第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her free time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.

As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip (退稿条) from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and ruined hopes can surface.

A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?”

“No”, she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”

I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.

Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughter’s experience.

While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.

1. What do we learn form the first paragraph?

A. Now too many entertainments take up too much time.

B. Children do find lots of fun in many mindless activities.

C. Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her free time.

D. Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing.

2. What did the author say about her own writing experience?

A. She was constantly under pressure of writing more.

B. Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.

C. She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer.

D. Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.

3. Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest?

A. She had won a prize in the previous contest.

B. She wanted to share her stories with readers.

C. She was sure of winning with her mother’s help.

D. She believed she possessed real talent for writing.

4. What’s the author’s advice for parents?

A. Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions.

B. Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in.

C. Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience.

D. A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue.

A gadget which makes water out of air could become the greatest household invention since the microwave. http://www.7caiedu.cn/gaokao/beijing/

Using the same technology as a dehumidifier（除湿器），the Water Mill is able to create a ready supply of drinking water because it can always get it from an unlimited source—the air．http://www.7caiedu.cn/gaokao/beijing/

The company behind the machine says not only does it offer an alternative to bottled water inhttp://www.7caiedu.cn/gaokao/beijing/

developed countries, but it is a solution for the millions who face a daily water shortage．http://www.7caiedu.cn/gaokao/beijing/

The machine works by drawing in wet air through a filter（过滤器）and over a cooling instrument which changes it into water droplets．It can produce up to 12 liters a day．The Water Mill will also produce more water when storms pass over, as the amount of water which is contained in the air increases. In keeping with its eco-development, the machine uses the same amount of electricity as three lights.     Inventor Jonathan Ritchey said, “The demand for water is off the chart. So people are looking for freedom from water distribution systems that are shaky and unreliable.”

The machine, which is about 3 feet wide, is likely to cost ￡800 when it goes on sale here in the spring. Its maker, Canadian Firm Element Four, roughly calculates that a liter of water costs around 20 pence to produce.

Environmentalists state that half the world’s population will face water shortage because of climate change by 2080. One in five is said to lack access to safe drinking.

The Water Mill is not effective in areas where the amount of water contained in the air is below about 30 percent, but in Britain that won’t be much of a problem.

1.What does the underlined word “it” refer to?

A．Drinking water.  B．Invention.                     C．Microwave.              D．Water Mill.

2.What do we learn about the machine?

A．It works in the same way as microwaves.

B．It is very expensive for families to afford.

C．It absorbs wet air and turns it into water.

D．It helps to make the water clean to drink. http://www.7caiedu.cn/gaokao/beijing/

3.What does the passage lead us to believe? http://www.7caiedu.cn/gaokao/beijing/

A．The cost of water will go up.                            B．Bottled water will disappear soon.

C．The machine is energy saving.                         D．The machine will be popular worldwide.

4.What’s the best title for the passage? http://www.7caiedu.cn/gaokao/beijing/

A．A New Way to Solve Water Problem.          B．A Machine to Make Water out of Air.

C．A Dehumidifier to Produce Water.                  D．An Absolutely New Invention

第三部分 阅读理解 (共20小题；每小题2分，满分40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。

People enjoy taking trips．But what are the reasons they leave home? One reason is for education．People travel because they want to broaden their horizons to learn about other people and other places．They are curious about other cultures．When people are tourists, they get a quick look at different ways of living．Even a short look at another kind of lifestyle is an important lesson．On a trip, a person can learn directly by visiting museums and historic spots．What does a tourist learn who sees the art museums, visits the historical places and other scenic spots in Paris and shops along the River Seine? He gets a vivid picture, a real life of one of the French people．He learns about their attitudes, how they feel about business; beauty and history．What about the tourist who goes to Hong Kong? Does he get the same information that he could get from a book? He might read that Hong Kong is crowded, that there is less than 200 square meters of space for each person．But seeing and feeling the lack of space will impress him much more．He might read that there are nearly 200 vehicles for every kilometer of roadway．But the sight of so many vehicles parked along the roadside would be a much more vivid lesson．The tourist to Hong Kong will never forget the contrasts: the straight vertical lines of tall modern buildings and the moving lines of boats that people live in.

1．Why do people leave home to travel according to passage?

A．For education.                           B．For adventure.

C．To enjoy themselves.                  D．To look for a different lifestyle.

2．What do we learn from the passage about Paris?

A．It has a dense population.

B．It has many towering buildings.

C．There are 200 vehicles for every kilometer of roadway.

D．There are many museums and palaces.

3．What impression will a tourist get of Hong Kong?

A．It has many big and beautiful parks.

B．It is a city of contrasts.

C．It possesses many historical sites.

D．It is an important industrial center.

4．What does the passage tell us about traveling?

A．It makes our life more interesting.

B．It enables us to get first-hand knowledge.

C．It helps develop our personalities.

D．It brings about changes in our lifestyle.

Last year, I met a little boy to whom my heart went out. He would talk to me every single day, and always seemed to have a smile on his face. His problem was that he stuttered (口吃) extremely badly when he tried to talk. It was really hard to understand what he was saying, although he loved to tell big tales!

One morning, I was talking to the teachers who ran the school store. The boy stopped by and said hello to all of us. Afterwards they told me that the boy would stop every day to ask if they would be there the next day. But of course, he never had money to buy anything.

I decided that I would get him a little something just as a surprise. So I picked out a pencil, a rubber, and a small notebook for just $1.00. I cannot describe the look on his face when I gave him the three little things. Then, without a stutter, he loudly said, "Thank you so much!" and just kept repeating, "Thank you! Thank you!" He gave me a big hug before going off to class.

I was touched to see someone appreciate something that much. As he walked off, he was showing his new stuff to other kids walking to class. I have to say that I have never spent a dollar that would mean so much to me.

1.Why did the boy never buy anything from the store?

2.What do we learn from the third paragraph?

3.Which would be the best title for the passage?

4.What is the boy’s attitude to his life?

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。Roy wasn't the only one to receive his call-up（入伍）papers．Stephen Napier's call-up came at the beginning of February and he was pleased to find that he would be going into the Royal Air Force (RAF)．

His father was not so pleased and made his feelings known as he and Stephen were on their daily walk. It was the first step in his plans for Stephen to take over the estate（地产）when the time came, and although Stephen was well aware of this, he could think of no reason not to accompany him.

"Thought you'd forgotten that nonsense. Still, I dare say I could pull a few strings to get you to the Army..."

"No, Father! I have told you I want to learn to fly. What chance would I have to do that in the Army? I'd be better off in the Navy——at least they've got the Fleet Air Arm. But I have been put in the RAF and that's where I want to be, so let's leave it at that." His face went red. Sent to his father's school and then to Cambridge, much to his satisfaction, he had never had to defend his own desires and his father was a hard man to oppose.

The father glared at Stephen, "No, I won't leave it at that. I want to know what other ridiculous ideas are in your head. For a start, what's all this about America?"

"America?"

"Yes. All those books I saw in your room the other day. Brochures about emigration（移民）．"

The big, silvered head lowered, like that of a bull about to charge．"Don't trouble to deny it."

"I won't, Father. Some men at Cambridge have been talking about it. They want people like us here, mathematicians and scientists, for all kinds of research——the sort of research I could do．It would be a worthwhile life for me."

The father responded exactly as his son had known he would．"You've got a worthwhile life here！You've got an estate to run！"

"No, Father. You've got an estate to run. I never asked for it. Why not ask Baden to do this stuff? He perhaps can make a good job of it, but I..."

"If he were here, I might think about this silly idea of yours——only think about it, mind you but..."

1.If Father wanted Stephen to take over the estate, the first thing he did would__________．

A .take a walk with Stephen as usual   

B. wait till his son graduated from Cambridge

C. persuade Stephen not to go into RAF  

D. send Stephen to the Army instead of RAF

2.Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?

A . Stephen preferred to go into the Navy rather than the Army.

B. Stephen also received his call-up papers as Roy.

C. The father didn't like Stephen's idea of going to America.

D. Stephen was eventually forced to stay to run the estate．

3. After reading this passage, we can infer that__________．

A. Stephen had never had to defend his desires before

B. Baden might be one of Stephen's family members

C. Stephen wanted to fly in RAF and become a pilot in America

D. if somebody took over the estate, Stephen could realize his dream

4.What do we learn from the underlined sentence?

A. It looked as if the father was angry when mentioning the brochures.

B. The father was very angry and wanted to beat his son Stephen．

C. Stephen was annoyed when his father referred to the brochures.

D. A big red bull was about to charge at Stephen.

5.Which would be the best title for this passage?

A . RAF——a better choice than the Army   B. A talk between Father and Son

C. The dreams of a Cambridge student   D. Conflict between Father and Son