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。
Sometimes you make a wish, but when it comes. you decide you don’t want it. That’s what happened with Micky’s “birthday wish”.
Our family tradition is that you make a wish before you blow out the birthday candle.  After he blew out the candle. Micky told us that his wish was to win a prize in the Pine Ridge-match. We quickly told Micky, “If you tell people your wish. your wish won’t come true.” So we lit the candle again, and he made another wish.
Micky and Paul were both supposed to start playing at 5:30.
When Micky reported to the check-in table, the game organizers told him his opponent (对手) had phoned and said he was coming late. The officials told Micky he could choose not to play and be declared the victor of the first round of competition.
But Micky said he didn’t want to win by not playing. He wanted the experience of playing a great player.
Finally, the beast showed up. He was tall, smiling and relaxed. His serve (发球) was like lightning.
Micky had some good returns, but he lost quickly, 6-1, 6-0.
We congratulated Micky on having some good returns and a few great serves. And we noted that he had won the first game.
“I didn’t win that game,” Micky said. “I think he just gave it to me at the beginning because he arrived late.”      
“It was a birthday present.” I said, smiling.
“No, I refused my birthday present,” Micky said. In his eyes, his “birthday present” had been the chance to win by his opponent’s being late.
Micky ended up winning the “consolation prize(鼓励奖)” a small prize that we didn’t know existed until Micky earned it by being undefeated in the consolation bracket (档次).
We’ll’ never know what Micky’s second wish was - the wish he didn’t share with us.
It seems to me that no matter how many birthdays you celebrate, as long as you enjoy challenges, you will never be “old”.
56. What kind of person is Micky?
A. A person who always gives up.          B. A person who is afraid of challenges.
C. One who enjoys challenges.               D. One who is selfish.
57. Why did Micky lose the match?
A. Because he gave up a good chance.           B. Because he let the others know his birthday wish.
C. Because he was proud of himself.       D. Because his opponent played much better than him
58. The prize Micky won was ______.
A. one he had expected                                B. not a well-known one
C. a famous one                                  D. one he thought meaningless
59. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.
A. enjoying challenges is helpful for one to keep “young”
B. one will become old as he celebrates his birthdays
C. one will stay young by continuously celebrating his birthdays
D. challenges can make one never get old

A man who knows how to write a personal letter has a very powerful tool.A letter can be enjoyed,read and  21 .  It can set up a warm conversation between two people far apart(远离的)；it can keep a 22  with very little effort.

I will give  23 .  A few years ago my older brother and I were not getting 24  We had been close as 25  but had grown apart. Our meetings were not 26 ; our conversation was filled with arguments and quarrels; and every effort to clear the air seemed to only 27  our misunderstanding. Then he 28  a small island in the Caribbean and we 29  touch .One day he wrote me a letter. He describeb his island and its people, told me what he was doing,said how he felt,and encouraged me to 30  . Rereading the letter, I was 31  by its humor(幽默)and clever expressions,These were all qualities for which I had 32  respected my order brother but 33  he no longer had them.I had never known he could write so 34  .And with that one letter we became friends 35.

It might never have occurred to 36  to write me if he had not been in a place where there were no 37  ,For him, writing was a necessity, It also turned out to be the best way for us to get back in touch.Because we live in an age of 38 communication(通讯),people often 39  that they don’t always have to phone or email. They have a 40  . And that is to write.

21. A.received    B.rewritten  C.returned      D.reread

22.A.record      B.promise   C.friendship     D.secret

23.A.an example  B.a lesson   C.an experience  D.a talk

24.A. through     B.together  C.along         D.away

25.A.brothers     B.children   C.fellows       D.classmates

26.A.normal     B.necessary   C.pleasant     D.possible

27.A.deepen     B.start        C.express     D.settle

28.A.toured      B.stopped over  C.reached    D.moved to

29.A.lost        B.kept in       C.needed     D.got in

30.A.think       B.write        C.enjoy       D.read

31.A.driven      B.beaten      C.surprised     D.honored

32.A.never      B.seldom      C.sometimes    D.once

33.A.realized     B.judged      C.thought      D.expected

34.A.well       B.often        C.much        D.soon

35.A.later      B.anyhow      C.too          D.again 

36.A.us        B.anyone else   C.someone     D.my  brother

37.A.mail services  B.transport   C.phones      D.relatives

38.A.poor      B.easy         C.popular      D.busy

39A.believe    B.decide        C.argue       D. forget

40.A.habit     B.choice       C.method      D. plan

Roy wasn't the only one to receive his call-up（入伍）papers．Stephen Napier's call-up came at the beginning of February and he was pleased to find that he would be going into the Royal Air Force (RAF)．
His father was not so pleased and made his feelings known as he and Stephen were on their daily walk. It was the first step in his plans for Stephen to take over the estate（地产）when the time came, and although Stephen was well aware of this, he could think of no reason not to accompany him.
"Thought you'd forgotten that nonsense. Still, I dare say I could pull a few strings to get you to the Army..."
"No, Father! I have told you I want to learn to fly. What chance would I have to do that in the Army? I'd be better off in the Navy——at least they've got the Fleet Air Arm. But I have been put in the RAF and that's where I want to be, so let's leave it at that." His face went red. Sent to his father's school and then to Cambridge, much to his satisfaction, he had never had to defend his own desires and his father was a hard man to oppose.
The father glared at Stephen, "No, I won't leave it at that. I want to know what other ridiculous ideas are in your head. For a start, what's all this about America?"
"America?"
"Yes. All those books I saw in your room the other day. Brochures about emigration（移民）．"
The big, silvered head lowered, like that of a bull about to charge．"Don't trouble to deny it."
"I won't, Father. Some men at Cambridge have been talking about it. They want people like us here, mathematicians and scientists, for all kinds of research——the sort of research I could do．It would be a worthwhile life for me."
The father responded exactly as his son had known he would．"You've got a worthwhile life here！You've got an estate to run！"
"No, Father. You've got an estate to run. I never asked for it. Why not ask Baden to do this stuff? He perhaps can make a good job of it, but I..."
"If he were here, I might think about this silly idea of yours——only think about it, mind you but..."
【小题1】If Father wanted Stephen to take over the estate, the first thing he did would__________．

When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard. I remember him as someone who was a lot nicer than most of the adults in our community.

When Dr. Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. His house sat on ten acres, and his life’s goal was to make it a forest.

The good doctor had some interesting theories concerning plant care and growth. He never watered his new trees, which flew in the face of conventional wisdom. Once I asked why. He said that watering plants spoiled them so that each successive tree generation would grow weaker and weaker. So you have to make things rough for them and weed out(淘汰) the weaker trees early on. He talked about how watering trees made for shallow roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in search of moisture. I took him to mean that deep roots were to be treasured.

So he never watered his trees. He planted an oak and, instead of watering it every morning, he beat it with a rolled-up newspaper. Smack! Slap! Pow! I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.

Dr. Gibbs passed away a couple of years after I left home. Every now and again, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I’d watched him plant some twenty-five years ago. They’re extremely tall, big and robust since they have deep roots now. However, the trees in my garden trembled in a cold wind although I had watered them for several years.

It seems that adversity(逆境) and suffering benefit these trees in ways comfort and ease never could. I stood there deep in thought.

Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I stand over them and watch their little bodies, the rising and falling of life within. I often pray for them. Mostly I pray that their lives will be easy. But I think that it’s time to change my prayer(祷词) because now I know my children are going to encounter hardship.

According to Dr. Gibbs’ theories, trees will become weaker if they _________.

A. are lack of care　　　　　B. are watered      C. are weeded out　　　　　D. are beaten

According to Para.3 and Para.4, we can infer that Dr. Gibbs’ motto(座右铭) may be       .

A. “Seeing is believing”                                    B. “Put everything in proper use”

C. “Practice makes perfect”                               D. “No pain, no gain”

The underlined word robust in Para.5 most probably means _________.

A. strong　　                      B. strange　　       C. deep　　                        D. old

Which of the following may be the author’s best prayer for his two sons now?

A. I wish them strong wings, with which they can fly higher and touch the sky.

B. I wish them nice fortune so that they can meet people like Dr. Gibbs in the future.

C. I wish them deep roots into the earth since the rains fall and the winds blow often.

D. I wish them great shades under the tree since the sunlight is always sharp and bitter.

Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A Nice Doctor  B. The Deep Roots  C. Adversity and Suffering  D. My Childhood Memory

The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. “Bananas 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira.” He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 total for the fruit and nuts. When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill. He didn’t have change, so I told him not to worry. He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.

When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us. I pulled over and rolled down my window. He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What’s up?” I asked him. “I … I don’t have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills. “Will this help?” I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. “Thank you, sir,” he said．“Thank you very much!”

When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for schoolbooks. What if he’s a swindler? And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.

Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive. When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.

“Oh, gosh! Long time.”

“Are you in school now?” I asked. He nodded. “That’s good,” I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. “Here,” I held out a 500 naira bill. “Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “It’s a gift.” He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shone with sweat. He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, “I’ve been waiting to give these to you.”

1.It can be inferred from the first paragraph that _________.

A．the boy was greedy

B．the boy had suffered a lot

C．the boy was in bad need of money

D．the boy was good at bargaining

2.The second time the author met the boy, the boy _________.

A．told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts

B．wanted to express his thanks

C．asked him for money for his schoolbooks

D．tried to take advantage of him

3.The author gave his money to the boy because _________.

A．he wanted to make himself feel better

B．he had learnt to help others since childhood

C．he held a higher position in the society

D．his parents asked him to do so

4.What does the underlined word “swindler” mean?

A．troublemaker      B．beggar            C．thief             D．cheat

5.Which of the following best describes the boy?

A．Brave and polite．                      B．Kind and smart.

C．Honest and thankful．                   D．Shy and nervous.