72. How does the author feel about his childhood?

A. It was endless.　　　　　　　　 B. It was unpleasant.

C. He is glad that it is over.　 　　　 D. He misses it as a grown-up

59. What can we learn from the text?

A. Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment

B. Many storm chasers get killed in the storms.

C. Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world/

D. Storm chasing is only fit for young people.

答案　 56.D　 57.B　 58.C　 59.A

Passage 97

(06·安徽E篇)

Childhood was an illusion (错觉) and the illusion was this: everything was bigger. No, Imean everything, not just houses and shops and grown-ups, but colors and flowers and journeys, especially journeys which seemed endless. “Are we there yet, Daddy?”

Funfairs (游乐场) were huge things that spread for miles around you with noise and lights and exciting danger. Rainy days at home when you were ill seemed to last for ever. Being a grown-up yourself was an unthinkable distant possibility. Every sound was louder, every game was grander, every pain unbearable.

As I’ve grown old, life has become smaller. Tastes have bulled. Surprises have lurned into shocks. Days go by unnoticed. How can I regain childhood when it was an illusion?

I have only one repeatable and wonderful way and even in this way I can regain only part of that larger world. I can play upon the stage like a child and make the crowd laugh and laugh with them, sometimes helplessly like a child, and then, even though I’m a sixty-one-year-old man, I can almost catch the colors and sounds and stillness of those bigger years when I was little.

58. By saying “it is all worth it” in the last paragraph, the author means that　　　　　　 .

A. storm chasing costs　 a lot of money

B. storm chasing is worth hours of waiting

C. efforts in storm chasing are well paid

D. a storm presents the greatest show on Earth

57. Beginners of storm chasing are advised　　　　　　 .

A. not to drive in a heavy rain

B. to do it in an organized way

C. not to get too close to a storm

D. to spend more time on it in summer

56. For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to　　　　　 .

A. head straight for the center of the storm

B. get into the car for safety

C. wait patiently for the storm to develop

D. collect information about a coming storm

62.The author of the passage ________.

A.misunderstands oral culture

B.doubts the Americans to read more

C.encourages the Americans to read more

D.agrees to the solution to present problem in reading

答案　 59.C　 60.D　 61.B　 62.C

Passage 96

(06·安徽A篇)

When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly ad possible and head for safety. But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm. These people are willing to risk(冒…危险)being killed by floods or 100-kilometer-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.

“Storm chasing(追逐)” is becoming an increasingly popular hobby(喜好), especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frepuent storms between March and July. A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to 1,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and wits for it to develop.

Although anyone can do it , storm chasing is extremely dangerous. The power of a big storm can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds. Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain. If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm-chasing vacations during the storm season.

Even then, storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement . “Storm chasing is 95% driving,” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm-chasing. “Sometimes you can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen, and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”

However, for storm chasers, it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm, it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life,” says Jasper Morley. “Every storm is an example of the power of nature, It is the greatest show on Earth.”

61.The underlined phrase “cultural chang”in Paragraph 2 refers to the change _______.

　 A.from oral culture to electronic media

　 B.from print culture to electronic to electronic media

　 C.from electronic media to oral

　 D.from electr onic media to print culture

60.According to the passage ,reading _______.

　 A.requires less attention and devotion

　 B.demsnds no more than passive participation

　 C.limits various communications and views

　 D.means active participation in pubnlic and cultural life

59.The main purpose of the survey is to _______.

　 A.focus on the role of electronic media ang reading

　 B.show that American young people read less and less

　 C.give a report of the national of literary reading

　 D.review that less that half of the population now reads litersture

75. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage? ________.

　 A. To discuss why people like talking about weather.

　 B. To encourage people to join in conversations.

　 C. To persuade people to stop making noises.

　 D. To explain why people keep talking.

答案　 72.D　 73.C　 74.B　 75.D

Passage 95

(06·湖南B篇)

For the first time in modern history,less than half of the U.S.adult population now reads literature,according to a recent survey.Reading at Risk A Survey of Lilerary Reading in America presents a detailed review of the decline of reading’s role in the nation’s culture.

Reading at Risk is a survey of national fashion in adult literary reading.The data souree for Reading at Risk is as reliable and objective(客观的)as any such survey can be.The key results of the survey are presented in the “Surnmary”,but the report can be further exploined as:literary teading in America is not only declining rapidly among all groups,but　 the rate of decling has been speeded up,especially among the young.Reading at Risk merely shows a great cultural change that most Americans have already noted－our society’s great turn to clectronic media for entertainment and information.

Reading a book requires a degree of active attention and devotion.Indced,reading itself is a progressive skillo that depends on years of cducation nand practice.On the contrary,most electronic media such as television,recordings,and radio make fewer demands on their audiences,and indced require no more than passive participation.While oral culture has a rich reality and electronic media offer the commdenbic atteation of variety.print culture affords irreplaceable forms of focused and thought than make varicen communications and views possible.The deline in reading.thenfore ,equals a larger retreat(减少)from participation in public and culutural life.

　 What is to be done?There is surely no single solution to the pretent problem.just as there is no single cause .The important thing now is to underwand that America can no longer take active and devoted reading for granted.

　 Reading is not a timeless,common ability.As more Americans love thus ability .out nation becomes less informed,active ,and independent minded .There are not speakeras that a free, inventive,or productive society can afford to love.