Most of us would say that the older we get, the less we look forward to celebrating another birthday. For children, though, a birthday is that one occasion each year when they are the center of attention all day long.
It’s not surprising, then, that children’s birthday parties have turned into big business in America. Kids—or more likely their parents—often try to outdo one another in putting on the most extravagant birthday party. In the past, you might have hired a man with a horse to come by and give everyone horse rides. Today, you can hire an entire petting zoo’s or a truck filled with animals from abroad.
Barb Hill, a mother of two girls, doesn’t hold extravagant (奢侈的) parties, but she says she does feel pressure to come up with new ideas each year. Her daughter Fiona celebrated her most recent birthday, her eighth, at a sporting-goods store. The kids enjoyed the climbing wall, as well as the pizza and cupcakes. “They always want to do something that nobody else has done yet,” Barb says. You also have to decide how many guests to invite, and if you’re celebrating at a place other than home, that means figuring out how to transport everyone.
William Doherty, a professor at the University of Minnesota, recently started a project called Birthdays without Pressure. Its website (www. birthdayswithoutpressure.org) gives parents the resources to make kids’ birthday parties less stressful and more fun for all. “Our goal was to start a local and national conversation about what’s happened to birthday parties,” Doherty told me. “We’ve succeeded beyond our expectations—tens of thousands of parents are viewing our website, contacting us and taking our online quizzes.”
In the end, most parents would agree that the best parties are usually the ones where the kids have time to hang out and play with each other. After all, isn’t what being a kid is all about?
1. The purpose of this passage is to tell us_________.
A.all the children look forward to celebrating their birthday
B.the children’s birthday parties have turned into big business in America
C.parents would like to make children’s birthday parties less stressful and more fun for all
D.parents don’t know how to hold children’s birthday parties
2. Which of the following sentences is TRUE ______.
A.The girl didn’t enjoy the party held by her mother.
B.The project called Birthdays without Pressure is popular with parents.
C.Children look forward to their birthday parties because they like extravagant parties.
D.Parents feel like hiring an entire petting zoo for their children.
3. The aim of the project called Birthdays without Pressure is to______.
A.attract parents to view the website
B.provide resources for making kids’ birthday parties
C.release parents’ stress of organizing children’s birthday parties
D.hold conversation about what’s happened to birthday parties
4. The best title for this passage may probably be ______.
A project called Birthdays without Pressure
B.Children enjoy their birthday parties
C.  How to hold children’s birthday parties
D.  How children feel about their birthday parties


第三部分 阅读理解(共20小题。每小题2分,满分40分)
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。
A
In 1971 a young man who grew up very poor was traveling across the country, trying to make a start for himself. Along the way he had completely run out of money and was forced to spend the night in his car. This continued until one morning, after a week of sleeping in his car, he walked nervously into a restaurant and ordered a big breakfast.
After eating his first good meal in weeks, he found himself lying to the waiter, telling him he had lost his wallet. The waiter, who was also the owner, walked behind the chair where the young man had been sitting. He bent down and came up with a $20 bill that looked as if it had been fallen on the floor and said, “Son, you must have dropped this” the owner said. The young man couldn’t believe his luck! He quickly paid for the breakfast, left a tip, bought gas with the change and headed west.
On the way out of town, he began to understand what the waiter did. Maybe nobody dropped the money at all. “Maybe that fellow just knew I was in trouble and he helped me in a way that didn’t embarrass me. So I just made a promise to help other people if I can.”
Later, he worked very hard and became a rich man. Now, he lives near Kansas City. Each year he gives away thousands of dollars. He is known as the “Secret Santa” because at Christmas time each year, he personally hands money out to those on the street and at restaurants. Last year, he gave more than $50,000 away in Kansas City.
56. The young man was traveling across the country in 1971 to ______.
A. find a piece of work to do
B. hand out gifts to passers-by
C. look for a good restaurant
D. show his new car to others
57. The underlined word “this” in paragraph 2 means ______.
A. a wallet    B. his luck    C. the $20 bill    D. his tip
58. On the way out of town, the young man got to know that ______.
A. it was very honest of the owner to return his money
B. another man who had breakfast in the restaurant lost the money
C. he could find a job in the restaurant
D. the owner helped him in a way that didn’t hurt his feelings.
59. From this text we can see that ______.
A. the man dropped $20 on the floor of the restaurant
B. the man did carry out his promise
C. Santa gives the man money each year
D. the man was not successful in the end
60. The best title for this passage may be ______.
A. Secret Santa of Kansas City
B. The Key to Success
C. A Kind Waiter in the Restaurant
D. Never Give Up


C
JeawGilles was a millionaire.But Tuesday night,he was sleeping in his car.
Jean-Gilles was the owner of the Peace of Mind Hotel in Jacrnel,Haiti, a three-story,30-room building in a quiet tropical valley on Haiti’s southern coast,25 miles from the noises of the capital,Port-au-Prince. Jean-Gilles and his wife,Marie,lived in an apartment on the property,close enough to watch carefully over the guest rooms,conference rooms and restaurant,close enough that they know the first name of every guest.
After the 7.0-earthquake hit at 4:57 pm on Jan.12,2010,they slept in their aging Isuzu,parked in the hotel driveway.
Jean-Gilles figured a second was the difference between life and death when the earthquake struck.He was working in a ground-floor conference room and first heard,then felt the quake.He asked his electrician.Rob-elTle St.Louis, who was working nearby,what was happening.
“Get out.Now.Get out.Now.”St.Louis said.
Jean-Gilles cleared the falling structure by a mere second,he estimated.His wife,who was working in the couple’s apartment on the second floor,wasn’t able to get clear.People nearby heard her screams after the shaking stopped and removed the building blocks around her by hand.She was shaken and scratched, but walked away from the ruins.
“I am alive.God is good.”she repeated over and over on Saturday.
The Peacc of Mind Hotel was a dream which had come true for Jean-Gilles,57,and Marie,59. Born in Port–au-Prince, they moved to the United States shortly after meeting 34 years ago. Together, they owned a beauty supply store in Jersey City, New Jersey, and invested in real estate. In 2003, they cashed out their US investments, returned to Haiti and began building the peace of Mind Hotel, looking to make a future for themselves and the people of their homeland.
59. Which of the following statements about Jean-Gilles is TRUE?
A. He lived far from the Peace of Mind Hotel.    B. He helped St. Louis to manage a hotel.
C. He was born in Haiti in 1976.                        D. He once owned a store in the US.
60. According to the passage, the peace of Mind Hotel_________.
A. offered guests different services                            B. was located in the capital city of Haiti
C. was a building with 30 guest rooms                D. was owned by Marie and St. Louis
61. When the earthquake hit, Marie was_________.
A. sleeping in the car                                        B. working in the conference room
C. working on the second floor                         D. cooking in the restaurant
62. It can be inferred from the passage that      .
A. Haiti is the 51st state of the US
B. the earthquake happened quickly and unexpectedly
C. nobody in the hotel died in the earthquake
D. Marie was not sad about losing her property in the earthquake

“Can I see my baby?” the happy new mother asked. When the bundle was in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.
Time proved that the baby’ s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was imperfect. When he rushed home from school one day and threw himself into his mother’s arms, she sighed(叹息), knowing that his life was to be unfortunate. He cried to his mum “A boy, a big boy... called me a freak (怪人).”
He grew up, handsome. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. “But you might communicate with other young people,” his mother blamed him, but felt a kindness in her heart.
Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, “You’ re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’ s a secret.” The operation was a great success, and a new person appeared.
Later he married and became a lawyer. One day, he asked his father, “Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her.” “I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know... not yet.”
The years kept their secret, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother’ s casket棺材. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to show the mother had no outer ears.
“Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut,” his father whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they?”
【小题1】Why did Mother gasp when she saw her newborn baby?

A.Because her son had a tiny face.
B.Because she saw her son crying.
C.Because her son was born imperfect.
D.Because her son was in her arms.
【小题2】Which word can describe Mother’ s feeling when the son threw himself into her arms?
A.Nervous.B.Sympathetic.C.Proud.D.Angry.
【小题3】We can infer that the person who donate the ears is_____.
A.A doctor.B.His father.C.His mother.D.A stranger.
【小题4】From the passage we know the followings are True except________
A.the mother felt sorry for the son without ears
B.the doctor didn’t like the baby
C.the boy meant everything to the mother
D.the father kept the secret until mother died
【小题5】The best title for the passage would be ________.
A.Mother’s hairB.An unforgettable memory
C.Who gave me the ears?D.Who is my best respectable person?

A long time ago, there was a seed and because he was only a seed, nobody noticed him. Thus, feeling inferior (低级的), the seed gave no importance to his existence (存在). Then one day, a wind picked him up and threw him on an open field in the sun. Later, he was given rain. Years later he saw a traveler sitting by his side. "Thank you God for this. I really need some rest," he heard the traveler say. "What are you talking about?" the seed quickly asked. He thought the man was making fun of him. No one ever spoke to him like that. "Who just spoke?" the shocked man asked. "It is me. A seed." "A seed?" The man looked at the big tree. "Are you joking? You are not a seed. You are a big tree!" "Really?" "Yes! Why else do you think people come here?" "What do they come here for?" "To feel your shade (树阴)! Don’t tell me you didn’t know you had grown over time." A moment passed before the traveler’s words brought him pride. The seed thought and smiled for the first time in his life. The years of torture (折磨) by the sun and the rain finally helped him grow up. "Oh! That means I’m not a little seed anymore! I was actually born to make people feel comfortable. Wow! That’s great!"
【小题1】The seed didn’t realize the importance of his existence because __________.

A.nobody looked after him
B.he was thrown into the open air
C.he can’t not grow up
D.he didn’t believe in himself
【小题2】The traveler sat by the seed’s side to _____________.
A.escape from the rain
B.thank God for offering him a tree
C.have a rest and enjoy the shade
D.talk with the big tree
【小题3】How did the seed feel after hearing the traveler’s words at last?
A.Sad.B.Proud.C.Funny.D.Sorry.
【小题4】The author’s purpose of writing the passage is to ________.
A.tell us a very interesting story
B.praise the seed for his strength
C.teach readers a lesson: don’t laugh at others
D.tell us that we should never lose hope
【小题5】Where does the passage most probably come from?
A.A history book.B.A science book.C.A story book.D.A guide book.

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