第三部分  阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节  阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列三篇短文，从每题所给的四个选现（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
American like to visit the national parks. In 1996, over 250,000,000 people visited areas run by the National Park Service. Experts predict that by 2010, 500,000,000 people per year will visit the parks. As a result, people are trying to think of ways to protect the parks from the crowds.
The crowding of the parks has caused several problems. One is that there is not enough space for all of the people who want to use the parks. To cope with this problem, national parks may require reservations months in advance for some spots. The Park Service may also raise entrance fees at these places.
Another problem caused by increased park use is pollution. Some garbage and waste can be cleaned up, and the cleanup can be paid for by increased entrance fees. To cut down on noise pollution and air pollution, officials may decrease the number of cars allowed in parks. If this happens, people may use buses to travel around the parks. Officials may also limit the use of jet-skis, snowmobiles (摩托雪橇), motorboats, and sightseeing helicopters and planes.
The parks are also threatened by development that is going on around them. For example, around Yellow Stone Park, many motels (汽车旅馆), golf courses, resorts, and other tourist attractions have been built. Some of these developments affect areas that are used by animals. People will have to learn to agree about ways to protect the parks. If they do not, there will soon be no reason to visit these national treasures.
1. By 2010, the number of visitors will rise by ______ per year.
A. 250 million              B. 500 million              C. 2.5 billion         D. 5 billion
2. If you want to visit the national parks, you may have to _____ in the future.
A. pay less than before                         B. stay there for months
C. book the ticket before months           D. fill in a form to apply for the ticket
3. Entrance fees may be increased _______.
A. just for the benefit of the National Park Service
B. either to limit the number of visitors or to pay for the cleaner
C. not only to protect the animals but to reduce the noise pollution
D. merely for the development of the national parks
4. What does the underlined sentence in the passage mean?
A. People are not supposed to visit the national parks for fear that they will harm the animals.
B. Only if more man-made tourist attractions are built will more people visit the parks.
C. It is reasonable to keep the balance between the development of the parks and the reserve.
D. People will not visit the national parks since there are no golf courses and resorts.
5. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. High fees may probably keep some people out of parks.
B. Helicopters and planes will not be used in parks any longer.
C. The bus will become the only toot in parks with the purpose of pollution reduction.
D. The National Park Service welcomes as many visitors as possible.

Should parents ever hit their children?

Research suggests many of us are likely to respond “no”, and public support for spanking(打屁股) has been falling over the years. But surverys also show that 75 percent to nearly 90 percent of parents admit to spanking their child at least once.

I was raised in a zero-tolerance home for disrespect, and my parents often turned to physical punishment. And, no, I don’t feel I was damaged by it.

Nothing is more annoying than watching ill-mannered behavior from children.

But there is data to suggest that a return to old-school spanking isn’t the answer.

Two years ago, Newsweek reported that it had found data suggesting that teens whose parents used physical punishment were more likely to become aggressive.

Murray Straus, professor at the University of New Hampshire in America, has studied the topic of children and spanking for decades. He said that children who were physically punished have lower IQs than their peers(同等的人). It may be that children with lower IQqs were more likely to get spanked, but the punishment may have been counterpoductive(反作用的) to their mental development, as well.

Some researchers make the argument that occasional open-handed smacks(用巴掌打) on the bottom are not only harmless but can have some benefit.

Last year, Marjorie Gunnoe, a psychologist at Calvin College, studied teens who have never spanked. There are a greater number of children growing up without ever having been physi punished. Gunnoe’s research suggests they don’t turn out any better than those who were sometimes spank.

There are some parents who simply cannot control their tempers(脾气). But I still believe that the best parents are the ones who are able to offer fair and firm discipline without ever turning to physical puishment.

According to the first three paragraphs, the author was probably hit by her parents when       .

A．they were dissatisfied with her grade    

B．she showed no respect for the elder

C．they cannot control their temper   

D．their discipline turns out to be not strict enough

According to Murray Straus, children who are physically punished      .

A．are less aggreesive toward others when they get older

B．have slower physical development

C．benefit from occasional spanking

D．may develop lower IQs than their peer

Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?

A．40 percent of children grow up without ever being spanked

B．Children who suffer less physical punishment are better students

C．Occasional open-handed spanking on the bottom are mentally harmful

D．Researchers disagree over whether smacking is mentally harmful to children

The author seems to agree that       .

A．parents should determine whether a child needs to be smacked or not

B．children who have been spanked tend to behave better than those who haven’t

C．good parents discipline their children in a fair and reasonable way

D．physical punishment should be the last resort of any parent

What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority（优先）over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic interest may have other choices.
　　In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our point of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail— other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merits of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
　　Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical（合乎道义的）or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or catch our vulnerability(弱点). Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
　　Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution（美国宪法）.
【小题1】According to the passage, persuasion means ________.

Dear Economist,
My newly-wedded wife and I are deeply in love．There is, however, one issue that threatens the happiness of our marriage．I absolutely insist on shopping at Walmart．My wife, meanwhile, would rather avoid Walmart at all costs．
　　I have recently tried to convince her that not only does Walmart offer the lowest prices known to man, but that the chain is also a force for good―lower prices mean better standards of living for all consumers, increased global trade means a tighter-knit(紧密团结的) international community, and efficient operations translate into higher productivity growth for the economy．My wife complains about poor labour policies, the “fact” that Walmart squeezes suppliers, and that it puts local shops out of business．
　　Who is right? Will our marriage survive?
Brian Gee
Dear Brian,
I have to agree with you about Walmart．Jason Furman, then an economist at New York University, now an adviser to President Obama, famously argued in 2005 that Walmart was unwittingly (不知不觉地) a progressive success story．The chain’s prices don’t much affect me (I prefer Whole Foods) but Furman estimated that they benefited low-and-middle-income Americans to the sum of around $250 billion a year．
　　Walmart does not pay much, so it may depress wages．Then again, it may increase wages by offering jobs to the otherwise-unemployed．Either way, the benefits of low prices to Walmart shoppers far outweigh any seemingly reasonable costs to Walmart employees．And while it is true that Walmart employees tend to be poor, the same is true of Walmart shoppers．
　　Armed with this information you can face your wife with confidence．You are sure to win the conversation．The divorce is likely to be more argued．
Economist
【小题1】What concerns Brian Gee so much that he wrote the letter?

The hotel was in a 31 street and seemed to agree with one who 32 a good sleep after a tiring trip. The woman manager 33 me to my room. When I asked her about dinner, she said it was 34 at six and I had 35 it." 36 , I'm not very hungry." I said in a friendly voice. " I'll just have a 37 and then go to a restaurant."   "What!" she said, raising her eyebrows (眉毛). "This is a respectable (体面的) hotel, young man. If you want, 38 go somewhere else. " She spoke as if a glass of beer were a 39 liquid. I felt my 40 back through the dark streets after dining outside. I knocked loudly on the door but nobody 41 . It was a long time 42 the lady opened the door. "What's going on?" she said 43 ." Guests are to be back by ten. The rule is for everyone."   I went to my room and tried to sleep. The bed was 44 and the sheets and blankets were damp. 45 of all, the whole hotel trembled when the church clock 46 every quarter of an hour. Just before dawn, I finally went to sleep.   "Did you sleep well last night, young man?" asked the old lady the next morning. " 47 speaking, I don't think I could 48 another night here." I replied. "I 49 slept at all." "That's because you were 50 all night drinking!" She said disapprovingly.