Ⅲ。阅读（共两节，满分50分）

第一届：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

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

Thirteen vehicles lined up last March to race across the Mojave Desert,seeking a million in prize money.To win,they had to finish the 142-mile race in less than 10 hours.Teams and watchers knew there might be no winner at a11,because these vehicles were missing a key Part—drivers.

DARPA,the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency,organized the race as part of a push to deve10p robotic vehicles for future battlefields. But the Grand Challenge, as it was called,just proved how difficult it is to get a car to speed across an unfamiliar desert without human guidance One had its brake 10ck up in the starting area.Another began by throwing itself onto a wall.Another got tied up by bushes near the road after 1.9 miles.

One turned upside down. One took off in entirely the wrong direction and had to be disabled by remote control. One went a little more than a mile and rushed into a fence;another managed to go for six miles but stuck on a rock.The "winner",if there was any,reached 7.8 miles before it ran into a long,narrow hole,and the front wheals caught on fire.

"You get a lot of respect for natural abilities of the living things,"says Reinhold Behringer,

who helped design two of the car—size vehicles for a company called Sci—Autonics."Even ants

(蚂蚁) can do a1l these tasks effortlessly.It's very hard for US to put these abilities into our machine".

The robotic vehicles,though with necessary modern equipment such as advanced computers

and GPS guidance, had trouble figuring out fast enough the blocks ahead that a two-year-old human recognizes immediately. Sure, that very young child, who has just only learned to walk, may not think to wipe apple juice off her face, but she already knows that when there's a cookie in the kitchen she has to climb up the table, and that when she gets to the cookie it will taste good. She is more advanced, even months old, than any machine humans have designed.

41. Watchers doubted if any of the vehicles could finish the race because ______.

   A. they did not have any human guidance

   B. the road was not familiar to the drivers

   C. the distance was too long for the vehicles

   D. the prize money was unattractive to the drivers

42. DARPA organized the race in order to ______.

   A. raise money for producing more robotic vehicles   

   B. push the development of vehicle industry

   C. train more people to drive in the desert

   D. improve the vehicles for future wars

43. From the passage we know "robotic vehicles" are a kind of machines that ______.

   A. can do effortlessly whatever tasks living things can

   B. can take part in a race across 142 miles with a time limit

   C. can show off their ability to turn themselves upside down

   D. can move from place to place without being driven by human beings

44. In the race, the greatest distance one robotic vehicle covered was ______.

   A. about eight miles      B. six miles   C. almost two miles      D. about one mile

45. In the last paragraph, the writer implies that there is a long way to go ______.

   A. for a robotic vehicle to finish a 142-mile race without any difficulties

   B. for a little child who has just learned to walk to reach the cookie on the table

   C. for a robotic vehicle to deal with a simple problem that a little child can solve

   D. for a little child to understand the importance of wiping apple juice off its face

 

A．Review regularly B．Make good use of class time C．Find a good place to study D．Plan your time carefully E．Scan before you read F．Take notes in class

根据短文内容，从下框的A ~ F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余选项。

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to become a better student 

Maybe you are an average（普通的；平常的）student with an average intellect．You probably think you will never be a top student．This is not necessarily so．Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to be．The following suggestions may be helpful to you.

1.

When you plan your week, you should make a list of things that you have to do．Be sure to set aside enough time to complete the work that you are normally assigned each week．Of course, studying shouldn’t occupy all of your free time．Don’t forget to set aside enough time for entertainment, hobbies and relaxation.

2.

Look around the house for a good study area．Keep this space, which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room, free of everything, but study materials．No radio or television．When you sit to work, concentrate/focus on the subject.

3.

This means looking a passage over quickly but thoroughly before you begin to read it more carefully．Scanning a passage lets you preview the material and get a general idea of the content．Scanning will help you double your reading speed and improve your comprehension.

4.

 

Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teacher says．Real listening in class means less work later．Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

5.

 

When you get home from school, go over your notes．Review the important points that your teacher mentions and you will remember them longer.

Develop a good attitude about tests．The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject．Tests do more than just provide grades; they let you know what you need to study more, and they help to make your new knowledge permanent(长久的；永久的).

 

D

The following are the world-renewed attractions in London, so don’t miss them while touring there.

Shakespeare’s Globe

Shakespeare’s Globe, which officially opened in 1997, is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, built in 1599, and brings Shakespeare’s world to life. As a visitor to the exhibition you’ll discover how shows were produced in the theatres during Shakespeare’s time. The guide-storytellers take you on a fascinating half-hour tour.

Price: Adult ￡9.00；Child(5-15) ￡6.50;  Student ￡7.50;  Under 5 FREE.

The Tower of London

The tower, nearly 100 feet high, with walls 15 feet thick, was built in the early 1080s. King Henry Ⅲ made this tower his home. King Edward V and his younger brother were murdered inside by their uncle. Queen Elizabeth I was shut up in the tower for two months by her half sister Mary who felt that her throne(王位)was being threatened(威胁). In 1603, part of the tower became a museum.

Price: Adult ￡16.50; Child (5-15) ￡9.50; Under 5 FREE; Student ￡13.50; Family (two adults with three children) ￡46.00.

Banqueting(宴会) House

Banqueting House is the remains of Whitehall Palace which was built in 1529 and was home to the English kings. It was destroyed by fire. Famous for its architecture and painting, the building is also known for being the scene of Charles I’s execution(处决)。

Price: Adult ￡4.50; Child ￡2.25; Student (with ID) and senior citizen (60+) ￡3.00; Under 5 FREE.

Tower Bridge Exhibition

Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894 and is one of the finest, most recognizable bridges in the world. At the Tower Bridge Exhibition you can enjoy breath-taking views from the high-level walkways and learn about the history of the bridge and how it was built. You can then visit the Victorian engine rooms, home to the original steam engines that used to power the bridge.

Price: Adult￡6.00; Child (5-15) ￡3.00; Under 5 FREE; Senior citizen(60+) ￡4.50; Student￡4.50.

53. Which of the following places has the longest history?

A. Whitehall Palace.                      B. The Globe Theatre.  

C. The Tower of London.                  D. Tower Bridge.

54. If two parents with their 4-year-old son visit the Tower of London, they should pay      .

  A. ￡33           B. ￡43              C. ￡46               D. ￡52

55. Queen Elizabeth I was shut up in the tower for two months by Mary mainly because        .

A. Mary didn’t like her                    B. she tried to steal Mary’s treasure

C. Mary feared she would become the Queen  D. she intended to murder Mary

56. How many places used as a king’s home are mentioned in this passage?

A. One.           B. Two.               C. Three.             D. Four.

A ɡē/ɡā、qiào、lì/shuò； B mó/mú、zài、qínɡ/chè；C shā/chà、xiù/chòu、ɡuǎng/kuànɡ；D chàn、màn/wàn、qì/qiè。

 

	Is a loved one missing some body parts? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimps（黑猩猩）differ in only 400 genes. And should that worry us ?Is it horrible for you thinking one fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else, or a person and his family may be hunted cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes? We live in a time of great scientific leaps!    Next challenges our sense of reality, blending fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems.
	The son of a zookeeper, 16-year-old Pi Patel is raised in Pondicherry. India. Planning a move to Canada, his family takes a ride on an enormous ship. After a shipwreck。Pi finds himself in the Pacific Ocean, trapped on a 26-foot lifeboat with a wounded zebra, a hyena（鬣狗）, a orangutan（猩猩）, and a tiger named Richard Parker It sounds like a colorful setup. But these wild animals don’t burst into song as in the Disney cartoons. All want to survive, however Pi finds himself the weakest one of all. After much infighting, Pi and Richard Parker remain the boat’s only passengers. Pi is left to survive for 227 days through waters with his large dangerous companion, using all his knowledge, wits and faith.
	Five people you meet in heaven When a lonely and elderly man dies in an accident, he awakens in an unfamiliar place called Heaven where five people, some strangers, some loved ones, take him on a clear journey through his life. Each soul has a story to tell, a secret to reveal（揭示）, and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie learns “lessons”, finds out why certain events happened in his physical life, and understands the meaning of his own life. The book explores the unexpected mysteries of the afterlife by reminding us what really matters here on earth
	Marley＆Me：life and love with the world’s worst dog Job and Jenny were just beginning their life together They brought home Marley, a yellow fur-ball of a dog Life would never be the same. Marley crashed through doors, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around. However, just as he refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. He shard the couple’s joy and heartbreak. He was there whenever the couple needs help Marley＆Me is so much more than the story of a lovable dog；it’s the story of a family. Toward the end of book, Grogan speaks of the life lessons-loyalty, courage, devotion, simplicity, joy-that Marley taught him.

1. What does the underlined word “blending” in the first hook introduction mean_________.

A. ruin                         B. break                     C. combine                  D. attempt

2. What happened to the survivors on the life boat according to the introduction?

A. Pi managed to kill those animals and finally survived

B. They worked hand in hand to get through the sea

C. They had to fight against one another in order to survive

D. Richard Parker killed other animals but was killed by Pi.

3. Five People You Meet in Heaven tells an old man’s experience in Heaven in order to reveal___.

A. the existence of Heave                          B. the mystery of death

C. human’s future life                               D. the true meaning of life

4. Who is Grogan most probably according to the introduction?

A. The author of Marley＆Me                    B. A friend of John and Jenny

C. An expert taming dogs.                         D. The previous owner of the dog