In the suburban district of a city lived an old woman quite alone. Her husband died thirty years ago and two years later, her only son went away with lung cancer. So she had no family still living and her only friend was a little white dog who went everywhere with her - with one exception. The dog loved the fireplace in winter, and after the old woman went to bed he would sometimes go and lie in front of the warm coals. Usually though, the dog lay on a rug right next to the bed.
Deeply as the old woman loved her dog, she wouldn't allow the dog on the bed with her. However, if she became frightened or had a nightmare, she would put her hand down to her little white dog and he would lick it to calm her down.
One night she was reading the newspaper just before going to sleep. She trembled and pulled the duvet（羽绒被褥）up around her as she read that a mental patient had wandered out from a nearby hospital. No one knew if the patient was dangerous or not, but he was a suspect in the murders of several women who lived alone.
The woman turned off the lights and tried to sleep, but she was frightened, and turned over continually. Finally, she reached down to where her little white dog slept. Sure enough, a warm, wet tongue began to lick her hand. The woman felt reassured and safe, and left her hand hanging off the side of the bed. As she turned to settle in comfortably she opened her eyes for a moment and looked through the open door into the living room.
There in front of the fireplace, sat her little white dog, gazing at the coals and wagging his tail. And down beside her bed, something was still licking her hand.
【小题1】From the first paragraph we can know that _________.

The idea of sailing west to reach the riches of the East Indies and the Asian mainland was much in fashion with cultured Europeans during the late fifteenth century. Learned people agreed that the earth was round: their only questions were how long and how dangerous would be a trip to reach the Orient. Christopher Columbus, the son of an unknown weaver, and himself a weaver of ambitious dreams, made his historic voyage to the New World in 1492. He didn't go to school very much, but be learned to read and write Spanish during his travels. He also taught himself Latin because all the geography books were written in Latin. Sailing with a tiny fleet of three ships, the Santa Maria and two smaller ships, the Pinta and the Nina and a crew of ninety sailors, be found the thirty-three-day crossing easier than his nearly-decade-long effort to find royal sponsors willing to support it. The trip drew not only on his own skills as an expert ship's captain, but also on his ability to plan such an expedition, obtain governmental approval and financing, and finally, demonstrate its success so that such explorations could continue. He tried for years to get King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to supply him with ships and money. Finally they agreed, but he made more demands. He wanted to be made a knight, admiral of the Ocean Sea. He wanted to be the viceroy(总督)and governor general of all lands he would discover. Also he wanted one-tenth of everything he found of value in the new lands. The explorations that followed Columbus-those of Cabot, Verrazano, Cartier, and many others-benefited from a new maritime technology borrowed from Arab sailors and from a variety of new vessels (船，舰) such as the light-weight caravels employed by Columbus. Sailors also perfected sails and various types of riggings that gave ships added stability and greater maneuverability(可操作性)on the open seas. And when leaving sight of the coast, new navigational aids-charts, compasses, and astrolabes-permitted them to determine their position with some, though not perfect, accuracy. Columbus himself made a total of four voyages to the New World but he did not become rich as he had hoped. At the end of his life he only had a pension the king and queen had given him because he was the first to reach the New World. He spent the last few months of his life in bed because of the pain of arthritis(关)． Columbus not only discovered a New World, but led the way for other explorers.
【小题1】What was the dream destination of Europeans in the late fifteenth century?

The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of that troublesome stuff they call “books”.
I was going to have my examination the next day. “When can I go to bed?” I asked myself. I didn’t answer. In fact I dared not.
The clock struck twelve. “Oh, dear!” I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most wretched creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate now. I forgot all I had learned. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.
【小题1】 The underlined word “wretched” in Paragraph 3 probably means ____________.

Everyone gathered around and Paddy read out loud, slowly, his tone growing sadder and sadder． The little headline said: BOXER RECEIVES LIFF SENTENCE．
Frank Cleary, aged 26, professional boxer, was today found guilty of the murder of Albert Gumming, aged 32, laborer, last July．The jury （陪审团） reached its decision after only ten minutes, recommending the most severe punishment to the court．It was, said the Judge, a simple case．Cumming and Cleary had quarreled violently at the Harbour Hotel on July 23rd and police saw Cleary kicking at the head of the unconscious Gumming．When arrested, Cleary was drunk but clear-thinking．
Cleary was sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour．Asked if he had anything to say, Cleary answered, "Just don't tell my mother．"
" It happened over three years ago," Paddy said helplessly．No one answered him or moved, for no one knew what to do．"Just don't tell my mother," said Fee numbly （麻木地）．"And no one did! Oh,God' My poor, poor Frank!"
Paddy wiped the tears from his face and said．"Fee, pack your things．We'll go to see him．"
She half-rose before sinking back．her eyes in her small white face stared as if dead．"I can't go," she said without a hint of pain, yet making everyone feel that the pain was there．"It would kill him to see me．I know him so well—his pride, his ambition．Let him bear the shame alone, it's what he wants．We've got to help him keep his secret．What good will it do him to see us?"
Paddy was still weeping, not for Frank, but for the life which had gone from Fee's face, for the dying in her eyes．Frank had always brought bitterness and misfortune, always stood between Fee and himself．He was the cause of her withdrawal from his heart and the hearts of his children．Every time it looked as if there might be happiness for Fee, Frank look it away．But Paddy's love for her was as deep and impossible to wipe out as hers was for Frank．
So he said, "Well, Fee, we won't go．But we must make sure he is taken care of．How about if I write to Father Jones and ask him to look out for Frank?"
There was no excitement in the eyes, but a faint pink stole into her cheeks．" Yes, Paddy, do that．Only make sure he knows not to tell Frank we found out．Perhaps it would ease Frank to think for certain that we don't know．"
【小题1】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

PART THREE READING COMPREHENSION (24分)

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.

       He was a real big spender. He stayed at the best hotel and ate in the most expensive restaurants.

   To the management of Disneyland Pairs, he was a very welcome guest, even though he was only 12 years old. In the end, the police discovered that the schoolboy was living the high life  on the ￡10,000 stolen from his father’s safe.

   The boy, named Lamine, had disappeared from the family hotel in Paris 10 days earlier. While police all over France searched for him, he was living it up at a 250-a-night Disneyland hotel. He went on all the rides and went on every other attraction in the place.

   And when he’d had enough of Disneyland for a while, he paid ￡650 to hire a large and very comfortable car which is usually used by very rich or important people to take him to a park for a day. Then he was driven back to Disneyland, where he treated new-found friends to expensive rides and dinner. By the time the truth about him was discovered, Lamine had spent ￡7,000 of his father’s money.

41. What does the underlined phrase “ high life”(paragraph 2) probably mean?

 A. A way of living that involves spending a lot of money.[来源:学|科|网]

 B. A way of living that is as good as that of other people.

 C. A way of living that draws attention from the police.

 D. A way of living that is envied by young and rich people.

42. What was the possible reason that the police all over France searched for Lamine?

A. The police found that Lamine stole his father’s money and ran away.

B. His family found that the boy was lost and called the police for help.

C. The police thought that it was dangerous to live an expensive life.

D. The family wanted Lamine to go back to school.

43. Why was Lamine a very welcome guest of Disneyland Paris?

A. Because he was only 12 years old.

B. Because he liked the riders in the Disneyland.

C. Because he made the Disneyland famous.

D. Because he spent a lot of money in Disneyland.

44. Which of the following statements is true?

A. Lamine moved from one expensive hotel to another with his father’s money.

B. The police began to search Lamine when they discovered that he stole his father’s money.

C. Lamine was found ten days after he left his parents.

D. Lamine had made some new friends and went to a park with them.