Sam________some knowledge of the computer just by watching others working on it.

 Sam _____ some knowledge of the computer just by watching others working on it.

   A. brought up     B. looked up      C. picked up      D. set up

For many years, no one could communicate with people who had been born without hearing. These deaf people were not able to use a spoken language.

   But, beginning in the 1700s, the deaf were taught a special language. Using the language, they could share thoughts and ideas with others. The language they used was a language without sound. It was a sign language.

How did this sign language work? The deaf were taught to make certain movements using their hands, faces and bodies. Their movements stood for things and ideas. A man might move his forefinger across his lips. This meant, “You are not telling the truth.” He might tap his chin with three fingers. This meant, “my uncle.” The deaf were also taught to use a finger alphabet. They used their fingers to make the letters of the alphabet. In this way, they spelled out words. Some deaf people could spell out words at a speed of 130 words per minute.

  Sign language and finger spelling are not used as much as they once were. Today the deaf are taught to understand others by watching their lips. They are also taught how to speak.

The story does not say so, but it makes you think that_______.

A. the deaf must have special teachers

B. there is still no way to communicate with the deaf

C. deaf people make signs to make a living

D. deaf people are not as clever as normal people

On the whole the story is about______.

A. how the deaf communicate           B. leaning to spell

C. teaching the deaf to speak         D. writing sign language

How did sign language help the deaf?

A. It helped them to learn to read.

B. It helped them communicate with other people.

C. The deaf could understand Indian sign language.

D. The deaf could move their thumbs across their lips

Which of these sentences do you think is right?

A. Deaf people draw signs.

B. Deaf people read with their fingers.

C. Many deaf people now can speak.

D. Deaf people teach themselves a sign language.

Equipped only with a pair of binoculars (双筒望远镜) and ready to spend long hours waiting in all weathers for a precious glance of a rare bullfinch(红腹灰雀). Britain’s birdwatchers had long been supposed to be lovers of a minority sport. But new figures show birdwatching is fast becoming a popular pastime, with almost three million of us absorbed in our fluttering feathered friends.

Devoted birdwatchers, those prepared to travel thousands of miles for a sighting of a rare Siberian bird, are fast being joined by a new breed of follower whose interest is satiated by watching a few finches (雀科鸣鸟) on a Sunday walk or putting up a bird-box in the back garden.

 “Almost three million UK birdwatchers is certainly possible if you include everyone with only a casual interest,” Stephen Moss said in his newly published book—A Bird in the Bush: a Social History of Birdwatching—which records the pursuit from the rich Victorian Englishman’s love of shooting rare birds to the less offensive observational tendencies of birdwatchers today.

Television wildlife programmes have helped to fuel the new trend. Last summer, BBC 2’s Britain Goes Wild was a surprise success. It pulled in three million viewers and led to bird-houses selling out across the UK as 45,000 people promised to put up a box.

Birdwatchers’ networking system first came to the attention of the nation in 1989, when a birdwatcher caught sight of the first Vermivora chrysoptera—a golden-winged songbird from North America—to be seen in Britain. He put a message out on the network service Birdline, and the next day 3,000 birdwatchers proved the full pull of a truly rare bird as they visited the Tesco car park in Kent, where it had settled. Today, birdwatchers can log on to www.birdline.co.uk or have news of the latest sightings texted to their phones.

 “Multimillion-pound spending on binoculars, bird food and boxes point to the increasing numbers of birdwatchers,” said David Cromack, the editor of Bird Watching magazine, “The number of people involved is so big that they have great potential to influence government decisions affecting the environment.”

The word “satiated” in paragraph 2 can best be replaced by “_______”.

A. affected     B. shared       C. satisfied     D. narrowed

What happened after the message of seeing a Vermivora chrysoptera was put on the network?

   A. Birdwatchers helped the rare bird settle in Kent.

   B. Large numbers of birdwatchers went to view the bird.

   C. Many birdwatchers logged on to the website for details.

   D. Birdwatchers showed their determination to protect the rare bird.

Which of the following CANNOT be true according to the passage?

   A. Television wildlife programmes started the popular pastime of birdwatching.

   B. The network service has contributed to the rapid development of birdwatching.

   C. Birdwatching in Britain was long considered a sport with a small group of followers.

   D. The current situation of birdwatching may promote the protection of the environment.

The passage mainly tells us about ________ in UK.

   A. the history of bird watching    

   B. a growing passion for bird watching

   C. the impact of media on bird watching  

   D. bird watching as a popular expensive sport

第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题，每题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的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。
A
Many people have described television as a passive activity that is harmful to children’s
education. However，there are good and bad ways to watch television．Parents who are interested in using television as a learning tool can actually turn time in front of TV into an educational chance．
Probably the most familiar educational way to use television is to simply watch educational programs．In particular，this means selecting channels and programs specially designed for educational purposes．Along with traditional educational shows for children on public broadcasting channels，cable television now offers kids and adults a wide variety of educational programs，with everything from nature shows to historical events in different countries．
Captioning，such as “closed captioning” for hearing disabled viewers provides another way for parents to exploit（开发） the educational possibilities of television．One study showed that children who watched captioned TV got great improvement in their vocabulary and oral reading ability．In addition，parents can make any show a learning class by watching television together with children．By actively joining children in the programs that they are watching，parents can help with the development of such skills as predicting  and summarizing．In order to develop predicting skills，parents and children could first refer to a program’s description in a viewing guide．After reading the program description and guessing what might happen in the program，parents and children could watch together to see which predictions were correct．And to practice summarizing，after watching a program，parents can turn off the TV and ask what the story was about．This kind of activity helps children develop thinking skills such as arranging events in an order and memorizing information．
Although there will still be plenty of times when children watch TV simply for passive enjoyment，parents can help make at least part of their children’s viewing time a more productive activity．Used intelligently by exploiting the learning chances available through various programs，television can play an instructive role in children’s education．
56．Which activity is NOT suggested in the passage?
A．Predicting and summarizing TV shows  B．Watching captions on TV．
C．Enjoying films about nature．              D．Watching shows for homework．
57．We can learn from the last paragraph that ______．
A．not every minute when a child watches television must be educational
B．children should not use television for passive enjoyment
C．some children prefer reading to watching television
D．television offers more learning chances than school
58．Which of the following questions is the major one discussed in the passage?
A．What makes television more interesting than books?
B．Why should schools put television into classrooms?
C．How can parents use television as a teaching tool?
D．Which program can actually make kids smarter?