37. The author believes tasting foods from the books may help children 　　.

　　 A. enjoy more healthy food 　　　　 B. be friendlier to each other　

　　 C. know more about history　 　　 D. understand the books better

36. The text is written mainly to 　　.

　　 A. show the importance of reading aloud

　　 B. discuss food culture in children’s books

　　 C. provide a new means of family education

　　 D. introduce some interesting books

27. A. greet　　　 B. ask　　　 C. answer　　　 　 D. scare

Section C (12 marks)　　　

Directions: Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one word that best fits the context.

I’m glad to receive your letter talking about my favorite scientists. I’m writing to share the story of a female scientist — Madame Curie 28.　　 you.

Madame Curie, born in Poland in 1867, was a world famous scientist. I admire her 29.　　 she was strong-minded, optimistic and self-confident. From her early childhood, she loved to study and dreamed 30.　　

becoming a scientist.

She and her husband discovered 31.　　 kinds of radioactive elements —polonium and radium. They won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903. Later, Madame Curie received 32.　　 second Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911. She devoted 33.　　 to the study of science. She lived a very simple life 34.　　

worked very 35.　　. I’ve learned a lot from her.

I am looking forward to talking with you about more interesting topics in the future.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　 　　　　　　　　Yours,

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　　　　Li Hua

Part II Reading Comprehension (30 marks)

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.

A

My husband is reading The Secret Garden aloud to our kids. They are at the part where Mary has told Colin that she’s found the garden her mother loved. It’s an exciting moment. But the passage I’m waiting for is a few chapters on, after Colin has tasted his first breaths of fresh air and Mary has grown strong running in the garden. It’s just a detail, but my kids will notice it: a delicious description of roasted potatoes and eggs.

We have a tradition of trying foods from the books we read aloud. It started when we read Elizabeth Enright’s The Saturdays, and one of the boys asked, “What are petit fours?” An answer, my husband and I felt, wouldn’t be as good as a sample. So one Saturday we all sat down having tea and little cakes, covered with pink, green, and yellow. It was exciting for the kids to try a dessert they had learned about in a book. The petit fours they tried didn’t tell them what it was like to live in New York City 60 years ago, but tasting them made the book’s words alive.　

Later, when we read C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, we had Turkish delight. We read The Penderwicks, written by Jeanne Birdsall, and had gingerbread (姜饼). We read Paddington Bear and tried marmalade.

Soon we will reach the part of The Secret Garden where Mary, Colin, and Dickon roast potatoes and eggs in a small oven (炉) in the earth. My kids will go out into the woods to find the perfect place for an oven of our own. Yes, we’ve eaten potatoes and eggs, but never in the open air.

The world that a good book creates is whole and real, but it lies flat on the page until a reader gives life to it.

26. A. hospital 　　 B. shop　　　 　 C. home 　　　　　　 D. school

25. A. owned 　　　 B. covered　　　　 C. painted 　　　　　 D. built

24. A. trust in 　　　 B. act as　　　　　 C. search for 　　　 D. look after

23. A. happily 　　 B. seriously　　　 C. carefully 　　　　 D. sadly

22. A. threw 　　　　 B. dropped　　　 C. picked 　　　　　　 D. led

21. A. songs 　　　　 B. pictures　　　　 C. marks 　　　　　　 D. letters

20. A. defense 　　 B. question　　　 C. decision 　　　　 D. change