III.阅读(共两节,满分50分)
第一节 阅读理解 (共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Dear Rudyard Kipling,
Father has consistently tried to instill(灌输) a sense of being a man in me ever since I was very young. When I reached the age of twelve he began taking me to his auto body shop. He told me this tough job would build me into a man of character. But this all changed a year ago when my mother passed away and I stumbled upon your poem, If.
My mother was the person who could understand me. If I ever got tired during my work hours at the shop I could call her to come and pick me up. It was my mother who instilled the love of literature and languages in me. My mother spoke six languages fluently and had thousands of books, which still sit in the attic of our house. It was in this “library” of hers that I picked up a book of poetry from a cold metal shelf and found your poem, If.
Because of the death of my mother I felt alone, as if I belonged to no family. The image of a man was completely shattered when I saw him break down and cry, which looked so pathetic(凄惨的)and “unmanly” compared to his usual stoic(禁欲主义者)and emotionless countenance. Yet I remained silent remembering the golden words: “If you can keep your head when all about you/ Are losing theirs and blaming it on you… you’ll be a Man, my son!”
If reminded me to remain calm and “keep my head” because I wanted to be a man and wanted to be the one supporting my family. I sacrificed my ability to compete in a winter sport so that I could stay home and cook for my family and clean the house. My father saw this and our relationship has grown much stronger. He finally respected me for who I was and told me he was proud to have a man for his son. Through this poem, I realize that to be a man is not about putting weights on a barbell(杠铃)but rather putting the weight of others on your back.
Your poem was so much more than just a simple list of guidelines or morals that some see it as; it really changed my life and my relationship with my dad.
41. According to the passage, what kind of person does the author’s father expect him to be?
A. A person who will shoulder responsibilities.
B. A person who knows how to earn a lot of money.
C. A person who knows how to do housework.
D. A person who respects his parents.
42. Who does the underlined word “him” in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. the character in the poem B. the author’s father
C. the author D. an unknown person
43. According to the passage, a man in the author’s mind would have the following qualities EXCEPT _________.
A. responsible B. calm C. caring D. enthusiastic
44. We can learn from the passage that ___________.
A. the poem has helped to improve the relationship between the author and his father
B. the author would not know how to help his family without the poem
C. the author’s father must have read the poem as well
D. the author’s mother had told him about this poem before
45. The author has written this letter to ___________.
A. share with Rudyard Kipling his sadness resulting from the death of his mother
B. show his appreciation for the positive influence the poem has brought to him
C. share his opinion on the poem
D. tell Rudyard Kipling how he got the poem
B
This is an old tale. It’s the story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf that blew down a house made of straw and one made of sticks. The only house left standing was the one made of bricks. Now there is new evidence to suggest that houses built with bales of straw can be very strong. They are also environmental.
Pete Walker is a professor at the University of Bath in Britain. He and a team of researchers there have built a house made out of straw bales and hemp material.
During the next twelve months the team will study the effectiveness of these materials in home building. Professor Walker says there are many good reasons for using straw.
Professor Walker says that one of the benefits is that it’s a relatively inexpensively renewable material that’s readily available.
According to Professor Walker, straw takes in carbon dioxide as it grows. So it can be seen as having no harmful effects on the environment. He says straw helps the environment in other ways.
Professor Walker: “The straw bale walls are relatively thick and so all that straw provides very good thermal(of heat) insulation. So we make buildings that require very little heating in the winter or indeed very little cooling in the summer. So they require very little additional energy.”
Professor Walker says this reduces home operating expenses. It also reduces the effect on the environment. He says the current interest in straw bale houses is a direct response to the problem of climate change.
David Lanfear owns an eco-friendly home building service in the United States called Bale on Bale Construction.
He says he laughed when some friends first told him about houses built of straw. But after doing his own research, he learned that building with straw bales made a lot of sense. He has now helped to build more than ten straw bale houses and says the building material is becoming more widely accepted.
To build the houses, he fills a wood frame with tightly packed bales of straw. Next he coats the walls inside and out with layers of clay plaster. He says the common ideas about straw houses continue, including stories about the threat of fire. Mr. Lanfear says straw bale houses have done well when tested for fire resistance. And he says his builders use the same building methods as traditional builders to keep out rain.
David Lanfear: “We use what we call good shoes and a good hat, and that would be a solid foundation and a really good roof.”
46. The function of the story in the first paragraph is to _____________.
A. amuse the readers
B. introduce the topic of this passage
C. help the readers to recall their childhood memory
D. remind the readers that bricks are no longer the best choice for building
47. Which of the following words is closest in meaning to the underlined word “insulation” in paragraph six?
A. protection B. condition C. transmission D. expansion
48. What’s David Lanfear’s attitude towards the straw houses at last?
A. Doubtful B. Approving C. Defensive D. Negative
49. Which of the following is NOT the advantage of the house built with straw bales?
A. It is environmentally friendly.
B. The supply of its building materials is easily guaranteed.
C. It is comparatively economical.
D. It is free from fires.
50. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Professor Walker is still not very sure about whether the straw bales and hemp material are as useful as they expect.
B. According to Professor Walker, climate change contributes to people’s present attention to straw bale houses.
C. People’s idea about the straw houses remains the same.
D. The straw bale house built by David Lanfear share the same method to keep out rain as the traditional ones.
其中有一个答案是错的,你能发现吗?
41—45 ACDAB 46—50 BABDC
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