第三部分：阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分，满分40分)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A，B，C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

A

Mr. Brown worked in a factory of a small town. He had been there for twenty years before one day he was sent to the capital for important business. He was quite excited because he had never been there before. Before he set off, he asked his wife and three daughters if they wanted him to buy something for them in Lon-don. Mrs. Brown began to think it over and then she said she wished her husband would be able to buy a nice umbrella for her, and so did their three daughters. As he was afraid he would forget it, he drew an umbrella on his hand. To his regret, he lost it at the station.

On the train Mr. Brown sat opposite to an old woman. The woman’s umbrella was so nice that he carefully looked at it and said to himself not to forget to buy a few umbrellas like it. When the train arrived at the station in London, he said good-bye to the old woman, took his bag and her umbrella and was going to get off.

“Wait a minute, sir,” shouted the old woman. “That’s my umbrella!”

Now Mr. Brown noticed that he had taken her umbrella. His face turned red at once and said in a hurry,“Oh, I’m very sorry, Madam! I didn’t mean it!”

Seven days later Mr. Brown left the capital. To his surprise, he met the old woman and sat opposite to her again. Looking at the four umbrellas, the old woman was satisfied with herself. “It seems that I had a better result than the other four women.” She thought.

56. We can learn from the passage that Mr. Brown was ______.

A. a conductor B. a worker C. a thief D. an umbrella maker

57. The underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refers to ______.

A. his ticket B. his bag C. his drawing D. his umbrella

58. When looking at Mr. Brown with four umbrellas, the woman thought ______.

A. Mr. Brown was an umbrella maker

B. Mr. Brown was selling his umbrellas

C. Mr. Brown had stolen the other women’s umbrellas

D. Mr. Brown had bought four umbrellas for his family.

59 How did Mr. Brown get the four umbrellas?

A. He picked them on the train.

B. He brought them from his small town.

C. He bought them in London.

D. He stole them from four women.

B

About ten men in every hundred suffer from color blindness in some way. Women are luckier; only about one in two hundred is affected in this matter. Perhaps, after all, it is safer to be driven by a woman!

There are different forms of color blindness. In some cases a man may not be able to see deep red. He may think that red, orange and yellow are all shadows of green. Sometimes a person cannot tell the difference between blue and green. In rare cases an unlucky man may see everything in shades of green - a strange world indeed.

Color blindness in human beings is a strange thing to explain. In a single eye there are millions of very small things called “cones”. These help us to see in a bright light and to tell difference between colors. There are also millions of “rods”, but these are used for seeing when it is near dark. They show us shape but no color.

Some insects have favorite colors. Mosquitoes prefer blue to yellow. A red light will not attract insects, but a blue lamp will. In a similar way human beings also have favorite colors. Yet we are lucky. With the aid of the cones in our eyes we can see many beautiful colors by day, and with the aid of the rods we can see shapes at night. One day we may even learn more about the invisible colors around us.

60. The passage is mainly about _____________.

A. color and its surprising effects.

B. women being luckier than men

C. danger caused by color blindness

D. color blindness

61. According to the passage, with the help of the “cones”, we can_______________.

A. tell different shapes B. see in a weak light

C. kill mosquitoes D. tell orange from yellow

63 Why do some people say it is safer to be driven by women?

A. Women are more careful.

B. There are fewer color-blind women

C. Women are fonder of driving than men.

D. Women are weaker but quicker in thinking.

64. Which of the statements about the color- blind is true?

A. Not all of them have the same problem in recognizing color.

B. None of them can see deep red.

C. None of them can tell the difference between blue and green.

D. All of them see everything in shades of green.

C

Some people have the feeling that nothing can be done about their poor reading ability(能力). They feel hopeless about it. Can you learn to read better, or must you agree that nothing can be done about it?

To be sure, people are different. You cannot to do everything as well as certain other people do. If all the students in a class tried out for basketball, some would be very good players; others would be very poor; and many would be in between. But even the very poor players can become much better players if they are guided in the right way, and with plenty of practice. It is the same with reading. Some seem to enjoy reading and to read well without any special help. Others find reading a slow and tiring job. In between, there are all degrees of reading ability.

Many experiments have shown that just about every poor reader can improve his reading ability. In these experiments, the poor readers were given tests of reading ability. After some of the causes of their poor reading were discovered, they were given special instruction and practice in reading. After a few months, another test of the same kind was given. In nearly all cases, these people had raised their reading scores.

64. With the example of basketball players, the author shows ________.

A. why certain people are poor readers

B. that there are differences in people’s abilities

C. why some people are good basketball players

D. that good basketball players can be good readers

65. To improve their reading ability, people should ________.

A. work long and hard B. take different forms of tests

C. have special help and practice D. try different reading materials

66. The experiments mentioned in the text show that ________.

A. good readers seem to enjoy reading

B. almost all poor readers can make progress

C. causes of poor reading are difficult to find out

D. tests help people improve their reading ability

D

When you go to St. Petersburg, the number of at-tractions can seem overwhelming. If you’re short on time, or just want to make sure to hit the highlights, these are the top must-see sights in St. Petersburg.

The Hermitage Museum

The Hermitage Museum is one of the most important sights to see for any visitor to St. Petersburg. There you can see lots of different paintings of old masters inside the Hermitage. Prepare to come face-to-face with classic Western artists.

The Russian Museum

The Russian Museum holds one of the largest collections of Russian art in the world. View Russian art creations through the ages, from Byzantine (拜占庭)-style icons to the Socialist Realism of Stalin’s times.

Kizhi Island

Kizhi Island is an open-air museum of wooden buildings from the Karelia Region of Russia. These impressive structures are made without any nails (钉子) — the wood fits together with joints and grooves (沟槽).

Peterhof

Peterhof is as beautiful as it is fun. You’ll be charged for admission (门票), but go to Peterhof when the fountains (喷泉) are working — during the day in the summer. They are shut off in winter as well as in the evenings.

The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood

Love it or hate it, the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood is an attractive must-see sight. The beautiful look may make your eyes brighten, and the paintings inside the church will make you say “Wow!”

The Bronze Horseman Statue

The Bronze Horseman is a part of Russian Culture and a symbol of St. Petersburg. Made famous by Alexander Pushkin (普希金), this statue of Peter the Great sitting on his horse can truly show Peter the Great’s influence on the Russian idea of greatness.

67. If you’re interested in paintings, you’d better go to _____.

A. the Hermitage Museum and Peterhof

B. the Hermitage Museum and the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood

C. Kizhi Island and the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood

D. the Russian Museum and Kizhi Island

68. The man on the Bronze Horse refers to _____.

A. Peter the Great B. Alexander Pushkin C. Byzantine D. Stalin

69. What can we know from the passage?

A. The fountains in Peterhof can be seen all year round.

B. The largest collection of Russian art is in the Hermitage Museum.

C. The buildings on Kizhi Island are made of wood.

D. You can visit Peterhof free of charge.

70. The main purpose of this passage is to _____.

A. show the wonderful history of Russia

B. introduce the famous buildings in Russia

C. persuade artists to study St. Petersburg

D. attract tourists to visit St. Petersburg