第二部分：阅读理解(共15小题：每小题2分, 满分30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, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

The ability to do several things at once has become one of the great measures of self-worth for 21-century Americans. It is called multitasking, and it takes many forms. As one example, why go out to lunch when you can eat at your desk, talk to a client on the phone, scroll through your e-mail, and scan a memo simultaneously? And why simply work out on treadmill (单调的工作) when you could be watching television and talking on a portable phone at the same time? What a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment --- three activities for the time commitment of one! Ah, such efficiency. No wonder those who turn “to do” lists into a time-management art form tend to boast (自夸): “Look, me, how many things I can accomplish at once. If I’m this busy, I must be important.”

Yet last week the New York Assembly struck a blow against multitasking, at least behind the wheel, when it approved a bill banning drivers in the state from using handheld cellular phones. Too dangerous, the assembly said, citing research showing that drivers are four times more likely to have a collision when they are talking on a cellphone.

No one can argue against using time effectively. But accompanying the supposed gains are losses. Consider the woman out for an early-morning walk in a suburban neighborhood. She strides briskly, head down, cellphone clamped to her ear, chattering (喋喋不休) away, oblivious of the birds and flowers and glorious sunshine. Did the walk have any value?

More than a decade ago, long before multi-tasking became a word in everyday use, a retired professor of theology(神学) in Indiana with whom I corresponded (通信) made a case for what might be called uni-tasking — the old-fashioned practice of doing one thing at a time.

Offering the simplest example, he said, “When you wash the dishes, wash the dishes.” Good advice, I’ve found, whatever the task.

Perhaps, too, the ban on phoning-on-the-road will even spark a move away from other forms of dual activity. Who can tell? It could mark the first step in a welcome reconsideration of what really constitutes productivity and accomplishment.

1. The author thinks that multitasking has become one of the great measures of self-worth because ________.

A. it helps people to use time effectively                   

B. it makes people feel they are important

C. it means the ability to do several things at once     

D. people worship speed and desire

2. The bill approved by the New York Assembly is mentioned in the second paragraph in order to ________.

A. demonstrate the danger of multitasking                

B. show the high efficiency of multitasking

C. introduce the legislation system in America   

D. argue against using time effectively

3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “oblivious” in the third paragraph?

A. serious                     B. absorbed deeply      

C. not noticing                     D. forgetting

4. We learn from the passage that uni-tasking is ________.

A. the new fashion for 21-century Americans            

B. accepted by most residents in Indiana

C. created by a retired professor of theology

D. the traditional act of doing one thing at once

5. In the eyes of the author, multi-tasking ________.

A. could not be avoided in this fast-changing age

B. should be taken the place of by uni-tasking

C. robs people of time to focus and reflect

D. should not become a word in everyday use

二. 完形填空（每小题1.5分，满分30分）阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

         The yearly marathon (a long-distance running race of 42.195km) in my town usually occurs during a heat wave. My job was to follow behind the runners in an ambulance 36 any of them needed medical attention.

         “We’re supposed to stay behind the 37 runner, so take it slowly,” I said to the driver, Doug, as the race started.

         The front-runners started to 38 and then my eyes were 39 to the woman in blue silk running shorts and a loose white T-shirt.

         We knew we were already watching our “last runner”. Her 40 were so crippled(残废的)that it seemed almost impossible for her to be able to walk, 41 alone run a marathon.

         Doug and I 42 in silence as she slowly moved forward. 43 , she was the only runner left in sight. Tears streamed down my face when I watched with respect 44 she pushed forward with great 45 through the last mile.

         When the finish line came into sight, rubbish lay everywhere and the 46 crowds had gone home, 47 , standing straight and ever so proud 48 a lone man. He was 49 one end of a ribbon(缎带)of crepe paper(绉纸) 50 to a post. She slowly crossed through, leaving both ends of the paper fluttering(飘动)behind her.

         I do not know this woman’s name, but that day she became a part of my 51 –a part I often depend on. For her, it wasn’t about 52 the other runners or winning a prize, but about 53 what she had set out to do, no matter 54 . When I think things are too difficult or I get those “I-just-can’t-do-it,” I think of the last runner. Then I realize how 55 the task before me really is.

(  ) 36. A. so that                 B. in case                   C. even though                  D. only if

(  ) 37. A. first                       B. best                        C. only                                  D. last

(  ) 38. A. run                        B. separate               C. disappear                       D. appear

(  ) 39. A. drawn                  B. thrown                       C. fixed                                 D. caught

(  ) 40. A. hands                   B. legs                         C. arms                                D. body

(  ) 41. A. let                    B. leave                      C. speak                               D. take

(  ) 42. A. watched              B. drove                      C. observed                   D. stared

(  ) 43. A. Quickly                 B. Unluckily                C. Naturally                        D. Finally

(  ) 44. A. since                     B. before                    C. as                                         D. until

(  ) 45. A. pain                      B. determination  C. strength                         D. desire

(  ) 46. A. tired                     B. waiting              C. cheering                         D. impatient

(  ) 47. A. Besides                B. Therefore              C. Yet                              D. Fortunately

(  ) 48. A. stood                    B. waited                   C. came                               D. had

(  ) 49. A. helping                 B. catching                C. holding                            D. tying

(  ) 50. A. kept                      B. tied                         C. connected                      D. led

(  ) 51. A. dream                  B. feeling                    C. idea                                  D. life

(  ) 52. A. following            B. hoping                    C. encouraging                  D. beating

(  ) 53. A. finishing     B. realizing                C. starting                           D. winning

(  ) 54. A. where                  B. how                        C. when                               D. what

(  ) 55. A. difficult                B. interesting            C. easy                                 D. hopeful

“Soon, you’re going to have to move out!” cried my neighbor upon seeing the largest tomato plant known to mankind, or at least known in my neighborhood.
One tiny 9-inch plant, bought for $1.25 in the spring, has already taken over much of my rose bed, covering much of other plants, and is well on its way to the front door.
Roses require a good deal of care, and if it weren’t for the pleasure they give, it wouldn’t be worth the work. As it is, I have a garden full of sweet-smelling roses for most of the year. Bushes must be pruned(剪枝) in early spring, leaving ugly woody branches until the new growth appears a few weeks later. It was the space available in the garden that led me into planting just one little tomato plant. A big mistake.
Soil conditions made just perfect for roses turn out be even more perfect for tomatoes. The daily watering coupled with full sun and regular fertilizing have turned the little plant into a tall bush. The cage I placed around it as the plant grew has long since disappeared under the thick leaves.
Now the task I face in harvesting the fruit is twofold; First, I have to find the red ones among the leaves, which means I almost have to stand on my head, and once found I have to reach down and under, pick the tomatoes and withdraw(缩回) my full fist without dropping the prize so dearly won. I found two full-blown white roses completely hidden as I picked tomatoes in June. But they were weak and the leaves already yellow for lack of light.
Here I am faced with a painful small decision: To tear up a wonderful and productive tomato plant that offers up between ten and twenty ripe sweet tomatoes each day or say goodbye to several expensive and treasured roses. Like Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, I’ll think about that tomorrow.
【小题1】 What ate the requirements for the healthy growth of rose?

He was ______ to find that it was almost impossible to undertake the task.

  A. cast off    B. cast out      C. cast away     D. cast down

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、 B、 C 和 D ）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

“So teach him to close the door”, my daughter Emma responded after listening to me   36   , again, about the dog coming in from the back door, bringing with him a blast of Buffalo January   37   air．

Teach a dog to close a door behind him? That has got to be a really, really   38    thing to do．But then she took it a step   39   ．“Come on Kolby”, she said, grabbing(抓住) some treats and   40   him in front of the open door．“Touch．” And “touch” he did, which moved the door to a   41   position．She   42   him with a treat, smiled, looked at me, and said “see!” And I saw and became   43   ．Over the last few days I have been consistent（一致的） with Kolby．Each time he comes in I  44   him back to the open door patiently and ask him to close．There have been   45   in the beginning, but lately more and more successes．

However, there remains much work to be done．I have to get him follow my hand signal again and again  46   he will close the door from a distance．But, I now realize, as long as you keep to the   47   , the task will be completed, and, with the way things are progressing,   48   quickly．

What a  49   treat to have a dog that can close the door after himself! Even more wonder can be found in the  50   I learned so clearly from both Emma and Kolby．

A wish is just a wish until you decide to take  51   ．Once you   52  the belief that it is “too hard”, then it remains “too hard ” and out of  53  ．Once you decide to accomplish a goal, and  54   that it is “easy”, then it becomes “easy” to do what needs to be done．Just  55    doing it．

A．complain     B．scream      C．worry       D．scare

A．thin       B．fresh C．dirty  D．cold

A．last B．funny       C．hard  D．possible

A．again     B．further      C．deeper      D．backward

A．pushing  B．tying C．seating      D．positioning

A．stopped       B．fixed C．closed       D．locked

A．rewarded       B．provided   C．offered     D．thanked

A．persuaded      B．convinced C．inspired    D．puzzled

A．bring     B．pull   C．drag  D．call

A．pleasures       B．experiments     C．failures     D．pauses

A．in case B．even if      C．as if  D．so that

A．interest B．focus C．progress    D．harmony

A．determined  B．taught       C．bought      D．completed

. A．wonderful   B．small C．different   D．simple

A．knowledge   B．skills C．lessons      D．experience

A．patience B．part   C．delight      D．action

A．hold on to   B．pay attention to       C．come up with   D．get used to

A．date     B．touch C．reach D．power

A．prove   B．decide      C．conclude   D．realize

A．imagine.      B．start  C．keep  D．enjoy