三、阅读(共两节:满分45分)

　　第一节 阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)

　　阅读下列短文，从26~45各题所给的A、B、C和D项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

　　(A)

　　For his eleventh birthday, Lin was given a gift that would shape his life. On that day his father took him to the Children’s Activity Centre and said he could choose any course that interested him. There was just one requirement: Lin would have to promise to study it for at least one year.

　　To that point Lin had had many hobbies, but none kept his interest for more than a week or two. His mum once gave him a bag of stamps to encourage stamp collecting. That hobby lasted a week. Then his father got him some paints hoping that Lin's artistic side would shine through. Those paints were now under his bed, still unopened. This time Lin’s parents would let him decide.

　　Lin's eyes moved down the noticeboard that listed all the courses on offer. He stopped at "Photography". He liked the idea of taking beautiful pictures but the notice said that each student needed their own camera. Although Lin's family weren't poor, they weren’t rich either, and a camera cost a lot of money. He continued looking.

　　The next course to catch his eye was "Language Art". He didn’t even know what that meant. His father explained that it taught people how to make public speeches. Lin, a shy boy, could think of nothing worse.

　　Then he saw it. "Cooking" sounded like something he'd like to do. It was inexpensive and convenient, it could be done alone and it was also creative.

　　Based on Lin’s hobby history, his dad had doubts, but he agreed. Much to his parents' surprise, Lin kept his promise. He studied cooking at the Centre every Saturday, and practised at home, making delicious meals for his family. Everyone looked forward to birthdays, when they could eat his cakes. Lin got great satisfaction from the pleasure his food brought to others.

　　The months turned to years but his hobby never changed again.

　　Now Lin is an adult and runs a successful restaurant. When customers say they enjoy his meal, he still gets the same pleasure he did as a child, and remembers the special gift he received all those years ago.

　　26. Why didn't Lin choose to study photography?

　　A. It was too expensive.

　　B. He had no interest in it.

　　C. He was not very creative.

　　D. It was not offered that term.

　　27. The underlined expression "catch his eye" in Paragraph 4 means “ ”.

　　A. make him excited

　　B. cause him surprise

　　C. get his attention

　　D. help him see clearly

　　28. Which of the following best describes Lin's interest in cooking?

　　A. It only lasted for a short time.

　　B. It seemed to match his character.

　　C. It was forced on him by his parents.

　　D. It developed slowly over many months.

　　29. Why did the father have doubts about Lin's choice of cooking?

　　A. Lin wasn't good at cooking.

　　B. Cooking wasn't very convenient.

　　C. He didn’t think Lin would continue.

　　D. Cooking wasn't a good hobby for a boy.

　　30. What's the best title for the passage?

　　A. A Strict Father

　　B. A Changeable Boy

　　C. The Fun of Cooking

　　D. The Birthday Gift

　　(B)

　　Experts believe that there are more than 8 million restaurants in the world today. So it might surprise you to learn that restaurants, as we know them, have only existed for a few centuries. Before 1765, there were no restaurants. That is, there were no places that provided the restaurant experience. There was nowhere in which a waiter brought you food and drink that you picked from a menu. In fact, there were no menus anywhere.

　　There were eating places travellers could go to centuries before that. The countryside was full of inns that would serve food. And there were taverns where one could get drinks. The rich could also eat special meals prepared by private cooks. But none of them could be called a “restaurant”.

　　A man called Boulanger changed that. In 1765, he opened a place in Paris that sold soups(汤). On his sign he used the word "restaurant" to describe what he was selling. At that time, soups were considered something that could help "restore"(恢复)your health- in French the word "restore" is “restaurer”--- so he called the soups "restaurants". Soon, people started buying Boulanger's soups even when they were not ill. And over time, people began to use the word "restaurant" to refer to a place selling soup rather than the soup itself. More "restaurants" opened in France, and people began to buy soups more often.

　　Later, restaurants in Paris began to serve other food besides soup. In the 1790s, menus started to appear. By the mid-1800s, there were many types of restaurants throughout the world. The United States offered coffee shops. Tea houses became popular throughout China. Paris created beautiful restaurants for the rich. The British began to copy the French, and the restaurant idea spread throughout the British Empire.

　　Today cities are filled with all types of restaurants. Diners have millions of options from which to choose.

　　31. What is the passage mainly about?

　　A. How restaurants developed

　　B. What made a good restaurant.

　　C. Who created the first restaurant

　　D. Why restaurants became popular.

　　32. According to the first paragraph, what made restaurants different from earlier eating places?

　　A. Restaurants only served food

　　B. Restaurants were more expensive

　　C. Restaurants were mainly in cities

　　D. Restaurants had a list of meal choices

　　33. Who did Boulanger expect to come and eat at his restaurant?

　　A. Rich people

　　B. Sick people.

　　C. Travellers.

　　D. Workers.

　　34. When it was first used. what did the word "restaurant" refer to?

　　A. A person.

　　B. A place.

　　C. Illness.

　　D. Soup.

　　35. When did restaurants begin to grow internationally?

　　A. In the 1600s.

　　B. In the 1700s.

　　C. In the 1800s.

　　D. In the 1900s.

　　(C)

　　Many people know that rubbish is a big problem on planet Earth. What many people don't know is that junk(垃圾)has become a problem in outer space too.

　　According to BBC News, there are more than 22, 000 pieces of space junk floating around the earth. And these are just the things that we can see from the surface of the earth by telescopes (望远镜). There are also millions of smaller pieces of junk that we can't see.

　　Objects, like bits of old space rockets or satellites, move around the planet at very high speeds fast that even a very small piece can break important satellites or become dangerous to astronauts. If the tiniest piece of junk crashed into a spaceship, it could damage the vehicle.

　　To make things worse, when two objects in space crash, they break into many smaller pieces. For example, when a U.S. satellite hit an old Russian rocket in 2009, it broke into more than 2,000 pieces, increasing the amount of space junk.

　　To reduce additional space junk, countries have agreed that all new space tools can only stay in space for 25 years at most. Each tool must be built to fall safely into the earth's atmosphere after that time. In the upper parts of the atmosphere, it will burn up.

　　Many scientists also suggesting different ways to clean up space junk. In England scientists are testing a metal net that can be fired into space junk. The net catches the junk and then pulls it into the earth's atmosphere to burn up. The Germans are building robots that can collect pieces of space junk and bring them back to Earth to be safely destroyed.

　　The problem is becoming more challenging because we're sending more objects into space to help people use their mobile phones and computers,” says Marco Castronuovo, an Italian space

　　Researcher.

　　“The time to act is now. The longer we leave the problem, the bigger it will become,” he says.

　　36. What does the underlined word “these” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

　　A. Telescopes.

　　B. Satellites.

　　C. Pieces of space junk.

　　D. BBC news reports.

　　37. Why is space junk considered a problem?

　　A. It buns up after it re-enters the atmosphere

　　B. It often stops the view of telescopes on Earth

　　C. It could force new space tools to travel at slower speeds

　　D. It may crash into other space tools causing damage or deat

　　38. Countries want future space tools to be able to fall back into the earth's atmosphere so that .

　　A. the tools can be reused later

　　B. the tools don't become space junk

　　C. the earth’s atmosphere can stay clean

　　D. the effects of space flight can be studied

　　39. How do the Germans plan to deal with space junk?

　　A. Catch it with nets.

　　B. Use robots to collect it.

　　C. Burn it in the earth's atmosphere.

　　D. Send it further away from the earth.

　　40. In which section of the newspaper would you probably read this article?

　　A. Environment.

　　B. Local News.

　　C. Education.

　　D. Fashion.

　　(D)

Science for Kids This month's most popular books
1.Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky Price $25 We all know the story of Marie Curie and her many scientific achievements. But many other brilliant female scientists are far less well known. This book is a great introduction to the lives and works of some of the most important and up-to-now unknown women in science. Recommended for Ages: 12-15   Order Now	Special Offer For this month only, all Bestbooks Book Club members will pay 20% less for every book ordered. Join our club for free and save big money!
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　　41. How are the books on this webpage listed?

　　A. By price.

　　B. By popularity.

　　C. By reader’s age.

　　D. By writer’ s name.

　　42. What is true about the book Women in Science?

　　A. It is mainly about Marie Curie's history.

　　B. It lists all the important scientific achievements.

　　C. It includes women scientists that aren’t famous.

　　D. It is mostly about the development of modem science.

　　43. How much will a Bestbooks Book Club member pay in total if he orders First Big Book of How and A Really Short History of Nearly Everything today?

　　A. $34.

　　B. $30.

　　C. $26.

　　D. $24.

　　44. A primary school student who needs to write a science report about African elephants should choose .

　　A. Women in science

　　B. First Big Book of How

　　C. A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

　　D. National Geographic's First Big Book of the World

　　45. What is the main purpose of this webpage?

　　A. To sell books to young readers.

　　B. To attract new book club members.

　　C. To encourage students' interest in science.

　　D. To review books young readers might like.