III. Reading Comprehension （35分）

Section A

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

There was a man who played the piano in a small bar. There were not too many ___46___, but because he was a good piano player, some people ___47___ came in every night just to hear him play. But one night, a patron (老顾客) told him he didn’t want to hear him play but to sing a song.

The man said, “I have never done that before in public. I think I’m ___48___ at playing the piano.” But the customer ___49___. He told the waiter, “I’m ___50___ listening to the piano day after day. I want to hear something new and I want that guy to sing.”

The waiter ___51___ across the room, “Hey, buddy! If you want to get ___52___, sing a song. The patrons are asking you to sing!”

So in order no bring some money home that night, the piano player who had never sung in public did so for the very first time. And ___53___ had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung before ___54___ that night by Nat King Cole, and it surprised all, including the ___55___ himself.

He had talent he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar, but ___56___ he had to sing, he went on to become one of the best-known entertainers in America.

You, too, have skills and ___57___. You may not feel as if your “talent” is particularly ___58___, but it may be better than you think! And with persistence, most skills can be ___59___. Besides, you may as well have no ability at all if you sit on whatever talent you possess. The ___60___ is not “What ability do I have that is useful?” It is rather “How will I use whatever ability I have?”

46.   A. waiters         B. players         C. singers         D. customers

47.   A. never            B. still       C. ever     D. only

48.   A. better  B. nicer    C. easier  D. sooner

49.   A. agreed          B. worried        C. insisted       D. charged

50.   A. familiar with         B. fond of C. used to        D. tired of

51.   A. complained B. shouted        C. explained     D. served

52.   A. changed       B. fired              C. paid      D. praised

53.   A. nobody         B. anybody       C. somebody    D. everybody

54.   A. since    B. after    C. until     D. when

55.   A. waiter B. singer  C. patron D. owner

56.   A. unless  B. although      C. because       D. if

57     A. advantages B. characters   C. abilities        D. principles

58.   A. different       B. surprising    C. famous         D. great

59.   A. improved     B. wasted         C. recognized          D. impressed

60     A. decision        B. difficulty       C. question       D. solution

III. Reading Comprehension （35分）
Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
There was a man who played the piano in a small bar. There were not too many ___46___, but because he was a good piano player, some people ___47___ came in every night just to hear him play. But one night, a patron (老顾客) told him he didn’t want to hear him play but to sing a song.
The man said, “I have never done that before in public. I think I’m ___48___ at playing the piano.” But the customer ___49___. He told the waiter, “I’m ___50___ listening to the piano day after day. I want to hear something new and I want that guy to sing.”
The waiter ___51___ across the room, “Hey, buddy! If you want to get ___52___, sing a song. The patrons are asking you to sing!”
So in order no bring some money home that night, the piano player who had never sung in public did so for the very first time. And ___53___ had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung before ___54___ that night by Nat King Cole, and it surprised all, including the ___55___ himself.
He had talent he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar, but ___56___ he had to sing, he went on to become one of the best-known entertainers in America.
You, too, have skills and ___57___. You may not feel as if your “talent” is particularly ___58___, but it may be better than you think! And with persistence, most skills can be ___59___. Besides, you may as well have no ability at all if you sit on whatever talent you possess. The ___60___ is not “What ability do I have that is useful?” It is rather “How will I use whatever ability I have?”
46.   A. waiters       B. players       C. singers       D. customers
47.   A. never         B. still     C. ever    D. only
48.   A. better  B. nicer   C. easier  D. sooner
49.   A. agreed       B. worried      C. insisted      D. charged
50.   A. familiar with     B. fond of      C. used to      D. tired of
51.   A. complained       B. shouted      C. explained   D. served
52.   A. changed     B. fired          C. paid    D. praised
53.   A. nobody      B. anybody     C. somebody   D. everybody
54.   A. since   B. after   C. until   D. when
55.   A. waiter B. singer C. patron D. owner
56.   A. unless B. although     C. because      D. if
57    A. advantages B. characters   C. abilities      D. principles
58.   A. different    B. surprising   C. famous       D. great
59.   A. improved   B. wasted       C. recognized        D. impressed
60    A. decision     B. difficulty    C. question     D. solution

A

Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the early 1990s. She began singing in church. Soon, her rich deep voice became widely known in the area. Marian Anderson received many honors and awards during her life. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in nineteen sixty—three. Marian Anderson died at the age of ninety—six. Experts say she is remembered not only for the quality of her voice, but also because of the way she carried out her right to be heard.

B

Movie director Robert Altman died in November 2006, in Los Angeles, California. He was eighty—one years old. During his fifty-year career, he made some of the most influential movies of modern times.

C

Ann Richards died in September 2006 at the age of seventy-three. At her funeral service, leaders from around the country gathered to celebrate her life. Former President Bill Clinton spoke at the service. He said Ann Richards helped create a world where young girls could be scientists, engineers and police officers. He said she was a great woman with a big heart and big dreams.

D

Journalist R.W. Apple died in October 2006 at the age of seventy—one. Earlier this month his friends and family gathered in Washington, D.C. for a large memorial service. Famous writers, politicians, and cooks told about his warm personality, sharp intelligence, and extraordinary energy. After the service, guests enjoyed fine foods provided by some of the best cooks in the area.

E

William Styron died in November 2006 at the age of eighty—one. His stories are filled with rich language and complex moral questions. Many of his books try to understand the evil actions of people. Later in life William Styron suffered from severe depression. After recovering, he wrote honestly and bravely about his experience in “Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness.” He received great praise for educating people about the difficulties of mental illness.

F

Ruth Brown was born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1928 and died in October 2004. Brown recorded many rhythm and blues hits in the 1950s. She also fought for musicians rights. In 1988, Atlantic Records agreed to pay her and thirty-five other musicians the money they owed them for using their songs for twenty years.

请阅读下列有关的信息, 然后匹配上面的美国名人。

As a young woman, she worked as a teacher and raised four children. She and her husband were very involved in local politics. Then one day, she decided to run for officer herself—and she won. She served first as country commissioner, then as Texas state treasurer. In nineteen ninety she was elected governor. She fought for equal rights, environmental protection and laws to restrict guns. She created a government in which women, Hispanics, and African-Americans played important roles.

“MASH”, was released in nineteen seventy. It tells about a group of American medical workers in a temporary military hospital in Korea during the Korean War in the 1950s. It questions the rules of the military establishment in a way that was sharply funny and intelligent; “Nashville” came out in nineteen seventy—five. It provides a complex look at changes in the country music industry. Many of his thirty—three films were nominated for Academy Awards, including “The Player” and “Gosford Park”

She learned traditional music at her Christian religious center. But she liked the popular jazz and rock music of the time even more. She left home at a young age to build a career in music. Soon, she became known as “the girl with the tear in her voice” because of her emotional way of singing. Her popular songs helped build the Atlantic Records company and she continued performing for the rest of her life until she died recently at the age of seventy six.

He is known as Johnny, wrote about many subjects, from politics and war to food and drink. During his forty—three years writing for the New York Times newspaper, he enjoyed a rich and eventful career. He was the paper’s chief reporter in cities like London, Moscow, Lagos and Nairobi. He covered events such as the Vietnam War, the Iranian revolution and the Gulf War. He reported on ten presidential elections. And, his opinions on fine foods, travel and the world’s best restaurants were very influential.

He wrote “Lie Down in Darkness” published in nineteen fifty—one when he was only twenty-five. It is about a troubled young woman who kills herself. It established him as a great new voice in American literature; he also wrote “The Confessions of Nat Turner” in nineteen sixty-eight which told about a nineteenth century slave revolt in the southern state of Virginia; and “Sophie’s Choice ” won the American Book Award in nineteen eighty. It is a tragic story about a woman and her children who were sent to a Nazi death camp in Poland during World War Two.

We have designed all our bank cards to make your life easier.
How to use your NatWest Servicecard .
As a Switch card, it lets you pay for all sorts of goods and services, wherever you see the Switch logo. The money comes straight out of your account, so you can spend as much as you like as long as you have enough money ( or an agreed overdraft (透支) to cover it. It is also a cheque guarantee for up to the amount shown on the card. And it gives you free access to your money from over 31,000 cash machines across the UK.
How to use your NatWest Cashcard
You can use your Cashcard as a Solo card to pay for goods and services wherever you see the Solo logo. It can also give you access to your account and your cash from over 31,000 cash machines nationwide. You can spend or withdraw what you have in your account, or as much as your agreed overdraft limit.
Using your cards abroad
You can also use your Servicecard and Cashcard when you’re abroad. You can withdraw cash at cash machines and pay for goods and services wherever you see the Cirrus or Maestro logo displayed.
We take a commission charge (手续费) of 2.25% of each cash withdrawal you make. . We also apply a foreign-exchange transaction fee of 2.65%.
How to use your Nat West Credit Card
With your credit card you can do the following：
* Pay for goods and services and enjoy up to 56 days interest-free credit.
* Pay in over 24 million shops worldwide that display the Mastercard or Visa logos.
* Collect one AIR MILE for every￡20 of spending that appears on your statement（结算单）.
（This does not include foreign currency or traveller’s cheques bought，interest and other charges.）
【小题1】If you carry the Servicecard or the Cashcard , ________.

第二节  信息匹配（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）

下面是一篇关于2006年美国逝去的五位特别人物的情况报道。请阅读下列关于他们的相关信息，并按照要求把这五个人物的信息进行匹配。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。首先，请阅读以下六位美国名人的信息，然后与下面的信息进行匹配。

A

Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the early 1990s. She began singing in church. Soon, her rich deep voice became widely known in the area. Marian Anderson received many honors and awards during her life. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in nineteen sixty—three. Marian Anderson died at the age of ninety—six. Experts say she is remembered not only for the quality of her voice, but also because of the way she carried out her right to be heard.

B

Movie director Robert Altman died in November 2006, in Los Angeles, California. He was eighty—one years old. During his fifty-year career, he made some of the most influential movies of modern times.

C

Ann Richards died in September 2006 at the age of seventy-three. At her funeral service, leaders from around the country gathered to celebrate her life. Former President Bill Clinton spoke at the service. He said Ann Richards helped create a world where young girls could be scientists, engineers and police officers. He said she was a great woman with a big heart and big dreams.

D

Journalist R.W. Apple died in October 2006 at the age of seventy—one. Earlier this month his friends and family gathered in Washington, D.C. for a large memorial service. Famous writers, politicians, and cooks told about his warm personality, sharp intelligence, and extraordinary energy. After the service, guests enjoyed fine foods provided by some of the best cooks in the area.

E

William Styron died in November 2006 at the age of eighty—one. His stories are filled with rich language and complex moral questions. Many of his books try to understand the evil actions of people. Later in life William Styron suffered from severe depression. After recovering, he wrote honestly and bravely about his experience in “Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness.” He received great praise for educating people about the difficulties of mental illness.

F

Ruth Brown was born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1928 and died in October 2004. Brown recorded many rhythm and blues hits in the 1950s. She also fought for musicians rights. In 1988, Atlantic Records agreed to pay her and thirty-five other musicians the money they owed them for using their songs for twenty years.

请阅读下列有关的信息：

56．As a young woman, she worked as a teacher and raised four children. She and her husband were very involved in local politics. Then one day, she decided to run for officer herself—and she won. She served first as country commissioner, then as Texas state treasurer. In nineteen ninety she was elected governor. She fought for equal rights, environmental protection and laws to restrict guns. She created a government in which women, Hispanics, and African-Americans played important roles.

57． “MASH”, was released in nineteen seventy. It tells about a group of American medical workers in a temporary military hospital in Korea during the Korean War in the 1950s. It questions the rules of the military establishment in a way that was sharply funny and intelligent; “Nashville” came out in nineteen seventy—five. It provides a complex look at changes in the country music industry. Many of his thirty—three films were nominated for Academy Awards, including “The Player” and “Gosford Park”

58．She learned to traditional music at her Christian religious center. But she liked the popular jazz and rock music of the time even more. She left home at a young age to build a career in music. Soon, she became known as “the girl with the tear in her voice” because of her emotional way of singing. Her popular songs helped build the Atlantic Records company and she continued performing for the rest of her life until she died recently at the age of seventy six.

59．He is known as Johnny, wrote about many subjects, from politics and war to food and drink. During his forty—three years writing for the New York Times newspaper, he enjoyed a rich and eventful career. He was the paper’s chief reporter in cities like London, Moscow, Lagos and Nairobi. He covered events such as the Vietnam War, the Iranian revolution and the Gulf War. He reported on ten presidential elections. And, his opinions on fine foods, travel and the world’s best restaurants were very influential.

60．He wrote “Lie Down in Darkness” published in nineteen fifty—one when he was only twenty-five. It is about a troubled young woman who kills herself. It established him as a great new voice in American literature; he also wrote “The Confessions of Nat Turner” in nineteen sixty-eight which told about a nineteenth century slave revolt in the southern state of Virginia; and “Sophie’s Choice ” won the American Book Award in nineteen eighty. It is a tragic story about a woman and her children who are sent to a Nazi death camp in Poland during World War Two.