第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
Before the mid 1860’s, the impact of the railroads in the United States was limited, in the sense that the tracks ended at this Missouri River, approximately the center of the country. At the point the trains turned their freight, mail, and passengers over to steamboats, wagons, and stagecoaches. This meant that wagon freighting, stagecoaching, and steamboating did not come to an end when the first train appeared; rather they became supplements or feeders. Each new “end of track” became a center for animal drawn or waterborne transportation. The major effect of the railroad was to shorten the distance that had to be covered by the older, slower, and more costly means. Wagon freighters continued operating throughout the 1870’s and 1880’s and into the 1890’s. Although over constantly shrinking routes, and coaches and wagons continued to crisscross the West wherever the rails had not yet been laid. The beginning of a major change was foreshadowed in the later 1860’s, when the Union Pacific Railroad at last began to build westward from the Central Plains city of Omaha to meet the Central Pacific Railroad advancing eastward from California through the formidable barrier of the Sierra Nevada. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the original Pacific Railroad bill in 1862 and a revised, financially much more generous version in 1864, little construction was completed until 1865 on the Central Pacific and 1866 on the Union Pacific. The primary reason was skepticism that a Railroad built through so challenging and thinly settled a stretch of desert, mountain, and semiarid plain could pay a profit. In the words of an economist, this was a case of “premature enterprise”, where not only the cost of construction but also the very high risk deterred private investment. In discussing the Pacific Railroad bill, the chair of the congressional committee bluntly stated that without government subsidy no one would undertake so unpromising a venture; yet it was a national necessity to link East and West together. ?
61. The author refers to the impact of railroads before the late 1860’s as “limited” because
A. the track did not take the direct route from one city to the next?
B. passengers and freight had to transfer to other modes of transportation to reach western destinations              C. passengers preferred stagecoaches
D. railroad travel was quite expensive
62. What can be inferred about coaches and wagon freighters as the railroad expanded?
A. They developed competing routes.
B. Their drivers refused to work for the railroads.?
C. They began to specialize in private investment.?
D. There were insufficient numbers of trained people to operate them.
63.  Why does the author mention the Sierra Nevada in line 17? ?
A. To argue that a more direct route to the West could have been taken.??
B. To identify a historically significant mountain range in the West.?
C. To point out the location of a serious train accident.?
D. To give an example of an obstacle faced by the central pacific.   
64.  The word “subsidy” in line 27 is closest in meaning to_____.?
A. persuasion             B. financing              C. explanation           D. penalty ?

 Dae Jang Geum 《大长今》 is a hot new Korean TV series. Because of this series, my personal status (地位) and living standard have been greatly     . My girlfriend used to cook every evening. Well, now she does nothing but        in front of the TV when she’s not       , and orders me, “You --- go and make some instant noodles. Come and watch the play and just imagine we are enjoying Korean        .”

         She once swore (发誓) to        all Korean dishes in Dae Jang Geum. So she ordered me to        the TV and record any details of Jang Geum’s cooking. But when she presented her version of Korean food, it was like the dog-meal. “You can        get things done if you find the right tool,” my girlfriend blamed her terrible kitchen performances on        . So I decided to       her a new kitchen knife. In a store, she became unusually         when making her selection. She finally picked one that was        Jang Geum’s. To prove that her slow knife skill was because of the blunt (钝的) knife, she         her cutting. As a result, she hurt her fingers three times. Fortunately the knife was not         the salesman boasted (吹嘘).

         My girlfriend is a fan of Jang Geum’s Korean        . Not only did she talk about the dress every day, she also threatened to change my tie into a  butterfly knot(蝴蝶结) like the one on Jang Geum’s dress. Finally, I lost my patience and took her to a maternity (孕妇装) shop where I recommended one suit to her, “Do you think it looks like a(n)       dress?”  Coincidently(巧合地)   , her parents just happened to be shopping at the time. They were         when they saw what we were doing.

         The Dae Jang Geum series         encouraging the youth to realize their ambition(雄心,抱负). However, it fails to realize my girlfriend’s.         being engaged in her work or study, she simply sits on the sofa every night, staring at       , a bag of chips in her hand. This situation has          even though the series is now over.

1.A. increased                    B. degraded                         C. risen                                 D. raised

2.A. stand                    B. lay                                     C. seat                                   D. sit

3.A. at work                         B. at table                    C. on leave                           D. on business

4.A. fruits                    B. vegetables                       C. dishes                               D. cakes

5.A. eat                                 B. learn                                 C. cook                                  D. perform

6.A. stand for             B. go by                                 C. pass by                    D. stand by

7.A. easily                   B. hardly                               C. difficultly                          D. carefully

8.A. her fork                        B. her spoon                        C. her knife                          D. her pan

9.A. buy                       B. borrow                    C. lend                                  D. fetch

10.A. careless                      B. angry                                C. patient                              D. modest(谦虚)

11.A. better than                B. the closest shape of       C. sharper than          D. taken from

12.A. speeded up               B. slowed down                   C. brought down                 D. improved

13.A. as fast as           B. as dull as                          C. as slow as                         D. as sharp as

14.A. diet style           B. dish flavor                        C. dressing style                  D. cooking style

15.A. Chinese        B. Korean            C. English            D. American

16.A. quite encouraged    B. pretty satisfied                C. very pleased          D. pretty shocked

17.A. shoots at           B. aims at                     C. directs at                          D. works at

18.A. In spite of                   B. Because of                       C. Instead of                         D. In case of

19.A. me            B. herself            C. the TV             D. nothing

20.A. changed little   B. turned a lot                     C. developed a little          D. improved a lot

B
Wild Blue is a none-of-a-kind, geography-oriented exploration and adventure center for children aged 3 through 10．Our mission is to immerse(使沉浸于)children and their families in experiences that relate to the people，places and natural elements of the wonderful planet we live on．All our programs are developed and led by our own world-class team of explorers and educators．The following is a brief introduction to some of our classes：   
Global Kitchen
All over the world，people gather together to share meals．In this class, children will learn about the cuisine of a foreign country or region while they create a delicious snack． Recipes will be kid-friendly, and use ingredients(原料)from the country of origin．Your child will learn healthy，easy-to-create recipes he can bring home to share!
Documentary Filmmaking
This 50-minute video documentary film class is specially designed for our 6and 7 years old explorers．Classes will concentrate on the basics of visual storytelling and include subject discovery, story development, storyboard, filming，editing and presenting．Participants will work as a team to produce their own documentary, which will then be screened for friends and family at the course’s conclusion．
Exploring the Wonders of Earth
Designed specifically with our youngest explorers in mind, this semester-long program will expose your child to a wide variety of exciting scientific events that occur on our planet，from chocolate melting，to volcanoes erupting，to seeds sprouting．Through this course children will begin to develop an awareness of the science that makes the earth a marvelous place．
A World of Arts and Crafts
Whether you are seeking to simply extend your child’s time at Wild Blue or looking for a favorite pastime，we offer our own unique version of arts and crafts．Focusing on using found objects，this course encourages children to draw creative inspiration from cultures around the world．This course is available，upon request, as an additional class in your child’s schedule．
55. The passage is mainly about ______.
A. an interesting exploration to the outer space
B. various tips on how to explore
C. an exploration program designed for children
D. a vivid description to an exploring experience
56. In the “Global Kitchen” class, children will _____.
A. learn to create a delicious snack of his own country or region
B. focus on learning complex recipes
C. enjoy the food over the process of making
D. mainly use ingredients that are unpolluted and good to children’s health
57. Those who sign up for thedocumentary filmmaking class     ．
A. should be children with advanced filmmaking ability
B. can do filmmaking with his partner as wellas his families
C. can work both individually or as a pair
D. will present their works in the end
58. If one parent intends to develop his child’s love for science, which course can he take?
A. Global Kitchen                      B. Documentary Filmmaking
C. Exploring the Wonders of Earth D. A World of Arts and Crafts

A Fan of Dae Jang Geum 《大长今》影迷

Dae Jang Geum (《大长今》) is a hot new Korean TV series. Because of this series, my personal status and living standard have been greatly ___1__. My girlfriend used to cook every evening. Well, now she does nothing but ___2__ in front of the TV when she’s not __3__, and commands me, “You — go to make some instant noodles. Come and watch the play and just imagine we are enjoying Korean __4___.”

She also swears to __5__ all Korean dishes in Dae Jang Geum. So she orders me to __6__ the TV and record any details of Jang Geum’s cooking. But when she presented her version of Korean food, it is like the dog-meal. “You can __7__ get things done if you find the right tools”, my girlfriend blamed her clumsy (笨拙的) kitchen performances on __8__. So I decided to __9__ her a new kitchen knife. In a store, she became unusually __10__ when making her selection. She finally picked one that was __11__ Jang Geum’s. To prove that her slow knife skill was due to the blunt (钝的) knives, she __12__ her cutting. As a result, she hurt her fingers three times. Fortunately the knife is not __13__ the salesman boasts.

My girlfriend is a fan of Jang Geum’s Korean __14__. Not only did she talk about the dress every day, she also threatened to change my tie into a __15__ like the one on Jang Geum’s dress. Finally, I lost my patience and took her to a maternity shop (孕妇专卖店) where I recommend (推荐) one suit to her, “Do you think it looks like a Korean dress?” __16__, my future parents-in-law just happened to be shopping at the time. They were __17__ when they saw what we were doing.

The Dae Jang Geum series __18__ realizing the ambition of the youth. However, it fails to realize my girlfriend’s. __19__ being engaged in her work or study, she simply sits on the sofa every night, staring at the TV, a bag of chips in her hand. This situation has __20_ even though the series is now over.

A. increased       B. degraded           C. depressed                 D. raised

A. stand             B. lie                  C. seat                          D. sit

A. at work          B. at table              C. on leave                   D. on business

A. fruit               B. vegetables         C. dishes                      D. cakes

A. eat                 B. learn                C. cook                        D. perform

A. stand for               B. go by             C. pass by                     D. stand by

A. easily            B. hardly               C. difficultly                 D. carefully

A. her forks        B. her spoons         C. her knives                D. her pans

A. buy                B. borrow              C. lend                         D. fetch

A. careless         B. alert                 C. patient                     D. modest

A. better than     B. the closest shape of   C. sharper than              D. taken from

A. speeded up   B. slowed down            C. brought down           D. improved

A. as fast as       B. as dull as                  C. as slow as                 D. as sharp as

A. diet style       B. dish flavor                      C. dressing style           D. cooking style

A. inside pocket B. butterfly knot         C. pretty collar              D. long belt

A. Coincidently        B. Disappointedly          C. Fortunately        D. Excitedly

A. very puzzled        B. pretty satisfied   C. very pleased         D. pretty shocked

A. shoots at             B. aims at                    C. directs at          D. works at

A. In spite of           B. Because of               C. Instead of               D. In case of

A. changed little       B. turned a lot       C. developed a little      D. improved a lot