第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给的四个选项（A、B、C 和 D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Steve Wayne, 16, who worked this summer as a lifeguard and swim teacher in Idaho Falls, was thrilled to see an extra $ 20 in his paycheck when the federal minimum wage increased in July.

“When you’re getting paid minimum wage, anything helps,” Wayne said.

Wayne is one of several hundred thousand American teenagers who earn the minimum wage. The last of three recent increases took the minimum from $5.15 an hour in 2007 to $7.25.

US Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis says the minimum-wage increase will pump an extra $ 5.5 billion into the economy over the next year, which is helpful at a time when the economy is hurting.

“You’re giving people who spend money a raise,” said Kai Filion of the Economic Policy Institute. “Those people will go out and spend that money, and it will circulate through the economy.”

But other economists say raising the wage actually hurts the very people it’s designed to help. A higher hourly minimum, they say, could force businesses to cut workers’ hours, or even lay people off.

“What matters for people earning minimum wage is how much money they take home in total,” explained Rajeev of Georgia State University’s Economic Forecasting Center. “Their hourly rate may go up, but their number of hours may come down, so it’s not an overall increase.”

Business owners also say that raising the minimum wage exerts (施加) upward pressure on other wages. “If the minimum wage is $ 7 and I have to pay $ 8 or $ 9 to hire a dishwasher, then the cooks are going to say they want more,” said Cleveland restaurant owner Rick. “How much can I charge for that hamburger?”

Another argument is that it makes it more expensive for businesses to hire new workers. For many businesses already struggling to make ends meet in these tough times, it will be simply too expensive to keep them or to hire new people.

1. Steve Wayne was excited that ______.

A. his hard work had paid off

B. he had received a big wage increase

C. he has more money due to an increase in minimum wage

D. the wages of American teenage workers have been increased

2. According to the text, the US federal government has increased minimum wage with the aim of ______.

A. decreasing unemployment                             B. promoting economic recovery

C. increasing American teenagers’ wage        D. narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor

3. What matters most to people in need of help is ______.

A. a higher hourly minimum                  B. more working hours

C. a minimum-wage increase                D. an increase in total income

4. Some are against the increase in minimum wage because they say ______.

A. only very few workers will be helped

B. they have to cut down working hours

C. many business owners can’t afford to employ new workers

D. minimum wage workers will expect more pay rises in the future

 

The huge explosion at Krakatau was the result of two different factors. One was that the volcano had not broken out for some time and so at the very center of the volcano there was an huge plug of lava, this acted like a cork(塞子) in a bottle, stopping the pressure below from being released(释放). The second factor was that ocean water entered the very centre of the volcano as the explosions became more violent. This caused superheated steam to build up enormous pressure and this was finally released in the largest explosion of all on August 27, 1883. The sudden release of the pressure sent huge amounts of ash, rock and dust into the sky. Some of the ash rose 80km into the air and traveled around the Earth causing brightly coloured sunsets for several years.

Krakatau almost disappeared; for many years after this explosion, it remained very quiet. However, there was still activity going on under the sea and on 25 January, 1925, a small volcanic cone appeared above the surface of the water. This new volcano was named Anak Kmkatau, or Child of Krakatau. Over the following years, the size of the island grew larger, by 1959, the island was 300 metres above the surface of the sea. The volcanic activity has continued and the latest eruptions were in 1995.

There is no doubt Krakatar will continue to grow and there is also strong evidence that at some point in the future there will be another violent explosion. Krakatau is in a part of the world where the surface of the Earth is unstable and is always moving and cracking. If, in the future, another “cork” becomes fixed in the centre of the volcano, the pressure will build up. A series of a smaller explosions will allow sea-water into the centre of the volcano and once again the result will a terribly destructive explosion.

66. The latest eruptions were in_______.

A.1925           B. 1959           C. 1995          D. 1983

67. The pressure under the volcano can not be released because _______

the plug looks like a cork in a bottle

the volcano hasn’t broken out for some time

the center of the volcano is blocked(堵塞) by lava

the temperature of the steam is not high enough.

68. We can infer from the article that Krakatau volcano________

A. has broken out three times               B. never dies but continues to be active

C. will kill many people again in the future    D. is always moving and growing above sea.

69. All of the following results are caused by the explosion at Krakatau EXCEPT that_____

A. ash, rock and dust was thrown high into the air

B. others small volcanoes were soon produced.

C. The island of Kratau was destroyed

D. People saw beautiful sunsets for some years

70. The article is mainly about________

A. the cause of the Krakatau volcano      B. the danger of the Krakatau volcano

C. the history of the Krakatau volcano     D. the future of the Krakatau volcano

 

Ottawa is the capital of Canada. It is the second largest city in Ontario and the fourth largest city in the country.

The Centre Block is the main building on Parliament Hill (国会山). It is also the location of several ceremonial spaces, such as the Hall of Honor and the Memorial Chamber. The present Centre Block is the second iteration of the building，after the first was destroyed by fire in 1916，and it is one of the most recognizable buildings in Canada.

Downtown Ottawa is the commercial and economic centre of the city. Most of the buildings are office towers. While most of Ottawa’s high tech industry is based elsewhere, it has a significant presence in the downtown core. The downtown also contains a number of apartments, hotels, and the older single family homes and townhouses along its edges.

The National Gallery of Canada is one of Canada，s premier art galleries. The Gallery has a large and varied collection of paintings, drawings, sculpture and photographs. Although its focus is on Canadian art, it also holds works by some noted American and European artists.

The Rideau Canal is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America. At the very beginning，the purpose of the Rideau Canal was military, as it was intended to provide a secure supply and communication route between Montreal and the British naval base in Kingston. It remains in use today primarily for pleasure boating, with most of its original structures remained. The locks on the system open for navigation in mid-May and close in mid-October.

1.What does "iteration" probably mean in the 2nd paragraph? _____.

A．Repair            B．Design            C．Copy             D．Landmark

2.In the core of Downtown Ottawa, we could see _____.

A．a large number of tall towers

B．head offices of Ottawa’ s high tech industry

C．a number of apartments and hotels

D．the older single family homes and townhouses

3.Collections in the National Gallery of Canada are mainly _____.

A．paintings and drawings                   B．sculpture and photographs

C．works by Canadian artists                  D．artwork by Americans and European

4.Which of the following is true about the Rideau Canal? _____.

A．It is the oldest canal system in North America

B．It was originally for the military purpose

C．The original structures remain never changed

D．People can only go boating from May to October

 

 

This is the very plan for our May Day holiday _______ was made by our classmates.

  A. which       B.     that C. who               D. what

 

In my profession as an educator and health care provider, I have worked with numerous children infected with the virus that causes AIDS. The relationships that I have had with these special kids have been gifts in my life. They have taught me so many things, but I have especially learned that great courage can be found in the smallest of packages. Let me tell you about Tyler.

Tyler was born infected with HIV: his mother was also infected. From the very beginning of his life, he was dependent on medications to enable him to survive. When he was five, he had a tube surgically inserted in a vein in his chest. This tube was connected to a pump, which he carried in a small backpack on his back. Medications were hooked up to this pump and were continuously supplied through this tube to his bloodstream. At times, he also needed supplemented oxygen to support his breathing.

Tyler wasn’t willing to give up one single moment of his childhood to this deadly disease. It was not unusual to find him playing and racing around his backyard, wearing his medicine - laden backpack and dragging his tank of oxygen behind him in his little wagon. All of us who knew Tyler marveled at his pure joy in being alive and the energy it gave him. Tyler’s mom often teased him by telling him that he moved so fast she needed to dress him in red. That way, when she peered through the window to check on him playing in the yard, she could quickly spot him.

This dreaded disease eventually wore down even the likes of a little dynamo like Tyler. He grew quite ill and, unfortunately, so did his HIV - infected mother. When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to survive, Tyler’s mom talked to him about death. She comforted him by telling Tyler that she was dying too, and that she would be with him soon in heaven.

A few days before his death, Tyler beckoned me over to his hospital bed and whispered, " I might die soon. I’m not scared. When I die, please dress me in red. Mom promised she’s coming to heaven, too. I’ll be playing when she gets there, and I want to make sure she can find me. "

64. What is the boy Tyler's attitude towards death?

A.  optimistic.      B.  pessimistic.   C. sorrowful.              D. fearful.

65. Tyler requested the writer to dress him in red when he died simply because ________.

A. red is a lucky color                 B. red might help to cure him

C. his mom could spot him easily        D. he could find more mates by wearing red

66. Which of the following might serve as a possible title for this passage?

A. My unusual profession.                 B. A caring mother.

C. Mother and son.                         D. Dying in red.

67. The underlined word dynamo in the fourth paragraph here means ________.

A. a promising and helpful youth       B. an extremely energetic person

C. a rare and beautiful flower          D. a magic and understanding superstar