四、Reading Comprehension (60 points)Directions: There are four reading passages in this part.Each passage is followed by five questions.For each question there are four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D.Choose one best answer and blacken the corresponding letter on ANSWER SHEET Ⅰ.
Passage One
It was a case of emergency.The four?year?old girl awoke and smelled smoke.She couldn’t wake her mother, so she dialed “zero.” An operator immediately called the fire department.Help was sent, and a tragedy avoided.
Days before this emergency, the mother had taught her child how to telephone for help.Children as young as two and one?half years old can be taught to use the phone in emergency situations.Here are some points.
?Memorizing certain facts is important.Teach your children their names, and the section of town where you live.Try to keep what they learn within their abilities.Simple information, learned well, is better than difficult information only partly learned.
?Be sure your children know how to use the telephone.They should be taught to dial “zero” for the operator, at the very least.And they should be taught to dial “911” if it is used in your town.
?Practise over a period of several days.Over?learning is necessary so the child can act automatically in case of emergency.
?If you would like a booklet giving instructions on calling for help, write Telephone For Help, Box 99, Bowling Green Station, New York, NY 10004.
第61题 From this passage, why is it a good idea for children to learn how to use the telephone?
A. Children have fun dialing.
B. Emergencies happen without warning.
C. Children can wake their parents.
D. Dialing can help children with their math study.
【正确答案】B
第62题 Based on this passage, over?learning is good because.
A. simple information is used
B. children should know their names
C. it helps children act automatically
D. difficult information is only partly learned
【正确答案】C
第63题 Paragraph 4 talks about dialing “911”.This number is probably.
A. the operator
B. an emergency number
C. a practice number for children
D. used to keep children calm
【正确答案】B
第64题 One thing the passage does NOT tell you to do is.
A. call your neighbor
B. practise several times
C. teach children how to use the telephone
D. have children memorize some simple facts
【正确答案】A
第65题 What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Give instructions on calling for help.
B. Partly?learned information is useless.
C. Teach children how to deal with emergencies.
D. Keep what children learn within their abilities.
【正确答案】C
Passage Two
I was only eight years old when the Second World War ended, but I can still remember something about the victory celebrations in the small town where I lived on the day when the war in Europe ended.We had not suffered much from the war there.But both at home and at school I had become accustomed to the phrases “before the war” and “when the war is over”.“Before the war”, apparently, things had been better, though I was too young to understand why, except that there had been no bombs then, and people had eaten things like ice?cream and bananas, which I had only heard of.When the war was over we would go back to London, but this meant little to me.I did not remember what London was like.
What I remember now about VE (Victory in Europe) Day was the May evening.After dinner I said I wanted to see the bonfire (大火堆)， so when it got dark my father took me to the end of the street.The bonfire was very high, and somehow people had collected some old clothes to dress the unmistakable figure with the moustache (胡子) they had to put on top of it.Just as we arrived, they set light to it.The flames rose and soon swallowed the “guy”.Everyone was cheering and shouting, and an old woman came out of her house with two chairs and threw them on the fire to keep it going.
I stood beside my father until the fire started to go down, not knowing what to say.He said nothing, either.He had fought in the First World War and may have been remembering the end of that.At last he said, “Well, that’s it, son.Let’s hope that this time it really will be the last one.”
第66题 Where did the author live before the Second World War?
A. In London.
B. In a small town.
C. In Europe.
D. In the countryside.
【正确答案】A
第67题 What kind of food had the author certainly not stated during the war?
A. Bread.
B. Butter.
C. Meat.
D. Ice?cream and bananas.
【正确答案】D
第68题 The unmistakable figure with the moustache most probably represents.
A. those who died in the war
B. those who had won
C. an imaginary figure
D. the most hated person in the war — Hitler
【正确答案】D
第69题 Which of the following statements is true?
A. The author’s father built a bonfire on VE Day.
B. The author’s father had fought in the First World War.
C. The author’s father had fought in the Second World War.
D. The author’s father threw two chairs on the fire to keep it going.
【正确答案】B
第70题 By saying “Let’s hope that this time it really will be the last one”, the father meant that.
A. he wished people had not build the bonfire
B. he hoped people would not build any more bonfires
C. he hoped there would be no more wars in the world
D. he wished the Second World War had not happened
【正确答案】C
Passage Three
At the first sight the planet Mars does not appear very welcome to any kind of life.It has very little oxygen and water, the temperature at night is below ?50℃ and winds of 100 miles per hour cause severe dust storms.However, the surface of the planet seems to show that water flowed across it some time in the past, and it is believed that there is enough ice at the poles to cover the planet with water if it melts.Although there is no life on the Mars now, some scientists think that there may have been some form of life long time ago.At that time, the planet had active volcanoes; the atmosphere was thicker and warmer; and there was water.In fact, in some ways the Mars may have been similar to the Earth, where life exists.
Some people believe that the Mars could support life in the future if the right conditions were produced.The first step would be to warm the planet using certain gases which trap the Sun’s heat in the planet’s atmosphere.With warmth, water and carbon dioxide(二氧化碳)， simple plants could begin to grow.These plants could slowly make the Mars more suitable for living.It is estimated that the whole process might take between 100,000 and 200,000 years.In the meantime, people could begin to live on the planet in special closed environments.They would provide a lot of useful information about conditions on the Mars and the problems connected with living there.
第71题 Some scientists think there may have been life on the Mars in the past because.
A. there is no life there now
B. there is a large amount of water at the poles
C. the Mars may be able to support life in the future
D. conditions may have been similar to those on the Earth
【正确答案】D
第72题 There could be life on the Mars in the future if.
A. it supported life in the past
B. certain gases are used to cool the planet
C. the atmosphere can be heated enough to grow simple plants
D. the planet’s volcanoes become as active as they were in the past
【正确答案】C
第73题 People may be able to live on the Mars.
A. within the next 200,000 years
B. only 200,000 years from now
C. only 150,000 years from now
D. as soon as the planet becomes cool enough
【正确答案】A
第74题 The author’s attitude towards the possibility of life on the Mars in the future is.
A. doubtful
B. positive
C. negative
D. uninterested
【正确答案】B
第75题 Which is the best title for this passage?
A. The Possibility of Life on the Mars.
B. Future Conditions on the Mars.
C. The Mars and the Earth.
D. A Study of the Climate of the Mars.
【正确答案】A