第二部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分50分）
第一节 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。（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
A
I knew something was wrong when I woke up on April 7th, 2008. My morn was cooking eggs. She never cooked eggs on a school morning. I dragged myself out of bed to see what terrible thing had happened. "Nothing's wrong; I just feel like cooking," was the lie I was told.
I got on the school bus just in time to realize that Melissa wasn't there. When I got to school and found out that Melissa still wasn't there, I pretended to be sick so I could go home and call her. When I called, I was surprised at how weak her voice sounded. Toward the end of the conversation, she went into a series of coughing fits and hung up the phone. Later that night I got the call that changed my life forever. Melissa had terminal (晚期的) cancer and was given a year to live.
Melissa started chemotherapy (化疗) and soon lost her hair. Lots of kids made fun of her, but I stuck by her. Melissa's cancer deteriorated. The doctors said she could go anytime. She was then given one wish. Her wish was to go to the park with me. The doctors wouldn't let us go alone, so her mother agreed to stay in her car down the street.
On April 3rd, 2009, we set off for the park. We went on the swings first and I gently pushed her. After a few minutes, she said with great difficulty, "You walked in when the rest of the world walked out... You're my best friend and I love you." "I know," I said as I hugged her. Her breathing slowed until it faded, and she was gone.
I attended the funeral against my will. As I said goodbye to my dear friend for the final time, I repeated those words she had said to me, "I love you." As I said those words, I knew that she felt the same way up in heaven. She would be looking down on me somehow knowing that would help me go on. Now I realize that a real friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
41．In the first paragraph, the author mentioned that      .
A．he liked eating eggs very much
B．his mother often told lies to him
C．he found it hard to get up early every morning
D．it was unusual for his mother to cook eggs that morning
42．Melissa didn't go to school that day because she      .
A．pretended to be sick
B．was terribly ill
C．went to the park with her mother
D．wouldn't go to school with her hair gone
43．What do we know about the author from the passage?
A．He lived next door to Melissa.
B．He missed the school bus that morning.
C．He asked for sick leave that day.
D．He was absent-minded in class without Melissa that day.
44．The author writes the passage mainly to tell us      .
A．what a real friend means
B．how one of his dear friends died
C．how a good friendship is developed
D．how hard it is to say goodbye to a dear friend

I will be traveling to Australia as a Student Ambassador with People to People. People to People arranges for American students to travel all around the world to learn about other cultures, and to help others understand American culture. The program was founded by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower to promote peace through understanding.

I had to put in many hours of special work to get to this point. First, a teacher nominated (推荐) me, and then I attended an informational meeting about the program. The application process included an interview, and finally, I was accepted.

That’s when the hard work really began. In addition to attending monthly meetings to prepare for the big trip, my parents encouraged my twin sister Beth (also participating in the program) and me to raise $ 2,000 each to help pay for the cost. And so the fund-raising began. We did everything from selling candy bars to selling an old car to decorating people’s mailboxes during the holiday season. We also babysat, washed cars, held a yard sale, and washed windows. After months of hard work I had raised a total of $2319.87! Combined, Beth and I raised over $ 4500.00!

Now I have a problem-packing. Yes, I know it sounds unimportant, but my suitcase seems to have shrunk (收缩) as I placed my belongings inside. According to airline regulations (规定), a suitcase can be no larger than 54 inches and weigh no more than 44 pounds. For a person who likes to wear a different outfit every day, packing all my clothes into such a small space seemed an impossible task. However, I have lessened my load and my suitcase which started out weighting overweight now checks in at a mere 36. Apart from a slightly bloated (臃肿) carry-on bag, my luggage is definitely manageable.

I doubt that I will not get much sleep tonight because I am so excited! I know that what lies ahead is going to be the trip of lifetime!

1.When does the author write the passage?

2.Which of the following is not the aim of People to People program?

3.Which is the correct order of the author’ preparation for the journey?

a. being accepted as a member

b. raising money for the trip

c. attending a meeting about the program

d. packing belongings

e. being nominated by the teacher

4.What does the author think of the journey?

It was graduation day at the university where I work and a beautiful day quite unlike the first graduation I attended as a young professor. On that cold day years ago, as we watched the students walking into the hall, one of my colleagues turned to me and said, "Graduation will be one of the happiest and one of the saddest time of your life." At my inquiry, he answered, "Because the students you have gotten to know have to leave."

As years went by, my previous confusion about my colleague's words no longer existed. When I came across naughty students, I have had to rethink why I chose to be a teacher. It obviously isn't the money. Once a former computer science student of mine called me, asking me if I wanted to have a change. He was working at Nintendo Corporation. His salary was higher than my current one, though I have more education and have worked for over a decade. With my programming skills, he said he could get me hired. I thanked him, but declined his kind offer.

A few days before this current graduation, while working on final grades, I found a note a student had slipped in with her homework. She thanked me for being her teacher and said the things she had learned in my class — not about math, but about life — would be things she would remember long after the math skills had faded away. As I finished reading, I remembered why I had become a teacher.

Now, on this sunny graduation day, as I again observed the sea of blue hats and gowns, I did so with renewed dedication (奉献) and a deeper sense of satisfaction — I will always be grateful that I am a teacher.

Hearing his colleague's description of graduation for the first time, the author         .

A. quite agreed with his colleague        B. thought it very funny

C. was very puzzled                   D. was very sad.

The computer science student called up the author because he         .  

A. wanted to inform the author of his present job

B. tried to persuade the author to work with him

C. wanted the author to share his joy and satisfaction

D. thought the author wasn't fit to be a teacher

The underlined part blue hats and gowns refers to         .  

A. university colleagues                  B. life memories

C. graduates' clothes                     D. decorations in the hall

The author wrote this passage to         .  

A. express his devotion to being a teacher

B. compare two different graduation ceremonies

C. talk about the meaning of graduation

D. give advice on how to be a good teacher

The reason why he earns less than the computer science student is that         . 

A. he was only a young professor   

B. he didn't do well in his work

C. he taught his students more about life than math

D. salaries for different careers are different

It was graduation day at the university where I work and a beautiful day quite unlike the first graduation I attended as a young professor．On that cold day years ago, as we watched the students walking into the hall, one of my colleagues turned to me and said, "Graduation will be one of the happiest and one of the saddest time of your life．" At my inquiry, he answered, "Because the students you have gotten to know have to leave．"
As years went by, my previous confusion about my colleague's words no longer existed．When I came across naughty students, I have had to rethink why I chose to be a teacher．It obviously isn't the money．Once a former computer science student of mine called me, asking me if I wanted to have a change．He was working at Nintendo Corporation．His salary was higher than my current one, though I have more education and have worked for over a decade．With my programming skills, he said he could get me hired．I thanked him, but declined his kind offer．
A few days before this current graduation, while working on final grades, I found a note a student had slipped in with her homework．She thanked me for being her teacher and said the things she had learned in my class—not about math, but about life—would be things she would remember long after the math skills had faded away．As I finished reading, I remembered why I had become a teacher．
Now, on this sunny graduation day, as I again observed the sea of blue hats and gowns, I did so with renewed dedication （奉献） and a deeper sense of satisfaction—I will always be grateful that I am a teacher．
【小题1】Hearing his colleague's description of graduation for the first time, the author __________．

I attended a birthday party in 1991. My teacher was then 59 years old. But her fellow teacher said that we were celebrating her 39^th birthday! We were all surprised and puzzled.

      After the party I was told by the fellow teacher that American women have a special saying about birthdays. If a woman is over 40, or even if she is 80, her birthday is always the 39^th. If she is in her thirties, her birthday will be the 29^th. And in her twenties, it’s the 19^th. They usually have their “real” birthday when they are below 20.

      This shows that American women, especially elderly women, are very sensitive(敏感的) about their ages. But my teacher always says, “We want to be younger,” so about the age of Western women, my advice is that if you don’t know it, don’t ask about it; if you really know it, don’t mention it.

 1. The writer felt the birthday party he attended was ___________.

     A. very interesting    B．very strange     C．very common  D．very sensitive

2.The writer must be from______________.

    A．Western countries            B．Eastern countries

    C．China                      D．the United States

3.In order to please an old Western woman , you can say to her,“____________”

    A．You are so old that you shouldn’t do that.       

B．How old are you?

   C．You look so young and beautiful.        

D．Can I help you, granny?

4.The writer wants to tell us__________________.

     A. that a Western woman always celebrates her 39^th birthday                     

B. not to ask a Western woman’s age whether you know her well or not

  C. to ask a Western woman’s age freely                         

D. not to attend an old Western woman’s birthday party