In 1977, a dead author of detective stories saved the life of a 19-month-old baby in a most unusual way. The author was Agatha Christie, one of the most successful writers of detective stories in the world.

In June 1977, a baby girl became seriously ill in Qatar, near Saudi Arabia. Doctors were unable to _31_the cause of her illness, so she _32_ to London and admitted to Hammersmith Hospital, where specialist help was _33 _. She was then only half-conscious（半昏迷） and on the “Dangerously Ill” list. A team of doctors hurried to _34_the baby only to discover that they,  35_, were puzzled by the very unusual symptoms. While they were discussing the baby’s case, a nurse asked to __36 to them.

   “Excuse me,” said nurse Marsha Maitland, “_37_ I think the baby is __38_ from thallium poisoning.”

   “_39 _ makes you think that?” Dr. Brown asked. “Thallium poisoning is extremely _40_.”

   “A few days ago, I was reading a novel called A Pale Horse __41__ Agatha Christie,” Nurse Maitland explained. “In the book, somebody uses thallium poison, and _42_ the symptoms are _43_. They are exactly the same as the baby’s.”

   “You’re very observant and you may be right,” another doctor said. “We’ll _44_some tests and find out _45_ it’s thallium or not.”

The _46_ showed that the baby had  47_ been poisoned by thallium, a rare metal used in making optical（光学的） glass. _48_ they knew the cause of illness, the doctors were able to give the correct treatment. The baby soon _49_ and was sent back to Qatar. Inquiries（调查）showed that the poison __50_ from an insecticide（杀虫剂）used in Qatar.

A. describe         B. diagnose                C. discover            D. discuss

A. flew                   B. sent                      C. went                 D. was flown

A. inexpensive         B. important              C. available           D. impossible

A. examine             B. see                           C. look after          D. cure

A. too                     B. either                    C. often             D. never

A. refer                      B. turn                      C. speak                D. belong

A. and                    B. so                            C. as                     D. but

A. coming               B. suffering               C. tired                 D. dying

A. Who                         B. How                        C. What                D. Which

A. rare                     B. serious                     C. clear                 D. dangerous

A. in                     B. on                           C. by                    D. about

A. all                    B. some of                    C. one of               D. both

A. drawn                  B. broadcast               C. announced         D. described

A. make up                  B. carry out               C. get through     D. deal with

A. that                         B. how                         C. what                 D. whether

A. words                  B. tests                      C. examination       D. book

A. indeed              B. actually                 C. probably           D. never

A. As long as         B. As for as               C. Once                 D. If

A. died                    B. got injured         C. recovered          D. got ill

A. must come       B.should come     C.might have come D.can’t have come

.

第二部分．阅读理解（共25小题。第一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分；满分45分）

“Linda, if beating yourself up were an Olympic sport, you’d win a gold medal!”

Annabel, my close friend, stunned（使…震惊）me with that frank observation after I told her how I had mishandled a situation with a student in a third-grade class where I was substituting（代替）. “I should never have let him go to the boy’s room without a pass! It was my fault he got into trouble with the hall monitor! I’m so stupid!”

My friend burst out laughing, and then made her “Olympic” comment. After a brief period of reflection I had to admit that she was right. I did put myself down an awful lot. Why, just during the previous day I had called myself “a slob” for having some papers spread out on my desk, “ugly” when I left the house without makeup and “an idiot” when I left the house for an emergency substitute job without my emergency lesson plan.

In a more reflective tone, Annabel said, “I once took a workshop at church where the woman in charge had us list all the mean things we say about ourselves.”

“How many did you have on your list?” I asked.

“Fifteen,” she confessed. “But then the teacher said, ‘Now turn to the person next to you and say all the items on your list as if you were speaking to that person!’ ”

My jaw dropped，“What did you do?”

“Nothing. Nobody did. We all just sat there, until I said, ‘I could never say these things to anyone else!’ ”

“And our teacher replied, ‘Well, if you can’t say them to anyone else, then don’t ever say them to yourself!’ ”

My friend had a point. I would never insult a child of God---and I’m God’s child, too!

God, today let me be as kind to myself as I would be to another of Your children.

41. What does Annabel mean by the first sentence of the passage?

A. The writer is a good athlete.      B. The writer scolds herself too much.

C. She is encouraging the writer.     D. A gold medal is not a big deal.

42. What does the writer intends to tell us through the second and third paragraphs?

A. She has low self-esteem over some small things.

B. She often makes serious mistakes in daily life.

C. She is a third-grade teacher.

D. She cares too much about her appearance.

43. We can infer that the underlined word “slob” might be _____.

A. something untidy     B. someone dangerous   C. something dirty    D. someone lazy

44. What can we learn about Annabel?

A. She used to put herself down a lot.

B. She often goes to church.

C. She was in charge of a workshop.

D. She used to be too shy to talk to others.

45. What does the writer mean by the last sentence of the passage?

A. She is ready to turn to God for help.

B. She will be kind to all children.

C. She won’t insult(侮辱) herself as well as others.

D. She is willing to be a child of God.

It’s not just adults who have a thing or two to discuss with other people, babies too have their own social lives and enjoy group interaction, according to a world-first study.
The breakthrough study conducted by psychologist Professor Ben Bradley, at Charles Sturt University, could completely transform the way child-care centres are set up. In their study, the researchers examined groups of nine-month-old babies in new South Wales and Britain.
And they came across astounding (令人吃惊的) results – it was found that infants had “social brains” and focused not just on their mothers but on social life in groups as well.
“They communicate with more than one baby at once, and show jealousy and generousness,” said Professor Bradley.
He added, “They develop their own meanings through group interaction, they notice if a group member is behaving differently and they take on roles, such as leaders and followers.”
“A baby who has a depressed mother tends to be withdrawn (内向的), but put that same baby in a group of its peers (同龄人)and they behave and interact like any other baby.”
It was the first all-baby group study ever to be conducted. “Most studies of babies concentrate on the infant-mother relationship, assuming that is the single foundation for mental health, but babies are constantly involved with groups of people other than their mothers: fathers, siblings, grandparents and those taking care. Therefore, the ‘mother-baby approach’ needs to be combined with a ‘group approach’,” said Bradley.
Phoebe Christison, a child-care worker at Camperdown Sunshine Bubs in Sydney’s inner west, said she often noticed what appeared to be emotional attachments developed between toddlers.
She said, “Joel (10 months) and Isabella (11 months) always like to hold hands when they sit in their high chairs and eat. And babies definitely show jealousy. They push and touch each other, and copy what the other is doing.”
46. Which of the following statements about the study is TRUE?
A. It’s the first study to look at all-baby groups.
B. It divides babies according to their personalities.
C. Its aim is to change the way of child care.
D. Its results are unbelievable.
47. A baby who has a depressed mother _________.
A. tends to be a follower                       B. also enjoys group interaction
C. has poor social ability                       D. pays more attention to its mother
48. What can be inferred from the result of this study?
A. Babies are affected by groups more than by their mothers.
B. There’s no need of child-care centers at all.
C. Adults should include babies when having social activities.
D. The normal infant-mother bond alone isn’t enough for the good mental health for babies.
49. The underlined word “toddlers” in Para. 8 can be replaced by “_________”.
A. adults    B. infants     C. peers     D. groups
50. The example given in the last paragraph proves that a baby ________.
A. is born to be friendly to other babies
B. has interest in peers as well as in its mother
C. may have emotional attachments to another baby
D. shows jealousy and generousness as an adult

I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as mother sat doing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens,   and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the more wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister  and brother. “But the desk,” she’d said again, “it’s for Elizabeth. ”
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and    daughter.
They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional(易动感情的)”. But she lived “on the surface(表面)”.
As years passed I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive(原谅) me.
I posted the letter and waited for her answer. None came.
My hope turned to disappointment(失望), then little interest and, finally, peace— it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of her desk told, as she’d never been able to, that she was    pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found    some papers inside —a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded(折叠) and refolded many times.
Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.
【小题1】The writer began to love her mother’s desk ______.

The flying fox is not a fox at all. It is an extra large bat that has got a fox’s head, and that feeds on fruit. Like all bats, flying foxes hang themselves by their toes (趾) when at rest, and travel in great crowds when out flying. A group will live in one place for years. Sometimes several hundreds of them occupy a single tree. As they return to the tree towards sunrise, they quarrel among themselves and fight for the best places until long after daylight.
Flying foxes have babies once a year, giving birth to only one at a time. At first the mother has to carry the baby on her chest wherever she goes. Later she leaves it hanging up, and brings back food for it to eat. Sometimes a baby bat falls to the ground. Then the older ones fly down and try to pick it up. If they fail to do so, it will die. Often hundreds of baby bats can be found lying on the ground at the foot of the tree.
【小题1】The passage tells us that there is no difference between the flying fox and the ordinary bat in ______.