Section C (12 marks)

Directions:Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one word that best fits the context.

My 15-year-old brother, Carlos, is one of the people I can’t live 48. _________. But sometimes I forgot to show him how much I appreciate him.

I’m truly happy to have an older brother like him. He’s caring, smart 49. _________ responsible. I’m so proud of him, yet sometimes I fail to show 50. ________. I’m always annoying him, making fun of him and hurting his feelings. I do such things so that I can draw his 51. __________. I remember I once said that I wished I had another brother.

One thing made me see 52. _______ special our relationship is. I had a cousin who died seven years ago. The day of his funeral, his sister gave a speech and said that she wished she had a better relationship with him. But we can’t turn back the hands of 53. __________. I don’t want this happen to my brother and me. We should be happy that we have each other because we can never tell 54. _________ lies ahead. I will try to be a 55. _________ sister so that my brother won’t wish that he had a better one.

Keys:

48. without 49. and 50. that / it 51. attention 52. how 53. time 54. what 55. better

Part III Reading Comprehension (30 marks)

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A，B，C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.

A

At just six years old, Joey Kilpatrick is Australia’s unofficial hide-and-seek champion after he hid in a bedroom cupboard for eight hours while playing his favourite game, causing a massive rescue operation.

The determined little boy’s disappearing act led to a full-scale search, including nine police officers, five State Emergency Service volunteers, tracker dogs and almost all of the residents(居民) of the town of Goombungee.

His mother, Chris, says she called the police when Joey disappeared one afternoon after telling his older brother, Lachlan, 14, that he was off to play hide-and-seek.

“I called the two boys for dinner, ” Chris says. “After about 20 minutes I started to worry. I was shouting to Joey, ‘OK, we can’t find you, time to come out!’ ”

But there was no sign of her little boy. Within minutes of Chris calling the authorities, the police started on of the biggest ground searches in the town’s history.

“I was really scared. I rang my husband, Kris, who works out of town, and he immediately hit the road, calling me every 10 minutes, ” Chris recalls. “They searched the house from top to bottom; everyone was out looking for him. When a neighbour asked if I’d checked the water tank, that’s when reality hit. I was terrified.”

After hours of searching the town, confused police decided to search the house one more time.

“I just sat there waiting, ” Chris says. “Then a strange feeling came over me, and I wandered into the bedroom and put my hand on a pile of blankets in the cupboard. As I pulled them out, there he was --- asleep and completely unaware of what was going on! I’ve never hugged him so hard.

Senior constable(巡警), Chris Brameld, from Goombungee police, says he is glad that Joey’s game had a happy ending: “When we realized he was safe, we agreed that it doesn’t get much better than that!”

And young Joey promises that next time he won’t be so intent on finding the best hiding place. “I want to say sorry to the policemen and to Mummy for scaring them, ” he says. “ I promise next time I’ll hide where they can find me and I won’t fall asleep!”

56. Why did the boy hide in a bedroom cupboard?

A. He wanted to start a massive rescue operation.

B. He didn’t think he could be easily found there.

C. He is Australia’s unofficial hide-and-seek champion.

D. He thought it was good place to sleep.

57. What did the boy’s mother do the moment she couldn’t find her son?

A. She turned to her neighbours for help. B. She called the police and her husband.

C. She checked the water tank. D. She searched the town from top to bottom.

58. What can we learn from the passage?

A. The boy felt very cold when he was found.

B. The boy knew clearly what was going on.

C. The mother was very grateful to find her boy.

D. The mother usually hugged her boy very hard.

59. How did the boy feel after he found out what had happened?

A. Pitiful. B. Funny. C. Scared. D. Guilty.

60. According to the passage, what was the best thing in the end about what happened?

A. The boy was found safe. B. The boy fell asleep.

C. The boy won the championship. D. The boy found the best hiding place.

解析：

56. 答案是: B。文中的小男孩是在玩“ hide-and-seek”游戏，所以他要找一个别人不易找到他的地方。

57. 答案是: B。细节题，从文章第三段和第六段可找出答案。

58. 答案是: C。从文章倒数第三段可看出

59. 答案是: D。从最后一段 “I want to say sorry to the policemen and to Mummy for scaring them, ” he says. “ I promise next time I’ll hide where they can find me and I won’t fall asleep!”可看出。

60. 答案是: A。小男孩平安才是最重要。

B

Memo(备忘录) To: Parents / Guardians of all students from Kindergarten to Grade 6

Memo From: The School Administration

Topic: Upcoming Events and School News

Date: December 13, 2010

Professional Development Day --- Friday, December 17th

Staff(全体员工) at St. Augustine’s will be participating in a Professional Development day on Friday, December 17th, dealing with problems related to School Development. Therefore there will be NO CLASSES for students on that day. When children return on Monday, December 20th, it will be Day 3.

Christmas Ticket Draw:

Please return all tickets stubs (存根) and money as soon as possible. The draw will take place on Monday evening, December 20th, at the conclusion of our Christmas concert. Thank you for your attention to this matter. School Christmas Concert.

The school Christmas concert will take place on Monday, December 20th at 7:00 p.m., featuring all our students from Kindergarten to Grade Six. The admission cost is $3.00 per adult and $2.00 per child. Each child must be accompanied by an adult.

All students are required to arrive at the school no later than 6:30 p.m. It will be quite a busy time and this will allow us to be organized and prepared for the exciting show ahead. Primary students are asked to go to their classrooms and elementary choir(合唱团) students are asked to go to the music room upon arrival at the school. The attire for the Elementary Choir will be a red or green shirt and dark trousers (preferably black). We are very excited about the upcoming concert and so are the students! We are looking forward to sharing the spirit of the Christmas season!

Lunch Program Service for Wednesday, December 22nd will be provided as usual.

Kindergarten Information

Due to the early dismissal on Wednesday, December 22nd, all kindergarten students will come to school for the morning session. Your child will be dismissed at the usual time, which is 11:20 a.m.

Christmas Dismissal / Break:

School buses will be at our building on Wednesday, December 22nd at 12:45 p.m. for early dismissal at 1:00p.m. The children will return to school after the Christmas holidays on Tuesday, January 4th, 2011. It will be DAY 1 on the student’s schedule.

Final Note:

At this time the Saff of St.Augustine’s would like to thank you for your continued cooperation and support of your child’s school and education. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

61. How much would a couple with twins pay for the Christmas concert?

A. $5.00. B. $7.00. C. $8.00. D. $10.00.

62. According to the memo, on December 20th, primary students had to__________.

A. arrive at least one hour before the concert B. wear a red or green shirt and dark trousers

C. bring lunch by themselves D. gather in their classrooms first

63. From the passage, we know that__________.

A. the teachers were busy on December 17th B. a ticket draw took place on December 21st

C. students had no classes on December 22nd D. No food was supplied December 22nd

64. For the Christmas holidays, the students had__________. .

A. 9 days off B. 10 days off C. 12 days off D. 15 days off

65. Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?

A. Students had classes on December 17th.

B. Parents had to return the Christmas ticket stubs.

C. Students went home as usual on December 20th.

D. School buses arrived at 1: 00 p.m. on December 22nd.

解析：

61. 答案是：D。从文章中 “The admission cost is $3.00 per adult and $2.00 per child. Each child must be accompanied by an adult.” 可算出。

62. 答案是：D。从文章Christmas Ticket Draw中“Primary students are asked to go to their classrooms and elementary choir students are asked to go to the music room upon arrival at the school.”可找到答案。

63. 答案是: A。从文章 Professional Development Day --- Friday, December 17th中“Staff at St. Augustine’s will be participating in a Professional Development day on Friday, December 17th, dealing with issues related to School Development. Therefore there will be NO CLASSES for students on that day. When children return on Monday, December 20th, it will be Day 3.”可找到答案。

64. 答案是：C。Christmas holidays从12月23日开始到元月3日结束，元月4日回校。

65. 答案是：B。从文章“Christmas Ticket Draw中Please return all tickets stubs (存根) and money as soon as possible.”可知。A项错，on Dec. 17学生不上学；C项错，因为“The school Christmas concert will take place on Monday, December 20th at 7:00 p.m.”，所以学生不能正常放学回家；D项错，因为校车是12:45分到。

C

It’s the basic nature of young children to touch the things in their environment that their parents find most unpleasant. Just try to keep your one-year olds from sticking the dog’s bone in their mouth!

Although health authorities suggest regular hand washing, it’s difficult not to worry about what your children are getting into and the effect it will have on their health. Infectious(传染的) diseases are a great cause for concern, but some would argue that our society has gone overboard when it comes to protecting our kids from bacteria(细菌).

An increasing body of research suggests that exposing little kids to bacteria may offer them greater protection from illnesses such as allergies(过敏) later on in life. It’s believed that when exposure to bacteria and viruses is limited early in life, children face a greater chance of having allergies and other autoimmune (自身免疫的)diseases during adulthood. In fact, kids with older brothers and sisters who grew up on a farm seem to show lower rates of allergies.

Just as a baby’s brain needs stimulation, input, and interaction to develop normally, the young immune(免疫的) system is strengthened by exposure to everyday bacteria so that it can learn, adapt, and regulate itself, notes Thom McDade, PhD, associate professor and director of the Laboratory for Human Biology Research at Northwestern University.

Exactly which bacteria seem to do the trick hasn’t yet been confirmed. But new research offers clues. In a recent study, McDade’s team found that children who were exposed to more dirt and had more cases of diarrhea (腹泻) before age 2 had lower rates of inflammation (炎症) that has been linked to many adulthood diseases such as heart disease in adulthood.

We’re moving beyond this idea that the immune system is just involved in allergies and autoimmune diseases to think about its role in inflammation and other diseases, “McDade ”says. “Exposure to bacterium early in life may play an important role in preventing inflammation in adulthood.”

66. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Exposure to bacteria as a child can help protect him or her from some illnesses later in life.

B. Kids with older brothers and sisters have lower rates of allergies.

C. Exposure to bacterium will increase the chance of having allergies in adulthood.

D. Parents should protect their kids from exposure to bacteria.

67. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refers to __________ .

A. a baby’s brain B. the young immune system

C. exposure to everyday bacterium D. a baby’s body

68. If a kid is exposed to dirt before age 2, he may_________.

A. have fewer cases of diarrhea in adulthood

B. develop a worse immune system than others

C. be more likely to have allergies later in life

D. be less likely to develop heart disease in adulthood

69. What is the author’s attitude towards kids’ exposure to bacteria?

A. Dissatisfied. B. Negative. C. Supportive. D. Angry.

70. The passage is probably written for__________.

A. parents B. your children C. teachers D. nurses

解析：

66. 答案是：A。从文章最后一段“Exposure to bacterium early in life may play an important role in preventing inflammation in adulthood. ”可看出正确答案。

67. 答案是：B。根据上下文可判断出。

68. 答案是：D。从文章倒数第二段“In a recent study, McDade’s team found that children who were exposed to more dirt and had more cases of diarrhea (腹泻) before age 2 had lower rates of inflammation (炎症) that has been linked to many adulthood diseases such as heart disease in adulthood.”可以得出正确答案。

69. 答案是：C。纵观全文可知。

70. 答案是：A。从文章第一段可知。