第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
David Beckham had a dream: to be the first English player to appear in four World Cups.
But now it appears that dream is over after a serious injury to his Achilles tendon（跟腱）which means he could be out of action for around six months. With this year's World Cup in South Africa only three months away, sadly Beckham looks set to miss out.
The injury happened while Beckham was playing for AC Milan against AC Chievo in the Italian league. After attempting to kick the ball he collapsed to the ground and hobbled off the pitch before being stretchered（被担架抬走）away.
It is not yet known whether he has completely severed（切断）his Achilles tendon or only torn it. The player has now flown to Finland for assessment and treatment by a knee specialist.
England manager Fabio Capello fears the worst for Beckham's World Cup chances.
"We have to wait for the results of the scan but it looks like he is out of the World Cup," he said in a statement. "I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support.
"David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow."
Beckham's former manager at American club LA Galaxy, Alexei Lalas, echoed（共鸣）Capello's words of support:
"It is a horrible situation for Beckham. I know how much it meant to him to be in the World Cup and how important he was to the England team.
David Beckham is now 34 and some are asking whether this serious injury could mean his whole career is over.
Whatever happens, as one of football's best-known and popular players, Beckham will have no shortage of encouragement from fans around the world.
Some will remember Beckham's miraculous recovery from an Achilles injury in 2006, when he was back on the pitch after only eight weeks.
If he could repeat the same feat，in time for the World Cup it really would be the stuff of fairytales.
So, perhaps all is not lost. Optimists will take heart from Alexei Lalas' words:
"You never want to write off（排除）David Beckham as he has shown us his ability to bounce back（恢复原状）."
56．What is the best title of the passage?
A．Beckham had a dream?
B．Beckham—a great football player!
C．The end for Beckham?
D．World Cup in South Africa!
57．What does the author mean by saying “missing it will be a big blow?”
A．Missing the World Cup will be a big success.
B．Missing Beckham means a great failure.
C．Missing Beckham means an important opportunity for the American club LA Galaxy.
D．Missing the World Cup means a big disappointment for Beckham.
58．We may infer from the passage that____________
A．Beckham will definitely not be able to play football again
B．Beckham was cured by a great knee specialist he found
C．Beckham has his ability to bounce back
D．Beckham is likely to miss the World Cup
59．What do the underlined words “take heart” probably mean?
A．get disappointed      B．get help    C．get encouraged D．get hurt

He is out of work now but he gets a good _____ from his investment.

  A. wage         B. salary              C. earning        D. income

I sit at my kitchen table, while my daughter, Anna, sits next to my mother. On the wall hangs a photo of my father.

    “When is Rick going to be here?” My mother asks, referring to my husband. 

    “I don’t know, Mom,” I answer patiently. “He’ll be here for dinner.”

    I sigh and get up from the table. This is at least the tenth time she has asked that question. 

    While my mother and daughter play, I busy myself making a salad. 

“Don't put in any onions,” Mom says. “You know how Daddy hates onion.”

“Yes, Mom,” I answer. 

I scrub(洗擦) off a carrot and chop it into bite-size pieces.

 “Don't put any onions in the salad,” she reminds me. “You know how Daddy hates onion.”

This time I can’t answer. 

My mother had been beautiful. She still is. In fact, my mother is still everything she has

been, just a bit forgetful.

I cut off the end of the cucumber and rub it to take away the bitterness. Cut and rub. This

 is a trick I have learned from my mother, along with a trillion other things: cooking, sewing, 

dating, laughing, thinking. I learned how to grow up. 

And I learned that when my mother was around, I never had to be afraid. 

    So why am I afraid now? 

I study my mother's hands. Her nails are no longer a bright red, but painted a light pink.

Almost no color at all. And as I stare at them, I realize I am feeling them as they shaped my 

youth. Hands that packed a thousand lunches and wiped a million tears off my cheeks. 

Now my hands have grown into those of my mother's. Hands that have cooked uneaten 

meals, held my own daughter's frightened fingers on the first day of school and dried tears 

off her face. 

I grow lighthearted. I can feel my mother kiss me goodnight, check to see if the window is

locked, then blow another kiss from the doorway. Then I am my mother, blowing that same

kiss to Anna. 

Outside everything is still. Shadows fall among the trees, shaped like pieces of a puzzle.

Someday my daughter will be standing in my place, and I will rest where my mother now sits. 

Will I remember then how it felt to be both mother and daughter? Will I ask the same

question too many times? 

I walk over and sit down between my mother and her granddaughter. 

“Where is Rick?” my mother asks, resting her hand on the table next to mine. And in that

instant I know she remembers. She may repeat herself a little too much. But she remembers. 

“He’ll be here,” I answer with a smile. 

What’s wrong with the writer’s mother?

A. She is very old.           B. She suffers forgetfulness.

C. She is absent-minded.      D. She is eager to see Rick.

What can we learn about the writer’s father according to the passage?

  A. He might have passed away for years.

 B. He goes out for a walk by himself.

C. He is out doing something with Rick.

D. He loves the writer’s mother deeply.

The underlined sentence “I realize I am feeling them as they shaped my youth” probably means that ______. 

A. Mother’s hands witnessed my growth as a youth

B. Mother’s hands are similar to mine as a youth

C. I like to feel mother’s hands when she was young

D. I realize her hands were exactly like those in her youth

Which of the following words best describe the writer’s mood towards her mother?

  A. Content.    B. Disappointed.     C. Loving.    D. Considerate.

The best title for the passage would be ______.

  A. Mother’s beauty           B. My father hates onion 

C. Hard-working mother       D. Mother’s hands

Nowadays more and more people are trapped in too busy work to relax themselves. We have no time to tell a bed-time story to our children, or enjoy a nice dinner with our family, or take a break to think about how we live the precious life, or even meet friends. All we notice is that the distinctions that used to guide and steady us —between Sunday and Monday, public and private, here and there—are gone. We have more ways to communicate, but less and less to say. Partly because we’re so busy communicating.

   Maybe that’s why more and more people I know, even if they have no religious belief, seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation, or tai chi. Some friends of mine try to go on long walks every Sunday, or to “forget” their cell phones at home. A series of tests in recent years has shown that their brains become both calmer and sharper after spending time in quiet rural settings.

  In my own case, I often turn to extreme measures to try to keep my sanity and ensure that I have time to do nothing at all. I’ve not yet used a cell phone and I’ve never Tweeted or entered Face book. I try not to go online till my day’s writing is finished, and I moved from Manhattan to rural Japan.

  None of this is a matter of principle or asceticism (苦行主义): it’s just pure selfishness. Nothing makes me feel better-----calmer, clearer and happier----than being in one place, absorbed in a book, a conversation, a piece of music. It’s actually something deeper than mere happiness: it’s joy, which David Steindl-Rast describes as “that kind of happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.” That is the highest of the highest we have been longing for—The Joy of Quiet.

1.The writer sometimes doesn’t do anything because ________.

A. he is out of work

B. whatever he does makes no sense

C. he can enjoy himself in his leisure time

D. he is worried about his writing

2.What does the writer mean when using the word “forget” (in the 2^nd paragraph)?

A. Trapped in busy work, they are really forgetful.

B. They think cell phone is not a suitable means of communication.

C. They leave their cell phones at home on purpose.

D. They hate modern techniques such as the cell phone.

3.Which of the following is right?

A. The writer is unwilling to help others since he is selfish.

B. Slowing down to find deep-down joy is necessary.

C. It is better to go back to the ancient times since we are so busy now.

D. We have more to say because we have more ways to communicate.

4.What is the main idea of the article?

A. The importance of spending time in quiet.

B. We can do some sports such as yoga to relax.

C. To feel better, we should do nothing at all.

D. The more we communicate, the better we will feel.

David Beckham had a dream: to be the first English player to appear in four World Cups．But now it appears that dream is over after a serious injury to his Achilles tendon （跟腱）
 
which means he could be out of action for around six months．With this year's World Cup in South Africa only three months away, sadly Beckham looks set to miss out．The injury happened while Beckham was playing for AC Milan against AC Chievo in the Italian league．After attempting to kick the ball he fell to the ground and hobbled off the pitch before being stretchered （被担架抬走）away．
It is not yet known whether he has completely severed （切断）his Achilles tendon or only torn it．The player has now flown to Finland for assessment and treatment by a knee specialist．
England manager Fabio Capello fears the worst for Beckham's World Cup chances．
"We have to wait for the results of the scan but it looks like he is out of the World Cup," he said in a statement．"I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support．
"David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow．"
Beckham's former manager at American club LA Galaxy, Alexei Lalas, echoed （共鸣）Capello's words of support:
"It is a horrible situation for Beckham．I know how much it meant to him to be in the World Cup and how important he was to the England team．
David Beckham is now 34 and some are asking whether this serious injury could mean his whole career is over．
Whatever happens, as one of football's best-known and popular players, Beckham will have no shortage of encouragement from fans around the world．
Some will remember Beckham's miraculous recovery from an Achilles injury in 2006, when he was back on the pitch after only eight weeks．
If he could repeat the same feat in time for the World Cup it really would be the stuff of fairytales．
So, perhaps all is not lost．Optimists will take heart from Alexei Lalas' words:
"You never want to write off （排除） David Beckham as he has shown us his ability to bounce back （恢复原状）．"
【小题1】What is the best title of the passage ?