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第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

Most painters discover a style(风格) of painting that suits them and stick to that, especially if people admire their pictures. But Picasso, the great Spanish painter, was like a man who had not yet found his own particular style of painting. He kept on struggling to find the perfect expression till his death in 1973.

Some of Picasso's paintings are rich, soft coloured and beautiful. Others are ugly and cruel and strange. But such paintings allow us to imagine things for ourselves. They force us to say to ourselves, “What does he see that makes him paint like that?” And we begin to look beneath(在…之下) the surface of the things we see.

Picasso painted thousands of pictures in different styles. Sometimes he painted the natural look of things. Sometimes he seemed to break them apart and throw the pieces in our faces. He showed us what the mind knows as well as what the eye sees. At the age of 90 he remained as curious about the world as he had been when he was young. That is why people have called him “the youngest painter in the world”.

56. In the passage the writer wants to tell us _________.

A. about some pictures which have different styles

B. about Picasso's style of painting

C. it is not easy for a painter to find his own style

D. that Picasso had not found his own particular style

57. The ugly, cruel and strange paintings by Picasso _________.

A. make us try to notice something latent(潜在的) in the things

B. allow us to ask questions about them

C. force us to question anything we see

D. cause us to think what Picasso saw was different from what we see

58. The sentence“sometimes he seemed to break them apart and throw the pieces in our faces” means _________.

A. sometimes he tore his pictures into pieces

B. he broke something he was painting and threw them away

C. sometimes he showed some broken pictures to others

D. things in some of his pictures seemed to be in disorder

59. Why have people called Picasso “the youngest painter in the world”?

A. Because he looked young when he was old.

B. Because he observed things with the eye and the mind.

C. Because he never stopped painting even when he was old.

D. Because he never gave up looking for something new.

60. What do you suppose the writer thinks of Picasso's paintings?

A. He doesn't understand some of them.

B. He thinks some of them are valuable, some are not.

C. He admires them, including the ugly ones.

D. He doesn't like some of them, but he admires the painter.

Jason had been watching the X Games on TV. Athletes from all over the world were competing in the most amazing sports. Just then his grandmother walked into the room. “I want to be extreme. Would you really let me do that? You always worry about my safety!” said Jason.
“You will have to follow some rules,” said his grandmother. “You can only ride in the park — never on the streets. You have to promise to wear a helmet (头盔). If you hurt yourself too much, I have the right to take your skateboard away. Is it a deal?”
“You bet!” Jason was so excited that he jumped off the sofa. A week later he had a board and a helmet.
On Saturday, his grandmother dropped him off near the park. He was happy to have a grandmother who let him try new things.
Kids in the park were moving quickly up and down the ramps (坡道). They flew into the air and landed as easily as birds. When he watched the X games, Jason felt like he was doing the tricks himself. But watching these kids up close, he knew that none of it was going to be easy. He felt a little bit scared.
Very slowly he carried his board to the ramp. Taking a deep breath, he put his right foot on the board. He kicked off with his left foot. For a few seconds he glided (滑行) along, just waiting to fall. Then he came to a stop. Kicking off again, he waited for the worst to happen. Again, he stayed up. The third time he kicked, lost his balance, and fell hard on his left knee.
It hurt, but it was no big deal! Why had he been so scared? Now he felt calm because things had gone wrong, and he was fine!
Next time he kicked off harder and went fast and farther. “Excellent!” said a girl as she passed him. “Extreme!” laughed Jason to himself. “Not quite.”
【小题1】Jason’s grandmother agreed to let him try skateboarding unless _____.

The first breath-taking pictures of the Earth taken from space showed it as a solid ball covered by brown land masses and blue-green oceans. We had never seen the Earth from that distance before. To us, it appeared as though the Earth had always looked that way and always would.   Scientists now know, however, that the surface of the Earth is not as permanent as we had thought.

Scientists explain that the surface of our planet is always moving. Continents moves about the Earth like huge ships at sea. They float on pieces of the Earth’s outer skin. New outer skin is created as melted rock pushed up from below the ocean floor. Old outer skin is destroyed as it rolls down into the hot area and melts again.

Only since the 1960s have scientists really began to understand that the planet Earth is a great living machine. Some experts have said this new understanding is one of the most important revolutions in scientific thought. The revolution is based on the work of scientists who study the movement of the continents—a science called plate tectonics.

The modern story of plate tectonics begins with the German scientist Alfred Wegener. Before World War One, Wegener argued that the continents had moved and were still moving. He said the idea first occurred to him when he observed that the coastlines of South America and Africa could fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. He proposed that the two continents might have been one and then split apart.  

Wegener was not the first person to wonder about the shape of the continents. About 500 years ago, explorers thought about it when they made the first maps of Americas. The explorers noted the east coast of North America and South America would fit almost exactly into the west coast of Europe and South Africa. What the explorers did not do, but Wegener did, was to investigate the idea that the continents move.

4. What does the writer mainly tell us in the passage?

A. The first breath-taking pictures of the Earth taken from space.

B. Human’s recognition of the earth’s surface.

C. The German scientist Alfred Wegener.

D. The early explorers’ discovery.

5. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. We didn’t see the Earth from far away until we saw the picture taken in the space.

B. Our ancient thought that the surface of the earth is still.

C. Alfred Wegener was not the first person to investigate the idea that the continents move.

D. The coastline of India and Africa fit together.

6. The last word of the third paragraph “tectonics” mean “________”.

A. study of construction                             B. study of architecture        

C. earth surface                                         D. structural geology

7. What did the explorers find?

A. The coastlines of South America and Africa could fit together.

B. The coastlines of North America and Africa could fit together.

C. The east coastlines of North America and the west coast of Europe could fit together.

D. The coastlines of North America and India could fit together.

The first breath-taking pictures of the Earth taken from space showed it as a solid ball covered by brown land masses and blue-green oceans. We had never seen the Earth from that distance before. To us, it appeared as though the Earth had always looked that way and always would. Scientists now know, however, that the surface of the Earth is not as permanent as we had thought.

Scientists explain that the surface of our planet is always moving. Continents moves about the Earth like huge ships at sea. They float on pieces of the Earth’s outer skin. New outer skin is created as melted rock pushed up from below the ocean floor. Old outer skin is destroyed as it rolls down into the hot area and melts again.

Only since the 1960s have scientists really began to understand that the planet Earth is a great living machine. Some experts have said this new understanding is one of the most important revolutions in scientific thought. The revolution is based on the work of scientists who study the movement of the continents—a science called plate tectonics.

The modern story of plate tectonics begins with the German scientist Alfred Wegener. Before World War One, Wegener argued that the continents had moved and were still moving. He said the idea first occurred to him when he observed that the coastlines of South America and Africa could fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. He proposed that the two continents might have been one and then split apart.

Wegener was not the first person to wonder about the shape of the continents. About 500 years ago, explorers thought about it when they made the first maps of Americas. The explorers noted the east coast of North America and South America would fit almost exactly into the west coast of Europe and south Africa. What the explorers did not do, but Wegener did, was to investigate the idea that the continents move.

What does the writer mainly tell us in the passage?

A. The first breath-taking pictures of the Earth taken from space.

B. Human’s recognition of the earth’s surface.

C. The German scientist Alfred Wegener.

D. The early explorers’ discovery.

Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. We didn’t see the Earth from far away until we saw the picture taken in the space.

B. Our ancient thought that the surface of the earth is still.

C. Alfred Wegener was not the first person to investigate the idea that the continents move.

D. The coastline of India and Africa fit together.

The last word of the third paragraph “tectonics” mean “________”.

A. study of construction

B. study of architecture

C. earth surface

D. structural geology

What did the explorers find?

A. The coastlines of South America and Africa could fit together.

B. The coastlines of North America and Africa could fit together.

C. The east coastlines of North America and the west coast of Europe could fit together.

D.The coastlines of North America and India could fit together.

While Andrew was getting ready for work one Friday morning, he announced to his wife that he had finally decided to ask his boss for a salary raise. All day Andrew felt nervous and anxious as he thought about the upcoming showdown. What if Mr Larchmont refused to grant his request? Andrew had worked so hard in the last 18 months and landed some great accounts for Braer and Hopkins Advertising Agency. Of course, he deserved a wage increase.

The thought of walking into Larchmont’s office left Andrew weak in the knees. Late in the afternoon he was finally courageous enough to approach his superior. To his delight and surprise, the ever-frugal（一向节俭的）Harvey Larchmont agreed to give Andrew a raise!

Andrew arrived home that evening—despite breaking all city and state speed limits—to a beautiful table set with their best china, and candles lit. His wife, Tina, had prepared a delicate meal including his favorite dishes. Immediately he figured someone from the office had tipped her off!

Next to his plate Andrew found a beautiful lettered note. It was from his wife. It read: “Congratulations, my love! I knew you’d get the raise! I prepared this dinner to show just how much I love you. I am so proud of your accomplishments!” He read it and stopped to reflect on how sensitive and caring Tina was.

After dinner, Andrew was on his way to the kitchen to get dessert when he observed that a second card had slipped out of Tina’s pocket onto the floor. He bent forward to pick it up. It read: “Don’t worry about not getting the raise! You do deserve one! You are a wonderful provider and I prepared this dinner to show you just how much I love you even though you did not get the increase.”

Suddenly tears swelled in Andrew’s eyes. Total acceptance! Tina’s support for him was not conditional upon his success at work.

The fear of rejection is often softened and we can undergo almost any setback or rejection when we know someone loves us regardless of our success or failure.

1.What was Andrew’s plan that Friday?

A．To request a wage increase from his boss.

B．To get a job with the Braer and Hopkins Advertising Agency.

C．To celebrate his success with his wife at home.

D．To ask his boss to come for dinner.

2.On his way back home, Andrew _________.

A．felt weak in the knees

B．was punished by the traffic policeman

C．was too anxious to share the news

D．couldn’t wait to enjoy a meal

3.Which of the following statements about the story is FALSE?

A．Andrew was afraid that his request would lead to disaster.

B．Andrew had worked very hard and done his part for the company.

C．Andrew’s boss agreed to his request.

D．One of Andrew’s colleagues had told his wife the good news.

4.Why did Tina prepare a grand dinner for Andrew that day?

A．She was confident of his getting a pay raise.

B．She meant to show her support whatever the result would be.

C．She believed that her husband was the best in his company.

D．She wanted to express her gratitude for his devotion to the family.

5.We can conclude from the text that ______.

A．we should never be afraid to ask for what is due to us

B．work hard and you will be rewarded

C．many fears turn out to be unfounded

D．unconditional love brings courage and strength