Ⅲ. Reading Comprehension: 35%

Part A: Cloze Test 15%

Competition for admission to the country’s top private schools has always been tough. This is spreading from Manhattan to the rest of the country. Precise 50 data on private schools are unavailable, but interviews with representatives of independent and religious schools all told the same 51: too many applicants, higher rejection rates. Surveys indicate that Americans’ No. 1 52 is education. 53 the long economic boom(繁荣) has given parents more income, many are turning to private schools, even at price tags of well over $10,000 a year. “We’re getting applicants from a broader area, 54, than we ever have in the past,” said Besty Haugh of the Latin School of Chicago, which experienced a 20 percent increase in 55 this year.

The problem is that while demand has increased, supply has not. “Every year, there are a few children who do not find places, but this year, for the first time that I know of, there are a(n) 56 number of children who don’t have places,” said Krents, who also heads a private-school admissions group in New York.

So what can parents do to give their 4-year-old a(n) 57? Schools know there is no simple way to pick a class when children are so young. Many schools give preference to boys or girls or alumni(校友) children. Some use lotteries. But most rely on a 58 of subjective and objective measures: tests that at best 59 developmental maturity and learning potential, interviews with parents and observation of applicants in classroom settings. They also want a diverse mix. Children may end up on a waiting list simply because their birthdays 60 at the wrong time year, or because too many applicants were boys.

The worst thing a parent can do is to pressure preschoolers to perform --- 61, by pushing them to read or do math exercises 62 they’re ready. Instead, the experts say, parents should take a breath and look for 63. Another year in preschool may be all that’s needed. Parents, meanwhile, may need a more 64 mind about relatively unknown private schools --- or about magnet（具有吸引力的）schools in the public system. There’s no sign of the private-school boom letting up.

50. A. traditional                B. current                                   C. processed                 D. average

51. A. story                       B. advice                             C. context                     D. promise

52. A. venture                    B. concern                           C. occupation                D. interest

53. A. For that                   B. So that                                   C. Now that                  D. After that

54. A. intellectually            B. psychologically                C. commercially            D. geographically

55.   A. applications             B. locations                         C. schools                     D. admissions

56.   A. considerate               B. inadequate                       C. significant                D. moderate

57.   A. advantage                 B. skill                                C. place                        D. school

58.   A. choice                      B. mix                                C. preference                D. base

59.   A. identify                    B. exploit                                  C. employ                    D. confirm

60. A. set                           B. fix                                  C. date                         D. fall

61. A. in a word                 B. to a great extent               C. in any case               D. for example

62. A. when                       B. since                               C. before                      D. until

63.   A. occasions                 B. competitions                    C. alternatives               D. pressures

64.   A. open                        B. closed                             C. active                       D. secret 

Cloze   (15分)

Directions: for each blank in the following passages there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C, and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

If you travel around the world, you will be surprised to find just how different the foreign customs can be __50__ your own.

A visitor to India would do well to remember that people there __51__ it impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table. The left hand is supposed to be __52__for washing yourself. Also in India, you might __53__a man obviously shaking his head at another and assume that he is disagreeing. But in many __54__ of India a shake of the head is a gesture that shows agreement or acceptance. Nodding your head when you are offered a __55__ in Bulgaria is likely to leave your thirsty. In that country you shake your head to indicate “yes”—a nod indicates “no”. The Arabs are __56__ for their hospitality (好客). At a meal in the Arabic countries, you will find that drinking vessel (器皿) is filled again __57__again as soon as you drain it. The way to __58__ that you have had enough is to take the cup or glass in your hand and give it a little shake from side to side or place your hand over the top.

In Europe it is quite usual to __59__ your legs when sitting talking to someone, even at an important meeting. Doing this when meeting an important person in Thailand, however, could __60__ him or her unhappy. It is considered too informal an attitude __61__ such an occasion. Also when in Thailand you are __62__ supposed to touch the head of an adult – it’s just not done. In Japan, it is quite usual for __63__ to plan evening entertainment for themselves and leave their wives at home. In Europe such attitudes are disappearing.

Customs vary from country to __64__. Visitors may be at a loss as to what to do in a foreign environment. In such circumstances, the rule is: When in Rome, do as Romans do.

III. Cloze test 完形填空 1’ * 20 = 20’
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从26－45各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中选出能填入相应空白处的最佳选项。
People from Great Britain brought the English language to North America in the 16th and 17th centuries. And in the  36  300 years, there were  37  many changes in  38  places that now people can  39  tell an English person  40  an American in the way he or she talks.
Many old words  41  in England but were kept in America. For example, 300 years ago people in Great Britain got their water from something they called either a
“faucet”, a “spigot”, or a “tap”. All these words are  42  heard in different parts of America, but only “tap” is still common in  43 . Americans often made up new words or changed old  44 . “Corn” is one kind of plant in America and  45  in England.
Also, over the last three centuries the English language  46  thousands of new words for things that weren’t known  47 . And often, American and English people used two  48  names for them. A tin can (洋铁罐头) is called “tin” for short in England, but a “can” in America. The word “radio” is  49  all over the world, including America. But many English people call it a “wireless”. And almost anything having something to do  50  cars, railroads, etc.  51  different names in British and American English．
But now American and British English may be growing closer together. One  52  is the large amount (数量) of American speech that British people hear daily in movies, on television, or  53  travelers.  54  this, Americans seem to be influencing (影响) the British more and more. So some day, English may even be  55  on both sides of the Atlantic (大西洋).  
36．A. following     B. recent       C. oldest        D. last
37．A. such              B. too                C. so                 D. great
38．A. either            B. both               C. neither          D. two
39．A. hardly            B. difficulty        C. clearly          D. easily
40．A. with              B. from                C. to               D. and
41．A. disappeared   B. were disappeared   C. spoke   D. were spoken
42．A. not                B. hardly              C. yet             D. still
43．A. America         B. the two countries   C. England     D. British
44．A. word              B. forms              C. ones             D. ways
45．A. another           B. also planted     C. a plant        D. a kind of food
46．A. added          B. has added            C. discovered     D. has discovered
47．A. anywhere    B. in some countries  C. before     D. for centuries
48．A. new              B. short                 C. different      D. surprising
49．A. produced       B. made                 C. developed      D. used
50．A. to                B. away                 C. with             D. from
51．A. has              B. have                 C. has given       D. was given
52．A. thing           B. cause                C. reason           D. expression
53．A. from            B. through             C. on                D. by
54．A. For              B. Because             C. Besides         D. Because of
55．A. different         B. more different   C. the same         D. more useful

Part One: Cloze test.

Complete the blanks with the words or phrases in our textbook.

The City of the Future

What will the city of the future look like? No one knows     1    , and making predictions is a risky business. But one thing is certain --- they are going to get bigger before they get smaller. In the future, care for the environment will become very important     2     earth’s natural resources   3   . We will use lots of recycled materials, such as plastic, aluminium, steel, glass, wood and paper, and we will waste fewer natural resources. We will also have to   4   more

  5   alternative energy, such as solar and wind power. All this seems certain, but there are plenty of things about city life in the future which are not certain.

To find out what young people think about the future of urban life, a teacher at a university in Texas in the United States asked his students to think how they would run a city of 50,000 people in the year 2025. Here are some of the ideas they had:

Garbage ships  To   6   garbage problems, the city will   7   huge spaceships with waste materials and send them towards the sun, preventing landfill and environmental problems.

Batman Nets  Police will arrest criminals by firing nets instead of guns.

Forget smoking  No smoking will be allowed within a future city’s limits. Smoking will be possible only outside cities, and outdoors.

Forget the malls  In the future all shopping will be done online, and catalogues will have voice commands to place orders.

Telephones for life  Everyone will be given a telephone number at birth    8   will never change   9   where they live.

Recreation  All forms of recreation, such as cinemas, bowling, softball, concerts and others will be provided   10  by the city.

Cars  All cars will   11  by electricity, solar energy or wind, and it will be possible to change the colour of cars at the flick of a switch.

Telesurgery  Distance surgery will become common as doctors carry out operations from thousands of miles away, with each city having its own telesurgery outpatient clinic.

Holidays at home  Senior citizens and people with disabilities will be able to go anywhere in the world using high-tech cameras    12   their head.

Space travel  Travelling in space by ordinary citizens will be common. Each city will have its own spaceport.

II.Fill in the blanks(10)
The first and smallest unit that can be discussed in relation to language is the word. In speaking, the choice of words is   16   great importance. Proper _17__(choose) will get rid of one source of likely breakdown in the communication cycle. Too often, careless use of words___18___ (prevent) a meeting of the mind of the speaker and listener. The words used by the speaker may cause __19___(favor) reactions in the listener_20__interfere with his comprehension; hence, the transmission-reception system breaks down. Moreover , inaccurate or indefinite words may make _21__ difficult for the listener to understand the message which __22__(transmit) to him. The speaker_23__does not have specific words in working vocabulary may be unabe to explain or describe in _24_ way ___25_ can be understood by listeners.
III.cloze(15)
Nobody wants to appear fat. Many girls who care too much about their self-image(个人形象) choose to eat less food to  26   themselves from gaining weight. Some even take medicine to achieve their goals. Those unhealthy ways may lead to being   27  to a certain drug and the addiction is usually very   28  . There is little difference to committing suicide (自杀). I used to eat   29    a lot, which is said to be high in protein but low in calories. But the moment bird flu   30   out, I stopped eating this kind of meat. To me, health always comes first, because no matter how wealthy you are, your   31   will deprive(剥夺) you of the right to   32   your life, so why should we put ourselves in danger and suffer? However, you’d better keep it in mind that whether you go on a calorie-restricted (限制热量的) diet or not, exercising and   33   eating are excellent ways to keep your body in good   34. Their emphasis is that the healthy way to lose weight is   35   to make permanent changes to your lifestyle.
26. A. protect                     B. make                      C. promise                  D. keep
27. A. used               B. addicted             C. exposed             D. devoted
28. A. painful        B. useful             C. cheerful              D. sorrowful
29. A. fruit           B. vegetable           C. chicken              D. pork
30. A. let             B. set                C. gave                 D. broke
31. A. medicine             B. weight             C. diet                 D. disease
32. A. enjoy          B. make             C. change                D. take
33. A. regular        B. healthy            C. good                 D. normal
34. A. size            B. shape              C. situation             D. style
35. A. usually                B. generally          C. quickly                D. gradually