阅读理解

　　Jenifer Reilly began reading to her daughter Abby shortly after she was born. At first, the infant chewed (咀嚼) on the book covers and drooled (流口水) over the pages. Jenifer didn't mind. She even let Abby sleep with her books. By the time Abby was one, she loved books. She'd nestle (依偎) on her mother's lap and listen wide-eyed as Jenifer read about snow children and dancing bears. When she started to walk, Abby often sat next to the family's Labrador (一种猎犬) with an upside-down book in hand, reading to the dog.

　　Like Abby's mother, I read to all my children—just as my parents read to me, and as I now read to my 12 grandchildren. Reading aloud is one of the best-kept secrets of good parenting. It has tremendous (巨大的) impact (影响) on a young mind and gives youngsters a head start on their education. Children like Abby, educators say, can be 2．5 years ahead in reading readiness when they enter kindergarten (幼儿园).

　　Children often gain more than learning skills, however. Reading teaches sharing and involvement. It brings families together and makes children feel loved. When I read to groups of children at schools and libraries across America, without any prompting. (促使) one or two will climb up and sit on my lap. The rest, sitting on the floor, will squeeze (挤) forward, crowding around my feet.

　　So start a family read-aloud program, and you can't begin too soon. Carol Brown read to her son, Hanson, shortly after she brought him home from the hospital. Over the next few years, she read him book after book. By the time Hanson was in kindergarten, he read on his own, even though he was severely (严重地) learning disabled. Eventually his reading skills leveled off. Today school is hard for him, but he continues to love and enjoy books. “For Hanson,” says his mother, “I know that reading to him all those years made an enormous (巨大的) difference.”

　　The important thing is to start reading aloud.

1．The writer calls for the parents to read to their children because ________.

[　　]

A．reading can make children love books

B．reading can make the children feel the parents' love

C．reading can help children start their education

D．All the above.

2．By Jeniffer's example, the writer wants to show that ________.

[　　]

A．it wasn't suitable to read to the baby too early, because the baby may tear the books

B．reading to the children can make them love their dogs

C．reading to the children can make them love and enjoy books

D．reading to the children too early will make them story-tellers

3．The sentence “So start a family read-aloud program, and you can't begin too soon.” (in Para. 4 ) most probably means ________.

[　　]

A．it's not suitable to read to children too early

B．you should start to read to your children as soon as possible

C．you should not start to read to your children right now

D．when you read to your children, don’t begin too suddenly

4．Because Carol Brown read to her son Hanson very early, Hanson ________.

[　　]

A．lose the learning ability

B．can not read by himself

C．need not read by himself

D．maintains his love of books though he is unable to learn

5．According to the author, which of the following statements is NOT true?

[　　]

A．Reading to children can make them ready for reading by themselves more early than other children at the same age.

B．Reading can create a chance for the family members to get together.

C．Reading can make the children full of love to the world.

D．Reading can teach the children how to learn very early.

On April 18，the 100-day countdown to the 2012 Olympic Games in London began. For this year’s Games’ slogan，the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games has chosen the phrase “Inspire a Generation” (激励一代人)．It is expected to inspire athletes to do their best，and common people to do better in their daily lives．

The Games are also inspiring lots of tourists to come to London．But if you go there，you’d better try your best to follow British manners and customs．Otherwise，you’ll end up in a right mess! Expert William Hanson has given the Associate Press a few tips for tourists on how to act while in the UK．Let’s have a look：

Don’t talk about money．According to Hanson，British people hate talking about money and it is considered rude to do so．In particular，never ask anyone about their salary．

Afternoon tea．The traditional view of the British sitting down for an afternoon tea is not exact．Few people keep the tradition nowadays．

Give tips—but not in an obvious way．The British favor a quiet “thank you” gift for good service rather than the rigid 16-20％tip Americans always give．In fact，many British waiters will not feel anxious and nervous if you decide not to tip at all.

Greeting with a kiss．The British are not like their passionate neighbors in France. Many prefer a handshake or a pat on the back to say “hello”．

Conversation tip．If you want to be friendly，end a sentence with the word “mate”·

39．The underlined word “It” in the first paragraph refers to_______．

　 A．London　　　　　　　　 B．“Inspire a Generation’’

　 C．The 100—day countdown D．The London Organizing Committee

40．British people think it rude to_______.

　 A．have tea in the early morning

　 B．ask others about their salary

　 C．give a 10％tip to a waiter

　 D．shake hands with friends

41．The underlined word “passionate’’ in the passage means “_______” in Chinese．

　 A．冷酷的　 B．羞涩的　 C．有激情的　 D．聪明的

42．When will the London Olympics be held?

　 A．On August 18．　 B．At the end of July．

C．At the beginning of August．D．In the middle of July．