第三节：阅读理解(共20小题，每题2分，满分40分)

A

Parenting has never been an easy job，but mothers and fathers today face challenges in raising their children that their own parents may never have had to deal with

While children have always been particular eaters，for example，parents today are trying to supply healthful food in a world full of chicken nuggets，processed snacks and soft drinks.Bike riding and hopscotch have given way to video games and text messaging.And working parents have to cope with all things around day care，jobs and family.

At the same time，a large amount of health information on the Internet and elsewhere has introduced a higher level of stress for parents.Web sites provide supplements(补品)that increase a child’s brain health while news organizations report on the latest scare from baby bottles or too much television.

All of this makes raising a healthy child overwhelming.But it doesn’t have to be.

This Well guide offers small steps and simple ways to improve a child’s well-being in four areas —nutrition，development，playtime and safety Inside，there’s advice from experts on how to raise a healthy，active youngster;tips on diet and behavior，help for problems like insomnia，and the latest thinking on day care，discipline and other topics.It’s all designed to help kids stay well every day.

36.According to the author, what is most likely to be found in today’s homes?

A.Hopscotch     B.Healthful food.   C.Bike riding.  D Brain supplements

37.What does“Well guide'’in the last paragraph probably refer to?

A.A program how to deal with daily affairs

B  A game on how to make kids clever.

C.A book on how to raise a child.

D.A site on how to reduce work stress

38.From the 1st paragraph in the passage, we can infer that

A.today’s parents are too busy to raise their own children

B  today’s parents should seek advice from their own parents

C  it was much easier to raise children in the past

D.parents have more concerns in raising children today

39.The underlined word in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by ____________.

A.relaxing       B.delighting      C.stressful     D puzzling

40. What is the best title of the passage?

A. How difficult the parents are now   B. How to improve a child’s well-being

C. Parents’ worries                 D. the difference between parents and their parents

B

For millions of people，the American dream of owning a home seems to be slipping out of

reach.

“Maybe young couples can no longer afford to buy a ready-made house as their parents did,' says 40-year-old building instructor Pat Hennin.“But they can still have a home.Like their pioneer ancestors，they can build it themselves，and at less than half the cost of a ready-made house.”

The owner-builders came from every occupational group，although surprisingly few are professional building workers.Many take the plunge with little or no experience.“l learned how to build my house from reading books，”says John Brown，who built a six-room home for$25，000 in High Falls，New Jersey.“If you have patience and the carpentry(木匠)skill to make a bookcase，you can build a house.”An astonishing 50 percent of these owner builders hammer every nail.1ay every pipe，and wire every switch with their own hands.The rest contract(承包)for some parts of the task.But even those who just act as contractors and finish the insides of their homes can save from 30 percent to 45 percent of what a ready-made home would cost.

One survey revealed that 60 percent of owner-builders also design their homes.Many others buy commercial house plans for less than $100 or use plans available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

41.What does the passage mainly tell us?

A.The cost of having a house built.

B.A comparison between young couples and their parents.

C.The life of owner-builders in America.

D.The American dream of owning a house.

42.It can be inferred from the passage that many Americans find it difficult to __________.

A.build a house             B.find a ready-made house

C.have a good job           D.buy a house

43.The underlined phrase“take the plunge”most probably means“__________________.”

A.decide to build a house    B.decide to pull down a house

C.decide to buy a house      D.decide to rent a house

44.From the passage we learn that____________.

A.Many house plans are offered free of charge.

B.Most of the house plans are offered by building instructors

C.Fifty percent of the American young couples build houses.

D.Most of the owner builders design their homes.

45. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Most owner-builders are professional building workers.

B. Owner-builders can save  30 percent to 45 percent of what a ready-made home would cost.

C. Less than 40 percent of owner-builders buy commercial plans.

D. Only if you have carpentry skill can you build your own house.

C

A young man learns what’s most important in life from the guy next door. It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it,” Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry,” he said. “I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important…Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral,” Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture….Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.

“The box is gone.” he said.

“What box?” Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’.” Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him.” Jack said.

“I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom.”

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day, Jack discovered a note in his mailbox “Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days.” the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. “Mr. Harold Belser” it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside.

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:

“Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser.”

“The thing he valued most was…my time”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” Janet, his assistant asked.

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said, “Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!”

46. Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

A. College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Bleser.

B. Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

C. Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

D. His present busy life washed away his childhood memories.

47. Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that ______.

A. Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

B. Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

C. Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

D. Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

48. Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?

A. Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.

B. Because he had no children or relatives.

C. Because he thought he had to keep his word.

D. Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.

49. Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

A. He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

B. He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

C. He had missed his son and his family for days.

D. He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

50. From the passage we can infer ___________.

A. Jack was quite upset at Mr. Belser’s death.

B. Jack felt it regretful that he hadn’t spent too much time with Mr. Belser.

C. Jack brought Mr. Belser much pleasure while learning carpentry.

D. Mr. Belser’s child had died before him.