C
Britons stranded（搁浅）at sea or in flooded homes could find a real-life prince riding to their rescue. Prince William announced on Monday that he is to train to be a full-time pilot with the Royal Air Force's Search and Rescue Force (SARF).
William, who is currently a Lieutenant（中尉）in the Army's Household Cavalry Regiment（皇家骑兵团）, will transfer to the RAF and begin an 18-month training course in January 2009.
If successful, he will become a fully operational Search and Rescue pilot in 2010, flying Sea King helicopters at one of the six SARF units based in Britain.
"The time I spent with the RAF earlier this year made me realize how much I love flying," the prince, who spent two weeks with a SARF team while on work experience in 2005, said in a statement.
"Joining Search and Rescue is a perfect opportunity for me to serve in the Forces operationally, while contributing to a vital part of the country's Emergency Services."
It means he will follow a similar career to that of his uncle, Prince Andrew, who was a Sea King helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands war.
The Search and Rescue teams' main duty is to recover RAF personnel but in peacetime they mainly respond to civilian emergencies, dealing with more than 1,000 calls a year.
The units deal with incidents ranging from helping those trapped by sudden major floods to rescuing people lost while out walking on hills.
William, who has spent the last year on secondment（借调）to the various branches of the military to prepare for his future role as head of the armed forces, received his RAF wings （飞行勋章）following a four-month stint（持续的工作）with the service earlier this year.
However, his time with the RAF was clouded when the Defense Ministry was forced to fend off (挡开) criticism for allowing the prince to fly military helicopters to a bachelor party for his cousin and to the family home of his girlfriend Kate Middleton.
49. Prince William wanted to be a full-time pilot because _______.
A. he liked flying
B. he would like to do something in the country’s Emergency Services
C. many Britons were in danger at sea waiting for rescue
D. he had much experience in flying
50. According to the passage, _______.
A. the Falklands war broke out in 2005
B. Prince William served in the Army’s Household Cavalry Regiment in 1982
C. Prince Andrew is serving in SARF now
D. William would finish his training course in June 2010
51. The author’s opinion on William’s joining RAF is _______.
A. enthusiastic         B. doubtful       C. negative        D. pessimistic
52. What is the purpose of the author by mentioning what the prince had done before in the last
paragraph?
A. The author wants to say that Prince William pays much attention to his family and friends
B. The author suggests that the Defense Ministry was criticized when William flew for his
private business
C. William had a hard time when he went against his leaders
D.The author has the worry that Prince William is likely to get the Defense Ministry into
trouble again.

第三节、阅读理解（共20小题；每小题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，D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项目涂黒。
A
Hillary ,Clinton, 59, with her famous “I’m in, and I’m in to win.” 2008 Race, began her e-mail to supporters, saying “I want you to join me not for the campaign but for a conversation about the future of our country. Let’s talk．1et’s chat．”
Mrs．Clinton said that she would focus on “practical changes” in foreign, domestic, and national security policy, such as finding “a right end”to the Iraq war , expanding health insurance, pursuing greater energy independence and strengthening Social Security and Medicare, which satisfies many American people．
In her statement, Mrs Clinton also frankly talked about an issue that worries her a lot. Whether she can , in fact, win the presidency, some voters sti1l associate her most with the Clinton government.
“I have never been afraid to stand up for my beliefs,”Mrs.Clinton said on the Website．“After nearly $70 million spent against my campaigns in New York and two wins, I can say I know how Republicans think, how they operate, and how to beat them.”
If successful, she would be the first female nominee(被提名者)of a major American political party, and the first wife of a former president to seek a return to the White House．President Bill CIinton left office in 2000 after two terms rnarked by economical expansion and a series of official examinations of his personal life and the CIintons’ busincss dealings．But the successes and shadows of those years will likely affect Mrs．Clinton．who was once an important adviser and caused some disagreements in his government．
Yet Mrs Clinton has become a major political figure in America．
56. By saying “I’m in to win.” Hillary probably means that ______.
A. she is online to get people’s support to run for presidency
B. she is going to run for election and work hard to win
C. she is online to get more support and she is sure she is to win
D. She has decided to run for president and work hard to win
57. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. Clinton left office only because of his personal life
B. Hillary was once deeply involved in her husband’ government
C. all her voters strongly support her and believe in her
D. the whole election campaign costs Hillary nearly $70 million
58. What many American people are deeply concerned about is _______
A. how to solve the energy problem
B. when and how to find a proper solution to the Iraq war
C. what practical things Hillary will do for them
D. how to strengthen Social Security and Medicare
59. The author’s attitude toward Hillary is ________
A. critical        B. positive     C. negative       D. objective

The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place．Now it is an ecological disaster area．Nauru’s heartbreaking story could have one good consequence — other countries might learn from its mistakes．
For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived in the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization．The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798．He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship．He called the island Pleasant Island．
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first．The whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol．These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island．A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900．
Nauru’s real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate (磷酸盐)on the island．In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which was a very important fertilizer for farming．The company began mining the phosphate．
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine．When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer of soil．Then it takes away the material it wants．Strip mining totally destroys the land．Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon．
In 1968, Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world．Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate．
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars．In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses．Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem — their phosphate was running out．Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing．By 2000, Nauru was financially ruined．Experts say that it would take approximately $433,600,000 and more than 20 years to repair the island．This will probably never happen．
【小题1】What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?

第三部分：阅读理解：（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
(A)
What makes a house a home? A home is a place of companionship with people in it who love each other, who are harmonious (和谐的) and closer with one another than with those in the workplace or with classmates at school. A home is a place that’s so magnetic（有吸引力的） that it’s difficult to leave. In a home there is love, sharing and appreciation, and the members help one another.
I have seen families on the street. But if they live, sleep, talk, and eat together, they are a family, even if they are poorly off. You don’t need a roof to make a home. The truly homeless are some of the rich people who build multi-million-dollar houses and are too busy to really live in them. The truly homeless are those who have turned their home into a hotel lobby. The parents work and the children misbehave. They don’t talk and eat together every day. They rarely see each other. The truly homeless people are those with babysitters, caretakers, gardeners and maids. However, people are unaware of this, as they are too busy making money outside the home that they don’t live in. This is another way of looking at the rich and the homeless. Who is to be pitied?
Control of the computer and the Internet is also important to make a house into a home. If the computer is on all the time, the house turns into an office, even if everyone is at home. Many homes these days are just offices. Human communication has stopped. The computer eats up all the time that one should be giving to others within the home. Using the computer moderately gives us time for play and communication, not with a screen, but with other people.
56. Which of the following may serve as the best title for this passage?
A. How to make a house a home?
B. What makes a house a home?
C. Who are truly homeless?
D. What is a home for?
57. The purpose of the first paragraph is to _________.
A. tell us that where there is home there is love
B. tell us what people think a home is
C. tell us the author’s concept（理解）of home
D. tell us how to have a happy home
58. The underlined word “those” refers to ________.
A. people who build multi-million-dollar houses
B. people who have lost their family members
C. people who don’t spend time with the family
D. homeless families living on the street in America
59. Which of the following is FALSE according to the passage?
A. A home is a place where you are willing to stay.
B. Even the poorest people can have a happy home.
C. Computers and the Internet are important for a happy home.
D. Sometimes it’s the rich that should be pitied.

English is a very interesting language. It has borrowed words from many other languages. Immigrants(移民) coming into the United States have contributed many words to the language, which have kept their original pronunciation. “Coolie” and “kowtow” were taken from the Chinese language, “kamikaze from the Japanese, “shampoo” from India, “blitz” from German, “amigo” and “Los Angeles” from Spanish and so on.
Many students have studied English for years, some as many as eight. However, some students still have difficulty in speaking fluent English. Some know many words but are unable to discern them when native speakers use them. In our Oral English classes we will focus on speaking and listening to native English speakers. For this reason, because we are trying to train your ears to hear English and your mouths to speak intelligible (易理解的) English, we will have a rule that ONLY ENGLISH will be spoken in our English classes. Anyone speaking Chinese in class will be required to pay a fine in order to encourage the speaking and understanding of English. If teachers enter a classroom and discover that anyone is speaking Chinese, they will require everyone in the room to pay the fine. It is everyone’s job to enforce the English-Only rule. It is for your benefit. It is because we want to accustom (使习惯于) your ears to hearing English.
Other subjects may be learned solely from books but the only way to learn a foreign language is to SPEAK IT! Students are often nervous about speaking in class at first but we hope to make the classes fun, so you will forget your nervousness and learn to speak out. Enjoy your classes.
【小题1】The first paragraph is mainly about________.