第三部分阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40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。

　　Many people will remember the flight of the space shuttle（航天飞机）challenger，in June，1983. The achievement of Sally Ride，America’s first woman astronaut to fly into space，made this flight especially memorable. Students from two Camden, New Jersey, high schools, however, are probably to remember Norma rather than Sally whenever they think about the flight.

　　Norma didn’t travel alone. She brought about 100 companions along with her. Norma was an ant，a queen ant who，with her subject，made up the first ant colony（群体）to travel into space. The ants were part of a science experiment designed by students to test the effects of weightlessness on insects.

　　The equipment designed by the students for their colony functioned perfectly throughout the long space trip. The young scientists and their teachers were very sad to find that their insect astronauts had all died at some point before the container was returned to the school and opened. The problem didn’t occur in space，but on the ground after challenger had landed. The container remained in the desert for nearly a week before the ant colony was moved. The hot，dry desert air dried out the colony’s container and the ants died from lack of moisture（水分）.

　　The project was termed success because it did provide useful information. Students will continue their efforts to pinpoint（精确找到）what went wrong. They will try to prevent the same difficulties from reoccurring on future missions. They don’t want to be discouraged either by the demise of the ants or by the $ 10,000 shuttle fare they will have to pay to send the next colony of ants into space.

51．What does the passage mainly tell us？

A．Sally Ride，America’s first woman astronaut.

B．How to keep ants alive in space.

C．How to make equipment for insects in space.

D．An experiment with ants in space.

52．According to the passage, we know that the underlined word“demise”is another word for“_____”.

A．death 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　B．colony

C．insect　　　　　　　　　　　　　　D．moisture

53．We don’t think the project was a failure. This is because_____.

A．everything went as smoothly as expected

B．the students had pinpointed exactly the reason

C．something important had been learned

D．the students had succeeded in the experiment

54．We can conclude that ants _____ on the next space trip.

A．will have to be kept alive in a container full of water

B．will have to be sent into space with the first woman astronaut

C．should be put into a container where there is enough food

D．should be put into a container which is not too dry

 

When did the Second World War 　　　?

A.happen　　　　　B.take place　　　　C.occur　　　　　D.break out

Like many of my generation, I have a weakness for hero worship. At some point, however, we all begin to question our heroes and our need for them. This leads us to ask: What is a hero?

　　Despite immense differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristics that instruct and inspire people.

　　A hero does something worth talking about. A hero has a story of adventure to tell and a community who will listen. But a hero goes beyond mere fame.

　　Heroes serve powers or principles larger than themselves. Like high-voltage(电压) transformers, heroes take the energy of higher powers and step it down so that it can be used by ordinary people.

　　The hero lives a life worthy of imitation. Those who imitate a genuine hero experience life with new depth, enthusiasm, and meaning. A sure test for would-be heroes is what or whom do they serve? What are they willing to live and die for? If the answer or evidence suggests they serve only their own fame, they may be famous persons but not heroes. Madonna and Michael Jackson are famous, but who would claim that their fans find life more abundant?

　　Heroes are catalysts (催化剂) for change. They have a vision from the mountaintop. They have the skill and the charm to move the masses. They create new possibilities. Without Gandhi, India might still be part of the British Empire. Without Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., we might still have segregated(隔离的) buses, restaurants, and parks. It may be possible for large-scale change to occur without leaders with magnetic personalities, but the pace of change would be slow, the vision uncertain, and the committee meetings endless.

1. Although heroes may come from different cultures, they _______.

　　A. generally possess certain inspiring characteristics

　　B. probably share some weaknesses of ordinary people

　　C. are often influenced by previous generations

　　D. all unknowingly attract a large number of fans

2. According to the passage, heroes are compared to high-voltage transformers in that ____.

　　A. they have a vision from the mountaintop

　　B. they have warm feelings and emotions

　　C. they can serve as concrete(具体的) examples of noble principles

　　D. they can make people feel stronger and more confident

3. Madonna and Michael Jackson are not considered heroes because ________.

　　A. they are popular only among certain groups of people

　　B. their performances do not improve their fans morally

　　C. their primary concern is their own financial interests

　　D. they are not clear about the principles they should follow

4. Gandhi and Martin Luther King are typical examples of outstanding leaders who ___.

　　A. are good at demonstrating their charming characters

　　B. can move the masses with the skill and the charm

　　C. are capable of meeting all challenges and hardships

　　D. can provide an answer to the problems of their people

5. The author concludes that historical changes would ______.

　　A. be delayed without leaders with inspiring personal qualities

　　B. not happen without heroes making the necessary sacrifices

　　C. take place if there were heroes to lead the people

　　D. produce leaders with attractive personalities

      

 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。（请将答案写在答题纸上）

　　　　　　　　Getting to Now: How to Beat the Procrastination Habit

　　I am a procrastinator(拖拉者). I always have been. I've tried all sorts of things to beat the habit. Here are some techniques I've been using to try to force myself to get to now:

　　Set aside blocks of time to do things. When I was talking with my wellness coach earlier this year, she asked me why I didn't exercise more often. “　　,” I said. “Something always comes up.” She wasn’t impressed. “J.D.,” she said, “You have to make time. Make an appointment with yourself to run or to go for a bike ride.” The same principle applies to other things you might procrastinate.

　　　　. Often I’ll be sitting on the back porch reading a book, and it will occur to me that some chore needs to be done — mending the fence, for example. “　　,” I tell myself. Wrong! What usually happens is that I forget to write it down, and even if I do, I just look at the list and procrastinate for weeks on end. The best move is to actually do the chore when I think of it. (Assuming, of course, that I have the time at that moment,which I usually do.)

　　Use a timer to bring you back to reality. Part of the reason I procrastinate is that I'm a daydreamer. 　 　. One way to keep on track is to use a timer. I use the Ultrak Jumbo Countdown Timer, but not as often as I should. I set it for 48 minutes. When it goes off, 　 　: Am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing?

　　Do not multitask. I often start many things at once, but I never actually do any of them. In order for me to get something done, I need to focus my attention on it. Trying to do several things at once is a sure way to be sure they'll all be unfinished tomorrow.

　　A. I’m always lost in thought

　　B. it brings me back to reality

　　C. If it comes to mind, then do it

　　D. I don’t have the time

　　E. it serves as an instant reality check

　　F. Do it right away if you are asked to do something

　　G. I need to write that down so I can remember it

阅读理解

　　In what now seems like the prehistoric times of computer history，the earth's postwar era，there was quite a wide-spread concern that computers would take over the world from man one day． Already today，less than forty years later，as computers are relieving us of more and more of the routine tasks in business and in our personal lives，we are faced with a less dramatic but also less foreseen problem．People tend to be over-trusting of computers and are reluctant to challenge their authority．Indeed，they behave as if they were hardly aware that wrong buttons may be pushed，or that a computer may simply malfunction（失误）．

　　Obviously，there would be no point in investing in a computer if you had to check all its answers，but people should also rely on their own internal computers and check the ma-chine when they have the feeling that something has gone wrong．

　　Questioning and routine double-checks must continue to be as much a part of good

business as they were in pre-computer days．Maybe each computer may provide，it should

not be seen as a substitute for fundamental thinking and reasoning skills．

1．What is the main purpose of this passage？

[　　]

A．To look back to the early days of this passage．

B．To explain what technical problems may occur with computers．

C．To discourage unnecessary investment in computers．

D．To warn against a mentally lazy attitude towards computers．

2．According to the passages，the initial concern about computer was that they might

[　　]

A．change our personal lives

B．take control the world

C．create unforeseen problem

D．affect our businesses

3．The passage recommends those dealing with computers to________．

[　　]

A．he reasonably doubtful about them

B．check all their answers

C．substitute them for basic thinking

D．use them for business purposes only

4．The passage suggests that the present-day problem with regard to computers is________．

[　　]