第二部分 阅读（共两节，满分80分）
第一节：阅读理解（共35小题；每小题2分，满分70分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21~55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
　　August has always been difficult for me. It is the time when I realize that the books my English teacher assigned to me are not going to read themselves and that I have a difficult month in front of me.
　　You might think that I don’t want to spend my summer reading, but that’s not the problem: I love reading. On the first day of my summer holidays this year, I went to the library and got “A Gathering of Old Men” by African-American writer Ernest Gaines. I enjoyed it very much. I read all the magazines that my parents subscribe to and spend about 30 minutes every day with the morning paper. So why do I hate summer reading for school? Because the books on summer reading lists are often slow-going and just uninviting. Teachers and librarians don’t understand that summer reading can be entertaining as well as educational. They choose books that a friend of my mother’s calls “spinach books”: good for you, but not much fun to take in. Every summer, I read them, hate them and get bitter about the experience.
　　This bitterness started three years ago when I was about to begin high school. As preparation, my English teacher told me to read “The Age of Innocence” by American author Edith Wharton. I’m sure there are many people who enjoyed “The Age of Innocence” — some might even say it’s their favorite book.
　　But I don’t think any of these people read it as a 14-year-old boy on his summer vacation.
　　“The Age of Innocence” is the story of a forbidden romance in New York 100 years ago. At 14, my only experience with romance was my love for baseball. I couldn’t imagine being in love, much less being in love in 1900. “The Age of Innocence” was totally different to my life.
　　Most of my required summer reading has been like that — books written in a style that plays up the adjectives and plays down the verbs. I guess teachers don’t think exciting plots make for “good literature”. To me, though, a good writer describes events and characters in a way that makes the reader want to know what happens next.
　　If I were making up a summer reading list, it would include “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” by George V. Higgins, “The Right Stuff” by Tom Wolfe, and “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer. These are all books that have literary value but, just as important, can also entertain kids on vacation. If the teachers could stand a little fun in the books they assign, my Augusts would be a lot more enjoyable.
1. The author thinks he will have a difficult August because ____________.
A. he doesn’t like reading in summer vacation
B. he is to read the books boring and not right for kids
C. he hates the English teacher assigning homework
D. he hates August
2. What can make students interested in August reading ought to be ___________.
A. romantic                                                      B. out of date
C. entertaining and educational                            D. pure
3. The author listed such books as “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” because he thinks __________.
A. they can change his opinion                            B. he can learn a lot more from them
C. they are of literary value, and enjoyable    D. he has to do as teachers tell him to
4. In the opinion of the author of this passage, a good writer should be ___________.
A. one who describes events and characters in different ways
B. one who is full of imagination         
C. one who is learned
D. one who uses a way of describing that makes the reader wish to know what to happen next
5. Which of the following could be the best title of this passage?
A. Why Can’t Teachers Set Us Fun Books?
B. I Don’t Like Reading on the Vacation
C. Teachers, Don’t Set Us Any Reading Assignments
D. Teachers, Set Us Free

It was only a few weeks after my surgery. I went to Dr. Belt’s office for a   36 . It was just after my first chemotherapy treatment(化疗). My scar was still very tender.(疼痛的)   37 . I was taken to an examination room to have my blood   38 , again—a terrifying process for me, since I’m so frightened of   39 .

I lay down on the   40 . Then Ramona entered the room. Her   41  smile was familiar, and   42  in contrast to my fears. I’d first seen her in the office a few weeks earlier. She wasn’t my   43  on that day, but I remember her because she was laughing. What could she   44  find to laugh about at a time like this? So I decided she wasn’t   45  enough about the whole thing.

But this day was   46 . Ramona had taken my blood before. She   47  my fear of needles, and she kindly   48  the medical equipment under a magazine. As we opened the layers of bandage, the   49  scar on my chest could be seen.

She gently   50  over and ran her hand across the scar,   51  the smoothness of the healing skin. I began to cry gently and quietly. She brought her warm eyes to mine and said, “You haven’t   52  it yet, have you?” And I said, “No.”

I continued to cry gently. In   53  tones she said. “This is part of your body. This is you. It’s okay to touch it.” But I couldn’t. So she touched it for me. The   54 . The healing wound. And beneath it, she touched my heart.

That night as I lay down, I gently placed my hand on my chest and I left it there   55  I fell asleep. I knew I wasn’t alone.

1.                A．prescription     B．checkup        C．conversation   D．discussion

2.                A．At once        B．As usual        C．In fact    D．In addition

3.                A．corrected       B．mixed          C．drawn    D．cleaned

4.                A．doctors         B．nurses          C．blood    D．needles

5.                A．operation table   B．office floor      C．examining bed D．test bed

6.                A．weak          B．bitter          C．shy  D．warm

7.                A．worked out      B．stood out       C．found out D．gave out

8.                A．girl            B．partner         C．companion    D．nurse

9.                A．accidentally     B．particularly      C．possibly  D．actually

10.               A．serious         B．curious         C．worried   D．nervous

11.               A．different       B．difficult         C．pleasant   D．common

12.               A．talked about     B．got around      C．knew about D．put away

13.               A．found          B．replaced        C．showed   D．hid

14.               A．old            B．worn          C．fresh D．fine

15.               A．came          B．went           C．searched  D．reached

16.               A．examining      B．covering        C．pressing   D．removing

17.               A．watched        B．discovered      C．touched   D．unfolded

18.               A．tough          B．soft            C．cold  D．strict

19.               A．bandage        B．soul           C．pain  D．scar

20.               A．after           B．until           C．since D．when

阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息，请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。

在中学生夏令营中，以下同学以其观点组织各自的讨论和交流组。

A． Cao A'min, 18

Xuanhua No 1 High School, Hebei

Keeping pace with teachers is a good way to study．Teachers are experienced and their plans are systematic．But remember to work m a way that suits you．It's also important to team from past mistakes．Keep a notebook to make a record of the mistakes you make - it'll help you avoid making the same ones later．

B．Zhang Zilu, 17

Xinyu No 1 High School, Jiangxi

This time of life may be hard, but you're not alone．You may be busy studying, but you can show your care by calling yow friends or sending a short message．Don't let your friendships die．Some boys and girls in my class were in love, but I'd advise against a relationship at this stage．

C. Zhan Yu, 17

Huanggang High School, Hubei

It’s as important to live well as it is to study well, I think. I went to bed no later than 11:30 pm. It put me in the right mood for the next day. I didn’t follow a special diet (饮食), but I did make sure I ate a nutritious  breakfast each day.

D. Ju Shuntian, 18

Yantai Economic and Technological Development Zone Senior High School, Shandong

The person who plays well, studies well. Having a lot of schoolwork doesn’t mean having to give up on every other activity. I played basketball or took a walk to relax when I felt tired. Time out is not a waste of time but helps you study more efficiently.

E. Zhang Qingzhou, 17

　　Dongtai High School, Jiangsu

Besides taking the big exam, you have other choices for college. I took the independent enrollment (自主招生) exam held by Peking University and some other students even prepared to study abroad. Pay attention to any relevant information you can find, whether it’s from school, the news media or another source.

F. Wu Dandan, 18

Liaocheng No. 1 High School, Shandong

Besides learning from the textbooks, students can also learn a lot from traveling from place to place. In different places you will see different things, meet different people and have different experiences. If you are curious enough, you can explore deeper into the area and obtain more useful information, which serves as your new knowledge.

下面同学各自感兴趣的内容或需要解决的问题，请配对他们最适合参加的讨论组。

1.Zhang Xu is an active and energetic boy who enjoys many sports like swimming, football, badminton, cycling and jogging. He has a lot of friends at school and they often spend a lot of time on rivers, fields and mountains. Is it good to spend so little time in the library? How to allocate time between academic lectures and outing? That's his problem.

2.Xiao Lili has much difficulty m catching up with her classmates m chemistry and physics. But her superiority lies in music and English, so she is dreaming of becoming a professional singer. She hopes that her strong points can help pave her way to future success. "Can I go to a musical college without taking NMET?" she wonders.

3.Guo Jie is a hardworking boy but, unfortunately, he gets low marks in every test. He is always busy with his own study plan. When he didn’t finish his work the earlier day, he will bury his mind in his work to fulfill his plan, ignoring the teacher’s lectures. “How can I raise my marks?” he is puzzled.

4.Song Siwei is a slim and pretty girl, who works hard at all her lessons. But she was so absorbed in her studeies that she is even unwilling to tear herself off at meal times. She is always the last to leave the classroom and the first to arrive. She starts to feel dizzy and have headaches. “What might happen to me?” she wonders.

5.Zhang Lan is a charming girl who is active both in the classroom and on the sports field. She is kind to all her classmates. Some boys in her class tend to talk to her at every possible opportunity and even invite her to meals. That makes her pleased but costs her quite some time. She doesn’t know whether it is right to accept kindness from the boys.

Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.

I walked to the door and knocked, "Just a minute," answered a weak, elderly voice.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.

I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated."

"Oh, you're such a good man." She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"

"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.

"Oh, I'm in no hurry," she said. "I'm on my way to a hospice(临终医院). I don't have any family left. The doctor says I don't have very long."

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(计价器).

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

At dawn, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."

We drove in silence to the address she had given me.

"How much do I owe you?" she asked.

"Nothing." I said.

"You have to make a living," she answered. "Oh, there are other passengers," I answered.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto earth tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy."

The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ______.

A. show she was familiar with the city    B. let the driver earn more money

C. see some places for the last time       D. reach the destination on time

The taxi driver did not charge the old woman because he ______.

A. shut off the meter by mistake             B. had received her payment in advance

C. was in a hurry to take other passengers     D. wanted to do her a favor

What can we learn from the story?

A. Giving is always a pleasure.      B. An act of kindness can bring people great joy.

C. People should respect each other.  D. People should learn to appreciate others' concern.

After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to pay a visit to a spe­cial student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me. I was told it would mean a great deal to him, so I agreed.

During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy (肌肉萎缩症). When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to five, and then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams.

I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain or ask, “Why me?” He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He didn’t mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weights with me. When we had finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I had won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, “You are a champion. You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.”

Last summer I received a letter from Matthew’s parents telling me that Matthew had passed away. They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before:

Dick,

My mum said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. I also want to let you know that the doctors tell me that I don’t have long to live any more, but I still smile as much as I can.

I told you someday that I would go to the Olympics and win a gold medal, but I know now I will never get to do that. However, I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you. Thank you for loving me.

Your friend,

Matthew

1. The boy looked forward to meeting the author because _________. 

A. he was also good at weight lifting     B. he wanted to get to the Olympics and win a medal 

C. he was one of the author’s students    D. he admired the author very much

2. The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that _______.

A. the boy never complained about how unlucky he was to have this disease

B. the boy never complained about not being able to go to school

C. the boy never complained why the author had never come to see him before

D. the boy never complained about not getting a medal

3. From the passage we learn that _________. 

A. Matthew was an athlete                              B. Matthew was an optimistic and determined boy 

C. The author used to have the same disease as Matthew had   D. Matthew became a champion before he died

4.Matthew didn’t accept the author’s medal because _________.  

A. he thought it was too expensive                        B. he was sure that he could win one in the future

C. he thought it was of no use to him as he would die soon     D. he would not be pitied by others

5.What would be the best title for this passage? 

A. A sick boy.       B. A special friend.       C. A real champion.       D. A famous athlete.