(江苏省金坛一中2009届高三5月模拟A篇)

I love it at night. It’s peaceful. And when it cools down I sometimes do some ironing. I don’t really care for it. I work full-time and too busy for most housework. I remember the old woman who taught me to iron. I was about 15 and somehow got a live-in job taking care of a woman who had been an able-bodied, healthy woman until the accident that caused her to be paralyzed（瘫痪）.

The woman had an electric wheelchair. She could move her head and arms but not her hands or fingers. She had this clamp（夹子）attached to her arm and I’d have to open it and put a cup or a pencil in it and then she could move it. She would tell me how to do things. She would instruct me in great detail on the correct way to do things. Her home was perfect and beautiful. She would follow me around in her electric wheelchair to make sure I did everything exactly right. I’m sure she had been a perfect homemaker. She would have me fold everything, including socks and pillow cases. I would complain silently and wish terrible things on her. She taught me the right way to make the bed and tuck （塞）the corners. I know sometimes she’d get frustrated and impatient with me. I knew she wanted to grab it and do it herself. But she never yelled（大叫）or scolded. Only insisted I do it right. I didn’t like it much, but I did it.

Today I can iron pretty well. I know where to start on a shirt, the right way to do the collar and sleeves. Now that I think about it, I don’t think she is an old lady. I think she might have been about my age now. Anyway, when I iron, I think of her and silently thank her for all the things I learned.

51. From the passage we can infer that the writer of the passage now is ________.

A. a housewife                               B. a full-time worker

C. a clothes maker                          D. a college student

52. The writer used to take care of the lady because ______.

A.   she wanted to learn how to do housework

B.   she was a relative of the disabled woman

C.   she wanted to earn some money while sleeping and eating there

D.  she had to do something in return to the lady for her kindness

53. When the lady taught the writer how to do housework, the little girl was ______.

A. eager to learn                           B. unwilling to learn

C. forced to learn                          D. careful to learn

54. What’s the writer’s attitude towards the lady now?

A. Sympathetic        B. Fearful              C. Hateful              D. Grateful

 (江苏省淮安市2009届高三第四次调研考试A篇)

"As sure as you're alive now, Peter Rabbit, some day I will catch you," shouted Reddy Fox, as he put his black nose in the hole between the roots of the Big Hickory-tree which grows close to the Smiling Pool. "It is lucky for you that you were not one jump farther away from this hole."

Peter, safe inside that hole, didn't have a word to say, or, if he did, he didn't have breath enough to say it. It was quite true that if he had been one jump farther from that hole, Reddy Fox would have caught him. As it was, the hairs on Peter's funny white tail actually had tickled Reddy's back as Peter ran wildly through the root-bound entrance to that hole. It had been the narrowest escape Peter had had for a long, long time. You see, Reddy Fox had surprised Peter eating sweet clover (苜蓿) on the bank of the Smiling Pond, and it had been a lucky thing for Peter that that hole, dug long ago by Johnny Chuck's grandfather, had been right where it was. Also, it was a lucky thing that old Mr. Chuck had been wise enough to make the entrance between the roots of that tree in such a way that it could not be dug any larger.

Reddy Fox was too shrewd (机灵的) to waste any time trying to dig it larger. He knew there wasn't room enough for him to get between those roots. So, after trying to make Peter as uncomfortable as possible by telling him what he, Reddy, would do to him when he did catch him, Reddy walked across the Green Meadows. Peter remained where he was for a long time. When he was quite sure that it was safe to do so, he crawled out and hurried to the Old Orchard. He felt that that would be the safest place for him, because there were ever so many hiding places in the old stone wall along the edge of it.

56. Where is Peter Rabbit hiding?

A. On the bank of a pond                              B. In a hole

C. In a tall tree                                             D. Behind a room

57. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the story?

A. Reddy Fox might find rabbit hairs on him.

B. Old Mr. Chuck took advantage of the roots to dig the hole.

C. The hole could be made larger.

D. Reddy almost caught Peter this time.

58. Why did Peter Rabbit wait so long before leaving?

A. Because Reddy was trying to get him.

B. Because it was cold outside.

C. Because his grandfather would help him dig a large hole.

D. Because the Old Orchard was not so safe as this hole.

 (湖北省黄冈中学2009届高三五月适应性考试（B卷）D篇)

Question: What is more astonishing than a 60-ton whale on a flatbed truck being driven down the street?

Answer: A 60-ton whale on a flatbed truck exploding and raining blubber ( fat of whales) all over the sidewalk.

That’s what happened in Taiwan recently, when a dead sperm whale being shipped to the Halobios Research Center for an autopsy(尸体解剖) developed an extremely bad case of gas and blew up before it reached its destination.

The whale was found alive on a Taiwan beach last weekend, and died shortly after it was discovered. Since the 56-foot whale was the largest whale ever beached on Taiwan’s shores, scientists wanted to study it and perform an autopsy for educational purpose.

Obviously, too much time passed between when the animal died and the time it was set to be moved to the autopsy location, because it had already started to go bad. When things rot, they give off gases as a by-product. In the whale’s case, the gases were trapped in its belly. The pressure inside the rotting creature grew so much that it popped like an over-filled balloon. Unfortunately, it was on a truck in the middle of the city of Taiwan at the time--- cars and shops lining the street were covered with whale bits and juices, much to their owners’ discouragement.

According to the news reports, traffic was tied up for hours while officials tried to clean up the streets.

Newspaper editors worldwide were probably smiling to themselves, since they had a ready-made headline--- several reports about the incident were titled “ There She Blows!” after the famous line from the book Moby Dick.

63. The purpose of the question at the beginning of this news report is to_____.

   A. explain the reason                        B. sell newspapers

   C. attract readers                           D. give an immediate answer

64. The whale’s explosion is the result of_____.

   A. pressure from gases building up in the creature as it began to rot

   B. the long transport of the creature from the beach to the center

   C. the extremely busy traffic in the streets it passed by

   D. the quick process of rotting of the animal

65. What is the correct order of the incidents?

   a. The whale was set to a flatbed truck.

   b. The whale was discovered.

   c. The whale exploded.

   d. The whale died.

   A. b; c; a; d            B. d; c; b; a          C. b; d; a; c           D. d; b; a ; c

66. What do we know from the last paragraph?

   A. Some newspaper editors were laughed at.

   B. Moby Dick is the name of a woman writer.

   C. All the newspapers reported the story under the same title.

   D. The rifle “ There She Blows! “ is taken from the book Moby Dick.

 (哈师大附中2009年高三第四次模拟考试A篇)

Once upon a time in a land far away, there was a wonderful old man who loved everything：animals, spiders, insects...

One day while walking through the woods the nice old man found a cocoon（茧）of a butterfly. He took it home. A few days later, a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged（露出） easily.

But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract（收缩） in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.

It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

 Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were allowed to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

And we could never fly.

56. What did the old man find when walking through the woods?

     A. A cocoon of a butterfly.                               B. A butterfly.

     C. A spider.                                                     D. A pair of scissors.

57. What would have happened to the butterfly without the old man’s help?

     A. It would have died in the cocoon.            

     B. It would have become a true butterfly.

     C. It would have been strong enough to go farther.

     D. It would have stopped struggling through the cocoon.

58. The underlined word “cripple” in Paragraph 7 probably means ______.

     A. disable                    B. climb                    C. enable                   D. beat

59. What can we learn from this story?

     A. Man can never go against nature.

     B. It’s necessary to live with some difficulties.

     C. One cannot help others without thinking twice.

     D. Mankind should take good care of insects.

 (广东省湛师附中2009届高三最后一模A篇)

I was born an albino．No one in my family had ever known what an albino was，what it meant to be an albino，and what had to be done differently because I was an albino．

My parents treated me just like they treated everybody else．That was just about the best thing they could have done．It helped me trust myself，so when the annoyances came along，I could deal with them．

True，my photo always looked like a snowball with two pieces of coal for eyes．Kids would tease me，asking if I was joining the circus and calling me “Whitey”．Like most albinos，I had terrible eyesight，and my grades suffered until eventually I overcame my feeling ashamed of myself and realized it was okay to ask to sit in the front of the classroom so I could see the blackboard better．People stared at me when I held reading material right at the tip of my nose so I could see it well enough to read．Even when I was eight or nine．movie-theater clerks started asking me to pay adult prices because I “looked older”．

The worst part for me was that because my eyesight was so bad，I couldn’t play sports very well．I didn’t give up trying，though．And I studied harder．

Eventually，I got better at school and loved it．By the time I got to college 1 was double majoring，going to summer school and devoting myself to every kind of extracurricular activity I could find．I had learned to be proud of being an albino．I did my best to make “albino” a positive word．And I decided to make my living with my eyes．

I couldn’t see well enough to play spots，but with a solid education and the drive to do it．I could make a living involved in the field I loved．I’ve done it now for more than thirty years in print and in video，and now in cyberspace．People make jokes about how I’m the only “blind editor” they know，but most of the time the jokes are signs of respect．And I make jokes about being an albino．

I was just a proud albino kid from the coal country of Pennsylvania．I now realize that being born an albino helped me to overcome difficulties，gain confidence，and be proud of my personal achievement and humble about my professional accomplishments．

41．What is an albino according to the passage?

A．Someone with bad eyesight．             B．Someone with some kind of disease．

C．Someone who looks older than his age．    D．Someone who joins the circus．

42．What does the underlined word “It’’ in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The fact that the author was born an albino．       

B．What had to be done differently to the author．

C．The way that the author’s parents treated him．

D．The fact that the author had no idea what an albino was．

43．Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．The author’s study was affected by his eyesight at first．

B．The author had to pay adult prices for movies when he was still young

C．Despite his bad eyesight，the author played sport well．

D．”Albino” has already become a positive word now．

44．Why are people’s jokes about the author mostly signs of respect?

A．Because he is an albino．             

B．Because he has a solid education．

C．Because they think he is a great “blind editor”．

D．Because they think he is proud of his achievement．

45．Through the passage，the author tells us __________________．

A．that albino helped him achieve success     B．how an albino studied well

C．what it is like to be an albino             D．how people should treat an albino

 (天水市一中2006级2008-2009学年第二学期第四次考试题A篇)

When Ben delivered milk to my home one morning before Christmas，he wasn’t his usual sunny self．He told me a customer had left without paying the bill，$79，nor leaving her new address．So it meant that he had to cover the loss．

 “She was a pretty woman，”he said， “with six children and another on the way．She was always saying．‘I’m going to pay you soon when my husband gets a second job．’I believed her，but she left．Isn’t it annoying?”

 “Give her the milk．Make it a Christmas present to the kids who need it．”I said．

The holidays came and went．On a sunny January morning two weeks later，Ben was rushing to deliver milk when he saw a woman running down the street，waving money．He recognized her immediately--the woman who didn’t pay her bill．

 “I’m so sorry．”she said．“I really have been meaning to pay you．”

She explained that her husband had come home one night and announced he' d found cheaper apartment. He' d also got a new job. With all that happened, she' d forgotten to leave the new address. “But I've been saving,” she said. “Here's $20 toward the bill. “

      “That' s all right,” Ben replied. “It's been paid.”

      “Paid!” she exclaimed （惊叫）.  “What do you mean? Who paid it?”

      “I did,” Ben said,  “It went to the children as a Christmas present!”

 41．Ben was upset one morning because _______.

     A．a customer left without paying the bill            

B．he lost $ 79 on the way of the delivery

     C．he had to buy a present for the children          

D．he was going to lose his job

42．The author helped Ben by offering him _______.

     A．a Christmas present                    B．the debtor' s new address

     C．some money to cover the loss            D．a suggestion to cheer him up

43．We can probably infer from the passage that the woman _______.

     A．cheated to raise her children              

B．moved to escape paying back the debts

     C．was a person with honesty            

D．wanted to give her children a Christmas gift

44．What is the best title of the passage?

     A．An Unhappy Christmas                 B．An Unusual Present

     C．A Poor Couple's Life                   D．A Helpful Customer

 (福建省厦门双十中学09届高三热身考试A篇)

For millions of people, the American dream of owning a home seems to be slipping out of reach.

    “Maybe young couples can no longer afford to buy a ready-made house as their parents did,’’ says 40-year-old building instructor Pat Hennin. “But they can still have a home. Like their pioneer ancestors, they can build it themselves, and at less than half the cost of a ready-made house.”

    The owner-builders came from every occupational group, although surprisingly few are professional building workers. Many take the plunge with little or no experience. “I learned how to build my house from reading books,” says John Brown, who built a six-room home for $25, 000 in High Falls, New Jersey. “If you have patience and the carpentry（木匠）skill to make a bookcase, you can build a house.” An astonishing 50 percent of these owner builders hammer every nail, 1ay every pipe, and wire every switch with their own hands. The rest contract（承包）for some parts of the task. But even those who just act as contractors and finish the insides of their homes can save from 30 percent to 45 percent of what a ready-made home would cost.

    One survey revealed that 60 percent of owner-builders also design their homes. Many others buy commercial house plans for less than $100 or use plans available from the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

56．What does the passage mainly tell us?

    A．The cost of having a house built.

    B．The American dream of owning a house.

    C．The life of owner-builders in America.

       D．A comparison between young couples and their parents.

57．It can be inferred from the passage that many Americans find it difficult to         .

    A．build a house                                      B．find a ready-made house

    C．have a good job                                   D．buy a house

58．The underlined phrase “take the plunge” in paragraph 3 most probably means “         .”

    A．decide to build a house                             B．decide to pull down a house

    C．decide to buy a house                             D．decide to rent a house

59．From the passage we learn that           .

    A．Many house plans are offered free of charge.

    B．Most of the house plans arc offered by building instructors.

    C．Most of the owner-builders design their homes.

D．Fifty percent of the American young couples build houses.

 (安徽省马鞍山二中2009届高三第四次模拟考试B篇)

The teacher was leaving the village, and everybody seemed sorry. The miller at Cresscombe lent him the small cart（运货车）and horse to carry his goods to Christminster, the city of his destination, such a vehicle proving of quite enough size for the teacher's belongings. For his only article, in addition to the packing-case of books, was a piano that he had bought when he thought of learning instrumental music. But the eagerness having faded,  he had never acquired any skill in playing, and the purchased article had been a permanent trouble to him.

       The headmaster had gone away for the day, being a man who disliked the sight of changes. He did not mean to return till the evening, when the new teacher would have arrived, and everything would be smooth again.

The blacksmith, the farm bailiff and the teacher were standing in confused attitudes in the sitting room before the instrument. The teacher had remarked that even if he got it into the cart he should not know what to do with it on his arrival at Christminster, since he was only going into a temporary(临时的) place just at first.

A little boy of eleven, who had been assisting in the packing, joined the group of men, and said, ‘Aunt has got a fuel-house, and it could be put there, perhaps, till you’ve found a place to settle in, sir.’

‘Good idea,’ said the blacksmith.

The smith and the bailiff started to see about the possibility of the suggested shelter, and the boy and the teacher were left standing alone.

       ‘Sorry I am going, Jude?’ asked the latter kindly.

       Tears rose into the boy’s eyes. He admitted that he was sorry.

       ‘So am I,’ said Mr. Phillotson.

‘Why do you go, sir?’ asked the boy.

‘Well—don't speak of this everywhere. You know what a university is, and a university degree? It is the necessary hallmark (标志) of a man who wants to do anything in teaching. My scheme, or dream, is to be a university graduate. By going to live at Christminster, I shall be at headquarters, so to speak, and if my scheme is practicable at all, I consider that being on the spot will afford me a better chance.’

The smith and his companion returned. Old Miss Fawley's fuel-house was practicable; and she seemed willing to give the instrument standing-room there. So it was left in the school till the evening, when more hands would be available for removing it; and the teacher gave a final glance round.

At nine o'clock Mr. Phillotson mounted beside his box of books, and waved his friends good-bye.

60. It seemed that the teacher _____.

       A. was not getting on well with the headmaster

       B. had lived a rather simple life in the village

       C. was likely to continue to practice playing the piano

       D. would get help in the city on arriving there

61. The motivation of the teacher’s moving lay in his _____.

       A. ambition                   B. devotion                   C. admiration               D. inspiration

62. The boy named Jude may be described as _____. 

       A. polite, generous and cheerful                      B. active, modest and friendly

       C. kind, bright and helpful                                 D. calm, confident and humorous

63. In the passage the writer describes both the teacher’s _____.

       A. love for music and his dislike for musical instruments

       B. hard work in the village and his strong interest in city life

       C. friendship with some villagers and also conflicts with others

       D. eagerness to go to the city and his love for the village

64. Which person does the underlined “his companion” refer to?

   A. Mr. Phillotson       B. Miss Fawley       C. The bailiff          D.The headmaster

 (湖北省钟祥六中2009年高三高考冲刺最后一卷A篇)

A gentle breeze blew through Jennifer’s hair. The golden red sun was setting. She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery (火红的) ball. She was amazed by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.

The atmosphere relaxed her. After all she had been through, this was what she needed. “It’s getting late,” she thought, “I must go home. My parents will be wondering where I am.”

She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself where she spent every summer holiday. The road was deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters she would have been safe in her house.

It was really getting dark now. The sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold too. She wished she had her favorite sweater on: it kept her really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thought disappeared when she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now... It all seemed deserted. She couldn’t understand what was going on.
    She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a note written by her father. It said: “Dear Ellen, there is some coffee ready. I went looking.” Ellen was her mother but — where was she? On the right side of the hallway was her parents’ room. She went in. Then she saw her. Her mother, lying on the bed, was sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn’t slept for days. She was really pale. Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired. So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up, something was different... she wasn’t in her mother’s room and she wasn’t wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her cozy bed in her pajamas (睡衣).

It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice, “Are you feeling better now, dear? You know you got us very, very scared.”

51. Three days later Jennifer came back home ______.

   A. at sunrise                B. at sunset                  C. at night                    D. at midday

52. What does the underlined phrase “This thought” most probably mean?

   A. The idea of going back home.   

B. Her anxiety about her parents.

C. The feeling of being warm in her favorite sweater.

D. The feeling of getting back home safely.

53. Her father didn’t take care of the garden because ______.

   A. he was busy looking for her

B. he had to look after his wife

C. he was not strict with his job

D. he no longer enjoyed working in the garden

54. What can we infer from this passage?

A. In fact Jennifer’s mother had been sick for days.

B. As Jennifer walked towards home, she became increasingly scared.

C. When she found the garden deserted, she realized she was wrong.

D. Having experienced a lot outside, Jennifer felt home was safest for her.

 (湖北省新洲区实验高中2009届高三5月检测D篇)

I WAS BORN and raised in the shadow of the Capitol, in Washington, D.C., as were my parents and my mother’s parents.

Our row house was on a tree-lined street just blocks from the building that was the heart of the federal legislative branch. When I was a child, in the 1940s, friends and I would pack a lunch or ride a streetcar to the Capitol. If we roller-skated, we hid the skates in the bushes in the park across the street before entering the building.

I knew every corner of the Capitol. We’d play hide-and-seek and pretend we saw ghosts in the halls and stairways. I don’t know how we got away with it.I remember the beautiful ladies’ rooms, with their marble floors and sinks. I pretended that I was a fine lady in them.

In those days, you could walk around the Capitol dome（圆顶屋）, which was a little scary for me. I loved the wonderful paintings and statues and the subway rides to the Senate Office Building. It was like an amusement ride. I even used to sit in the gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives—until I became bored with all the talk and went on another adventure.

Whenever I ran up the steps to the huge bronze doors of the Rotunda, I would look back to the world below like a hero. As soon as the doors were opened, the sense of history surrounded me, and I knew it was someplace special.

Those were lucky days, when an American citizen could wander in the Capitol and be a part of history.

Once war was declared, some things changed in the nation’s capital.

Because of concerns that Washington might be attacked, as London had been, everyone prepared. Kids at my elementary school wore dog tags, and each of us was fingerprinted.

My father, a pipe worker, became a civil defense warden（民防队员）. During an air raid, his job was to turn off any leaking gas. Since he always had a cigarette in his mouth, maybe that was not a good choice, but he had a gas mask and flashlight hanging in the rafters of our basement…the mask looked like a monster in the ceiling. My 15-year-old brother was a junior civil defense warden. During air- raid drills, he knocked on doors and asked people to put out their lights. I remember huge searchlights that crisscrossed the skies during the drills, looking for enemy planes.

73. From the passage, we can understand that ________.

A. The writer attended the meeting in House of Representative

B. The writer’s family lived in Washington D.C. for generations

C. American citizen, except children, could never enter the Capitol

D. The writer’s father had a gas mask to prevent him from smoking

74. When the writer said “I was born and raised in the shadow of the Capitol” （1^st paragraph）, she most probably meant that ________.

A. she spent her childhood in an area near the Capitol

B. she grew up under the pressure of the Capitol

C. the Capitol had some bad influence on my childhood

D. she was born and brought up secretly in the Capitol

75. By telling the childhood experience, the passage suggests that ________.

A. the writer is a daughter of a member of Representatives.

B. the Capitol used to be open to the public in history.

C. London was attacked during the war, as well as Washington.

D. the writer’s father and brother joined the army during the war.

76. What is the writer’s attitude towards the things that changed in the nation’s capital?

A. neutral                      B. positive              C. negative                D. ironic