Ⅲ.阅读理解（共 25 小题。A 节每小题 2 分，B 节每小题 1 分；满分 45 分）

1. 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳答案。

A

JINTAN, JIANGSU: The 20 students — 18 boys and 2 girls — had a thousand reasons to be proud of themselves. They had just climbed their way to the top rung（阶梯）out of 4 million students taking part in the Fifth National Hua Luogeng Gold Cup Mathematics Contest

（竞赛）on Tuesday evening.

The 20 gold medal winners are all primary and middle school students under the age of 14.

‘Many of the problems are of college level and these pupils can figure them out. It is just unbelievable!’said a teacher from Guangdong province.

Named after China's most famous mathematician, Hua Luogeng, the contest started in 1986, one year after his death. In less than 10 years, it has been recognised by the State Education Commission（国家教委） as the country's biggest and best contest of its kind.

1. This news story is mainly about .

   1. when the contest started

   2. how the contest got its name

   3. the 20 pupils who have won gold medals in the contest

   4. the 5th National Hua Luogeng Gold Cup Mathematics Contest

2. This news story most probably appeared in a newspaper in .

A. 1986 B. 1987

C. 1995 D. 1997

1. It can be inferred from the text that the teacher from Guangdong province .

   1. felt proud of the gold medal winners

   2. wondered if the students were honest

   3. thought that the problems were too difficult for the students

   4. believed that the twenty winners could go to study at university

2. The underlined phrase‘figure out’in the text means .

   1. work out B. add up

C. guess D. study

B

In the 1930s, a lot of people in the USA were out of work. Among these people was a man named Alfred Butts. He always had an interest in word games and so, to fill his time, he planned a game which he called ‘Lexico’. However, he was not completely satisfied with the game, so he made a number of changes to it and, in time, changed its name from‘Lexico’to ‘Alph’ and then to‘Criss Cross’. He wanted to make some money from his new game but he didn't have any real commercial（商业性的） success.

In 1939, Butts happened to meet a man called Jim Brunot who showed an interest in the new game. The two men worked together on developing the game and in 1948 it was offered for sale in the United States under its new name — ‘Scrabble’.

At first, it didn't sell very well. In the first year it sold just 2,250 sets and by 1951 it had only reached 8,500 sets a year.

Then, in 1952 the manager of Macy's department store in New York,Jack Strauss, happened to play‘Scrabble’while he was on holiday. He thought it was a wonderful game and, when he went back to work after his holiday, he insisted that Macy's should stock（储备） the game and make an effort （努力） to call the public's attention to it.

As a result,‘scrabble’became a big success in the United States and it soon spread to Australia and then to other English-speaking countries.

1. The text is mainly about . A.‘Lexico’ B.three men

C.a word game D.Alfred Butts

1. Alfred Butts invented the game ‘Lexico’ .

   1. to make himself famous

   2. to make spelling simpler

   3. when he was out of work and looking for a job

   4. when he was playing word games to pass the time

2. Who made ‘Scrabble’ popular? A.Alfred Butts.

1. Jack Strauss.

2. Alfred Butts and Jim Brunot.

3. Jack Strauss and Jim Brunot.

1. When did Alfred Butts first put his game on the market? A. In 1939. B. In 1948.

C. Before 1939. D. Between 1939 and 1948.

C

Allan goes everywhere with Birgitta Anderson, a 54-year-old secretary. He moves around her office at work and goes shopping with her.‘Most people don't seem to mind Allan,’says Birgitta, who thinks

he is wonderful. ‘He's my fourth child,’ she says. She may think of him and treat him that way, buying his food, paying his health bills and his taxes, but in fact Allan is a dog.

Birgitta and Allan live in Sweden, a country where everyone is expected to lead an orderly life according to rules laid down by the government, which also provides （提供）a high level of care for its people. This level of care costs money.

People in Sweden pay taxes on everything, so aren't surprised to find that owning a dog means yet more taxes. Some people are paying as much as 500 Swedish kronor in taxes a year for the right to keep their dog, money that is spent by the government on dog hospitals and sometimes medical treatment for a dog that falls ill. However, most such treatment is expensive, so owners often decide to pay health and even life insurance （保险）for their dog.

In Sweden dog owners must pay for any damage （损坏）their dog does. A Swedish Kennel Club official explains what this means: if your dog runs out on the road and gets hit by a passing car you, as the owner, have to pay for any damage done to the car, even if your dog has been killed in the accident.

1. Birgitta pays taxes for Allan because .

   1. he is her dog B. he is her child

C. he follows her everywhere D. he often falls ill

1. The money paid as dog taxes is used to .

   1. keep a high level of care for the people

   2. pay for damage done by dogs

   3. provide medical care for dogs

   4. buy insurance for dog owners

2. If a dog causes a car accident and gets killed, who should pay for the damage done to the car?

   1. The owner of the car. B. The owner of the dog.

C. The insurance compay（公司）. D. The government.

1. From the text it can be inferred that in Sweden .

   1. dogs are welcome in public places

   2. keeping dogs means asking for trouble

   3. many car accidents are caused by dogs

   4. people care much about dogs

D

Suppose you work in a big firm and find English very important for your job because you often deal with foreign businessmen. Now you are looking for a place where you can improve your English, especially your spoken English.

Here are some advertisements about English language training from newspapers. You may find the information you need.

1. You work from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm every day. Which schools will you

   choose?

   1. Global English Centre and Modern Language School.

   2. Global English Centre and the International House.

   3. Modern Language School and the 21st Century.

   4. The 21st Century and the International House.

2. The 21st Century is different from the other three schools in that .

   1. its teaching quality is better

   2. it is nearest to the city centre

   3. its courses are more advanced

   4. it requires an entrance examination

3. You will probably prefer to go to the International House because it .

   1. offers free sightseeing and social activities

   2. has a special course in spoken English

   3. costs less than the other schools

   4. has native English teachers

4. If you take the evening programme at the International House, you will pay about .

   1. 60 yuan B.240 yuan

C.720 yuan D.1,000 yuan E

America is growing older. Fifty years ago, only 4 out of every 100 people in the United States were 65 or older. Today, 10 out of every 100 Americans are over 65. The aging of the population will affect （影响） American society in many ways— education, medicine, and business. Quietly, the graying of America has made us a very different society — one in which people have a quite different idea of what kind of behavior（行为）is suitable（合适） at various ages. A person's age no longer tells you anything about his/her social position, marriage or health. There's no longer a particular year in which one goes to school or goes to work or gets married or starts a family. The social clock that kept us on time and told us when to go to school, get a job, or stop working isn't as strong as it used to be. It doesn't surprise us to hear of a 29-year-old university president or a 35-year-old grandmother, or a 70-year-old man who has

become a father for the first time. Public ideas are changing.

Many people say, ‘I am much younger than my mother — or my father — was at my age.’ No one says ‘Act your age’ anymore. We've stopped looking with surprise at older people who act in youthful ways.

1. It can be learnt from the text that the aging of the population

in America .

1. has made people feel younger

2. has changed people's social position

3. has changed people's understanding of age

4. has slowed down the country's social development

1. The underlined word ‘one’ refers to .

   1. a society B. America

C. a place D. population

1. ‘Act your age’ means people should .

   1. be active when they are old

   2. do the right thing at the right age

   3. show respect for their parents young or old

   4. take more physical exercise suitable to their age

2. If a 25-year-old man becomes general manager of a big firm, the writer of the text would most probably consider it .

   1. normal B.wonderful

C.unbelievable D.unreasonable