It is quite reasonable to blame traffic jams, the cost of gas and the great speed of modern life, but manners on the road are becoming horrible．Everybody knows that the nicest men would become fierce tigers behind the wheel．It is all right to have a tiger in a cage, but to have one in the driver’s seat is another matter altogether.

Road politeness is not only good manners, but good sense too．It takes the most cool-headed drivers great patience to give up the desire to beat back when forced to face rude driving．On the other hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the possibility of quarrelling and fighting．A friendly nod or a wave of thanks in answer to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of good will and calm so necessary in modern traffic condition．But such behaviors of politeness are by no means enough．Many drivers nowadays don’t even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it.

However, misplaced politeness can also be dangerous．Typical examples are the driver who waves a child crossing the street at a wrong place into the path of oncoming cars that may be not able to stop in time．The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they want to．It always amazes me that the highways are not covered with the dead bodies of these grannies (奶奶).

An experienced driver, whose manners are faultless, told me it would help if drivers learnt to correctly join in traffic stream without causing total blockages that give rise to unpleasant feelings．Unfortunately, modern drivers can’t even learn to drive．Years ago, experts warned us that the fast increase of the car ownership would demand more give-and-take from all road users．It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart.

1.According to the passage, troubles on the road are often caused by        .

A．road conditions                         B．the speed of modern life

C．the large number of cars                  D．the behavior of the drivers

2.In the writer’s opinion,        .

A．drivers should show road politeness properly.

B．strict traffic rules are badly needed

C．unskillful drivers should be punished

D． drivers should avoid traffic jams

3.The underlined word “give-and-take” in the passage means        .

A．politeness and impoliteness

B．willingness to give in to each other’s wishes

C．offering help to others as much as possible

D．good manners and bad manners

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A．Road Politeness                      B．Traffic Problems

C Bad Manners on the Road               D．Good Drivers and Bad Driver

 

More than 30 million kids buy school lunch each day. This year, many schools raised lunch prices to fight raising costs. Students pay about $2 a meal now. That is 27 cents more than last year. But they still get a good deal. The average cost for schools to produce one meal has gone up 30 cents, and is now $3. 

So, how do schools neither make money nor lose money? To start, the government pays for a small part of the difference. Schools have to make up the rest. Peggy Eller, a leader of school nutrition (营养) service in Hudson, Wisconsin, said her district is cutting costs by using fewer paper products and serving smaller portion(份额). Well, portion control is one key to healthful eating! 

The push for more healthful food has grown in recent years. One in five kids aged 6 to 19 is overweight. Being overweight can cause health problems. Many states passed laws that require schools to serve nutritious meals. 

Since 2004, more than 90% of all U.S. Schools have removed the fat from lunches. Foods high in fat, salt and sugar have been replaced by low-fat milk, fresh fruits and vegetables. These new items on lunch menus have encouraged kids to change their eating habits. “It makes easier to try new things at home, “said Savanna Mackey, a Florida fifth-grader.  

Students need healthful meals to grow strong and do well in school. “Rising prices won’t stand in the way,”says school nutritionist Jane Thornton. “We’ll just be more clever in how we do things.”

1.In the first paragraph, the author aims to tell us         .

A. the large number of kids buying school lunch

B. the average price of school lunch

C. the school's ways to deal with school lunch

D. the fact of school lunch's getting more expensive

2.Many school districts raised lunch prices because         .

A. there is less healthful food on the menus

B. the cost of food has gone up

C. kids often forget to bring lunch money

D. some school dining-halls are serving smaller portions

3.According to Paragraph 4, Savanna Mackey       .

A. doesn't like the new items on the lunch menus

B. always enjoys foods like fresh and vegetables

C. becomes interested in eating healthy food at home

D. prefers eating at school to eating at home

4.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. American schools solve the problem of high food prices by themselves.

B. American schools are very concerned about their students’ health.

C. Almost all schools are forced by the government to serve healthy foods.

D. American childhood overweight is mainly caused by the present lunch foods.

 

Every pet owner loves his pet. There is no argument here.

　　But when we asked our readers whether they would clone their beloved animals, the responses were split almost down the middle. Of the 228 readers who answered it, 108 would clone, 111 would not and nine weighed each side without offering an opinion.

　　Clearly, from readers’ response, this is an issue that reaches deeply into both the joy and eventual sadness of owning a pet. It speaks, as well, to people’s widely differing expectations over the developing scientific procedure.

　　Most of the respondents who favored the idea strongly believed it would produce at least a close copy of the original; many felt the process would actually return an exact copy. Those on the other side, however, held little hope a clone could never truly recreate a pet, many simply didn’t wish to go against the natural law of life and death.

　　Both sides expressed equal love for their animals. More than a few respondents owned “the best dog/cat in the world”. They thought of their pets as their “best friend”, “a member of the family,” “the light of my life.” They told moving stories of pets’ heroism, intelligence and selfless devotion.

　　Little wonders the loss is so disturbing—and the cloning so attractive. “People become very close to their animals, and the loss can be just as hard to bear as when a friend or family member dies,” says Gary Kowalski, author of Goodbye, Friend: Healing Wisdom for Anyone Who Has Ever Lost a Pet. “For me, cloning feels like an attempt to turn death away…It’s understandable. Death is always painful. It’s difficult to deal with. It’s hard to accept.”

 　But would cloning reduce the blow? This question seemed to be at the heart of this problem.

So far as the cloning of pets is concerned, a recent survey shows that, of all pet owners, __________.

A. a lot more of them are for it

B. a lot more of them are against it

C. very few of them are willing to tell their opinions

D. about half of them are for it and the other half against it

While talking about the respondents from the readers, the expression “eventual sadness of owning a pet” refers to _________.

A. the death of one’s pet

B. the high cost of owning a pet

C. the troubles one has to deal with in keeping a pet

D. the dangers involved in the cloning of a pet

In spite of their differences on the problem of cloning, it seems that ________.

A. all pet owners try to go against the natural law of life and death

B. all pet owners love their pets very much

C. people who support cloning love their pets more

D. people who dislike cloning love their pets more

From what Gary Kowalski says, we can know that he _________.

A. has never thought about the problem of cloning

B. is going to write another book on pets

C. is in favor of the idea of cloning pets

D. is all against the cloning of pets

What is the key question at the heart of the problem of cloning pets?

A. Can pet owners afford the cost of cloning?

B. Can cloning make the pain one suffers less when a pet dies?

C. Does cloning go against the law of nature?

D. How reliably does cloning produce an exact copy of one’s pet?

 

第三部分：阅读理解 （共16小题：每小题1.5分，满分24分）

第一节  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。（共13个小题，每小题1.5分，满分19.5 分）并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Our little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was preparing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands on her apron (围裙) , she read it, and this is what was said:

For going to the store for you $2.

For cutting the grass in the garden $3.

For cleaning up the yard this week $2.5.

For cleaning up my room this week $2.

For setting the table for meals this week $1.

For baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping $1.5.

For getting a good school report $5.

Total owed: $17.

His mother looked at him, who was standing there with expectation. Memories flashed through her mind. Then she picked up a pen, turned over the paper he had written on, and wrote:

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me, No Charge(收费) .

For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you and taken care of you, No Charge.

For all the problems and troubles that you’ve caused through the years, there is No Charge.

When you add it all up, the cost of my love is No Charge.

For all the nights that were filled with fear and for the worries I knew were ahead, No Charge. For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping up your nose? There is No Charge. And when you add it all up, the full cost of real love is, No Charge, Son.

Well, friends, when our son finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight up at his mother and said, “Mom, I sure do love you..” And then he took the pen and in great letters he wrote, “ PAID IN FULL.”

1. What might the mother be doing when the boy came into the kitchen?

   A. Getting the dishes ready.          B. Repairing the cooker.

   C. Washing dirty dishes.             D. Laying the table for dinner.

2. According to the boy’s bill, his mom owed him ______ for his helping with the house work.

   A. $7.50          B. $10.50          C. $12.00          D. $17.00

3. This story tries to tell us that ________.

   A. real love is priceless  B. housework is endless  C. the mother is wise D. the boy is selfish

 

Amusement parks make most of their money from admission fees paid by guests attending the park. Other sources include parking fees, food and drink sales and souvenirs. Practically all amusement parks operate using one of two admission principles:

     Pay-as-you-go In this form, a guest enters the park at little or no charge. The guest must then buy rides one by one, either at the attraction’s entrance or by buying ride tickets. The cost of the attraction is often based on its complexity (复杂性) or popularity. The park may allow guests to buy unlimited admissions to all attractions within the park. A pass is then shown at the attraction entrance to gain admission.

     Disneyland opened in 1955 using the pay-as-you-go form. Initially, guests paid the ride admission fees at the attractions. Soon, the problems of dealing with so many coins led to the development of a ticket system that, while now out of use, is still part of the amusement-park vocabulary. In this new form, guests bought ticket books that contained a number of tickets, with “A,” “B” and “C.” Rides and attractions using an “A-ticket” were generally simple, with “B-tickets” and “C-tickets” used for the larger, more popular rides. Later, the “D-ticket” was added, then finally the now-famous “E-ticket,” which was used for the biggest rides, like Space Mountain. Smaller tickets could be traded up for use on larger rides. Disneyland, as well as the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, gave up this practice in 1982.

The advantages include:

guests pay for only what they choose to experience

attraction costs can be changed easily

The disadvantages include:

guests may get tired of spending money almost continuously

guests may not spend as much on food or souvenirs

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Attractions of amusement parks

B. Admission fees of amusement parks.

C. Admission principles of amusement parks

D. Sources of income of amusement parks.

2.According to the pay-as-you-go principle, guests _____.

A. don’t pay at the gate of the park

B. must pay for each ride they take

C. have to pay for all rides in the park

D. needn’t pay after entering the park

3.According to the passage, what is the meaning of the underlined word “Initially” in Paragraph 3?

A. Gradually.    B. At the beginning.     C. At last.      D. Commonly.

4.What would be introduced following the passage?

A. The other admission principle

B. Amusement parks’ earnings.

C. Some other admission principles

D. Users of the pay-as-you-go principle.