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。
Long long ago, there was an old merchant who had three sons. “To which one shall I leave my fortune?” he wondered. “It must be to the cleverest son. But which one is the cleverest?”
He called his three sons to him. “Here is some money,” he told them, “you must each take one coin to buy something that will fill this room. Anyone who can do this shall have my fortune.”
“It is a big room,” said the eldest son.
“One coin will not buy very much,” said the second son.
But the youngest son said nothing. He stood and thought, and then he smiled, “Come, brothers,” he said, “let us go to the market.”
The eldest son bought straw with his coin. But one coin bought only a bit of straw. Even when he had spread it as much as he could, the straw covered only a corner of the room.
The second son bought sand with his coin. But one coin bought only a bit of sand. Even when he had spread it as much as he could, the sand covered only half of the floor.
“What did you buy?” the eldest son angrily asked the youngest son. “You don't have any straw.”
“Yes, what did you buy?” the second son asked angrily. “You don't have any sand.”
“I bought this,” said the youngest son.
“A candle！(蜡烛)” cried his brothers. “What good is a candle?”
“Watch”,said the youngest son.
He lit the candle, and all at once the room was filled from wall to wall, from ceiling to floor. It was filled with light!
“Although you are the youngest, you are indeed the cleverest of my sons,” the old merchant said.
And that is how, the old merchant left his fortune to his youngest son, the one who could fill a room with light.
1. Who would get father's fortune?
A. The oldest son. B. The richest son. C. The cleverest son. D. The silliest son.
2. The merchant left his fortune to the son
A. who would fill the room by using something which is worthy of one coin
B. who would take care of him when he became old
C. who wanted to get his fortune D. who got married first
3. How do you think of the youngest son?
A. He is very clever. B. He is very lazy.
C. He is very mean. D. He is very diligent.
4. The youngest son used _____ to fill the room.
A. straw B. candle C. sand D. water
People are being lured (引诱) onto Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service without realizing they’re paying for it by giving up large amounts of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Facebook because people don’t really know what their personal data is worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you keep everything private. That was the great thing about facebook — you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules so that many things — your city, your photo, your friends' names—were set, by default (默认) to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information, they have a “less satisfying experience”.
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator(议员) Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites. “I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy is only the beginning, which is why I’m considering deactivating(撤销) my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t know. That’s too high a price to pay.What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?
| A．It is a website that sends messages to targeted users. |
| B．It makes money by putting on advertisements. |
| C．It provides loads of information to its users. |
| D．It profits by selling its users’ personal data. |
Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?
| A．To provide better service to its users. |
| B．To follow the Federal guidelines. |
| C．To improve its users’ connectivity. |
| D．To expand its scope of business. |
What does Senator Charles Schumer advocate?
| A．Setting guidelines for advertising on websites. |
| B．Banning the sharing of users’ personal information. |
| C．Removing ads from all social-networking sites. |
| D．Formulating(制订) regulations for social-networking sites.. |
Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?
| A．He is dissatisfied with its current service. |
| B．He doesn’t want his personal data abused. |
| C．He finds many of its users untrustworthy. |
| D．He is upset by its frequent rule changes. |
As we know, Julian Beever is an international well-known sidewalk chalk artist whose drawings have appeared on the streets of London, Buenos Aires, Paris, New York, and countless other cities around the world. Beever creates drawings that look completely three- dimensional when seen from the correct angle.
Now, in his book, Pavement chalk artist: The three-dimensional drawings of Julian Beever, the artist shares some of his most fascinating and humorous pieces, Here are a few examples you’ll find in the book.
●Philadelphia eagle
In Pennsylvania, Beever created “Philadelphiaeagle ”a huge drawing with an eagle landing successfully on an American national flag.
●Meeting Mr. Frog
“Meeting Mr. Frog” was created in Salamanca, Spain, and is about a realistic-looking frog sitting on a Lily pad.
●Swimming pool in the high street
My personal favorite is “Swimming pool in the high street” from Brussels, which is about a woman relaxing in a swimming pool-----a swimming pool sunk into the middle of the street, that is!
Along with an introduction about his background, Beever includes a description of the techniques he used and the challenges he overcame with every drawing. He shares information about his time at home in the UK. and abroad; there is a fun story to back up each piece of art.
Beever’s artwork is truly jaw drooping. You’re sure to spend ages turning the leaves back and forth, surprised at how one man can create what looks like a three-dimensional design on a flat surface with just a bit of chalk. From animals to superheroes to famous buildings, the paintings are a wonder to lay eyes on.
＊Payment chalk artist: The three-dimensional drawings of Julian Beever is surely worth a look. And another look. This 112-page hardcover book is available now from Firefly Books at a list price of $ 29.95What do we know about the book mentioned in the text?
| A．It has a paper cover. |
| B．It hasn’t been published. |
| C．It includes some drawing techniques. |
| D．It’s a biography of Julian Beever. |
What does the underlined part “ jaw dropping” most probably mean?
| A．Romantic. | B．Amazing. |
| C．Frightening | D．Depressing. |
We can infer that the text is ______.
| A．a book review. |
| B．a description of street art. |
| C．an advertisement for a new book. |
| D．an introduction to an artist. |
Living near the beach may come with an extra perk (利益): better health. A new study analyzed information from more than 48 million people in England and found that the nearer they lived to the coast, the more likely people were to report good health within the past year.
Living near the coast may be associated with better health because the seaside environment reduces stress, the researchers said. They pointed to another British study that found that people who took trips to the coast experienced more feelings of calmness and relaxation than those who visited urban parks or the countryside.
The difference from living near the coast was relatively small. But a small effect, when applied to an entire population, can have a substantial impact on public health, said study researcher Ben Wheeler of Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in Exeter, England.
However, it’s too soon to advise people to hit the beach to improve health, Wheeler said. The study only found an association, not a cause-effect link, and it’s possible that other factors could explain the results. For instance, it could be that people who are wealthier, and therefore healthier, are more able to move to desired locations such as the coast, Wheeler said, a phenomenon known as the migrant effect. But the study did find that the association between coastal living and better health was strongest for those living in the poorest areas, which perhaps indicates that wealth cannot explain the results, Wheeler said.
Because the study looked at only England—an island country in which everyone lives within 72 miles of the coast—it’s not clear whether the findings would apply to other populations. Far from England, a health expert not involved in the study said that while the British research certainly doesn’t prove that people’s health and the place they live are linked, it’s possible that proximity to the seas does something for our bodies.
If future studies confirm the results, the next step would be to find out it is what coastal environments that can benefit health. Wheeler said it may then be possible to bring those benefits to people living in other areas, through virtual environments, for instance.We can conclude from the passage that ______.
| A．people are encouraged to move to the coast |
| B．people living near the sea may be healthier. |
| C．people pay increasingly attention to health |
| D．people are worried about residential environment |
According to the researchers, living near the sea ______.
| A．doesn’t nearly affect the British population |
| B．can cure some difficult diseases in a way |
| C．can help get over one’s stress |
| D．means freeing from sadness or troubles |
What Ben Wheeler said means ______.
| A．the British public health is decreasing |
| B．concrete evidence favors life near the sea |
| C．wealthier people are likely to be healthier |
| D．exact reasons are proposed for further research |
What does the underlined word “proximity” in the passage mean?
| A．being close | B．being distant |
| C．being similar | D．being opposite |
When I was 11, I threw a glance into Dad’s lunch box and made the unexpected discovery that my mother still showed her love towards my father. The evidence, a napkin resting on top of the sandwiches packed in wax paper, was certain “Love you!” she had written on the napkin. “ Meat loaf for supper!”
Mom penned all kinds of messages to Dad on those paper napkins, and he saved a whole pile of them. What embarrassed me as a kid has become a precious memory of my parents.
It also started my own brand of lunch box notes. When my kids were young, I’d glue little drawings on their lunches. Lots of sketches(素描) of our dog, Max, along with smiling flowers. When they were teenagers, I’d copy words of wisdom from great people, Einstein, for example, or Bruce Springsteen. Then, my kids grew up making their own handwritten notes. And my husband writes me love notes on recycled paper, because he’s all about being green.
Friends who know about my lunch box notes eagerly share stories of their own family traditions. So many focus on food. Maura’s mom always drew hearts on the shells of hard-boiled eggs. Melinda wrote messages on her kids’ bananas.
We’re into the third generation of lunch box notes in our home. Whenever my 3-year-old grandson, Clayton, spends the night, he knows his lunch is going to have a napkin note from Grandma in the morning. Last week, I drew a picture of me, waving widely and shouting his name. He took one look at it and screamed, “ Where’s Grandpa?” I added a man in a clean shirt. “ You forgot his tie,” he said. I quickly drew a line of stripes(条纹) down the front of the shirt. Clayton smiled. “Grandpa,” he whispered, running his fingers across the napkin. “It’s you!”When the author first saw Dad’s lunch box notes, she felt ______.
| A．moved | B．awkward |
| C．proud | D．nervous |
What did the author put in the lunch boxes when her kids were in their teens?
| A．Words of love. |
| B．Pictures of flowers. |
| C．Drawings of their favorite animals. |
| D．Famous words of wisdom |
It can be inferred that ________.
| A．the author’s grandson likes drawing pictures on napkins. |
| B．the author’s children dislike making lunch box notes. |
| C．the author’s husband is an environmentalist. |
| D．the author’s friends all had their brand of lunch box notes. |
What’s the best title for the text?
| A．Old generation’s way of expressing love. |
| B．Different brands of lunch box notes. |
| C．Lunches packed with love. |
| D．Some interesting family traditions. |
When international aid is given, steps must be taken to ensure (确保)that the aid reaches the people for whom it is intended. The way to achieve this may not be simple. It is very difficult for a nation to give help directly to people in another nation. The United Nations Organiztion(UNO) could undertake to direct the distribution of aid. Here however rises the problem of costs. Also tied with this is time. Perhaps the UNO could set up a body of devoted men and women is every country who can speedily distribute aid to victims of floods and earthquakes.
More than the help that one nation can give to another during a disaster, it would be more effective to give other forms of help during normal times. A common proverb says, “Give me a fish and I eat for day, teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime.” If we follow this wise saying, it would be right to teach people from less developed nations to take care of themselves. For example, a country could share its technology with another. This could be in simple areas like agriculture or in more complex areas like medical and health care or even in building satellites. Even small country is able to help less developed nations. Sometimes what is take for granted, like the setting up of a water purification plant or the administration of a school, could be useful for countries which are looking about to solve common problems. It does not cost much to share such simple things. Exchange students could be attached for a number of months or years and learn the required craft while on the site. They can then take their knowledge back to their homelands and if necessary come back form time to time to clear doubts or to update themselves. Such aid will be truly helpful and there is no chance of it being temporary or of it falling into the wrong hands.
Many countries run extensive courses in all sorts of skills. It will not cost much to include deserving foreigners in these courses. Besides giving effective help to the countries concerned, there is also the build-up of friendships to consider. Giving direct help by giving materials may be effective in the short run and must continue to be given in the event of emergencies. However, in the long run what is really effective would be the sharing of knowledge. According to the author, how could international aid reach the victims in time ?
| A．By solving the cost problems |
| B．By solving the transportation problems |
| C．By setting up a body of devoted people in every country. |
| D．By relying on the direct distribution of the UNO. |
What does the author try to express in the underlined sentence ?
| A．Providing food is vital |
| B．Learning to fish is helpful |
| C．Teaching skills is essential |
| D．Looking after others is important. |
The second paragraph is developed mainly _________.
| A．by example | B．by process |
| C．by comparison | D．by contrast |
What can we infer about international aid from the passage ?
| A．It is facing difficulties. |
| B．It is unnecessary during normal times |
| C．It should be given in the form of materials |
| D．It has gained support developed countries |
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