Ⅳ．閱讀理解(共20小題；每小題2分，滿分40分)

閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項(A、B、C和D)中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。

A

We have two daughters: Kristen is seven years old and Kelly is four. Last Sunday evening, we invited some people home for dinner. I dressed them nicely for the party, and told them that their job was to join Mommy in answering the door when the bell rang. Mommy would introduce them to the guests, and then they would take the guests’ coats upstairs and put them on the bed in the second bedroom.

The guests arrived. I introduced my two daughters to each of them. The adults were nice and kind and said how lucky we were to have such good kids.

Each of the guests made a particular fuss over Kelly, the younger one, admiring her dress, her hair and her smile. They said she was a remarkable girl to be carrying coats upstairs at her age.

I thought to myself that we adults usually make a big "to do" over the younger one because she’s the one who seems more easily hurt. We do it with the best of intentions.

But we seldom think of how it might affect the other child. I was a little worried that Kristen would feel she was being outshined. I was about to serve dinner when I realized that she had been missing for twenty minutes. I ran upstairs and found her in the bedroom, crying.

I said, "What are you doing, my dear?"

She turned to me with a sad expression and said, "Mommy, why don’t people like me the way they like my sister? Is it because I ‘m not pretty? Is that why they don’t say nice things about me as much?"

I tried to explain to her, kissing and hugging her to make her feel better.

Now, whenever I visit a friend’s home, I make it a point to speak to the elder child first.

56. The underlined expression “make a big ‘to do’ over” (paragraph 4) means ______.

A. show much concern about????????????? B. have a special effect on

C. list jobs to be done for??????????????????? D. do good things for

57. The guests praised Kelly for carrying coats upstairs because of her ______.

A. beautiful hair???????????????????????????????? B. pretty clothes

C. lovely smile?????????????????????????????????? D. young age

58. Kristen felt sad and cried because ______.

A. the guest gave her more coats to carry

B. she didn’t look as pretty as Kelly

C. the guests praised her sister more than her

D. her mother didn’t introduce her to the guests

59. We can conclude from the passage that ______.

A. parents should pay more attention to the elder children

B. the younger children are usually more easily hurt

C. people usually like the younger children more

D. adults should treat children equally

B

Being considered a leader in our society is indeed of high praise. Leadership means power, commands respect and, most important, encourages achievement. Unlike vitamin C, leadership skills can’t be easily swallowed down. They must be carefully cultivated.

Different from popular belief, most good leaders are made, not born. They learn their skills in their everyday lives. But which do they develop? How do they (and how can you) get others to follow?

Always give credit. Many leaders note that the most efficient way to get a good performance from others is to treat them like heroes. Giving public credit to someone who has earned it is the best leadership technique in the world. It is also an act of generosity (慷慨) that’s never forgotten.

Giving credit is more effective than even the most constructive criticism (批評), which often hurts rather than helps. Kenneth Blanchard, the author of The One-Minute Manager, agrees.

"Catch people doing something right!" he says. Then tell everyone about it.

Take informed risks. "The best leaders know that taking a risk is not a thoughtless exercise," says management adviser Marilyn Machlowitz. "Sky divers don’t go up in an airplane without checking the parachutes (降落傘) beforehand. "

Because the idea of risk also carries with it the possibility of failure, many of us usually wait for others to take charge. But if you want to be a leader, you must learn to fail - and not die a thousand deaths. Pick yourself up and start all over again.

Encourage enthusiasm. (熱情) "When people understand the importance of work, they lend their mental strengths," says Lee Ducat. But when they get excited about the work, all their energy gets poured into the job. That’s a great force ! Is this the best way to create excitement? Be enthusiastic yourself - You will be followed by everyone.

60. The underlined word "cultivated" (paragraph 1) roughly means ______.

A. encouraged?????? B. compared

C. examined????????? D. developed

61. The part Always give credit tells us that a leader should ______.

A. give helpful criticism

B. regard others as real heroes

C. praise people for their good performances

D. praise everyone

62. To be a good leader, you should ______.

A. not be afraid of any risks

B. think twice before taking risks

C. try to avoid any possible failures

D. know what a thoughtless exercise is

63. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Leadership Is of Skills and Techniques

B. Leadership Is Very Important

C. Not Many Can Be Leaders

D. How to Be a Leader

C

"Have you ever been out on a boat and felt it lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the rush of energy as waves came over ab-stops: 105.0pt 189.0pt 273.0pt">University of Edinburgh. "There is certainly a lot of energy in waves," he said.

Scientists are working to use that energy to make electricity. Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean. "The wind starts out by making little ripples (漣漪), but if they keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves," Taylor said. "Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey. "

When waves come toward the shore, people can set up darns to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine (渦輪機(jī)). The turbine can then power an electrical generator to produce electricity.

"The resource is huge," said Janet Swain of the Worldwatch Institute. "We will never run out of wave power. " Besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil or coal. Oceans cover three-quarters of the Earth’s surface - that would make wave power seem ideal for creating energy throughout the world, though there are some weak points yet to overcome.

Swain said that wave power still costs too much money. She also said that its effects on sea animals are still unknown. What is more, wave power could affect fishing and boat traffic.

Traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may someday run out. "Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is rising rapidly throughout the world," Swain said. In the future when you turn on a light, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!

64. The writer uses the two questions at the beginning of the passage to ______.

A. test the readers’ knowledge about waves

B. draw the readers’ attention to the topic

C. show Jamie Taylor’s importance

D. invite the readers to answer them

65. The underlined phrase "picking up" (paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to ______.

A. starting again???? B. speeding up?????? C. gathering?????????? D. improving

66. We can make better use of wave energy if we ______.

A. shorten its journey to thousands of homes

B. build more small power stations on the oceans

C. reduce the cost of turning it into electric power

D. quicken the steps of producing electricity

67. It can be inferred that some day we might not worry about ______.

A. air pollution?????? B. our boat traffic? C. our power supply????? D. our supply of sea fish

D

In 1837, the historian Carlyle made the first recorded use of the word "queue" (排隊). He spoke of the French and their "habit of standing in a queue". Forty years later Paris was the best place to wait in line.

However, queuing became popular in Britain too. The Second World War was the golden age of queuing, and people joined any line in the hope that it was a queue for something to buy. This was the source of many Second World War jokes:

Shopkeeper to customer: Excuse me, miss, are you pregnant (懷孕)?

Customer: Well, I wasn’t when I joined the queue.

Today, according to research in America, we (in Britain) can spend up to 5 years of our lives queuing- as compared to twelve months looking for things we have lost. But things may be changing. Many people no longer have the patience to stand in a queue. The law of the jungle (叢林) has begun to operate at bus stops, with people using their arms to push others out of the way.

One way to make life easier is to introduce "queue management". Customers at supermarket cheese counters can now take a ticket with a number which appears on a screen when it is their turn. And while they wait for their number, they can do a bit of shopping.

In some booking offices there is also a system telling customers how long they may have to wait before they are served.

One of the latest technical progress is the use of an electronic scanner (電子識別器) which can read all the contents of your shopping basket or trolley in just a few seconds. If these become popular, queuing in supermarkets may become a thing of the past.

But some people just like queuing. One man queued all night for Harrods famous January sale, and then returned home for breakfast at nine o’ clock the next morning without going into the shop.

68. The joke in Paragraph 2 implies that the young woman ______.

A. has been waiting in the queue for a long time

B. doesn’t need to stand in the queue

C. enjoys standing in the queue

D. has stood in the wrong line

69. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. The British spend more time queuing than looking for lost things.

B. The Americans criticized the British for their way of queuing.

C. The British are always patient when they wait in line.

D. People queue only when they want to buy something.

70. The British try to solve the problem of queuing by all the following EXCEPT _____.

A. making a law to prevent queuing

B. telling the customers the waiting time

C. using numbered tickets to put the customers in order

D. checking the price of the goods customers buy with a scanner

71. We can infer from the passage that ______.

A. queue management doesn’t work well

B. there is still queuing in England

C. we don’t see much queuing in Paris

D. the French like queuing more than the British

E

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Willapark Manor Hotel. Peaceful situation in 14 acres of separated gardens and woodland, overlooking picturesque bay. Close to coastal path and beach. Excellent cuisine. Our excellent service brings our guests back year after year. Children (reductions) and pets welcome. 01840 770782

The Country Garden Hotel. Delightful hotel set in lovely gardens; calm Island of Wight near Tennyson Downs, Great food! Garden, sea view and ground floor roden Hotoms. Please call for brochure (服務(wù)指南) and sample menu. Adults only and pets welcome. 0800 980 1943

Boscastle. Romantic 17th Century farmer’s cottage in countryside with splendid coastal views. Well equipped. Sleeps 5. Regret no pets/smoking. Garden with furniture. Brochure: 01633 450417

Godshill. 4 star self-served units. Non smoking. Sleeps 2 -4. Open all year. Good walks. Close to pubs. Peaceful. Cosy. No pets. Brochure: 01983 840371

The Blakeney Hotel. Overlooking harbour, traditional privately owned friendly hotel with 60 bedrooms, lift, heated indoor pool, spa bath and saunas. Relax, walk, sail, play golf, explore the Norfolk villages, countryside and coast. Special seasonal midweek price for aged citizens. 01263 740797

S W France. Rural setting near Cordes. Two beautifully repainted old houses, sleep 4/5 and 6. Gardens, woodland, pool, views, excellent walks. Available all year round. Outstanding. 01962? 776967

72. All of the following hotels are close to the sea EXCEPT ______.

A. S W France?????????????????????????????? B. The Blakeney Hotel

C. Willapark Manor Hotel??????????????????? D. The Country Garden Hotel

73. If you want to take your children and your dog with you on holiday, you can choose ______.

A. The Country Garden Hotel???????????????? B. Willapark Manor Hotel

C. The Bay Hotel??????????????????????????? D. Boscastle

74. One of the hotels offers special price for ______.

A. young people????????????????????????????? B. elderly people

C. foreign guests??????????????????????????? D. students

75. The purpose of the passage is to ______.

A. warn??????????????? B. advise?????????????? C. describe??????????? D. advertise

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