For as long as humans have lived on the earth, they have made use of various forms of communication. Generally, this expression of thoughts and feelings has been in the form of oral speech. When there is a spoken language problem, communication can be carried out through sign language, in which gestures stand for letters, words, and ideas. Tourists and people unable to hear or speak have often had to turn to this form of expression. When gestures describe words or ideas, they can often be used internationally. When used for spelling words however, where each gesture stands for a single letter, people must share the same written language.

Body language sends ideas or thoughts by certain actions, either meaningfully or not. A wink can be a way of showing that the person is only joking. A nod means agreement, while shaking the head indicates disagreement.

Other forms of language can be found in Braille (a reading system of raised dots read with the fingertips used by the blind), signal flags, Morse code, and smoke signals. Road maps and picture signs also guide and warn people. While language is the most common form of communication, other systems and techniques also express human thoughts and feelings.

1. What does the author mainly want to say?　　　

A. People can communicate in many different ways.

B. Everybody uses only one form of communication.

C. Language is invaluable to foreigners.

D. Non-spoken communication is of little value.

2. According to the text, which part of the body can be used to show you are joking?

A. Fingers.　　　 B. Eyes.　　　　 C. Head.　　　　　 D. Feet.

3. What can’t be effectively communicated by sign language when people belong to different language groups?

A. Spelling.　　　　　 B. Idea.　　　 C. Whole words.　　　　 D. Expressions.

4. How many different forms of communication are mentioned in the text?

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

It is Saturday afternoon. You and your friends are planning to go to the movies and then spend the night together. Just as you start to get ready, your dad reminds you that it is your aunt's birthday and the whole family is going out to dinner to celebrate. How can this possibly end without a huge argument?

　　One of the greatest sources of tension (紧张情绪) between teenagers and their families is the struggle to balance personal desires with family expectations. As you are getting older, you are becoming more independent and more interested in being with your friends.

　　However，at the same time，your family is trying to figure out how to deal with these changes. While you once spent most of your free time with your family, you are now often absent from home. Parents may get their feelings hurt. Or they might feel that they are losing control of their family during this period. You might feel angry that so many family demands are placed on you.

　　There are a few things you can try to make it a little easier to ease (缓解) the tension.

　　* Make your plans in advance. Ask your parents if there is anything else planned at that time.

　　* When something with your friends interferes (冲突) with a family event，try to figure out if there is any way you can do both.

　　* Suggest something you would really like to do with your family. Sometimes parents feel better just knowing their teenager wants to spend time with them.

　　Some of the time you won’t be happy with the outcome (结果). You might either have to disappoint your parents or have to miss out being with your friends. However, if you show consideration for the feelings of both your family and your friends，you can solve the problem in a tender way.

The purpose of the first paragraph is to _________.

　　A. show a disagreement of views       B. serve as a description of teenager trouble

　　C. serve as an introduction to the discussion

　　D. show the popularity of teenager problem

The tension between teenagers and their families is caused by the fact that____________.

　　A. teenagers don’t like to take family demands

　　B. parents want to keep their family under control

　　C. parents feel unhappy that their children make so many friends

　　D. both parents and teenagers don’t pay attention to each other’s feeling much

What’s the purpose of the passage?

　　A. To inform us of parent and teenager tension.

B. To advise teenagers how to deal with their tension with their families.

　　C. To persuade parents to show consideration for teenagers.

D. To tell us about a common teenager problem.

第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

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

Recently I gave my adult students homework. It was “go to someone you love and tell them you love them.” It has to be someone you have never said those words to before or at least haven’t shared those words with for a long time.

It sounds like very tough homework since most of the men were over 35 and were raised in the generation of men that were taught expressing emotions is not “macho(阳刚之气).” Showing feelings or crying was just not done. So this was very threatening homework for some.

At the beginning of our next class, I asked if someone wanted to share what happened when they told someone they loved them. I fully expected one of the women to volunteer, as was usually the case, but on this evening one of the men raised his hand, quite moved and a bit shaken.

As he unfolded out of his chair (all 1.85 meters of him), he began by saying, “Dennis, I was quite angry with you last week when you gave us this homework . Why were you to tell me to do something that personal?”

“But as I began driving home my conscience(良心)started telling me that I knew exactly who I needed to say ‘I love you’ to.”

“Five years ago, my father and I had a severe disagreement and really never settled it since then. We avoided seeing each other unless we absolutely had to at Christmas or other family gatherings. But even then, we hardly spoke to each other.”

“So last Tuesday by the time I got home I had convinced myself I was going to tell my father I loved him. It’s strange, but just making that decision seemed to lift a heavy load off my chest.”

56.The homework is threatening for some students because         .

A. they are middle-aged people     B. they are not macho enough

C. they were taught to hide their emotions   D. they didn’t know how to show feelings

57.From the passage we know that________.

A. the adult students have classes in the day time only

B. not all the adult students in the writer’s class are male

C. the man refused to meet his father after their quarrel

D. the man quickly decided to say “I love you” to his father

58.The underlined phrase “unfolded out of his chair” in Para 4 is closest in meaning to_______.

A. stood on his chair straight B. sat quietly in the chair

C. bent himself over his chair       D. raised himself slowly from the chair

59.What does the man imply by saying the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A. He felt it too strange to say “I love you” to his father.

B. He felt relaxed just thinking of saying “I love you” to his father.

C. He felt very relaxed after saying “I love you” to his father.

D. He had to lift a heavy load off his chest before saying “I love you”.

60. .Which do you think can be the best title of the passage?

A. Special homework for adults.             B. Saying “I love you” is not mancho.

C. Disagreement between father and son .     D. It is easy for adults to express their love.

Many people think the search for cleaner energy leads only to renewable resources like sun, wind and water．But it also leads to a fossil fuel．Natural gas is considered the cleanest of the fossil fuels, the fuel created by plant and animal remains over millions of years．Burning it releases fewer pollutants than oil or coal．The gas is mainly methane （甲烷）．It produces half the carbon dioxide of other fossil fuels．So it may help cut the production of carbon gases linked to climate change．
Russia is first in what are called "proved reserves" of natural gas．The United States is sixth．Over the years, big oil and gas companies recovered much of the easily reached supplies of gas in America．They drilled straight down into formations where gas collects．As these supplies were used up, big drillers looked for similar formations in other countries．
But now the industry is taking a new look．Companies are developing gas supplies trapped in shale （页岩） rock two to three thousand meters underground．They drill down to the shale, then go sideways and inject high-pressure water, sand or other material into the rock．This causes the rock to fracture, releasing the gas．Huge fields of gas shale are believed to lie under the Appalachian Mountains, Michigan and the south-central states．Gas shale exploration is being done mainly by small to medium sized companies．Eric Potter, a program director, says more than half the gas in the United States is now coming from these new reserves．
But hydraulic （液压的） fracturing can also produce debate and anger over the risk of groundwater pollution．This method of drilling is not federally supervised under the Safe Drinking Water Act．Some in Congress want to end that exemption （豁免） from the law．
Natural gas provides Americans with about one fourth of their energy．And, unlike oil, most of it is produced in America．Gas producers invested heavily in reaching new supplies when prices were high．But prices are down sharply now because the depression cut demand for energy．So energy expert Eric Potter says it is too early to know how the changing market prices will affect the market for gas shale exploration．
45．We can learn from the first paragraph that ________．
A．natural gas releases methane and carbon dioxide
B．natural gas is considered as the cleanest energy
C．natural gas is more environmentally friendly than other fossil fuels
D．natural gas is a renewable source of energy
46．The word “fracture” in Paragraph 4 probably means _______．
A．create         B．break          C．change         D．decrease
47．Gas shale exploration may cause disagreement because ______．
A．it may cause water pollution      B．it brings too high profits
C．it breaks the law                D．it is out of states’ control
48．According to Eric Potter, the new gas shale exploration ______．
A．will provide America with about one fourth of their energy
B．will increase demand for energy
C．will make gas producers invest a big sum of money
D．may be influenced by the changing market prices

Beatrix Potter was a great English writer and artist, best known for her children’s books featuring animal characters such as in the children’s classic -- The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Beatrix was born into a rich London-based family where she was tutored by very strict private teachers and so spent her youth isolated from other youngsters.
During her youth she had a lot of pets and spent vacations in Scotland and also the Lake District. It was at the Lake District that she developed a love of wildlife. She studied the area’s natural wonders carefully and painted them continuously. But her old-fashioned, Manchester-born parents discouraged her intellectual improvement, thinking it inappropriate for a young lady. However, her study and watercolour paintings of wild mushrooms made her widely respected within the field of biology.
In her 30’s, Beatrix Potter wrote the remarkably successful kid’s book, The Tale of Pew Rabbit. Close to that time she became secretly engaged to her publisher Norman Warne. This caused a great disagreement with her parents, who did not approve of Beatrix getting married to somebody of lower social status. Sadly, Warne died before the marriage ceremony.
Ultimately Beatrix Potter began writing and also illustrating (绘图) kid’s books full-time. Using profits from her books, Beatrix grew to become economically independent of her parents and was eventually in a position to buy Hill Top Farm in the Lake District. She extended the property with additional purchases of neighbouring land over time. In her 40’s, Bestrix married William Heelis, a local lawyer. She ended up becoming a sheep breeder and farmer while continuing to publish as well as illustrate books for children. In all she authored 23 publications.
Beatrix died on December 22, 1943, and left the majority of her property to the National Trust. Her books carry on selling well globally, in many different languages. Her stories have been retold in numerous formats including a ballet, movies, and cartoons.
Such is her reputation, and that of the characters from her publications, that many Beatrix Potter statues have been created. These tiny Beatrix Potter statues which include pretty much all the actual characters in her publications have become highly valued by art collects and fans of her literature throughout the world.
【小题1】 What can we learn about Beatrix Potter’s early life?