第三部分：閱讀理解（共44分）

六、閱讀下列短文，根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后各題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選擇最佳選項(xiàng)。（共26分，每小題2分）

A

What is your wish for the New Year? The following is from some teenagers.

Zhang Lei: I wish my father could see and know what I look like now. My father has been blind since my mother left.

Wang Feng: I wish there would be less exams, for I always get nervous when I come to exams.

Li Li: I wish my father would come back earlier every day and I could spend more time with Dad. I haven’t had dinner with him for months.

Mary: I wish someone would help me find my lost dog. My dog is named Huanhuan and was lost a week ago.

Mark: I wish that I would be a student of a famous high school this year. I am going to finish my junior studies the coming June.

Peter: I wish for good health though I’m badly ill. I hope to be a doctor when I grow up, so I can help the people like me.

Bob: I wish I could get more money this new year. I want to buy my grandma a new mobile phone designed for old people. So I can keep in touch with her.

( ? ) 48. Who is badly ill among the children?
A. Kate. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?B. Peter. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?C. Mary. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?D. Bob.

( ? ) 49. What’s Mark’s wish?
A. To be a student of a famous high school. ? ? ? B. To buy his grandma a mobile phone.
C. Someone would help find his lost dog. ? ? ? ? ? ?D. There would be less exams.

( ? )50. Who wishes father would come back earlier every day ?
A. Zhang Lei. ? ? ? ? ? B. Li Li. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? C. Wang Feng. ? ? ? ? ? ? D. Bob.

B

When she looked ahead, Florence Chadwick saw nothing but fog. Her body was nearly frozen. She had been swimming for almost 16 hours. At the age of 34, her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina land to the California coast.

On the morning of July 4, 1952, the sea was like an ice bath and fog was so thick that she could hardly see the boats that supported her. She tried to go on, hour after hour, while millions watched her on national television.

In one of the boats near Florence, her mother and her trainer watched her. They told her it wasn’t much farther. But all she could see was fog. They encouraged her not to give up. But, with only a half mile to go, she asked to be helped out of the water.

Still warming her cold body several hours later, she told a reporter :“If I could have seen the land, I might have made it.” It was not tiredness or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the fog. She couldn’t see her goal.

Two months later, she tried again. This time, though, the fog was the same thick, she swam with her goal clear in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land, and this time, she succeeded! Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, beating the men’s record by two hours!

( ? )51.When did Florence had the goal to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to?the California coast?
A. At the age of 16 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?B. At the age of 19 ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
C. At the age of 34 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? D. At the age of 4

( ? )52. What defeated her when she first swam in the Channel?
A. The coldness ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? B. The fog ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
C. Her tiredness ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?D. Her fear

( ? )53. What helped Florence succeed the second time?
A. Her mother’s encouragement. ? ? ? ? ?B. The men’s record.
C. Her goal in her mind. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?D. The good weather.


C

There are about 80,000,000 mines(地雷) under the ground in more than 60 countries. It is difficult and dangerous to clear these mines. About 50 people including many children were killed or hurt each day. In 2003, APOPO, a Dutch research company that trains the animals, came up with the idea of using rats to search for the mines.

The animal trainers found that a kind of rats from Africa were clever and had a sharp sense of smell. The rats were about 75 cm long and weighed about 1.35kg, light enough to run across a minefield without setting off the mines.

In January 2004, the APOPO started this project. First, the trainers let the 4-week-old baby rats get familiar with humans. A few weeks later, the rats were no longer afraid of people and the things around them. Then they were trained to connect a click sound with food. After the rats had learned that, the trainers then taught them to tell the difference between the smell of mines and other smells. When the rats could do it, the click was sounded and they were given a bit of banana. The method was called clicker training. “The training isn’t easy,” said trainer Abdullah Mchomvu. “You have to be patient. Sometimes I get angry, but then again, I tell myself these are animals”.

After nine months’ training, the rats were taken to a minefield. They ran across the minefield, stopped, sat and searched the ground to tell the domineers(排雷員) that they smelt out a mine. Then the mine was cleared. It had taken two domineers a day to clear a 200㎡ minefield, but with the help of two rats they could finish it in two hours.

The rats and the domineers saved thousands of lives, “The rats did this job much better than we expected. So far they have helped to make almost 2,000,000㎡of land safe. “They are heroes”. Said Bart Weetjens, the head of the APOPO.

( ? )54. While training the rats, the trainers have to be ________.
A. patient ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?B. clever ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? C. brave ? ? ? ? ? ? ?D. serious

( ? )55. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A. Each day about 50 children were killed or hurt by mines.
B. The APOPO started to train the rats in January 2004.
C. The trainers gave the rats food after they smelt out a mine.
D. The rats and the domineers saved thousands of lives.

( ? )56. What does the passage mainly tell us about?
A. Mines are all over the world and very dangerous ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
B. Rats are very clever and useful.
C. It is very difficult for people to find out the mines ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
D. People can train the rats to help them clear mines

?

?D

Many people in the United States and throughout the world enjoy bird watching or “birding”. A report by the U.S. Wildlife Service showed that over 50 million Americans watched birds. There are many reasons why birding has become so popular, but one of the main reasons is how easy it is to start. Birding is an activity that almost anyone can do regardless of（不論） age, physical size and strength, or experience; Also, it can be done alone or as part of a group of other birding?enthusiasts. A city park, a field, a forest, or even a friend’s backyard are all good places to start. This makes the fun of bird watching open to everyone.

The basics of bird watching are simple. Bird watching is “the observation of birds in their natural home.” All you need to start is the time and place to look for birds and a small notebook to record notes about the birds you see. Any pair of binoculars you can use will also help.

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of joining “the birding boom（熱潮）”:

1. When you first find a bird, try to name it. Take notes about the bird’s size, appearance, and the sounds it makes; later, ensure your sighting with a field guide or other bird watching books.

2. Record the date and time of each bird you see. That way you’ll have a record of all your sightings to compare with other birding lovers.

3. Try birding in different places. If you only look in the same place each time, it will not take long before you will want to find new and different birds.

4. Try looking for one or two new birds to record any time you travel to a new area.

5. Join a bird watching club or take other birders with you to new sighting areas. You’re likely to learn a lot from others and have lots of fun.

If you enjoy bird watching, you’re certainly not alone. It’s a good way to get some exercise and enjoy the outdoors. It’s also an activity that birders sometimes help develop scientific knowledge just by practicing their hobby and taking part in the birding boom. Who knows? Some day, an ornithologist (someone who studies birds) might even thank you for your own birding observations!

(?? )57. What’s the meaning of “enthusiasts”in Paragraph 1?
A. Fans.????????????????? B. Farmers.????????????????? C. Feeders.?????????????????? D. Guides.

(?? )58. What can the readers infer from the passage?
A. Bird watching needs a lot of expensive machines.
B. Finding a place to observe birds can be very difficult.
C. There are more bird watchers in the USA than any other country.
D. Finding people who are interested in birding is quite easy.

(?? )59. The writer wrote this passage most likely to _____.
A. interest readers with bird stories
B. tell readers something about bird watching
C. describe various bird living places for readers
D. encourage readers to become bird scientists

(?? )60. What is the best title for the passage?
A. The Backyard Birders.???????B. Birding Club Basics. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ??
C. The Birding Boom. ? ? ? ? ? ?D. Endangered Birds. ? ? ? ?