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第二部分 阅读理解(共两节，满分40分)

第一节 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

A

On a cool November day many years ago, I noticed a big black dog at our farm. I was very angry at his frequent turning up.

I went to my father and told him how the dog had destroyed part of our crop. ―It’s all your doing,‖ I said. ―Why did you offer milk to him a few days ago? He wants us to adopt him now. ‖―Why not?‖ asked my father. ―We already have Mike. He won’t allow another dog to enter this place.‖ A few days later, however, poor Mike was hit by a bus and died. ―Had I listened to you,‖ my father said, ―we would have been without a dog now!‖

Kalu didn’t take long to prove himself useful. Whenever he spotted a rat, he left everything aside – even his food – and dashed after it. At night when we slept, Kalu barked at the slightest noise like an alert (警惕的) guard.

We had often heard about thieves in the area. One night at about 1:00 am, we were woken up by Kalu’s angry bark. ―Could it be thieves?‖ my father whispered. My father shouted through a window: ―Who’s there?‖ No reply. Kalu’s growls grew angrier. Suddenly we heard a man cry out: ―Save me from this beast!‖

Armed with a stick, we went outside and saw that Kalu had pinned the man down on the ground. The man begged: ―Save me, sir!‖ Most of his clothing had been torn and his legs and hands were bloody. We managed to drag Kalu away. ―Don’t come here again,‖ my father ordered. The man disappeared into the darkness. As Kalu continued barking after the man, I saw my mother looking fondly at him through the window. Kalu got more popular in the family.

Kalu lived with us faithfully for over seven years. When he went missing for three days and was found dead because of eating something poisonous, we were shocked.

Our farm seemed desolate without Kalu. Over the years, we took in several more dogs, but none could match Kalu’s understanding and high spirits. The mean-looking stray (流浪狗) I didn’t want taught me to never judge anyone by his looks, whether a man or his best friend. 21. Many years ago, the author ______. A. blamed his father for adopting Kalu

B. was annoyed by Kalu’s constant appearance C. thought Mike would welcome Kalu willingly D. discussed with his father how to drive away Kalu 22. We can infer from the text that ______.

A. Kalu showed off his ability of catching mice to prove himself B. Kalu’s barking at night often disturbed the neighborhood C. Kalu couldn’t stop the thief without the author’s father’s help D. Kalu came to win the author’s family’s heart with his loyalty

23. The underlined word ―desolate‖ in the last paragraph probably means ―______‖. A. empty B. bare C. unusual D. peaceful

24. According to the last paragraph, what did the author learn from his experience? A. First impressions are never to be relied on.

B. ―Don’t judge a book by its cover‖ applies to both humans and dogs.

C. Ordinary as a person or a dog may look, we should treat them as extraordinary.

D. Your feelings toward somebody or something can change after you are helped out.

B

You may laugh it off if someone told you that extreme weather disasters were actually a child’s tricks. But El Nino, meaning ―little boy‖ in Spanish, could be about to cause trouble.

A recent statement from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned of a strong El Nino event that may be similar to the strongest in modern times. Scientists believe that evidence shows a more than 90 percent chance that it is coming – and it’s going to be big. ―If this lives up to its potential, this thing can bring a lot of floods, mudslides (泥石流), and trouble,” said Bill Patzert, a NASA scientist.

El Nino is a climate event occurring in the Pacific Ocean. The wind usually blows strongly from east to west due to the rotation (旋转) of the Earth. This causes water to pile up in the Western Pacific and pulls up colder water from the bottom in the eastern part. However, in El Nino years, the winds pushing the water get weaker and cause the warmer water to shift back toward the east. This warms the ocean as it travels before finally reaching the shores of North and South America. In an El Nino event, the waters of the eastern Pacific can be up to 4 degrees Celsius warmer than usual.

Most El Ninos last from 9 to 12 months and their effects are felt around December. They don’t happen every year though, usually between every two to seven years.

Last seen in 1997-98, El Nino caused severe droughts in Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia, as well as deadly floods in Peru and Ecuador. The world also heats up during an ElNino – 1998 became the warmest year on record at the time. If the current trend continues, 2015 is almost certainly to become the hottest year yet again.

A strong El Nino also affects hurricane seasons around the planet. The warmer the Eastern Pacific is, the more hurricanes it gets. The Western Pacific, on the other hand, tends to see more and stronger typhoons.

The weather isn’t the only thing that’s affected. Warmer surface waters in the Eastern Pacific make the cold-water fish swim away and damage the fishing industry in much of Latin America. 25. What is the text mainly about? A. El Nino and its harmful effects. B. Extreme weather disasters ever. C. The hottest years ever in history. D. The strongest El Nino in history.

26. Which of the following statements is TRUE about El Nino? A. It results from hurricanes or typhoons in the oceans. B. It happens every two years and last about half a year. C. It is a weather phenomenon occurring in the Atlantic.

D. It can cause extreme weather, such as floods and droughts. 27. During an El Nino year, ______.

A. the wind blows so strongly that it causes the water to pile up B. the fishing industry in much of Latin America is likely to suffer C. the more typhoons it experiences, the warmer the Western Pacific is D. the surface water in the Eastern Pacific usually gets colder than ever 28. El Nino in fact results from ________.

A. a little Spanish child’s trick B. the natural rotating of the Earth

C. an American expert’s prediction D. the weaker winds in the Pacific

C

For most people today, their GPS (Global Positioning System) has become a life line, giving directions to the nearest bathroom or restaurant. But the price we pay for the convenience could be our sense of direction.

“I do think GPS devices cause our navigational(导航) skills to atrophy，”said Nora Newcombe, a US psychologist who studies how the human brain navigates. “The problem is that you don’t see an overview of the area and where you are in relation to other things.‖

To understand the risk, you first need to understand how our brain keeps us from getting lost. Through experiments, researchers have found that our navigational strategies usually fall into two groups.

The first involves a spatial (空间的) map inside your brain. As you explore an area, you think about how the streets fit together and the best way to get between different locations. Eventually, the map lets you navigate between any two points in the area.

The second involves a series of landmarks and steps: Turn right at the gas station, and your school is on the left. It’s quick and reliable, but less flexible–it doesn’t help you get from your school to a totally new place, even if it’s nearby.

According to the research, people who are bad at navigation have trouble with the first strategy–creating spatial maps. What’s more, further studies have shown that people’s ability to create spatial maps is decided by how often we use the skill. That helps explain what happens when people trust themselves with GPS devices. According to a research, people depending on GPS show more activity in the part of the brain that is good at following directions – but less activity in the part which creates the spatial maps.

It turns out that our sense of direction isn’t the only thing we could lose. One thing that could go is our connection to the environment we travel through. Researchers have found that when people rely on GPS while driving, their memory of their trip is of a route on a screen, rather than the landscape they traveled through.

29. The underlined word ―atrophy‖ in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _______. A. become stronger B. become weaker C. become more useful D. become less important 30. People having a poor sense of direction _______.

A. rely more on the first strategy than the second for direction B. usually find the second strategy more reliable and flexible C. tend to have problems creating spatial maps in their mind D. are likey to become wiser by using the GPS navigation

31. How could the frequent use of GPS affect people according to the article? A. It might ruin their ability to navigate.

B. It is to produce more activity in their brain. C. It enables them to enjoy better scenery along. D. It makes them become less independent.

32. What can be inferred about the writer’s attitude towards using GPS? A. He encourages us not to use it.

B. He thinks highly of this technology. C. He doesn’t care how often it’s used.

D. He discourages us from overusing it.

D

Dear Daughter,

We have not seen you for a while now, so I thought we might check in. Did you fall off the edge of the Earth? Your mother worries, you know, and I am just curious. Well, I am more than 5curious. I feel abandoned.

Apparently you’ve abandon us for your career. I can understand that, because you’ve always had a wonderful work ethic. Look, obviously your long absence has confused us. As we go about our daily routines, your mother and I are distracted – both by your absence and our pride in your career. The other day, I entered my work password into the microwave, then stood there cursing it for not working.

Listen, a lot has happened since you’ve been away. Abraham Lincoln was shot. We had two more children – a princess, now 23; a boy, now 12. Yesterday I bought a very clean 2001 Camaro car from an older woman. Your mother is not happy about this. She says it is the kind of muscle car driven by ex-criminals when they examine your house at 2 am. In response, I tell her it was the car of my dreams when I was 18.

So that’s where your long absence has left us. Your long absence is not so bad, though we miss your roaring laughter ... the way your cheeks flush when you eat Thai food. How you always march too hard into the house, like a Scotsman stepping on snakes.

Each evening, your mother now waits by the window the way she did when you used to step off the bus in first grade. Bet that drove you crazy even then, her running out on the porch like you’d just returned from a month-long journey to the moon.

Look, parents are not easy people. But should the urge ever hit you, feel free to stop by sometime. Our house is your house. Our hearts are yours too. And your mother is still waiting by the window .

Love, Dad 33. The author entered the wrong password into the microwave because ______. A. kinds of passwords made him confused B. he was totally obsessed with his work

C. he was affected by his daughter’s long absence D. he had forgotten how to use the microwave

34. The author describes his and his wife’s current situation by ______. A. comparing the past and present B. talking about history and his dream

C. listing changes they have made to their routines D. detailing strange things they have started doing

35. From the article, we can conclude that the author is ________.

A. humorous B. inspiring C. serious D. patient 第二节 (共5小题；每小题2分，满分1 0分) 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填人空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

America’s holiday shopping season started on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. 36 Shoppers make the most money this time of year, about 20 percent to 30 percent of all revenue all