People fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor in 1944, when she starred in National Velvet-the story of Velvet Brown, a young girl who wins first place in a famous horse race, At first, the producers of the movie told Taylor that she was too small to play the part of Velvet. However, they waited for her for a few months as she exercised and trained—and added three inches to her height in four months! Her acting in National Velvet is still considered the best by a child actress.
Elizabeth Taylor was born in London in 1932. Her parents, both Americans, had moved there for business reasons. When World War II started, the Taylors moved to Beverly Hills, California, and there Elizabeth started acting in movies. After her success as a child star, Taylor had no trouble moving into adult(成人)roles and won twice for Best Actress: Butterfield 8(1960) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? (1966)
Taylor’s fame(名声)and popularity gave her a lot of power with the movie industry, so she was able to demand very high pay for her movies. In 1963, she received $1 million for her part in Cleopatra—the highest pay r
eceived by any star up to that time.
Elizabeth Taylor is a legend (传奇人物) of our time. Like Velvet Brown in National Velvet, she has been lucky, she has beauty, fame and wealth. But she is also a hard worker. Taylor seldom acts in movies any more. Instead, she puts her time and efforts into her businesses, and into helping others — several years ago, she founded an organization that has raised more than $40 million for research and education. The producers didn’t let Taylor play the part of Velvet at first because they thought she ____.
| A．was small in size | B．was too young |
| C．did not play well enough | D．did not show much interest |
What Elizabeth Taylor and Velvet Brown had in common was that they were both _____.
| A．popular all their lives | B．famous actresses |
| C．suecessful when very young | D．rich and kind-hearted |
Taylor became Best Actress at the age of .
| A．12 | B．28 | C．31 | D．34 |
In her later life , Elizabeth Taylor devoted herself to .
| A．doing business and helping others | B．turning herself into a legend |
| C．collecting money for the poor | D．going about research and education work |
This is why Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo came back.
The Chinese pair finally won the Olympic gold medal that eluded （避开） them for so many years Monday night, a prize so compelling it lured（诱使）them out of the cozy life of a happily retired married couple. It wasn’t the best skate of their career, but it was good enough for gold and that was all that mattered.
Their score of 216. 57 points was more than three points ahead of teammates Pang Qing and Tong Jian. When Shen and Zhao finished their routine, Zhao knelt to the ice, burying his face in his hands while his wife patted his back. He pumped his fist several times while she smiled, her grin was so bright it could light up the entire arena（圆形运动场）.
Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany dropped to the bronze medal after a flawed free skate.
It’s the first time since 1960 that a Russian or Soviet couple isn’t atop the Olympic platform, ending one of the longest winning streaks in sports. Perhaps even more shocking, the Russians are leaving empty - handed, with no medals of any color.
Shen and Zhao, bronze medalists at the last two Olympic Games, retired after winning their third title in 2007. They got married, and lived the easy life of retirees, doing shows and appearances. But something was missing--that gold medal.
1. Which statement is WRONG according to paragraph one?
A. It was the Chinese pair who eventurelly won the Olympic gold medal.
B. The Chinese pair performed the excellent skate of their career.
C. The Chinese pair have been living a comfortable life.
D. The Chinese pair don’t get along well with each other.
2. From paragraph two and three, we can learn ________.
A. Shen and Zhao’s efforts paid off at last
B. Shen was so tired that she knelt to the ice
C. Pang and Tong won the bronze medal
D. The German pair ranked the second place
3. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “grin” ?
A. wide smile B. happy laugh C. excited feeling D. happiness
4. What can we know from the passage?
A. The Soviet pair also got some medals in the Olympic.
B. Shen and Zhao retired in 2007 and got married after they got their silver medal.
C. It’s the gold medal that lures them back to the Olympic.
D. The German pair always performed well during the competition.
Chinese have a unique way of representing the New Year through animals. They have 12 different animals to represent each year of the 12 - year cycle and the order remains the same throughout with the year of the rat beginning the cycle and the year of the boar/ pig ending the same. As the Chinese year 2009 was signified as the year of the Ox, the following year, 2010, is going to be the year of the Tiger. Chinese New Year of Tiger, 2010, will fall on 14th of February and will mark the 15 - day - long festivities beginning on the said date.
Preparations for the Chinese New Year of Tiger, 2010, will begin months in advance so that the celebrations be observed in the highest importance. As the different years of the 12 - year cycle are characterized by different animals, people born on the different years also feature different traits and characters and most often than not, they are believed to be influenced and inspired by the animals of the particular year they are born in. With this article on Chinese New Year of Tiger, 2010 ,we strive to hold forth the interesting characteristics and features of the Tiger and how babies born in this year can be expected to display similar traits.
All years ending in an odd（奇数）number are Yang and the ones with an even（偶数）number ending are considered to be the Yin forms according to the Chinese methods of the calendar cycle. Therefore the Tiger year 2010 will have Yin forms along with the character of the Tiger. Tiger symbolizes courage, power, earth, victory, passion and royalty. The Tiger years so far have been 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 and now 2010 followed by 2022（according to the 12 -year cycle）.
People born in the Chinese New Year of Tiger, 2010 will mainly have the below mentioned traits in their character: Adventurous, sensitive, emotional, and risk- taking. Those who are born in the Year of the Tiger are smart, uncomplicated and friendly by nature. They have strong will power and never a give -up attitude.
However there are a few negative traits associated with the character of the Tiger that also is reflected through the people born in the ox years. Attributes（特征）like being short- tempered and suspicious are generally associated with people born in this year.
With these and many more fascinating elements, Chinese New Year of Tiger, 2010 is just about to arrive. So get set to welcome the year and have a very prosperous New Year ahead.
1. What can we know from paragraph one?
A. There are 12 animals to celebrate Chinese New Year.
B. That the Chinese’s celebrating the New Year through animals is unique.
C. 2008 was signified as the year of the Pig.
D. The Year of the Tiger ends on 14th of February ,2010.
2. Which statement is false in paragraph two and three?
A. People are often believed to be affected by the animals of the year when they were born.
B. Tigers stand for courage and power.
C. 2034 is not the year of the Tiger.
D. The year of the Tiger has Yin forms with the character of the Tiger.
3. According to the 12 - year circle, what year is it by 2021?
A. The year of the Tiger. B. The year of the Ox .
C. The year of the Rat. D. The year of the Pig.
4. What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. The introduction to the Chinese New Year of the Tiger.
B. How to celebrate the New year of the Tiger.
C. Chinese celebrate the New Year--Unique!
D. 12 different animals represent each year of the 12 - year - circle.
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。
A new study suggests that the more teenagers watch television, the more likely they are to develop depression （沮丧；抑郁）as young adults.
The researchers used a national long - term survey of adolescent health to investigate（调查）the relationship between media use and depression. They based their findings on more than four thousand adolescents who were not depressed when the survey began in 2000.
As part of the survey, the young people were asked how many hours of television or videos they watched daily. They were also asked how often they played computer games and listened to the radio. Media use totaled an average of five and one - half hours a day. More than two hours of that was spent watching TV.
Seven years later, in 2007, more than seven percent of the young people had signs of depression. The average age at that time was twenty -one.
The study didn’t explore if watching TV causes depression. But one possibility is that it was taking time away from activities that could help prevent depression.
Previous study found that people who describe themselves as happy spend less time watching television than unhappy people. The study found that happy people are more likely to be socially active to read, to attend religious services and to vote.
1. The result of the research seems to prove ________.
A. teenagers are more likely to develop depression than adults
B. other media uses do no harm to adolescents
C. TV probably causes teenagers to grow up with depression
D. those who don’t watch TV will not develop depression
2. We can learn from the survey that of all the media use ________.
A. computer games are teenagers’ favorite
B. most teenagers prefer to listen to the radio
C. teenagers enjoy watching TV very much
D. newspaper is not included in the survey
3. According to the passage, what kind of activity may help prevent depression?
A. Playing computer games. B. Taking part in sports.
C. Listening to the radio. D. Watching movies.
4. We can conclude that a teenager should ________.
A. play more video games instead of watching TV
B. be active in taking part in outdoor activities
C. be more active in watching educational TV programmes
D. attend religious services and care for politics
It’s been claimed that playing a musical instrument makes you smarter．
New research suggests that regularly playing a musical instrument changes the shape and power of the brain, and may be used in therapy (疗法) to improve cognitive (认知) skills．
Experts say there is growing evidence that musicians have brains that are structurally and functionally different from those of non-musicians, especially in the areas of the brain used in processing (处理信息)
The parts of the brain that control motor skills, the storage of audio information, hearing and memory become larger and more active when a person learns how to play an instrument and can apparently improve the alertness (警觉) and planning．
Lutz Jancke, a psychologist at the University of Zurich, said, “Leaning to play a musical instrument has great benefits and can increase IQ by seven points in both children and adults．We found that even people over the age of 65, after four or five months of playing an instrument for an hour a week, had strong changes in the brain.” The parts of the brain that control hearing and memory, and the part that controls the hands, among others, all become more active.
“Of course music isn’t the only answer, but I do believe that it should be used in addition to other things.”
Mr．Jancke also said that learning a musical instrument could also make it easier to learn foreign languages and make one more sensitive to understanding the emotions of others．“So not on
ly does this make it easier to pick up other languages and have a better memory of one’s own, we have also seen musicians are able to pick out exactly what others are feeling just by the tones of their voices—sympathy, disappointment, that kind of things.”
He added, “Several studies indeed show that playing music increases memory and language skills, but more research is needed.”
1．What is the passage mainly about?
A．How to use musical instruments.
B．How music affects the brain.
C．How playing music makes people smarter.
D．The development of research into music.
2．Compared wi
th non-musicians, __________.
A．musicians are better at foreign languages
B．musicians are more active in sports
C．musicians have stronger emotions
D．musicians’ brains work differently in proce
ssing
3．Which of the following is NOT a benefit of playing an instrument?
A．It makes it easier for one to pick up foreign languages.
B．It allows one to show his feelings more exactly to others．
C．It gives one a better memory in one’s own language．
D．it makes one understand others’ feelings better．
4．From Luz Jancke we lean that _________．
A．playing an instrument benefits children more than adults
B．playing an instrument has no benefits for people over 65
C．some studies show playing music can increase memory
D．he will do more research into brain development and music
In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin．Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success．These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial or ethnic group, if some members are darker skinned than others．
The result is that skin lightening has become a common activity across Africa, Asia and other areas of the world．More and more people with dark skin are using skin-lightening products, even if they may face health risks.
They believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives．Many people think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family．Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful.
Some beauty care products and soaps contain chemicals that make skin lighter．This process is also called bleaching．But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous．One of the chemicals has been linked to kidney (肾) damage and some kinds of cancer．It also causes low birth weight in babies when mothers use it during pregnancy．
At first, bleaching products make the skin color lighter．But after long-term use they can cause problems．They can even make some skin darker．The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color to skin．The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight．Then the skin can become thick and discolored．Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse.
Fatimata Ly treats skin conditions in the Senegalese capital，Dakar．Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal．She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger．Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage．
And these are not the only risks．Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional damage．They fee
l regret and sadness．They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color as it was．
1．Which of the following words can replace the underlined word “bleaching”?
A．whitening B．changing C．lighting D．pleasing
2．Why has the skin lightening become a common activity all over the world?
A．There are many products that can make the dark skin light.
B．Many people with dark skin have no confidence.
C．Relatively speaking, light skin has more advantages over dark skin.
D．People with dark skin are forced by the pressure of their families.
3．According to the text the following ar
e the risks using the bleaching products EXCEPT______.
A．blackened fingernails B．permanent skin damage
C．emotional damage D．a waste of time and money
4．From the text we can conclude the writer’s attitude toward using the bleaching products is probably ___________．
A．supportive B．positive C．doubtful D．negative
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