第二部分 阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。
A
A frightening example of the sea’s power saw 125,000 people die in 12 different countries last week. The terrible disaster was caused when a massive earthquake sent tsunamis breaking into Indian Ocean coastlines. Various areas in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Malaysia and East Africa have been destroyed by the huge waves. Whole towns were simply swept aside by the power of the water. Cars, trains and buildings could not remain firm, not to say the people who stood in the way.
The earthquake measured 9.0 on the Richter scale(里氏震级) and occurred off the coast of Indonesia. It was recorded as the fifth strongest since 1900. Scientists said the quake was as powerful as a million of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan during World War Ⅱ.“This may be the worst natural disaster in recent history because it is affecting so many heavily populated coastal areas,”said Jan Egeland, a UN official.
Because such waves hardly happen in the Indian Ocean, there is no system in place to warn coastal people they are about to be hit. Tsunami is a Japanese word. They are usually caused by a sudden rise or fall of part of the Earth’s crust(地壳) under the ocean. Tsunamis often happen in oceans and they are most common in the Pacific.
Tsunamis can be very long, as much as 100 kilometers. They are able to cross entire oceans without losing much energy. One of the most striking facts about tsunamis is that an earthquake on one side of the Pacific Ocean can cause huge waves on the other side.
When the ocean is deep, tsunamis can travel unnoticed at speeds of up to 800 kilometers per hour. They can cross the entire ocean in a day or less. The wave may only be a few meters high in the ocean but when it is near the shore and reaches shallow(浅的) water, the wave builds up very quickly in height.
41．We know from this passage that __________.
A．the earthquake has been the strongest in the last century
B．the wave soon becomes higher when it reaches the shore
C．the atomic bombs were more powerful than the earthquake
D．it’s not very easy to send warning message to the local people
[答案]
42．Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A．Tsunami is a word taken in from Japanese.
B．Tsunamis are quite common in Indian Ocean.
C．People in more than ten countries suffered a lot.
D．No warning system has been set up to watch tsunami there.
[答案]
43．Which is NOT the reason that caused such a terrible disaster?
A．There is a large population in the coastal areas.
B．People didn’t get any message about it before it occurred.
C．Most areas that suffered a lot in the tsunami are less developed.
D．The earthquake that brought about the tsunami was quite strong.
[答案]
B
Amazing Scientific Breakthrough…
Help You Lose Excess Weight Without Starvation Diets or Strenuous(hard) Exercise Have Yon Ever Wished...
There was a fast, easy and reliable way to safely drop excess weight by magically suppressing your food desires? An easy way to use product that magically melts off ugly fat without“dieting”, calorie counting, or strenuous exercise? What if this breakthrough could also increase your energy levels and brighten your mood throughout the day?
Introducing：the Amazing Diet Patch
The all new Amazing Diet Patch (as seen on TV) is a revolutionary new weight loss system that makes you lose 3 to 7 pounds week after week! Until you fit into the clothes you’ve always dreamed of! This is the fastest, most effective and safest way to lose weight without starvation diets or strenuous exercise!
How Does It Work?
The secret is an ingredient called Fucus Vesiculosus that suppresses your appetite, controls your food desires, and increases your metabolism(新陈代谢) turning your body into a fat burning machine.
But don’t take our word for it…Just listen to what others are saying about it：
After the birth of my child I started gaining weight quickly and felt like all the exercising was a waste of my time. Nothing would make me lose weight. At first I wondered if the diet patch really worked. But I decided I had nothing to lose by getting the free sample, and after the first seven days I lost 7 1bs. Overall I couldn’t feel better about myself.
—Sherry Parker
I could not believe how easy it was to use the Amazing Diet Patch! I’ve tried using pills and that didn’t work, but I would always forget to take the pills before my meals… Now with the patch I just put it on in the morning and forget about it.
—Jeff Robins
Not Available in Stores
It is not available in any drug discount or grocery store, but you can get it right here directly from the manufacture through this exclusive(专用的) online offer. And now we’re willing to absorb 100% of the risk by giving you a 1-Week FREE Trial!
44．According to the passage, we know that the Amazing Diet Patch is some kind of __________.
A．pills B．soup
C．vegetables D．plaster
[答案]
45．Which of the following words can replace the underlined word“suppressing”in the first paragraph?
A．Increasing. B．Changing.
C．Controlling. D．Burning.
[答案]
46．The Amazing Diet Patch is available only __________.
A．on the TV B．through the online
C．in the grocery store D．through the drug store
[答案]
47．The purpose of the Amazing Diet Patch is to lose your excess weight by __________.
A．changing your metabolism
B．large amounts of exercise
C．brightening your mood
D．increasing your diet
[答案]
C
Most American kids love Halloween treats, but a bucket of Halloween candy can be a dentist’s nightmare(恶梦). Some parents try to get rid of half of the candy after their children go to bed, but dentists say parents also need to separate the good kinds of treats from the bad.
It is not exactly what a child eats that truly matters, but how much time it stays in his mouth. According to pediatric dentist Dr. Kaneta Lott, the most damaging stuff is something that is sticky or very hard and thus stays in the mouth for a long time. This is because we all have bacteria in our mouths. When we eat, the bacteria take our food as their food and produce an acid that destroys the surface of the teeth, causing cavities(holes in teeth) to form. The longer the food stays in the mouth, the more likely cavities will develop. Therefore, potato chips are worse than candy because they get stuck between teeth. For the same reason, raisins(葡萄干) and crackers are not the best choice. Hard candies take a long time to consume and are also a bad choice for Halloween treats.
If children really love candy, dentists recommend that they eat chocolate instead. Unlike hard candies, chocolate dissolves quickly in the mouth. Besides, chocolate contains tannins(单宁酸), which help to kill some of the bacteria in the mouth. But no matter what a child eats, brushing after each meal is still the best way to fight cavities.
48．What is the main purpose of this passage?
A．To discuss how cavities can be treated.
B．To point out the problems with Halloween celebrations.
C．To tell parents what sweets are less damaging to their children’s teeth.
D．To teach parents the meaning of Halloween candies for their children.
[答案]
49．Why are hard candies especially bad for teeth?
A．They may break the child’s teeth.
B．They contain too much sugar.
C．They help bacteria to produce tannins.
D．They stay in the mouth for a long time.
[答案]
50．According to the passage, which of the following is a better choice for Halloween treats?
A．Chocolate. B．Crackers.
C．Raisins. D．Potato chips.
[答案]
51．According to the passage, which of the following is true of tannins?
A．They are produced when the bacteria digest the food.
B．They help to get rid of some bacteria in the mouth.
C．They help chocolate to dissolve more quickly.
D．They destroy the surface of the teeth.
[答案]
D
Failure, Good or Bad?
Why are so many people so afraid of failure? Quite simple because no one tells us how to fail so that failure becomes an experience that will lead to growth. We forget that failure is part of the human condition and that every person has the right to fail.
Most parents work hard at either preventing failure or protecting their children from the knowledge that they failed. One way is to lower standards. A mother describes her child’s hastily made table as“perfect”even though it couldn’t stand still. Another way is to shift blame. If John fails science, his teacher is unfair or stupid.
The trouble with failure prevention is that they leave a child unequipped for life in the real world. The young need to learn that no one can be best at everything, no one can win all the time, it’s possible to enjoy a game even when you don’t win. A child who’s not invited to a birthday party or enrolled in the baseball team feels terrible, of course. But parents should not offer a quick comfort prize or say“It doesn’t matter”because it does. The young should experience disappointment and be helped to master it.
Failure is never pleasurable. It hurts grownups and children exactly alike. But it can make a positive contribution to your life once you learn to use it. Step one is to ask.“Why did I fail?”Don’t blame someone else. Ask yourself what you did wrong, how you can improve. If someone else can help, don’t be shy about inquiring(asking). Success, which encourages repetition of old behavior, is not nearly as good a teacher as failure. You can learn from a bad party how to give a good one, from an ill-chosen first house what to look for in a second. Even a failure that seems definitive can cause fresh thinking, a change of direction. After twelve years of studying ballet(芭蕾舞), a friend of mine applied for a professional company. She was turned down.“Would further training help?”she asked. That ballet master shook his head.“You will never be a dancer,”he said,“you haven’t the body for it.”
In such cases, the way to use failure is to take stock bravely asking“What have I left? What else can I do?”My friend put away her shoes and moved into dance treatment center, a field where she’s both able and useful. Failure frees one to take risks because there’s less to lose. Often there is recovery of energy—a way to find new possibilities.
52．The passage here is supposed to make us know that __________.
A．many people are afraid of failure
B．failure is an experience in our growth
C．failure may be of great use once mastered
D．failure is the mother of success
[答案]
53．From the passage, we may find __________ preventions parents may use when a child fails.
A．only two B．no more than three
C．less than three D．more than three
[答案]
54．When the writer uses“it does”in the third paragraph, he, as a matter of fact, wants to express __________.
A．failure should be prevented
B．the child feels hurt indeed
C．no one can be best at everything
D．something out of success is of importance
[答案]
55．Which statement below does the writer support?
A．Failure is as good an experience as success.
B．Failure is the mother of success.
C．Failure is far from a good teacher like success.
D．Definitive failure gives us nothing but fresh thinking.
[答案]
56．The last paragraph gives us an idea that __________.
A．failure is the recovery of energy
B．failure makes one free to do something dangerous
C．we should learn to use failure in our life
D．failure is likely to do us good in life
[答案]
E
For many years, I was convinced that my suffering was due to my size. I believed that when the weight disappeared, it would take old wounds, hurts, and rejections with it.
Many weight-conscious people also mistakenly believe that changing our bodies will fix everything. Perhaps our worst mistake is believing that being thin equals being loved, being special, and being cherished. We imagine what it will be like when we reach the long-awaited goal. We work very hard to realize this dream. Then, at last, we find ourselves there.
But we often gain back what we have lost. Even so, we continue to believe that next time it will be different. Next time, we will keep it off. Next time, being thin will finally fulfill its promise of everlasting happiness, serf-worth, and, of course, love.
It took me a long while to realize that there was something more for me to learn about beauty. Beauty standards vary with culture. In Samoa a woman is not considered attractive unless she weighs more than 200 pounds. More importantly, if it’s happiness that we want, why not put our energy there rather than on the size of our body? Why not look inside? Many of us strive hard to change our body, but in vain. We have to find a way to live comfortably inside our body and make friends with and cherish ourselves. When we change our attitudes toward ourselves, the whole world changes.
57．The passage tries to show the importance of __________.
A．body size
B．attitudes toward life
C．culture difference
D．different beauty standards
[答案]
58．What does the word“everything”in Paragraph 2 mean?
A．All the problems.
B．All the properties.
C．The whole world.
D．The absolute truth.
[答案]
59．What can be inferred about the author?
A．The author is a Samoan.
B．The author succeeded in losing weight.
C．The author has been troubled by her／his weight.
D．The author probably got wounded in wars or accidents.
[答案]
60．According to the author, what is the common view of those who have lost some weight first and gained it back later?
A．They feel angry about the regained weight.
B．They are indifferent to the regained weight.
C．They feel optimistic about future plans on weight control.
D．They think they should give up their future plans on weight control.
