阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A，B，C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Passage One　　Americans are crazy for work. There was a time when things might have gone in a different direction. With unemployment at a nine-year high and many workers worried about losing their jobs, work is not the paradise that economists once imagined. Instead, the job market is unsure today as it was in the early 1980s, when business began a wave of restructuring. Many workers today are left feeling uneasy, unsatisfied, and underappreciated.

　　Passage Two　　As US Secretary of State Colin Powell increased the pressure to go to war, America's fear of attack rose. Last week, the American government raised its official threat level to the second highest security alert (安全警报). For the Bush's government, those terrorist threats only underline the pressing need to go to war. But for many America's friends, any US-led war against Iraq could set off a new round of terrorist atttacks both in Europe and the Arab world. In a long presentation to the United Nations Security Council last week, Powell thought that American intelligence could shame and shock the UN into giving in to the USA.

　　Passage Three　　On February 3, President George W. Bush published a budget (预算) which is full of great but doubtful reforms(改革方案). Bush's budget plan is to prove supply-side economic theory, which believes that big cuts in certain tax rates will push long-term growth and finally avoid any shortage of the state income. Some economists worry that the latest round of tax changes will not repair the nation. As a whole, Bush's reform plan “is hard to tell whether it works or not,” says a director of the Concord Coalition.

1．Which of the following is TRUE according to the three short passages?

[　　]

A．In the 1980s economy in America was fairly good.

B．American economists have great faith in Bush's economic reform plan.

C．Mr Powell was sure that according to the information they had got about Iraq they could persuade the UN to agree on a war against Iraq.

D．The American people have never been so interested in their jobs as they are now.

2．What is the meaning of the underlined word “underline” in the second passage?

[　　]

A．Draw a line under something.

B．Make something pleasant.

C．Cause people's interest.

D．Make people pay more attention.

3．Which of the following pictures does Passage One match according to the meaning?

[　　]

Susan Sontag (1933 ------ 2004) was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature.  For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything----- to read every book worth reading, to see every movie worth seeing.  When she was still in her early 30s, publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review, she appeared as the symbol of American culture life, trying hard to follow every new development in literature, film and art.  With great effort and serious judgment, Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.
Seriousness was one of Sontag’s lifelong watchwords (格言), but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poorly-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasure of pop culture.  In Notes Camp, the 1964 essay that first made her name, she explained what was then a little-known set of difficult understandings, through which she could not have been more famous.  Notes on Camp, she wrote, represents “a victory of ‘form’ over ‘content’, ‘beauty’ over ‘morals’”.
By conviction she was a sensualist (感觉论者), but by nature she was a moralist, and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s, it was the latter side of her that came forward.  In Illness as Metaphor ------published in 1978, after she suffered cancer ------ she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed (被压抑的) personalities, a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease.  In fact, re-examining old positions was her lifelong habit.
In America, her story of a 19^th century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California, won the National Book Award in 2000.  But it was as a tireless, all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame.
“Sometimes,” she once said, “I feel that, in the end, all I am really defending… is the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness.”  And in the end, she made us take it seriously too.
【小题1】It is implied but not stated in the first paragraph that Sontag _________.

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

 China has recently been faced with serious issues of product safety. Some cases have brought attention internationally to the increased use of imported ingredients to make food and medicine.

In Panama, medicine made with a poisonous chemical killed or sickened more than one hundred people. A Chinese company had identified it as diethylamide glycol （ [化]乙二醇）, a low – cost substitute commonly used in automobile antifreeze（防冻剂）.

Some countries have banned Chinese-made toothpaste containing diethylamide glycol. China has now told companies to discontinue its use, even though it says the toothpaste is safe. Another industrial chemical, melamine（三聚氰胺）, was found in wheat flour used to make pet food in North America. Thousands of dogs and cats became sick.

The United States has restricted some imports of Chinese seafood because they contained banned substance. And questions have been raised about other products, including children’s toys covered with lead paint.

Chinese officials promised to provide the European Union, the biggest trading partner, with detailed reports on enforcement efforts against unsafe goods.

Meglena Kuneva, commissioner (理事) for consumer protection of the European Union said China should have kept its promise.

China recently closed three companies linked to the Panama and the pet food scare. And it dismissed the former head of its food and drug administration. He was found guilty of corruption (腐败) for approving unsafe drugs. This week, a conference of the State Council approved a proposed special measure on the supervision of food safety. The Xinhua News Agency said it calls for stronger controls over producers, greater responsibilities for government and more serious punishment for illegal activities.

But Chinese officials have accused some foreign media of overstating problems with goods made in China. They say food imports from the United States also fail inspection sometimes. Next Week, American and Chinese food safety officials are planning to hold 5 days of meetings in Beijing to discuss cooperation.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report. I'm Mario Ritter.

How many cases with safety problems are mentioned in the passage?

    A．Six      B．Five      C．Four       D．Three

How was Panama case dealt with afterwards?

  A．Three companies linked to it were closed down.

  B．The former head of food and drug administration was removed from his position.

  C．More serious punishment was conducted for leaders linked to it.

  D. Both A and B.

It can be inferred but not clearly stated that ________.

  A．Chinese- made toothpaste is safe          

B．the safety of “made in China” is doubted

  C．there are safety problems with one more Chinese products.

  D．stronger control over Chinese products is in need

The passage is mainly about ________.

  A．China is facing product safety problems

  B．more controls are taken of Chinese goods

  C．overstated problems with Chinese goods

  D．China is losing its trade partners

阅读下面短文回答问题，将答案写到答题卡相应的位置上（注意题后的字数要求）。
In the United States, train transportation is unpopular compared with cars and airplanes. Most people like traveling by car or by air.
Officials of the United States Department of Transportation made a study in 2001. The study is about how many miles Americans traveled by different means of transportation. They only studied trips longer than 50 miles. The study showed that fifty-six percent of all miles were traveled in personal vehicle. Forty-one percent were traveled in an airplane. Two percent were traveled in a bus. And less than one percent of miles were traveled in a train.
Amtrak is the national provider of train transportation in the United States. In the past ten years, the number of its passengers has increased by eighteen percent. Although the number of passengers has increased, it is still very small now. In countries such as France, Germany, or Japan, more people use trains.
There are several reasons why many people __________________________.
Firstly, Americans love to drive their own cars. On highways, cars can travel as fast as trains. These highways connect all major cities in America．Secondly, many travelers like to be independent. When they use their own cars they can decide when to travel. Thirdly, many buses travel between major cities. Bus travel is less costly than train travel.
In a huge country like the United States, cities are far away from each other. In some cases, travel from one city to another by train may take more than a day. Airplanes can carry passengers over long distances much faster. People who do not want to spend long time traveling by train decide to fly. For these people saving time is the most important thing.
【小题1】What is the best title of the passage? (Please answer within 10 words.)
【小题2】Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
It’s convenient for people to decide the start-off time when they travel in their own cars.
【小题3】Please fill in the blank in the fourth paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.( Please answer within 10 words.)
【小题4】What means of transportation do you like best when traveling, trains, cars, or planes? Why? (Please answer within 30 words)
【小题5】Translate the underlined sentences in the last paragraph into Chinese.

第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
第一节（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。
A
Jordan Makes Basketball Hall of Fame
Last Monday, the former Chicago Bulls great was elected to the 2009 Basketball Hall of Fame class, adding another honor to his long list of accomplishments. With incredible acrobatic (特技的) moves and slam dunks(灌篮), Jordan was a 14-time NBA All-Star, a five-time NBA finals Most Valuable Player and the key figure on the 1992 US Olympic gold medal “Dream” Team.
Jordan retired twice during his 15-year career, and finished with 32,392 points, the third-highest total in NBA history behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. His career average of 30.12 points per game is the best in the league’s history.
Although his career boasts(拥有)many glories, Jordan said entering the hall was what he never imagined. “I don’t like being up here for the Hall of Fame, because at that time, your basketball career is completely over.” Jordan said during a news conference. “I was hoping this day was coming in 20 more years, or that I’d actually go in when I’m dead and done.”
According to the Chicago Tribune, as Jordan accepted a Hall of Fame Jersey(运动衣), he turned to his former competitors David Robinson and John Stockton, who were also among the class of 2009, and threatened another comeback.
“Every time I see these guys, I want to put my shorts on,” said Jordan, 46, whose age has decreased everything but his desire.
His father once said that passion was what made his son special. From the moment he started playing games, Michael had to win. Once, Jordan traveled everywhere and anywhere to feed that competitive urge.
“He doesn’t have a gambling problem.” His father said, “What he does have is a competition problem. He was born with that. The person he tries to outdo(超过)most of the time is himself.”
56．This passage is mainly about__________.
A．everything Jordan has achieved in his life
B．the contribution Jordan has made to basketball
C．how Jordan grew to be a popular basketball player
D．why Jordan deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and his reaction
57．From what Jordan said during the news conference, we know that he_______.
A．dislikes the honor because it makes him feel old
B．hates the new honor because it’s not worth much
C．thinks the honor has been given to him too early
D．is planning a comeback to show his basketball career is not over
58．Paragraphs 1 and 2 are written to__________.
A．analyze what basketball skills Jordan is famous for
B．show how popular Jordan used to be in America
C．introduce what contributions Jordan made to Chicago Bulls
D．explain why Jordan is considered a great basketball player
59．What can we conclude from the passage?
A．Michael Jordan’s continuous efforts to outdo himself made him great.
B．Michael Jordan thinks playing basketball is like gambling.
C．Michael Jordan has gradually lost his desire to play, as he has grown older.
D．However great a player is, there is an end to his best time.