阅读理解

     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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

   I used to believe in the American dream that meant a job, credit, success. I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us separately chasing the same thing.

   One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell apart. I found myself homeless and alone. I had my truck and $56. I searched the countryside for some place I could rent for the cheapest possible amount. I came upon a deserted cottage in a small remote valley. I hadn’t been alone for 25 years. I was scared, but I hoped the hard work would distract and heal me.

   I found the owner and rented the place for $50 a month. The locals knew nothing about me. But slowly they started teaching me the art of being a neighbor. They dropped off blankets, tools and canned deer meat and began sticking around to chat. They would ask if I wanted to meet cousin Albie or go fishing. They started to teach me a belief in a different American dream, not the one of individual achievement but of neighborliness. Men would stop by with wild berries, ice cream, truck parts to see if I needed some. The women on that mountain worked harder than any I'd ever met. They taught me how to store food in the stream and keep it cold and safe. I learned to keep enough for an extra plate for company.

   What I had believed in, all those things I thought were necessary for a civilized life, were non-existent in this place．Up on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my relationships with my neighbors．

   After four years in that valley, I moved back into town. I saw a lot of people were having a really hard time, losing their jobs and homes. With the help of a real estate broker(房地产经纪人) I chatted up at the grocery store, I managed to rent a big enough house to take in a handful of people. It’s four of us now, but over time I've had nine come in and move on to other places from here. We’d all be in shelters if we hadn't banded together.

　　The American dream I believe in now is a shared one. It’s not so much about what I can get for myself; it’s about how we can all get by together.

1. Before a series of unhappy events happened, the writer ________.

   A. had a well-paid job                         B. worked hard for his American dream

　C. worked hard and liked to share      D. felt hopeless about his American dream

2. What does the underlined sentence “I learned to．．．” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?

　A. The writer learned to run a company.

　B. The writer learned to share with others.

　C. The writer learned to keep enough plates.

　D. The writer learned to save money for his company.

3. Why did the writer rent a big house?

　A. To make some money.                    B. To show off his wealth.[来源:Z*xx*k.Com]

　C. To share with those people in need.          D. To make friends with his neighbors.

4. The writer mainly tells us about ________．

　A. his unhappy experiences                B. the friendly people in the valley

　C. the change of his living conditions              D. his new idea of the American dream

                               B

   LOS ANGELES—The last of the “Star Wars” movies has done what no movie in history has ever done—sold $50 million worth of tickets in a single day.

　 “Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith” made 50,013,859 from showings at 3,661 theaters and more than 9,000 screens around the country on Thursday, including special midnight shows. That beat the one-day record set by “Shrek 2”, which sold $44.8 million on a single Saturday—its fourth day in theaters.

　 “It’s surprising.” said Bruce Snyder, president of domestic distribution at Twentieth Century Fox. “It’s probably 20 percent more than I thought we could do.”

　 The George Lucas film, which features the changing of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into the evil Darth Vader, also beat the opening day record held by “Spider-Man 2”, which made $40.4 million when it opened on a Wednesday last June.

　 “Fifty million is a good opening weekend, especially a single day,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations. “This is the movie world’s 100-year flood.”

　 The news comes as a relief to Hollywood, which has seen a box office slump for 12 straight weeks. Theater owners, studios and marketing partners had their hopes on “Star Wars” to start the summer movie season and they weren’t disappointed.

　 The film was shown on 2,900 screens at midnight Thursday. What they made from that one showing alone was $16.5 million, which beat the previous record of $8 million set by “The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King”. It is almost certain “Star Wars” will push past the $100 million mark for its opening weekend. The record for a three-day weekend is held by the first “Spider-Man”, which made $114.8 million.

5. How many films are mentioned in the passage?

   A. Three.       B. Four.        C. Five       D. Six.

6. Which is NOT mentioned in the passage?

   A. “Shrek 2” sold $44.8 million on a single Saturday.

   B. “Star Wars” made $50,013,859 on Thursday as expected.

   C. “Star Wars” was not disappointing to the theater owners.

   D. “Star Wars” may push past the $100 million mark for its opening weekend.

7. We can infer from the passage that ________.

   A. the film was shown on 2000 screens at midnight Thursday

   B. the first “Spider-Man” held the record for a three-day weekend

   C. “Star Wars” was shown all over the world

   D. many good films have their follow-ups

                             C

   Parents are often amazed at how fast their child grows and develops. New research has determined that the ability to quantify may develop much sooner than most parents realize.

   Kristy vanMarle, professor of the University of Missouri, has determined that contrary to what previous studies have shown, infants（婴儿）are able to quantify substances（物质）—like sand or water—as early as 10 months. As long as the difference between the two substances is large enough, infants will choose the larger amount, especially when it comes to food.

   With the assistance of her team researchers, vanMarle tested the quantifying skills of babies by presenting them with two cups: one containing a small amount of food, and one containing a larger amount. Consistently, the babies chose the larger amount.

   “Several studies throughout the last 15 years have shown that infants are very good at telling how many objects they see; however, infants don’t seem to count things like water or sand,” vanMarle said. “What we’re saying is that they can quantify substances; it’s just much harder. The infants can see how much food goes into each cup and compare that in their memories. They decide which amount is larger, and they almost always select the larger one.”

   This information further refutes（驳斥）the long-held idea that babies “know nothing of the world,” vanMarle said.

   “Since psychologists have begun studying infants with sensitive measures, we’ve discovered a lot of early abilities. I think for parents, it should be exciting to know that there’s somebody in there that has some fundamental and basic knowledge of the world, and that knowledge is guiding their development,” vanMarle said.

   In the future, vanMarle says this kind of study could be linked to a child’s progress in math-related skills, although programs marketed to increase those abilities, such as “Baby Einstein,” still have mixed reviews when it comes to academic study.

8. The quantifying ability refers to the ability to ________.

   A. choose between different substances   B. get much knowledge of the world

   C. describe the quantity of something            D. obtain math-related skills

9. What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 4?

   A. The process of doing research.                 B. The scientific findings.

   C. The final choice of infants.                      D. The observation of infants’ behavior.

10. Babies choose the larger amount of food ________.

   A. by saying numbers                                  B. with the help of parents

   C. on personal preference                      D. through their natural abilities

11. What’s the best title of the text?

   A. Breakthrough in Baby Studies                  B. Amazing Baby-training Ideas

   C. Early Human Abilities                      D. Unique Quantifying Methods   

D

　　Malaria, the world’s most widespread parasitic (寄生虫引起的)disease, kills as many as three million people every year—almost all of whom are under five, very poor, and African. In most years, more than five hundred million cases of illness result from the disease, although exact numbers are difficult to assess because many people don't (or can’t) seek care. It is not unusual for a family earning less than two hundred dollars a year to spend a quarter of its income on malaria treatment, and what they often get no longer works. In countries like Tanzania, Mozambique, and the Gambia, no family, village, hospital, or workplace can remain unaffected for long.????????

　　Malaria starts suddenly, with violent chills, which are soon followed by an intense fever and, often, headaches. As the parasites multiply, they take over the entire body. Malaria parasites live by eating the red blood cells they infect. They can also attach themselves to blood vessels in the brain. If it doesn’t kill you, malaria can happen again and again for years. The disease is passed on to humans by female mosquitoes infected with one of four species of a parasite. Together, the mosquito and the parasite are the most deadly couple in the history of the earth and one of the most successful. Malaria has five thousand genes, and its ability to change rapidly to defend itself and resist new drugs has made it nearly impossible to control. Studies show that mosquitoes are passing on the virus more frequently, and there are more outbreaks in cities with large populations. Some of the disease's spread is due to global warming.

　　For decades, the first-choice treatment for malaria parasites in Africa has been chloroquine, a chemical which is very cheap and easy to make. Unfortunately, in most parts of the world, malaria parasites have become resistant to it. Successful alternatives that help prevent resistance are already available, but they have been in short supply and are very expensive. If these drugs should fail, nobody knows what would come next.  

12. According to paragraph 1, many people don’t seek care because ________.

   A. they are too poor       

   B. it is unusual to seek care

   C. they can remain unaffected for long

   D. there are too many people suffering from the disease

13. People suffering from malaria ________.

   A. have to kill female mosquitoes   B. have ability to defend parasites

   C. have their red blood cells infected      D. have sudden fever, followed by chills

14. Which of the following may be the reason for the wide spread of the disease?

   A. Its resistance to global warming.      

   B. Its ability to pass on the virus frequently.

   C. Its outbreaks in cities with large populations.

   D. Its ability to defend itself and resist new drugs.

15. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

   A. no drugs have been found to treat the disease

   B. the alternative treatment is not easily available to most people

   C. malaria has developed its ability to resist parasites

   D. nobody knows what will be the drug to treat the disease

参考答案：

1—4BBCD  5—7BBD   8—11 CBDA  12—15 ACDB