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）
第一节：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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Many people wonder why the United States has been a hotspot for Chinese students for years, despite its extremely strict visa policy. On the other hand, China’s rise as an economic powerhouse is resulting in a rapid expansion of its higher education system, making it the faster-growing destination for American foreign exchange students.
Recently, according to a study by the Institute of International Education, a research organization based in New York, the number of American students seeking higher education in China has never been greater, increasing by 90 percent from 2002 to 2004. Alan Goodman, president of the institute, believes that the phenomenon lies in the pace of change in China, which is spending billions of dollars to expend and transform its higher educational facilities into world-class  institutions.
“China is a job market,” said Professor Chou, professor of East Asian Studies at Princeton University. “Twenty years ago, only those interested in Chinese literature would study Chinese language. Now all professors have opened up.”
China now ranks 9th as a host destination for American students, advancing from the No.12 spot it held a year earlier. The study revealed that Britain continues to be the leading destination, attracting 16.8 percent of all American students who study abroad. On the other hand, in the 2004-2005 academic year, China sent more than 62,000 students to the United States, nearly 60 percent more than a decade earlier. According to the study, the Chinese now make up 11 percent of foreign students in the United States, the second-largest group behind students from India.
41.From the first paragraph, we know that for many years Chinese students want to go to the US but _____.
A. Chinese government refuses to give a visa    B. it is extremely difficult to get a visa
C. it results in a rapid expansion              D. China becomes a fast-growing country
42.According to the text, “the phenomenon” in the second paragraph refers to _____.
A. more American students’ seeking higher education in China
B. the pace of change in China during the past few years
C. founding a research organization based in New York
D. expending and transforming its higher educational facilities
43.What is the main idea of this text?
A. American Students are looking for destination.
B. American students are interested in Chinese culture.
C. Britain continues to be the leading destination.
D. China grows as study hotspot for U.S. students.

One kilogram——that was all it took to crown（给……加冕） the world's strongest man.

German weightlifter Matthias Steiner pulled ahead of Russian rival Evgeny Chigishev to win the Olympic men's +105 kg weightlifting gold medal on Tuesday.

Steiner lifted a total of 461kg, 203kg in the snatch(抓举) and 258kg in the clean and jerk(挺举), to beat Chigishev by a single kilogram. The German won the battle of giants in his last lift, winning his country's first gold medal in the event at this year's Games.

Steiner's winning lift was also the last effort of the sport for this Olympics at which China earned eight of the 15 golds.

Steiner was born in Austria and represented his country of birth at the Athens Olympics four years ago, placing seventh in the lower 105kg category, but had a falling out with Austria's weightlifting federation afterwards.

He applied for German citizenship in 2005 and got married, but his career went into deep freeze（困境）as he could not compete without a passport. He finally obtained the document last January.

The German, who turns 26 on Monday, had come to these Games on a mission to win the title for his wife Susann, who died in a car accident in July last year. The German team said he used the personal tragedy to motivate himself to win the gold medal.

Chigishev was the strongest in the snatch session Tuesday. He kissed his fists after a 210-kg lift that gave him a 7-kg advantage over fourth-placed Steiner going into the second event -- the clean and jerk. He let out a victorious roar after clearing 250 kg in his last lift, but the glory was short-lived as Steiner stunned（使瞠目）everyone with his final, winning clean and jerk effort.

Steiner had finished seventh in the 2004 Olympics in the 105kg weight category, and took the gold in the 2008 European Championship +105kg snatch competition, bronze in the clean and jerk and silver overall, with a total weight of 446kg.

World champion Viktors Scerbatihs of Latvia settled for bronze.

Four years ago at the Athens Olympics Steiner represented ______.

A. Australia           B. Germany           C. Austria              D. Russia

The following statements are true except ______.

A. Steiner beat Chigishev by one kilogram

B. Chinese weightlifting team won eight of the 15 gold medals at this year’s Games

C. Steiner didn’t get the passport until last February

D. Steiner got a bronze in the 2008 European Championship +105kg clean and jerk competition

It can be inferred from the story that _____.

A. Steiner was inspired by his unfortunate wife to win the gold medal

B. Chigishev was also the strongest in the second event

C. it is hard to get a German citizenship

D. Steiner was determined to win the medal for the German team

What is the best title of the story?

A. Narrow Victory                           B. Pitiful Failure  

C. Gold Medal for His Dearest Wife             D. Strongest Man of the World

XUE Bai, a 21-year-old university student, hopes to volunteer for Beijing's 2008 Olympics. "I want to do something for the Olympics. It is also a kind of learning for me," said the fourth-year student at Beijing Foreign Studies University. Now it is time for Xue to act on her plan. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 2008 Olympiad  will start to recruit(招募)volunteers on August 28.

The Olympics will need around 70,000 volunteers and the Paralympic Games(残疾人奥运会) will need another 30,000. University students like Xue will make up the majority of the volunteers. But the Olympics also need other volunteers - ordinary citizens and foreigners, for example. Students in Beijing should apply through their universities. Other volunteers may apply online or submit a written application. The online application system and a hotline will be open next Monday. For applicants outside Beijing, the application process begins in December. There is plenty of work for volunteers to do. For example, there will be chances to help publicize the games over the next two years. During the games themselves, volunteers will clean, serve food, marshal(礼仪引导)or offer language help.

The Sydney Olympics in 2000 was the first that placed special emphasis on the role of volunteers. It used more than 45,000 volunteers in different roles. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, around 45,000 volunteers were used. More than 70,000 volunteers will be needed for the Olympic games and Paralympic Games in 2012, the London Olympic Organizing Committee has said.

1.Xue Bai is willing to be a volunteer for the Beijing Olympics for the purpose of_____.

A．watching live Olympic matches             B．learning more

C．meeting his favorite sports stars            D．making money

2.It is estimated that volunteers for Beijing's 2008 Olympics are mainly _____.

A．ordinary citizens                        B．foreigners

C．university students                      D．applicants outside Beijing

3.Volunteers have played an very important role in Olympics since_____.

A．the 1996 Atlanta Olympics                B．the 2000 Sydney Olympics

C．the 2004 Athens Olympics                D．the 2008 Beijing Olympics

4.The passage mainly tells us______.

A．the history of volunteers in Olympics.

B．hat volunteers will do in the 2008 Olympics.

C．who can apply to be volunteers for Beijing Olympics.

D．volunteers for the 2008 Olympics are wanted.

More than 7 million tickets will go on sale for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which is more than the number of tickets   1             (sell) in the 2004 Athens Games, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 29th Olympiad (BOCOG) said on Friday.

Of the tickets, about 4.9 million,  2            70 per cent will be sold within China and the rest 30 per cent will be sold abroad.

“Since we have more   3               (seat) than Athens, we can sell     4                tickets,” said Rong Jun, an   5              (office) from the BOCOG Marketing Department.

It  6         (report) that Athens offered 5.3 million tickets  7       the 2004 Olympics.

“The  8             (open) ceremony will be held in the National Stadium, 9               is able to seat 91,000 people. Since  10              large number of seats will be taken by broadcasters and the media, there will be only about 60,000 for ordinary audience.”

XUE Bai, a 21-year-old university student, hopes to volunteer for Beijing's 2008 Olympics. "I want to do something for the Olympics. It is also a kind of learning for me," said the fourth-year student at Beijing Foreign Studies University. Now it is time for Xue to act on her plan. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 2008 Olympiad  will start to recruit(招募)volunteers on August 28.
The Olympics will need around 70,000 volunteers and the Paralympic Games(残疾人奥运会) will need another 30,000. University students like Xue will make up the majority of the volunteers. But the Olympics also need other volunteers - ordinary citizens and foreigners, for example. Students in Beijing should apply through their universities. Other volunteers may apply online or submit a written application. The online application system and a hotline will be open next Monday. For applicants outside Beijing, the application process begins in December. There is plenty of work for volunteers to do. For example, there will be chances to help publicize the games over the next two years. During the games themselves, volunteers will clean, serve food, marshal(礼仪引导)or offer language help.
The Sydney Olympics in 2000 was the first that placed special emphasis on the role of volunteers. It used more than 45,000 volunteers in different roles. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, around 45,000 volunteers were used. More than 70,000 volunteers will be needed for the Olympic games and Paralympic Games in 2012, the London Olympic Organizing Committee has said.
【小题1】Xue Bai is willing to be a volunteer for the Beijing Olympics for the purpose of_____.