第三部分阅读理解(共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的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。
Marco Polo was born in Venice in 1254．He was the most famous Westerner to visit Asia during the Middle Ages．He wrote a book about his travels．In his book he wrote about all the things he saw and heard．Many people read the book, but few believed what Marco Polo said．He spoke of strange people and places that nobody knew about at that time．But, he even said, “What I have written down is only half of what I have seen．”
As a young man, Marco Polo decided to travel together with his father．It took them more than three years to travel to China．He became the Chinese emperor’s (皇帝)friend．He learned the Chinese language when he traveled around and talked to many people．Before he reached the age of 30 he was made a Chinese official．After nearly 17 years in the east, Marco and his father prepared to return home．When they finally arrived in Venice, their family and friends were surprised to see them again．They had been away for almost 25 years and everybody thought that they must have died a long time ago．
56、What did Marco Polo write about in his book?
A. About Venice．                                    B. About the Chinese emperor．
C. About what he saw and heard in Asia．   D. About how he returned home．
57、What did Marco Polo learn Chinese for?
A.To become a Chinese official．       
B.To become the Chinese emperor’s friend．
C.To become a translator for his father.
D. To travel around conveniently in China．
58、Which is NOT true according to the text?
A. Marco Polo and his father had been in China for 17 years．
B. Marco Polo and his father spent nearly 5 years returning home．
C. Marco Polo’s father died on the way home．
D. Marco Polo spent more than three years traveling from Venice to China．
59、By saying “What I have written down is only half of what I have seen…”,  Marco Polo meant that_________．
A.he only saw half of the country during his stay in China        
B.there were still a lot more he couldn’t write down
C. half of the people went to China during that time
D. he wanted to write down the other half of what he saw in China

阅读理解

　　Dawn Fraser was born in Australia in 1937． She was one of the strongest women swimmers ever. She broke twenty-seven world records.

　　Dawn was very tough. She always said what she felt. She was often in trouble. When she was fourteen she was stopped from swimming for a year and a half. As a swimmer she often upset (扰乱) the people who controlled the sports.

　　In 1956 Dawn broke one of the oldest records in swimming. She swam the 100 meters free-style in 64．5 seconds. The free-style is the fastest way of swimming. In 1964 Dawn became the first woman to take less than one minute for 100 meters. Today the record is 54．73 seconds.

　　In 1956 at the Olympic Games in Melbourne,Australia,Dawn won the gold medal in the 100 meters free-style for the first time. Four years later at the Olympic Games in Rome,Italy,she won the gold medal again. However,she was in trouble again. She refused to swim for Australia in another swimming event.

　　Sadly,Dawn's father died of cancer soon after the Game in Rome. Three years later Dawn was travelling with her mother by car. Dawn was driving. The car crashed(撞车). Dawn's mother died,Dawn hurt her neck badly,but a few months later she won the gold medal in the 100 meters free-style at the Olympic Games in Tokyo,Japan.

　　But she was in trouble again. She did not wear the Australia swimsuit. Dawn also liked fun. She stole a Japanese policeman's bike. The police ran after her. She cycled to the Japanese Emperor's (皇帝) garden,which no ordinary people were allowed into. She tried to swim in the lake there. The police arrested (逮捕) her.

　　The people who controlled professional (职业的) swimming in Australia stopped Dawn from swimming for ten years. She never swam again.

(1)The world record which is less than one minute for the 100 meters free-style was set in _______.

[　　]

(2)According to the passage,Dawn Fraser won ________ at _______ different Olympic Games.

[　　]

　　A．three events;three

　　B．the same event;three

　　C．four gold medals;four

　　D．five gold medals;four

(3)What trouble was she in when she won the third medal in the 100 metres free-style?

[　　]

　　A．She didn't wear the Australia swimsuit

　　B．Her car crashed and her mother died

　　C．She broke one of the oldest records

　　D．She refused to swim for Australia

(4)According to the passage,which of the following is NOT true?

[　　]

　　A．She played a joke on a Japanese policeman

　　B．She got her first Olympic gold medal in her motherland

　　C．She was stopped from swimming for a year and a half in 1951

　　D．She swam the 100 meters free-style in 54．73 seconds when she was 19

(5)From the passage we learn that Dawn was the kind of person who

[　　]

　　A．always broke laws

　　B．was strong in mind and body

　　C．always broke world records

　　D．often upset the police and the people who Controlled the sports

阅读理解

　　Dawn Fraser was born in Australia in 1937． She was one of the strongest women swimmers ever. She broke twenty-seven world records.

　　Dawn was very tough. She always said what she felt. She was often in trouble. When she was fourteen she was stopped from swimming for a year and a half. As a swimmer she often upset (扰乱) the people who controlled the sports.

　　In 1956 Dawn broke one of the oldest records in swimming. She swam the 100 meters free-style in 64．5 seconds. The free-style is the fastest way of swimming. In 1964 Dawn became the first woman to take less than one minute for 100 meters. Today the record is 54．73 seconds.

　　In 1956 at the Olympic Games in Melbourne,Australia,Dawn won the gold medal in the 100 meters free-style for the first time. Four years later at the Olympic Games in Rome,Italy,she won the gold medal again. However,she was in trouble again. She refused to swim for Australia in another swimming event.

　　Sadly,Dawn's father died of cancer soon after the Game in Rome. Three years later Dawn was travelling with her mother by car. Dawn was driving. The car crashed(撞车). Dawn's mother died,Dawn hurt her neck badly,but a few months later she won the gold medal in the 100 meters free-style at the Olympic Games in Tokyo,Japan.

　　But she was in trouble again. She did not wear the Australia swimsuit. Dawn also liked fun. She stole a Japanese policeman's bike. The police ran after her. She cycled to the Japanese Emperor's (皇帝) garden,which no ordinary people were allowed into. She tried to swim in the lake there. The police arrested (逮捕) her.

　　The people who controlled professional (职业的) swimming in Australia stopped Dawn from swimming for ten years. She never swam again.

(1)The world record which is less than one minute for the 100 meters free-style was set in _______.

[　　]

(2)According to the passage,Dawn Fraser won ________ at _______ different Olympic Games.

[　　]

　　A．three events;three

　　B．the same event;three

　　C．four gold medals;four

　　D．five gold medals;four

(3)What trouble was she in when she won the third medal in the 100 metres free-style?

[　　]

　　A．She didn't wear the Australia swimsuit

　　B．Her car crashed and her mother died

　　C．She broke one of the oldest records

　　D．She refused to swim for Australia

(4)According to the passage,which of the following is NOT true?

[　　]

　　A．She played a joke on a Japanese policeman

　　B．She got her first Olympic gold medal in her motherland

　　C．She was stopped from swimming for a year and a half in 1951

　　D．She swam the 100 meters free-style in 54．73 seconds when she was 19

(5)From the passage we learn that Dawn was the kind of person who

[　　]

　　A．always broke laws

　　B．was strong in mind and body

　　C．always broke world records

　　D．often upset the police and the people who Controlled the sports

Winning a marathon is one of the　　1　 things that an athlete can do. A marathon is 42.2 kilometres of running without a 　 2　 .

The most famous marathon runner was Abebe Bikila. He 　 3　 many hours running in the mountains near his home. Later, when he became　　4　 of the emperor's (皇帝) palace guards, he　　5　 on running. He enjoyed it.

Not many people had 　 6　 Bikila when he entered the 1960 summer Olympics in Rome, Italy.　　7　 two hours and fifteen minutes after the marathon began, he　　8　 the running and became a famous track star.

Bikila started the race in a 　 9　 pair of running shoes. They soon began to　　10　 his feet. After only a few kilometres he took them　　11　 . He was used to running barefoot (赤脚), and that was the 　 12　 in which he ran the　　13　 of the race!As he entered the stadium two hours later, Bikila was 25 seconds　 14　 of the next runner. People rose to their feet, 　 15　 . No one that they had ever heard of could run such a race 　 16　 , and Bikila had just run it faster than anyone else in　　17　 .

Four years later, Abebe Bikila　　18　 to win a second Olympic marathon. A month before the race he　　19　 have an operation. This time he ran along the streets of Tokyo. When he entered the stadium at the 　 20　 of the race, he was four minutes ahead of the next runner.

1. A. most smallest B. hardest C. longest D. easier

2. A. breath B. look C. stop D. doubt

3. A. took B. experienced C. put D. spent

4. A. one B. many C. any D. some

5. A. had B. passed C. kept D. held

6. A. thought about B. read C. heard of D. spoke to

7. A. So B. But C. However D. Later

8. A. watched B. practised C. decided D. finished

9. A. new B. nice C. everyday D. proper

10. A. touch B. feel C. hurt D. move

11. A. on B. off C. out D. down

12. A. hour B. day C. time D. way

13. A. other B. left C. distance D. rest

14. A. ahead B. in front C. instead D. because

15. A. laughing B. calling C. cheering D. smiling

16. A. bravely B. barefoot C. on time D. strangely

17. A. earth B. world C. history D. mankind

18. A. liked B. hoped C. began D. waited

19. A. might B. ought to C. was told to D. had to

20. A. point B. end C. time D. beginning

三．阅读理解，阅读文章后，从每题所给A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。

（共13小题; 每小题2分，满分26分）

    February has long been a month of romance. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.

On the 14th day, it is a custom for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals(花瓣)! This is the scene that greets you on Valentine's Day, named after Valentine who was a priest (牧师) in third century Rome. When the emperor（皇帝）decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives, he didn’t allow marriage.But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor had him put to death. While in prison, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death on 14th Feb 270 DC, he wrote her a letter, which he signed ‘From your Valentine’, an expression_r that is still in use today. Valentine died for what he believed in and so was made a Saint(圣徒), as well as becoming one of history's most romantic figures.

Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is also popular among Chinese young people. Some students are planning to make Valentine’s cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share the spirit of St. Valentine.

36.   The Emperor in Rome did not allow marriage in his country because __________.

   A. there were few women in his country at that time  

   B. he thought men without wives could be better soldiers

C. There wasn’t enough food for so many people

D. he wanted to control the birth rate

37.   Valentine was put into prison because __________.

   A. he killed one of the soldiers               B. he stole a lot of food

   C. he didn’t obey the emperor’s order    D. he didn’t want to be a soldier

38.   The last paragraph mainly tells us _________.

   A. students in China send cards to their teachers

   B. it is a good idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China

   C. it is interesting to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China

   D. Valentine’s Day is also popular in China now

39.   The best titles for this passage should be ________.

   A. Valentine’s Day                                B. A Brave Priest

   C. Valentine’s Day in China                    D. A Romantic Man