I had the meanest mother in the world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal (谷类食物), eggs or toast. While others had Cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different from other kids' too. But at least I wasn't alone in my sufferings. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.
My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends were and where we were going. She insisted if we said we'd be gone an hour, then we be gone one hour or less—not one hour and one minute. And she always insisted upon us telling the truth. Now you can see how mean she was.
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night and up at eight the next morning. We had to wash dishes, make beds, and learn to cook. We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath, while the other kids always wore their clothes for days. I believe she laid awake at night thinking up mean things to do to us.
Through the years, things didn't improve a bit. We could not lie in bed, “sick” like our friends did, and miss school. Our marks in school had to be up to par(达到正常水平). Our friends' report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing. My mother, being as different as she was, would settle for nothing less than ugly black marks.
As the years rolled by, we were one by one put to shame. We were graduated from high school. With our mother behind us, talking, hitting and demanding respect, none of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout.
My mother was a complete failure as a mother. Out of four children, a couple of us attained some higher education. And whom do we have to blame for the terrible way we turned out? You're right, our mean mother. She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults.
Now I am trying to raise my three children. I am filled with pride when my children think I am mean because, you see, I had the meanest mother in the world.What does the sentence “But at least I wasn't alone in my sufferings.” mean?
| A．The author's mother was only mean to her. |
| B．The author's mother suffered her. |
| C．The author's mother was mean to her sister, brothers and her. |
| D．The author wasn't alone because of suffering. |
Why was the author's mother mean to her children?
| A．Because she wanted her children to be top students in school. |
| B．Because she wanted her children to bring home colored report cards like her friends did. |
| C．Because she wanted her children to drop out. |
| D．Because she wanted her children to do their best at school and be educated and respected citizens. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Some of the children weren't able to go to college because of their mean mother. |
| B．Mother didn't let the author tell lies. |
| C．Mother asked the author to wear clean clothes. |
| D．The author could not miss school even if she was ill. |
The passage was written in a way of _______ tone?
| A．humorous | B．hateful | C．ridiculous | D．critical |
What does an astronaut eat in space? This is a question that will puzzle many, as people rarely think of that. In the early space-travel years, astronauts ate dehydrated (脱水的) foods that were eaten through straws （吸管）. In today’s space-age, the food that they eat is totally different. They eat food in the same way as people do on Earth.
Astronauts are able to prepare and eat a variety of foods in space. Some can be eaten in their natural form,
like fruits, while some need to add water, like noodles. However, there are no refrigerators, so the food has to be prepared and eaten without being stored for a long time. When the astronauts are hungry, they simply eat the food by opening the food packages and with a fork, knife, and spoon.
Just like people on Earth, astronauts also eat three meals a day which include breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes they also eat snacks. The US space agency NASA has found out that an astronaut’s diet reduces by about 70% on a space mission, though he has a wide range of foods to choose from like nuts, chicken, beef, seafood, and candies. Drinks in the spaceship include coffee, tea, juices, and lemonade.
Astronauts can also request a particular food that they would like to have in space. Scientists are always experimenting and trying out different space foods that can be offered to astronauts when on space missions.
1. Now astronauts eat ________ in space.
A. dehydrated (脱水的) foods B. food as people do on Earth
C. totally different D. food with a lot of water
2. The food the astronauts prepared ________ .
A. can’t be stored for a long time B. is put into refrigerators
C. can be stored for a long time D. can’t be kept in the food packages
3. In space, astronauts ________ like people on Earth.
A. only have nuts, chicken and beef B. only have lunch for a day
C. only drink coffee, tea and lemonade D. also eat three meals a day
4. What is the text mainly about?
A. Astronauts’ space life B. Astronauts’ space work
C. Astronauts’ space food D. Astronauts’ space experiments
Singapore’s public transport system is one of the best in the world, so you should have no problem finding your way around like a local. There are three main forms of public transport that y
ou would find in any other major city ---trains, buses and taxis
TRAINS
Trains run from 6:00 am to midnight. Single trip tickets start at 80 cents. If you buy an EZ-Link cars for $15, you can ride the trains and buses as you like.
If you need more information, just call Transit Link on 1800 767 4333.
BUESE
There are several bus services in Singapore and fares start at 80 cents. Be sure always ask the driver the cost of your ticket as he can not give change.
If you need help, just call Transit Link on 1800 767 4333.
TAXIS
There are three main taxi companies –City Cab(6552 2222), Comfort(6552 1111) and Tibs (6552 8888). Booking can also be easily by calling the numbers listed above.
RENTABLE CARS
Driving in Singapore is a pleasure and if you liked to travel at your own pace, renting a car is a good choice. Renting takes away the hassle of getting to places around Singapore. Just sit back and enjoy the city. It also means you’ll get to see a lot more that a trains or a bus won’t let you see.
For car rental, call Avis on + 65 6737 1668.
1. By an EZ-Link card, you can take .
A. both buses and trains B. only trains C. both buses and taxis D. only rental cars
2. When you take a bus there, always remember to .
A. take your own license with you B. ask the driver how much your ticket is
C. buy the bus map of Singapore D
. book your ticket ahead of time
3. What does the word “hassle” mean in Chinese?
A. 麻烦 B. 乐趣 C. 景点 D. 费用
4. What do you know about traveling in Singapore from the passage?
A. A local has no trouble finding his way around.
B. It’s much cheaper to go around by bus than by train.
C. You can see a lot more in Singapore only by renting a car.
D. It’s
very convenient for visitors to travel in Singapore.
第三部分阅读技能 (共三节，满分35分)
阅读理解（共12小题；每小题2分，满分24分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I am an e-mail user. When I first started to use the e-mail system, I used to read all my e-mail. I didn’t have much mail. I gave my friends my e-mail address. Soon I had more mail than I wanted. Some of the mail was junk mail. I was worried. I didn’t want my mail to control me.
I’ve tried some methods to help me get control of my mail. First, I check my mail at the same time every day. Also I try to allow myself only 15-20 minutes every day to process my e-mail. This doesn’t always work, but I try. Sometimes I save the messages. Sometimes I just read them, maybe answer a few, and then delete（删除）them.
Sometimes I’m not at all interested in a message, so I don’t even open it. I delete it right away. This is very much the way I go through the mail that the postal service delivers to my home.
These methods are very simple. I have some friends who are very clever with computers. From time to time, they teach me new tricks for managing my e-mail. I’m still amazed at what e-mail can do for me! I’m still worried, however, about having too much to read.
1. The writer used to read all his e-mail because _______.
A. he didn’t have much mail B. he had nothing else to do
C. he didn’t know how to read mail D. he was forced to do that
2. Which of the following does NOT belong to the ways of the writer’s dealing with his mail?
A. Saving the messages. B. Just reading some.
C. Deleting some. D. Passing some on to friends.
3. What does the underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. messages B. friends C. computers D. methods
4. What’s the purpose of the writer to write this passage?
A. To share happiness in using mail with us.
B. To share some worries in using mail with us.
C. To share some methods of using computer with us.
D. To persuade us out of using mail.
Are you a problem shopper? The answer is “Yes”, if you or someone else thinks that you sometimes get carried away with shopping. In other words, do you or does someone else think you are occupied in extreme shopping ? If people have regrets later about their shopping, or have an “out-of-control” feeling about the quantities of what they buy or the amount of credit they use, they may be considered to be problem shoppers.
Extreme shopping can lead to a more serious problem –addictive shopping. Addictive shoppers feel driven by the desire to shop and spend money. They experience great tension which drives them to shop and spend money and they feel a “rush” during the time they are occupied with the shopping activity.
Extreme or addictive shopping may result from long-time unpleasant feelings, of which anxiety, pain and shame are common ones,. When we feel bad inside, we often do somethin
g to make ourselves feel better. In this case, we often go shopping.
A few people shop to relieve their boredom or emptiness. For some people, the motivation is a desire for st
atus, power, beauty or success. Some love to shop as it makes them feel valued in the eyes of the
shop assistants. Others shop simply because it makes them forget, at least temporarily, tension, fear or unhappiness in their life.
Besides, shopping malls are designed to encourage continual shopping. For instance, there are some malls where you can’t see clocks displaying the time because they don’t want you to become too aware of the time you spend there. What’s more, food courts, coffee shops and restrooms are provided, so you don’t have to leave the mall because of your physical needs.
Therefore, once you become aware of how market forces work, you will certainly come to control your shopping behavior. For example, how much time you will spend and what areas you will visit can be decided before you enter the mall. Keep a written account of what items you will buy and how much money you will spend. Make a plan for what you are going to buy before you feel the urge to shop and then stick to it. That is vital for gaining self-control.
1．Which
of the following people may not be problem shoppers?
A．Those who cannot control the amount of credit they use.
B．Those who just walk around the shopping malls.
C．Those who are occupied in too much shopping.
D．Those who feel sorry for their shopping.
2．According to the passage, what may not result in addictive shopping?
A．The a
wareness of how market forces work.
B．The desire for status, power, beauty or success.
C．Boredom, emptiness, tension, fear or unhappiness in people’s life.
D．Long-time bad feelings of anxiety, pain and shame.
3．What does the author suggest to control our shopping behaviour?
A．Never going to the shopping malls because there are many tricks.
B．Applying for a credit card before we go shopping.
C．Making the shopping time as short as possible.
D．Making a shopping list before we go shopping.
4．The author writes this passage to .
A．inform the shopping malls how to attract more shoppers
B．provide solutions to the problem 
shopping.
C．scold the problem shoppers
D．tell a shopping story
Eddie’s father used to say he’d spent so many years by the ocean, breathing seawater. Now, away from that ocean, in the hospital bed, his body began to look like a beached fish. His condition went from fair to stable and from stable to serious. Friends went from saying, “He’ll be home in a day,” to “He’ll be home in a week ” In his father’s absence, Eddie helped out at the pier(码头), working evenings after his taxi job.
When Eddie was a teenager, if he ever complained or seemed bored with the pier, his father would shout, “What ? This isn’t good enough for you?” And later, when he’d suggested Eddie take a job there after high school, Eddie almost laughed, and his father again said, “What? This isn’t good enough for you?” And before Eddie went to war, when he’d talked of marrying Marguerite and becoming an engineer, his father said, “What? This isn’t good enough for you?”
And now, regardless of all that, here he was, at the pier, doing his father’s labor.
Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them. They move on. They move away. It is not until much later, as the heart weakens, that children understand their stories, and all t
heir accomplishments sit on top of the stories of their mothers and fathers, stones upon stones, beneath the waters of their lives.
Finally, one night, at his mother’s urging, Eddie visited the hospital. He entered the room slowly. His father, who for years had refused to speak to Eddie, now lacked the strength to even try.
“Don’t sweat it, kid,” the other workers told him. “Your old man will pull through. He’s the toughest man we’ve ever seen.”
When the news came that his father had died, Eddie felt the emptiest kind of anger, the kind that circles in its cage.
In the weeks that followed, Eddie’s mother lived in a confused state. She spoke to her husband as if he were still there. She yelled at him to turn down the radio. She cooked enough food for two. One night, when Eddie offered to help with the dishes, she said. “Your father will put them away.” Eddie put a hand on her shoulder. “Ma,” he said, softly, “Dad’s gone.”
“Gone where?”
1. In Paragraph 4, the writer indicates that .
A．Children like moving away from them parents
B．Children often feel regretful because they leave their parents
C．Children wouldn’t have achieved so much without their parents’ support
D．Children can never understand how much their parents have devoted to them
2. The underlined sentence probably means “ ”.
A．Don’t give it up B．Don’t worry about it
C．Don’t let him down D．Don’t touch it
3. Which of the following shows the right order of the story?
a．Eddie’s father died.
b．Eddie worked as a taxi driver.
c．Eddie married Marguerite.
d．Eddie was bored with his father’s job.
A．bacd B．dcab C．bcda D．dcba
4. From the last part of the passage, we learn that .
A．Eddie’s mother liked to listen to the radio
B．Eddie often helped his mother wash the dishes
C．Eddie and his wife lived in his mother’s apartment
D．Eddie’s mother missed her husband so much that she was at a
loss
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