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（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

A

When I worked in Swaziland, one day we went to an orphanage. There we found a beautiful little girl named Tanzile. I gave her a sweet and she said something back to me in Si-swati, which the nurse next to me translated, “She wants another one — to give to her little sister.” I said “of course”. When we were going to leave, we passed by Tanzile’s house to say goodbye. To our surprise she seemed to be holding on to that extra sweet I had given her. I remember saying to the nurse “this little darling is clever — she has taken two for herself.”

But the nurse told us, “Tanzile is 7 now. Two years ago her mum and dad both died of AIDS. She was separated from her sister who was three at the time. Tanzile has not laid eyes on her since. But from then on whenever Tanzile receives anything from anyone, including food — she refuses to accept it, unless they give her two.” In fact, in the little mud hut where she lives, we find a pile of old things which she has been collecting to give to her sister one day.

People sometimes look at faces of African children and think that they are somehow different from our kids — that somehow they don’t feel pain or love. But that is not true. Their pain is deep. And so is their love. I can still remember the nurse trying to convince her that “if someone gives you food, you must accept it — even if it is only one piece and not two — for your own health.” And it was so hard for us to keep the tears from our eyes as she shook her head. Her hope and her love was all that she had. It mattered more than anything else. When I returned home that day, I was shocked to find that this was not an isolated story but others in the hospital knew of orphans just like Tanzile — waiting with a little pile of things in their hut, for their lovers who they haven’t seen so long.

I think of that old song — “when we’re hungry, love will keep us alive.”

56． From the passage we can learn Tanzile__________.

A. is very clever        B. knows her sister has died

C. has stored a lot for her sister       D. doesn’t like sweets

57． How old was her sister when the author met with Tanzile?

A. Three years old.    B. Four years old.

C. Five years old.     D. Six years old.

58． What has the author learned from her experience in Africa?

A. Love is more important in life than anything else.

B. African children are different in a way.

C. African children should be treated fairly.

D. We should express our love in time.

59． The best title for the passage would be __________

A. Give every child two sweets      B. Tanzile’s love for her sister

C. One for my sister               D. Change your attitude to African children

Every object tells a story. Even the most ordinary objects can present to us powerful images. Sometimes it is the ordinary nature of these objects that actually makes them so extraordinary. Such is the case with an old leather shoe in a museum in Alaska .At first glance it does not look like much .It is a woman’s shoes of a style popular in the 1890s. But what is unique about this shoes is where it was found .It was discovered on the Checkout Pass, the famous trail（路线）used by the people seeking gold in Alaska. Who it belonged to or why it was left there is not known .Was it perhaps dropped by accident as the woman climbed up the 1,500 stairs carved outfaced? Or did she throw away goods that she didn’t need in order to travel lighter?

    Over 100,000 people with “gold fever” made this trip hoping to become millionaires .Few of them understood that on their way they would have to cross a harsh（艰苦的）wilderness. Unprepared for such a dangerous journey, many died of starvation and exposure to the cold weather.

    The Canadian government finally started requiring the gold seekers to bring one ton of supplies with them. This was thought to be enough for a person to survive for one year. They would carry their supplies in backpacks each weighing up to fifty pounds; it usually took at least 40 trips to get everything to the top and over the pass. Whoever dropped the shoe must have been a brave and determined woman. Perhaps she was successful and made it to Alaska. Perhaps she had to turn back in defeat. No one will ever know for sure .But what we do know is that she took part in one of the greatest adventures in the 19th century.

1.The ordinary leather shoes of a woman is considered unusual because        .

    A．it is an important clue to a mystery   B．it was found on a famous trail

    C．it belonged to a IP at one time    D．it was a fashionable shoe at that time

2.According to this passage ,many people who went to Alaska       .

    A．eventually became millionaires       B．brought with them many shoes

    C．had conflicts with the local people  D．were not properly equipped

3.Which of the following is the best title?

    A．A Shoe Tells a Story             B．Gold Fever

    C．The Importance of the Shoe       D．A shoe of Popular Style

Research shows that much of our predisposition （倾向） towards determination, sociability and self - control and sense of purpose is in our genes．In fact, our DNA plays a bigger role in influencing these traits （ characteristics）than our upbringing （儿童期的教养）and the company we keep．Taken together, these aspects of personality can make the difference between success and failure, say the Edinburgh University researchers．        

They questioned more than 800 pairs of twins about their attitudes to life to tease apart the influences of nature and nurture．Comparing identical twins, who share all their DNA and their up bringing, with non-identical twins, who have a shared background but are no more genetically alike than other brothers and sisters, is a technique often used by researchers to quantify the influence of genetics．

The results, published in the Journal of Personality, showed that genes play a much bigger role than lifestyle, with self-control particularly etched （铭刻） into our DNA．                   

Our genes a222so largely determine how determined and persistent we are．This is important in terms of success, as someone who refuses to give up is more likely to achieve their dreams than someone who throws in the towel at the first hiccough．

Researcher Professor Timothy Bates said, "Ever since the ancient Greeks, people Lave de hated the nature of a good life and the nature of a virtuous life．Why do some people seem to manage their lives, have good relationships and cooperate to achieve their goals while others do not? Previously,  the role of family and the environment around the home often controlled people' s ideas about what affected psychological well-being．However, this work emphasizes a much more powerful influence from genetics．"

However, those who haven' t been dealt a helpful hand of genes shouldn' t he too depressed．The professor says a sense of purpose is the key and advises those who are eager for success to focus their thoughts on making a difference．

1.What does the result of the research indicate?

2.The underlined part in Paragraph 4 refers to someone who                ．

3.Timothy Bates mentions the ancient Creeks in order to indicate that          ．

4.According to the passage, the key personality trait is            ．

5.What is the best title for the passage?

Most of us would say that the older we get, the less we look forward to celebrating another birthday. For children, though, a birthday is that one occasion each year when they are the center of attention all day long.

         It’s not surprising, then, that children’s birthday parties have turned into big business in America. Kids—or more likely their parents—often try to outdo one another in putting on the most extravagant birthday party. In the past, you might have hired a man with a horse to come by and give everyone horse rides. Today, you can hire an entire petting zoo’s or a truck filled with animals from abroad.

III. 阅读(共两节，满分40分)

第一节阅读理解(共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)

阅读下列短文，从媒体所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

In Stockholm, the Swedish Academy has chosen the British author Doris Lessing for the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature.

The selection of Doris Lessing for a Nobel was popular among the hundreds of journalists gathered for the announcement in Stockholm.

Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy Horace Engdahl said with skepticism, fire and visionary power Lessing has subjected a divided civilization to scrutiny.

Doris Lessing was born in 1919 in Persia - modern-day Iran - to British parents, moving as a child with her family to southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, where she stayed in school only to the age of 14.

A year after moving to London, she published her first novel in 1950. The Grass is Singing examines unbridgeable racial conflict in colonial Africa through the eyes of a white farmer's wife and her black servant.

A member of the British Communist Party during the 1950s and a campaigner against nuclear arms and South African apartheid, Lessing was for years banned from that country and from Rhodesia.

Her literary breakthrough came in 1962 with publication of The Golden Notebook, seen by many, though not necessarily Lessing, as a pioneering work of modern feminism. A disjointed study of the mind of the main character, Anna Wulf, the novel explores her thoughts about Africa, politics and communism, relationships with men and sex, and Jungian analysis and dream interpretation.

Lessing's themes shifted to psychology in her works from the 1960s, and by the 1970s she was fascinated with the Islamic mystic tradition of Sufism. Her turn toward science fiction with the Canopus series in the early 1980s was not warmly received by traditionalist critics, but she has continued to win new readers and numerous literary awards, including the David Cohen British Literary Prize and the Companion of Honour from the Royal Society of Literature, both in 2001.

Following the announcement, the Horace Engdahl told VOA why he was personally so pleased with Lessing's selection.

"She is one of the truly great writers - of novels, short stories, fiction and non-fiction," Engdahl said. "She is one of the few writers who have had the courage to uphold the principle of equality between the male and female experience, and she has given the impulse to numbers of other women writers. And she is really the mother of a school that is one of the most important in our contemporary literature."

At 87, Doris lessing is the oldest Nobel Literature laureate since the first prizes were awarded in 1901. Each Nobel Prize is this year accompanied by a check for approximately $1.4 million.

41. How old was Doris Lessing when she published her first novel?

A. 14            B. 26           C. 31                D. 50

42. Which of the following about The Grass is Singing is true?

A. It is mainly about racial conflict between the whites and the blacks in the US.

B. The main characters are a white farmer’s wife and her black servant.

C. It was published in Africa.

D. It was Doris Lessing’s most famous novel.

43. We can infer from the passage that __________.

A. Journalists are very interested in the election of Doris Lessing’s for Nobel Prize.

B. Doris Lessing regard The Golden Notes as a pioneering work of feminism.

C. Doris Lessing has written about many different subjects.

D. Many writers have the courage to stick to the equality between the male and female experience.

44. The underlined word school in the last paragraph but one means________.

A. institution for educating children

B. college or university

C. department of a university 

D. group of writers, thinkers

45. Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A. Doris Lessing wins Nobel Prize for literature

B. The greatest British female writer

C. The oldest Nobel Prize winner

D. 2007 Nobel Prize announced in Stockholm