阅读理解

　　When my father was dying, I traveled a thousand miles from home to be with him．It was far more heartbreaking than I'd expected, and was really one of the most difficult and painful times in my life．After he passed away I stayed alone in his apartment．There were so many things to deal with．Weeks passed; it all seemed absolutely endless．I was completely lonely．I hated the silence of the apartment．

　　But one evening the silence was broken：I heard crying outside．I opened the door to find a little gray kitten(小猫)on the steps．He was thin and poor．I remember thinking that he looked the way I felt．I brought him inside and gave him a can of fish．He ate it, and almost immediately fell asleep right there on the kitchen floor．

　　The next morning I checked with the neighbors and learned that the kitten had been abandoned by someone who had just moved out．As I walked back I tried to figure out what to do with him．Having something else to take care of seemed like the very last thing I needed．But as soon as I opended the apartment door he came running and jumped into my arms．It was clear from that moment that he had no intention of going anywhere．I decided to keep him－just until I went back home．I started calling him Willis, in honor of my father's best friend．

　　From then on, things grew easier．No longer was I returning to a lonely, empty apartment．With Willis in my lap the time seemed to pass much more quickly．When the day finally came for me to return home, I had to decide what to do about Willis．There was absolutely no may I would leave without him．

　　It's now been five years since my father died．Over the years, several people have commended on how nice it was of me to rescue Willis．But I know that we rescued each other．I may have given him a home, but he gave me something greater-the will to live, and an important lesson．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项。

　　He looked like a pirate．

　　With his handkerchief tied in a knot behind his little nine-year-old head, he looked like a pirate, a sad pirate．The first time little David came to our camp, he was hairless and worn out from medical treatments．He was also very angry．

　　Paul Newman's camp counselors(指导老师)were hoping to fill David's days with fun and laughter．But David stayed inside himself, wanting to be alone, or in a corner of the cabin．At this camp for children with life-threatening illnesses, we had seen some pretty tough children worn out by cancer recover full of energy despite their illness．But we saw little progress in David no matter what we tried with him．Five days into the eight-day session saw a quiet, sad little pirate．

　　Then something happened on that fifth night．Something at camp that we would call "huge"．

　　It was cabin night．That's the time when campers and counselors spend lime together in each individual cabin instead of an all-camp activity．Campers love cabin nights because there's always a bedtime snack．On the cabin table that night were bags of potato chips．

　　David slowly walked over to the table, leaving his comer to join the rest of us．He took one of the bags of the potato chips and started smashing(弄碎)it with his little fists, as all the other campers looked on in disbelief, I wondered what the cabin counselor would do．

　　The college-age volunteer counselor positioned a bag of chips on die table in front of himself, and he, too, started smashing it with his fist．The campers went crazy as everyone ran to the table to get in on the fun of smashing potato chips with their fists．

　　Somehow everyone knew, everyone sensed, that anger within him was now being released．

　　For the last couple days of the session, David was a different kid．He was a little nine-year-old boy again, trying to fill the hours of each remaining day at camp with as much fun as could be possible．

　　Several days after the session, David came back again．This time, there wasn't anything he wouldn't try to fit in to his day．He sure was having a great time at camp．David asked me if I needed an altar(祭坛)boy when I celebrated Mass in the woods．Sure enough, he was my altar boy．I remembered how carefully he listened to me when I talked about death．1 said it's only a doorway．You walk through the door and there's the Lord God and behind God a whole line of people waiting to hug you．

　　After Mass, he said to me, "Hey Fatha, a door, huh? "

　　A couple more days of fun passed and tonight was the talent show．The tradition is that campers and counselors dress up in costumes, and everyone gets a standing applause for singing and dancing or simply just acting like fools on stage．

　　The show had begun：lights, camera, action．

　　Unfortunately, the only action taking place in our row of seats was little David making his way from counselor to counselor to say an early good-bye to camp．He had become quite ill and had to go to the hospital because of this new crisis．

　　When this little nine-year-old pirate stood in front of me, he gave me a hug and a big wet kiss on my cheek．1 was crying．He was crying．A whole row of counselors was in tears．After the hug and kiss, he put his hands on my shoulders, and tears still in his eyes, said："See you on the other side of the door, Fatha．"

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项。

　　During the outbreak of 2009-2010 H1N1 or "swine flu", the same virus that caused mild coughing and sneezing in some patients proved deadly for others．It highlighted a medical mystery：why are some people more fit to handle the flu than others?

　　British and American researchers think they have a clue．Reporting on Sunday in the journal Nature, researchers say they've found a gene that influences our ability to fight against flu illness．The gene, called IFITM3, is the "important first line of defense" against the flu, researcher Paul Kellam of Britain's Sanger Institute told Reuters．

　　The IFITM3 protein(蛋白)prevents flu viruses from reproducing in cells．So, if you have a high amount of IFITM3， you're in luck, since it weakens the spread of the virus; a low amount can lead to more rapid viral reproduction, causing severe flu symptoms, according to Kellam．

　　Scientists first found in gene studies that IFITM3 played a role in resistance to flu and other viruses．In experiments in mice, they showed that when mice were raised to lack the IFITM3 gene and then infected with influenza, the animals developed more severe lung infection from flu, compared with mice that had the gene．

　　To figure out the role of IFTTM3 in humans, researchers then studied the IFITM3 genes of 53 patients with the flu in 2009-2010．They found that these patients were more likely to have a variant of the IFITM3 gene-which makes people more vulnerable to flu-compared with the general population．According to evidence from large genetic databases, about 1 in 400 people carries this IFITM3 variant, the BBC reports．

　　"Our research is important for people who have this variant as we predict their immune defenses could be weakened to some virus infections, " said Kellam．

　　The Findings also suggest that a drug that functions as IFITM3 could help increase resistance to flu and other viruses, including deadly ones like H5N1 flu．

(1)

(2)

(3)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项。

　　Our Intensive English Language Summer Course runs from the 15th-26th August, 2012

　　inclusive and applicants may register for a 5-day or 12-day course．

　　About the Course

　　For boys and girls from 12 to 16 years of a wishing to improve their English language skill

　　Ideal for foreign students who are en* V it a UK secondary school

　　The course may be attended on a residential(with accommodation)or day basis(without accommodation)．

　　Students registered for Lincoln Minister School for September 2012 are particularly recommended to attend the 2-week course．

　　Programme outline

　　Week 1 30 hours of lessons + 2 afternoon outings to supplement learning;

　　Friday afternoon sports

　　Weekend Day trip to theme parks and a relaxing day on Sunday

　　Week 2 30 hours of lessons + cinema visits

　　On the final Friday afternoon, there will be a barbecue lunch with games and presentation of certificates．

　　What's included in the fee

　　30 hours tuition per week by qualified teachers and EFL specialists

　　All meals and accommodation(bedding provided)

　　Outings and entrance fees, resources, completion certificate

　　(Accommodation, breakfast or evening meals do not apply to day students．)

　　Accommodation

　　If your child attends the residential course, they will stay in one of our 4 beautiful boarding houses．They will be looked after by our trained boarding staff in a safe and happy environment, with lots of opportunities to socialise and use the language skills they have learnt．

　　How to Enrol

　　To enrol in our Intensive English Language Summer Course, you will initially need to do the following：

　　Fill in a booking form．

　　Pay a deposit of 50％ of the chosen course fees, which will ensure your child's place on the course．

　　Course fees

(1)

(2)

(3)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项。

　　Charles Dickens is often thought of as one of the greatest British writers．February 7 marked the 200th anniversary of his birthday．Yet for many, his language is old-fashioned and his stories often improbable．Then why do so many people know and read Dickens today?

　　One reason is the British government's insistence that every child study a Dickens novel at school．Alongside William Shakespeare, Dickens is on every English literature school reading list．

　　His stories, though often long by today's standards, are great moral tales．They are filled with colorful characters．

　　Earlier this month, a ceremony was held in Portsmouth, where Dickens was born．Prince Charles said at the ceremony："…(Dickens)used his creative talents to campaign passionately for social justice…His characterization is as fresh today as on the day it was written．"

　　His books stand out from many other writers because of his insight(洞察力)into human nature．Dickens, like Shakespeare, tells us truths about human behaviour．They are as true in the 2Is1 century as they were to his readers in the 19th century．

　　Readers have returned to Dickens' books again and again over the years to see what he has to say about their own times．

　　No surprise then that it was Dickens whom Britons turned to during the economic crisis in the last couple of years．Dickens helped them make sense of a world that was rapidly falling apart．The BBC adapted one of his less well-known novels, Little Dorrit, into a popular television drama that introduced many Brits to the novel for the first time．A dark story about greed and money, it was the perfect illustration of bad times．

　　As long as Dickens' novels have something to say to modern audiences, it seems likely that he will remain one of Britain's best-loved writers．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

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。

　　It is probably the strangest sport anyone has ever invented．And at first sight, it looks like the easiest．Competitors have to do two things．The first is to stand still．The second is to place their hands anywhere on the body of a car, and keep it there．

　　This is where things start getting difficult．Lots of people are doing the same thing．And the winner of the “handathon” contest is the person who can carry on doing it for the longest time．That person gets to own the car．

　　It still seems to be an easy thing to do．At the beginning it is．Anyone can stand still．But when the contest has been going for four or five days, standing still seems like the most difficult job in the world．And keeping the hand in place over this time becomes an act of serious attention．After a few days, the hand seems to belong to someone else-someone who wants to go home and get some sleep．

　　Competitors are allowed to take a five-minute break every hour to eat, drink or do whatever else is necessary．No one is allowed to lean on the car for support．Winners need to be able to show great powers of attention．They also need to be able to develop special skills．

　　Maybe the popularity of the handathon is due to the fact that it is not necessary to be a trained athlete to enter．Entrants in the Longview handathon certainly don't seem to do much preparation．Most say they will prepare by “getting lots of sleep”．Others say they will “eat healthy food” or “pray for success”．The whole event gives ordinary people the chance to do something interesting and win something in the end．

　　Handathons are competitions, but there is little rivalry(敌对)between competitors．They help each other out and keep each other's spirits up．People who drop out early return with food, drink and encouragement．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

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。

　　Children don't come with an instruction manual(手册), but now their grades in school do! Finally, parents can stop worrying about what their child's next school year will bring and get a glimpse of what's coming．

　　Education．com, an easy-to-use, one-stop online destination with over 4, 000 articles, that helps parents and educators take an ever more active role in their children's education, unveiled Grade Specific Cheat Sheets for grades pre-school through grade 5．From academic expectations, developmental milestones, and typical social issues, to fun learning activities that literally bring it all home, parents can now find it all in one place．

　　"As the school year approaches, parents struggle to find time to adequately prepare themselves and their children for what's ahead, " said Ron Fortune, CEO of Education．com．"Every grade is different．Whether it's helping parents understand what their third grader should be reading or how they should be talking to their teen about peer pressure, our goal is to provide parents with a grade and developmental stage-specific user manual that helps parents find authoritative information as quickly as possible．"

　　The start of a new grade means many new questions．Now, a parent with a child about to embark(开始)on a new school year can go to Education．com's new Grade Specific Cheat Sheets and find age-specific information and content including what their child should be learning in math, reading, writing, and science, as well as physical and language milestones．Parents can find over forty articles per grade, on everything from peer relationships to self-esteem, how gender affects development, to ideas for using goldfish crackers for math practice or making a homemade fossil．

　　Education．com's new Grade Specific Cheat Sheets provide parents with articles and content from trusted sources such as teachers, child psychologists, parents, and guidance counselors．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

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。

　　Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl, while boys will head for cars, a study has shown．The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological basis to their preferences．

　　Psychologists Dr Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 babies aged 9 months to 36 months．The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys．Some were typically boys' toys-a car, a digger, a ball and a blue teddy．The rest were girls' toys：a pink teddy, a doll and a cooking set．They were placed a meter away from the toys; and could pick whichever toy they liked their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded．

　　Of the youngest children(9 to 14 months), girls spent significantly longer playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did．Among the two and three-year-olds, girls spent 50 percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly touched it．The boys spent almost 90 percent of their time playing with cars, which the girls barely touched．There was no link between the parents’ view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children's choice．

　　Dr Brenda Todd said, "Children of this age are already exposed to much socialization．Boys may be given'toys that go’while girls get toys they can care for, which may help shape their preference．But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys．There could be a biological basis for their choices．Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer：moving objects, probably through hunting instincts(本能), while girls prefer warmer colors such as pink, the colour of a newborn baby．"

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

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。

　　Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food

　　9∶00－9∶45a.m．Blue Tent

　　Panelists(专题讨论小组成员)：Jami Bernard, David Kamp, Marion Nestle and Peter Singer．

　　Moderated(主持)by Denise Grady, science writer for The New York Times．

　　How does what we eat not only affect our bodies, but also the world? This group of food and nutrition experts global health and food politics．

　　Sports Writing：For the Love of the Game

　　9∶50-10∶35 a.m．Blue Tent

　　Panelists：Christine Brennan, Ira Rosen, Joe Wallace and Joe Drape．

　　Moderated by William C．Rhoden, sports writer for The New York Times．

　　Whether catching that key moment of victory or defeat, or covering breaking news, sports writers are anything but audience．Listen as some of the industry's professionals discuss the special experience in reporting of sports news．

　　The Art of the Review

　　11∶15-12∶00 a.m．Green Tent

　　Panelists：John Freeman, Barry Gewen, David Orr, Celia McGee and Jennifer Schuessler．

　　Moderated by Sam Tanenhaus, editor for The New York Times Book Review．

　　How much of an effect does the book review have on book sales? Join this group of critics as they discuss the reality of book review and bestseller lists, and how they choose books for review．

　　New York Writers, New York Stories

　　3∶00－3∶45 p.m．Green Tent

　　Panelists：Cindy Adams, Richard Cohen, Ric Klass and Lauren Redniss．

　　Moderated by Clyde Haberman, columnist(专栏作家)for the City section of The New York Times．

　　Join this inspired group of New York-centric writers as they talk about why New York is a gold mine of ideas for their work．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

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。

　　So long as teachers fail to distinguish between teaching and learning, they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves．Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them．It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading．Douglas insists that“ reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible”

　　Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes．They differ in kind and function．The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to devise the most efficient system for teaching themselves to read．Teaching is also public activity．It can be seen and observed．

　　Learning to read involves all that each individual does to make sense of the world of printed language．Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny．

　　If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable, what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the quest(探索)for knowledge? Smith has one principal rule for all teaching instructions．“Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children．”

　　When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher fulfil them appropriately, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is eliminated．Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of leaning to read by reading．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)