putting it on a safe spot．
C．By taking it away with her．
D．By carrying it on her back．
58．How did the calf feel about the mother elephant's roaring?
A．It was a great comfort. B．It was a sign of danger．
C．It was a call for help． D．It was a musical note．
59．What does the underlined sentence mean?
A．The mother took the calf away on its body．
B．The mother cleaned the calf with its back．
C．The calf was carried away by the water．
D．The calf was washed clean in the water．
60．What could be the best title for the text?
A．A Brave Act B．A Mother's Love
C．A Deadly River D．A Matter of Life and Death
One potential prolem with allowances (零用钱) is that children’s reponsible beha
vior can become about earning the allowance rather than the intrinsic (固有的) value of their family responsibilities. For example, if you pay your children for taking out the trash, they see this chore (家务事) as a job that they should be rewarded for instead of a responsibility they must fulfil as part of the family. But giving children an allowance for weekly chores is not necessarily bad. You are rewarding them for fulfilling their family responsibilities, but it is not for a specific act. Rather, it is an appreciation of their commitment to your family values.You are also conveying another important message that their actions have consequences: if they do good things, good things happen. They also learn a lesson about the market economy, namely, that work is rewarded.
Allowances can also be used as punishment and to teach children lessons about family values. For example, if your children join a group of kids smashing (炸碎) pumpkins on Halloween, a part of a reasonable punishment might be to require them to pay the families out of their allowances to replace the pumpkins. Thus, your children learn that bad behavior has financial consequences. Also, by relating the punishment to the misdeed, you ensure that your children see the connection and learn the value lesson.
How much allowance should you pay your children? The precise amount depends on your family’s financial situation, the cost of living and your children’s needs. Children can start to earn a weekly allowance as early as 5 years of age. An increase of $1 per week for each year of your children’s lives is realistic until they reach their mid-teens. When they begin to drive and date, you can calculate their expenses and establish a reasonable allowance that covers their needs.
64. How many advantages of giving allowances are mentioned in the passage?
A. One. B.Two. C.Three. D.Four.
65. According to the author,_____ .
A.giving children an allowance for weekly chores will certainly cause problems
B.it is better to reward children for fulfilling family responsibilities than for a specific act
C.you can’t give your chidren allowances unless they do good deeds
D.it is unnecessary for small children to learn about the market economy
66.The precise allowance amount you should pay your chidren 
depends on all the following factors EXCEPT ___ .
A. the living standard in your area
B. how rich or poor your family is
C. how much other children receive
D. the actual needs of your chidren
67. It can be inferred that________.
A.The author doesn’t want to give any tips on allowance amounts
B. allowance given to chidren of different ages may vary
C.children under 5 can’t be given any allowance
D. allowance amounts grow at the same speed with your chidren
The Royal Horticultural Society(RHS) finds that women gardeners’ voices speed up the growth of tomato plants much more than men’s.
In an experiment, the researchers found that tomato plants grew up to two inches taller if they were sung to by a female rather than a male.
The most effective voice came from Sarah Darwin, whose great-great grandfather was the botanist(植物学家) Charles Darwin, one of the founding fathers of the RHS.
She read a passage from the On the Origin of Species and beat nine other ‘voices’. Her plant grew nearly two inches taller than the best performing male and half an inch higher than her nearest competitor.
Colin Crosbie, Garden Manager a
t the RHS, said, “We predicted that the male voice would be more effective but it turned out that the ladies’ voice was far better than the gentlemen’s. We just don’t know why. It could be because they have a greater range of pitch(高音) and tone(音色) that affects the sound waves that hit the plant.The sound wave is on environmental effect just like rain or light.”
In the experiment, every plant was played a different voice through earphones connected to the plant pot, and the environmental conditions for all the plants remained the same throughout the experiment. To ensure that the results of the experiment were convincing, two plants were also left to grow in silence.
The results showed that women on average saw their plants grow an inch taller than their male counterparts(对手) and much more than the plants left in complete silence.
Miss Darwin said, “I’m not sure if it’s my sweet tones or the text that I read from On the Origin of Species that made the plant sit up and listen, but either way, I think it is an honor to have such a voice, and it is especially fitting for me, because for years I have been studying wild tomatoes at the Natural History Museum(NHM) in London.”
60. How many tomato plants were chosen for this experiment?
A. 9. B. 10. C. 11. D.12.
61. What can we learn about Sarah Darwin?
A.She is very proud of her sweet voice..
B. She is one of the founding fathers of the RHS.
C. She has discovered why her voice benefits plants.
D. She will work at the NHM in London after the experiment.
62. Why were two plants left to grow in silence in the experiment?
A. To make the results of the experiment trustworthy.
B. To convince people that sound waves are better than rain and lig
ht.
C. To help find out how many inches plants can grow with the help of voices.
D. To prove that the environmental conditions for the plants remained the same.
63. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The text from On the Origin of Species can help plants grow..
B. Sarah’s nearest competitor was also a woman..
C.Men’s voices have a greater range of pitch and tone than women’s..
D.Colin Crosbie predicted that women’s voices were better for the plant than men’s.
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每题2分,共40分)
第一节：（共15小题,每题2分,共30分）
阅读下面四篇短文，从四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Forgiving is easy. Forget
ing the experience that comes before the forgiveness, however, always remains with us. Choosing to forgive means choosing to let go of the bad or negative emotions that one experiences so that we can live in peace and harmony.
Five years ago I went through a painful divorce. My elder brother, a grea
t believer of our faith, was very angry at my decision to divorce. Despite his response I felt my decision was correct. After two years of arguing over the phone and hurtful words in emails my brother and I ended our friendship in a cold silence.
Out of the blue(意想不到地) he visited the same city that I was living in to see our mother. I thought for nights about how to react to his visit. I sought advice from many friends---all of whom said I should wait for his apology before trying to repair our friendship. Since I had done nothing wrong, it was he that needed to come to me.
A very close friend advised me otherwise. He said, “Choose to be the bigger person here; forgive and forget. Let go and move on.” Though his words gave me courage, I still felt very angry and betrayed(背叛). My dear friend gave me a gentle shove(推，促使) and even stayed on the phone while I went over to greet my brother and family. When I did, I felt so relieved.I felt peace at last!
Todady I am so grateful to my friend for encouraging me. If I hadn’t taken his advice, I wouldn’t enjoy the loving relationship that I do now with all of my family. Still, it would be a lie if I said that I didn’t think about the past sometimes. The difference is that I do not feel angry. I am at peace and have a greater understanding and acceptance of the whole experience. In short I feel I have grown since then.
56. In the author’s opinion, the purpose of forgiving is _________.
A. to forget the unpleasant experience
B.to make up with relatives or friends
C.to let go of the bad or negative emotions
D. to make ourselves live in peace and harmony
57. What was the problem between the author and her elder brother ?
A. They had different attitudes of life.
B. They had different views towards her marriage.
C. They belonged to different political parties.
D.They had a quarrel about properties.
58. What drove the author to forgive her brother?
A. One close friend’s encouragement.
B. The friend’s staying on the phone.
C. Her mother’s persuasion.
D. Her own understanding with growth.
59. It can be inferred that the author______.
A. realized her mistake in her divorce in the end
B. learned how to forget unpleasant experiences
C. felt having learned to forgive means growth
D.thought friendship is the most important of all
It is the season…for long lines and frayed (紧张的) nerves. Here’s how to deal.
Lighten up
Do youreslf a favor and ship your presents. Nearly every U.S. airline charges a fee to check a bag, so shipping gifts is now cheaper and more convenient than carrying them in your luggage.
Weigh your options
Now knowing what you’re going to pay for your luggage is annoying. So calculate your overweight-luggage fees at home. You can find the fees out in advance by visiting new site Luggage Limits, which provides the latest information on more than 90 airlines.
Leave amateurs in the dust
Trust us and get to the airport an extra half-hour early. The check-in and security lines are filled with 
inexperienced fliers, and it’s a hard walking. Plus, if you decide to cut it close, you may not get onto the flight at all. To reduce costs, airlines have reduced on flights and routes. The remaining flights are more likely to be oversold, especially on busy travel days. Fliers who check in early are the least likely to get bumped from oversold flights.
Take it public
The rates for renting a car at the airport have more than doubled over the past year because rental lot inventories(财产) have increased dramatically. True, renting at the airport is convenient, but it’s just not worth it anymore. Unless you really need a car, take public transportation, hop a cab, or beg a friend to pick you up at the airport instead.
Say no to bumper cars
Tell the people picking you up to avoid parking their car. They can hang out in their car for free while waiting to get a call from you when you land. Many airports, including JFK and LAX, now feature this sensible choice.
68.Airlines have reduced flights to___ .
A. deal with crisis B. reduce the time for leave
C.lower the cost D. provide more job chances
69. We can learn from the passage that____ .
A. taking a taxi at the airport is expensive
B. taxis stay at the airport free of charge
C. cars can park at the airport for free
D. JFK encourages people to take a taxi
70. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. 5 Ways to Survey a Holiday Flight. B. Good Seasons for Flight
C. Cars at the Airport D. How to Board a Flight
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