A bag is useful and the word “bag” is useful, too. Here is an interesting phrase（短语）, “to let the cat out of the bag”. In meaning it is the same as “to tell the secret（秘密）”. And there is an old interesting story about it.

　　Long ago, when farmers wanted to sell chickens at the market, they would usually just throw the chickens in cloth (布) bags. But cats were cheaper than chickens at that time, so many farmers would put cats into the cloth bags but not chickens. One day, a woman asked a man for a chicken. The man gave her a cloth bag in which there was a cat.      When the man opened the cloth bag, a big black cat ran out. Not a chicken! The man’s secret was out and everyone knew it.

　　Now when we say someone gives away a secret, we say “he lets the cat out of the bag”. And that is the story where the interesting phrase came from.

1.The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to (指的是)     .

A. the useful bag                 B. the phrase              C. the cat                     D. the chicken

2.The farmers put cats but not chickens in the bags to      when they sold chickens.

A. tell the secret                                                      B. sell the cats

C. get more money                                                  D. keep the cats quiet

3.Which is the best for the blank (空白处) in the passage?

A. The woman was angry to see a cat.                 B. The man put a cat in the bag.

C. The man asked her to see the chicken.         D. The woman wanted to see the chicken.

4.The writer wrote the story to tell us     .

A. the woman was smart                                         B. how farmers sold their cats

C. the phrase is useful                                             D. where the phrase came from

 

Betty is not a traditional American beauty. She is unfashionable, has thick red glasses, untidy hair and large metal braces (牙套) on her teeth. But this hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of American’s favorite TV characters. So how did she manage to do it?

The answer is that charm can be more attractive than beauty. Betty is the main character in a TV show Ugly Betty. The show is about her life as an office worker at a fashion magazine in New York.

　　The TV show has just started. Betty has many exciting experiences and romantic stories. Betty is often looked down on and laughed at by the people around. But she manages to do better than others with her hard work, charm and wisdom. The show tells us about how a girl goes from an ugly young duck into a beautiful swan.

　　Though you may know the ending of the show from the beginning and the story is familiar to many of us, it has still been a big success in the USA. It has attracted a large number of viewers and won two Golden Globes awards, one of the highest honors for a television program in the USA.“ I think you can see a bit of Betty in all of us, and I mean men as well, because it’s about the underdog (弱者)”，says Ashley Jensen, who plays one of the characters on the show.

　　The program is so successful because of the good performance of the 23-year-old actress America Ferrera who plays the role of Betty. She brings the character alive on the screen.

1.Betty is popular because of ____.

A. her clothes 　　　　　B. her charm 　　　   C. her metal braces  　　　D. her appearance

2.In Paragraph 4, the underlined word “it” refers to (指的是) ____.

A. the beginning 　　　　B. the ending 　　  　C. the story 　　　        D. the show

3.Which is the reason for the success of the show?

A. A large number of viewers. 　　　　　　B. Her life as an office worker.

C. The wonderful performance. 　　　　　 D. Two Golden Globes awards.

4.Which of the following is NOT true according of the show?

A. Betty is a girl of wisdom.

B. Betty acts as a beautiful swan on the show.

C. Betty is an American favorite TV character.

D. Betty is often looked down on by the people around.

5. What can be the best title for the passage?

A. Beauty from within. 　　　　　  B. A romantic story.

C. An ugly girl. 　　　　　　　　  D. An exciting experience.

 

（二）阅读散文《我有一个狮子军》，回答15——18题（12分）
我有一个狮子军（贾平凹）
我体弱多病，打不过人，也挨不起打，所以从来不敢在外动粗。口又浑，与人有说辞，一急就前言不搭后语，常常是回到家了，才想起一句完全可以噎死他的话来。我恨死了我的窝囊。
　　我很羡慕韩信年轻时的样子，佩剑行街，但我佩剑已不现实，满街的警察，容易被认作嫌疑犯。只有在屋里看电视里的拳击比赛。
　　我的一个朋友在他青春蓬勃的时候，写过一首诗：“我提着枪，跑遍了这座城市，挨家挨户寻找我的新娘。”他这种勇气我没有。人心里都住着一个魔鬼，别人的魔鬼，要么被女人征服，要么就光天化日地出去伤害，我的魔鬼是汉罐上的颜色，出土就气化了。
　　一日在屋间画虎，希望虎气上身，陕北来了一位拜访我的老乡，他说，与其画虎不如弄个石狮子，他还说，陕北人都用石狮子守护。
　　过了不久，他果然给我带来了一个石狮子。但他给我带的是一种炕狮，茶壶那般大，青石的，据说雕琢于宋代。这位老乡给我介绍了这种炕狮的功能，一个孩子要有一个炕狮，一个炕狮就是一个孩子的魂，四岁之前这炕狮是不离孩子的，一条红绳儿一头拴住炕狮，一头系在孩子身上，孩子在炕上翻滚，有炕狮拖着，掉不下炕去，长大了邪鬼不侵，刀枪不入，能踢能咬，敢作敢为。
　　这个炕狮我没有放在床上，而是置于案头，日日用手摩挲。我不知道这个炕狮曾经守护过谁，现在它跟着我了，我叫它：来劲。来劲的身子一半是脑袋，脑袋的一半是眼睛，威风又调皮。
　　古董市场上有一批小贩，常年走动于书画家的家里以古董换字画，这些人也到我家来，他们太精明，我不愿意和他们纠缠。他们还是来，我说：你要不走，我让来劲咬你！他们竟说：你喜欢石狮子呀？我们给你送些来！十天后果真抬来了一麻袋的石狮子。送来的石狮子当然还是炕狮，造型各异，我暗暗高兴，便给了他们许多字画，还让他们继续去陕北乡下收集。我以为收集炕狮是很艰难的事情，不料十天半月他们就抬来一麻袋，十天半月又抬来一麻袋，而且我这么一收，许多书画家也收集，不光陕北的炕狮被收集，关中的小石狮也被收集，石狮收集竟成了风，价钱也一涨再涨。
　　我差不多有了一千个石狮子。已经不是群，可以称作军。它们在陕北、关中的乡下是散兵游勇，我收编它们，按大小形状组队，一部分在大门过道，一部分在后门阳台，每个小房门前列成方阵，剩余的整整齐齐护卫着我的书桌前后左右。世上的木头石头或者泥土铜铁，一旦成器，都有了灵魂。这些狮子在我家里，是不安分的，我能想象我不在家的时候，它们打斗嬉闹，会把墙上的那块钟撞掉，嫌钟在算计我。我要回来了，在门外咳嗽一下，屋里就全然安静了，我一进去，它们各就各位低眉垂手，顿时寂然。我说：“嗨！”四下立即应声如雷。我成了强人，我有了威风，我是秦始皇。
　　统领狮军后，我竟然内心踏实，没了躁气。我似乎又恢复了我以前的生活，穿臃肿的衣服，低头走路。我依然体弱多病，讷言笨舌，别人倒说“大人小心”，我依然伏低伏小，别人倒说“圣贤庸行”。出了门碰着我邻居的孩子，他曾经抱怨他家的狗把屎拉在我家门口，我叫住他，他跑不及，站住了，他惊恐地盯着我，我拍了拍他的头，说：这小子，你该理理发了。他竟哭了。
【小题1】、整体感知：作者在文章中要表达什么意思？请谈谈你的理解。（2分）
【小题2】、问题探究：（4分）
（1）文章开头反复强调我“体弱多病”“胆小”“窝囊”，这样写有什么用意？结尾说自己“依然体弱多病”又有什么用意？ （2分）
（2）第8段描写集中表现了狮子军的形象，有什么特点和作用？试从表现手法和内容两方面进行赏析。 （2分）
这些狮子在我家里，是不安分的，我能想象我不在家的时候，它们打斗嬉闹，会把墙上的那块钟撞掉，嫌钟在算计我。我要回来了，在门外咳嗽一下，屋里就全然安静了，我一进去，它们各就各位低眉垂手，顿时寂然。我说：“嗨！”四下立即应声如雷。……
                                                                             
【小题3】、语言品味：（4分）
（A）别人的魔鬼，要么被女人征服，要么就光天化日地出去伤害，我的魔鬼是汉罐上的颜色，出土就气化了。
                                                                               
（B）文章尾段中“圣贤庸行”“大人小心”是什么意思？请根据上下文理解。
                                                                              
【小题4】、拓展延伸：在生活中你有过这样的经历体验吗？请举一例说说。（2分）
                                                                              

 

1.你的学习取决于你努力的程度。

Your success______　_______  how hard you work at your lessons.

2.他只是为教师而不是为艺术家。

He is only a teacher _____ _______ an artist.

3.要花费1400亿元建设兰新高速铁路

It will______140 billion yuan to _____ Lan zhou-Xinjiang High-speed Railway.

4.我们每个人都感到自豪的是首届中国亚欧博览会将于2011年9月1日在乌鲁木齐举行。

 Everyone of us is proud of ourselves because the first China Eurasia Expo will ______ in  Urumqi on September 1^st, 2011.

5.我们确信在中国政府的帮助下新疆发展得比过去更好更快。

We______ that Xinjiang is developing better and faster than before with the help of the central government

 

Several years ago, a television reporter was interviewing three of the most important people from local businesses. One was a very rich banker, another owned one of the largest companies in the world, and the third owned many buildings in the center of New York.

　　The reporter was talking to them about being important.

　　“How do we know if someone is really important?” the reporter asked the banker.

　　The banker thought for a few moments and then said, “I think anybody who is invited to the White House to meet the President is really important.”

　　The reporter then turned to the owner of the very large company. “Do you agree with that?” she asked.

　　The man shook his head, “No. I think the President invites a lot of people to the White House. You’d only be important if while you were visiting the President, there was a telephone call from the president of another country, and the President said he was too busy to answer it.”

　　The reporter turned to the third man. “Do you think so?”

　　“No, I don’t.” he said. “I don’t think that makes the visitor important. That makes the President important.”

　　“Then what would make the visitor important?” the reporter and the other two men asked.

　　“Oh, I think if the visitor to the White House was talking to the President and the phone rang, and the President picked up the receiver, listened and then said, ‘it’s for you.’”

1.This story happened in ________.

A. U.N.                         B. U.S.A.                              C. U.K.         D. P.R.C.

2.There are________in this passage.

A. three men        B. three women and one man　

C. four men       D. three men and one woman

3.The banker and the owner of one of the largest companies in the world ________.

A. had similar opinions about the reporter’s question　　        

B. disagreed with each other  

C. had been invited to the White House many times      

D. didn’t reply to the reporter

4.The owner of one of the largest companies thought ________.

A. he himself was really important because he owned one of the largest companies in the world

B. the President was really important because the president of another country called him

C. the visitor was really important if the President would rather treat him than answer an important phone call from another country

D. none of them was really important

5.The underlined word you in the last paragraph refers to (指的是) ________.

A. the television reporter　　                    B. the owner of many buildings

C. the President                   D. the visitor to the White House