第三部分：阅读理解 (共20小题;每小题2分, 满分40分)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

A

Snapshots, the new fashion for an artistic portrait (肖像) photo: Take it underwater. Zhang Xiaomei, a 20 something Shanghai native who works in the media industry, tried it out twice.

"It was a completely different experience," says Zhang of her first such experience last May. "You get the feeling that you're cut off from the rest of the world. But also it s romantic and like a fairy tale."

She then successfully convinced her husband to be to have their wedding photos taken underwater a couple of months after her first try. "Can you imagine a 1.87-meter-tall man trying out something like a fishtail under the water?" Zhang says, laughing.

A commercial underwater photo portrait is perfect for post 80 and post 90 generations who adore taking snapshots, but are looking for new ways to be artistic, says Ai Cheng, owner and photographer of No.55 Underwater Photography in Shanghai.

Ai opened a studio in Shanghai's suburb of Songjiang two years ago, building a 5-meter- deep, fan-shaped pool equipped with heating facilities to start up the business. A 30-minute training on how to smile under the water so that you won't drink too much water and how to open your eyes underwater is offered in his studio for those who don't know how to swim.

Ai says most of his customers are female—half of them coming for an artistic portrait photo and the rest for wedding pictures. "Some of them drag their boyfriends or husband-to-be, who are unwilling to go down to the water, to shoot as well," he says.

56. What would be the best title for the text?

A. The Best Smiles May Be All Wet. B. The Sweetest Smile in the World.

C. Smiling, a Universal Language. D. A New Challenge, a New Trend.

57. What does Zhang Xiaomei think of underwater snapshot?

A. Funny. B. Dangerous. C. Fantastic. D. Strange.

58. Who are most likely to take photos underwater?

A. Young people eager to be special.

B. Senior people to recall their old days.

C. Couples to celebrate their anniversary.

D. Artists to create new styles.

59. It can be inferred from the last two paragraphs that ______.

A. young people are in for this fashion

B. fewer men would show interest in this fashion

C. men are more romantic than women

D. women would like to take more adventures

B

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for family, health, and life in general. However, Black Friday has turned it into a business.

Traditionally, the true value of Thanksgiving lies at home not the shopping centers. However, Black Friday has nowadays allowed society to ignore this as individuals long for something that they do not need or even truly want. Shopping on Black Friday becomes a sign of a shift into a culture that values material wealth over spending time with loved ones. People are willing to force their way through the crowds in their desperate search for marked-down sweaters and necklaces.

In recent years, Thanksgiving has become a pre-Black Friday holiday for many families. They are devoted to mapping out shopping routes and making organized schedules for which stores to hit first. By drawing individuals out to shopping centers with "matchless savings", businesses encourage this behavior of ignoring Thanksgiving. Many families take their home-cooked meals while camping out at the door of shopping centers. With each new year, Thanksgiving is becoming victim to over-commercialization—switching from a meaningful time of thanks and family to a day dedicated to products and profit.

Black Friday has shown that with current common standards, people cannot even set aside a single day to appreciate what they already have without immediately buying more. Families have lost sight of what is truly important in life, and have found reasons in debating between a low cost HD television and an appreciation for what they already have. Remember, Thanksgiving should be a day in which people are grateful for all that they have.

60. The underlined word "this" in paragraph 2 probably refers to ______.

A. the sign of a shift B. the material wealth

C. the shopping crowd D. the true value of Thanksgiving

61. In recent years, what will many families do when thanksgiving comes?

A. Make full preparations for the Black Friday shopping.

B. Visit some newly-opened shopping centers in advance.

C. Find it difficult to choose a store for their first visit.

D. Go camping at the gate of shopping center for a good deal.

62. In the last paragraph, the author mainly intends to tell us that we should ______.

A. set aside a single day to buy more

B. try to spend less to get low cost products

C. stay with our families as long as we can

D. appreciate what we've possessed with our families

63. What's the author’s attitude towards the present ways people celebrate Thanksgiving?

A. Annoyed. B. Worried. C. Supportive. D. Unconcerned.