题目内容

CALCUTTA, India Mar 24, 2006 (AP) — One of the world’s oldest creatures, a giant tortoise believed to have been about 250 years old, has died in the Calcutta zoo where it spent more than half its long life.

Addwaita, which means “the one and only” in the local Bengali language, was one of four Aldabra tortoises brought to India by British sailors in the 18th century. Zoo officials say he was a gift for Lord Robert Clive of the East India Company, who was instrumental in establishing British colonial rule in India, before he returned to England in 1767. Long after the other three tortoises died, Addwaita continued to thrive, living in Clive’s garden before being moved to the zoo in 1875.

“According to records in the zoo, the age of the giant tortoise, Addwaita, who died on Wednesday, would be about 250 years,” said zoo director Subir Chowdhury. That would have made him much older than the world’s oldest documented living animal: Harriet, a 176-year-old Galapagos tortoise who lives at the Australia Zoo north of Brisbane, according to the zoo’s Web site. She was taken from the island of Isla Santa Cruz by Charles Darwin in the 19th century.

Aldabra tortoises come from the Aldabra atoll in the Seychelle islands in the Indian Ocean, and often live to more than 100 years of age. Males can weigh up to 550 pounds. Addwaita, the zoo’s biggest attraction, had been unwell for the last few days, said local Forest Minister Jogesh Burman.

“We were keeping a watch on him. When the zoo keepers went to his enclosure on Wednesday they found him dead,” Burman said.

Notes:

colonial  adj. 殖民的

thrive  v. 茁壮成长

documented  adj. 备有证明文件的

atoll  n. 环礁

Choose the best answers according to the above:

According to the passage, Addwaita ________.

      A. was sent to India as a gift by British government

      B. was sent to India by British sailors in 1767

      C. lived together with three other Aldabra tortoises in India

      D. belonged to Lord Robert Clive for some time

By now, the oldest animal in the world is about at ________.

      A. 176 years old      B. 100 years old       C. 250 years old      D. 200 years old

In the last few days before Addwaita died, he ________.

A. had been sent to hospital for treatment         

B. had been playing with travelers

C. had been found not better than before          

D. had stayed in his enclosure for days

What would be the best title for the passage?

A. An Old Aldabra Tortoise Died in India    

B. A Remarkable Life: Tortoise Dies at 250

C. A Special Kind of Tortoise — Addwaita   

D. The Oldest Animal Aldabra Tortoise Died

【小题1】D

【小题2】A

【小题3】C

【小题4】B


解析:

【小题1】细节理解题。由文章的第二段可知,Addwaita在1767后的某段时间属于Lord Robert Clive。

【小题2】 数字计算题。由文章的第三段可知。目前时间是上最新的活着的动物,应该是Harriet, a 176-year-old Galapagos tortoise。而不是现年250多岁的乌龟。

【小题3】细节理解题。由文章的第四段的“Addwaita, the zoo’s biggest attraction, had been unwell for the last few days”可知。

【小题4】主旨概括题。本文第一段就是主题段落,讲述年龄最大的乌龟已经死去,这正是这篇文章所要表达的主要信息,因此答案选B。

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【小题1】The author of the passage is most probably from _______________.

A.RussiaB.IndiaC.BritainD.America
【小题2】According to the passage, the future of newspapers ____________.
A.will be mainly connected with scientific research
B.will report more important political activities
C.will directly cover more on scientific research
D.will build a bridge between different people
【小题3】The underlined part “bespoke newspaper” of the passage probably refers to _____________.
A.a newspaper which dares to report the truth
B.a newspaper edited to one’s own interest
C.a newspaper edited and published for the public
D.a newspaper which only covers the life of family members
【小题4】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.It was centuries ago that newspapers came into being .
B.Televisions have taken the place of newspapers .
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C.The streets of India are too crowded for them to move through easily.
D.Indians now prefer to travel by car because they are richer.
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A.The passenger didn't like taking a rickshaw as it reminded him of Bangkok.
B.The passenger enjoyed being on holiday in Berlin more than in Bangkok.
C.The passenger was impressed when taking a rickshaw and considered it unusual.
D.The passenger disapproved of rickshaws because they were not original to Berlin.
【小题4】What is the author's attitude towards rickshaws?
A.He gives no personal opinion.
B.He believes they will be of no use.
C.He thinks they will reduce pollution.
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第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每题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。

The meaning of the word “volunteer” may be a little different in different countries, but it

usually means “one who offers his or her services”.Volunteers don’t expect any kind of pay.

Tracy, a good friend of mine, however, recently came back from India with a new idea of what being a volunteer means.She worked for two and a half weeks in one of Mother Teresa’s homes in Calcutta.The following is her story.

“I watched a video about her.I was so moved by her spirit to help others and her endless love for every human being that, after I graduated from a high school, I too wanted to try her kind of work.So with two friends I flew to Calcutta for a few weeks.”

“I was asked to work in a home for sick people.I helped wash clothes and sheets, and pass out lunch.I also fed the people who were too weak to feed themselves and tried to cheer the up.I felt it was better to share with them than to think that I have helped them.To be honest, I don’t think I was helping very much.It was then that I realized that I had not really come to help, but to learn about and experience another culture that helped improve my own understanding of life and the world.”

56.Why did Tracy choose to be a volunteer?

A.She liked to work with Mother Teresa.

B.She had already had some experience.

C.She was asked to do so by Teresa.

D.She wanted to follow Mother Teresa’s example.

57.Tracy started her work as a volunteer _______.

A.after she met Mother Teresa

B.after she finished high school

C.when she was touring Calcutta

D.when she was working in a hospital

58.What is Tracy’s “new idea” of being a volunteer?

A.Going abroad to help the sick.

B.Working in Mother Teresa’s home.

C.Doing simple things to help the poor.

D.Improving oneself through helping others.

59.What is the best title for the passage?

A.How to Be a Volunteer              B.Voluntary Life in India

C.A Different Meaning of Volunteer    D.Inspiration from Mother Teresa

 

Hallmark arrived in my hometown of Calcutta, India when I was 16. On Valentine’s Day(情人节), I waited in line with many other teenagers just for a chance to get into the store. I remember wishing two things. One of them is that the good-looking boy whom I could see through the store window was picking out a gift for me. Unfortunately, Valentine’s Day passed and I received nothing but a lecture from my father on how Western capitalism(资本主义) was ruining your culture.

The next Valentine’s Day, I still didn’t have a boyfriend, but I did receive a greeting card from a secret admirer. I can’t remember what it exactly said inside the card, but it hardly mattered. I know I’m not the only one who’s had the blues because of being single on Valentine’s Day.

It’s not just on Valentine’s Day that I’m reminded of these feelings. One night, my friend and I were at the subway station in New York City waiting for the local to arrive. The station was mostly full of college students, and later an older couple walked in. Just at that moment, a street musician started playing She’s Only a Woman to Me. The couple began dancing around the station and lost in their own world. On the train, I found myself recalling the time when I was with a date at the subway station, and there he picked me up in his arms like I was a ballerina(芭蕾舞女演员).

My view of romance has changed from when I was 16 in Calcutta to now, 23, and living in Manhattan. This year, I won’t focus all my romantic expectations on one particular day. I’ll spend Valentine’s Day with friends in New York City. But I won’t try to hide somewhere or turn off my cellphone. Instead, I’ll help my coupled-up friends pack for their weekend trips to Rome.

1.The underlined word “Hallmark” in Paragraph 1 probably refers to a              .

A.city

B.street

C.store

D.man

2.We can infer that in the opinion of the writer’s father                           .

A.his daughter should have received a gift

B.people in India shouldn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day

C.people in India should welcome Western culture

D.his daughter should know more about capitalism

3.According to Paragraph 2, if someone has the blues, he or she is probably           .

A.lucky

B.angry

C.excited

D.sad

4.What is implied in the passage?

A.The writer now has a boyfriend.

B.The writer now is afraid of Valentine’s Day.

C.The writer will go to Rome with her coupled-up friends.

D.The writer’s attitude towards Valentine’s Day has changed.

 

Mother Teresa was born in Yugoslavia((南斯拉夫),on August 27,1910.She attended the government school near her home until she was eighteen. At that time, some doctors and nurses from Yugoslavia were working in India, and they often wrote to the school about their work. She decided to join them one day.

When she left school, she went first to Britain. Then a year later she went to India, where she began to train to be a teacher. After training, she was sent to Calcutta((加尔格答),where she taught geography at a school and soon after became headmistress(校长).

However, although she loved teaching, in 1946 Mother Teresa left the school and went to work in the poor parts of Calcutta. Later she trained to become a nurse in Patna, and then began her work helping the poor and comforting the dying in the streets of the city. Slowly, others came to help her, and her work spread to other parts of India.

Mother Teresa is now a well-known person. many photos have been taken of her, as she travels the world to open new schools and hospitals in poor countries. In 1979,she was given the Nobel Peace Prize for the lifetime of love and service she has given to the poor.

(   )69. Where did Mother Teresa receive her education?

A. In Yugoslavia and India.    B. In Yugoslavia and Britain.

C. In Britain and India.       D. In Yugoslavia, Britain and India.

(   )70. What first made Mother Teresa work in India?

A. Her visit to the poor parts of Calcutta.

B. Her visit to Britain after she finished school.

C. The medical workers' letters to her school.

D. The work of the nurse in the city of Patna.

(   )71. In which order did Mother Teresa do the following things?

a. Trained to be a nurse      b. Went to India

c. Helped the dying         d. Studied to be a teacher

e. Went to Britain           f. Worked as a headmistress

A. b,a,c,e,d,f      B. b,f,a,d,e,c     C. e,b,d,f,a,c      D. e,a,b,c,d,f

(   )72. Mother Teresa gave up teaching because she wanted __________.

A. to look after the poor             B. to travel to poor countries

C. to build hospitals for the poor      D. to train nurses to care for the poor

 

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