（二）
A
How Do Animals Catch Their ZZZ’s?
Different creatures have developed some pretty creative ways to get their rest and stay safe. The lizard（蜥蝎）likes to sleep at the far end of small branches hanging out over a pond or lake in the rain forest. If a snake tries to slither up the branch to eat it ,it will shake the branch and knock the lizard off ,and the lizard will fall safely into the water. Chameleons can change color to match their surroundings in order to hide even while sleeping.
Corillas（大猩猩）like to sleep high in the trees. They build a new bed every night, sometimes taking up to half an hour to pile branches ,twigs ,and leaves into a comfortable bed .Birds also find it safe to sleep in the trees, but unless they have eggs or young chicks ,they don’t use a nest .They just lock their feet around a branch and hang on .A special tendon（腱）in their legs in automatically tight when they are at rest ,so they won’t let go and fall.
Dolphins live underwater ,but must come to the surface to breather .Scientists now believe that dolphins may sleep with only half their brain, while the other half stays awake to keep them safe and breathing. Seals also do this ,lying on their sides on the surface of the water with one flipper underwater paddling to keep their noses above the surface. Some ducks may also have this ability, and actually sleep with one eye closed and one eye open.                          
56．How many animals are mentioned in this passage?
A．6.                       B．7.                       C．8.                       D．9.
57．How does a chameleon protect itself while sleeping?
A．By changing its body colors.                 B．By hinging out over a pond.
C．By sleeping with half their brain.          D．By making beds with branches.
58．Why will not birds fall when they are at rest?
A．They build nests and sleep in them.       B．They fall asleep automatically.
C．They have a loose tendon in their legs.   D．They lock their feet around a branch.
59．What does the writer intend to tell us?
A．The cleverest animal is the gorilla because it can make beds.
B．Differences in habitat could lead to different living habits.
C．The ways animals catch their ZZZ’s are pretty much he same .
D．In order to protect themselves most animals choose not to sleep.

C

四、閱讀理解（2分×15=30分）閱讀下列短文,從每題所給的A、B、C和D項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。
Talk about a real-life hero! Ten-year-old Larry Champagne from St. Louis，Missouri, hit the brake (剎車) on a runaway school bus. He saved himself and 20 other kids on board from disaster.
It all happened in one terrible accident. On the way to school, the bus driver, Ernestine Blackman, suddenly fell ill. Seeing the car was running away, the other kids started to scream, but Larry ran to the front and stopped the bus.
“At first I thought, ‘We’re going to die,’” says Larry, “but after I pressed the brake, I felt safe.”
Larry’s speedy reaction made news all over the country. He appeared on TV shows as a hero. The bus company gave Larry a big gift. His school hung a medal of honor around his neck.
“My grandmother always tells me to do what’s right,” says Larry. He thanked his brother, Jerrick, 9, who “helped me get the bus driver up” during the emergency（緊急情況）. How did he know how to stop the bus? Larry is something of a mechanic（機(jī)械師）. He helps his grandfather work on his old truck. “He gets his hands dirty,” says his grandfather. One thing is for certain: Larry knows where to find the brakes.
1. What did Larry do to save the runaway bus?
A. He parked it for the sleeping bus driver. 
B. He helped all the kids climb out through the windows.
C. He dialed 911.              D. he pressed the brake.
2. When did Larry finally feel safe?
A. When the kids finally stopped screaming.        B. When the police officers arrived.
C. Once he pressed the brake, and the bus stopped.   D. When the bus driver started driving again.
3. Larry got the following as praise for his hero action Except            .
A. appearing on TV shows                         B. a scholarship from his school
C. a big gift from the bus company                    D. a medal of honor
4. Larry thanked his brother Jerrick for             .
A. helping him get the bus driver up                  B. helping him work on his old truck
C. teaching him how to find the brake         D. teaching him how to stop the bus
5. The underlined sentence“Larry is something of a mechanic” tells us that               .
A. Larry’s job is a mechanic                       B. Larry knows something about machines
C. Larry is a robot                                     D. Larry knows nothing about machines

Special trees that grow faster, fight pollution, produce better wood, and even sense chemical attacks are being planted by scientists in the US．
When 40 per cent of Hawaii's US$14 million-a-year papaya （木瓜）industry was destroyed by a virus five years ago, work began on creating genetically engineered（轉(zhuǎn)基因的）trees．
Researchers successfully introduced seeds that were designed to resist the virus．Since then, more and more people have been testing genetically engineered trees．Some researchers put special bacteria into trees to help them grow faster and produce better wood．Others are trying to create trees that can clean polluted soil．Meanwhile fruit farmers are looking for trees that are strong enough to resist worms, and paper companies want trees that produce more wood and therefore more paper．
The Pentagon （五角大樓） even gave the researchers US$500,000 this year after they developed a pine tree that changes its colours if it senses a chemical attack．So far, the poplar, eucalyptus （楊樹與桉樹）, apple and coffee trees are among those being engineered．All this can be done today because we have a better understanding of tree genomes （基因組）．
However, some people fear that the genetically engineered trees will cause dangerous results．They are worried that the new trees will breed with natural species and change the balance of the forest environment．
“It could be destructive,” said Jim Diamond, an environmentalist. “Trees are what is left of our natural environment and home to many endangered species.”
But researchers insist that science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers．They hope to answer the critics by stopping the new trees from breeding, so their effect on the environment can be controlled．
63．Which kind of tree is not the ones that scientists are planting in the US?
A．Trees that worms can't hurt．
B．Genetically engineered trees．
C．Trees that can resist wind better．
D．Trees that can protect themselves at a chemical attack．
64．What caused the American scientists to work on special trees?
A．Tree genomes are mapped out so scientists know how to improve trees．
B．Great numbers of trees have been lost due to attacks by viruses．
C．Researchers successfully introduced seeds designed to resist the virus．
D．They think science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers．
65．Which of the following was probably the first kind of trees being engineered?
A．Papaya．                     B．Pine．                          C．Apple．                        D．Poplar．
66．Why did critics think engineered trees dangerous? Because ________．
A．these trees can destroy the balance of nature
B．everything except trees has been genetically engineered
C．trees are home to many endangered species
D．these trees may affect normal trees

The way people hold to the belief that a fun - filled, pain free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably(不可避免的)brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment (義務(wù)), self - improvement.
Ask a bachelor(單身漢)why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three - day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children. But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild.
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations. It liberates（解放） time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.
1. According to the author, a bachelor resists marriage chiefly because _______ .
A. he finds more fun in dating than in marriage
B. he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single
C. he is reluctant to take on family responsibilities
D. he fears it will put an end to all his fun adventure and excitement
2. Raising children, in the author’s opinion is ________ .
A. a rewarding task                  B. a thankless job
C. a moral duty                     D. a source of inevitable pain
3. From the last paragraph, we learn that envy sometimes stems from(由…造成)________ .
A. hatred　　 B. ignorance      C. prejudice(偏見)　　　D. misunderstanding
4. To understand what true happiness is one must ________ .
A. have as much fun as possible during one’s lifetime
B. be able to distinguish happiness from fun
C. put up with pain under all circumstances
D. make every effort to liberate oneself from pain
5. What is the author trying to tell us?
A. It is important to make commitments     B. One must know how to attain happiness.
C. Happiness often goes hand in hand with pain.   D. It is pain that leads to happiness.

Blue Collar
Graduates from China's " blue-collar " vocational schools have an employment rate of 95. 6 percent, but many lose their jobs because of unrealistic expectations, according to a senior official with the Ministry of Education(MOE).
MOE figures show a total of 3. 64 million students graduated from vocational schools last year, of whom 3. 48 million found jobs. The employment rate for these students was 95. 6 percent.
"The employment rate for blue-collar workers has stayed high since 1999 and above 90 percent since 2002," Wang Jiping, the MOE's deputy head of vocational education section, said on Wednesday. "However, the figure is not the cause for optimism because it only indicates that people get employed. "
He said many students find jobs, but are unable to stay in the posts for reasons such as overly high expectations for salaries or poor performance.
Wang said vocational school graduates needed more guidance to find jobs that could use their skills and meet "rational" demands for wages (工資), so that they can stay in the posts.
"The government is to set up a national information platform to better show market demand for blue collar talents", he said.
MOE figures show 73. 23 percent of the 3. 64 million graduates from vocational middle schools found jobs in companies and factories, 10 percent started their own businesses, and 16. 37 percent went on to further study.
Wang said the demand for highly skilled workers boosted the development of vocational education. _____________ , the MOE called for vocational schools to set up more market-oriented training courses with which students could easily find jobs.
55. Many vocational school graduates lose their jobs for the following reasons EXCEPT _________according to the text.
A. their high expectations for salaries          B. their poor performance
C. their lack of working experience                  D. their unrealistic expectations
56. The underlined word boosted in the last paragraph can be replaced by _______.
A. improved         B. prevented              C. ended         D. started
57. Among the vocational school graduates last year about ________took up their own business.
A.540,000             B360,000                          C.150,000             D.70,000
58. Which of the following is the best sentence to be put into the blank of the last paragraph?
A. To develop vocational education                   B. To build up graduates' own business
C. To offer graduates more jobs                         D. To meet the demand

CBC is a famous air company which has over twenty planes carrying passengers and goods, flying along 12 fixed lines all over the world. Its service is very good but some passengers are still not satisfied with it and that is why in 2003 and 2004 the company received letters of complaints from consumers or passengers who pointed out over a dozen kinds of problems which are divided in groups in the following table. Those about passengers’ things carried by the plane are Baggage problems. Customer service refers to service work with passengers are not satisfied with. Over -sales of seats are about the fact that more seats are sold and as a result the plane is too crowded to be safe. Refund problems appear when passengers fail to receive the money paid back to them because of what they have lost. Fares are problems about the price of tickets.
Consumer Complaints Received By the CBC

Football, to me, is more than just a game. I have probably learned more than valuable lessons from it than from school.
When I joined the team freshman year, I didn’t realize what I was getting into. Even though I had been playing since fourth grade and knew it was hard work, nothing would prepare me for the effort I would put into football that year. We worked all summer in the weight room and ran on the track to get in physical and mental shape before the season.
See, football is more of a mental sport than anything else, so running on the track wasn’t only about getting in shape . We would push our minds by running as hard as we could even if we felt like we were going to pass out. At the beginning, I was immature (幼稚的) and only thought of myself, sometimes even giving up when I was tired or hurting. Then after the third game I had a season-ending injury. Imagine working all summer and then only being able to play three games! I needed surgery on my arm and at least five months to recover.
After freshman year I decided that I would always give my best effort. Playing varsity (大學(xué)代表隊(duì)) football has taught me so much more than just what my tasks are on a particular play or how to block. I have learned to think about others first, and realized how important working hard is. Being with all my friends, even sweating and bleeding with them, really made us unite as a group of hard-working young men, who will succeed in life.
65. What is the text mainly about?
A. How the author dislikes the game of football.
B. When the author began to play football.
C. How the author has changed his attitude to football.
D. What sport the author likes best.
66. The author thinks football is ________.
A. just a game    B. of a mental sport    C. hard to pass out  D. not worth his effort
67. From the text we can infer ________.
A. the author joined the football team with a clear aim.
B. football only brought the author certain tasks
C. the author worked all summer to get ready for the season.
D. the author never lost heart when he met with difficulties.
68. In the third paragraph, the phrase “getting in shape” probably means ________.
A. becoming physically fit             B. designing the playground
C. losing weight                     D. measuring the track

Do you know why different animals or pests have their special colours? Colours in them seem to be used mainly to protect themselves.
Some birds like eating locusts. but birds cannot easily catch them. Why? It is because locusts change their colours together with the change of the colours of crops. When crops are green, locusts look green. But as the harvest time comes, locusts change to the same brown colour as crops have. Some other pests with different colours from plants are easily found and eaten by others. So they have to hide themselves for lives and appear only at night.
If you study the animal life, you'll find the main use of colouring is protecting themselves. Bears, lions and other animals move quietly through forests. They cannot be seen by hunters. This is because they have the colours much like the tree.
Have you ever noticed an even more strange act? A kind of fish in the sea can send out a kind of very black liquid when it faces danger. While the liquid spread over, the enemies cannot find it. And it immediately swims away. So it has lived up to now though it isn't strong at all.
1. From the passage we learn that locusts ___ .
A. are small animals
B. are easily found by birds
C. are dangerous to their enemies
D. change their colours to protect themselves
2 How can pests with different colours from plants keep out of danger?
A. They run away quickly.
B. They colours much like their enemies.
C. They hide themselves in the day and appear at night.
D. They have to move quietly.
3. Bears and lions can keep safe because they ___ .
A. have the colours much like the trees   B. move quickly
C. like brown and grey colours         D. live in forests
4. Which is the best title for this passage?
A. The Change of Colours for Animals and Pests
B. Colours of Different Animals and Pests
C. The Main Use of Colours for Animals and Pests
D. Some Animals and Pests

There are many American expressions about insects--- like bees, for example. Bees are known as very hard workers. They appear to be busy, moving around their homes, or hives (蜂窩). So you might say you were as busy as a bee if you spent your weekend cleaning your house. In fact, you might say your house was a beehive of activity if your whole family was helping you clean. You also might say you made a beeline for something if you went there right away. When we go to see a movie, my friend always makes a beeline for the place where they sell popcorn (爆米花) .
Here is an expression about bees that is not used much any more, but we like it anyway. We think it was first used in the 1920s. If something was the best of its kind, you might say it was the bee’s knees. Now, we admit that we do not know how this expression developed. In fact, we do not even know if bees have knees!
If your friend cannot stop talking about something because she thinks it is important, you might say she has a bee in her bonnet (女帽). If  someone asks you a personal question, you might say “that is none of your beeswax”. This means none of your business.
Speaking of personal questions, there is an expression when their children ask, “Where do babies come from?” Parents who discuss sex and reproduction (生殖) say this is talking about the birds and bees.
Butterflies are beautiful insects, but you would not want to have butterflies in your stomach. That means to be nervous about having to do something, like speaking in front of a crowd. You would also not want to have ants in your trousers. That is, to be unable to sit still.
1. If you make a beeline for something, you ______ .
A. are as busy as a bee            B. go quickly and directly towards it
C. always go to the same place     D. buy something at a certain place
2. The underlined expression “ it is the bee’s knees” _______ .
A. is not used at all now          B. was first used in the 1820s
C. reminds us that bees have knees  D. means “it is very good”
3. If you ask your American friend Jack “How old is your wife?” he may say “______.”
A. It is none of your beeswax      B. You have a bee in your bonnet
C. It is the bee’s knees            D. You are talking about the birds and bees
4. When you have butterflies in your stomach, you ______ .
A. are too sick to sit still           B. have ants in your trousers
C. are nervous about something     D. have a stomachache
5. The passage mainly tells us _______.
A. some interesting and useful insects  B. some expressions about insects
C. the way of learning expressions     D. some newly-invented expressions