第三部分  阅读理解 （共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项。

Social customs and ways of behaving changes. Things which were considered impolite many years ago are now acceptable. Just a few years ago, it was considered impolite behavior for a man to smoke on the street. No man who thought of himself as being a gentleman would make a fool of himself by smoking when a lady was in a room. Customs also change from country to country. Does a man walk on the left or on the right in your company? Or does it matter? Should you have one hand in your lap(衣兜) or on the table? The Americans and the British not only speak the same language but also share a large number of social customs. For example, in both countries people shake hands when they meet each other for the first time. Also most Englishmen will open a door for a woman or offer their seat to a woman and so will most Americans. Promptness is important both in England and America. That is, if a dinner is for seven o’clock, the dinner guest either arrives close to that time or calls up to explain his delay（拖延）. The important thing to remember about social customs is not to do anything that might make people feel uncomfortable especially if they are your guests. There is an old story about a man who gave a very formal party. When the food was served, one of the guests started to cut his peas with a knife. The other guests were surprised or shocked, but the host calmly picked up his knife and began eating in the same way. It would have been bad manners to make his guests feel foolish and uncomfortable.

56. If a man smoked in the room where a lady stayed, he would be considered as_____.

A. a gentleman      B , a boss      C. a fool      D. a worker

57. Which of the following is true?

A. A respected man usually behaves properly

B. social customs in some countries never change

C. English people open the door for women while Americans don’t

D. To eat peas with a knife is good manners

58. The underlined word “promptness” means _____.

A. to show respect for a lady     B. to apologize when you are late

C. to invite sb to dinner         D. to do things without delay

59. The writer tells us a story just to ______.

A. amuse the readers       B. tell us how to avoid making others uncomfortable

C. tell us how to eat peas   D. show that social customs and ways change

60. Which might be the title of the passage ?

A. American and British culture       B. Table manners

C. Change old customs              D. Social customs    

Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them．Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there’s no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment．You only have to share your children’s curiosity．Firstly, listen to their questions．I once visited a classroom of seven－year－olds to talk about science as a job．The children asked me “textbook questions” about schooling, salary and whether I liked my job．When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence．Finally I said, “Now that we’re finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”

       After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, “Have you ever seen a grasshopper （蚱蜢） eat? When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache．Why?”

       This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours．

       Secondly, give them time to think．Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think．When adults increase their “wait time” to three seconds or more, children give more logical, complete and creative answers．

       Thirdly, watch your language．Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don’t jump in with “That’s right” or “Very good”．These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior．But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over．Instead, keep things going by saying, “That’s interesting” or “I’d never thought of it that way before”, or coming up with more questions or ideas．

       Never push a child to “Think”．It doesn’t make sense, children are always thinking, without your telling them to．What’s more, this can turn a conversation into a performance．The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a smaller target for your disagreement．

       Lastly, show; don’t tell．Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program．Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass, and they’ll understand why you want them to wash before dinner．Rather than saying that water evaporates, set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop．

According to the passage, children can answer questions in a more logical, complete and creative way if adults ______．

       A．ask them to answer quickly

       B．wait for one or two seconds after a question

       C．tell them to answer the next day

       D．wait at least for three seconds after a question

In which of the following paragraph（s） does the author tell us what to say to encourage children in a science discussion?

       A．The second and third．   B．The fourth and fifth．

       C．The fifth and sixth．       D．The seventh．

In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the word “lists” could best be replaced by

       A．any questions                   B．any problems

       C．questions from textbooks      D．any number of questions?

The author mentions all of the following techniques for adults to share with their children’s curiosity EXCEPT that adults should ______．

       A．tell their children stories instead of reciting facts

       B．offer their children chances to see things for themselves

       C．be patient enough when their children answer questions

       D．encourage their children to ask questions of their own

Britain’s parents have admitted school is harder today than it was when they were kids．A poll（民意测验）of 1，500 parents shows that those with children who have recently sat（参加）A-level or GCSE exams believe today’s exams are harder than the ones they sat at school．One in four thought A-levels were getting harder-compared to just twelve percent who thought they were easier．The figures for GCSEs were more evenly split with 26 percent thinking they were harder and 21 percent believing they were easier．This is the first survey（调查）of the opinion of parents whose youngsters have just sat exams．They told pollsters they believed the higher pass rates in examinations today were due to the youngsters concerned working harder．"But another reason given was that they believed today’s youngsters felt there was little chance of success in life without qualification（资格）．Parents are seeing standards rise and their children working harder and being smarter than their generation." says Dr Christina Townsend，president of the Ed excel exam board，which commissioned（委托） the survey．The poll，carried out by Opinion Research Business for the exam board，also showed parents supported government plans to allow students to see their marked papers after they had completed their exams．The move（行动）is designed to help them decide whether they should doubt their standard．
59. What do you know about Britain’s school education from the text？
A. Students are burdened with too much homework after school．
B. Students are tired of learning at school．
C. Most students can’t pass the A-level or GCSE exams．
D. Exams are more difficult today and pupils are working harder．
60. The writer’s purpose in writing this text is ____．
A. to show the result of a poll of 1，5000 parents
B. to tell parents that their youngsters are working hard
C. to prove that youngsters are smarter than their parents
D. to request that exams be easier
61. We can infer from the text that ____．
A. the government will take steps to lower the standards of exams．
B. Students were once not allowed to see their marked papers．
C. Parents didn’t work hard when they were at school
D. More parents think A-levels are getting harder and GCSEs are getting easier

Rabbits are easy to raise. They are clean and quiet. They don’t need a lot of room. And it costs a small amount of money to feed them, but you can get a big return.

       One male and two females will produce as many as fifty more rabbits in a year. That is enough to provide enough meat for a family. Rabbit meat is high in protein and low in fat.

       You don’t have to be a farmer to raise rabbits. You can raise them in the city.

       Rabbit houses are easy to make with wood and wire. They don’t have to be very big. But each rabbit must have its own little room in the house. This is very important. Each room should be about 75 centimeters wide, 60 centimeters high and one meter deep.

       Fencing is used for the sides and floor of the rabbit house. The holes in the wire fencing should be about one centimeter square. Waste from the animals will drop through the holes. This keeps the rabbit house clean and dry.

       Rabbits need a lot of fresh air and sunlight. Cover the sides of the rabbit house only to protect it from rain.

       Rabbits eat mostly grass and leaves. Hang feeding containers on the outside of the house to let the rabbits eat whenever they want. They simply pull the grass and leaves through the holes in the fence.

       Each room should have fresh water. The water containers should be heavy so the rabbit cannot turn them over. Or you can tie the containers to the fence.

       One month after mating(交配), female rabbits give birth to about eight babies. In two months, a baby rabbit should weigh about two kilograms. This is big enough to make a meal for a small family.

       Rabbits are also valuable for their fur. It takes time, skill and money to prepare the fur and skin for use. If you have only a few rabbits, it probably would be best to let a tanner(制革工) prepare the fur for you. Skill is also needed to remove the fur from the rabbit.

       But rabbits do not have to be dead to be valuable. Many people enjoy keeping rabbits as friendly pets. And rabbit waste makes an excellent fertilizer(肥料). It can be mixed directly into the soil to improve the growth of vegetables, trees, and flowering plants.

The text is written mainly_______.

A. to explain why rabbits are clean and quiet   B. to let people know more about rabbits

C. to tell readers how to raise rabbits         D. to introduce a small friendly animal pet

What is important if you raise rabbits?

A. Holes are needed for waste to drop through.

B. Each rabbit must be given a separate room.

C. Each room must have clean water every day.

D. Feeding containers are hung on the fence.

Why should the holes in the wire fence be about one centimeter square?

A. Because the holes let in sunlight.    

B. Because rabbits like these holes.

C. Because rabbits get food from them.

D. Because waste of rabbits drops through the holes.

What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A. You don’t have to kill rabbits to make more money.

B. Rabbits cannot be sold to make money when they are alive.

C. Rabbits are more valuable when they are alive.

D. Rabbits have to be killed to be more valuable.

     Being considered a leader in our society is indeed of high praise. Leadership means power, commands respect and, most important, encourages achievement. Unlike vitamin C, leadership skills can't be easily swallowed down. They must be carefully cultivated.

     Different from popular belief, most good leaders are made, not born. They learn their skills in their everyday lives. But which do they develop? How do they (and how can you) get others to follow?

     Always give credit. Many leaders note that the most efficient way to get a good performance from others is to treat them like heroes. Giving public credit to someone who has earned it is the best leadership technique in the world. It is also an act of generosity (慷慨) that's never forgotten.

     Giving credit is more effective than even the most constructive criticism (批评) , which often hurts rather than helps. Kenneth Blanchard, the author of The One-Minute Manager, agrees. "Catch people doing something right!" he says. Then tell everyone about it.

     Take informed risks. " The best leaders know that taking a risk is not a thoughtless exercise," says management adviser Marilyn Machlowitz. "Sky divers don't go up in an airplane without checking the parachutes (降落伞) beforehand. "

      Because the idea of risk also carries with it the possibility of failure, many of us usually wait for others to take charge. But if you want to be a leader, you must learn to fail － and not die a thousand deaths. Pick yourself up and start all over again.

      Encourage enthusiasm (热情). "When people understand the importance of work, they lend their mental strengths," says Lee Ducat. But when they get excited about the work, all their energy gets poured into the job. That's a great force! Is this the best way to create excitement? Be enthusiastic yourself － You will be followed by everyone.

60. The underlined word "cultivated" (paragraph 1) roughly means _______.

A. encouraged        B. compared          C. examined          D. developed

61. The part Always give credit tells us that a leader should _______.

A. give helpful criticism                                          B. regard others as real heroes

C. praise people for their good performances       D. praise everyone

62. To be a good leader, you should _______.

A. not be afraid of any risks                              B. think twice before taking risks

C. try to avoid any possible failures                    D. know what a thoughtless exercise is

63. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Leadership Is of Skills and Techniques           B. Leadership Is Very Important

C. Not Many Can Be Leaders                             D. How to Be a Leader