If you are asked to name some national emblems of China, the dragon will probably be one of the famous images that pop into your head. We Chinese often consider ourselves "the descendants（后代）of the dragon." It is not unfamiliar to you that your parents hope that you "may become the dragon".  
　　As a mythical（神秘的）creature, the dragon is deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Traditionally, dragons are considered to govern rainfall. They have the power to decide where and when the rain falls. In addition, the dragon is a symbol of imperial （帝王的）power. The emperors thought they were real dragons and the sons of the heaven.  　
But the creature is regarded differently in Western countries. In the Bible, dragons represent the devil（恶人）. Western people usually see dragons as cold-blooded reptiles（爬虫）, like snakes and cruel killers. In their eyes, dragons are also dishonest.　　
　　Dragons in Western literature are presented as monsters（怪物）. It is a common tale for a mediaeval knight（中世纪的骑士） to kill a dragon and save a princess and her country from its evil. Even the popular boy wizard Harry Potter has to battle against a dragon.  　　
　　However, dragons are not all bad in the West. "Puff the Magic Dragon" is a well-known song. The lyrics(歌词) tell a bitter-sweet story of the dragon Puff and his playmate Jackie Paper, a little boy. When Jackie grows up, he loses interest in the imaginary adventures of childhood and leaves Puff upset. Puff represents the innocence of a child's imagination, which is very positive for a dragon.  　　
【小题1】The underlined word” emblems” in the first paragraph means “_______”.

Some people are lucky enough to be born with a good sense of direction and even if they have only visited a place once, they will be able to find it again years later.
　　I am one of those unlucky people who have poor sense of direction and I may have visited a place time after time but I still get lost on my way there. When I was young I was so shy that I never dared ask complete strangers the way and so I used to wander round in circles and hope that by some chance I would get to the place I was heading for.
　　I am no longer too shy to ask people for direction, but I often receive replies that puzzle me. Often people do not like to admit（承认）that they didn’t know their hometown and will insist on telling you the way, even if they do not know it; others, who are anxious to prove that they know their hometown very well, will give you a long list of directions which you can not possibly hope to remember, and still others do not seem to be able to tell between their left and their right and you find in the end that you are going in the opposite（相反的）direction to that in which you should be going.
　　If anyone ever asks me the way to somewhere, I always tell them I am a stranger to the town in order to avoid giving them wrong direction but even this can have embarrassing results.
　　Once I was on my way to work when I was stopped by a man who asked me if I would direct him the way to the Sunlight Building. I gave my usual reply, but I had not walked on a few steps when I realized that he had asked for directions to my office building. However, at this point, I decide it was too late to turn back and search for him out of the crowd behind me as I was going to meet with someone at the office and I did not want to keep him waiting.
　　Imagine my embarrassment when my secretary showed in the very man who had asked for directions of my office and his astonishment when he recognized me as the person he had asked.
【小题1】What is the writer going to do when someone asks him for direction?
　  

People with bigger brains ftend to score higher on standardized tests of intelligence， according to new study findings.

However， the study author Dr Michael A.McDaniel of the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond emphasized that these findings represent a general trend， and people with small heads should not automatically believe they are less intelligent. For instance， Albert Einstein’s brain was “not particularly large”， McDaniel noted. “There’s some relationship between brain size and intelligence on the average， but there’s plenty of room for exceptions，” he said.

Interest in the relationship between brain size and intelligence grew in the1830s，  when German anatomist(解剖学家) Frederich Tiedmann wrote that he believed there was “an unquestionable connection between the size of the brain and the mental energy displayed by the individual man”. Since that statement， scientists have conducted numerous studies to determine if Tiedmann’s  assertion was， in fact， correct. Most studies have looked into the link between head size and intelligence. More recently， however， researchers have published additional studies on brain size and intelligence， measured using MRI scan(核磁共振成像扫描).

For his study， McDaniel analyzed more than 20 studies that looked into the relationship between brain size and intelligence in a total of 1,530 people. The studies showed that on the average， people with larger brain volume tended to be more intelligent. The relationship between brain volume and intelligence was stronger in women than men， and in adults than in children. McDaniel notes in the journal Intelligence.

McDaniel is not sure why the relationship was stronger for adults and women. “Other research has shown that women， on the average， tend to have smaller brains than men， but score just as well—if not higher—in tests of intelligence，” he said.

McDaniel insisted that the relationship between brain size and intelligence is not a “perfect” one. “One can certainly find lots of examples of smaller-sized people who are highly intelligent，” he said， “But， on the average， the relationship holds.”

1.. What does the text mainly talk about？

A.MRI scans are applied to intelligence.

B. On the average， a bigger brain means higher IQ.

C. Dr McDaniel did well in his intelligence study.

D. Scientists are interested in Tiedmann’s idea.

2. By mentioning Albert Einstein， the writer wants to show　　　　.

A. Albert Einstein was intelligent

B. the result of intelligence test was false

C. being hard working is more important than intelligence

D. brain size doesn’t necessarily decide the level of intelligence

3. The underlined word “assertion” in Para. 3 probably means “　　　　”.

A. experiment   B. statement   C proof       D. demand

4. After Frederich Tiedmann wrote his article， 　　　　.

A. many scientists agreed with him

B. numerous studies have failed to prove his idea

C.MRI scan became popularly used

D. lots of researchers were interested in the connections between head size and intelligence

5. According to the text， Dr McDaniel’s study　　　　.

A. proves Tiedmann’s idea was completely true

B. shows women are smarter than men

C. involves many studies and a lot of people

D. explains why people with smaller brains are clever

I was 16 and I grew up in a community called Estepona. One morning, Dad told me I could drive him into a ___31___ village called Mijas, on condition that I took the car in to be ___32___ at a nearby garage. I readily accepted. I drove Dad into Mijas, and ___33____ to pick him up at 4 pm, then dropped off the car at the ___34___. With several hours to spare, I went to a theater. ___35___, when the last movie finished, it was six. I was two hours late!
　　 I knew Dad would be angry if he ___36___ I'd been watching movies. So I decided not to tell him the truth. When I ____37____ there I apologized for being late, and told him I'd ___38__ as quickly as I could, but that the car had needed some major repairs. I'll never forget the ___39___ he gave me. "I'm disappointed you ___40___ you have to lie to me, Jason." Dad looked at me again. "When you didn't ___41___, I called the garage to ask if there were any ___42___, and they told me you hadn't yet picked up the car." I felt ____43___ as I weakly told him the real reason. A___44___passed through Dad as he listened attentively." I'm angry with ___45___. I realize I've failed as a father. I'm going to walk home now and think seriously about___46___ I've gone wrong all these years." "But Dad, it's 18 miles!" My protests and apologies(道歉) were __47___. Dad walked home that day.I drove behind him, ___48___ him all the way, but he walked silently.
　　 Seeing Dad in so much ___49___ and emotional(情感的) pain was my most painful experience. However, it was ___50__­__ the most successful lesson. I have never lied since.

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40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。

Upon reaching an appropriate age, usually between 18 and 21 years, children are encouraged, but not forced, to “leave the nest” and begin an independent life. After children leave home they often find social relationships and financial support outside the family. Parents do not arrange marriages for their children, nor do children usually ask permission of their parents to get married, Romantic love is most often the basis for marriage in the United States; young adults meet their future spousesthrough other friends, at jobs, and in organizations and religious institutions, Although children choose their own spouses, they still hope their parents will approve of their choices.

　　In many families, parents feel that children should make major life decisions by themselves. A parent may try to influence a child to follow a particular profession but the child is free to choose another career. Sometimes children do precisely the opposite of what their parents wish in order to assert their independence. A son may deliberately decide not to go into his father’s business because of a fear that he will lose his autonomy in his father’s workplace. This independence from parents is not an indication that parents and children do not love each other. Strong love between parents and children is universal and this is no exception in the American family Coexisting with such love in the American family are cultural values of self – reliance and independence.

1．The writer discusses the marriage of young adults in order to show         .

         A．they choose their spouses according to their own wishes only

         B．they want to win the permission of their parents

         C．they have a strong desire to become independent

         D．they want to challenge the authority of their parents

2．Most young adults in the U.S. get married for the sake of __    __.

　　A．love　　             B．financial concern

　　C．their parents　　               D．family background

3．Based on the passage, it can be assumed that ______.

         A．American young adults are likely to follow the suit of their parents

         B．most American people never make major decisions for their children

         C．American young adults posses cultural values of independence

         D．once a young person steps into his twenties, he will leave his home permanently

4．A son is unwilling to work in his father’s business mainly because           .

         A．he wishes to make full use of what he has learnt in school

         B．he wants to prove his independence

         C．he wishes to do the opposite of what his parents approve of

         D．he wants to show his love for his parents