Ⅳ、阅读理解（共20题，每题2分，共40分）

Kerry and Alice were both artists in Britain. They taught drawing and painting at Cambridge University. Although they were friends, each thought oneself to be the better painter.

One day, Kerry promised marriage to Alice. Surprised and pleased by the offer, the girl was not sure whether she would spend her future as a wife or a painter. After a moment she replied as follows, "Each of us must paint a picture. If yours is superior to mine, you can make me your wife. If not, please drop the question." Then it was decided to give it the following day.

The next morning. Alice hung her picture on the gate. It showed a bunch of flowers and won high praise from everyone who passed by. In fact, a crowd collected in front of her masterpiece and fixed eyes on it.

Several hours passed. Then Kerry was seen coming along to the gate with what appeared to be a beautiful leather suitcase in his hand. When he finally stopped before Alice, the girl artist brushed like a rose and agreed to marry him without any hesitation. Why?

71．What did Alice think Kerry's offer?

A. She liked Kerry, but she didn't expect him to promise marriage to her.

B. She didn't want to marry anybody.

C. She didn't like it at all.

D. She thought the offer wasn't polite.

72．In the sentence "If yours is superior to mine, you can make me your wife"。 "superior to" here means ____.

A. not so better than      B. better than             C. as bad as     D. as good as

73. Which of the following is true?

A. Kerry didn't accept Alice's suggestion.

B. Kerry wasn't sure of his painting so he dropped his offer.

C. Kerry did go the next day, but he failed to take a picture

D. Kerry agreed to Alice's suggestion.

74．Alice's picture won high praise because ____.

A. it was true to nature                      

B. the flowers were red

C. it showed so large a bunch of flowers 

D. people felt it strange to hang it on the gate

75．The "leather suitcase" was in fact ____.

A. a real one                    B. a painting drawn by Kerry

C. a box with a picture in it        D. made up of leather

 

 

第二节 读写任务 （共1小题，满分25分）

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

 

A little boy is telling his Grandma how "everything" is going wrong. School, family problems, severe health problems, etc.

Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake. She asks her grandson if he would like a cake, which, of course, he does.

"Here, have some cooking oil."

"Terrible!" says the boy.

     "How about a couple raw eggs?"

     " Terrible! Grandma!"

     "Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"

     "Grandma, those are all awful!"

     To which Grandma replies: “Yes, all those things seem bad by themselves, but when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!

“Life works the same way. Many times we wonder why it would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But life knows that when it puts these things all in its order, they always work for good!

“The trials（考验） of life serve a meaningful purpose in making us stronger. Do not lose heart if life is not easy for you right now, but encourage yourself and know you will be much stronger mentally and physically because of the trials of life. ”

[写作内容]

1．以约30个词概括这段短文的内容；

2．然后以约120个词以“Facing the Trials of Life”为题进行议论，内容包括：

    (1) 你阅读短文后的感受；

    (2) 简述你经历过的一次困难或考验；

    (3) 你认为应当如何看待生活中的考验。

 [写作要求]

1．在作文中可以使用自己亲身的经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

2．作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

[评分标准]

概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。

 

On a hot day, I decide to mow our extremely hilly lawn. It was likely to    21    a jungle（丛林）with weeds growing wildly. I need to mow it at once.

After several false    22      , I had to examine it and finally got our old lawn mower     23      . I was mowing and trying hard to push the machine uphill, which was really a hard job, for the machine was too old to work well. I was so   24  that I complained under my breath, so I decided to take a short break.

At the top of a rise, I   25  to see my 12-year-old John Thomas standing there, with a smile on his face and a glass of    26   in his hand.  "Here, Mom, "he said, "have a drink, Want me to help you? Dad   27  me work on hte flat places."

I  28   the ice water and went to sit in the      29   of a tall tree. As I took my drink, I   30     my son. To my surprise, he didn't seem to be    31    the normal mowing pattern. And he kept smiling at me   32    he worked. I wondered    33  made him so happy? I thought to myself.

After a while, he    34   mowing and looked in my direction. "Hey, Mom. Could you  35  here? "   "He's always　naughty like this, lazy again?" I said to myself    36     .  Then I stood up and walked across the lawn, noticing that he had missed a sizable spot. "John, you didn't..."  My angry words gradually became      37      , for the spot I thought he'd missed had been       38     mowed into the shape of a（an）   39   , suddenly I felt something warm and gentle rising from inside.

"Like it, Mom? It's mine and it's for you."  he asked with a big    40  .

"Now I'll finish the job."

21. A. turn on B. turn into     C. turn down  D. turn up

22. A. starts    B. words C. ends    D. behavior

23. A. work    B. move  C. going  D. flying

24. A. cheerful       B. tired   C. cared  D. boring

25. A. looked through    B. looked over       C. looked after       D. looked up

26. A. hot tea  B. chocolate    C. milk   D. ice water

27. A. asks      B. allows C. lets     D. agrees

28. A. drank   B. heated C. accepted     D. received

29. A. shade    B. leaves C. root    D. top

30. A. saw      B. watched     C. observed    D. noticed

31. A. feeling  B. finding       C. following   D. feeding

32. A. if  B. since   C. whether      D. as

33. A. what     B. that     C. all      D. it

34. A. continued     B. went on      C. stopped      D. finished

35. A. go over B. turn over    C. driver over D. come over

36. A. happily B. angrily       C. eagerly       D. anxiously

37. A. heavier B. thicker       C. louder D. quieter

38. A. carefully      B. carelessly   C. casually      D. comfortably

39. A. heart                  B. apple  C. hand   D. foot

40. A. sign      B. smile  C. surprise      D. sigh

Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with her Lord. She did it her way.

I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly. Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven. I hated going there every weekend. There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception.

My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land and loved to work in the garden among her flowers and vegetables. The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat. We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me.

In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen. I sang the melody and Mom harmonized. Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over. Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk. She loved to tell how my playpen（婴儿圈栏）sat in the kitchen next to the radio and there was one song I particularly loved called "Ivory Tower".

As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit every week or two. The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad. Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm. While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle（喧闹）of my life at home. But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced.

Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio. Music always comforted me.

My heart skipped a beat. "Moon River" was playing on the radio. I sat there stunned, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note.

Then the radio announcer of this oldie station came on. "Here's one we haven't heard in a while," and an unfamiliar song began. I began to cry harder as I heard the words sung over the airwaves. "Come down, come down from your Ivory Tower...."

1. The writer didn’t like staying in the farm for the following reasons EXCEPT that ________.

A. it was too cold and quiet

B. she could only sing one song in the small farm

C. there was nothing more that could make her excited

D. The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat

2. From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________.

    A. passed away four years ago

 B. left the small farm with Lord

C. left for Lord to live her own way

    D. preferred to be with Lord

3.The underlined word reminisced in the fifth paragraph probably means ________.

A. recalled     B. comforted     C. shouted      D. sighed

4. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage _______.

A. The writer was able to sing before she could speak.

B. The writer preferred to live a busy life in the city.

C. The writer was still quite familiar with the song "Ivory Tower".

D. The writer treasured all her childhood memories in the small farmhouse.

5. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? _______

A. Cherish life                  B. My happy childhood

C. Our small farmhouse           D. Mom’s music

 

We lived in a very quiet neighborhood. One evening I heard a loud crash in the street. Earlier that evening my wife had asked me to go to the store to get some soft drinks. It seemed like this would be a good time to let my teenage daughter Holly practice her driving, so I sent her to the store in my truck.

At dinner my son talked about how much he liked my truck. I enjoyed having it, but I said: "Guy, my heart is not set on that truck. I like it but it is just metal and won’t last forever. Never set your heart on anything that won’t last."

After hearing the loud noise, the whole family ran outside. My son shouted: "Dad! Dad, Holly crashed your truck."

My heart sank and my mind was flooded with conflicting thoughts. Was anyone hurt? Who else was involved? As I ran to the door, I heard a voice in my heart say: "Here is a chance to show Holly what you really love. She’ll never forget it."

The accident had occurred in my own driveway. Holly had crashed my truck into our other vehicle, the family van (搬运车). In her inexperience, she had confused the brakes and the gas pedal. Holly was unhurt physically, but when I reached her, she was crying and saying: "Oh, Dad, I’m sorry. I know how much you love this truck." I held her in my arms as she cried.

Later that week a friend stopped by and asked what had happened to my truck. I told her the whole story. Her eyes moistened (湿润) and she said: "That happened to me when I was a girl. I borrowed my dad’s car and ran into a log that had fallen across the road. I ruined the car. When I got home my Dad knocked me to the ground and began to kick me."

Over 40 years later, she still felt the pain of that night.

I remember how sad Holly was and how I comforted her. One day, when Holly thinks back on her life, I want her to know what really matters in my life.

1.How did the crash happen?

A．The van was parked in the wrong place that evening.

B．Holly stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brakes.

C．The brakes of the truck didn’t work properly.

D．Holly was too careless and young to drive a truck.

2.Why didn’t the writer punish Holly?

A．He was so rich that he didn’t care about losing one truck.

B．He thought there was no point punishing her after the accident.

C．He believed the truck was made of metal and of poor quality.

D．He wanted Holly to know he loved her more than any possessions.

3.What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．She still suffered physical pain.

B．She felt guilty of damaging the car.

C．It left a deep wound on her soul.

D．She was not forgiven by her Dad.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．What really matters?

B．Better to forgive and forget

C．Who is to blame?

D．Accidents will happen