In the Lincolnshire village of Burgh-le-Marsh there was once a large area of land called Bell String Acre. It got its name, the local legend tells, because of a narrow escape. On a dark winter's night early in the seventeenth century, they say, a ship's captain was guiding his ship to pass along this difficult distance of coast when he suddenly heard church bells. “If I can hear those,” the captain reasoned, “then I must be far too close to shore for comfort.” Swiftly he changed his position, thus saving himself and his ship. To show his thanks, he soon afterwards bought a piece of land at Burgh-le-Marsh. Rent on this Bell String Acre, he ordered, should go toward the maintenance of the church bell's pull-rope, so that it might ring out its helpful warnings, he required firmly, “for ever.”

Another less charming story tells how the townspeople refused to ring the bell, for they all relished the idea of stealing goods from shipwrecks, but that a minister ran to the tower and rang the bell. His brave act saved the ship, but then the minister died of extreme tiredness. (And then it is said, the grateful captain married the clergyman's daughter.)

In any case, the captain’s request is honored all winter long in Burgh-le-Marsh. Beginning every October 10, the bell rings nightly at 8 p.m. April 7 is the last night of the bells―that is, till the next October.

58. What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?

A. Where Bell String Acre is.

B. A story about a brave captain.

C. The origin of Bell String Acre.

D. It is dangerous to sail along the coast.

59. It can be inferred from the passage that ____________.

A. it was very cheap to buy a piece of land in Lincolnshire

B. The church in Burgh-le-Marsh was very close to the coast

C. The townspeople refused to ring the bell because of lack of money

D. The church couldn’t afford to keep the bell’s pull-rope in good condition

60. The underlined word “relished” in the second paragraph probably means ______.

A. preferred                    B. disliked      C. competed                    D. warned

61. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. There was no way that the minister would attend the captain’s wedding.

B. Bell ring from the church warned the ship of its dangerous course.

C. There was no bell at night for the sailors for about half a year.

D. The Minster’s daughter was forced to marry the captain.

Does your local town have a nickname (绰号)? If so, what does it say about the area and the people who live there?

Many cities are recognized across the world by their unofficial names. New York is the Big Apple, London is the Big Smoke, and Los Angeles is famously called La La Land.

A project has been carried out to make a survey on how the nicknames of some places came about. The University of Winchester’s Professor Bill Lucas is a patron (赞助者) of the English Project. He explains that unofficial place names often show what people think about a place.

“The name that people create for a place forms a connection with feelings,” he says.

Basingstoke is a town in central England. The local nickname, Amazingstoke, shows the love that locals seem to have for the area.

Swindon, on the other hand, is sometimes called Swindump, showing that some people think it’s a dump (垃圾). Stanford Le Hope in Essex is called Stanford No Hope by locals. And Padstow in Cornwall is so closely connected with the local famous person Rick Stein that it’s become known as Padstein.

Some people say that the project may have a practical use. Glen Hart, the survey’s head of research, says the information could be very helpful to the emergency services, for example. “By having the most complete set of nicknames we could help the emergency services（应急服务机构）quickly locate the right place as soon as possible, for people usually remember the nicknames of some places instead of their official names. And this will take the helpers less time to reach the places.” he says.

60. The best title of the passage can be _____.

  A. People’s Attitudes to Nicknames                B. A Survey on Nicknames

  C. the Development of Nicknames                        D. the Usefulness of Nicknames

61. The underlines word “locate” in the last paragraph probably means ________.

  A. search              B. visit                C. mark         D. find

62. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

  A. every famous place has a nickname

  B. the town Swindon must be a clean place

  C. sometimes nicknames can help save lives

  D. Rick Stein nicknamed Padstow Padstein

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，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A lot of us lose life's tough battles by starting a frontal attack--when a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who was on his trapped way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum(最后通牒) about the job. Although there was a good reason for Sam's being late--serious illness at home--he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn't work any longer. His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech.
Yes, the boss was, Sam entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room; everyone was hard at work. Sam's supervisor came up to him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin and stretched out his hand. "How do you do!" he said. "I'm Sam Maynard. I'm applying for a job, which, I understand, became available just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?"
The room exploded in laughter, except that the supervisor had to clamp off a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had saved his job--with the only tool that could win, a laugh.
Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected, means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying "no", criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs, it's the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialog may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other forum.
51. Why was Sam late for his job?
A. Because he was seriously ill at home.           B. Because he received an ultimatum.
C. Because he was busy applying for a new job.  D. Because he was caught in a traffic jam.
52. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Sam Maynard saved his job with humor     B. Humor is important in our lives
C. Early bird can get the worm               D. Humor can solve racial discriminations
53. The phrase "clamp off" in Paragraph 3 means       .
A. try to hold back    B. pretend to set      C. send off         D. give out
54. Which of the following statements can we infer from the passage?
A. Many lose life's battles for they are always late.
B. Sam was supposed to come to his office at 8:30.
C. It wasn't the first time that Sam came late for his work.
D. Humor is the most effective way of solving problems.

I had the meanest mother in the world．While other kids ate candy for breakfast．I had to have cereal, eggs and toast．Others had cakes and candy for lunch, while we had to eat a sandwich．As you can guess, my supper was different from the other kids'．But at least I was not alone in my suffering．My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did．
My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times．She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing．We had to wear clean clothes every day．Other kids always wore their clothes for days． We reached the height of disgrace （耻辱） because she made our clothes herself, just to save money．
The worst is yet to come．We had to be in bed by 9:00 each night and up at 7:45 the next morning．So while my friends slept, my mother actually had the courage to break Child Labor Law．She made us work I
believed she lay awake all night thinking up mean things to do to us．Through the years, our friends' report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing．My mother, however, would only be satisfied with black marks．None of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout （辍学者）．
She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults．Using this as a background, I'm now trying to bring up my three children．I'm filled with pride when my children think I am mean because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world．
【小题1】From the passage we can learn that the writer's mother was____．

Snow falls in the Earth’s extreme North and South throughout the year. However， the heaviest snowfalls have been reported in the mountains of other areas during winter. Snow is even known to fall near the Equator (赤道)，but only on the highest mountains.
Snow contains much less water than rain, but much of the water the world uses comes from snow. Melting snow provides water for rivers, electric power stations and agricultural crops. In the western United States, mountain snow provides up to seventy-five percent of all surface water supplies.
Snowfall helps to protect plants and some wild animals from winter weather. Fresh snow is made largely of air trapped among the snow crystals (晶体). Because the air has trouble moving, the movement of heat is limited. Snow also influences the movement of sound waves. The surface of the snow takes in, or absorbs, sound waves. As snow grows older or if there have been strong winds, it can become hard and flat. Then, the snow，s surface will help to send back sound waves.
Snow may be beautiful, but it can be deadly. It is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people. Many people die in traffic accidents on roads covered with snow and ice or from being seriously stuck in the winter storm. Others die from heart attacks caused by too much physical activity out in the cold.
People may not be able to avoid living in areas where it snows often. However, they can avoid becoming victims of snowstorms. People should stop driving and stay at home until the storm has passed. People living in these areas should carry emergency supplies in their vehicle. These include food，emergency medical supplies，and extra clothing to stay warm and dry.
【小题1】Mountain snowfall _____.