VI.阅读理解 阅读下列短文，从每题A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出一个能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳答案。(15分)

　　A

　　Paula was seven that year. One day, she saw Mom making clothes. When Paula asked who the clothes were for, Mom said they were for the poor people. On Christmas morning, Paula opened her presents and saw those beautiful clothes she had seen Mom making. “I thought the clothes were for

　　The poor people,” said Paula. Mom smiled and said, “They are for the poor people. We’re poor.”

　　When Paula was nine, her greatest wish was to own a pogo stick(弹簧单高跷). When Christmas season came again, she told Mom all she wanted was a pogo stick. Mom told her they couldn’t afford one. One a Saturday morning before Christmas, Paula went shopping with her parents. While they were buying fruit, Dad said: “I need to buy some tools. I’ll be back soon.” Later, Paula and Mom got In their truck. Soon Dad walked out with a long thin box. Paula wondered if it was a pogo stick in the box.

　　When they got back home, Dad put the box in the storeroom. That afternoon, while her parents were busy doing housework, Paula walked secretly into the storeroom and found the box. There was a silly old broom(扫帚) in the box! Paula was so disappointed. On Christmas morning, she got some gifts, but she didn’t get what she really wanted. Then Paula saw Dad enter the storeroom. He came back carrying a beautiful pogo stick! She couldn’t believe it!

　　That was many years ago. But Paula recalls those sweet memories every Christmas season. Her parents didn’t have much money, but they gave her the most important gift of all, full of love. She will never forget all the joy her parents brought into her life.

　　71. Paula’s parents gave her ___________ as a Christmas gift when she was seven.

　　A. a new computer B. a nice pencil C. beautiful clothes D. delicious food

　　72. At the age of___________, Paula wished to have a pogo stick.

　　A. eight B. nine C. ten D. eleven

　　73. Paula’s father went back to their truck with a ___________ .

　　A. bag B. hat C. map D. box

　　74. Paula’s parents were___________when she walked secretly into the storeroom.

　　A. sleeping B.eating dinner C. doing housework D. feeding cows

　　75. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

　　A. The Great Gift B. A Nice Pogo Stick

　　C. A Kind Little Girl D. Paula And Her Mom

　　B

　　Sometimes, little things can bring big changes. Justice and Nathaniel are learning this with music. A cello and a violin brought big changes to their lives.

　　Justice and Nathaniel are in sixth grade. They go to a middle school named Northwest School of the Arts. They used to go to Winterfield Elementary School. Winterfield has a program with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (CSO). The CSO program teaches kids how to play musical instruments. Justice learned to play the violin. Nathaniel learned to play the violin and the cello. They are the first students from the program to go to Northwest.

　　For the past six years, the CSO has given after-school music classes at Winterfield. Most of the kids in the school come from poor homes. It’s difficult for their parents to afford music lessons. The CSO wants the kids to learn about music, and it also wants them to stay out of trouble and get better grades.

　　The program was started to teach kids about music. It wants to help kids in other ways, too. Kids are allowed to take smaller instruments home to practice. This teachers them to take responsibility for something valuable. The program also encourages cooperation(合作). Students must spend time with children they might know outside of the program. And also, the program teaches practice habits. When students get better after practice, they learn that practice is good.

　　Students use the first year to explore and find a “forever instrument.” Justice tried out the clarinet and cello before picking a violin.Nathaniel liked the trumpet but decided on the cello and violin.

　　“When I started, it actually looked easy, but I knew it would get tougher,” says Nathaniel. “Practicing is a pleasure. I’m always trying to get a song perfect, so I’m playing 15-20-25 minutes a day.”

　　Thanks to music, Justice and Nathaniel got into a good middle school. Justice’s mom said she is very glad that he does well in class and that he likes it. “It makes a big difference,” Nathaniel’s dad said.

　　76.The word “cello” in the passage is most probably ___________.

　　A. a musical instrument B. an expert in music C. a famous musician D. a music program

　　77. From Paragraph 2, we can learn that Justice and Nathaniel ___________.

　　A. are six-year-old school boys B. are learning art in a primary school

　　C. are middle school students D. worked for a school music program

　　78. Which of the following is true about the CSO program?

　　A. It trains music teachers for a school. B. It gives kids after-school music classes.

　　C. It teaches each kid to play the violin. D. It tries to raise money to help poor kids.

　　79. Paragraph 4 mainly talks about ___________.

　　A. how to become a responsible person B. the importance of cooperation

　　C. how to take part in the music program D. The goals of the music program

　　80. From the last paragraph, we know that Justice’s mom and Nathaniel’s dad ___________.

　　A. are both music teachers in the program B. are happy about the program

　　C. have different opinions about the program D. don’t think the program useful

　　C

　　It is nearly impossible to answer the question when or where baseball started. Several cultures created games which involve(涉及) hitting a ball with a bat and running. But there were several rules that made them quite different from each other. The game of baseball itself has improved over time and has several changes from its early version(版本).

　　When did baseball start in the US? As the legend goes, the game we know as baseball today was invented or at least built with an accepted set of rules by Alexander Joy Cartwright. As there is little proof(证据) that baseball was played in the United States before Alexander Joy Cartwright wrote up the rules of baseball, it has been formally accepted that Cartwright is, if not the biological, the the most suitable father of baseball.

　　The legend further goes that baseball, which has grown to become a hugely popular game in the United States today, was invented in a famous Manhattan based club called the Knickerbockers. So the name for the rules set by Alexander Joy Cartwright was then called “the Knickerbockers Rules”. The first New York baseball team was called the New York Knickerbockers. Having created the rules, Cartwright was naturally the judge (裁判) for the first ever baseball game played in the United States base on the rules.

　　Cartwright’s contribution(贡献) to baseball doesn’t just end in setting the rules for the game. He is also known for popularizing the game and its rules over the United States. Cartwright. Who traveled to California during California Golf Rush, spread the knowledge of baseball pretty much at every stop on his way from New York to California.

　　Till about the late 1860s, baseball was largely an amateur game until a Cincinnati club—the Cincinnati Red Stockings, which is known to almost all Americans—decided to recruit(招募) the best players for prize money. The first professional baseball league in the United States was the National Association of Professional Baseball Players, which was set up in 1871.

　　81. From Paragraph 1, we can learn that baseball___________.

　　A. is a game with a long history B. is popular all over the world

　　C. has experienced some changes D. had strict rules as it appeared

　　82. According to the passage,which of the following is true about Cartwright?

　　A. He made baseball very popular in the world. B. He made the rules for baseball.

　　C. He chose the judge for the first baseball game. D. He was a famous baseball player.

　　83. What does the underlined word “amateur” most probably mean in Chinese?

　　A. 常规的 B. 团体的 C. 激烈的 D. 业余的

　　84. What does the writer’s purpose of writing the passage?

　　A. To introduce the history of baseball. B. To encourage people to play baseball.

　　C. To introduce the inventor of baseball. D. To show people how popular baseball is.

　　85. The passage is most probably taken from___________.

　　A. a news report B. a sport poster C. a history book D. a sports magazine