III. 阅读理解

A

A Paul Zindel’s death on March 27,2003 ended the brilliant life of a famous writer. Not only did Paul Zindel win a Pulitzer Prize as well as an Obie Prize for his 1970 play The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, but he was one of the earliest writers in the field of contemporary (当代的) literature for young adults (成人). The Pigman, published in 1968. is still one of the most well-known and wide­ly-taught novels in the genre, the American Library Association has named it one of the 100 Best of the Best books for Young Adults published between 1967 and 1992, and Zindel’s autobiography. The Pigman and Me, was among the 100 Best of the Best Books published for teenagers during the last part of the twentieth century. Six of Zin­del’s books, in fact, have been voted the Best Books for Young Adults, and most of his recent horror books—such as The Doom Stone and Rats—have been chosen as Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Clearly, he was a writer who knew how to interest contemporary children. Recognizing that, the American Library Association in 2002 honored Paul Zindel with the Margaret A. Edwards Prize for his lifetime achieve­ments , and later that same year he was presented with the ALAN Prize for his contrat, the Americi­butions to Young Adult Literature. With his passing, young readers, teachers, and li­brarians have lost a great friend.

56. Which of Paul Zindel9 s books was the most popular with young adults in the 20th century?

A. The Pigman.

B. The Doom Stone.

C. The Pigman and Me.

D. The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds.

57. Why was Paul Zindel honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Prize?

A. His books were widely read by children.

B. His books were interesting and helpful to adults.

C. He made great contributions-to contemporary literature.

D. He wrote a number of horror books for young adults.

58. When did Paul Zindel win the ALAN Prize?

A. In 2002             B. In 2003

C. Between 1967 and 1992                  D. Between 2002 and 2003

59. Choose the correct statements from the following according to the passage.

a. The Pigman and Me was one of the Best Books for teenagers.

b. Zindel was one of the earliest writers who wrote for adults only.

c. The Doom Stone and Rats are not popular with young adults.

d. Zindel was given four prizes for literature before be died.

e. At least eight of Zindel’s books were very popular in his times.

A. c, d, e               B. a, b, c               C. a. b. d               D. a, d, e

B

Three months after the government stopped issuing (发放) or renewing permits for Internet cafes because of security (安全) or concerns, some cafe owners are having financial (经济的) concerns of their own.

The permits were stopped suddenly three months ago by the . government until new safeguards could be put in place to prevent misuse of the information superhigh­way, but for cafe owners it’s a business breakdown with no fix in sight.

“I handed in a request to open up an Internet cafe and received the conditions. ” said the businessman Obeidallah. “I rented a place in the Sharafiah district at SR45, 000 and prepared the place with equipment that cost me more than SRI 00,000. When I went to the local government after finishing everything, I was surprised to find that they’d stopped issuing permits for Internet cafes. ”

Having an Internet cafe without Internet is much like having a coffee shop with­out coffee. "Pm avoiding closing the plheight-ruleace, but it's been more than three months with the situation ongoing as it is,” Obeidallah said “Who will bear the losses caused by the permit issue?”

The decision took many cafe owners by surprise. “I asked to open an Internet ca­fe, and I was handed a list of all the things that were needed to follow through, such as a sign for the place filling out forms,” said Hassan Al-Harbi.

“I did all that was asked and rented a place . And after the Haj vacation I went to the local government and they surprised me , saying that there are new rules that forbid the issuing of any more Internet cafe permits and that one can't even renew his per­mit. Pve lost more than SR80,000, "Al-Harbi added.

As for the government, officials say a method to deal with it is on the way, but se­curity concerns come before profit (盈利).

60. The government stopped issuing or renewing permits for Internet cafes ____

A. to prevent misuse of new safeguards in Internet cafes.

B. to make cafe owners earn less profit from their business.

C. to stop the use of the information superhighway on Internet.

D. to make sure of the proper use of the information superhighway.

61. The government’s decision led to the fact that many cafe owners ____.

A. suffered heavy financial losses        B. asked to open up Internet cafes

C. continued to operate Internal cafes   D. asked the government for payment.

62. The underlined phrase in the last paragraph “on the way” means ____.

A. to be studied                                B. to be put into practice.

C. to be changed                                D. to be improved

63. The cafe owners found the governments decision ____.

A. surprising and unacceptable            B. understandable and acceptable

C. reasonable but surprising              D. surprising but acceptable

C

Walk through the Amazon rainforest today and you will find it is steamy, warm, damp and thick. But if you had been around -height-rule: exactly; tab-stops: 105.0pt15, 000 years ago, during the last ice age, would it have been the same? For more than 30 years, scientists have been arguing about how rainforests like the Amazon might have reacted (反应) to the cold, dry cli­mates of the ice ages, but until now, no one has reached a satisfying answer.

Rainforests like the Amazon are important for mopping up CO2 from the atmos­phere and helping to slow global warming. Currently the trees in the Amazon take in around 500 million tons of CO2 each year: equal to the total amount of CO2 giving off in the UK each year. But how will the Amazon react to future climate change? If it gets drier, will it still survive and continue to draw down CO2? Scientists hope that they will be able to learn in advance how the rainforest will manage in the future by understanding how rainforests reacted to climate change in the past.

Unfortunately, getting into the Amazon rainforest and collecting information are very difficult. To study past climate, scientists need to look at fossilized pollen, kept in lake muds. Going back to the last ice age means drilling deep down es Ninto lake sediments (沉淀物) which requires specialized equipment and heavy machinery. There are very few roads and paths, or places to land helicopters and aero planes. Rivers tend to the easiest way to enter the forest, but this still leaves vast areas between the rivers com­pletely unsampled (未取样). So far, only a handful of cores have been drilled that go back to the last ice age and none of them provide enough information to prove how the Amazon rainforest reacts to climate change.

64. The underlined phrase “mopping up” in the second paragraph means ____.

A. cleaning up        B. taking in            C. wiping out         D. giving out

65. How will the Amazon rainforest react to future climate change?

A. It’ll get drier and continue to remove CO2.                 

B. It’ll remain steamy, warm, damp and thick.

C. It’ll get warmer and then colder and drier.                  

D. There is no exact answer up to present.

66. What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?

A. It’s important to drill deep down into lake sediments to collect information.

B. It’s impossible to prove how climate changes in the Amazon rainforest.

C. It’s hard to collect information for studies of the past climate in the Amazon rainforest.

D. It’s necessary to have specialized equipment and machinery to study the past cli­mate.

67. The best title for this passage may probably be _____.

A. Studies of the Amazon                    B. Climates of the Amazon

C. Secrets of the Rainforests               D. Changes of the Rainforests                         

D

Eight Days from Just £ 299

Departs May October 2005

Includes:

●Return flights from 8 UK airports to Naples

●Return airport to hotel transport

●Seven nights’ accommodation at the 3 Hotel Nice

●The services of guides

●Government taxes

Join us for a wonderful holiday in one of Europe’s most wonderful comers. Long a favorite with holidaymakers—indeed the ancient Romans called the area “happy land”—this simply attractive coastline of colorful towns, splendid views and the warm Medioliday in terranean Sea is a perfect choice for a truly memorable holiday!

Choose between the peaceful traditional village of Sant’ Agata, set on a hillside six miles from Sorrento, or the more lively and wellknown international resort (旅游圣地) town of Sorrento, with wonderful views over the Bay of Naples.

Breathtaking scenery and famous sights everywhere. From the legendary Isle of Capri to the haunting ruins of Pompeii and from the unforgettable “Amalfi Drive” to the delightful resorts of Positano, Sorrento and Ravello, the area is a feast for the eyes! Should you choose to join us, we know that you will not be disappointed!

With a choice of hotels , and optional excursions(可选择的旅游路线) including Capri, Pompeii and the “Amalfi Drive” , this is a truly unmissable holiday.

Price based on two tourists sharing a twin /double room at the Hotel Nice.

Like to know more? Then telephone Newmarket Air Holidays Ltd on: 0845-226-7766(A11 calls charged at local rates).

68. All the following are included in the price of £299 EXCEPT____.

A. transport between the airport and the hotel                    B. telephone calls made by tourists

C. the services of guides to tourists      D. double rooms for every two tourists

69. What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To invite people to take a breath in the Bay of Naples.

B. To advise people to telephone Newmarket Air Holidays Ltd.

C. To persuade people to tour in the area of the Mediterranean Sea.

D. To attract people to go to Sant’ Agata or Sorrento for sightseeing.

70. The underlined part “the area is a feast for the eyes” in the passage means ____.

A. the area is pleasing to the eye          B. the area is really unforgettable

C. the area catches the tourists’ eye     D. the area is crowded with ^tourists

71. After reading the ad, one will probably join in the tour because ____.

A. the sights are attractive and the tour starts in May or October

B. the price is low for those intending to stay at the 3 Hotel Nice

C. the price offered is reasonable and the sights are beautiful

D. good services are offered to those intending to stay in double rooms

E

NEWS BRIEF

●Prime Minister Tony Blair faced new allegations (指控) on Thursday that he misled Parliament and the public in making the case for the war in Iraq after he disclosed his chief legal adviser's written opinion raising questions about the legality (合法) of the war.

●US Forest Service officials are reminding people to stay off Forest Service roads that are closed. The fine for disobeying the rule of road closures is a maximum of $ 5, 000 fine and/or six months in prison. Those who enter the area and cause road damage may also be required to pay for repairs.

●In a second study presented at the meeting, scientists from the UK and Denmark showed that even a few days of high temperatures can severely reduce production of crops such as wheat, soybeans, rice and groundnuts, if it occurs when the plants are flowering.

●A bomb exploded in Thailand's mainly Muslin south on Sunday, killing two police­men and wounding three others, a day after Thailand' s queen condemned those behind a 15-month wave of violence (暴力).

●Mechanicsburg 3, West York l: Ken Stamper and Rusty Bowman had seven kills each, and Ryan Warfield had six to lead the Wildcats past the Bulldogs, 25-11, 25-15, 15-25, 25-23, in a non-league match.

72. The news brief covers ____.

A. war, law, violence, culture and agriculture

B. sports, war, violence, politics and climate

C. politics, culture, violence, climate and sports

D. violence, sports, politics, law and agriculture

73. From the news brief, we can learn that ____.

A. the Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats by 3-1 in a non-league match

B. Forest Service roads are closed for repairs before they are opened again

C. quite a few violent accidents happened in Thailand before the latest one

D. the British people think the decision made by Blair about the war is of legality

74. According to the U. S. Forest Service of ficials, those who enter the area and dam­age the closed roads ____.

A. shall have to pay a $ 5,000 fine for the repairs to them

B. shall be fined or put in prison, and may pay for the repairs

C. shall be fined $ 5,000 and kept in prison for six months

D. shall pay a fine and repair the roads as a punishment

75. The study of the scientists from the UK and Denmark is about ____.

A. the importance of climate and the growth of crops

B. the damage caused by high temperatures to some crops

C. the relationship between crops flowering and high temperatures

D. the effect of high temperatures on the production of some crops