For an owl (猫头鹰) with one-metre wingspan, the sky should be the limit. But Troy prefers his bird’s eye view to be no higher than 5 feet 10 inches. The one-year-old owl has an inconvenient symptom: he’s afraid of heights. After an unfortunate start in life when he fell from his nest by accident, Troy was raised by Gareth Tonen, a handler (饲养员), who just happens to be 5 feet 10 inches tall.
As a result, Troy has grown up without any great ambitions of his own. When it comes to trees, he can’t see what is about and would prefer to fly along at Mr. Tonen’s side. Only when the 25-year-old handler climbs up a tree can Troy be tempted to leave his comfort zone and join him.
Ashley Smith said, “ Troy’s fear of heights was a result of forgetting how to be a bird. He’s been in captivity (被圈养) for as long as he can remember and has never been higher than his handler can lift him. He sees himself as more of a human than an owl, and he doesn’t know how to sit in trees or hunt. Gareth has to almost act like an owl to get Troy to behave like one.”
As a result, a daily tree climb has become part of Troy’s – and Mr. Tonen’s – routine. Ladders have been fixed so Mr. Tonen can climb into the trees and call for Troy, who will fly up and join his handler but go no higher. Most of the time he flies down again, but occasionally Mr. Tonen has to carry him back to ground level. The afternoon ends with a meal of mouse, rabbit or his favorite, chicken.
Mr. Tonen said, “He now looks upon me as his mum or dad. He’s gaining more confidence and if I have to carry on climbing up trees with him then we’ll do what it takes for him to be a high flyer.
【小题1】Troy was brought up by Gareth Tonen because he ______.

第三部分：阅读理解（满分40分，共20小题，每小题2分）
A
Britain almost more than any other country in the world must seriously face the problem of building upwards, that is to say, of accommodating a considerable proportion of its population in high-rise blocks of flats. It is said that an Englishman objects to this type of existence, but if this is so, he differs from most inhabitants of the world today.
In the past, blocks of flats have been associated with the lower income groups, and many of them lacked the obvious provisions, such as central heating, constant hot water supply, electrically operated lifts, and so on. Some even didn’t have facilities for disposal of dust and rubbish or storage places for baby carriages on the ground floor. Many lacked playgrounds for children on the top of their buildings, and drying grounds for washing. It is likely that the dispute regarding flats versus (对抗) individual houses will continue to rage on for a long time as far as Britain is concerned. And it is unfortunate that there should be hot feelings on both sides whenever this subject is raised. Those who oppose the building of flats base their cases primarily on the assumption (设想) that everyone prefers an individual home and garden and on the high cost per unit of accommodation. They, however, ignore the higher cost of providing full services to a scattered community and the cost in both money and time commuting to work for the suburban resident.
61. It can be inferred from the passage that ____.  
A. unlike most people in other countries, English people dislike living in flats
B. people in most countries of the world today like living in the suburbs
C. people in Britain are eager to move into high-rise blocks of flats
D. modern flats in Britain fail to provide the necessary facilities for living
62. What can we learn about the blocks of flats built in the past from the passage? 
A. They were conveniently located.          
B. The people who lived there were not rich.
C. They were usually not large enough for big families to live in.
D. The children who lived in them could play on the top of the buildings.
63. Some people don’t like living in flats because ____. 
A. they must pay much money             
B. they prefer to live in a house with a garden
C. there is no central heating and constant hot water supply
D. the disposal of rubbish is a problem for people living in flats
64. Some people don’t like living in suburban houses because ____.
A. the houses are not large enough
B. people who live in the suburbs must pay much money for the service work
C. people who live in the suburbs have to spend a lot of money and time traveling to work every day
D. it can be difficult for them to do some shopping and to get along well with their neighbors
65. This passage is mainly about __________. 
A. living in high-rise blocks of flats                
B. living in the suburbs
C. the difference in living in a flat in Britain and living in a flat in other countries
D. the attitude of British people towards living in flats

“Football is a very short-term career. Football really prepares you for almost nothing. The only thing I got out of football was the ability to work hard.” says Gales Sayers. So what do you do after your glory days on the field are over? Here’s what one of the top players, Gales Sayers did after he put down the pigskin.

Gales Sayers: #40, Chicago Bears, Running Back.  

Gales Sayers became famous in 1965. After recovering from a serious knee injury in 1968, Sayers returned to the Bears in 1969 and was awarded the George Halas Award as “the most courageous player in professional football.” At the award ceremony, he owed his prize to his friend and teammate Brian Piccolo, who was dying of cancer.

Sayers couldn’t get away from the injuries, though, and another blow to his knee put an end to his football career in 1971. His personal life was unfortunate as well, as he and his wife, Linda, split up that year. Shortly after that, Sayers started a new life and career as an assistant athletic director in the University of Kansas. By 1976 he was moving up the ladder at Southern Illinois University, becoming the first African-American athletic director at a major university.

Sayers started a computer supplies company in 1984 with his second wife, Ardie, whom he married in 1973. The couple was looking for a field with a future, and computers seemed to have it all. Seventeen years later, the company that bears his name is a national provider of technology solutions, with 10 locations and over 350 employees across the country. Just like in the old days the honors started rolling in. Sayers was listed into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship(企业家) Hall of Fame in 1999.

1. What does the underlined sentence “he put down the pigskin” mean?

A. Sayers ended his football career.                     

B. Sayers was too tired to go on playing.

C. Sayers intended to start a new career.              

D. Sayers only wanted to rest for some time.

2.  How many times was Sayers honored in his life?

A. Only once as a football star.                              

B. Only once as a businessman.

C. Twice in all.                                               

D. We are not quite sure.

3.  Sayers started his new career mainly because of _______ .

A. the first knee injury in l 968                                     

B. his unfortunate personal life

C. another more serious knee injury                         

D. a friend’s being deadly ill

4. What can be learned from this passage?

A. Football players are not successful all the time.

B. A successful businessman should be a ball player first.

C. A retired football player can easily make money.

D. Whatever you do, working hard is the most important.

　　As a third-year high school student, I feel that students today study English merely for the purpose of getting high scores in all sorts of so-called English exams. This phenomenon misleads students like my classmates into making a great effort to deal with English exams, not the rich language itself. Needless to say, it is unfortunate.

　　I started the voyage in the ocean of the English language at an early age. Being fed up with reciting each word taught in every class, I soon gained the idea that English was a bore! Luckily for me, under the vivid pen of Charlotte Bronte, the life of Jane Eyre touched me so much that I spent several sleepless nights to read the whole book. This marked the change of my attitude to-wards English from hating to loving. I began to be inspired by the wisdom of European and American literature written in English and was amazed by the beauty and richness of the language. As time went by, the more I read, the more I found English lovely. I could still remember one winter vacation when I raced into one school library to borrow my longed-for English novels. At night, when soft light spread on the pages, my expecting heart beat with the author's. I was so eager to get on with my reading that I could hardly sleep. My world had come alive! I was 16 at the time.

　　Now, I am often asked why I read so many“useless”things in English and how to study English well. My response would be,“Learn English as a language, not as an exam subject.”Then, I caught sight of disappointing eyes and doubts. Indeed, that's what I concluded from my study of the English language. Honestly, to me, English is truly a magic box that can grab my soul and absorb my entire mind. It's filled with wisdom and adventures which are hard to explain and share. I believe many people would agree with me and be sorry for the present situation of high school English teaching. So I'd like to call Upon English learners and friends to save our beloved English from being misconducted.

(1) What makes the author feel unsatisfied in studying English?

[　　]

A．The writer's starting learning English too early.

B．The incorrect aim of studying English.

C．The boring English.

D．The“useless”things on English.

(2) What brought the writer interest in English again?

[　　]

(3) When do you think the writer read the English literature?

[　　]

(4) Who does the writer think are to blame for the unfortunate English study?

[　　]

根据短文内容, 从下面A到F选项中选出能够概括每段主题的最佳选项, 选项中有一项为多余项

(填涂说明：E=A+D   F=B+D   G=C+D )

The extent of your vocabulary indicates the degree of your intelligence. Your brain power will increase as you learn to know more words. Here's the proof. Two classes in a high school were selected for an experiment. Their ages and their environment were the same. Each class represented an identical cross-section of the community. One, the control class, took the normal courses. The other class was given special vocabulary training. At the end of the period the marks of the latter class surpassed those of the control group, not only in English, but in every subject, including mathematics and the sciences. Similarly it has been found by Professor Lewis M.Terman, of Stanford University, that a vocabulary test is as accurate a measure of intelligence as any three units of the standard and accepted Stanford-Binet I.Q. tests.

The study of words is not merely something that has to do with literature. Words are your tools of thought. You can't even think at all without them. Try it. If you are planning to go down town this afternoon you will find that you are saying to yourself: "I think I will go down town this afternoon." You can't make such a simple decision as this without using words. Your words are your keys for your thoughts. And the more words you have at your command the deeper, clearer and more accurate will be your thinking.

A command of English will not only improve the processes of your mind. It will give you assurance; build your self-confidence; lend color to your personality; increase your popularity. Your words are your personality. Your vocabulary is you. Your words are all that we, your friends, have to know and judge you by. You have no other medium for telling us your thoughts-for convincing us, persuading us, giving us orders.

Words are explosive. Phrases are packed with TNT.A simple word can destroy a friendship. The proper phrases in the mouths of clerks have quadrupled the sales of a department store. The wrong words used by a campaign orator have lost an election. For instance, on one occasion the four unfortunate words, "Rum, Romanism and a Rebellion" used in a Republican campaign speech threw the Catholic vote and the presidential victory to Grover Cleveland. Ears are won by words. Soldiers fight for a phrase. "Make the world safe for Democracy." "All out for England." "V for Victory." The " Remember the Maine" of Spanish war days has now been changed to "Remember Pearl Harbor."

Words have changed the direction of history. Words can also change the direction of your life. They have often raised a man from mediocrity to success. If you consciously increase your vocabulary you will unconsciously raise yourself to a more important station in life, and the new and higher position you have won will, in turn, give you a better opportunity for further enriching your vocabulary. It is a beautiful and successful cycle.

（ Today’s opportunity erase yesterday’s failures.）