第三部分　阅读理解(共20小题; 每小题2分, 满分40分)

A

A blue diamond broke a world record today, reaching a price of  about $9. 6 million, or about $1. 8 million per carat(克拉), according to auctioneer(拍卖人)Bonhams.

The diamond is brilliant blue and is set in a ring made by Italian jeweler Bulgari around 1965. The high price likely comes from the diamond’s unusual color as well as its brilliant setting. Bulgari is a company beloved by the Hollywood celebrities(名人), and blue diamonds are rarely up for sale. This particular blue diamond also happens to be a large mass of ice a t 5. 3 carats.

The diamond is a“fancy deep-blue(花式深蓝)”stone. According to Bonhams, less than 1 percent of all diamonds mined are blue diamonds. “Blue diamonds, especially those over 5. 00 carats, are extremely rare to see on the market and continue to be highly sought-after, ”Jean Ghika, the director of Bonhams’ European jewelry department, said in a statement. “We are honored to have handled the sale of such a unique precious stone. ”

The previous record for the price of a diamond per carat was $1. 68 million, according to Bonhams.

51. The passage mainly tells us　　　.

A. a blue diamond breaking a world record because of its high price

B. a blue diamond breaking a world record because of its brilliant blue

C. a blue diamond breaking a world record because of its meaningful background

D. a blue diamond breaking a world record because it is a“fancy deep-blue”stone

52. The reason why the blue diamond gets the high price is that　　　.

A. it has an unusual color

B. it has a brilliant setting

C. it has unusual color and brilliant setting

D. many Hollywood celebrities love it

53. According to the passage, the following are true EXCEPT that　　　.

A. the ring with the diamond set in was made in 1965

B. only 1 percent of all diamonds mined are blue diamonds

C. the price of a diamond per carat had ever been $1. 68 million

D. blue diamonds are seldom sold

54. Which of the following is similar to the underlined word in Paragraph 3 in meaning?

A. bought          B. sold

C. dealt with         D. began with

B

When Josephine Cooper was growing up, she learned the importance of charity from her parents. Although they made a modest living for their family of 10, they insisted on sharing with those less fortunate.

Half a century later, Mrs. Cooper became a beloved volunteer at the San Diego Food Bank, where she devoted herself to helping others. She organized and ran a distribution center of a church, helping it become the organization’s largest emergency food distribution center in San Diego. She was one of the 25 outstanding senior volunteers in the nation selected and invited to Washington D. C. to receive an award.

“She was the main person who helped us make that program grow, ” said Mike Doody, former director of the Food Bank. “She had a way of getting people to work together and to work hard. She was determined and stubborn, but in a good way. She had a good heart. ”People knew her as “Grandma” because of her selflessness and her devotion to helping hungry children and families. “She reminded people of their Grandma, ” Doody said.

As a widow with a young child in 1979, Mrs. Cooper was helped through a difficult financial time when the Food Bank provided her with groceries. “She devoted her life to giving back, ”said her daughter, Monica Cooper. It wasn’t unusual for a local church to call Mrs. Cooper to ask her to aid a needy family. “She would give people food out of her cupboard. Sometimes we would cook a meal for a family living in their car, ”Monica Cooper said.

Although Mrs. Cooper was honored to receive the national award for her volunteer work, she said being able to help others was her reward. She died of liver disease and kidney failure, aged 93.

55. The underlined word “charity” in Paragraph 1 refers to　　　.

A. offering help        B. donating money

C. providing services       D. showing sympathy

56. The San Diego Food Bank is meant to　　　.

A. distribute food in case of emergency

B. help hungry children and families

C. give basic first-aid treatment

D. train some senior volunteers

57. From what Monica Cooper said, we know that　　　.

A. she is in financial trouble

B. she was finally rewarded

C. she once misunderstood her mother

D. she thinks highly of her mother

58. Mrs. Cooper’s story suggests that　　　.

A. everyone needs a grandma nearby

B. children are what their parents are

C. a sound mind is in a sound body

D. a mother’s love never changes