PART THREE: READING COMPREHENSION (30分)
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
A
At dawn on Friday, May 19, 1780, farmers in New England stopped to wonder at the pink color of the sun. By noon the sky had darkened to midnight blackness, causing Americans, still in the painful struggle of a prolonged war of independence, to light candles and tremble at thoughts of the Last Judgment. As the birds quieted and no storm accompanied the darkness, men and women crowded into churches, where one minister commented that “The people were very attentive.” John Greenleaf Whittier later wrote that “Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp . . .”
A recent study of researchers, led by Richard Guyette from the University of Missouri’s Tree Ring Laboratory, has shown that vast forest fires in the Algonquin Highlands of southern Ontario and elsewhere in Canada brought this event upon New England. The scientists have discovered “fire scars” on the rings for that year, left when the heat of a wildfire has killed a part of a tree’s cambium (形成層). Evidence collected also points to a drought that year. An easterly wind and low barometric pressure (低氣壓) helped force smoke into the upper atmosphere. “The record fits pretty close,” says Guyette. “We had the right fuel, the drought. The conditions were all there.”
Lacking the ability to communicate quickly over long distances, Americans in 1780 remained in the dark about the event, which had disappeared by the next day. Over the next several months, the papers carried heated debates about what brought the darkness. Some were the voices of angry prediction, such as one Massachusetts farmer who wrote, “Oh! Backsliding New-England, attend now to the things which belong to your peace before they are forever hid from your eyes.” Others gave different answers. One stated that a “flaming star” had passed between the earth and the sun. Ash, argued another commentator. The debate, carried on throughout New England, where there were no scientific journals or academies yet, reflected an unfolding culture of scientific enquiry already sweeping the Western world, a revolution nearly as influential as the war for independence from the English.
New Englanders would not soon forget that dark day; it lived on in folklore, poems, and sermons for generations.
56. New Englanders crowded into churches because they were frightened by         .
A. the pink color of the sun      B. the darkened sky at daytime
C. the Last Judgment on Friday    D. the American War of Independence
57. What can we infer about the event in New England on May 19, 1780?
A. Prayers remained silent and attentive.
B. Night birds no longer came out to sing.
C. People’s ears became sharper than usual.
D. Midday meals were served by candlelight.
58. According to the researchers, the origin of the event was         .
A. an east wind                B. a severe drought
C. some burning fuel            D. low barometric pressure
59. What can we know about the debates after the dark day?
A. They focused on causes of the event.
B. They swept throughout the Western world.
C. They were organized by scientific institutions.
D. They improved Americans’ ability to communicate.
60. What can be the best title for the text?
A. New England’s dark day.  B. Voices of angry prediction.
C. There is no smoke without fire.       D. Tree rings and scientific discovery.
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

In the 19th century, Americans from the eastern states moved out west to settle in the rich new lands along the Pacific Coast. The most difficult part of their trip was crossing “the Great American Desert” in the western part of the United States by horse and wagon.
The western desert can be very dangerous. There is little water and there are few trees. But the desert also has scenery of great beauty. Tall towers of red and yellow stone rise sharply from the flat, sandy valley floor. The scene has been photographed many times and appears in movies and on TV.
In Arizona, man-made dams across the Colorado River have made two large lakes in the middle of the dry desert country. At Lake Powell, the red stone arch of Rainbow Bridge rises high above the blue lake.
There are few roads. Many areas of Lake Powell’s shore can only be reached by boat or on foot. But hikers in this empty desert land sometimes find very old native American pictures, painted on the rocks.
In Death Valley, California, the summer temperature rises to 130°F—165°F. There is less than inches of rain each year. Death Valley is the lowest place in America---925 metres below sea level. In the 1800s, many travelers died when they tried to cross this waterless valley in the terrible heat.
Although the desert is dry and seems empty, there is plenty of life if you look closely. Snakes and rats have learned how to live in the desert heat. They live underground and come out at night, when it is cool. Plants such as cacti need very little water. When it does rain in the desert (sometimes only once or twice a year), plants grow quickly, and flowers open in a single day. For a short time, the desert is covered with brilliant (very bright) colours.
小題1:In the 19th century, Americans moved from east to west because they            .
A．enjoyed the tripB．wanted to make their home there
C．wanted to find new grassland thereD．had no water to drink
小題2:From this passage. we can conclude that         .
A．the western desert is a good place for people to live in
B．there is little water but there are many trees in the desert
C．the desert is dangerous but it is full of beauty
D．till now, people know little about the desert
小題3:In the 1800s, many travelers died in Death Valley because of            .
A．illnessB．high temperature
C．cold weatherD．poisonous water
小題4:In the desert, animals will die           .
A．if they move aboutB．if they can’t make holes underground
C．if they come out at nightD．if they drink much water

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


B
After the American Revolution won in 1787, the new government in the U.S.A. had to choose a capital city. The thirteen states quarreled about this. So the government decided to build a completely new capital. The land on the River Potomac was given the name District of Columbia (D.C). The new Capital was built on the north bank of the river. It was named after George Washington, the president of the U.S.A.
Washington D. C., a government city, is an important cultural (文化) center as well as a big tourist (游覽) center.
Most capital cities have simply grown from small cities. Washington, however was planned as the capital of a great nation. It was designed by a French artist who first made a study of many capital cities of Europe. In general, his plan followed the plan of the beautiful French city of Versailles (凡爾賽).
61. When the new capital was built , America was made up of ____ states.
A. thirteen                           B. thirty         C. fifty                  D. fifteen
62. Washington D.C. is the name of _______.
A. an American president            B. America’s capital
C. a famous river                  D. a beautiful garden city
63. According to the passage we can conclude that America’s capital_____.
A. lies in the center on the country              B. came from a small city
C. was built by French workers            D. lies on the River Potomac
64. According to the passage we can infer that Washington D.C. is the center of America’s ______.
A. economy (經(jīng)濟(jì)), sports and culture B. culture, traveling and sports
C. politics, culture and traveling          D. politics, culture and economy

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


If you walk slowly through downtown Helsinki（赫爾辛基）during the day, taking in the splendid 19th century buildings, white boats and noise of passing trams（有軌電車）, you will start to understand why it is called a city of two colors: white and blue.
The sea is always present in Helsinki. When you take a walk over the great open space of the central square, you will hear seabirds screaming. When you take the tram, suddenly and unexpectedly, you are faced with a calm, shining blue sea. You may notice that people in Helsinki do not rush about as in other cities. Instead, they walk along the roads, politely letting other people by.
A usual way to see Helsinki for the first time is to start out by the boats. You will walk by the elderly women selling fish and vegetables in the market square and find yourself in front of a beautiful park. You may enjoy a pleasant walk in the park for a few hours and then take the tram. Trams are the perfect way to get around in Helsinki. Watching the old houses, parks, theatres, churches, shops, restaurants and people in the streets, you may have a slightly sad film feeling to it.
The pale summer nights are another wonder in the city. Following the waterfront（濱水區(qū)）of the city after sunset, you couldn’t help stopping and listening to the sweet silence, interrupted only by the screaming seabirds and leaving fishing boats.
However, in some way, Helsinki is also the most modern city in northern Europe. You will surely want to visit the white Glass Palace, the modern art museum, and all those extremely popular cafes and design stores.
68．Helsinki is called a city of two colors mainly because of the colors of its ________.
A．19th century buildings, boats and parks
B．19th century buildings, boats and seabirds
C．old houses, parks and trams
D．old buildings, boats and the sea
69．The best way to see most of Helsinki is to go ________.
A．by boat     B．by bus      C．by tram    D．on foot
70．The 19th century buildings, the White Glass Palace, popular cafes and design shops in Helsinki all show that Helsinki is _________.
A．both splendid and traditional   B．both quiet and noisy
C．both historical and modern     D．both old and new
71．This passage is most likely to be found in _________.
A．a(chǎn) story-book           B．a(chǎn) geography textbook
C．a(chǎn) research report             D．a(chǎn) travel magazine

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The largest-ever chariot pit (戰(zhàn)車坑) of relics with carts and horse bones has been discovered in Henan Province. It may lead to the uncovering of chariot pit groups that could be a key to understanding Chinese civilizations that existed more than 2,000 years ago.
Experts said the relics are dated more than 300 years earlier than the famous warriors (武士) in Shaanxi Province. What excited the experts were two other projects that located two huge pits with similar features.
“It is absolutely a miracle. These relics indicate that there could be a tomb group in this area, which is likely to be important for China’s archaeological (考古學(xué)的) studies,” said Ma Juncai, a leading relic researcher in the province.
In ancient China, carts, sheep, spoons and so on were buried to ensure that dead people had a happy afterlife. The number and quality of the sacrifices indicated the social status of the dead. The custom was carried into the Qin Dynasty. Emperor Qinshihuang’s tomb, located near Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, is accompanied by thousands of wood or clay figures of warriors and horses. The tomb is probably the most well-known.
The discovered pit measures 10.4 meters long, 8.4 meters wide and 5 meters deep. It holds 20 carts in different sizes. The smallest one is 1.05 meters long and 1.3 meters wide.
Experts think that 40 horses are likely to be found as well. Careful plans need to be made to deal with the demanding uncovering. “The clay is very weak and a small misstep can destroy the whole project. That’s why we need to take every step very carefully to protect these cherished cultural relics,” Ma said.
小題1: What’s the passage mainly about?
A．The dead people’s sacrifices in ancient China.
B．China’s archaeological studies.
C．The discovery of a large chariot pit in Henan.
D．The history of Chinese civilizations.
小題2:According to Ma Juncai, the uncovering of the three pits is a miracle because _______.
A．it shows there may be a tomb group there
B．it’s helpful in discovering Emperor Qinshihuang’s tomb
C．the relics are dated such a long time ago
D．the relics are more than 300 years older than the ones in Shaanxi
小題3:It can be inferred from Paragraph 4 that ______.
A．a(chǎn)ll dead people had sacrifices in ancient China
B．the discovered pit is the most well-known in the world
C．the discovered pit dates back to the Qin Dynasty
D．Emperor Qinshihuang wanted to maintain his power after death
小題4:Careful plans for the uncovering are needed because ______.
A．a(chǎn)nother 40 horses are likely to be found as well
B．the whole uncovering could be destroyed easily
C．experts are too busy to spare time for it
D．the government hasn’t agreed to it
小題5:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A．The discovery has drawn the leading experts’ attention.
B．A lot of cultural relics have been discovered in Henan.
C．40 horses have been discovered together with the chariot pit.
D．The discovered carts in the chariot pit are similar in size.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

If you, a man, are looking through this, congratulations: you are a survivor (幸存者). According to a survey, you are more than twice likely to die of skin cancer than a woman, and nine times more likely to die of AIDS. If you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78 years for men in Australia, you will die on average five years before a woman.
There are many reasons for this. Men take more risks than woman and are more likely to drink and smoke—but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor.
“Men aren’t seeing doctors as often as they should.” says Dr. Gullotta,“This is particularly so for the over 40s, when diseases tend to strike.”Gullotta says a healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two. For those over 45, it should be at least once a year. Two months ago Gullotta saw a 50-year-old man who had delayed(延遲) doing anything about his smoker’s cough for a year. “When I finally saw him it had already spread and he has since died from lung cancer.”he says.“Earlier finding and treatment may not have cured him, but it would have made him live longer.”
According to a recent survey, 95% of women aged between 15 and early 40s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70% of men in the same age group.
“A lot of men think they are strong enough. While some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know. Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies.” Dr. Gullotta says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be found out by check-ups. Regular check-ups for men would place strain on the public purse, Gullotta says. “But prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to cure the diseases. Besides, the final/highest cost is far greater: it is called premature death(過(guò)早死亡).”

小題1: From the first paragraph, we can know that _________.
A．women are more likely to die of skin cancer
B．men are more likely to get some deadly diseases
C．men can live five years longer than women
D．men who live long are very lucky
小題2:What is a more important reason for man’s death?
A．Men take more risks than women.
B．Diseases tend to strike men easily
C．Men don’t go to doctors for check-ups.
D．Men like drinking and smoking.
小題3:Why does the author take a 50-old-man as an example?
A．To realize the importance of disease prevention.
B．To show he could have avoided death.
C．To prove smoking leads to lung cancer.
D．To think highly of the doctor’s work.
小題4:What can be drawn from the last paragraph?
A．Treatment would cost a lot of money.
B．Cars are more valuable than health.
C．Men are brave to accept the reality.
D．Check-ups are necessary and worthwhile.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


IV. Reading(30)
A
Mathematical ability and musical ability may not seem on the surface to be connected, but people who have researched the subject -- and studied the brain—say that they are. Three quarters of the bright but speech-delayed children in the group I studied had a close relative who was an engineer, mathematician or scientist, and four fifths had a close relative who played a musical instrument. The children themselves usually took readily to math and other analytical subjects and to music.
Black, white and Asian children in this group show the same patterns. However, it is clear that blacks have been greatly overrepresented in the development of American popular music and greatly underrepresented in such fields as mathematics, science and engineering.
If the abilities required in analytical fields and in music are so closely related, how can there be this great discrepancy? One reason is that the development of mathematical and other such abilities requires years of formal schooling, while certain musical talents can be developed with little or no formal training, as has happened with a number of well-known black musicians.
It is precisely in those kinds of music where one can acquire great skill without formal training that blacks have excelled popular music rather than classical music, piano rather than violin, blues rather than opera. This is readily understandable, given that most blacks, for most of American history, have not had either the money or the leisure for long years of formal study in music.
Blacks have not merely held their own in American popular music. They have played a large role in the development of jazz, both traditional and modern. A long string of names comes to mind—W.C. Handy, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker…and so on.
None of this presupposes(假設(shè)，意味著) any special innate（先天的）ability of blacks in music. On the contrary, it is perfectly consistent with blacks having no more such inborn ability than anyone else, but being limited to being able to express such ability in narrower channels than others who have had the money, the time and the formal education to spread out over a wider range of music, as well as into mathematics, science and engineering.
36. what is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A.    Mathematical ability and musical ability are connected.
B.    Mathematical ability has more to do with the brain than musical ability.
C.    More people are good at music than math.
D.    More research should be done into the relationship between mathematical ability and math ability.
37. The word “discrepancy” (Para. 3) most probably means ____.
A. difference  B. excellence  C. inborn ability     D. inability
(38. What can be inferred about opera?
A.    It requires formal training.
B.    It is often enjoyed by those with strong analytical ability.
C.    It is disliked by blacks.
D.    It is more difficult to learn than classical music.
39. Which of the following statements is true according to the last paragraph?
A.    Blacks have special innate ability in music.
B.    Unlike others, blacks do not have innate ability in music.
C.    Jazz is one of the narrow channels through which blacks express their ability in music.
D.    Those who have money and time choose mathematics over music.
40. which of the following questions does the passage mainly concern?
A.    Are musical ability and mathematical ability connected?
B.    Why have blacks been greatly over represented in the development of American popular misic?
C.    What kinds of music require formal training?
D.    What are the contributions made by black musicians?

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


第三部分：閱讀理解（共20小題；每小題2分，滿分40分）
Before the mid 1860’s, the impact of the railroads in the United States was limited, in the sense that the tracks ended at this Missouri River, approximately the center of the country. At the point the trains turned their freight, mail, and passengers over to steamboats, wagons, and stagecoaches. This meant that wagon freighting, stagecoaching, and steamboating did not come to an end when the first train appeared; rather they became supplements or feeders. Each new “end of track” became a center for animal drawn or waterborne transportation. The major effect of the railroad was to shorten the distance that had to be covered by the older, slower, and more costly means. Wagon freighters continued operating throughout the 1870’s and 1880’s and into the 1890’s. Although over constantly shrinking routes, and coaches and wagons continued to crisscross the West wherever the rails had not yet been laid. The beginning of a major change was foreshadowed in the later 1860’s, when the Union Pacific Railroad at last began to build westward from the Central Plains city of Omaha to meet the Central Pacific Railroad advancing eastward from California through the formidable barrier of the Sierra Nevada. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the original Pacific Railroad bill in 1862 and a revised, financially much more generous version in 1864, little construction was completed until 1865 on the Central Pacific and 1866 on the Union Pacific. The primary reason was skepticism that a Railroad built through so challenging and thinly settled a stretch of desert, mountain, and semiarid plain could pay a profit. In the words of an economist, this was a case of “premature enterprise”, where not only the cost of construction but also the very high risk deterred private investment. In discussing the Pacific Railroad bill, the chair of the congressional committee bluntly stated that without government subsidy no one would undertake so unpromising a venture; yet it was a national necessity to link East and West together. ?
61. The author refers to the impact of railroads before the late 1860’s as “l(fā)imited” because
A. the track did not take the direct route from one city to the next?
B. passengers and freight had to transfer to other modes of transportation to reach western destinations              C. passengers preferred stagecoaches
D. railroad travel was quite expensive
62. What can be inferred about coaches and wagon freighters as the railroad expanded?
A. They developed competing routes.
B. Their drivers refused to work for the railroads.?
C. They began to specialize in private investment.?
D. There were insufficient numbers of trained people to operate them.
63.  Why does the author mention the Sierra Nevada in line 17? ?
A. To argue that a more direct route to the West could have been taken.??
B. To identify a historically significant mountain range in the West.?
C. To point out the location of a serious train accident.?
D. To give an example of an obstacle faced by the central pacific.   
64.  The word “subsidy” in line 27 is closest in meaning to_____.?
A. persuasion             B. financing              C. explanation           D. penalty ?

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


第二部分：閱讀理解（第一節(jié)20小題；第二節(jié)共5小題；每小題2分，滿分50分）
第一節(jié)：閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。
A
In 1921, Lewis Lawes became the warden （監(jiān)獄長(zhǎng)） at Sing Sing Prison of New York State．No prison was tougher than Sing Sing during that time．But when Warden Lawes retired some 20 years later, that prison had become a humanitarian institution．Those who studied the system said credit for the change belonged to Lawes．But when he was asked about the transformation, here’s what he said, “I owe it all to my wonderful wife, Catherine, who is buried outside the prison walls．”
Catherine Lawes was a young mother with three small children when her husband became the warden．Everybody warned her from the beginning that she should never set foot inside the prison walls, but that didn’t stop Catherine!
When the first prison basketball game was held, she went into the gym with her three beautiful kids and she sat in the stands with the inmates．Her attitude was: “My husband and I are going to take care of these men and I believe they will take care of me! I don’t have to worry!” She insisted on getting acquainted with them and their records．She discovered one convicted murderer was blind so she paid him a visit．Holding his hand in hers she said, “Do you read Braille?” “What’s Braille?” he asked．Then she taught him how to read．Later, Catherine found a deaf-mute in prison．She went to school to learn how to use sign language．
Many said that Catherine Lawes was the body of Jesus that came alive again in Sing Sing from 1921to 1937．Then, she was killed in a car accident．The next morning Lewis Lawes didn’t come to work, so the acting warden took his place．It seemed almost instantly that the prison knew something was wrong．The following day, her body was resting in a casket in her home, three-quarters of a mile from the prison．As the acting warden took his early morning walk, he was shocked to see a large crowd of the toughest, hardest-looking criminals gathered like a herd of animals at the main gate．He came closer and noted tears of grief and sadness．He knew how much they loved Catherine．He turned and faced the men．
“All right, men, you can go．Just be sure and check in tonight!” Then he opened the gate and a parade of criminals walked, without a guard, the three-quarters of a mile to stand in line to pay their final respects to Catherine Lawes．And every one of them checked back in．Every one!
41．Catherine was not afraid of getting inside the prison walls because she believed ______．
A．one good turn deserves another      B．no pains, no gains
C．a(chǎn) new broom sweeps clean         D．virtue never grows old
42．The underlined word in paragraph three most probably refers to ______．
A．basketball players           B．prison guards
C．prisoners                 D．family of the prisoners
43．What made every one of the criminals check back in?
A．The acting warden’s requirement    B．The strict rules of the prison
C．Their respect for Catherine        D．The force of the guards
44．What is the best title of the passage?
A．A Tough Prison                            B．A Woman Bringing Changes
C．A warden Caring for Prisoners         D．A Great Wife

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