Ayesha and Latisha Jones need to take a break in their own homework to help their dad, because at the age of 52, John Jones is just now learning to read.
“I was so uncomfortable and so ashamed,” he said. For many years, unable to read a menu or a bus schedule, Jones was just one of the estimated 65,000 adults in Buffalo, New York who cannot read above a 5th-grade level.
And a new study shows the problem is getting worse in many states. California, New York and Florida have all shown surprising increases in illiteracy（文盲）rates. The situation has improved in a few states, like Mississippi, Rhode Island and Kentucky. But worldwide, the United States doesn’t perform well.
Fourteen countries rank higher in reading ability than the United States, including Finland, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, South Korea, UK, Japan, Sweden, Iceland, Belgium, Austria, France and Norway.
Back in Buffalo, a program called Read to Succeed targets the problem early, teaching preschoolers shapes, colors and letters.
“We have a lot of poverty and that means a lot of children don’t have the skills, but they have the potential（潜质）,” said Helene Kramer of Read to Succeed. The theory is : you’re never too young or too old to learn.
Working with Buffalo’s literacy volunteers has given Jones a fresh start. “They gave me a chance to open a door that I could never open before,” he said. “I could never open it before, because I couldn’t read.” It’s not easy, but Jones says seeing his daughters read inspires him to try.
64. In America, which of the following states has seen an improvement in the situation of illiteracy?
A. New York. B. Mississippi. C. Florida. D. California
65. Helene Kramer would probably think that _______.
A. kids should not learn to read too early
B. old people aren’t able to learn to read
C .poverty contributes to poor reading ability
D. most poor kids have difficulty reading
66. What can we know about John Jones?
A. He is very tired of learning to read.
B. He is thankful for the chance to learn to read.
C. It is easy for him to learn to read.
D. His children don’t like to help him.
67. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. Canadians perform better in reading than Americans
B. American children’s ability to solve problems is quite bad
C. the illiteracy rates in New York have dropped
D. Norway ranks the lowest in reading ability
68. What might be the best title for the passage?
A. America ranks higher in reading ability.
B. volunteers help a man live a new life.
C. Reading offers more chances to children.
D. Find inspiration to fight illiteracy.
A nine-year-old girl named Arwa lives with her parents and six brothers and sisters in an old, two-roomed house. She knows nothing of wealth and power but, in her own way, she has helped make history.
Arwa was the youngest of three Yemeni girls who recently went to court complaining they were married against their will and asking for a divorce（离婚）. It forced the government to change its law on early marriage.
Her father Abdul Ali described how a stranger asked him in the market if he knew some marriageable girls. After visiting their home and seeing Arwa and her 15-year-lold sister, he chose the younger child. Abdul Ali said the man had promised he would wait for the girl to reach puberty（青春期）before calling her to his house but then changed his mind.
So why did he sell his daughter to a stranger? “He gave me $150 and promised another $2,000. I was really in need of money and thought it was a solution for the family,” he explained.
When Arwa fought against her husband, she was beaten. The pain only came to an end when her husband and father quarreled and Abdul Ali allowed her to seek outside help. Then she went looking for a neighbor to lend her money for the journey to court. The judge at court took pity on her and gave her freedom.
Yemen’s Minister for Social Affairs, Professor Amat al-Razak Hammed, recognizes that the government needs to make a change and will personally decide on a legal age of 16. She says that both fathers who marry their children off early and officials who sign the marriage contracts should be punished.
Arwa’s courage to seek a divorce was inspired by another young girl from the capital, Sana’a who has become a national famous person.
60. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 refer to?
A. Arwa’s behavior influenced the government to change the law on early marriage.
B. Arwa was the first girl to fight for the right of women to have freedom of marriage.
C. Arwa worked together with the government to draw up new marriage laws.
D. Arwa set a good example to other girls who have similar problems.
61. How much money did Arwa’s father probably get in total by selling her?
A. $150. B.$2,000. C.$2,150. D.$3,000.
62. Which of the following statements about Arwa is NOT true?
A. She is too young to know anything about wealth and power.
B. She got the money for the journey to court from her father.
C. She was one of the Yemeni girls who used the law to seek a divorce.
D. Her husband treated her very badly.
63. According to the new marriage law in Yemen, _______.
A. girls can’t get married until they are 20 years old
B. girls can get married without their parents’ permission
C. officials are forbidden to sign marriage contracts
D. fathers who marry their children off early will be punished
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
After graduation from college, I started to sell. Soon I discovered that the 36 expression I had been wearing since childhood meant sure 37 ．I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to 38 that expression on my face left by so many years of hardship. It 39 a complete change in my view on life. Here is the 40 I tried．
Each morning during a fifteen－minute bath, I 41 to cultivate（培养）a big, happy smile. I found out, 42 , that it couldn’t be a forced smile 43 just for the purpose of putting dollars in my 44 . It had to be an honest－to－goodness smile from down deep 45 ，an outward expression of happiness from within!
Let’s see 46 starting with a good fifteen－minute workout of the smile muscles 47 me during the day. Before entering an office I 48 think of the many things I had to be 49 for, work up a big smile and then enter. Seldom did it fail to get the same smile 50 from the person I met. I also found that it 51 people when passed them on the street to give them a 52 smile．
Give every living soul you meet the best smile you have 53 smiled in your life, and see how much better you 54 and look. It’s one of the best ways I know to 55 worrying，and start living. When I began doing this, I found I became more welcome everywhere.
36．A．happy B．worried C．curious D．surprised
37．A．success B．friendship C．failure D．wealth
38．A．wear B．show C．change D．see
39．A．made up B．brought in C．turned over D．called for
40．A．way B．example C．idea D．thought
41．A．determined B．hurried C．failed D．pretended
42．A．therefore B．however C．instead D．otherwise
43．A．introduced B．developed C．discovered D．left
44．A．opinion B．honor C．bill D．pocket
45．A．outside B．upward C．inside D．forward
46．A．when B．how C．whether D．why
47．A．helped B．upset C．satisfied D．disappointed
48．A．could B．might C．should D．would
49．A．ready B．eager C．thankful D．famous
50．A．in general B．in public C．in return D．in advance
51．A．greeted B．pleased C．puzzled D．welcomed
52．A．cheerful B．forced C．strange D．bitter
53．A．never B．just C．already D．ever
54．A．prove B．appear C．feel D．remain
55．A．keep B．stop C．hate D．protect
My mother always _______ the importance of mixing well with my classmates in school.
|
A．reminds of me |
B．impresses on me |
C．strikes me |
D．stresses me |
Though what she had been doing went against the tradition of the family, she ________to make them change their minds.
A. succeeded B. persuaded B. managed D. tried
Rather than ______ to a secure life, the young man prefers wandering about in big cities, enjoying himself.
|
A．settle down |
B．to settle down |
C．settling down |
D．settled down |
