第二部分：阅读理解
第一节
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。
Americans spend their free time in various ways．
America is a country of sports — of hunting, fishing and swimming, and of team sports like baseball and football．Millions of Americans watch their favorite sports on television．They also like to play in community orchestras （管弦乐队）, make their own films or recordings, go camping, visit museums，attend lectures, travel, garden, read, and join in hundreds of other activities．The people also enjoy building things for their homes, sewing their own clothes, even making their own photographs．They do these things for fun as well as for economy．
But as much as Americans enjoy their free time, the country is at the same time a “self-improvement” country．More than 25 million adults continue their education, chiefly by going to school in the evening, during their own free time, at their own expense．Added to the time spent on personal activities, Americans a1so devote a great amount of their time to the varied needs of their communities．Many hospitals, schools, libraries, museums, parks, community centers, and organizations that assist the poor depend on the many hours citizens devote to these activities, often without any pay．Why do they do it?
There are several answers．The idea of cooperating and sharing responsibility with one another for the benefit of all is as old as the country itself．
When the country was first founded in 1776, it was necessary for the settlers to work together to live．They had crossed dangerous seas and risked all they had in their struggle for political and religious freedom．There remains among many Americans a distrust of central government．People still prefer to do things themselves within their communities, rather than give the government more control．
Sometimes people offer their time because they wish to accomplish something for which no money is paid, to do something that will be of benefit to the entire community．It is true that some people use their leisure because they are truly interested in the work; or they are learning from the experience．
No matter what the reason is, hundreds of thousands of so-called leisure hours are put into hard, unpaid work on one or another community need．
1.This passage is mainly about ________．
A.why America is a country of sports
B.how Americans spend their free time
C.why America is a “self-improvement” country
D.how Americans are devoted to their community activities
2.The writer mentions the foundation of the country in order to indicate ________．
A.the early history of America
B.the American people’s determination to live
C.the reason for Americans’ willingness to cooperate and share responsibility
D.the American people’ s love for freedom
3.Which of the following best explains the meaning of the underlined word “leisure”?
A.work time B.energy C.effort D.spare time
4.What can we infer from the text?
A.The first settlers left their hometown for political and religious reasons．
B.Many Americans don’t trust the central government．
C.American people enjoy building things for their homes just for fun．
D.Americans continue their education at their own expense．
What is your most memorable(难忘的) Thanksgiving? For me, it was on the eve of the day.
The church had the names of ten families with more children and less pay planned to receive food baskets. As we packed the boxes in the fellowship hall, these families were excited over the food they were taking home. It would be the best meal many hadn’t enjoyed for months. As they were picking up their boxes happily, another family arrived. Father, mother and three children got off an old pickup truck and came inside the hall. This was a new family, not on our list. They had just heard there was food being given by a church.
I explained that we did not have enough for an extra family. And as I tried to make them sure that I would do what I could, an amazing thing happened. Without a word, a woman put down the box she was carrying and quickly found an empty box to place beside it. She began moving items from her box to share. Soon others followed her lead, and these poor people made an eleventh box for the new family.
1.The story happened on ____.
A.Thanksgiving Day Eve B.Christmas Eve
C.New Year’ Eve D.a church party
2.“ a new family ” here means____.
A.they were new here
B.they came the church for the first time
C.they hadn’t lived here long
D.their family name was out of the list
3.At last, _____families got the Thanksgiving Day presents.
A.11 B.10 C.12 D.no
4.What’s the best title for the passage ?
A.A New Family. B.A Thanksgiving Day. C.The eleventh Box. D.Delicious Food.
Each year on December 10, the Alfred Nobel Foundation (诺贝尔基金) presents six prizes. These prizes are named after Alfred Nobel, the man who invented dynamite (火药). It was Mr. Nobel’s idea to create the prizes. During his life, Mr. Nobel made a lot of money from his invention. He put his money in a bank, and the money earned more money through interest (利息) from the bank. The money grew to be a very large amount.
Mr. Nobel decided to use his money to help scientists, artists, and people who worked to help others around the world. He created the Nobel Prizes to do this.
The prizes set up by Mr. Noble include physics, medicine, chemistry, literature, and peace. These five Nobel Prizes were first given out in 1901. Later, the Central Bank of Sweden(瑞典) made the Alfred Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic (经济) Science in1968 to celebrate the bank’s 300th year of business. All of the prizes are handed out in Stockholm (斯德哥尔摩) except for the Peace Prize, which is presented in Oslo (奥斯陆).
Each person who receives a Nobel Prize is given a cash prize, a medal, and a special paper which explains the prize the person won. The amount of money that each person receive is calculated from the interest earned from all of Me Nobel’s money which is still in the bank. This interest is divided equally between the five prize winners in physics, medicine, chemistry, literature, and peace. The Central Bank of Sweden then pays an equal amount to the winner of the prize in economics.
1.The Nobel Prizes are presented ______.
A.at different time B.In December C.Every two years D.Every six years
2.Mr Nobel set up ___prizes at first.
A.5 B.6 C.7 D.we don’t know
3.The Nobel Prize of ___are made and paid by Central Bank of Sweden.
A.Economics B.Medicine C.Literature D.Physics
4.The winners of the Nobel Prize will receive these except____
A.A medal B.Money C.An invention D.A special paper
Interesting Exhibitions Held in Four Different Museums
Name: The British Museum
Phone: 020-7323-8000
Website: www.britishmuseum.org
Opening hours: daily 10 a.m.—5:30 p.m.
Price: Free
This exhibition aims to show the mysteries of mummification(干尸化). From a king’s daughter to a temple doorkeeper, the displays explore the identities(身份) of eight people, using their bodies to discover clues about how they lived. By using new methods, such as CT scanning and 3D visualization(可视化), the British Museum has been able to build up a picture of life in the Nile valley over 4,000 years.
Name: The Fashion and Textile (纺织) Museum
Phone: 020-7407-8664
Website: www.ftmlondon.org
Opening hours: daily 11 a.m.—5:30p.m.
Price: £8.80 adults, £5.50 students
This Fashion and Textile Museum is housing the first-ever exhibition on classic Mexican shawl(披肩), which became famous in the 20th century. Mexican artists, photographers and fashion and textile designers will be exhibiting their color1ful works there.
Name: The Victoria and Albert Museum
Phone: 020-7907-7073
Website: www.vam.ac.uk
Opening hours: Mon, Thur., Sat, Sun, 10 a.m.—5:30 p.m.; Fri. 10 a.m.—10 p.m.
Price: Free
The Victoria and Albert Museum has dug out some of their most charming(迷人的) wedding dresses to record their history during the past two centuries. White wedding dresses were made popular by Queen Victoria in the nineteenth century. See beautiful wedding dresses made by famous designers.
Name: The Science Museum
Phone: 0870-870-4868
Website: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
Opening hours: daily 10 a.m.—6 p.m.
Price: Free
This four-day festival displays the latest exciting gadgets(小机械) and introduces their inventors. Visitors can explore electronics(电子产品), build robots, get hands-on(亲自动手) with new technologies and have a go (尝试) at 3D printing. There will be displays taking place throughout the festival, which is suitable for anyone aged ten and over.
1.Which number would you call if you’re interested in exploring history with modern technology?
A.020-7323-8000. B.020-7407-8664. C.020-7907-7073. D.0870-870-4868.
2.Which museum can you visit if you are free at 8 p.m. on Friday?
A.The Fashion and textile Museum.
B.The Victoria and Albert Museum.
C.The Science Museum.
D.The British Museum.
3.What can we learn about the Science Museum?
A.It displays CT scanning technology.
B.More information can be found at www.vam.ac.uk.
C.The exhibition will last a week.
D.Visitors themselves can try new technologies.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Where was Frost born?
A.In New England. B.In Boston. C.In San Francisco.
2.When did Frost become friendly with Edward Thomas?
A.Between 1924 and 1943.
B.Between 1912 and 1915.
C.Between 1943 and 1963.
3.Which was published in 1914?
A.Steeple. B.A Boy’s Will. C.North of Boston.
4.What does the speaker ask the listeners t do next?
A.Read a poem. B.Study a novel. C.Write a letter.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Where does the conversation probably take place?
A.In an auditorium. B.In a bookstore. C.In an library.
2.What has the woman been doing at night?
A.Watching the sky. B.Reading astronomy. C.Working night shift.
3.What does the woman major in?
A.Physics. B.Drama. C.Chemistry.
