任务型阅读（共两节，满分35分）

All That noise is damaging Children’s Hearing

Michel become hooked on headphones in his early teens. He walked in the streets of Brooklyn day after day with his favorite music blasting directly into his ears. By his early 20s, Michel had lost much of his upper-range hearing.

The Children’s Hearing Institute reports that hearing loss among children and young adults is rising in the United States, and that one third of the damage is caused by noise.

Surrounded By Noise

We live in a noisy world. Young and old alike are beset by sounds over which we may have little or no control: power mowers, leaf blowers, snow blowers, cars and house alarms, sirens, motorcycles, Jet Skis, loudspeakers, even movie previews.

We attend rock concerts, weddings, parties and sports events at which the music is so loud you can hardly hear the person sitting next to you. At home, televisions, stereos and computer games are often turned up so loud that listeners can not hear a doorbell or telephone. Many “modern ” restaurants have chosen noise enhancement instead of abatement(减轻). Any time you need to shout to be heard by someone near you, your hearing is most likely to be in a decibel(分贝) danger zone.

As if environmental noise were not enough, now we surround children with noisy toys and personal listening devices that can permanently damage their hearing. Toys that meet the safety standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials can produce sound up to 138 decibels, as loud as a jet plane taking off. Yet workplace rules require hearing protection for those exposed to noise above 85 decibels.

Protecting Young Ears

Before buying noisemaking toys, parents would do well to listen to how loud they are. If the toy comes with a volume control, monitor its use to make sure it is kept near the lowest level. Consider returning gifts that make loud noises, disable the noise-making function. Or limit the use of noisy toys to outside play areas.

Children who play computer games and stereo equipment should be warned to keep the volume down. Time spent in video arcades, where the noise level can be over 110 decibels, should be strictly limited. Most iPods have a control that allow parents to set a maximum volume.

Don’t take children to loud action movies. If you do go and the sound seems deafening, ask the manager to turn down the volume or insist on you money back. Children who play in bands and teenagers who use power tools, gardening equipment or guns should be made to wear hearing protection, available at sporting goods stores.

The League for the Hard of Hearing urges parents to encourage participation in quiet activities, like reading, watching family-oriented films, doing puzzles, making thins with construction toys, playing educational computer games, drawing and painting, and visiting librarians and museums.

All That noise is damaging Children’s Hearing

    One day,Raul was miles away from the small ranch（牧场） house in a large valley. 36  seemed to be all right, yet he felt strange and somewhat uneasy.The wind had picked up, and angry, dark clouds  37  across the sky. He could smell the rain coming. And it did. 38  ,the lightning flashed through the clouds, nearly  39  Raul. The thunder（雷声） was so loud that he buried his  40   in his hands and rubbed his eyes. Then he heard it. Hoofbeats（蹄声）.He  41 .There before him stood a tall, white  42 . An old man stared down at him from its back.

    “Wh-wh-who are y-y-you?” asked Raul. “My name is Gray Cloud,” the old man answered  43 . “Come with me.”

    Raul followed on his horse. A  44 feeling came over him. All  45  them the rain was pouring down,  46  not a drop fell on them. They seemed to be  47   back toward Raul’s home. Raul lost track of time. Then all at once he found  48  at the ranch gate. The old man turned his horse,  49  his hand, and smiled. Lightning flashed again. The old man and his horse were  50 .

    Raul’s father ran out across the yard  to   51  him. “we have been  52  sick about you. Are you okay? Hurry. Let’s get in out of the  53  .”

    “Wait,” said Raul. “Have you ever heard of an old man called Gray Cloud?”

    “Can’t say I … wait. I  54  my great-grandfather used to tell storied about a man called Gray Cloud. He died a long time ago. They say he was  55  by lightning during a terrible thunderstorm. Why do you ask?”

36. A.Something  B.Everything               C.Anything                  D.Nothing

37.A.dropped        B.fell                   C.rolled                       D.covered

38.A.Suddenly      B.Strongly            C.Quickly             D.Hardly

39.A.beating                B.blinding            C.burning             D.touching

40.A.nose             B.hair                   C.neck                  D.head

41.A.looked up     B.woke up            C.lay down           D.sat down

42.A.tiger             B.horse                C.lion                   D.elephant

43.A.lazily            B.angrily              C.coldly                      D.slowly

44.A.natural         B.common            C.strange              D.bad

45.A.around         B.beside               C.through             D.above

46.A.yet               B.for                    C.so                     D.or

47.A.walking               B.leading              C.heading             D.returning

48.A.them            B.themselves         C.him                   D.himself

49.A.shook           B.waved               C.held                  D.took

50.A.gone             B.left                   C.followed            D.lost

51.A.see               B.meet                C.beat                  D.ask

52.A.waited         B.thought             C.worried             D.excited

53.A.yard             B.wind                C.grass                D.rain

54.A.believe                B.consider            C.doubt                       D.forget

55.A.defeated        B.caught               C.damaged            D.struck

I cannot stand ________ so loud a noise in the quiet library．

1. A.
   his making
2. B.
   he made
3. C.
   for him to make
4. D.
   he make

1.Last Wednesday, Chinese President Hu Jintao flew to France f________ a state visit to Australia to attend the sixth summit of G20.
2.I would appreciate it very much if you could a_________ our plan.
3.During the summer vacation, he attended an English training course and now he can speak English f_______.
4.They are the best team in their country and they d_________ to win the match.
5.Obviously it is your fault. There is no need for you to d_________ yourself.
6.I’m quite c__________. I really can’t decide which answer is correct.
7.When she was lying in hospital, she r_________ not having taken her mother’s advice.
8.Regular exercise helps the film star get into shape and keep a slim f_________.
9.It is a bad habit to s_______ breakfast, for your body needs the energy it provides.
10.They made so loud noises that I couldn’t c_________ on my study in the classroom. 

It's easy to take your hearing for granted until it's too late.

With the wide    1   _(popular) of digital entertainment products, it is not uncommon to see people wearing headphones and listening to music    2    running in the park or using public transport. And the volume is often so loud that people around    3    can hear the music as well.

However, doctors warn that such behavior can    4   _(potential) damage their hearing. "In noisy places, people tend   5  _(turn) the volume up to get the same clarity of sound. Unfortunately, that can damage the hearing   6  people being aware of it," said Feng Yongfeng, chief ENT physician at Beijing Tian'an Hospital.

After Spring Festival, the hospital witnessed   7   slight increase in the number of teenagers coming in with hearing problems,  8   Feng attributed to them wearing headphones at home for long periods during the holiday. Feng said both in-ear and overhead headphones can harm the ears and    9   (advise) against using them for long periods. He said if you do use headphones it is worth    10   (invest) in the highest quality you can afford.