III．阅读（共两节，满分40分）

第一节     阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Until late in the 20th century, most Americans spent time with people of different generations．Now middle-aged Americans may not keep in touch with old people until they are old themselves．

    That’s because we group people by age．We put our three-year-olds together in day-care centers, our 13-year-olds in schools and sports activities, and our 80-year-olds in senior-citizen homes．Why?

　　We live away from the old for many reasons．Young people sometimes avoid the old to get rid of fears of aging and dying．It is much harder to watch someone we love disappear before our eyes．Sometimes it’s so hard that we stay away from the people who need us the most．

　　Fortunately, some of us have found our way to the old．And we have discovered that they often save the young．

　　A reporter moved her family onto a block filled with old people．At first her children were disappointed．But the reporter baked banana bread for the neighbors and had her children deliver it and visit．Soon the children had many new friends, with whom they shared food, stories and projects．“My children have never been less lonely,” the reporter said．

　　The young, in turn, save the old．Once I was in a rest home when a visitor showed up with a baby, she was immediately surrounded．People who hadn’t gotten out of bed in a week suddenly were ringing for a wheelchair．Even those who had seemed asleep woke up to watch the child．Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure．

　　Grandparents are a special case．They give their grandchildren a feeling of security(安全) and continuity．As my husband put it, “My grandparents gave me a deep sense that things would turn out right in the end．” Grandchildren speak of attention they don’t get from worried parents．“My parents were always telling me to hurry up, and my grandparents told me to slow down,” one friend said．A teacher told me she can tell which pupils have relationships with grandparents: they are quieter, calmer and more trusting．

41．Now in an American family, people can find that _____．

　　A．children never live with their parents

　　B．not all working people live with their parents

　　C．aged people are supported by their grandchildren

　　D．grandchildren are supported by their grandparents

42．What may be the reason why old people are left alone?

　　A．The old don’t like to live in a big family

　　B．The young can’t get enough money to support the old

　　C．Different generations have different lifestyles

　　D．The old are too weak to live with the young

43．The fact the reporter told us shows that _____．

　　A．old people in America lead a hard life

　　B．old people in America enjoy banana bread

　　C．she had no time to take care of her children

　　D．old people are easy to get along with

44．Seeing a baby, the old people got excited because _____．

　　A．they had never seen a baby before

　　B．the baby was clever and beautiful

　　C．the baby brought them the image of life

　　D．the baby’s mother would take care of them

45．Why are some children quieter,calmer and more trusting?

         A．Because they have relationships with their grandparents

         B．Because their worried parents ask them to act like that

         C．Because they have nothing to worry about

         D．Because their teachers ask them to act like that

                               
People believes that climbing can do good to health. Where can you learn the skill of climbing then? If you think that you have to go to the mountains to learn how to climb, you’re wrong. Many Americans are learning to climb in city gyms(体育馆). Here, people are learning on  climbing. The climbing wall goes straight up and small holding places for hands and feet.
How do people climb the wall? To climb, you need special shoes and (保护带) around your chest to hold you. There are ropes(绳索)tied to your. The ropes hold you in place so that you don’t fall. A beginner’s wall is usually about 15 feet high, and you climb straight up. There are small pieces of metal that stick out for you to stand on and hold on to. Sometimes it’s easy to see the new piece of metal. Sometimes, it’s not. The most difficult is an your fear. It’s normal for humans to be afraid of falling, so it’s difficult not to feel fear. But when you move away from the wall, the and the ropes hold you, and you begin to feel safe. You move slowly until you reach the top.
Climbing attracts people because it’s good exercise for almost everyone. You use your whole body, especially your arms and legs. This sport gives your body a complete workout. When you climb, both your mind and your body can become stronger.
【小题1】What can we infer from the passage?

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中，选出最佳选项。

(A)

What makes a house a home? A home is a place of companionship with people in it who love each other, who are harmonious (和谐的) and closer with one another than with those in the workplace or with classmates at school. A home is a place that’s so magnetic（有吸引力的） that it’s difficult to leave. In a home there is love, sharing and appreciation, and the members help one another.

I have seen families on the street. But if they live, sleep, talk, and eat together, they are a family, even if they are poorly off. You don’t need a roof to make a home. The truly homeless are some of the rich people who build multi-million-dollar houses and are too busy to really live in them. The truly homeless are those who have turned their home into a hotel lobby. The parents work and the children misbehave. They don’t talk and eat together every day. They rarely see each other. The truly homeless people are those with babysitters, caretakers, gardeners and maids. However, people are unaware of this, as they are too busy making money outside the home that they don’t live in. This is another way of looking at the rich and the homeless. Who is to be pitied?

Control of the computer and the Internet is also important to make a house into a home. If the computer is on all the time, the house turns into an office, even if everyone is at home. Many homes these days are just offices. Human communication has stopped. The computer eats up all the time that one should be giving to others within the home. Using the computer moderately gives us time for play and communication, not with a screen, but with other people.

56. Which of the following may serve as the best title for this passage?

A. How to make a house a home?

B. What makes a house a home?

C. Who are truly homeless?

D. What is a home for?

57. The purpose of the first paragraph is to _________.

A. tell us that where there is home there is love

B. tell us what people think a home is

C. tell us the author’s concept（理解）of home

D. tell us how to have a happy home

58. The underlined word “those” refers to ________.

A. people who build multi-million-dollar houses

B. people who have lost their family members

C. people who don’t spend time with the family

D. homeless families living on the street in America

59. Which of the following is FALSE according to the passage?

A. A home is a place where you are willing to stay.

B. Even the poorest people can have a happy home.

C. Computers and the Internet are important for a happy home.

D. Sometimes it’s the rich that should be pitied.

It was a cold winter’s night when I stopped for gas on my way home from work. I was tired and had a slight   36 .
I worked in a   37  doctor’s office and this was one of those days when the unexpected happened, making the schedule run   38  than usual. It seemed I was going to be late   39  home and my husband, being the   40  person, would be ready to pronounce me late once again. Maybe   41  I hurried, I could still make it home.
I was heading inside to   42  for my gas when I noticed an older couple at the counter. I heard them asking for   43  to the local hospital. It was the same hospital that I had just   44  a few minutes ago.
The young man at the counter was trying to be   45  in explaining how to get there, with two other people making   46 . One of them was   47  trying to give them a whole different route back. It was then that I walked over to the couple and said, “Would you like to follow me to the   48 ?”
A look of   49  crossed the woman’s face.
“I’m going right by there,” I said, which wasn’t a(an)   50  since I had just made up my mind to do   51  that.
I got in my car and began the journey back. I was trying to watch to be sure they were right   52  me. It took only fifteen minutes to get there as rush hour traffic was beginning to   53 . I felt better than I had all day and my headache was nearly gone.
Later, as I arrived home, my husband   54 , “So you aren’t ever late any more.”
I said, “Sometimes it’s   55  to be late.”