Lying comfortably upon a sofa, Harker Brayton smiled as he read an interesting book: Marvels of Science．He unconsciously  1  the book without changing the  2  of his eyes．As soon as the book had gone  3  the line of sight, something in a dark place of the room attracted his  4  ．In the shadow under the  5  he noticed two points of light about an inch apart．They might have been  6  by the lamp above him shining on bits of metal,  7  he did not think about them and continued his reading．

A moment later, something caused him to move down his book again and  8  for what he had  9  before．The points of light were  10  there．They seemed to have become  11  , shining with greenish glow that he had not at  12  observed．He thought, too, that they might have moved a little, or were  13  nearer．They were still too much in the shadow, however, to reveal（暴露） their  14  , and again he turned to his reading．

Suddenly something he read gave him a  15  that made him drop the book to the floor．Brayton, half  16  from the sofa, was staring into the  17  below his bed．His attention was now  18  to points glowing in the shadow．There, almost directly under the foot rail of the bed, he saw the  19  of a large snake．The points of light were its eyes! Its ugly head was turned in his direction．The eyes were  20  merely  meaningless points of light．They looked into his eyes with evil strength and hate．

1．A．raised                   B．closed                 C．lowered               D．dropped

2．A．position               B．direction              C．height                 D．size

3．A．beneath                 B．away                 C．from                   D．up

4．A．reading                 B．attitude                C．thinking               D．attention

5．A．desk                     B．sofa                   C．chair                   D．bed

6．A．brought                 B．made                 C．caused                D．given

7．A．so                      B．and                     C．but                     D．for

8．A．care                      B．ask                     C．look                    D．seek

9．A．read                    B．searched              C．seen                  D．met

10．A．not                    B．no more              C．yet                      D．still

11．A．larger                 B．wider                  C．nearer                D．brighter

12．A．all                     B．first                    C．most                   D．last

13．A．far                    B．much                  C．a bit                    D．a lot

14．A．nature                 B．secret                C．character             D．state

15．A．plan                   B．meaning              C．thought               D．mind

16．A．rising                  B．raising               C．standing              D．sitting

17．A．snake                  B．darkness              C．ugly head           D．points of light

18．A．drawn                 B．made                 C．pointed                D．carried

19．A．eyes                    B．tongue               C．body                   D．head

20．A．not only              B．nothing but          C．no longer             D．not any

    Last July, my parents and I went to visit my aunt and uncle in Seattle, a city on the northwest American coast. Dad did some research and had no difficulty in finding us cheap tickets online.
    On the day of our flight, we had to wake up very early. When we checked our bags in, we found that one bag weighed too much, so we had to pay a fine. After that, Dad insisted that we go and have some breakfast at the airport restaurant. We had a lot of fun watching many different people there. Then we realized it was getting late, so we rushed to the gate. It took one hour for everyone to get on the plane, but finally the door was shut and we were on our way!
I think my favorite experience during our trip was our visit to Mount Rainier, a volcano near Seattle. It was nothing like I had expected. Before we left, my aunt lent us hats to protect us from getting sunburned, so I supposed that it would be very hot. Imagine my surprise when we drove up the mountain and I discovered the top was covered in snow and ice!
    My uncle led us to a small path beyond the main trails to increase our chances of seeing wildlife. We walked over a small hill, and suddenly before us there appeared a field of snow. Small wild flowers grew up through the snow; underneath the snow we could hear rushing water — a small stream. Little animals stood still to avoid being noticed; tiny birds rose into the air. It was the most beautiful sight that I’d ever seen.  
60. Why did they pay a fine?

  A. Because they got up late.                B. Because they didn’t wait in line.
  C. Because they came to the airport late.     D. Because their bag was overweight.
61. What was the writer’s most impressive experience?
  A. The flight to Seattle.                    B. The breakfast in the airport.
  C. The visit to Mount Rainier.              D. The discovery of a small stream.
62. Why did they choose a small path instead of the main trails?
  A. To enjoy more of the wildlife.           B. To take a shortcut to save time.
  C. To avoid the snowy road.                D. To avoid being attacked by animals.
63. Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?
  A. Seattle is on the northwest coast of America.  
  B. They bought their tickets in a booking office.
  C. They waited for a long time before getting on the plane.
  D. The hats were to help protect them from getting sunburned

【2011·河南省郑州市第二次质量预测】A

    Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mum, you must come and see the daffodils （水仙花）before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Lake Arrowhead. “I will go next Tuesday,” I promised, a little unwillingly, on her third call.

    The next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible （看不见的）in the cloud and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see!”

    My daughter smiled calmly and said, “We drive in this weather all the time, Mum. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.”

    After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read “Daffodil Garden”.

    We got out of the car and each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most beautiful sight! There were five acres of flowers! “But who has done this?” I asked Carolyn. “It’s just one woman,” Carolyn answered. “That’s her home,” Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio （庭院）, we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline.

    The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs （鳞茎）,” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”

    I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than fifty years before, had begun -- one bulb at a time -- to bring the beauty and joy to the mountain top.

56. The author didn’t go to see the daffodils at first because _________.

    A. she was not interested in them

    B. they were growing on the mountain top

    C. the weather was not good enough

    D. it was not easy for her to drive there

57. What do we know about the woman living in the A-frame house?

    A. She must be out of mind.

    B. She acted as a gardener there.

    C. It took her great determination to grow the daffodils.

    D. She was poor and made her living by selling daffodils.

58. What could the author probably learn from this experience?

    A. Nothing is too difficult if you put your heart into it.

    B. We must put the interests of others above our own.

    C. We can change the world by growing flowers.

    D. It’s never too late to learn.

59. What would be the best title for the passage?

    A. An Unforgettable Experience.         B. Beautiful Daffodils.

C. One Bulb at a Time.                 D. I Love Daffodils.

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A，B，C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Some scientists warn that ice near the Earth's Poles may indeed be melting. This “polar melting down” may be the first sign that the Earth is heating up. We could be in very serious trouble if this tread continues. It is estimated that a meltdown of as little as 10 percent of Antarctica's ice would raise sea levels around the globe by 4 to 9 meters. Floods would cover low-lying regions and turn coastal cities like New York and New Orleans into real life underwater world.

　　Scientists first predicted in the 1970s that heat trapped in the Earth's atmosphere could cause a polar meltdown. Many now believe that human activities are turning up the heat. When we burn fossil fuels like coal and oil, we add carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) gas to the Earth's atmosphere. Cutting down trees also makes carbon dioxide levels rise because trees normally soak up carbon dioxide to make food. Scientists say higher carbon dioxide levels strengthen the “green house effect” and could increase the Earth's temperature. In fact, carbon dioxide levels have risen by 30 percent since the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries.

　　Over the past three years, satellite measurements have shown a sea-level rise of about a quarter inch worldwide. “If nothing is done to reduce fossil-fuel pollution and global warming, sea levels will rise even more.” Says geologist Richard Alley.

　　But even Alley admits that a polar meltdown would take time. The ice in Antarctica and Arctic locks up nearly nine times the volume of water contained in all the world's rivers and lakes. These are such big “ice cubes” and it would probably take thousands of years to melt them.

1．What consequence (后果) of global warming is mentioned in the passage?

[　　]

A．More tropical storms.

B．More tropical diseases.

C．Changes in farm productivity.

D．Coastal flooding.

2．Which of the following statement does the second paragraph support?

[　　]

A．Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere cannot keep the heat from escaping into space.

B．The increase of carbon dioxide gas may warm the planet and help to melt polar ice.

C．Cutting down trees helps to greatly reduce carbon dioxide levels.

D．The end of the short-lived age of fossil fuels is already in sight.

3．Geologist Richard Alley most likely agrees that ________.

[　　]

A．the sea-level rise can be prevented by cutting back on energy consuming activities

B．The recent breaking off of ice blocks from Antarctica is just a natural part of a long-term cycle

C．Antarctica temperatures have significantly changed since the Industrial Revolution

D．The polar meltdown may be an accidental change of climate rather than a sign of global warming

4．In which paragraph does the author mention the large quantities of polar ice?

[　　]

A．In the second paragraph.

B．In the third paragraph.

C．In the fourth paragraph

D．In the fifth paragraph.