A
Mr. Robinson had to travel somewhere on business and as he was in a hurry, he decided to go by air. He liked to sit beside a window when he was flying. So, when he got on to the plane, he looked for a window seat. He found all of them had already been taken except one. There was a soldier sitting in the seat beside this one and Mr. Robinson was happy that he had not taken the one by the window; but, anyhow, he at once went towards it.
When he reached it, however, he saw there was a notice on it. It was written in ink and said “This seat is reserved for proper load balance. Thank you.” Mr. Robinson had never seen such a notice in a plane before, but he thought that the plane must be carrying something heavy in its baggage room which made it necessary to have the passengers properly balanced, so he walked on and found another empty seat, not beside a window, to sit in.
Then, when the plane was quite full, a very beautiful girl stepped into the plane. The soldier quickly took the notice off the seat beside him and in this way succeeded in having the girl beside him during the whole trip.
56．In the sentence “This seat is reserved for proper …” the word “reserved” may mean _____
A．kept B．deserted C．served D．not seated
57．When he got on the plane he was happy to find that ________.
A．a notice was put in a window seat
B．some of the seats were not occupied
C．there was a seat that he had hoped to have
D．the plane was not very crowded
58．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Mr. Robinson was the last passenger to get on board the plane.
B．Mr. Robinson was surprised to see the notice in the seat.
C．The window seats were all occupied when Mr. Robinson got on hoard the plane.
D．The plane Mr. Robinson took was heavily loaded with luggage.
59．In the end Mr. Robinson found out that ________.
A．the notice was put on the seat by the soldier
B．the solider was waiting for his girl friend
C．the girl was the last passenger who got on the plane
D．the seat by the window was kept for the last passenger
B
Several years ago, my parents, my wife, my son and I ate at one of those restaurants where the menu is written on a blackboard. After a wonderful dinner, the waiter set the check the middle of the table. That’s when it happened: my father did not reach for the check.
Conversation continued. Finally I realized that I should pick up the check! After hundreds of restaurant meals with my parents, after a lifetime of thinking of my father as the one with dollars, it had all changed. I reached for the check, and my view of myself suddenly changed. I was an adult. I was no longer a kid.
Some people mark off(区分) their lives in years, I measure mine in small events. I didn’t become a young man at a particular age, like 16, but rather when a kid who wandered in the streets called me “mister”. These events in my life are called “milestones”(里程碑)
There have been other milestones. The cops(policemen) of my youth always seemed big, even huge, and of course they were older than I was. Then one day they were suddenly neither. The day came when I suddenly realized that all the football players in the game I was watching were younger than I was. They were just big kids. With that milestone gone was the dream that someday, maybe I, too, could be a football player. Without ever having reached the hill, I was over it.
I never thought that I would fall asleep in front of the TV set as my father did. Now it’s what I do best. I never thought that I would go to the beach and not swim, yet I spent all of August at the shore and never once went into the ocean. I never thought that I would appreciate opera, but now the combination of voice and orchestra(乐队) attract me. I never thought that I would prefer to stay home in the evenings, but now I find myself passing up parties. I used to think that people who watched birds were strange, but this summer I found myself watching them, and maybe I’ll get a book on the subject. I felt a strong desire for a religious belief(宗教信仰) that I never thought I’d want, feel close to my ancestors(祖先) long ago, and echo my father in arguments with my son. I still lose …
One day I bought a house. One day ---what a day!---I became a father, and not too long after that I picked up the check for my own father. I thought then it was a milestone for me. One day, when I was a little older, I realized it was one for him too, another milestone.
60．The tone established in the passage is one of _________.
A．sad regret B．amusement C．happiness D．deep feeling
61．The author mentions the event in the restaurant because ____________.
A．that was one of his milestones
B．he paid the bill but he didn’t want to
C．he became a father with dollars
D．that was the last restaurant meal with his parents
62．“Then they were suddenly neither” suggests that _________.
A．suddenly they became older than I was
B．suddenly I knew that they were neither bigger or older than I was
C．suddenly I realized that I make a mistake
D．suddenly I found myself no longer a kid
63．Which of the following best expresses the author’s thinking?
A．One day is worth two tomorrows.
B．To save time is to lengthen life.
C．When an opportunity is lost, it never comes back to you.
D．Time and tide wait for no man.
C
Being a man has always been dangerous. There are about 105 males for every 100 females, but this ratio(比率) drops to near balance at the age of maturity(成熟期), and among 70-year-olds there are twice as many women as me. But this situation is being changed. Now, boy babies survive(幸存) almost as well as girls do.. This means that, for the first time, there will be an excess(过多) of boys in those years when they are searching for a mate. More important, another chance for natural selection has been removed. Fifty years ago, the chance of a baby (especially a boy baby) surviving depended on its weight. A kilogram too light or too heavy meant almost certain death. Today it makes almost no difference. Since much of the difference is due to genes, one more agent(原动力) of evolution(进化) has gone.
There is another way to commit evolution suicide: stay alive, but have fewer children. Few people are asproductive as in the past. Except in some particular areas, few women have 15 children. Nowadays the number of births, like the age of death, has become average. Most of us have the same number of children. Again, differences between people and the chance for natural selection to take advantage of it have become smaller.
For us, this means that evolution is over; the biology Utopia(乌托邦) has arrived. Strangely, it has involved little physical change. No other species fills so many places in nature. But in the past 100,000 years---even the past 100 years---our lives have been transformed but our bodies have not. We did not evolve, because machines and society did it for us. Darwin had a phrase to describe those ignorant of evolution: they “look at an organic being as a savage looks at a ship, as at something wholly beyond his comprehension.” No doubt we will remember a 20th century way of life beyond comprehension for its ugliness. But however surprised our children may be at how far from Utopia we were, they will look just like us.
64．What used to be the danger in being a man according to the first paragraph?
A．A lack of mates. B．A fierce competition
C．A lower survival rate. D．A poor gene.
65．The author argues that our bodies have stopped evolving because __________.
A．life has been improved by technological advance
B．the number of female babies has been going down
C．our species has reached the highest stage of evolution
D．the difference between wealth and poverty is disappearing
66．What does the underlined word “productive” most probably mean in the second paragraph?
A．useful B．producing babies C．well-educated D．caring
67．Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A．Sex Ratio Changes in Human Evolution
B．Ways of Continuing Man’s Evolution
C．The Evolutionary Future of Nature
D．Human Evolution Going Nowhere
D
I belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am a wife. And, not altogether incidentally, I am a mother.
Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene fresh from a recent divorce. He had one child, who is, of course, with his ex-wife. He is obviously looking for another wife. As I thought about him while I was ironing one evening, it suddenly occurred to me that I, too, would like to have a wife. Why do I want a wife?
I would like to go back to school so that I can become economically independent, support myself, and if needed, support those dependent upon me. I want a wife who will work and send me to school. And while I am going to school, I want a wife to take care of my children. I want a wife to keep track of the children’s doctor. And to keep track of mine, too. I want a wife to make sure my children eat properly and are kept clean. I want a wife who will wash the children’s clothes and keep them mended. I want a wife who takes care of the children when they are sick, a wife who arranges to be around when the children need special care, because, of course, I cannot miss classes at school. My wife must arrange to lose time at work and not lose the job. It may mean a small cut in my wife’s income from time to time, but I guess I can tolerate that. Needless to say, my wife will arrange and pay for the care of the children while my wife is working.
I want a wife who will take care of my physical needs. I want a wife who will keep my house clean. I want a wife who will keep my clothes cleaned, ironed, mended, replaced and needed, and who cooks the meals, does the necessary grocery shopping, prepares the meals, serves them pleasantly, and then does the cleaning up while I do my studying. I want a wife who will care for me when I am sick and sympathize with my pain and loss of time from school.
I want a wife who will take care of the details of my social life. When my wife and I are invited out by my friends, I want a wife who will take care of the babysitting arrangements. When I meet people at school that I like and want to entertain, I want a wife who will have the house cleaned and prepare a special meal and serve it to me and my friends and will not interrupt when I talk about the things that interest me and my friends.
If, by chance, I find another person more suitable as wife than the wife I already have, I want the liberty to replace my present wife with another one. Naturally, I will expect a fresh, new life: My wife will take the children and be only responsible for them so that I am left free.
When I am through with school and have a job, I want my wife to stop working and remain at home so that my wife can more fully and completely take care of a wife’s duties.
My God, who wouldn’t want a wife?
68．The writer is a ___________.
A．student B．man C．woman D．housewife
69．The article is written in a(n) _________ tone.
A．ironic(讽刺的) and humorous B．serious and pleasant
C．approving(同意的) and objective D．persuasive and aggressive
70．What is implied but Not stated?
A．The writer really approves of the present situation of the wives’ position at home.
B．The writer expresses the dissatisfaction with a wife’s position at home and speaks for all the wives.
C．The writer thinks a wife should indeed do everything for the children and the husband at home but nothing else.
D．It is wrong for some of the husbands not to share the duties at home and women should be respected in every aspect.
71．Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?
A．A Wife’s Duties B．Old Wife Is Gone and New Wife Comes
C．Wife Is Better Than Husband D．I Want a Wife
E
Trip 1 Black Bear Count
There have been fires in this area in the last few years and the Office of the National Park is not sure how many black bears are still living. Some bears have been seen since the fires, and the Office has asked for young people to help count them. The entire trip will last three hours. Booking necessary.
Cost: Free When: May 8
Trip 2 Garland Valley
Bring your drink and lunch for this walk in a beautiful area of the Blue Mountains. Garland Valley is close to the town of Garland but is part of the National Park. Many wild animals live in this area, including many rare birds. This is a great walk for bird-lovers. The trip lasts four hours. Bookings necessary.
Cost: ￡15. When: May 8, May 15
Trip 3 Flashlight Adventure
Put on your warm clothes, bring a flashlight and a pair of glasses, and come for a night walk along the Dungog Valley. A guide will lead the tour. Many of the animals you will see on this trip can only be seen at night. The guide will tell you about the lives of the animals you see. Numbers are strictly limited on night trips, so be sure to book early. This walk lasts two and a half hours.
Cost: ￡ 12 When: May 8, May 15, May 22
Equipment to the needed:
* Please bring enough water and food for all walks.
* Wear good walking shoes ---no high heels.
* Wear a hat for day walks.
* Dress warmly for night walks.
* Children must be with an adult.
* Make sure you flashlight works well and bring extra batteries for night walks.
* Follow all instructions from guides during the walks.
The mountains is a dangerous place.
Bookings:
* Bookings for the above trips can be made by telephone (893－4847) or on the Internet atwww.bluemountaintour.com.
72．Where are these trips?
A．In a large valley B．In a park in the mountains.
C．In a special kind of zoo. D．In three different countries.
73．On which trip might you see animals that sleep during the day?
A．Black Bear Count. B．Garland Valley.
C．Flashlight Adventure. D．None of the trips.
74．Which of the following is NOT necessary for the three trips?
A．Good walking shoes. B．plenty of batteries.
C．Food and water. D．A sleeping-bag.
75．What is the best title for the passage?
A．Adventure Travel in America
B．Hunting around the Great Mountains
C．Interesting Trips in the East of the USA
D．Discovery Trips in the Blue Mountains
参考答案
阅读理解：56—59 ACBA 60—63 DADD 64—67 CABD 68—71 CADD 72—75 BCDD
