第三部分阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）

(A)

Fang Wei had planned to study in Britain for his master's degree,but had to keep putting it off. These days,however,Fang is quite happy about the delay since the exchange rate of the British pound against the RMB has been descending.

“The change means I can save a large sum of money for my studies.” said Fang. “I pay a lot of attention to the pound­to­RMB exchange rate every day now.” Last Tuesday the rate broke the 10­yuan mark for the first time since 2005.

So，what is an exchange rate？

This is the standard term for the comparison of two currencies and tells how much one currency is worth when measured by the other. For example,the pound­to­RMB exchange rate last Wednesday was 9.88，meaning that one pound was worth the same as 9.88 yuan.

But how could this affect our lives？

The exchange rate is important for anyone wanting to travel to or study in a foreign country.

A higher RMB value is good news for Chinese tourists and students. That's because any given amount of RMB can be exchanged for a larger amount of foreign money than with a lower RMB value. It therefore buys more abroad.

For example,according to Chinese agencies that handle study abroad,the cost for university study in Britain used to be around 20,000 pounds a year. At the beginning of 2008，when the pound­to­RMB exchange rate stood at 14,Chinese students had to have 280,000 yuan for a year. But now that the rate has fallen to less than 10 yuan，200,000 yuan is enough for a year in Britain.

However，the stronger yuan may be bad news for Chinese exporters. A rising RMB means that Chinese products are becoming expensive and less attractive on foreign markets.

56.Why did Fang Wei have to put off his study in Britain？

A. Because he didn't have enough money.

B. Because the exchange rate of the pound­to­RMB was too high.

C. Because he didn't get the letter from the university he had applied for.

D. The passage didn't tell us.

57.What's the meaning of the underlined word “descending” in Paragraph 1？

A. Turning down.              B. Putting off.

C. Falling down.                D. Going up.

58.If the pound­to­RMB exchange rate was 12, Fang Wei would have paid 240,000 yuan for a year's study. Now the rate is 9.6，how much can he save if he goes to study in Britain？

A.46,000 yuan.                  B.42,800 yuan.

C.192,000 yuan.                D.48,000 yuan.

59 .When RMB has a higher value in the currency exchange market，the following are right except that 　　　　.

A. it shows we have a strong economic potential

B. it indicates we have a stable political environment

C. it will help our export business

D. it is beneficial for Chinese students and travelers to foreign countries

第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）

(A)

Fang Wei had planned to study in Britain for his master's degree,but had to keep putting it off. These days,however,Fang is quite happy about the delay since the exchange rate of the British pound against the RMB has been descending.

“The change means I can save a large sum of money for my studies.” said Fang. “I pay a lot of attention to the pound??to??RMB exchange rate every day now.” Last Tuesday the rate broke the 10??yuan mark for the first time since 2005.

So，what is an exchange rate？

This is the standard term for the comparison of two currencies and tells how much one currency is worth when measured by the other. For example,the pound??to??RMB exchange rate last Wednesday was 9.88，meaning that one pound was worth the same as 9.88 yuan.

But how could this affect our lives？

The exchange rate is important for anyone wanting to travel to or study in a foreign country.

A higher RMB value is good news for Chinese tourists and students. That's because any given amount of RMB can be exchanged for a larger amount of foreign money than with a lower RMB value. It therefore buys more abroad.

For example,according to Chinese agencies that handle study abroad,the cost for university study in Britain used to be around 20,000 pounds a year. At the beginning of 2008，when the pound??to??RMB exchange rate stood at 14,Chinese students had to have 280,000 yuan for a year. But now that the rate has fallen to less than 10 yuan，200,000 yuan is enough for a year in Britain.

However，the stronger yuan may be bad news for Chinese exporters. A rising RMB means that Chinese products are becoming expensive and less attractive on foreign markets.

56.Why did Fang Wei have to put off his study in Britain？

A. Because he didn't have enough money.

B. Because the exchange rate of the pound??to??RMB was too high.

C. Because he didn't get the letter from the university he had applied for.

D. The passage didn't tell us.

57.What's the meaning of the underlined word “descending” in Paragraph 1？

A. Turning down.               B. Putting off.

C. Falling down.                 D. Going up.

58.If the pound??to??RMB exchange rate was 12, Fang Wei would have paid 240,000 yuan for a year's study. Now the rate is 9.6，how much can he save if he goes to study in Britain？

A.46,000 yuan.                   B.42,800 yuan.

C.192,000 yuan.                 D.48,000 yuan.

59 .When RMB has a higher value in the currency exchange market，the following are right except that 　　　　.

A. it shows we have a strong economic potential

B. it indicates we have a stable political environment

C. it will help our export business

D. it is beneficial for Chinese students and travelers to foreign countries

It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty. I was not sure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.
My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout（ 锻炼） before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy? nine years old and in terrific shape. As I greeted Nicholas on that particular day, he noticed I wasn't full of my usual vitality（活力）and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on（ 回顾）my life once I reached Nicholas's age, so I asked him, “What was the best time of your life？”
Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, “Well, Joe, this is my philosophical（哲理的）answer to your philosophical question：
When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents, that was the best time of my life.
When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life.
When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, that was the best time of my life.
When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.
The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for（开往）North America, that was the best time of my life.
When we came to Canada and started a family, that was the best time of my life.
When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.”
“And now, Joe, I am seventy? nine years old. I have my health, I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life.”

1. 1.

   When was the writer's birthday?

   1. A.
      June 13
   2. B.
      June 15
   3. C.
      June 17
   4. D.
      June 19
2. 2.

   Why was the writer anxious?

   1. A.
      He wasn't full of his usual vitality
   2. B.
      He didn't see his old friend Nicholas
   3. C.
      He was feeling anxious about turning thirty
   4. D.
      He didn't like his friend's answer about the best time
3. 3.

   What does the underlined word “ nurtured ” mean?

   1. A.
      brought up
   2. B.
      developed
   3. C.
      trained
   4. D.
      encouraged

It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night．The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently．

       My father realised it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him．I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same．I' m so glad I did．

       On the way to the harbour we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape．After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea．As we got on board, we noticed two big humps （脊背） in the distance．

       On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby．We couldn't believe it — there aren't any whales along the coast here．The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive．

       The little baby whale —actually as big as our boat — was obviously stuck and could not move．The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools （漩涡） and waves．"She's trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side," my father said．At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently．With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water．Then it swam up right beside its mum．They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction．We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel．Slowly, they let us lead them, sometimes rising from the water right beside us to breathe -- and to give us a trusting look with those huge eyes．Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance．

       In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half．That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day．Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea．

The author says "I' m so glad I did．" （ in Para．2） because _________．

       A．he witnessed the whole process of fishing

       B．he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea

       C．he experienced the rescue of the whales

       D．he spent the weekend with his family

The mother whale failed to help her baby because __________．

       A．she had stayed in the polluted water for too long

       B．the whirlpools she had made were not big enough

       C．she had no other whales around to turn to for help

       D．the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction

What is the theme of the story?

       A．Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness．

       B．Fishing provides excitement for children．

       C．It's necessary to live in harmony with animals．

       D．It's vital to protect the whale in the ocean．