第三部分 阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分，满分40分)

A

Early this morning, I got up to make a batch of Rice Krispie treats for my neighbor across the hall. She barely greeted me when we saw each other, and her little boy, who was 4, wouldn’t talk to me either.

Last Monday, she called the firefighters when a pan I’d forgotten on the stove caused my flat to smoke up. I had gone for a walk, but when I came home the street in front of our apartment was blocked by a police car, a fire truck and an ambulance! The instant I saw them, I remembered the pan!

I felt safe knowing that even though we don’t get along, my neighbor had done the right thing and didn’t blame me. Hence, the Rice Krispie treats.

Last Christmas, my neighbor revealed that she had been holding a grudge toward me because of an incident four years ago. I had apologized and asked if there was anything I could do to improve our relationship, but she would not accept my apology.

Her flat-out refusal to make amendments really saddened me. After that, I decided I’d just leave her be — a relationship takes two to work.

So, you see, I was really scared she was going to refuse my offer again, leaving me standing on her doorstep holding my plate of treats. Then, I reminded myself of how good I had felt the day before when I’d done some random acts of kindness and told myself: “Feel the fear, and do it anyway!”

I put the squares of Rice Krispie treats on a beautiful plate, opened my apartment door — and there she was, standing in the hallway.

I said: “I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am that you were paying attention on Monday.” I held the plate towards her, explaining that these were very sweet American treats and that she could try to see whether she and her family liked them. She took the plate and we talked a bit about how she’d become aware of the smoke in my flat before parting ways.

Back at home I did a “happy dance”, because I had been kind even though I wasn’t sure it would be appreciated. I want to be able to be kind without expecting people to respond in a certain way.

56. Why did the author make Rice Krispie Treats for her neighbor?

A. She wanted to show her gratitude for her neighbor.

B. She needed her neighbor to help look after the house.

C. She felt guilty of the trouble she caused her neighbor.

D. She wanted to prove she is an easy-going person.

57. What does the underlined words “grudge” mean in Paragraph 4?

A. Feeling of fear.                    B. Feeling of envy.

C. Feeling of anger.                   D. Feeling of anxiety.

58. What was the author’s reaction after her apology was not accepted?

A. She planned to please the neighbor’s son first.

B. She was hurt and decided she wouldn’t go further.

C. Though sad, she kept trying to change the neighbor’s attitude.

D. She decided to wait for a right occasion to improve their relationship.

59. What can we learn from the last three paragraphs?

A. The author and her neighbor made peace with each other.

B. The author’s neighbor took the food but didn’t appreciate it.

C. The neighbor’s reaction was within the author’s expectation.

D. The author was happy even if her neighbor didn’t forgive her.

B

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This question has remained unsolved for hundreds of years, yet soon it might not be a problem anymore — the egg of the future may not involve a chicken at all.

But if not from a chicken, where will the egg come from? Apparently, a plant is one of the possibilities, as Hampton Creek, a food technology company in San Francisco, US, has found. They created a substitute for eggs, called Beyond Eggs, using a mixture of 11 plants, including sunflowers and a variety of beans, reported the NPR.

Unlike the image you might now have in your mind, Beyond Eggs look nothing like regular eggs. They are sold as gray powder that you mix with water before cooking. But the final product tastes just like the real thing. The two main investors in the research, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and former UK prime minister Tony Blair said they “couldn’t tell the difference”.

But the question is, why bother with “plant eggs”? What’s the problem with ordinary eggs?

The truth is that 99 percent of our eggs come from industrial warehouses (养鸡场仓库) where chickens are crammed (塞满) into cages too small for them to even spread their wings. This cruelty is what inspired Hampton Creek to carry out the Beyond Eggs project in the first place.

In addition, the cages where chickens are kept so close together are a hotbed for viruses. To help the chickens stay healthy, farmers feed them antibiotics (抗生素), which may cause dangerous bacteria to grow resistant to the drugs and eventually spread to humans through eggs and meat.

In fact, replacing the egg is not a new idea, but Beyond Eggs seems to be the most successful attempt so far.

Besides their great taste and eco-friendliness, Beyond Eggs provide the same nutritional value as real eggs, and they’re even healthier since they don’t contain cholesterol (胆固醇). The company also estimates that the cost of their products is around 19 percent less than real eggs, which makes them more affordable.

The team started selling their “plant egg” in California on Sept 11. It could soon be available in supermarkets worldwide.

60. The main point of the article is ______.

A. to inform us about problems with normal eggs

B. to introduce a successful attempt at making chickenless eggs

C. to explain how plants work as a substitute for eggs

D. to solve the mystery “which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

61. What inspired Hampton Creek to invent Beyond Eggs?

A. His desire to make eggs safer to eat.

B. His wish to make eggs more nutritional.

C. The growing demand for eggs worldwide.

D. Bad conditions for chickens in industrial warehouses.

62. According to the article, Beyond Eggs ______ ordinary eggs.

A. look exactly like               B. are healthier than

C. are not as delicious as           D. are more expensive than

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

A. Beyond Eggs are a mixture of 11 plants that don’t need to be cooked to eat.

B. People can buy Beyond Eggs in supermarkets worldwide now.

C. There are still a lot of concerns about the safety of eating Beyond Eggs.

D. Beyond Eggs are the most successful try so far at replacing eggs with plants.

C

Charles Dickens is often thought of as one of the greatest British writers. February 7 marked the 200th anniversary of his birthday. Yet for many, his language is old-fashioned and his stories often improbable. So why do so many people know and read Dickens today?

One reason is the British government’s insistence that every child studies a Dickens novel at school. Alongside William Shakespeare, Dickens is on every English literature school reading list.

His stories, though often long by today’s standards, are great moral tales. They are filled with colorful characters.

Earlier this month, a ceremony was held in Portsmouth, where Dickens was born. Prince Charles said at the ceremony, “Dickens used his creative genius to campaign passionately for social justice… His characterization (人物刻画) is as fresh today as on the day it was written.”

His books stand out from many other writers because of his insight into human nature. Dickens, like Shakespeare, tells us truths about human behavior. They are as true in the 21st century as they were to his readers in the 19th century.

Readers have returned to Dickens’ books again and again over the years to see what he has to say about their own times.

No surprise then that it was Dickens whom Britons turned to during the economic crisis in the last couple of years. Dickens helped them make sense of a world that was rapidly falling apart. The BBC adapted one of his less well-known novels, Little Dorrit, into a popular television drama that introduced many Brits to the novel for the first time. A dark story about greed and money, it was the perfect illustration of bad times.

As long as Dickens’s novels have something to say to modern audiences, it seems likely that he will remain one of Britain’s best-loved writers.

64. In the article, the author intends to tell us ______.

A. why Dickens’ novels still appeal to readers in modern times

B. that Dickens’ works are no longer popular among young people

C. why the British government puts Dickens on school reading lists

D. that Dickens and Shakespeare’s works are required for study at school

65. In Britain, people still read Dickens because of ______.

a) romance in his books

b) moral value in his books

c) his colorful characters

d) his insight into human nature

e) government education requirement

f) his prediction of the current economic crisis

A. abdf              B. bcde               C. bdef             D. abed

66. We can infer from the article that ______.

A. it’s better to read Dickens in time of difficulty

B. Dickens was a great social observer of his time

C. human nature seems worse during bad times

D. Dickens’s novels are short and easy to read

67. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Little Dorrit is one of Dickens’ best-known novels.

B. Dickens’ novels are of greater value during economic crisis.

C. Dickens’ works have gained more popularity than Shakespeare’s.

D. Dickens’ novels are still of realistic significance to today’s world.