Ⅲ .阅读理解
A
Last year, I lived in Chile for half a year. I lived with a Chilean family and had the responsibilities of any Chilean teenager. I had good days and bad days I didn't understand.

Chuquicamata, my host community, is a mining camp. When I arrived there, I was scared. It was so different from what I was used to. There were lots of dogs on the streets, and there was no downtown, few smoothly paved streets, and little to do for entertainment. Rain was not seen very often; earthquakes and windstorms were frequent.

I had studied Spanish for two and a half years and was always one of the best students in my class. But in my first week in Chile I was only able to communicate and needed one person to whom I could explain my shock. I couldn't speak the thoughts in my head and there were so many.

Most exchange students experience this like me. Culture shock presents itself in everything from increased aggression towards the people to lack of appetite (食欲). I was required to overcome all the difficulties.

As time passed, everything changed. I began to forget words in English and to dream in Spanish and love Chilean food. I got used to not depending on expensive things for fun. Fun in Chuquicamata was being with people. And I took math, physics, chemistry, biology, Spanish, art, and philosophy.

But the sacrifices were nothing compared to the gain. I learned how to accept and to succeed in another culture. I now have a deeper understanding of both myself and others.

1. The author went to Chile last year with the purpose of ______.

A. paying a visit to Chile as a tourist 

B. experiencing Chilean life as a teacher

C. studying Chilean culture as a college student

D. studying knowledge as an exchange student

答案及解析：

1. D。细节理解题。综合第三段的“I had studied Spanish for two and a half years and was always one of the best students in my class.”和第四段的“Most exchange students experience this like me.”可判断作者是一名交换生。

2. On arriving in Chile, why did the author feel frightened?

A. Because he did not know how to get along with the local people.

B. Because it was full of dangers like earthquakes and windstorms.

C. Because its living conditions were worse than what he was used to.

D. Because it was not convenient for him to shop there.

答案及解析：

2．C。细节理解题。文章第二段提到：“It was so different from what I was used to.” 再从街道环境、购物环境、娱乐设施、自然条件等方面描写智利比较差的生活条件，由此可知作者是因为智利生活条件比他原先习惯的生活差许多而产生恐惧心理。

3. In the first week in Chile the author ______.

A. was not used to eating Chilean food

B. had some friends to have a chat with

C. couldn't communicate with people

D. couldn't express his thoughts in English

答案及解析：

3．A。细节理解题。来到智利的第一周，作者还在承受着culture shock 的痛苦，综合第四段“Culture shock presents itself in everything from increased aggression towards the people to lack of appetite (食欲)．”和第五段的“As time passed, everything changed. I began to forget words in English and to dream in Spanish and love Chilean food.” 可判断，不习惯智利的饮食是作者来到智利的第一周出现的。

4. What did the author most probably think of his life in Chile?

A. Wonderful and worthwhile.

B. Difficult but meaningful.

C. Difficult and meaningless.

D. Boring and disappointing.

答案及解析：

4．B。推理判断题。综合第四段的“I was required to overcome all the difficulties.”和最后一段“But the sacrifices were nothing compared to the gain.”可知，作者最有可能会认为自己在智利的生活不容易， 但尽管如此还是很有意义的，因为它让作者学到了很多东西。

5. According to the passage, which of the following statements about Chile is true?

A. Its official language is Spanish and English.

B. It is a developing country without foreign students.

C. It seldom rains and natural disasters often happen.

D. Most Chileans are not friendly to foreigners.

答案及解析：

5．C。细节理解题。根据第二段的“Rain was not seen very often; earthquakes and windstorms were frequent.” 可判断C项正确。

B

It seems that politicians around the world are thinking about the health of their countries. While in China, Chen Zhu has announced his plans for a universal health service and reform across health services. Gordon Brown, the UK Prime Minister, has also announced he is planning to make some changes in our health service.

The crux of Mr Brown's proposals is related to giving the NHS (National Health Service) a greater focus on prevention, rather than just curing patients.

He is planning to introduce increased screening for common diseases such as heart disease, strokes, and cancer, for example, breast cancer. In Britain there are 200 000 deaths a year from heart attacks and strokes, many of which might have been avoided if the condition had been known about.

Initially, the diagnostic (诊断的) tests will be available for those who are vulnerable,or most likely to have the disease. One example is a plan to offer all men over 65 an ultrasound test to check for problems with the main artery (动脉), a condition which kills 3 000 men a year.

The opposition have criticized Mr Brown's proposals, saying that they are just a trick, and claiming that there is no proper timetable for the changes. They also say that Mr Brown is reducing the money available for the treatment of certain conditions while putting more money towards testing for them.

The NHS was founded in 1948, and is paid for by taxation. The idea is that the rich pay more towards the health service than the poor. However in recent years there has been a great increase in the use of private healthcare, because it's much quicker. NHS waiting lists for operations can be very long, so many people who can afford it choose to pay for medical care themselves.

6. The underlined word “vulnerable” in the fourth paragraph probably means ______.

A. sick B. weak  C. wounded D. old

答案及解析：

6．B。词义猜测题。根据其后一句or most likely to have the disease可知此处为“体弱者”。

7. All the following statements are true EXCEPT that ______.

A. all people should pay for their healthcare at the NHS

B. some people are against the reform of the healthcare

C. the writer is likely to come from Britain

D. more money will be spent on testing people than before

答案及解析：

7．A。细节理解题。根据文章最后一段可知，能够负担得起费用的人们常常自己花钱去看病，这也就是说人们本来可以不用花钱的。故选项A不正确，为答案。选项B根据文章倒数第二段可知，反对党对这个建议进行了批判；选项C根据文章第一段最后一句可知；选项D根据文章倒数第二段最后一句可反推出来。

8. Which of the following is the reason for the increasing private healthcare?

A. People are paying more attention to their own health.

B. People are well－off enough to pay their healthcare.

C. The NHS was not available for most of the people.

D. It's not so convenient for people to go to the NHS for their healthcare.

答案及解析：

8．D。细节理解题。根据文章最后一段可知，人们自己掏钱看病的原因是因为在NHS的等待时间太长，所以对人们来说不方便，故答案为D。

9. According to the passage, the purpose of the health reform plan in the UK is to ______.

A. encourage more private healthcare

B. focus on the prevention rather than on curing the patient

C. deal with the main artery problems

D. fight against the opposition in the UK

答案及解析：

9．B。细节理解题。根据文章第二段可知。

10. The author of this passage intends to tell us ______.

A. the NHS should be reformed right away

B. more and more people are dying from diseases

C. the plan to reform the NHS in the UK

D. the criticism of Mr Brown's proposals

答案及解析：

10．C。主旨大意题。根据文章第一段最后一句可知。事实上，本文作者重点介绍了英国的医疗改革计划，文章大量篇幅都在说明英国的医疗状况。