七．阅读理解 (20分)   

When did you see a polar bear ? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps ? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These  “Polar Bears” are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3 degrees. And the water temperature was a little higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group; this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.

Doctors don’t agree about the medical effects of cold-water swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body’s temperature drops so slow that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and the water tempreature is much greater in summer than in winter.

The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system (循环系统) because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and could not try cold-water swimming.

The main benefits of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim all the year round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says, “When I go into the water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away.”

1. Doctors _________ .

A. have different ideas about the medical effects of cold-water swimming

B. believe swimming is helpful both in summer and in winter

C. enourage people to take part in cold-water swimming

D. point out the possible danger of blood illness during cold-water swimming

2. According to the passage, some doctors believe it is true that _______ .

A. Polar bears are bears swimming in freezing water    

B. cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high            

C. you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue           

D. cold-water swimming causes more heart attack in summer than in winter

3. The Polar Bears like to swim year-round, for _______ .

A. it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter                        

B. they can stay young

C. they find it enjoyable and interesting

D. they might meet fewer troubles in life

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text ?

A.The Polar Bear is a club in which people swim to protect polar bears.

B. The club members are all over 60 years old.

C. There is no woman in the club.

D. None of the above.

5. This passage is mainly about _______ .

A. the requirements of the Polar Bear Club                

B. a group of cold-water-swimming lovers

C. the Polar Bears’ life in New York                 

D. doctors’ ideas about cold-water swimming

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）

       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。

Life in 2060

　　Let us suppose it is now about A.D. 2060. Let’s make believe (假装；虚构) it is about sixty years from now. Of course, things have changed and life is very different.

　　Voyages to the moon are being made every day. It is as easy to take a holiday on the moon today as it was for the people in 1960 to take a holiday in Europe. At a number of scenic spots on the moon, many hotels have been built. The hotels are air-conditioned, naturally. In order that everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery on the moon, every room has at least one picture window. Everything imaginable is provided for entertainment (娱乐) of young and old.

　　What are people eating now? People are still eating food. They haven’t yet started to take on heir (继承) supply of energy directly as electrical current or as nuclear power. They may some day. But many foods now come in pill form, and the food that goes into the pill continues to come mainly from green plants.

　　Since there are several times as many people in the world today as there were a hundred years ago, most of our planet’s surface has to be filled. The deserts are irrigated with water and crops are no longer destroyed by pests. The harvest is always good.

　　Farming, of course, is very highly developed. Very few people have to work on the farm. It is possible to run the farm by just pushing a few buttons now and then.

　　People are now largely vegetarians (素食者). You see, as the number of people increases, the number of animal decreases. Therefore, the people have to be vegetarians and we are healthier both in our bodies and in our minds, and we know the causes and cure of disease and pain, and it is possible to get rid of diseases. No one has to be ill any more.

　　Such would be our life in 2060.

1. When was the passage written?

　　A. In about A.D. 2060.   B. In about 1960.　　C. In about 2000.       D. In about 2004.

2. According to the passage, what will be on the moon in about A.D. 2060?

　　A. Many tourists.    B. Many other animals.　　C. Many plants.     D. A sea.

3. What will people eat then according to the passage?

　　A. Biscuits in pill form.   B. Foods in pill form.

　　C. Foods in water form.   D. Foods in gas form.

4. The passage tells us that in 2060, ____ on the earth than now.

　　A. there are fewer population   B. there are more pests

　　C. there is less water       D. the crops are getting better

A hospital is needed by every living person at the time of birth, death, physical injuries, or sickness. It is always a   16   place where family members can gather around the person who needs the   17   of well trained medical doctors and nurses.

As Nicole Hagen and Ricky Beebe were born into the Hagen family in 1998, the parents were both in the delivery (分娩) room. This is a   18   as the tradition has been for the father to be in the next room.   19   hospitals have a birthing room where there is an extra sofa and a chair for the father to either sit or even to sleep on next to his wife. Many   20   are taken of the new baby within a few minutes of his or her   21  . Even a video can be made with the proud father taking pictures of the doctor, nurses, mother, and baby. A nurse may take a   22   picture of the father, mother, and baby. Young children will not see the baby   23   the doctor and nurses allow them into the room many hours later.

At the death of Grandma Hagen, the adult children   24   at her bedside. As she was dying, her children talked to her, read the Bible, and even sang some of her  25   songs. The nurses would check on her very often and the doctor came as his time   26  . She was given pain pills   27   her last few hours would be as  28   as possible. When she died the family cried together in sorrow for the loss of their mother. Grandpa Hagen had died fourteen years   29  . Grandma Hagen was 82 when she died.

Doctors operate on broken bones   30   by accidents in factories or car accidents. Children sometimes fall down stairs where an arm is   31  . Athletes get hurt in   32   of football, basketball, baseball, track, and soccer. Most injuries are repaired very successfully   33   the great skill of the doctor.

Illness from disease, alcohol, or smoking often requires a person to stay a long period in the hospital. People like to recover   34  . However, if medical care is needed, a hospital may be the   35   home for some patients.

Children are getting so fat that they may be the first generation to die before their parents, an expert says.
Today's young people will be affected by potential (潜在的) killers such as heart disease because of their weight. Fatty fast-food diets combined with the lifestyles with televisions and computers could mean kids will die young, says Professor Andrew Prentice, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. At the same time, the shape of the human body is going through a great change because adults are getting so fat.
Here in Britain, the latest research shows that the average waist size for a man is 36～38 inches and may be 42～44 inches by 2032.This compares with only 32.6 inches in 1972. Women's waists have grown from an average of 22 inches in the 1920s to 24 inches in the 1950s and 30 inches now. One of the major reasons why children now are at greater risk is that we are getting fatter younger. In the UK alone, more than one million under 16 years old are thought
to be overweight or fat—double the number in the 1980s. One in ten of four-year-olds are also medically said to be obese.
The obesity which started in the US, has now spread to Europe, Australia, Central America and the Middle East. Many nations now record more than 20 percent of their population as obese and well over half of the population as overweight.
Professor Prentice says the change in our shape has been caused by high-energy foods combined with a dramatic (急剧的) drop in the energy we use as a result of technology developments.
He is not alone in his concern. Only last week one medical magazine revealed how obesity was fuelling a rise in cancer cases. Obesity also increases the risk factor for heart disease and so on. An averagely obese person's lifespan (寿命) is shortened by around nine years while a seriously obese person by much more.
Professor Prentice says,
“So_will_parents_live_longer_than_their_children,_as_an_American_obesity_expert_said_recently？”
“The answer is yes—and no.” Yes, when most children become obese. No, because this is now becoming an alarmingly serious problem in the US. “Such children will have a greatly reduced quality of life on both body and mind.”
So say “No” to sandwiches and hamburgers

1. 1.

   From the second paragraph, we know that ________

   1. A.
      heart disease is caused by people's weight
   2. B.
      bad living habits make children die young
   3. C.
      increasing weight could kill young people
   4. D.
      adults know how to change their shape of body
2. 2.

   According to Professor Prentice, people become fatter because ________

   1. A.
      the energy people take in is more than they need
   2. B.
      high technology makes people use less energy
   3. C.
      food contains too much energy
   4. D.
      people like to eat fast food
3. 3.

   For the underlined question, the answer “no” suggests ________

   1. A.
      children should refuse fast-food diets
   2. B.
      children's obesity is becoming more and more serious
   3. C.
      Americans have realized the bad consequence of the obesity
   4. D.
      the government should call on fat people to lose weight as soon as possible