第三节阅读理解(共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分)
A
A marketing director for a famous computer manufacturer was designing a new advertisement for his company. While researching consumers’ response to his product, he asked, “Ships are commonly referred to as ‘she’ or ‘her’. What gender (性别) would you give to your computer? Give four reasons to support your answer.
A large group of women reported that the computers should be referred to as “he” or “him” because:
1. In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on.
2. They have a lot of data, but are still hard to understand.
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they are problems.
4. As soon as you buy one, you realize that, if you had waited a little longer you could have had a better model.
The men, on the other hand, said that computers should be referred to as “she” or “her” because:
1. The language they use to communicate with other computers is impossible to understand for most men.
2. Even your smallest mistakes are stored in the long-term memory and will be remembered forever.
3. As soon as you get one, you find yourself spending half your money on accessories (附件) for it.
21. In fact, computers really _______.
A. should be referred to as “she”        B. should be talked about as “he”
C. are neither “she” nor “he”                 D. are either “he” or “she”
22. Why did the man ask people such a strange question? 
A. Because he was a marketing director of a computer company.
B. Because he was not sure whether to use “she” or “he” for his computer.
C. Because he wanted to make special computers for men and women.
D. Because he was planning an advertisement for his computer.
23. From the women’s answers, we can see _______.
A. they generally don’t know as much about computer as men do
B. they want to use a computer without turning it on
C. they can’t make up their minds when to buy a new computer
D. they love computers as much as they love their husbands

For eighty four days old Santiago had not caught a single fish. At first a young boy, Manolin, had shared his bad fortune, but after the fortieth luckless day the boy’s father told his son to go in another boat. From that time on, Santiago worked alone. The boy loved the old fisherman and always helped him with money and food. Usually, they would talk about the fish they had taken in luckier times or about American baseball after supper, while at night, alone in his cottage, Santiago dreamed of lions on the beaches of Africa, where he had gone years before. He no longer dreamed of his dead wife.

On the eighty-fifth day, Santiago set off to fish before dawn. Two of his baits(饵) were fresh tunas(金枪鱼) the boy had given him, as well as sardines(沙丁鱼) to cover his hooks. Then he set his lines which went straight down into deep dark water.

    As the sun rose he saw other boats in toward shore. A bird showed him where dolphins were chasing some flying fish. This time Santiago saw tuna jumping in the sunlight. A small one took the hook on his line. Pulling the fish aboard, the old man thought it a good fortune.

    Toward noon a marlin, a common fish in the sea, started eating the bait which was one hundred meters down. Gently the old man played the fish, a big one, as he knew from the weight on the line. At last he struck to settle the hook. The fish did not come out of the surface. Instead, it began to pull the boat to the northwest. The old man followed it. Although he was alone and no longer strong, he had his skill and knew many tricks. He waited patiently for the fish to be tired.

    It was cold after the sunset. When something took one of his remaining baits, he cut the line with his knife. Once the marlin leaned suddenly, pulling Santiago forward on his face and cutting his cheek. By dawn his left hand was cramped(抽筋的). The fish had headed northward; there was no land in sight. Hungry, he cut pieces from the tuna and chewed them slowly.

That morning the fish jumped. Seeing it, Santiago knew he had hooked the biggest marlin he had ever seen. Then the fish went down and turned toward the east. Santiago drank a little water from the bottle during the hot afternoon.

Close to nightfall a dolphin took the small hook he had rebaited. He lifted it aboard, careful. After he had rested, he cut meat from the dolphin and kept also the two flying fish he found in its stomach. That night he slept. He awoke to feel the line running through his fingers as the fish jumped. Feeding line slowly, he tried to tire the marlin. After the fish slowed its run, he washed his cut hands in sea water and ate one of the flying fish. At sunrise the marlin began to circle. Faint, he worked to bring the big fish nearer with each turn. Almost exhausted, he finally drew his big fish alongside and drove in the harpoon(鱼叉). The fish was two feet longer than the boat. No fish like it had ever been seen in Havana harbor.

    An hour later, he sighted the first shark, a fierce Mako, and it came in fast to chase after the dead marlin. The old man struck the shark with his harpoon. The Mako rolled and sank, carrying the harpoon with it and leaving the marlin bloody. He knew the smell would spread. Watching, he saw two sharks closing in. He struck at one with his knife and watched it sliding down into deep water. The other he killed while it tore at the flesh of the marlin. When the third appeared, he thrust(刺) it with the knife. The other sharks came at sunset. At first he tried to beat them with the tiller(舵柄) from the boat, but his hands were bleeding and there were too many in the sea. In the darkness, as he steered toward the harbor of Havana, he heard them hitting the boat again and again. But the old man thought only of his steering and his great tiredness. He had gone out too far and the sharks had beaten him. He knew they would leave him nothing but the stripped skeleton of the big marlin.

   All lights were out when he sailed into the little harbor and beached his boat. He could just make out the white backbone and the upstanding tail of the fish. Once he fell under their weight and lay patiently until he could gather his strength to go on. In his cottage he fell on his bed and went to sleep.

1.The above story is adapted from __________.

A. Treasure Island                  B. The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer

C. The Old Man And The Sea          D. The Son Of The Sea

2.Why did the man feel that he could be lucky this time?

A. Because a small tuna took the hook on his line.

B. Because he dreamed about the American lions.

C. Because he saw many flying fish were chased by the dolphins.

D. Because a lot of sharks followed his boat.

3.According to the text, which statement is NOT true about the boy?

A. The boy had mercy on Santiago.

B. The boy often shared his stories with Santiago.

C. The boy showed his great concerns to Santiago.

D. The boy was Santiago’s adopted son.

4.Why does Santiago let the marlin lead his boat instead of pulling the big fish up?

A. He wanted to kill the marlin first before he pulled it up to the boat.

B. He was too tired and hungry to pull the big fish up.

C. His experience told him not to do so before the fish was tired out.

D. He wanted to use the marlin as a bait to catch the sharks.

5.Which sentence below can be used to best describe Santiago’s character?

A. “He no longer dreamed of his dead wife.”(Para 1)

B. “Although he was alone and no longer strong, he had his skill and knew many tricks.”(Para4)

C. “Almost exhausted, he finally drew his big fish alongside and drove in the harpoon.”(Para7)

D. “Once he fell under their weight and lay patiently until he could gather his strength to go on .”(Para 9)

6.According to the text, what will be talked about in the next paragraph?

A. the man’s action to realize his dream about the lions.

B. people’s reflection when they saw the giant marlin outside.

C. people’s discussion about how they ate the giant marlin.

D. a funeral held by the boy and the local people after his death.

“You'll have to take care of the baby today,” a woman told her husband . “ I'm not feeling well.”

“Then you must stay in bed and rest, dear. “ her husband said. “I'll be pleased to look after our baby. “

“Thank you. I'll have a quiet day and I'll soon get better. “ his wife told him.

“Shall I do the shopping for you as well?” her husband asked.

She was very pleased and said, “That will help me very much. I'll give you a list of things to buy. “

She wrote out the list and gave it to him.

“You can get all these things at the supermarket,” she said.

“You can put the baby in the shopping cart, then you won't have to leave him outside.”

The man took the baby to the supermarket and put him in the shopping cart. Then he pushed the shopping cart along the rows of things to buy and looked for those that were on his list.

At first all was well, but then the baby began to cry.

Then he started to scream.

And scream!

And SCREAM!

“Keep calm ,George, ” the man said. “Don't get excited. Don't shout, George. Don't lose your temper, George.”

A woman in the supermarket heard him saying these things. She walked up to him.

“I think you are wonderful ,”she said. “You are so patient with your little George. ”

　　“Madam, ”" the man said, “I'm George. He's Edward.”

1. Why did the man take care of the baby?

2.Why did the man take the baby to the supermarket?

3.What did the baby do in the supermarket?

4.Finally we can infer from the story that_____ .

The dirty, homeless man sat on the pavement, staring at the stones. He thought back more than twenty years to when he was a boy living in a small red brick house on this very street. He recalled the flower garden, the swing his dad made, and the bike he had saved up for months to buy.

The man shrugged impatiently, for the brightness of those pictures hurt him, and his memory traveled on another ten years. He had a job by then, plenty of friends and started to come home less. He did not really want to remember those years, nor the day when, because of debts, he had gone home planning to ask for money. He felt embarrassed, but he knew exactly where his dad kept the money. When his parents stepped out of the room, he took what he wanted and left.

That was the last time he had seen them. Ashamed, he went abroad, and his parents knew nothing about the years of wandering or time in prison. But locked in his cell he often thought of home. Once free, he would love to see his parents again, if they were still alive, and still wanted to see him.

When his prison time was up, he found a job, but couldn’t settle. Something was drawing him home. He did not want to arrive penniless, so he hitchhiked most of the long journey back. But less than a mile from his destination he started to feel sick with doubt. Could they ever accept this man who had so bitterly disappointed them?

He spent most of that day sitting under a tree. That evening he posted a letter which, although short, had taken him hours to write. It ended with:

I know it is unreasonable of me to suppose you want to see me ... so it’s up to you. I’ll come early Thursday morning. If you want me home, hang a white handkerchief in the window of my old bedroom. If it’s there, I’ll come in; if not, I’ll wave good-bye and go.

And now it was Thursday morning and he was sitting on the pavement at the end of the street. Finally he got up and walked slowly toward the old house. He drew a long breath and looked.

His parents were taking no risks. ________________________________________

The man threw his head back, gave a cry of relief and ran straight through the open front door.

1.Why did the man shrug impatiently (paragraph 2) while he was thinking of his childhood?

A. The thoughts made him angry.

B. He felt he had wasted time.

C. He was anxious to go home.

D. The sweet memory caused him much pain.

2.Why did it take him hours to write the letter?

A. He doubted if his parents still lived in that house.

B. He had much news to tell his parents.

C. He felt ashamed to ask for forgiveness.

D. He was longing to return home and felt excited.

3.In what order did the following events take place?

a. He took the money from his parents.

b. He bought a bicycle with his savings.

c. He was sentenced to prison.

d. He wrote the letter home.

e. He sat on the pavement.

f. He hitchhiked back home.

A. b, a, c, d, e, f                                                        B. b, a, c, f, d, e

C. a, c, b, d, f, a                                                         D. a, d, b, c, e, f

4.Which of the following best fits into paragraph 8?

A. Every inch of the house was covered in white. Sheets, pillowcases and table clothes had been placed on every window and door, making it look like a snow house.

B. The house before him was just as he remembered: the red bricks, the brown door and nothing else.

C. A colorful blanket was over the front door. On it, in large letters, was written, “Welcome home, son”.

D. A police car was parked in the drive way, and two officers stood at the front door.

5.The best title of the passage is _______.

A. Sweet Memory                                                   B. White Handkerchief

C. Abandoned Son                            D. Leaving Home

For eighty four days old Santiago had not caught a single fish. At first a young boy, Manolin, had shared his bad fortune, but after the fortieth luck less day the boy’s father told his son to go in another boat. From that time on, Santigao worked alone. The boy loved the old fisherman and always helped him with money and food. Usually, they would talk about the fish they had taken in luckier times or about American baseball after supper, while at night, alone in his cottage, Santiago dreamed of lions on the beaches of Africa, where he had gone years before. He no longer dreamed of his dead wife.

On the eighty-fifth day, Santiago set off to fish before dawn. Two of his baits (饵) were fresh tunas (金枪鱼) the boy had given him, as well as sardines (沙丁鱼) to cover his hooks. Then he set his lines which went straight down into deep dark water.

As the sun rose he saw other boats in toward shore. A bird showed him where dolphin were chasing some flying fish. This time Santiago saw tuna jumping in the sunlight. A small one took the hook on his line. Pulling the fish aboard, the old man thought it a good fortune.

Toward noon a marlin, a common fish in the sea, started eating the bait which was one hundred meters down. Gently the old man played the fish, a big one, as he knew from the weight on the line. At last he struck to settle the hook. The fish did not come out of she surface. Instead, it began to pull the boat to the northwest. The old man followed it. Although he was alone and no longer strong, he had his skill and knew many tricks. He waited patiently for the fish to be tired.

It was cold after the sunset. When something took one of his remaining baits, he cut the line with his knife. Once the marlin leaned suddenly, pulling Santiago forward on his face and cutting his cheek. By dawn his left hand was cramped (抽筋的). The fish had headed northward; there was no land in sight. Hungry, he cut pieces from the tuna and chewed them slowly.

That morning the fist jumped. Seeing it, Santiago knew he had hooked the biggest marlin he had ever seen. Then the fish went down and turned toward the east. Santiago drank a little water from the bottle during the hot afternoon.

Close to nightfall a dolphin took the small hook he had rebated. He lifted it aboard, careful. After he had rested, he cut meat from the dolphin and kept also the two flying fish he hound in its stomach. That night he slept. He awoke to feel the line running through his fingers as the fish jumped. Feeding line slowly, he tried to tire the marlin. After the fish slowed its run, he washed his cut hands in sea water and ate one of the flying fish. At sunrise the marlin began to circle. Faint, he worked to bring the big fish nearer with each turn. Almost exhausted, he finally drew his big fish alongside and drove in the harpoon(鱼叉). The fish was two feet longer than the boat. No fish like it had ever been seen in Havana harbor.

An hour later, he sighted the fist shark, a fierce Mako, and it came in fast to chase after the dead marlin. The old man struck the shark with his harpoon. The Mako rolled and sank, carrying the harpoon with it and leaving the marlin bloody. He knew the smell would spread. Watching, he saw two sharks closing in. he stuck at one with his knife and watched it sliding down into deep water. The other he killed while it tore at the flesh of the marlin. When the third appeared, he thrust (刺) it with the knife. The other sharks came at sunset. At fist he tried to beat them with the tiller (舵柄) from the boat, but his hands were bleeding and there were too many in the sea. In the darkness, as he steered toward the harbor of Havana, he head them hitting the boat again and again. But the old man though only of his steering and his great tiredness. He had gone out too far and the sharks had beaten him. He knew they would leave him nothing but the stripped skeleton of the big marlin.

All lights were out when he sailed into the little harbor and beached his boat. He could just make out the white backbone and the upstanding tail of the fish. Once he fell under their weight and lay patiently until he could gather his strength to go on. In his cottage he fell on his bed and went to sleep.

The above story is adapted from         .

    A．Treasure Island      B．The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer

    C．The Old Man And The Sea  D．The Son Of The Sea

Why did the man feel that he could be lucky this time?

    A．Because a small tuna took the hoot on his line.

    B．Because he dreamed about the American lions.

    C．Because he saw many flying fish were chased by the dolphins.

    D．Because a lot of sharks followed his boat.

According to the text, which statement is NOT true about Manolin?

    A．The boy had mercy on Santiago.

    B．The boy often shared his stories with Santiago.

    C．The boy showed his great concerns to Santiago.

    D．The boy was Santiago’s adopted son.

Why does Santiago let the marlin lead his boat instead of pulling the big fish up?

    A．He wanted to kill the marlin first before he pulled it up to the boat.

    B．He was too tried and hungry to pull the big fish up.

    C．His experience told him not to do so before the fish was tired out.

    D．He wanted to use the marlin as a bait to catch the sharks.

Which sentence below can be used to best describe Santiago’s character?

    A．“He no longer dreamed of his dead wife.” (Para 1)

    B．“Although he was alone and no longer strong, he had his skill and knew many tricks.” (Para 4)

    C．“Almost exhausted, he finally drew his big fish alongside and drove in the harpoon.” (Para 7)

    D．“Once he fell under their weight and lay patiently until he could gather his strength to go on.” (Para 9)

．According to the text, what will be talked about in the next paragraph?

    A．the man’s action to realize his dream about the lions.

    B．people’s reflection when they saw the giant marlin outside.

    C．people’s discussion about how they ate the giant marlin.

    D．a funeral held by the boy and the local people after his death.