任务型阅读  (共10小题;每小题1分,满分10分)

One of the most well-known directors of our time is Stephen Spielberg. He was born in Cincinnati on 18 December 1946. His father was an electric engineer and his mother was a performing pianist. His sister, Anne Spielberg, became a screenwriter who wrote the stories for many famous films.

Stephen had always wanted to be a director ever since he was a young boy. When he was just 13 years old, he made a 40-minute film. It won a local competition. Three years later, he produced a film called Firelight, which made one hundred dollars’ profit at the cinema in his hometown. Many of the ideas from this film were later used for one of his most famous films called Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

When he was 18 years old, he wanted to go to film school so that he could improve his skills and become an even better director. Unluckily, he was unsuccessful in getting a place at this school so he went to a university in California to study English. Even though he had failed to get into the school he wanted to go to, he didn’t let this stop him following his dream to become a great director.

Stephen Spielberg has directed many films since his first major film in 1976. He now owns many different businesses, most of which are involved in the film industry.

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36－55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

James shook his money box again. Nothing! He carefully   36  the coins that lay on the bed. $24.52 was all that he had. The bicycle he wanted was $90!  37   on earth was he going to get the   38  of the money? He knew that his friends all had bicycles. It was   39  to hang around with people when you were the only one without wheels. He thought about what he could do. There was no   40   to ask his parents, for he knew they had no money to  41  . There was only one way to get money, and that was to   42   it. He would have to find a job.  43   who would hire him and what could he do? He decided to ask Mr Clay for advice, who usually had    __44  in most things. "Well, you can start right here," said Mr Clay. "My windows need cleaning and my car needs washing." That was the  45  of James’s odd-job (零工) business. For three months he worked every day after finishing his homework. He was surprised by the  46   jobs that people found for him to do. He took dogs and babies for walks, cleared out cupboards, and mended books. He lost count of the   47  of cars he washed and windows he cleaned, but the  48  increased and he knew that he would soon have  49  for the bicycle he was dying for. The day   50   came when James counted his money and found $94.32. He   51  no time and went down to the shop to pick up the bicycle he wanted. He rode   52   home, looking forward to showing his new bicycle to his friends. It had been hard   53  for the money, but James knew that he valued (重视) his bicycle far more 54   he had bought it with his own money. He had   55  what he thought was impossible, and that was worth even more than the bicycle.

36. A. cleaned                      B. covered                   C. counted                          D. checked

37. A. How                         B. Why                       C. Who                              D. What

38. A. amount                     B. part                         C. sum                               D. rest

39. A. brave                        B. hard                         C. smart                                    D. unfair

40. A. need                         B. reason                     C. result                                    D. right

41. A. separate                    B. spend                          C. spare                              D. save

42. A. borrow                     B. earn                        C. raise                               D. collect

43. A. Or                            B. So                          C. For                                D. But

44. A. decisions                   B. experience                      C. opinions                         D. knowledge

45. A. beginning                  B. introduction             C. requirement                    D. opening

46. A. similar                             B. ashamed                  C. peaceful                         D. various

47. A. brand                        B. number                   C. size                                D. type

48. A. effort                        B. pressure                   C. money                            D. trouble

49. A. all                                B. enough                    C. much                                    D. some

50. A. finally                             B. instantly                  C. normally                        D. regularly

51. A. gave                         B. left                         C. took                               D. wasted

52. A. patiently                   B. proudly                   C. silently                           D. tiredly

53. A. applying                        B. asking                     C. looking                          D. working

54. A. since                         B. if                            C. than                               D. though

55. A. deserved                   B. studied                    C. achieved                         D. learned

Liu Xiang, super star in the Asian Games, arrived on Tuesday morning, looking to retaining the men’s 110m hurdles champion and breaking his own Asian record.

The 23-year-old Chinese star, who shattered the world record when he clocked 12.88 seconds at an IAAF meet（国际业余田径会） in Lausanne last July, is expected to round off（圆满) his sizzling season in style with a second Asian Games gold. “Liu’s aim at Doha is to reach 13.20 seconds,” said Liu’s coach Sun Haiping. That meant Liu would break the Asian Games record of 13.27 seconds set by Liu himself at the Bussan Asian Games in South Korea in 2002.

“Everything is fine. It feels so good to come with many athletes to attend the Doha Asian Games. You got a lot of people to chat with,” Liu said. Liu said he watched Doha Asian Games matches on TV in China. “China now tops the gold medal list. I am excited about this.”

Liu, now a world star, was approached by many people for photo opportunities with him from the very start of his flight journey. Liu first came into international spotlight in Bussan Asian Games after grabbing the 110m  hurdles champion when he scored a runaway（压倒性的）victory with the games record of 13.27 seconds.

He then became the first Chinese man to win a track and field Olympic gold medal after historically taking the Olympic champion at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

“A lot of things changed during the past several years,” Liu said. “But I wish people would treat me like before.” Liu is expected to win easily at Doha, and the only suspense（悬念）is his new Asian Games record.

As a shining international star, Liu’s appearance at the 15th Asian Games is expected to draw lots of attention.

56. The record of 13.27 seconds was set by Liu Xiang at ______.

   A. the Athens Olympic Games      B. an IAAF meet in Lausanne

   C. the Bussan Asian Games         D. the 15th Asian Games

57. We can infer from the passage that ________.

   A. Liu Xiang will surely break the men’s 110m hurdles record at Doha Asian Games

   B. no Chinese had ever got champion in track and field events at Olympic Games before Liu Xiang

   C. a lot of attention will be paid to Liu Xiang in Doha Asian Games

   D. Liu Xiang is a man hard to get along with and he doesn’t like to make friends.

58. What is the best title of this passage?

   A. Liu Xiang’s arrival in Doha on Tuesday    

B. Liu Xiang, the champion in the men’s 110m hurdles.

C. Liu Xiang will break a new world record

D. Liu Xiang, Chinese pride

  Each time I see a balloon, my mind flies back to a memory of when I was a six-year-old girl. It was a rainy Sunday and my father had recently died. I asked my mom if Dad had gone to heaven. "Yes, honey. Of course." she said.

    "Can we write him a letter?"

    She paused, the longest pause of my short life, and answered, "Yes."

    My heart jumped. "How? Does the mailman go there?" I asked.

    "No, but I have an idea." Mom drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon. I asked her what it was for.

    "Just wait, honey. You'll see." Mom told me to write my letter. Eagerly, I got my favorite pen, and poured out my six-year-old heart in the form of blue ink. I wrote about my day, what I learned at school, how Mom was doing, and even about what happened in a story I had read. For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive. I gave the letter to Mom. She read it over, and a smile crossed her face.

    She made a hole in the corner of the letter where she looped (缠绕) the balloon string. We went outside and she gave me the balloon. It was still raining.

    "Okay, on the count of three, let go. One, two, three."

   The balloon, carrying my letter, darted (猛冲) upward against the rain. We watched until it was swallowed by the mass of clouds.

   Later I realized, like the balloon, that Dad had never let his sickness get him down. He was strong. No matter what he suffered, he'd persevere, dart up, and finally transcend (超越) this cold world and his sick body. He rose into sky and became something beautiful. I watched until the balloon disappeared into the gray and white and I prayed that his strength was hereditary (遗传的). I prayed to be a balloon.

56. When the girl asked her mother if they could write to her father, her mother _________.

A. felt it hard to answer                       B. thought her a creative girl

C. believed it easy to do so                     D. found it easy to lie

57. When the girl was told that she could send a letter to her father, she _________.

A. jumped with joy                                  B. became excited

      C. started writing immediately                   D. was worried that it couldn't be delivered

58. In the eyes of the author, what was the rain like?

A. An incurable disease.                       B. An unforgettable memory.

C. The hard time her father had.                       D. The failures her father experienced.

59. What would be the best title for the passage?

      A. An unforgettable experience                          B. The strong red balloon

C. Fly to paradise                             D. A great father

In Kansas at the turn of the century, Edwin and Amy Earhar doted on （溺爱）their active daughters, Amelia and Muriel. Edwin gave the girls footballs and rifles, while Amy shocked the community by dressing them in gym suits instead of skirts. Edwin's job caused the family to move from town to town, and the girls’ interest in rough sports and shooting rats raised eyebrows wherever they went.
   Amelia's parents did not pressure her to reform as she grew older, even when she dabbled（轻率地对待） in the domains of science and automobile mechanics. But in 1920, when she went aloft（在空中） at an air show and returned home determined to learn how to fly, even her liberal Parents hesitated. They soon gave in, however, and within months Amelia was flying a Kinner Airster her mother helped her buy.
56. According to the passage, Edwin gave the girls which of the following items?
  A. An airplane          B. Footballs                 C. An automobile         D. Gym suits
57. It may be inferred from the passage that, at the turn of the century, it was LEAST common
   for girls to____.
  A. wear skirts                                              B. have doting parents  

C. move from town to town                       D. play with rifles
58. In what way did Amelia's mother help Amelia in her career?
  A. By helping her to buy a plane                   B. by taking her to an air show
  C. By pressuring her to become a pilot      D. By giving her flying lessons

A few months ago, I had the responsibility of delivering some donations to the local City Mission, a place where the homeless, and often the injured can find shelter from a life that has been turned upside down for them．

It was late autumn, and already the promise of winter was whispering through the open windows of the Mission’s storage area．

After setting the donations near the storing table, I said goodbye to the worker, and headed back through the dining area towards the door．

I was careful not to notice the people sitting at the tables, choosing to leave before feeling the guilt of my “having”, in the midest of so many who have nothing．

But it was not to be．

“Not yet,” I heard a woman’s voice say, “Not till we pray．”

I was behind them when the mother bowed her head and began one of the most heartfelt prayers I have ever heard, and I stopped where I was to look over at the table, A young mother was there with her two young boys, one about three years old on her left; the other, about five, on her right． Both were waiting , heads bowed, eyes closed．

My heart broke as I watched and listened． She was in a leg cast, and scars covered her arms, her face and head．

One of the younger ladies working at the Mission had come to stand beside me, and she whispered, “She’s a single mom; her husband just took off one day and didn’t come back． She came here when their apartment caught fire． She was burned getting her kids out．”

She started to say something else but stopped．

We were silent…and the words this young mother said in our silence will always follow me, “…and thanks for the fruit on the ground, when I just can’t reach the tree．”

56．What did the author go to the local Cith Mission to do?

       A．To send some things there．        

       B．To donate some food to the poor．

       C．To take care of the homeless．    

       D．To find a job there as a volunteer．

57． By saying“Not yet”, the woman probably wanted to _____________．

       A．thank the author for sending the food   

       B．ask her children to pray before eating

       C．blame those who have too much         

       D．pray for the happiness of her children

58．Why did the woman come to the City Mission?

       A．Because her husband left her and her children．        

       B．Because she suffered from a serious disease．

      C．Because her house caught fire suddenly．             

       D．Because she was out of work．

59．From the last paragraph, we can infer that the woman was________．

      A．happy to find the fallen fruit on the ground．         

       B．regretful for not climbing the tree for the fruit．

      C．satisfied to pick up the fruit for her children．        

       D．grateful for the help she received．

It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night. The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently.

    My father realised it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him. I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same. I' m so glad I did.

    On the way to the harbour we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape. After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea. As we got on board, we noticed two big humps (脊背) in the distance.

    On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby. We couldn't believe it — there aren't any whales along the coast here. The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive.

    The little baby whale —actually as big as our boat — was obviously stuck and could not move. The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools (漩涡) and waves. "She's trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side," my father said. At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently. With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water. Then it swam up right beside its mum. They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction. We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel. Slowly, they let us lead them, sometimes rising from the water right beside us to breathe -- and to give us a trusting look with those huge eyes. Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance.

    In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half. That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day. Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea.

56. The author says "I' m so glad I did." ( in Para. 2) because _________.

   A. he witnessed the whole process of fishing

   B. he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea

   C. he experienced the rescue of the whales

   D. he spent the weekend with his family

57. The mother whale failed to help her baby because __________.

   A. she had stayed in the polluted water for too long

   B. the whirlpools she had made were not big enough

   C. she had no other whales around to turn to for help

   D. the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction

58. What is the theme of the story?  

A. Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness. 

   B. Fishing provides excitement for children.[

   C. It's necessary to live in harmony with animals.

   D. It's vital to protect the whale in the ocean.

Pennsylvania—When Connie Beck and her husband awoke to strange noises last weekend, they thought high winds were rattling(使发出响声) their home.]

   What they found was even more unexpected: A deer was taking a bubble(泡沫) bath in their bathtub.

   “I wasn’t exactly dressed for company,” Mrs. Beck said. “We were just waking up.”

   The deer burst through the front door early on Saturday, ran past the couple’s bedroom and into the bathroom.

   Somehow he managed to turn on the water in the bathtub and knock over a bottle of bubble bath into the bathtub.

   He then got himself into the bubbly water.

   “You could hear the water running over the kicking,” Beck said.

   The Becks called State Game Commission officials, who arrived with tranquilizers(镇静剂) and a lot of laughter.

   “A guy said, ‘There’s nothing wrong… he’s just in there taking a bubble bath,’” Mrs. Beck said.

    The animal was soon brought under control, removed from the house and allowed to go.

   “He was unharmed except for a little cut above the eye,” said Mrs. Beck. “We were also fortunate. There wasn’t much damage, except for the front door, some marks on the tub, and a few hoof(蹄) prints on the floor.”

60. When did the story take place?

       A. On the night of Friday.     B. On the late night of Saturday.

       C. On the early morning of Saturday.   D. On Sunday evening.

61. When Mrs. Beck said, “I wasn’t exactly dressed for company,”(in paragraph 3) she ______.

       A. was joking about the incident

       B. meant she never liked people to visit

       C. explained she was about to go to work

       D. wished she could have new clothes

62. After the animal burst through the door and entered the bathroom, he _______.

       A. managed to cover himself with bubbles  

       B. kicked over the tub

       C. began to swim in the tub

       D. happened to turn on the bath taps

63. When he was removed from the house, _______.

       A. the deer was set free 

       B. the deer destroyed the tub and the floor

       C. the officials made fun of the couple

D. officials discovered the deer was badly injured in the eye

Gwyn, my youngest daughter, held Tiger as we drove down the country road to the vet’s（兽医） on what was to be his last Friday morning. Privately, both of us nursed a forlorn (几乎无望的) hope. We joked and laughed, trying to ignore the shadow hanging over the cat sitting very quietly in her arms.                

At 16, Tiger was old for a cat. In quiet dignity, he let Gwyn pet him, perhaps understanding that this was a special trip. I glanced at the two as I drove, and thought back to the day when Tiger entered our lives.

He had been a Christmas present to my second son Brian, handed down—as were his clothes and toys—from his older brother. Sadly, even our dogs had neglected Brian, responding much more eagerly to my commands, and those of my wife and older boy.

And so, on Christmas Day 1954, I rose early with my wife to put the tiny kitten（小猫） a neighbor had given us into the stocking that Brian had carefully hung to the mantel the night before. The first of my vivid memories involving Tiger is the look of joy on Brian’s face when he saw the kitten’s face ,when he saw the kitten’s head poking out of the stocking, and heard the plaintive “meow” that proved his present was alive.

From then on, Tiger’s life was filled with love. Brian cared for him tenderly, fed him, played with him. For a sometimes rough, sometimes clumsy child, Brian showed a gentleness with Tiger that was amazing. And at midnight, I would invariably find Tiger on Brian’s bed, stretched out beside him.

My next clear memory of Tiger is also a happy one, which came after near-tragedy. One evening our next-door neighbor rang the front doorbell. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this,” she said when my wife answered the door, “but when I backed out of the driveway this noon, I’m afraid I ran your cat. I tried to help him, but he jumped up and ran away. I don’t know where he went or how badly he was hurt.”

Four weeks passed with no sign of Tiger. Soldier-like, Brian tried to hide his fear that his friend had crawled away to die. It was a fear we all shared. And we came to accept his death—all of us except Brian.

Every evening Brian would go to the door and call Tiger’s name. Finally, on the 28^th day after the neighbor’s announcement, Brian had an answer. Out from under the front porch came Tiger, his tail high, walking with the pride and majesty he customarily displayed, behaving as if he had never been away. As he approached the door, Brian’s face was transformed with joy. But neither he nor Tiger displayed open affection in front of the family. There was a calm acceptance, an honoring by each of the other’s dignity. That night, though, when I checked Brian’s room, I saw that his cheeks were wet and a blissful smile was on his face. And his arm encircled his cat, who lay purring quietly beside him.

64. From the first paragraph, we know that _________.

A. Tiger was a cat and was dying      

B. Tiger was a real tiger and was dying

C. Tiger was the second son of the writer

D. Tiger was a Christmas present to the writer’s daughter

65. The accident happened to Tiger was that _________.

A. Tiger had a serious disease

B. Tiger was hit by the car when the neighbor backed out of the driveway

C. Tiger had crawled away to die

D. Tiger was hit to death

66. Which of the following statements is wrong?

A. Tiger’s life was filled with love.

B. Brian loved Tiger very much and tried his best to care for him.

C. When there was no sign of Tiger, Brian didn’t believe that he was dead.

D. When Tiger approached the door, Brian burst into tears.

67. From the passage we can draw a conclusion that_________.

A. in America, people love pets such as cats and dogs

B. there are at least five people in the family

C. boys like to look after animals

D. boys like to sleep with cats lying beside them

John H. Johnson was born in a family in Arkansas City in 1918. His father died in an accident when John was six. He was reaching high school age, but his hometown offered no high schools for the blacks.

Fortunately he has a strong-willed and caring mother. John remembers that his mother told him many times, “Son, you can be anything you really want to be if you just believe.” She told him not to be dependent on others, including his mother. “You have to earn success”, said she, “all the people who work hard don’t succeed, but the only people who do succeed are those who work hard.”

These words came from a woman with less than a third grade education. She also knew that believing and working hard don’t mean everything. So she worked hard as a cook for two years to save enough to take her son to Chicago.

Chicago in 1933 was not the Promised Land that black southerners were looking for. John’s mother could not find work. But here John could go to school, and here learned the power of words—as an editor of a newspaper. His wish was to publish a magazine for the blacks.

While others discouraged him, John’s mother offered him more words to live by: “Nothing beats a failure but a try.” She also let him sell her furniture to get the 500 dollars he needed to start the Negro magazine.

It’s natural that difficulties and failures followed John closely until he became very successful. He always keeps his mother’s words in mind. “Son, failure is not in your dictionary.” Now John H. Johnson is one of the 400 richest people in America—worth 150 million dollars.

68. The underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph means ________ .

A. if you try, you will surely succeed          B. a try is always followed by a failure

C. only by trying can you get out of failure     D. a failure is difficult to beat, even if you try

69. We can learn from this passage that John’s mother ________ .

didn’t depend on others or give up easily

thought success only lied in a strong faith

thought one could be whatever one wanted to be

believed one would succeed without working hard

70. What can be inferred from this passage?

If someone wants to be successful, he should always stand firm.

Chicago was not the Promised Land for the black southerners in 1933.

John’s father died in an accident during the war.

John’s mother was caring for him.