B

Like many of my generation, I have a weakness for hero worship. At some point, however, we all begin to question our heroes and our need for them. This leads us to ask: What is a hero?

Despite immense differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristics that instruct and inspire people.

A hero does something worth talking about. A hero has a story of adventure to tell and a community who will listen. But a hero goes beyond mere fame.

Heroes serve powers or principles larger than themselves. Like high-voltage(电压) transformers, heroes take the energy of higher powers and step it down so that it can be used by ordinary people.

The hero lives a life worthy of imitation. Those who imitate a genuine hero experience life with new depth, enthusiasm, and meaning. A sure test for would-be heroes is what or whom do they serve? What are they willing to live and die for? If the answer or evidence suggests they serve only their own fame, they may be famous persons but not heroes. Madonna and Michael Jackson are famous, but who would claim that their fans find life more abundant?

Heroes are catalysts (催化剂) for change. They have a vision from the mountaintop. They have the skill and the charm to move the masses. They create new possibilities. Without Gandhi, India might still be part of the British Empire. Without Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., we might still have segregated(隔离的) buses, restaurants, and parks. It may be possible for large-scale change to occur without leaders with magnetic personalities, but the pace of change would be slow, the vision uncertain, and the committee meetings endless.

46. Although heroes may come from different cultures, they _______.

A. generally possess certain inspiring characteristics

B. probably share some weaknesses of ordinary people

C. are often influenced by previous generations

D. all unknowingly attract a large number of fans

47. According to the passage, heroes are compared to high-voltage transformers in that ____.

A. they have a vision from the mountaintop

B. they have warm feelings and emotions

C. they can serve as concrete(具体的) examples of noble principles

D. they can make people feel stronger and more confident

48. Madonna and Michael Jackson are not considered heroes because ________.

A. they are popular only among certain groups of people

B. their performances do not improve their fans morally

C. their primary concern is their own financial interests

D. they are not clear about the principles they should follow

49. Gandhi and Martin Luther King are typical examples of outstanding leaders who _____.

A. are good at demonstrating their charming characters

B. can move the masses with the skill and the charm

C. are capable of meeting all challenges and hardships

D. can provide an answer to the problems of their people

50. The author concludes that historical changes would ______.

A. be delayed without leaders with inspiring personal qualities

B. not happen without heroes making the necessary sacrifices

C. take place if there were heroes to lead the people

D. produce leaders with attractive personalities

答案：46—50 ACBBA

解析：46. A。细节判断题。从文中的“heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristics that instruct and inspire people”可以得出结论。47. C。英雄就像变压器，能“step it down so that it can be used by ordinary people”。48. B。因为虽然他们是“famous”，但是“who would claim that their fans find life more abundant?”。既然他们的歌迷的生活没有变得更有意义，也就是“do not improve their fans morally”。49. B。通过文章的结构来判断。“They have the skill and the charm to move the masses”是主题句，Gandhi and Martin Luther King等的事情是实例。50. A。细节判断题。文中有“without leaders…the pace of change would be slow”。

C

BEIJING, May 5(Xinhua)—The number of Chinese children infected with hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) continues to rise, with reported cases reaching 9,251 by Monday.

The latest HFMD infections occurred in the southwestern Chongqing Municipality which reported 42 sporadic(零星的) cases since Thursday.

"No fatal or critical cases have been reported in Chongqing so far," said Liu Kejia, vice director of Chongqing Health Bureau. "The disease prevention and control center has sampled some cases and no enterovirus 71 has been confirmed."

Beijing has recorded at least 1,482 cases of the disease in all the 18 districts in the city until Monday, of which 818 were reported in kindergartens. The neighboring Hebei Province reported 206 cases on Monday.

Altogether 25 children have died of the disease. Tests have confirmed 24 of the deaths were triggered by the virus known as enterovirus 71 or EV71.

According to the Guidelines Regarding Prevention and Control of HFMD published on the Ministry of Health website, HFMD can be caused by a host of intestinal(肠的) viruses, but EV71 and the Coxsackievirus (Cox A 16) were the most common.

Anhui Province, in east China, and Guangdong Province, south China were the worst hit areas. Twenty-two of the deaths occurred in Fuyang, a city in northwestern Anhui, and the rest in Guangdong.

Outbreaks have also occurred in Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei provinces, according to statistics released by local health departments.

In Anhui alone, 622 new cases were reported on Saturday, including 362 in Fuyang, driving up the number of children with HFMD to 5,151 in Anhui.

Guangdong registered 925 cases as of Sunday.

Both EV71 and Cox A16 can cause HFMD, which usually starts with a slight fever followed by blisters and ulcers(溃疡) in the mouth and rashes(皮疹) on the hands and feet.

Those sickened by EV71 often show serious symptoms. It can also lead to meningitis, encephalitis, pulmonary edema and paralysis in some children. There is no vaccine.

The Health Ministry issued a circular(通告) late last month requiring better management and surveillance of the disease, as it expects more cases in the next few months.

The ministry asked hospitals for daily reports on the disease, and for local health departments to report emergencies promptly and increase investment in research into the disease.

51.   It can be inferred that the hand-foot-mouth cases ____________ accordingly.

A. are still on a rise            B. have been reduced to the lowest point

C. have been under control      C. have disappeared

52. The hand-foot-mouth disease is a kind of ___________ disease.

A. serious and incurable                  B. common and curable

C. slight but fatal                        D. rare and incurable

53. According to the passage, ______ deaths occurred in Guangdong Province.

A. 2            B. 22         C.   71        D. 3

54. As it is reported that __________ was seriously infected.

A. Beijing       B. Chongqing       C. Hunan         D. Fuyang

55. The reason why children are so easily infected is that ___________.

A. they are too weak to prevent from being infected

B. they don’t wash their hands before eating

C. there is no vaccine used to protect them from that disease

D. the government didn’t take any measures to tackle it

答案：51—55 ABDDC

解析：51. A。文中第一段有“with hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) continues to rise”。52. B。根据全国各地发病情况以及死亡人数可判断。53. D。根据文中的描述来判断：“Altogether 25 children have died…wenty-two of the deaths in…Anhui, and the rest in Guangdong.”。54. D。根据Fuyang的死亡人数中判断。55. D。文章中明确说明了“There is no vaccine.”。