第三部分：阅读理解（共12小题；每小题2分，满分24分）

请认真阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Few people realize that there is a big difference between formal English and informal English. Formal English is used for most writing, and often in public speaking and formal meetings. It pays close attention to grammar rules, because if we use proper grammar, our meaning is often more precise. Also, on important occasions, we do not want to appear uneducated or to offend (冒犯) others, so we are very careful about how we speak. Informal English is used in speaking or writing to our friends and family. It often does not pay such close attention to grammar rules, because when we speak or write to them, we want our words to flow quickly. Also, with our friends and family, we are usually not so worried about appearing uneducated or about offending them by how we write or speak.

  A big difference between formal and informal English is the use of contractions. A contraction is where we make a word shorter or where we put two words together and take away some of the letters. For example, instead of saying “do not”, many people say “don’t”. Using contractions in our speech is fine because it sounds natural, especially when we speak to our friends. In formal writing, however, contractions are usually avoided because people might think that you have made a mistake, or that you do not know proper grammar.

  In the same way we might make words shorter, in informal English we often make sentences shorter as well. For example, if someone asks you your name, you will likely answer with one word: your first name. However, in formal English we usually use complete sentences. For example, we might write “My name is John”. In most speaking, we may not need to use every word in a sentence because the person we are speaking to will probably still understand us. In most writing, however, every word in a sentence must be written out in order to make sure that we can be understood.

56. When we use formal English, _______.

         A. we will offend others 

B. we will appear educated on important occasions

         C. we needn’t pay more attention to grammar rules

         D. we can express ourselves more directly and more quickly

57. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “precise”?

         A. simple                    B. direct                     C. puzzling                 D. clear

58. Contractions are best used when we are _______.

         A. speaking at a formal meeting                        B. speaking to our friends

         C. speaking in public                                              D. writing an application (申请) letter

59. In speaking, we do not always use complete sentences because ______.

         A. we do not care about grammar                    B. we do not want to sound stupid

         C. we can still be understood                              D. we don’t want to waste time

It was my birthday last Thursday. I decided to  36  by inviting a few friends out to supper. I chose a restaurant in a  37  part of town. It is one of my favorite restaurants because the food is good and the waiters are friendly. It is  38  ever crowded, because not many people know about it, so it is not usually  39  to book(预定) a table. In any case, Thursday is not a busy evening  40 .
When we entered the restaurant, we were surprised to find it completely  41 . I looked around but no  42  was free. One of the waiters recognized me. He came across and explained the situation. “A party of tourists(旅游团) came in about half an hour ago,” he said. “It was like an invasion (侵略).  43  the place was full! We can hardly manage (对付，应付).”
The waiter then pointed to a table in the corner. “The people there are about to  44 ,” he said. “Just hold on and you’ll  45  a place there.” He was right. Fifteen minutes later, the people  46  the corner table paid their  47 , got up and left. I led my friends across and we all sat down.
 48 , our table was almost out of sight. We tried to call the attention of the waiter who sent us there,   49  he, like all the other waiters, was  50  with the party of tourists. They ordered lots of food. At last, an hour later, the tourists were finishing their meal and looking very  51  with life. The waiter, now very tired, appeared at our table. I advised my friends about the best dishes and finally the waiter went off with our  52 .
A few moments later he returned to our table. We could tell from his face that he had  53  news for us.  54  a little sorry he told us that there was no meat or fish. “All we can  55  you,” he said, “is an omelet (煎蛋卷) !”

Thirty years ago not many people would have dreamed of doing the repairs and decorations in their own homes. In those days labor was fairly cheap and most people would have thought it worthwhile to employ a professional painter and decorator, unless of course they were either very hand up or were in the trade themselves. Today, however, it is quite a different story. Men and women in all walks of life turn their hands to all sorts of jobs round the house including painting, papering, putting up shelves and wall units, and tiling walls and floors. Some people with no professional training of any kind have even successfully built their own houses. These jobs have been made easier today by the introduction of prepared materials, which require the minimum amount of skill to use. In every high street throughout Britain nowadays there is at least one “Do-it-Yourself” shop containing a vast range of timber, tiles, paints, wallpapers and floor coverings besides tools of every description including power drills and many accessories. “Do-it-Yourself” is a booming business; all these shops do a roaring trade and look like continuing to do so. Probably the main reason for the craze is the high cost of present-day labor and the shortage of building firms willing to do small jobs.

1. Why did people employ professional workers to decorate homes thirty years ago?

A．Because they could not do it themselves.

B．Because professional workers were very cheap.

C．Because they had no time.

D．Because professional workers could do much better.

2. Thirty years later what changes took place?

A．People could do everything themselves.

B．Few people chose to be a professional worker

C．People with no professional training successfully built their own houses.

D．New expensive materials required no skills at all.

3. What caused the DIY craze?

A．Young people liked to follow the fashion.

B．“Do-it-Yourself” is a booming business.

C．There were fewer building companies.

D．High cost of professional workers.

4.What is the speaker telling us?

A．How DIY comes into being.

B．Changes in building.

C．Changes in housing.

D．Great changes in these thirty years.

II    语言知识及应用（共两节，满分35分）

第一节完形填空 (共10小题; 每小题2分, 满分20分)

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21-30各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

“The pen is more powerful than the sword.” There have been many  21  who used their pens to fight things that were wrong．Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of them．

　　She was born in the U．S．A．in 1811．One of her books not only made her  22  but has been described as one that excited the world, and was helpful in  23   a civil war and freeing the  24  race．The civil war was the American Civil War of 1861, in which the Northern States fought the Southern States and finally   25   the victory.

　　This book that shook the world was called Uncle Tom's Cabin．There was a time when every English-speaking man, woman, and child read this   26   that did so much to stop slavery．Not many people read it today, but it is still very interesting．The book has shown us how a warm-hearted writer can   27   people's sympathies．The author herself had neither been to the Southern States nor been a slave．The Southern Americans were   28   by the book, which they said did not at all represent true   29   of affairs, but the Northern Americans were   30   excited over it and were so inspired by it that they were ready to go to war to set the slaves free．

21．A．writers                B．soldiers           C．fighters                  D．judges

22．A．successful              B．rich                        C．famous                   D．inspiring

23．A．declaring               B．winning          C．causing                  D．stopping

24．A．enslaved   B．uncivilized             C．immigrated            D．rejected 

25．A．defeated          B．beat                        C．received          D．won

26．A．cabin               B．novel               C．title                D．story

27．A．command               B．excite                     C．attract                    D．describe

28．A．interested         B．satisfied                  C．disappointed    D．annoyed

29．A．state                B．incident                  C．event                     D．situation

30．A．mildly                   B．wildly                    C．modestly          D．gradually

Sir William Osler has a few words for you: “In the Life of a young man the most essential thing for happiness is the gift of friendship.” Truer words were never spoken. For what more could you ask than comradeship during the peaks and valleys of life? To whom else but a close, valuable friend can you show off your successes and complain about your failures or losses?

What is a “good friend”? How is he best described? Well, it has been my observation that although many will cry with you, few can sincerely rejoice (欣喜) with you. Therefore, in my opinion, a good friend is one who can enjoy your successes without envy; one who can say, “That was wonderful! You can do it again, even better if you want!” and mean it. Nothing taxes a friendship more than the prosperity of one and not the other. Even the closest of friendships often cannot resist such pressure and fail. No wonder many minor friendships go down day by day for the same reason.

A person of good character and sound moral, of honor and humor, of courage and belief is a friend to be sought and treasured — for there are few. Too often we hear, “If you can count your good friends on more than one hand, consider yourself blessed.”

What makes a friendship last? Well, I don’t know all the answers, but one of my observations is that most good friends usually have similar tastes. They generally like and dislike many of the same things. There also usually seems to exist a similarity of personality types — especially in the fundamental values of life such as honesty, sincerity, loyalty, and dependability. More often than not, birds of a feather do fly together. I don’t think it matters a lot whether one prefers jazz or hockey to another’s Mozart or ballet. Much other matters far more: relying, sharing, giving, getting, enjoying; a sympathetic ear always there; criticism when it can help; praise — even if only because it would help. With not many people on this earth will you find this much in common. When you find one, hang on to him, for a good friend found is a rare treasure.

1. The function of Paragraph 1 is to introduce _____.

A. a famous saying 

B. the topic for discussion

C. a famous person 

D. two different attitudes

2. What is the meaning of the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?

A. People don’t have to pay taxes to develop friendship with others.

B. Success of one person can promote his friendship with others.

C. Friendship can be affected by the difference in success between friends.

D. Nothing can affect friendship because it has gone through the peaks and valleys of life.

3. What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?

A. One is lucky to have many friends.

B. A friend should have a good character.

C. We should count our friends on more than one hand.

D. A true friend should be treasured because there are few.

4. According to the passage, which of the following plays the LEAST important role in a long-lasting friendship?

A. Hobbies.                            B. Tastes.

C. Personality.                          D. Sympathy.