C. she would be praised by teachers D. her friends would not be late 46. What happened to Julia in the end ?

A. she was popular in her class . B. she was able to attend the field trip . C. she was not allowed to go to school . D. she was not understood by teachers . 47. From this story , we can learn that ____________. A. parents are always on our side

B. helping friends often gets us in trouble C. we should be responsible for breaking the rules D. we can be late for class if it is for a good reason

C

Do you know that some people don’t do their reading assignments（任务）？It’s shocking , but it’s true . Some students don’t even read short texts that they assigned in class . There are many reasons for this . They may be unwill ing to focus . They may be unconfident readers . Whatever the reason is , it has to stop today . Here’s why .

Reading stimulates（刺激）your mind . It is like a workout for your brain . When people get old , their muscles begin to weaken and their strength leaves them . Exercise can prevent this loss . The same thing happens to people’s brains when they get older . Brain power and speed decline with age . Reading strengthens your brain and prevents these declines . You can benefit from reading in the near-term , too .

Reading provides knowledge . Knowledge is power . Therefore , reading can make you a more powerful person . You can learn to do new things by reading . Do you want to make video games ? Do you want to design clothing ? Reading can teach you all this and more . But you have to get good at reading , and the only way is to practice .

Reading expands your vocabulary . Read everything that you can at school , no matter whether you find it interesting or not . Even a “boring” text can teach you new words . Having a larger vocabulary will help you better express yourself . You will be able to speak , write and think more intelligently . What’s boring about that ?

Reading can change the way that you understand the word. Do not just discount(忽视) a text because it is unfamiliar to you . Each time you read , you are introduced to new ideas and given broader views on things . You can learn how people live in faraway places . You can learn about cultures different from your own . Reading is good for your state of mind . It has a calming effect . It can lower your stress levels and help you relax . You can escape from your troubles for a moment when you read , and it’s a positive escape.

are

The benefits of reading far outweigh those of acting like a fool . So do yourself a favor : the next time you get a reading assignment , take as much as you can form it . Squeeze（挤压） it for every drop of knowledge that it contains . Then move on to the next one. 48. Some people don’t read because A. they have many other activities B. they are confident about themselves C. they are bored or unwilling to focus D. they could hardly understand the texts 49. The writer probably agrees that__________. A. reading helps you to remain calm B. reading enables you to get a good job C. reading keeps you strong and safe D. reading changes your word around

50. The word “decline ” in Paragraph 2 means “_______”. A. keep slow B. stay normal C. become smarter D. grow worse 51. This passage is mainly about

A. the power of knowledge B. the advantages of reading C. methods used in reading D. making good use of knowledge

D[:Z&xx&k]

As the word becomes increasingly populated , It is also Becoming alarmingly polluted . Fortunately , there are many ways that you can help deal with the negative effects that we impose（施加）on the environment . One of these is driving an electric car.

Electric cars produce about 80 pe rcent less pollution than cars with gas-powered motors. In fact, the only reason that electric cars produce any pollution at all is that their electric energy is produced by power plants-electric cars themselves produce no waste. When energy comes from large sources such as power plants, it’s easier to control, so there’s less waste than if the energy is produced by many smaller sources, such as the gas engines in individual cars.

Furthermore, electric cars are simply more efficient than gas-powered cars for several reasons. First, electric cars have regenerative braking, which means that when you use the brakes in an electric car , the battery has a chance to recharge (再充电).On the contrary , when you brake in a gas-powered car ,you actually use energy . Also, during the production of electric cars, more time and energy is spent making the design lighter and more aerodynamic so that there will be less drag(阻力) from the wind. This allows

then to travel farther using less energy than a gas-powered car would use to go the same distance.

In addition to the environmental benefits of driving electric cars , there are also financial and time-saving benefits for the drivers . For one , they cost less to maintain (维修). The cost of charging an electric car is about 20 percent of the cost of gas, and electric cars require far less maintenance than gas-powered cars . This is due , in part , to the fact that electric cars have no cooling system , fan belts , radiators , hoses , or oil-just a battery . There are fewer moving parts overall , so there are fewer possible problems . Also , after the body of an electric car gives out , the engine can be reused in another body . Electric cars can also save people time . While gas-powered cars require visits to a mechanic every few months , the only routine maintenance required by electric cars is replacing the battery every four years.

Overall , there are numerous benefits of driving an electric car . Tt may take a little getting used to , but in the long run , the use of electric cars can help preserve the environment and give people more time and money to be put to better use.

52. What can we learn from the second paragraph?

A. Less than 80 percent pollution is produced by cars. B. Gas-powered cars get energy from power stations. C. Electric cars themselves don’t produce any waste. D. It’s difficult to control energy from power plants. 53. According to the passage , which of the following is TRUE?

A. The battery can be reused after the body of an electric car gives out. B. Replacing the engine every four years is required for an electric car . C. It may take no time to see the popularity of driving electric cars. D. Electric cars cost less to maintain because of fewer moving parts. 54. What is the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?

A. To compare two kinds of cars. B. To show a new way of driving. C. To suggest driving electric cars. D. To introduce a useful invention? 55. Which is the best title of the passage?

A. The Best Way to Protect the Environment B. Electric Cars are Worthy of a Second Look C. The Greatest Invention in the New Century D. Driving Electric Cars Saves Times and Money

七、阅读短文，根据短文内容，从短文后的五个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。每个选项只能用一次。（共10分，每小题2分）

A few years after I left my secondary school in Manchester, I was invited to help out with the school’s Christmas Fair. I volunteered to act as Father Christmas. 56 .Certainly, I attracted lots of customers.

My main job was to send gifts to the children.57 .I bring a sense of magic to them and I was also enjoying myself. But I was puzzled（迷惑）by a young boy

who paid for a second visit, and then surprisingly f or a third. The gifts were really very small. There were only some candies, stickers and cards. 58 . He answered simply,“I just love talking to you.”

It was then that I realized that many parents do not encourage their children to talk.59 .Everyone wants to know they’ve been heard and understood. So it is important to listen to children and give them the full attention. It is also a way to show children the proper way of listening,to be polite and to gain a better understanding.

60 .So, at home, at work, socially, always encourage family, friends, colleagues to talk about themselves and their feelings and really listen.

A. They were so excited about getting gifts. B. And they seldom really listen to the children C. So I asked him why he came to see me so often D. In the bright red suit, I looked rather great

E. This was a lesson that I have taken with me in my life 八、阅读短文，根据短文内容回答问题。（共10分，每小题2分）

Think about the distance（距离）you traveled in the last six months of your life. About how many miles（kilometers）did you go？Lucid went quite a distance. On March 22, 1996，she started a journey. She traveled 188 days, 4 hours，and 14 seconds in total. This is a little over six months. So what distance did Lucid travel? She went 75.2 million miles（1,203,200,000 kilometers）!

How could Lucid go so far? How could she journey so fast? Lucid was an American

astronaut and she was in space. She lived on a space station. The space station was the Russian space station Mir. She lived and worked with two Russian astronauts.

On Mir,it was hard for Lucid to know what day it was.Why?Mir did not stay in one place.It orbited the Earth.It went around the Earth.Mir’s orbit meant that darkness did not mean the day was over. Darkness fell many times during a 24-hour period.Darkness fell about every 45 minutes. Lucid did something to help her remember what day it was. She wore pink socks on every seventh day. The pink socks reminded Lucid about