III．阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节 阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Until late in the 20th century, most Americans spent time with people of different generations．Now middle-aged Americans may not keep in touch with old people until they are old themselves．
That’s because we group people by age．We put our three-year-olds together in day-care centers, our 13-year-olds in schools and sports activities, and our 80-year-olds in senior-citizen homes．Why?
We live away from the old for many reasons．Young people sometimes avoid the old to get rid of fears of aging and dying．It is much harder to watch someone we love disappear before our eyes．Sometimes it’s so hard that we stay away from the people who need us the most．
Fortunately, some of us have found our way to the old．And we have discovered that they often save the young．
A reporter moved her family onto a block filled with old people．At first her children were disappointed．But the reporter baked banana bread for the neighbors and had her children deliver it and visit．Soon the children had many new friends, with whom they shared food, stories and projects．“My children have never been less lonely,” the reporter said．
The young, in turn, save the old．Once I was in a rest home when a visitor showed up with a baby, she was immediately surrounded．People who hadn’t gotten out of bed in a week suddenly were ringing for a wheelchair．Even those who had seemed asleep woke up to watch the child．Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure．
Grandparents are a special case．They give their grandchildren a feeling of security(安全) and continuity．As my husband put it, “My grandparents gave me a deep sense that things would turn out right in the end．” Grandchildren speak of attention they don’t get from worried parents．“My parents were always telling me to hurry up, and my grandparents told me to slow down,” one friend said．A teacher told me she can tell which pupils have relationships with grandparents: they are quieter, calmer and more trusting．
41．Now in an American family, people can find that _____．
A．children never live with their parents
B．not all working people live with their parents
C．aged people are supported by their grandchildren
D．grandchildren are supported by their grandparents
42．What may be the reason why old people are left alone?
A．The old don’t like to live in a big family
B．The young can’t get enough money to support the old
C．Different generations have different lifestyles
D．The old are too weak to live with the young
43．The fact the reporter told us shows that _____．
A．old people in America lead a hard life
B．old people in America enjoy banana bread
C．she had no time to take care of her children
D．old people are easy to get along with
44．Seeing a baby, the old people got excited because _____．
A．they had never seen a baby before
B．the baby was clever and beautiful
C．the baby brought them the image of life
D．the baby’s mother would take care of them
45．Why are some children quieter,calmer and more trusting?
A．Because they have relationships with their grandparents
B．Because their worried parents ask them to act like that
C．Because they have nothing to worry about
D．Because their teachers ask them to act like that
The Internet will open up new vistas (前景), create the global village——you can make new friends all around the world. That, at least, is what it promised us. The difficulty is that it did not take the human mind into account. The reality is that we cannot keep relationships with more than a limited number of people. No matter how hard the Internet tries to put you in communication, its best efforts will be defeated by your mind.
The problem is twofold（双重的）. First, there is a limit on the number of people we can hold in mind and have a meaningful relationship with. That number is about 150 and is set by the size of our brain. Second, the quality of your relationships depends on the amount of time you invest in then. We invest a lot in a small number of people and then distribute what’s left among as many others as we can. The problem is that if we invest little time in a person, our engagement with that person will decline until eventually it dies into “someone I once knew”.
This is not, of course, to say that the Internet doesn’t serve a socially valuable function. Of course it does. But the question is not that it allows you to increase the size of your social circle to include the rest of the world, but that you can keep your relationships with your existing friends going even though you have to move to the other side of the world.
In one sense, that’s a good thing. But it also has a disadvantage. If you continue to invest in your old friends even though you can no longer see them, then certainly you aren’t using your time to make new friends where you now live. And I suspect that probably isn’t the best use of your time. Meaningful relationships are about being able to communicate with each other, face to face. The Internet will slow down the rate with which relationships end, but it won’t stop that happening eventually.The number of friends we can keep relationships with is decided by______.
| A．the Internet | B．the time we have | C．the place we live | D．the mind |
The underlined word “engagement” in the second paragraph probably means “_____”.
| A．appointment | B．connection | C．interview | D．agreement |
The author holds the view that___________.
| A．the Internet helps to keep in touch with friends far away |
| B．the Internet determines the quality of social relationships |
| C．the Internet greatly increases the size of social circles |
| D．the Internet is of no value in social communication |
What will the author encourage us to do?
| A．To keep in touch with old friends when we have moved away. |
| B．To chat with friends often on the Internet. |
| C．To make more new friends face to face. |
| D．To stop using the Internet to make new friends. |
What is the author’s attitude towards the use of the Internet to strengthen relationships?
| A．He thinks it useless | B．He is hopeful of it. |
| C．He approves of it. | D．He doubts it. |
Paula Radcliffe, chasing a third London marathon title, says she has became a stronger person after her terrible experience at the 2004 Athens Games.
Radcliffe, who failed to complete the Olympic marathon and the 10,000m last August, said: "Athens made me a stronger person and it made me care less about criticism"
"In the past I wanted to please everyone, but now I am going to listen even more to the people around me."
She didn't care about criticism made at the weekend by Liz McColgan, who felt Radcliffe should have rested and let her body recover after her failure in Athens.
"Liz is someone I look up to but she hasn't spoken to me since last year and if she really cared for me, I'm sure she would have contacted me."
Instead Radcliffe won the New York City marathon just 11 weeks after Athens.
"In New York I wasn't in my best state but I did know I was good enough to win the race."
Radcliffe insisted her only goal in Sunday's race would be winning a third title and not chasing world records.
However, Radcliffe has not ruled out in the future chasing her "final" world record time and questioned sayings that marathon runners have the ability in their career to produce only four or five world-class times.
"I don't think that ——although I can't put a number on it," said. Radcliffe. "That changes from person to person."
Radcliffe is sure she can better her winning London 2003 performance at some point in the future. Following a successful three-month training period in the United States, the 31-year-old will chase a third title on Sunday after her first victory in 2002 and again 12 months later.
Radcliffe clocked a time of 2:18:56 in her first 42.2-kilometre race three years ago.
Afterwards she set a "mixed course" mark of 2:17:18 five months later in Chicago before lowering that to a time of 2:15:25 in the 2003 London event.Radcliffe’s failure in Athens made her___________.
| A．develop respect for Liz | B．love people around her more |
| C．rest for five months | D．face criticism calmly |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Radcliffe broke the world record in the New York City marathon. |
| B．Radcliffe didn’t fully recover before the New York City marathon. |
| C．Radcliffe won her first marathon title in the New York City marathon. |
| D．Radcliffe had a 3-month training before the New York City marathon. |
By saying “I can’t put a number on it,” Radcliffe means she’s not sure ___________.
| A．if she has the ability to set a new world record |
| B．if she can win another race though she has won many times |
| C．how many times a marathon runner can set the world record |
| D．if she has the ability to produce four or five world-class times |
According to the text, Radcliffe has won ___________ London marathon title(s).
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
What can we learn from Radcliffe’s story?
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Well begun is half done. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. | D．A friend in need is a fried indeed. |
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。Roy wasn't the only one to receive his call-up（入伍）papers．Stephen Napier's call-up came at the beginning of February and he was pleased to find that he would be going into the Royal Air Force (RAF)．
His father was not so pleased and made his feelings known as he and Stephen were on their daily walk. It was the first step in his plans for Stephen to take over the estate（地产）when the time came, and although Stephen was well aware of this, he could think of no reason not to accompany him.
"Thought you'd forgotten that nonsense. Still, I dare say I could pull a few strings to get you to the Army..."
"No, Father! I have told you I want to learn to fly. What chance would I have to do that in the Army? I'd be better off in the Navy——at least they've got the Fleet Air Arm. But I have been put in the RAF and that's where I want to be, so let's leave it at that." His face went red. Sent to his father's school and then to Cambridge, much to his satisfaction, he had never had to defend his own desires and his father was a hard man to oppose.
The father glared at Stephen, "No, I won't leave it at that. I want to know what other ridiculous ideas are in your head. For a start, what's all this about America?"
"America?"
"Yes. All those books I saw in your room the other day. Brochures about emigration（移民）．"
The big, silvered head lowered, like that of a bull about to charge．"Don't trouble to deny it."
"I won't, Father. Some men at Cambridge have been talking about it. They want people like us here, mathematicians and scientists, for all kinds of research——the sort of research I could do．It would be a worthwhile life for me."
The father responded exactly as his son had known he would．"You've got a worthwhile life here！You've got an estate to run！"
"No, Father. You've got an estate to run. I never asked for it. Why not ask Baden to do this stuff? He perhaps can make a good job of it, but I..."
"If he were here, I might think about this silly idea of yours——only think about it, mind you but..." If Father wanted Stephen to take over the estate, the first thing he did would__________．
| A．take a walk with Stephen as usual |
| B．wait till his son graduated from Cambridge |
| C．persuade Stephen not to go into RAF |
| D．send Stephen to the Army instead of RAF |
Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Stephen preferred to go into the Navy rather than the Army. |
| B．Stephen also received his call-up papers as Roy. |
| C．The father didn't like Stephen's idea of going to America. |
| D．Stephen was eventually forced to stay to run the estate． |
After reading this passage, we can infer that__________．
| A．Stephen had never had to defend his desires before |
| B．Baden might be one of Stephen's family members |
| C．Stephen wanted to fly in RAF and become a pilot in America |
| D．if somebody took over the estate, Stephen could realize his dream |
What do we learn from the underlined sentence?
| A．It looked as if the father was angry when mentioning the brochures. |
| B．The father was very angry and wanted to beat his son Stephen． |
| C．Stephen was annoyed when his father referred to the brochures. |
| D．A big red bull was about to charge at Stephen. |
Which would be the best title for this passage?
| A．RAF——a better choice than the Army | B．A talk between Father and Son |
| C．The dreams of a Cambridge student | D．Conflict between Father and Son |
Though I have traveled in hundreds of trains, few unusual things have ever happened to me. But one day in a train something did happen. I do not mean that I was hurt: no one was hurt.
I do my work in a hot country far away from England. Every September I go there to do my business, and every July I come back to England to have a rest. So every September I go to Paris and take a train from the great French city to Mendova, and at Mendova I catch my ship.
There is one very fast train from Paris to Mendova, and it suits me well. It goes as far as Endoran, but it stops at Mendova for a few minutes to let travelers get out or in. It is called The Flying Bluebird. It reaches Mendova at seven minutes past nine in the morning, and it is never late.
A ship leaves Mendova at half past eleven, and so you will understand that The Flying Bluebird suits me very well. I always travel by it, and I have nearly two and a half hours at Mendova to go from the station to the ship. That is more than enough time.
Well, one September night, I took my place in The Flying Bluebird as usual. The train leaves Paris at nine o’clock every night, and I was in my place soon after half past eight. There were three or four people there with me, but very soon a lot of others got into the train. When no more people could sit down, they began to stand up near us and also in the corridor（走廊）. In a short time the corridor was full too, and it was impossible for any more travelers to get into the train.
I could see a lot of other people outside the corridor windows, but they could not get in, and the train left Paris without them. The man sitting next to me started to ask all kinds of questions: “Where do you work? How long does it take you to get there? Are you married? How many children do you have? How much money do they pay you every year? How much do you have in the bank? How much do you spend every month?”
He asked questions for about twenty minutes but I did not give him any clear answers, and at last he stopped and began to read the paper.
I usually sleep quite well in the train, but this time I slept only a little. There were too many people, and there were too many things: small bags, large bags, coats, hats, boxes, newspapers and food. As usual, we got angry about the window. Most people wanted it shut, and two of us wanted it open. But that always happens. It was shut all night, as usual.
When I awoke in the early morning I felt hot and dirty, and glad that the journey was reaching its end. At seven minutes past nine The Flying Bluebird stopped. We were at Mendova, and I stood up thankfully. I took my two suitcases, held one in each hand, and tried to move towards the door into the corridor. In order to get out of the train, I had to pass down the corridor to the door at the far end. There was no other way out.
I could not even into the corridor. There was a suitcase on the floor by my feet, and three men were standing in my way. I felt a touch of fear. I had to get out, you see; I had to catch my ship, which left at half past eleven. And the train did not stop again until it reached Endoran, two hundred miles away.
“I must get out!” I cried. Everyone there understood me, but no one could move.
At last I was able to put one foot over the suitcase on the floor, and I nearly reached the door into the corridor. But then, very slowly, the train began to move. It was taking me away!
“Stop!” I cried. “I want to get out!” But no one outside the train could hear me, and the people inside did not care much. The train moved a little faster. What could I do? I was not even in the corridor.
Fear made me think quickly. In front of my eyes, just, above the door, was a notice that told everyone how to stop the train. I had to pull an iron thing near the notice. I did not waste time. I pulled it.
Well, a noise started above our heads. That was to show everyone that there was something wrong. It was not a small sound. Possibly the men in my ship two miles away could hear it. Then the train stopped.
No one likes to stop a train if there is no need. But I had to catch my ship. That was the only thought in my mind: to get out and catch my ship. The purpose of the author writing the first paragraph is to __________.
| A．answer some questions | B．express some unusual feelings |
| C．arouse the readers’ curiosity | D．give some advice in advance |
What do we know about the author and the man sitting next to him?
| A．They talked with each other all night |
| B．They got angry about the window |
| C．The author didn’t understand the man’s words |
| D．The author didn’t like the man’s foolish questions |
On this journey on The Flying Bluebird, the author felt uncomfortable because ___________.
| A．he couldn’t find a seat by the window |
| B．he was angry with the man sitting next to him |
| C．there were too many people on the train |
| D．the window was kept shut all night |
It can be learned from Para. 10 that the author was afraid that ____________.
| A．he would have to spend another sleepless night on the train |
| B．he would miss the ship that went where he worked |
| C．more people might crowd into the train |
| D．he would have to buy another ticket |
The noise in the underlined sentence “a noise started above our heads”（Para.15）was made by __________.
| A．the angry passengers shouting at the top of their voices |
| B．the ship that was lying two miles away |
| C．the falling of boxes and suitcases to the floor |
| D．the train itself telling people that something was wrong |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．A Bad Experience on the Train | B．A Train that Is Never Late |
| C．A Quick and Wise Decision | D．A Journey to Mendova |
Going to school means learning new skills and facts in different subjects. Teachers teach and students learn, and many scientists are interested in finding ways to improve both teaching and learning processes.
Sian Beilock and Susan Leving, two psychologists at the University of Chicago, are trying to learn about learning. In a new study about the way kids learn math in elementary school, Beilock and Levine found a surprising relationship between what female teachers think and what female students learn: If a female teacher is uncomfortable with her own math skills, then her female students are more likely to believe that boys are better than girls at math. “If these girls keep getting math-anxious female teachers in later grades, it may create a snowball effect on their math achievement,” Levine told Science News. The study suggests that if these girls grow up believing that boys are better at math than girls are, then these girls may not do as well as they would have if they were more confident.
Just as students find certain subjects to be difficult, teachers can find certain subjects to be difficult to learn—and teach. The subject of math can be particularly difficult for everyone.
The new study involved 65 girls, 52 boys and 17 first-and second-grade teachers in elementary schools in the Midwest. The students took math achievement tests at the beginning and end of the school year, and the researchers compared the scores.
The researchers also gave the students tests to tell whether the students believed a math superstar had to be a boy. Then the researchers turned to the teachers: To find out which teachers were anxious about math, the researchers asked the teachers how they felt at times when they came across math, such as when reading a sales receipt. A teacher who got nervous looking at the numbers on a sales receipt, for example, was probably anxious about math.
Boys, on average, were unaffected by a teacher’s anxiety. On average, girls with math-anxious teachers scored lower on the end-of-the-year math tests than other girls in the study did. Plus, on the test showing whether someone thought a math superstar had to be a boy, 20 girls showed feeling that boys would be better at math—and all of these girls had been taught by female teachers with math anxiety.
According to surveys done before this one, college students who want to become elementary school teachers have the highest levels of anxiety about math. Plus, nine of every 10 elementary teachers are women, Levine said.Sian Beilock and Susan Levine carried out the new research in order to ______.
| A．know the effects of teaching on learning |
| B．study students’ ways of learning math |
| C．prove women teachers are unfit to teach math |
| D．find better teaching methods for teachers |
The underlined part in paragraph 2 most probably means that girls may ___________.
| A．end up learning math anxiety from their teachers |
| B．study the ways their female teachers behave |
| C．have an influence on their math-anxious female teachers |
| D．gain unexpected achievement in such subjects as math |
In the study, what were the teachers required to do?
| A．Prepare two math achievement tests for the students |
| B．Tell their feelings about math problems |
| C．Answer whether a math superstar had to be a boy |
| D．Compare the students’ scores after the math tests |
What is the finding of the new study?
| A．No male students were affected by their teachers’ anxiety |
| B．Almost all the girls got lower scores in the tests than the boys |
| C．About 30% of the girls thought boys are better at math than girls |
| D．Girls with math-anxious teachers all failed in the math tests |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．117 students and teachers took part in the new study |
| B．The researchers felt surprised at the findings of their study |
| C．Beilock and Levine are interested in teaching math |
| D．Men teachers are better at teaching math than women teachers |
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