Like many of my generation, I have a weakness for hero worship. At some point, however, we all begin to question our heroes and our need for them. This leads us to ask: What is a hero?

　　Despite immense differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristics that instruct and inspire people.

　　A hero does something worth talking about. A hero has a story of adventure to tell and a community who will listen. But a hero goes beyond mere fame.

　　Heroes serve powers or principles larger than themselves. Like high-voltage(电压) transformers, heroes take the energy of higher powers and step it down so that it can be used by ordinary people.

　　The hero lives a life worthy of imitation. Those who imitate a genuine hero experience life with new depth, enthusiasm, and meaning. A sure test for would-be heroes is what or whom do they serve? What are they willing to live and die for? If the answer or evidence suggests they serve only their own fame, they may be famous persons but not heroes. Madonna and Michael Jackson are famous, but who would claim that their fans find life more abundant?

　　Heroes are catalysts (催化剂) for change. They have a vision from the mountaintop. They have the skill and the charm to move the masses. They create new possibilities. Without Gandhi, India might still be part of the British Empire. Without Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., we might still have segregated(隔离的) buses, restaurants, and parks. It may be possible for large-scale change to occur without leaders with magnetic personalities, but the pace of change would be slow, the vision uncertain, and the committee meetings endless.

1. Although heroes may come from different cultures, they _______.

　　A. generally possess certain inspiring characteristics

　　B. probably share some weaknesses of ordinary people

　　C. are often influenced by previous generations

　　D. all unknowingly attract a large number of fans

2. According to the passage, heroes are compared to high-voltage transformers in that ____.

　　A. they have a vision from the mountaintop

　　B. they have warm feelings and emotions

　　C. they can serve as concrete(具体的) examples of noble principles

　　D. they can make people feel stronger and more confident

3. Madonna and Michael Jackson are not considered heroes because ________.

　　A. they are popular only among certain groups of people

　　B. their performances do not improve their fans morally

　　C. their primary concern is their own financial interests

　　D. they are not clear about the principles they should follow

4. Gandhi and Martin Luther King are typical examples of outstanding leaders who ___.

　　A. are good at demonstrating their charming characters

　　B. can move the masses with the skill and the charm

　　C. are capable of meeting all challenges and hardships

　　D. can provide an answer to the problems of their people

5. The author concludes that historical changes would ______.

　　A. be delayed without leaders with inspiring personal qualities

　　B. not happen without heroes making the necessary sacrifices

　　C. take place if there were heroes to lead the people

　　D. produce leaders with attractive personalities

As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.

Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children." In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores," Lewis says. "And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is."

The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟，姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are that it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event(扫兴的事).”

1.The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.

　　A. show the relationship between parents and children

　　B. teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table

　　C. report on the findings of a study

　　D. give information about family problems

2. Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because____.

　　A. they are busy serving food to their children

　　B. they are busy keeping order at the dinner table

　　C. they have to pay more attention to younger children

　　D. they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family

3.By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children__________.

　　A. have to help their parents to serve dinner

　　B. get the least attention from the family

　　C. are often kept away from the dinner table

　　D. find it hard to keep up with other children

4.Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question_________.

　　A. why TV is important in family life

　　B. why parents should keep good order

　　C. why children in small families seem to be quieter

　　D. why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life

5.Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?

　　A. It is important to have the right food for children.

　　B. It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.

　　C. Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.

　　D. Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner.

IV．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。
　　With her beautiful looks, cheerful character and strong spirit, Karena Lam（林嘉欣）is making waves among Chinese movie fans and professionals （专业人士）.
　　The Canada - born actress won the Golden Horse Best Supporting Actress and Best New Performer awards （金马奖最佳女配角和最佳新人奖）for her role in “July Rhapsody” （《男人四十》）in Taiwan on November 16．She won the same titles at the HongKong Film Awards in April, 2002.
　　Lam played a wifful （任性的）high school girl in the film and her idol （偶像）Jacky Cheung （张学友）played the girl 's middle - aged teacher.
　　Her awards have made her the person to watch in Hong Kong and Taiwan cinema. But the 24-year-old girl thinks the awards have put more pressure on her and given her new challenges （挑战）.
　　Besides Jacky Cheung, Lam has appeared alongside other top Hong Kong stars. Last year she starred with Leslie Cheung （张国荣）in“ Inner Senses ” （《异度空间》）and this year she acted with Nicholas Tse （谢霆锋）in“ Tiramisu” （《恋爱行星》）. Is there anything that can stop Lam's success?
　　“I have learnt that ff someone is trying to hurt you, the best revenge （报复）is to keep living happily and having a good life.That’s what I did, ” she said.
　　She is an optimist （乐天派）and determined to be successful. “I always have a way of finding my own happiness. I know what's going to make me smile, and I go for it, ”she said.
　　Two films—a comedy and a love - story are waiting for her and she plans to release （首次上演）her first Cantonese （粤语）album next summer.
41．According to the passage, which of the following shows the right order of what Lam did or will do?
　　a．To star with Leslie Cheung in“Inner Senses.”
　　b．To win the Golden Horse Best Supporting Actress and Best New Performer awards for her role in“ July Rhapsody.”
　　c．To release her first cantones album.
　　d．To act with Nicholas Tse in“ Tiramisu. ”
　　e．To win the Hong Kong Film Awards.
　　A. b, e, a, d, c　　　B. c, a, d, e, b     C. e, b, d, c, a　　　D. a, d, e, b, c
　42．In“Inner Senses” Lam was one of the________performers.
　　A. supporting　　B. chief　　　　　 C. ordinary　　　D. learned
　43．The underlined phrase“make waves” probably means________.
　　A. gain much attention　　　B. make trouble
　　C. sing and dance　　  D. fan the flames of disorder

B
　　More and more young people enjoy having pets,but they don't like to keep them.At present in Changchun,people prefer to rent pets and play with them during weekends,regarding this as a fashionablelifestyle.
　　Mr.Feng,from Jilin Province,likes pet dogs.Last weekend he rented a Scottish shepherd dog from a localpet shop.He bathed the dog,and went walking with it.He said he could not keep pets in his spare time because he was busy everday except weekends.To rent pets during weekends seemsto be the most practical and economical way to relax himself.
　　A manager from a pet shop says his customers(主顾) are all like Mr.Feng,usually too busy to keeppets,and some of them have never kept any pets before. But they hope torent pets and learn to keep pets so that they can know whether they can be good pet masters or not.
　　It's reported that all pets for rent need to beimmunized(免疫).Before they are rented out,pet shops will teach their customers the ABCs of pet keeping and preparing pet food based on each pet's taste.
　　Shop assistants will also provide(提供)different konds of services for pets like health checkup if their customers want to rent pets for a longer period.
　　Dogs for rent are often not ordinary ones,so their rent is high,usually 200 - 500 yuan(US＄ 25-63) per day.Sometimes,you have to leave thousands of yuan with the owner before you can take a dog away.
　　60.Mr.Feng rents pets instead of keeping them mainly because _______.
　　A.it's cheaper                  B.it is more fun
　　C.he has little spare time         D.he wants a new pet for each week
　　61.What do we know about those who rent pets?
　　A.None of them ever kept a pet before.
　　B.They'll become pet owners later.
　　C.They enjoy having pets.
　　D.They want to help protect animals.
　　62.The underlined phrase "the ABCs(of…)"in the 4th paragraph refers to "______(of…)".
　　A.the possible dangers           B.the basic knowledge
　　C.the communicative language    D.the rules set by the shops
　　63.The dogs' rent is high because___________.
　　A.the customers are rich           B.there are few dogs to rent
　　C.their owners hate to leave them    D.they are top - class dogs