第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，共40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
A
There were two things in the world that Ghagra Geeta Bali hated. The first was the way，Rani，the domestic help．combed her hair．The second was，you guessed it，her name. She hated her name so much that she prayed to god every night：Dear god，let me be born again. So I can have a name like Rita or Preeti．A short，smart one-word name.
On Tuesday，Ghagra Geeta Bali and her mother went for their usual shopping. There was a long queue of children just outside the record store．They went loser to look. It was yet another scheme to sell a few audio cassettes．Everyone who bought a cassette qualified for the scheme.
In this case，the artist whose songs were featured on the cassette was a young sensation called Malik Fafidabadi，a great favorite with teenagers. Ghagra Geeta Bali was no exception.
A friendly young man was writing down the names of the people who wanted to participate in the scheme．Out of this long list Malik would pick one name，and the chosen one would get to meet him．plus of course，win many freebies（赠品）.
But when her mother asked her to participate，Ghagra Geeta Bali said no. She didn't want to speak out her name in front of so many people and make herself the butt（笑料）of amusement. But mothers being mothers，she just went up to the man and told him in firm tones：“Please enter my daughter's name. It is Ghagra Geeta Bali.”
“It is what?” the man asked，naturally a little taken aback.
“G-h-a-g-r-a G-e-e-t-a B-a-l-i. There she is，”she replied while pointing to her daughter. The crowd standing around also turned to stare. All Ghagra Geeta Bali wanted then was for the earth to open up and swallow her.
That did not happen．But the following week she received a call．It was from the recording company that had announced the scheme. And they told her that she was the chosen one
“It is all because of your name，” said the public relations  man  who had called.“Mr Faridabadi took one look at it in the list and said that he couldn't wait to meet the brave girl bearing it．”
56．Ghagra Geeta Bali didn't like her name because__________
A．it would bring her a lot of trouble    B．it was too long and not beautiful
C．it would make her angry          D．it was too ugly and dull
57．When the girl saw the crowd turn to stare at her，she felt_________
A．scared    B．shocked             C．embarrassed     D．disappointed
58. What is the message of the story?
A．Mother's love makes all the difference
B．Children should always trust their parents．
C．One should be brave to meet anything strange
D．Something that one thinks is bad may turn out good

There were two things in the world that Ghagra Geeta Bali hated. The first was the way, Rani, The domestic help , combed her hair. The second was, you guessed it, her name. She hated her name so much that she prayed to god every night: Dear god, let me be born again. So I can have a name like Rita or Preeti. A short , smart one-word name.

On Tuesday , Ghagra Geeta Bali and her mother went for their usual shopping. There was a Long queue of children just outside the record store. They went closer to look. It was yet another scheme to sell a few audio cassettes. Everyone who bought a cassette qualified for the scheme. In this case , the artist whose songs were featured on the cassette was a young sensation called Malik Faridabadi , a great favorite with teenagers. Ghagra Geeta Bali was no exception.

A friendly young man was writing down the names of the people who wanted to participate in the scheme. Out of this long list Malik would pick one name , and the chosen one would get to meet him , plus of course , win many freebies（赠品）.

But when her mother asked her to participate, Ghagra Geeta Bali said no. she didn’t want to speak out her name in front of so many people and make herself the bull（笑料）of amusement. But mothers being mothers , she just went up to the man and told him in firm tones：“Please enter my daughter’s name. It is Ghagra Geeta Bali.”

    “It is what?”the man asked , naturally a little taken aback.

“G-h-a-g-r-a G-e-e-t-a B-a-l-i. There she is,” she replied while pointing to her daughter. The crowd standing around also turned to stare. All Ghagra Geeta Bali wanted then was for the earth to open up and swallow her.

That did not happen . But the following week she received a call. It was from the recording company that had announced the scheme. And they told her that she was the chosen one.

“It is all because of your name,” said the public relations man who had called, “Mr. Faridabadi took one look at it in the list and said that he couldn’t wait to meet the brave girl bearing it.”

1．Ghagra Geeta Bali didn’t like her name because             .

       A．it would bring her a lot of trouble

       B．it was too long and not beautiful

       C．it would make her angry

       D．it was too ugly and dull

2．When the girl saw the crowd turn to stare at her , she felt           .

       A．scared                 B．shocked              C．embarrassed             D．disappointed

3．What is the message of the story?

       A．Mother’s love makes all the difference.

       B．Children should always trust their parents.

       C．One should be brave to meet anything strange.

       D．Something that one thinks is bad may turn out good.

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，共40分）

    阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

A

    There were two things in the world that Ghagra Geeta Bali hated. The first was the way，Rani，the domestic help．combed her hair．The second was，you guessed it，her name. She hated her name so much that she prayed to god every night：Dear god，let me be born again. So I can have a name like Rita or Preeti．A short，smart one-word name.

    On Tuesday，Ghagra Geeta Bali and her mother went for their usual shopping. There was a long queue of children just outside the record store．They went loser to look. It was yet another scheme to sell a few audio cassettes．Everyone who bought a cassette qualified for the scheme.

    In this case，the artist whose songs were featured on the cassette was a young sensation called Malik Fafidabadi，a great favorite with teenagers. Ghagra Geeta Bali was no exception.

    A friendly young man was writing down the names of the people who wanted to participate in the scheme．Out of this long list Malik would pick one name，and the chosen one would get to meet him．plus of course，win many freebies（赠品）.

    But when her mother asked her to participate，Ghagra Geeta Bali said no. She didn't want to speak out her name in front of so many people and make herself the butt（笑料）of amusement. But mothers being mothers，she just went up to the man and told him in firm tones：“Please enter my daughter's name. It is Ghagra Geeta Bali.”

    “It is what?” the man asked，naturally a little taken aback.

    “G-h-a-g-r-a G-e-e-t-a B-a-l-i. There she is，”she replied while pointing to her daughter. The crowd standing around also turned to stare. All Ghagra Geeta Bali wanted then was for the earth to open up and swallow her.

    That did not happen．But the following week she received a call．It was from the recording company that had announced the scheme. And they told her that she was the chosen one

    “It is all because of your name，” said the public relations  man  who had called.“Mr Faridabadi took one look at it in the list and said that he couldn't wait to meet the brave girl bearing it．”

56．Ghagra Geeta Bali didn't like her name because__________

    A．it would bring her a lot of trouble    B．it was too long and not beautiful

    C．it would make her angry           D．it was too ugly and dull

57．When the girl saw the crowd turn to stare at her，she felt_________

   A．scared     B．shocked               C．embarrassed       D．disappointed

58. What is the message of the story?

    A．Mother's love makes all the difference

    B．Children should always trust their parents．

    C．One should be brave to meet anything strange

   D．Something that one thinks is bad may turn out good

A nine-year-old kid was sitting at his desk when suddenly there was a puddle (水坑) between his feet and the front of his trousers was wet. He thought his heart was going to stop because he couldn’t possibly imagine how this had happened. It had never happened before, and he knew that when the boys found out, especially Jack,  he would never hear the end of it. When the girls found out, especially Martha and Jackie, they would never speak to him again as long as he lived.
He prayed this prayer, “Dear God, I need help now! Five minutes from now I’m dead meat!” He looked up from his prayer and here came the teacher with a look in her eyes that said he had been discovered. As the teacher was walking toward him, a classmate named Susie was carrying a goldfish bowl full of water. Susie lost her balance in front of the teacher and dumped (倒) the bowl of water in the boy’s lap. The boy pretended to be angry, but all the while was saying to himself, “Thank you, Lord!”
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule (嘲笑), the boy was the object of sympathy (同情). The teacher rushed him downstairs and gave him gym shorts to put on while his trousers dried out. All the other children were on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. Martha even gave him her own candy. The sympathy was wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his had been turned to someone else—Susie. She tried to help, but they told her to get out.
When school was over, the boy walked over to Susie and whispered, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Susie whispered back, “I wet my trousers once, too!”
【小题1】The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 means _______.