News One
Much of Pakistan faces more storms in the coming days. Heavy rains have already caused more than two weeks of record flooding. Health officials worry about disease spreading because of a lack of clean drinking water. The United Nations wants four hundred and sixty million dollars to provide immediate help for fourteen million people affected by the flooding. About l,600 people have died because of the floods.
The Pakistani ambassador(大使) to the UN says the floods could limit his country's economic growth this year. The cotton industry has been hit especially hard. Pakistan has cancelled official Independence Day celebrations that were set for Saturday.
News Two
Russian officials are reporting progress against wildfires that have blackened parts of the country and polluted the air. Russia has requested technical assistance. President Obama called President Dmitri Medvedev on Thursday to tell him that American firefighting equipment is on the way.
A girl in Moscow wears a mask to protect herself from thick smoke caused by wildfires last week. The fires are not the only problem. President Medvedev says Russia has lost about one-fourth of its grain crops this year because of heat and dry weather. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has banned grain exports until the end of the year. Russia is a major wheat exporter. But crops have been hit hard by the record heat this summer. During the past week, bread prices in Russia have jumped by twenty percent.
But skies cleared over Moscow after days of heavy pollution, and there were cooling rains. The city set a new record for itself when temperatures reached thirty-nine degrees Celsius on July 30.
News Three
American scientists reported on Friday that this July was the second warmest worldwide in records dating back to 1880. The government report said the average temperature for January through July was the warmest on record. Global warming keeps the temperature growing year by year.What does News One talk about?
| A．The record floods happened in Pakistan. |
| B．The celebrations of Independence Day. |
| C．The reason of the floods. |
| D．The trouble of Pakistan caused by wildfires. |
It is implied in News One that _____
| A．Pakistan is often hit by heavy storms |
| B．the floods have caused a loss to Pakistan's economy |
| C．many countries are willing to help Pakistan |
| D．most people in Pakistan are threatened by diseases |
What does the underlined word "assistance" in News Two mean?
| A．Help. |
| B．Information. |
| C．Skill. |
| D．Guide. |
From the passage we know that the wildfires in Russia ______.
| A．were started by human activities |
| B．have been put off by cooling rains |
| C．have affected the prices of bread in the country |
| D．caused the country to import wheat from other countries |
第二部分 阅读理解 (共20小题；每小题2.5分，满分50分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。
Grandma Moses is among the most famous twentieth-century painters of the United States, yet she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies. As she once said to herself: " I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me." No one could have had a more productive old age.
She was born Anna Mary Robertson on a farm in New York State, one of five boys and five girls. At twelve she left home and was in domestic service until, at twenty—seven, she married Thomas Moses, the hired hand of one of her employers. They farmed most of their lives, first in Virginia and then in New York State, at Eagle Bridge. She had ten children, of whom five survived; her husband died in 1927.
Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroidery (刺绣) pictures as a hobby, but only changed to oils in old age because her hands had become too stiff to sew and she wanted to keep busy and pass the time. Her pictures were first sold at the local drugstore and at a market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought everything she painted. Three of the pictures exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, and in 1940 she had her first exhibition in New York. Between the 1930's and her death, she produced some 2,000 pictures: detailed and lively portrayals of the country life she had known for so long, with a wonderful sense of color and form. "I think really hard till I think of something really pretty, and then I paint it" she said.
1. According to the passage, Grandma Moses began to paint because she wanted to_______.
A. make herself beautiful
B. keep active
C. earn more money
D. become famous
2. Grandma Moses spent most of her life ________.
A. nursing B. painting C. embroidering D. farming
3. The underlined word “portrayals ” means ________.
A. descriptions B. expressions C.explanations D.impressions
4. From Grandma Moses' description of herself in the first paragraph, it can be inferred that she
was ________.
A. independent B. pretty C. rich D. nervous
5. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Grandma Moses: Her Life and Pictures.
B. The Children of Grandma Moses.
C. Grandma Moses: Her Best Exhibition.
D.Grandma Moses and Other Older Artists.
After too long on the Net，even a phone call can be a shock. My boyfriend‘s Liverpudlian accent suddenly becomes too difficult to understand after his clear words on screen; a secretary‘s tone seems more rejecting than I’d imagined it would be. Time itself becomes fluid- hours becomes minutes， and alternately seconds stretch into days. Weekends， once a highlight of my week，are now just two ordinary days.
For the last three years，since I stopped working as a producer for Charlie Rose，I have done much of my work as a telecommuter. I submit (提交) articles and edit them by E-mail and communicate with colleagues on Internet mailing lists. My boyfriend lives in England, so much of our relationship is computer-mediated.
If I desired，I could stay inside for weeks without wanting anything. I can order food，and manage my money，love and work. In fact，at times I have spent as long as three weeks alone at home，going out only to get mail and buy newspapers and groceries. I watched most of the blizzard of 96 on TV.
But after a while，life itself begins to feel unreal. I start to feel as though I’ve merged (融合) with my machines，taking data in spitting them back out， just another node （波节）on the Net. Others on line report the same symptoms. We start to strongly dislike the outside forms of socializing. It’s like attending an A. A. meeting in a bar with everyone holding a half-sipped drink. We have become the Net opponents’ worst nightmare.
What first seemed like a luxury，crawling from bed to computer，not worrying about hair，and clothes and face，has become an avoidance，a lack of discipline. And once you start replacing real human contact with cyber-interaction，coming back out of the cave can be quite difficult.
At times, I turn on the television and just leave it to chatter in the background, something that I'd never done previously. The voices of the programs soothe (安慰) me, but then I'm jarred (使感不快) by the commercials. I find myself sucked in by soap operas, or compulsively (强制性能地) needing to keep up with the latest news and the weather. "Dateline," "Frontline," "Nightline," CNN, every possible angle of every story over and over and over, even when they are of no possible use to me. Work moves from foreground to background.
1．Compared to the clear words of her boyfriend on screen, his accent becomes____
A．unreal B．unbearable C．misleading D．not understandable
2．What does the last paragraph mean
A．Having worked on the computer for too long, she became a bit strange.
B．She is so interested in TV programs that she often forgets her work
C．She watches TV a lot in order to keep up with the latest news and the weather.
D．She turns on TV now and then in order to get some comfort from TV program.
3．What is the author’s attitude to the computer?
A．She has become bored with it.
B．She dislikes it because TV is more attractive.
C．She dislikes it because it cuts off her relation with the outside world.
D．She likes it because it is very convenient.
4．The underlined phrase “coming back out of the cave ”probably means_______.
A．going back to the dreaming world B．coming back home from the outside world
C．restoring direct human contact D．getting away from living a strange life
Consulates (领事馆) exist to help citizens abroad to help themselves. Every year millions of people go abroad for pleasure or profit (利润). There are consular officers ready to do what they can to help if people get into difficulties, but for all sorts of reasons there are limits to what they can do. Most times things go well for travelers abroad but occasionally things go wrong.
So, whether you are an experienced traveler or a first timer, going by yourself, with the family or a group there are things you should do before you go. Think about money and tickets well in advance. Take enough money including enough to pay your return fare, and hold on to it. Better still, buy return tickets in the first place. In an emergency a consul (领事) will contact relatives or friends and ask them to help you with money or tickets. But there's no law that says a consul has to lend you money and if he eventually does (and it will have to be repaid) he will want to be satisfied first that you really do have no money and there is no one else you know who can help.
It is also important to take out proper insurance (保险) for everything from car breakdowns to loss of life. A consul cannot pay your medical or any other bills, nor can he do the work of local travel representatives or motoring organizations.
1．What is the author trying to do in the textm
A．To inform people about laws abroad. B．To describe an international problem.
C．To explain how to visit a consulate. D．To give advice about consulates
2．Why would somebody read the text?
A．To know how to contact a consul. B．To find out how to make a complaint (抱怨).
C．To know when to contact a consul. D．To find out where a consul
lives.
3．You can borrow money from a consul if you
A．need to stay abroad longer. B．have to help a relative
C．have no other financial (资金) means D．need to have your car repaired
4．Which of the following notices would you see in Consular Office?
A． CONSULAR OFFICE
In an emergency you may contact your consul. He may give you advice but you should not rely on being given financial help.
B．CONSULAR OFFICE
In an emergency you may contact this office. Your consul can always help with hospital and dental costs.
C．CONSULAR OFFICE
You may contact your consul if you have run out of money. He will arrange for you to receive help if you cannot pay your bills.
D．CONSULAR OFFICE
Your consul is here to help you. If your car has broken down or you’re experiencing travel difficulties of any kind. Contact your consul.
The most intensive period of speech and language development for humans is during the first three years of life, a period when the brain is developing and maturing. These skills appear to develop best in a world that is rich with sounds, sights, and consistent（一致的，协调的，相容的）exposure（揭发）to the speech and language of others.
There is increasing evidence suggesting that there are "critical periods" for speech and language development in infants and young children. This means that the developing brain is best able to absorb a language, any language, during this period. The beginning signs of communication occur during the first few days of life when an infant learns that a cry will bring food, comfort, and companionship. As they grow, infants begin to sort out the speech sounds (phonemes) or building blocks that compose the words of their language. Research has shown that by six months of age, most children recognize the basic sounds of their native language
As the speech mechanism (jaw, lips, and tongue) and voice mature, an infant is able to make controlled sound. By six months of age, an infant usually babbles or produces repetitive syllables such as "ba, ba, ba" or "da, da, da." By the end of their first year, most children have mastered the ability to say a few simple words. Children are most likely unaware of the meaning of their first words, but soon learn the power of those words as others respond to them.
By eighteen months of age, most children can say eight to ten words. By age two, most are putting words together in crude sentences such as "more milk." During this period, children rapidly learn that words symbolize or represent objects, actions, and thoughts. At this age they also engage in representational or pretend play. At 
ages three, four, and five, a child's vocabulary rapidly increases, and he or she begins to master the rules of language.
1．According to the passage, which of the statements is NOT true
A．The developing brain is best able to absorb any language.
B．The beginning signs of communication occur during the first few days of life.
C．By six months of age, all children recognize th
e basic sounds of their native language.
D．By 2, children rapidly learn that words symbolize or represent objects, actions, and thoughts.
2．We can infer from the passage that____
A．by six months of age, an infant must babble or produce repetitive syllables
B．by their first year, most children are most likely aware of the meaning of their first words
C．by 2, children rapidly learn that words symbolize or represent objects, actions, and thoughts
D．the brain development is critical to develop children’s speech and language ability
3．That there are “critical periods” for speech and language development in infants and young children means ______
A．that children are so young that it is easy for them to study
B．that the developing brain is best able to absorb a language, any language
C．that the children are eager to learn the language
D．that we must take care of children
4 In Paragraph 3, the underlined word “mechanism” can be replaced by ______.
A．organs B．skills C．abilities D．habits
Yesterday's paper had a short article about the Coming-of-Age ceremony in a large city 
in Japan. According to the article, the mayor of the city formally apologized to an enraged professor who delivered a speech at the ceremony that was all but ignored by 20-year-olds in the city.
The officials prepared 7,000 seats in a gymnasium where the ceremony was held for the 17,000 twenty-year-olds residing in the city. But most of the seats were empty during the speech. And many of the 20-year-olds who did show up ignored the professor and spoke among themselves or talked on their mobile phones. Some even made a ruckus (骚动) outside the gymnasium.
One 20-year-old who attended the ceremony said youngsters came to the ceremony not to
listen to speeches but to see their classmates. The mayor criticized the y
oung generation at a news conference on Tuesday, saying such behavior "is symbolic of the postwar era which failed to
nurture healthy character and social intelligece."
Personally I feel people should not generalize the whole generation or the whole era when he criticizes something. But it is also true generation gap is getting bigger and bigger regarding the ceremony of Coming-of-Age Day. So far this ceremony has been held with citizens' tax money. Many older generations understand this festival as an entrance ceremony of adults' world which requires maturity including responsibility, patience, and cooperativeness. Older people tend to be "educational" to younger ones, while younger people tend to feel they finally obtain a right to behave freely because they are now adults. Though, ironically, young people have to ask their parents to buy them new clothes for the ceremony.
It is about time to change the way we celebrate this festival, I think. The idea of blessing new 20-year-olds is not so bad. But there seems to be some other ways to celebrate more properly. The present way seems to me a little superficial and materialistic. It can provide solutionless arguments between different generations, instead of friendships and respects. Instead of eternally complaining about the young's behaviors at the ceremonies, people should consider how they can make their ceremonies worthier, I feel.
1．We can infer from the passage that
A．in Japan, girls and boys, when they are 20 years old, come to their adulthood
B．there are 7,000 twenty-year-olds residents in the city
C．the mayor criticized the young generation at a news conference
D．it’s about time to change the way we celebrate the Coming-of-Age
2．When the professor was giving a speech the 20-years-olds are NOT________.
A．talking with each other B．chatting on their mobile phones
C．talking with the professor D．making ruckus outside
3．According to the author _________
A．the festival is an entrance ceremony of adults’ world which requires maturity including responsibility, patience, and cooperativeness
B．the young people tend to obtain a right to behave freely because they are now adults
C．young people have to ask their parents to buy them new clothes for the ceremony
D．it’s time to end complaining about the young’s behaviors at the ceremonies, and people should consider how to make their ceremonies worthier
4．What’s the best title for the passage
A．There are solutionless arguments between different generations.
B．Coming-of-Age ceremony should be much worthier.
C．Old people should be educational to young people
D．The younger ones’ behaviors stand for an era which failed to nurture healthy character and social i
ntelligence
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