请认真阅读下列短文, 从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D 四个选项中, 选出最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

Heal the wounds

This is an excerpt of US President Barack Obama’s speech following the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut on Dec 14 The majority of those who died today were children. They were beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. They had their entire lives ahead of them—birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. Among the fallen were also teachers—men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill(实现)their dreams.海南高考英语试题真题由精品学习网提供!

So our hearts are broken today—for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children, and for the families of the adults who were lost. Our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors as well, for as blessed as they are to have their children home tonight, they know that their children’s innocence has been torn away from them too early, and there are no words that will ease their pain.

As a country, we have been through this too many times. Whether it’s an elementary school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago—these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our children. And we’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies(悲剧)like this from happening, regardless of the politics. This evening, Michelle and I will do what I know every parent in America will do, which is hug our children a little tighter and we’ll tell them that we love them, and we’ll remind each other how deeply we love one another. But there are families in Connecticut who cannot do that tonight. And they need all of us right now. In the hard days to come, that community needs us to be at our best as Americans. And I will do everything in my power as President to help.

Because while nothing can fill the space of a lost child or loved one, all of us can extend a hand to those in need—to remind them that we are there for them, that we are praying for them, that the love they felt for those they lost endures(延续)not just in their memories but also in ours….

56. What is the main purpose of Paragraph 1 of Obama’s speech?

A. To show the importance of gun control.

B. To seek suggestions of how school safety can be improved.

C. To awaken people’s sympathy for those victims.

D. To give exact information about what had happened.

57. Why did Obama say their hearts “are broken for the parents of the survivors as well”?

A. Their children were mentally hurt by what had happened.

B. Some of their children were badly injured.

C. The tragedy makes them scared about their kids’ safety.

D. It will be difficult for them to ease the pain of losing friends.

58. Obama delivered this speech in order to __________.

A. do away with violent crimes taking place in schools

B. encourage people to love their families and friends

C. state the government’s determination to ensure safety in schools

D. call on people to unite and help those who are suffering from the tragedy

59. Which best describes Obama’s tone (腔调) in the speech?

A. Anxious.                  B. Sorrowful.           C. Sharp.                      D. Faithful.

B

Beatles’ music lives on

The news that albums by the pop and rock band The Beatles(披头士乐队)are soon to be re-released worldwide is sure to delight their fans, or rather their new fans. The teenagers, now adults, who listened to them back in the 1960s likely already own most of their albums.

The re-release of The Beatles’ music catalogue(目录)is clearly aimed at today’s teenagers who want to discover for themselves the pop band their parents loved. It’s proof of the genius(天才)of the fantastic four’s music that today’s teenage generation want to listen to them.

A four-member band from Liverpool, England, that formed in 1960 and broke up in 1970, The Beatles were one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed(称赞)bands in the history of popular music. The two most famous band members were Sir Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

The band’s innovative(创新的)music and cultural impact helped define the 1960s, and their influence on pop culture is still clear today. When the US music magazine Rolling Stone made a list in 2004 of the 100 greatest artists of all time, it surprised no one that they gave The Beatles the top spot of number one.

So why nearly 40 years after the band’s split are they still so popular? According to Barry Miles, Sir Paul McCartney’s biographer(传记作者), the answer is that they were the first of their kind. “They were essentially(本质上)the first rock band. The Beatles were the first of the British singer-songwriting bands and they just happened to be the best. They were the first band to play stadiums, to have their own products, they were ground-breaking in every way,” he says.

They were also unbelievably talented, as Miles also points out, “They had great performing and songwriting talent, not only John and Paul, but George wrote some fantastic songs and the chance of having three gifted songwriters in the same band is very remote.”

60. The re-release of The Beatles’ albums is intended for __________.

A. all The Beatles’ fans            B. today’s teenagers’ parents

C. today’s teenage generation       D. those who were teenagers in the 1960s

61. What’s the purpose of the fourth paragraph?

A. To highlight The Beatles’ uniqueness.      B. To show The Beatles’ great influence.

C. To introduce The Beatles’ achievements.    D. To explain why The Beatles remain popular.

62. The Beatles broke through in the following ways EXCEPT that __________.

A. they were the first rock band

B. they were the first band to perform in stadiums

C. they were the first band to perform all around the world

D. they were among the first British bands to have several songwriters

63. What can we conclude after reading the passage?

A. The Beatles had a successful start but an unhappy ending.

B. It’s not rare for a band to have several talented songwriters.

C. The band’s fans in the 1960s have lost interest in The Beatles today.

D. Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote many of the songs for the band.

C

About 15 years ago, readers of The Independent, a daily national newspaper, were asked by its travel journalists what they missed when they were away from home, and what they looked forward to when they returned. Apart from “family”, “friends” and “favorite foods”, many people mentioned “the Sunday newspapers” and “the crossword puzzle”.

It’s certainly true that among their many hobbies, the English enjoy words, above all reading them and playing with them. Reading books is one of the most popular relaxation activities, with approximately 100,000 books a year published. Over 80 per cent of the population regularly read a daily newspaper, and there are more newspapers per person than any other country except Japan. The weekend newspapers generally contain hundreds of pages, and even the most popular hobbies — fishing, stamp collecting, train-spotting, bird-watching, walking, sports, pets, flower-arranging, knitting and pigeon-fancying — have at least one, if not several specialist magazines, devoted to them. In fact, many people probably spend more time reading about their hobbies than actually doing them.

It’s also undoubtedly true that word games, puzzles and competitions are hugely popular in newspapers, on the radio and even on television. One of the most popular television games in the 1980s and 1990s was “Call My Bluff” where two teams of players had to guess which of three meanings of an unfamiliar word was correct. In many cases newspapers have a word games section, such as a “Words within Words” competition where the aim is to make as many words as possible with the letters of a single word. Above all, crossword puzzles are the most familiar word game, with clues ranging from words which have the same meaning as other words, to the “Cryptic” where the meaning of the word is expressed in a very indirect way, and in a variety of linguistic(语言学的) and cultural references. Apparently, some people choose their newspaper not because of the quality of the news coverage but because of the crossword puzzle.

You may think that you would need an excellent command of the English language to enjoy playing with words as much as the English do. But many of the word games are very simple and good fun, and in fact, the only skill you must have is to speak and listen or read and write a little.

64. What does the underlined word “one” in Paragraph Two refer to?

A. a magazine       B. a person        C. a page         D. a hobby

65. How many types of word games are mentioned in the passage?

A. 2               B. 3              C. 4              D. 5

66. The best title for the passage may be __________.

A. A love of words                    B. A description of hobbies

C. An account of word games            D. An introduction of newspapers

67. What is the author’s purpose of writing the article?

A. To encourage readers to read newspapers.

B. To tell readers the functions of the newspaper.

C. To report the result of a survey by The Dependent.

D. To entertain readers with what is written in the article.

D

Five-year-old Joe Brown isn’t backward at coming forward about what he thinks of his big sisters, Rosie and Matilda.

“They’re horrible and ugly,” he said, with a grin(冷笑). “Horrible and ugly.”

Then again, his sisters aren’t always over-fond of their young brother, either.

“When Joe was born, Matilda said she was going to kill him before he was three because she really envied him,” said the eldest, 13-year-old Rosie. “She used to get all the special attention and now she doesn’t any more.”

As for Matilda, 11, she too can be quite cruel. “Joe’s the one that’s most annoying,” she said.

It’s somehow certain to know that kids act the same no matter who their parents are — in this case actors Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward.

And the couple agreed to let their children have freedom when it came to them participating in a Telling-the-Truth ABC TV program about brothers and sisters. The TV program invites an American expert on the subject, Frank J. Sulloway, who tells how our personalities are often shaped by our order of birth, position in the family and relationships between brothers and sisters.

First-borns tend to be conservative(保守的), ambitious and close to their parents. Those coming later have to make a conscious effort to be different in order to successfully compete for their parents’ attention. As a result, the youngest children tend to end up history’s great risk-takers, rebels(叛逆者)or movers and shakers.

“This kind of relationships is really the key personality-forming relationships of all our lives,” said Ms Sauers, a secondary school teacher. “The relationships are generally the longest relationships we have; they go from childhood to old age.”

“A lot of people feel those relationships really ground them because, with brothers and sisters, you can’t get away with anything bad.”

“As for Joe, Rosie and Matilda, their daily battles over clothes, musical instruments, who performs best in sport and parental love are as regular as any other kids.”

“And considering who their mum and dad are, they’re very normal and unaffected.”海南高考英语试题真题由精品学习网提供!

68. What do the underlined words “ground them” mean?

A. monitor them       B. surround them      C. keep them       D. worry them

69. Which of the following is wrong according to the passage?

A. Children envy each other and can’t get along well enough.

B. Joe, Matilda and Rosie’s parents are mentioned in the passage.

C. Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward are the three children’s parents.

D. Actors Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward are asked to act Joe, Matilda and Rosie’s parents.

70. What’s the readers’ impression about Joe Brown after reading the passage?

A. Joe Brown doesn’t like to go back when he comes to see his big sisters Rosie and Matilda.

B. The little brother Joe Brown is a little backward compared with his big sisters.

C. Joe Brown is ready to say something ill about his big sisters.

D. Young as Joe Brown is, he isn’t forward and actually is as backward as his big sisters.

参考答案：

56-59 CADB   60-63 CBCD         64-67 CBAD  68-70 ADC

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