E
Devon, 17, is used to paying her own cell phone and car expenses. But lately it's been harder. The family she baby-sits for hasn’t been calling as much as usual and she couldn't find a job over the summer. Devon's dad said it's a sign of the tough economy. He told her he's feeling the pinch too and that he had to use her college fund to pay the loan(货款).
This kind of money troubles isn't strange to common families these days. In fact, it's hard to avoid news about the economy on the screen of the TV or the computers recently. It can seem a bit worry and some families are hit really hard.
For most people, the big problem is that things cost more at a time when they have less money to spend. But higher prices aren't the only problem. Many people are having a tough time making payments on some types of home loans.
Therefore, some families are cutting back on what they spend. For example, eating out less, staying home instead of going on vacation, moving to a less expensive house and so on.
However, as discouraging as things may seem now, the good news is that the economy always gets back on track after a while. Jobs may be hard to find, but the slow economy can open up new opportunities. The couple Devon babysat for might cut back on evening's out, but they could be interested in hiring her for after-school care. Perhaps it's time to sell her old toys and baby gear (设备)in the basement(地下室) or help others sell these items online if she is-good at it. She could charge them a fee to sell their old stuff(东西).
72. What does the underlined phrase in the first paragraph refer to?
A. Getting hurt.               B. Short of money.
C. Out of work.               D. Receiving less calls.
73. According to the passage, what constantly appears on the screen nowadays?
A. News on the tough economy.         B. Devon's family troubles.
C. Advertisements for babysitters.        D. Information on yard sales.
74. What do people do to overcome the tough economy?
A. To strike for high pay.      B. To open a new store to sell toys.
C. To cut down their expense.  D. To move to other places for vocations.
75. The passage is mainly about       ．
A. Devon's own family money troubles    B. family troubles' made by tough economy
C. ways of solving the slow economy    D. the increasing prices and expenses

For Rachael and Leigh Badman, there is only one wish on their Christmas list this year__ that their sick daughter survives until December 25.
Fifteen –year-old Paige suffers from a rare brain condition. The disease affects as few as 12 people in the world, and can kill her any day without warning. And her condition has deteriorated in recent months. Each time she closes her eyes, she may never wake up. Rachael and Leigh Badman are worried that she couldn’t live through Christmas. They filled their house with Christmas decorations on November1, so she could enjoy her favorite day of the year in advance.
Paige was diagnosed with the condition four years ago. Mrs. Badman described the condition as “being on death row” as she never knows if she will wake up and still have a daughter. She said, “ Paige always loves Christmas and it’s heartbreaking to see her suffering like this.”
In the last months, Paige has been unable to eat and has never walked or spoken. But she loves music, and enjoys watching pop stars’ DVDs. And in May she also went on holiday to Florida with her parents and little brother, Kefton. The family , who have already organized parts of Paige’s funeral, also saw the teenager swimming with dolphins during the trip. Since then, however, her condition has worsened.
Mrs Badman, who is separated from her husband and works as Paige’s full-time carer, said, “Now she can’t eat or drink anymore, and her brain is shrinking.(萎缩) With all her problems, we just thought, ‘Let’s get the Christmas tree up as soon as possible.’ We’re praying she lives to see Christmas Day.”
【小题1】Paige’s parents got the Christmas tree up on November 1 to ____.

Passage Nineteen (TV’s Harmfulness)
Yes, but what did we use to do before there was television? How often we hear statements like this! Television hasn’t been with us all that long, but we are already beginning to forget what the world was like without it. Before we admitted the one-eyed monster into our homes, we never fond it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilized pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, we used to entertain our friends and be entertained by them, we used to go outside for our amusements to theatres, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events. We even used to read books and listen to music and broadcast talks occasionally. All that belongs to the past. Now all our free time is regulated by the goggle box. We rush home or gulp down our meals to be in time for this or that programme. We have even given up sitting at table and having a leisurely evening meal, exchanging the news of the day. A sandwich and a glass of beer will do – anything, providing it doesn’t interfere with the programme. The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a programme, he is quickly silenced.
Whole generations are growing up addicted to the telly. Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost. The telly is a universal pacifier. It is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set. It doesn’t matter that the children will watch rubbishy commercials or spectacles of sadism and violence – so long as they are quiet.
There is a limit to the amount of creative talent available in the world. Every day, television consumes vast quantities of creative work. That is why most of the programmes are so bad: it is impossible to keep pace with the demand and maintain high standards as well. When millions watch the same programmes, the whole world becomes a village, and society is reduced to the conditions which obtain in preliterate communities. We become utterly dependent on the two most primitive media of communication: pictures and the spoken word.
Television encourages passive enjoyment. We become content with second-hand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us off from the real world. We get so lazy, we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness, glued to our sets, rather than go out into the world itself. Television may be s splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other. We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountains, far away from civilization. In quiet, natural surroundings, we quickly discover how little we miss the hypnotic tyranny of King Telly.
1.What is the biggest harm of TV?
A.It deprives people of communication with the real world.
B.People become lazy.
C.People become dependent on second-hand experience.
D.TV consumes a large part of one’s life.
2.In what way can people forget TV?
A.Far away from civilization.
B.To a mountain.
C.By the sea.
D.In quiet natural surroundings.
3.What does a mother usually do to keep her children quiet?
A.Let them watch the set.
B.Put them in the living room.
C.Let them watch the rubbish.
D.Let them alone.
4.What does the first sentence in the first paragraph mean?
A.We found it difficult to occupy our spare time.
B.We become addicted to TV.
C.What we used to do is different from now.
D.We used to enjoy civilized pleasures.

第二部分 阅读理解（共两节，满分45分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，然后从A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
A
My husband, Tom, is a born shopper. He loves to look at things and to touch them. He likes to compare prices between the same things in different stores. He would never think of buying anything without looking around in several stores. I, on the other hand, am not a shopper. I regard shopping as boring and unpleasant. If I like something and can afford it, I buy it immediately. I never take a time to look around for a good sale or a better deal (交易). Of course my husband and I never go shopping together. Doing shopping together would be too painful for both of us . When it comes to shopping, we go our separate ways.
Sometimes I ask my son Jimmy to buy some food in the shop not far from our home. But he is always absentminded. This was his story.
One day I said to him , “ I hope you won’t forget what I have told you to buy.” “No,” said Jimmy. “ I won’t forget . You want three oranges, six eggs and a pound of meet.”
He went running down the street to the shop. As he ran , he said to himself over and over again , “ Three oranges , six eggs and a pound of meat.”
In the beginning he remembered everything but he stopped several times. Once he saw two men fighting outside a clothes shop until a policeman stopped them. One of them was badly hurt. Then he stopped to give ten cents to a beggar. Then he met some of his friends and he played with them for a while. When he reached the shop, he had forgotten everything except six eggs.
As he walked home, his face became sadder and sadder. When he saw me he said, “ I’m sorry , mum . I have forgotten to buy oranges and the meat . I only remembered to buy six eggs , but I’ve dropped three of them.”
41. The husband loves shopping because _______.
A. he has much money           
B. he likes the shops
C. he likes to compare the prices between the same items
D. he has nothing to do but do shopping
42. The wife doesn’t like shopping because _______.
A. she has no money            B. she has no tome
C. she doesn’t love her husband   D. she feels it boring to go shopping
43. They never go shopping together because _________.
A. their ways of shopping are quite different   B. they hate each other
C. they needn’t buy anything for the family    D. they don’t have time for it
44. Jimmy didn’t buy what his mother wanted because _________.
A. the shop was closed that day   B. the policeman stopped him
C. he forgot some of them       D. he gave all the money to the beggar

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?