K

People tend to be more impressed by evidence that seems to confirm some relationship. Thus many are convinced their dreams are known ahead of time because a few have come true; they neglect or fail to notice the many that have not.

Consider also the belief that "the phone always rings when I'm in the shower. "If it does ring while you do it , the event will stand out and be remembered. If it doesn't ring, that thing probably won't even be remembered.

People want to see order, pattern and meaning in the world. Consider, for example, the common belief that things like personal misfortunes, plane crashes, and deaths "happen in threes." Such beliefs stem from the tendency of people to allow the third event to define the time period. If three plane crashes occur in a month, then the period of time that counts as their "happening together” is one month; if three crashes occur in a year, the period of time is stretched. Flexible end points reinforce such beliefs.

We also tend to believe what we want to believe. A majority of people think they are more intelligent, more fair-minded and more skilled behind the wheel of an automobile than the average person. Part of the reason we view ourselves so favorably is that we use criteria that work to our advantage. As economist Thomas Schelling explains, “Everybody ranks himself high in qualities he values: careful drivers give weight to care, skilled drivers give weight to skill, and those who are polite give weight to courtesy," This way everyone ranks high on his own scale.

Perhaps the most important mental habit we can learn is to be cautious in drawing conclusions. The "evidence" of everyday life is sometimes misleading.

1. In the first paragraph the author states that______.

A. dreams cannot be said to be prophetic even though a few have come true.

B. dreams are prophetic did come true.

C. dreams may come true if clearly remembered.

D. dreams and reality are closely related.

2. By" things like...""happen in threes"(Para.3,Line 2),the author indicates that people believe_____.

A. personal misfortunes tend to happen every now and then.

B. personal misfortunes, plane crashes, and deaths usually happen together.

C. misfortunes tend to occur according to certain patterns.

D. misfortunes will never occur more than three times to a person in his lifetime.

3. The word "courtesy" (Para.4,Line 6)probably means_____.

A. good manners       B. appropriate speech

C. friendly relations.    D. satisfactory service.

4.What can be inferred from the passage_____.

A. Happenings that go unnoticed deserve more attention.

B. In a series of misfortunes the third one is usually the most serious.

C. People tend to make use of evidence that supports their own beliefs.

D. Believers of misfortunes happening in threes are cautious in interpreting events.

5.It can be concluded from the passage that_____.

A. there is some truth even in the wildest dreams.

B. one should take notice of other people's merits.

C. there is no order or pattern in world events.

D. we should not base our conclusions on accidental evidence.

K

People tend to be more impressed by evidence that seems to confirm some relationship. Thus many are convinced their dreams are known ahead of time because a few have come true; they neglect or fail to notice the many that have not.

Consider also the belief that "the phone always rings when I'm in the shower. "If it does ring while you do it , the event will stand out and be remembered. If it doesn't ring, that thing probably won't even be remembered.

People want to see order, pattern and meaning in the world. Consider, for example, the common belief that things like personal misfortunes, plane crashes, and deaths "happen in threes." Such beliefs stem from the tendency of people to allow the third event to define the time period. If three plane crashes occur in a month, then the period of time that counts as their "happening together” is one month; if three crashes occur in a year, the period of time is stretched. Flexible end points reinforce such beliefs.

We also tend to believe what we want to believe. A majority of people think they are more intelligent, more fair-minded and more skilled behind the wheel of an automobile than the average person. Part of the reason we view ourselves so favorably is that we use criteria that work to our advantage. As economist Thomas Schelling explains, “Everybody ranks himself high in qualities he values: careful drivers give weight to care, skilled drivers give weight to skill, and those who are polite give weight to courtesy," This way everyone ranks high on his own scale.

Perhaps the most important mental habit we can learn is to be cautious in drawing conclusions. The "evidence" of everyday life is sometimes misleading.

1. In the first paragraph the author states that______.

A. dreams cannot be said to be prophetic even though a few have come true.

B. dreams are prophetic did come true.

C. dreams may come true if clearly remembered.

D. dreams and reality are closely related.

2. By" things like...""happen in threes"(Para.3,Line 2),the author indicates that people believe_____.

A. personal misfortunes tend to happen every now and then.

B. personal misfortunes, plane crashes, and deaths usually happen together.

C. misfortunes tend to occur according to certain patterns.

D. misfortunes will never occur more than three times to a person in his lifetime.

3. The word "courtesy" (Para.4,Line 6)probably means_____.

A. good manners       B. appropriate speech

C. friendly relations.    D. satisfactory service.

4.What can be inferred from the passage_____.

A. Happenings that go unnoticed deserve more attention.

B. In a series of misfortunes the third one is usually the most serious.

C. People tend to make use of evidence that supports their own beliefs.

D. Believers of misfortunes happening in threes are cautious in interpreting events.

5.It can be concluded from the passage that_____.

A. there is some truth even in the wildest dreams.

B. one should take notice of other people's merits.

C. there is no order or pattern in world events.

D. we should not base our conclusions on accidental evidence.

第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
A
Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied. “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
　　The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable(好客的) farmer and his wife. After sharing the little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their only income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was very angry and asked the older angel, “How could this happen? Why did you watch out for the cow? The first man had everything, yet you watched over his house,” she accused, “The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you did not help.”
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied.
“When we stayed in the basement, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so greedy and unwilling to share his good fortune, I asked God if I could seal the wall so that he wouldn’t find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I asked God if the angel could take the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem.”
56．Why did the older angel repair the hole for the rich family?
A．Because she didn’t like the greedy owner.
B．Because she wanted to save the gold for the poor.
C．Because the basement was too cold to stay in.
D．Because she believed that one should always be ready to offer help.
57．The youngest angel was very angry because      .
A．the old angel killed the farmer’s cow
B．the old angel treated the two families differently
C．the wealthy man gave them a bad place to live
D．the angel of death took the cow away
58．Why did the older angel let the farmer’s cow die?
　　A．Because God wanted the older angel to take the cow.
B．Because she wanted to teach the youngest angel a lesson.
　　C．Because she wanted to save the farmer’s wife.
　　D．Because she thinks it is unfair to the rich
59．The story tries to tell the reader that________.
　　A．angels are always ready to help the poor
　　B．what we see is not necessarily what it is
　　C．angles are always to help the rich
D．the young should always learn from the old

It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.

  The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.

  I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.

  People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole. And it has influenced（影响）us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.

56. Why was the bike so important to the couple?

  A. The man’s job was bike racing.                 B. It was their only possession.

  C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed.                        D. They used it for work and daily life.

57. We can infer from the text that ____________.

  A. the couple worked 60 hours a week.               B. people were busy before Christmas

  C. the stranger brought over the bike             D. life was hard for the young family.

58. How did people get to know the couple’s problem?

 A. From radio broadcasts.                            B. From a newspaper.

 C. From TV news.                                      D. From a stranger.

59. What do the couple learn from their experience?

 A. Strangers are usually of little help.                    B. One should take care of their bike.

 C. News reports make people famous.              D. An act of kindness can mean a lot.

I fell in love with music from a young age and often sat down making a few songs of my own．What would life be like, I wondered, without a beautiful song? In 1992, I made two love songs to my darling wife and watched tears run down her face as I sang．"Sam," she said earnestly, "Your songs should be heard by more people."
She got my ballads and started bothering various media people about me, her singing barber husband．Two radio stations took an interest and played the songs．After the programme was aired, I became known in our community as the Singing Barber．
The biggest surprise, however, was still to come．I received a call from a music promoter who offered me a long-term recording contract．He explained that he would be investing a lot of money to market my songs．I needed to be wholly focused on selling my records all over Australia．
But I hesitated．
My friends all told me to go for it．And Mary also thought I should do．"Go, Sam．I'll manage with the family．．．it'll be OK．"
I watched my daughter and son playing in the backyard．Soon they would both be in high school．．．and where would I be? I was so used to my family turning to me for love and support．If I were to start a singing career, I would not only miss them terribly, I'd also certainly miss out on watching them grow up．Signing this contract would put a huge gap between my family and me．．．and I couldn't bear it．My family was my life．So I refused the music promoter's offer．I'm still making music, I'm rich in love and I have no regrets．
【小题1】When the author was offered the contract, most of his friends _____．