Throughout this long, tense election, everyone has focused on the presidential candidates and how they’ll change America. Rightly so. But selfishly, I’m more fascinated by Michelle Obama and what she might be able to do, not just for this country, but for me as an African-American woman. As the potential First Lady, she would have the world’s attention. And that means that for the first time people will have a chance to get up close and personal with the type of African woman they so rarely see.

Usually, the lives of black women go largely unexamined. The widespread theory seems to be that we’re all hot-tempered single mothers who can’t keep a man. Even in the world of make-believe, black women still can’t escape the stereotype (模式化的形象) of being eye-rolling, oversexed females raised by our never-married, alcoholic mothers.

These images have helped define the way all black women are viewed, including Michelle Obama. Before she ever gets the chance to commit to a cause, charity or foundation as First Lady, her most urgent and perhaps most complicated duty may be simply to be herself.

It won’t be easy. Because few mainstream publications (出版物) have done in-depth features on regular African-American women, little is known about who we are, what we think and what we face on a regular basis. For better or worse, Michelle will represent us all.

Just as she will have her critics, she will have millions of fans who usually have little interest in the First Lady. Many African-American blogs have written about what they’d like to see Michelle bring to the White House — mainly showing the world that a black woman can support her man and raise a strong black family. Michelle will have to work to please everyone — an impossible task. But for many African-American women like me, just a little of her poise (沉着), confidence and intelligence will go a long way in changing an image that’s been around far too long.

1.Why does Michelle Obama hold a strong fascination for the author?

2.What is the common stereotype of African-American women according to the author?

3.What do many African-Americans write about in their blogs?

4.What does the author say about Michelle Obama as a First Lady?

第四部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每小题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项

This story took place in Central Africa more than 30 years ago. One day two Europeans got to a small village in which the Negroes lived. One of them looked like the boss, the other was his assistant. The boss looked Sambo up and down said,“Young fellow, you look strong. Would you like to work for me? I will give you more money than at the rubber plantation(橡胶园).”At first Sambo wasn’t able to make up his mind, but a few minutes later he agreed.

Sambo’s new work wasn’t hard. He had only to carry light parcels from the village to the camp of the Europeans. He went a short distance along the road, then into the forest and straight to the camp. On the fifth day, when he went through the woods, he saw a big cage with a lion in it. He hesitated a little and went on. All of a sudden the cage was opened and out jumped the lion with a horrible roar(吼叫).

Sambo dropped the parcel and ran as fast as possible, so as to reach the camp in time. for the white man there were armed with guns. All at once Sambo saw two men high up in the tree. They were the two Europeans for whom he was doing. The assistant was turning the handle of the camera with a smile. It was now clear to him that he had been cheated. His eyes were filled with hatred. He wished to kill them, but it was too late.

1. The young man named Sambo was probably _____.

 A. the assistant of the two Europeans           

 B. an African who worked at the rubber plantation

 C. an African who acted as a hunter in the forest   

D. the servant of the two Europeans.

2. The two Europeans went to the African village_____.

A. so as to take some photos for the villagers there

 B. in order that they could write a book on travels.

C. to take a picture which showed how a real lion ate a real man

 D. in order to save Sambo in time of danger

3. What did the boss say to Sambo?

A. He asked Sambo to serve as his servant in his country.

B. He wanted Sambo to guard against the lion.

C. He asked Sambo if he was afraid of a lion.

D. He told Sambo that he would be well paid if he would work for him

4. Not until Sambo _____ did he find out that he was cheated.

A. caught sight of the lion                     

B. saw the cage with a lion

C. found the white men on the branch of the tree  

D. ran before the lion as fast as he could

5. In this story the writer mainly told us_____.

A. how Negroes were not so clever as the white  

 B. how cruel the two white men were

C. what a silly young man Sambo was 

 D. Sambo carted so much for money that he lost his life at last

Adventure in Africa
by Connie Lee Berry
Ages 7-9  85 pages  Kid's Fun Press  December 2007
Adventure in Africa is written for children aged between 7 and 9 and may just be my favorite book in the Incredible Journey Series. In this book the two main characters Max and Sam are taken to an African Safari camp. Even with all the care taken by the staff to ensure the safety and comfort of the camp, things do go wrong and the two brothers find themselves rescuing an elephant and their tour guide, while braving the native wildlife and habitat of Africa.
Adventure in Africa is one of four books in this series of fluent readers’ paperback travel adventure books by Connie Lee Berry. The font(字体) is quite large and there are roughly a dozen maps, images and pictures in the book, which will attract younger readers. As an extra attraction, the back cover of the book lists some activities for children to do.
The animal photos were exciting, especially when the boys were able to ride an elephant! The pictures on the cover look like regular photos of family vacations. A large, interactive （互动的） companion website (www.ijbooks.com) allows readers to join in activities, contests and a club.
The price of the book is only ＄3.95 (US) now,＄1 lower than before, and Adventure in Africa is a bargain. Hurry up to order one.
60. The book Adventure in Africa is written for _________.
A. all the readers  B. young parents   C. young kids  D. high school students
61. From the first paragraph we get to know _________ of the book.
A. the general idea B. the design      C. the author          D. the price
62. The last word in the passage ‘bargain’ probably means ‘something _________.
A. cheap            B. expensive       C. useful           D. priceless
63. The purpose of the writer is _________.
A. to tell readers something about Africa       B. to ask readers to join in contests
C. to introduce the book                       D. to attract young readers to buy it  

Museums have changed. They are no longer places that one “should” go to but to enjoy.

At a science museum in Canada, you can feel your hair stand on end as harmless electricity passes through your body. At the Children’s Museum in New York, you can play an African drum. There are no “Do Not Touch” sign in some other museums in the USA.

More and more museum directors have realized that people learn best when they can become part of what they are seeing. In many science museums, the visitors are encouraged to touch, listen, operate and experiment so as to discover scientific rules for themselves.

The purpose is not only to provide fun, but also help people feel at home in the world of science. If people don’t understand science, they will be afraid of it; and if they are afraid of science, they will not make the best use of it.

One cause of all these changes is the increase in wealth and spare time. Another cause is that the number of young people grow in the population. Many of them are college students or college graduates. They see things in a new and different way. They want art that they can take part in. The same is true of science and history.

The old museums have been changing and the government is encouraging the building of new, modern museums. In the States and Canada, there are more than 6000 museums, twice as many as there were 25 years ago.

Title: 1. __________________________

There was one shop in the town of Mufulira which was widely known for its racial discrimination. It was a drugstore .While Europeans were served at the counter ,a long line of Africans queued at the window and often not only were kept waiting but were treated rudely by the shop assistants .One day I was determined to make a public protest （抗议）against this kind of thing ,and many of the schoolboys in my class followed me to the store.
I simply went into the shop and asked the manager politely for some medicine. As soon as he saw me standing in the place where only European customers were allowed to stand ,he shouted at me in a bastard （怪声怪气的）language which is only used by a boss when speaking to his servants .I stood at the counter and politely requested in proper English that I should be served .The manager became angry and said , “Even if you stand till Christmas ,I will never serve you .”
I went to the District Commissioner’s office .Fortunately ,he was out ,for he was one of the old school; however ,I saw a young District Officer who was a friend of mine .He was very concerned to hear my story and told me that all I had to do was come to him personally and he would buy my medicine for me .I protested that that was not good enough .I asked him to accompany me back to the store and to make a protest to the manager .This he did ,and I well remember him saying to the manager , “Here is Mr. Kaunda who is a responsible member of the Urban Advisory Council, and you treat him like a common servant .” The manager of the drugstore apologized and said , “If only he had introduced himself and explained who he was ,then ,of course ,I should have given him proper service.”
I had to explain once again that he had missed my point .Why should I have to introduce myself every time I went into a store…any more than I should have to buy my medicine by going to a European friend ? I want to prove that any man of any color ,whatever his position ,should have the right to go into any shop and buy what he wanted .After all, the money which I paid across the counter was exactly the same money as was paid by a European customer.
【小题1】The writer was ,at the time of the story ,     .