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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

Every kid wishes to be an adult. But now as grown-ups, some adults find they cannot leave childhood behind. They become "kidults" (kid+adult). Being a kidult has become a lifestyle-choice among young people across Asia.

Some kidults collect toys they once played with.  Hello Kitty, Garfield, and Snoopy have many adult fans around the world. It is not unusual to see a 20-something woman with a big, Garfield-shaped cushion on her sofa or a Hello Kitty mobile phone accessory.

Other kidults still enjoy children's stories and fairy tales. For example, Bloomsbury even published the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover. That way, no one else on the subway will know that an adult is actually reading a children's book!

"Kidults can be like vitamins to society. Adults who value their childhood and hold on to pure, child-like emotion may be needed in such a rough and dry society," said Lee Sojung, professor of Foreign Studies at Hankuk University(韩国外国语大学). He added that kidult culture may fill the generation gap between adults and kids. It could give children and their parents books, movies, and cartoon shows to enjoy together. He may be right.

Tim Greenhalgh, a professor, explained that some kidults just refuse to grow up. They value childhood because life in a busy and stressful city frightens them. Kidults would like to forget their age and openly show their fear of society and adulthood.

56. We can infer from the article that _________.

A. Kidults miss their childhood so much that they can't give up their toys

B. Bloomsbury knows some kidults don't want people to know that they are kidults

C. Kidults like to have vitamins very much

D. Some toys are so interesting that even adults like them very much

57. According to the author, being a kidult is good in some way except that _______.

A. it can improve the relationship between parents and their kids

B. it can help kidults feel relaxed

C. it is helpful to solve some social problems

D. it can make people loyal to one's parents

58. According to the writer, _______.

A. being a kidult is nothing wrong      B. kidults have mental problems

C. our society is very dull             D. some people can never grow up

B

If women are mercilessly exploited(剥削) year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion.

Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend large sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time changing their old-fashioned dresses. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on.

No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with necessary things like warmth, comfort and durability (耐用). They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or picking her way through deep snow in high heeled shoes.

When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability(稳定耐用)? That is for you to decide.

59. Designers and big stores always make money_________.

A. by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry

B. because they are capable of predicting new fashions

C. by constantly changing the fashions in women's clothing

D. because they attach great importance to quality in women's clothing

60. To the writer, the fact that women change their old-fashioned dresses is seen as ___________.

A. a waste of money                    B. a waste of time

C. an expression_r_r of taste                 D. an expression_r_r of creativity

61. New fashions in clothing are created for ___________.

A. the commercial exploitation of women

B. the women's strength of character

C. basic qualities of inconstancy and instability

D. an important contribution to society

62. By saying "the conclusions to be drawn are obvious" ( Line One to Line Two, Paragraph Four), the writer means that ___________.

A. women's inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at

B. women are better able to put up with discomfort

C. men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers

D. men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion

C

While football fans feel strongly angry and shocked about mistakes made by referees (裁判) because they cannot see clearly what has happened, a small German company is quietly pleased.

For Cairos Technologies, mistakes made by referees are the kind of advertising that money cannot buy. The company has developed a tiny chip(芯片) that fits inside a football and determines whether the ball has crossed the goal line, by being able to discover its exact location on the field. The world football organization, FIFA, has shown interest in the technology. It is very possible that the new technology will be used in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

"We've been testing the technology at the main soccer stadium in Nuremberg for some time and more recently in an under-17 FIFA Cup in Peru," said Gunter Rohmer, a director of the company. "The technology has performed well, and we're pretty optimistic that it will be used at the games in Germany next year."

The chip only weighs 12 grams, and is placed in the center of the football. It sends 2,000 signals a second to a receiver network of 12 antennas(天线),placed around the field. The receivers then send information about the ball's location to a central computer, and because it works in real time, it can immediately tell the referee whether a goal has been scored. The chip even can tell when the ball crosses the line in mid-air. Oliver Braun, one of the inventors of the chip, says that feedback from German referees was generally positive. Germany sports-wear giant Adidas is also optimistic about using this kind of chip in other ball sports.

FIFA aims to test the technology later this year at another game in Japan before deciding whether or not to introduce it in all 12 stadiums in Germany for next year's World Cup.

63. Carlos Technologies is pleased because ________.

A. football fans are angry with referees

B. their new product can satisfy football fans

C. their new product will have a good market

D. they can sell a lot of football in the future

64. In the first sentence in Paragraph 2,"... mistakes made by referees are the kind of advertising that money cannot buy" means ___________.

A. Carlos Technologies can't afford the high price for advertising their product

B. Mistakes in production are also a kind of advertisement

C. Carios Technologies has already spent a lot of money on advertising their product

D. Referees' mistakes will be of great help for the sale of Carlos Technologies' new product

65. The underlined word "feedback" probably means ___________.

A. information given back by a user     B. advice given by someone

C. supplying food to customers          D. food given back by consumers

66. The new product has drawn attention from some _________.

A. famous people    B. referees         C. big companies  D. countries

D

London--A morning train rides away, across the channel. English kids discuss the Liverpool's football team in a Paris pub.

Some Parisians have started to travel to work in London.

In the 19th century, Charles Dickens compared the two cities, London and Paris, in A Tale of Two Cities. These days, it might be A tale of One City.

As there are few jobs at home over recent years, perhaps 250,000 Frenchmen moved across the channel. With an undersea tunnel, they could travel between cities in three hours. The European Union freed them from immigration and customs.

Paris, rich in beauty, is more stylish. But London feels more full of life, and more fun until the pubs shut down.

"For me, the difference is that London is real, alive," said Trevor Wheeler, a financial expert.

Chantal Jaouen, a professional designer, agrees.  "I am French, but I'll stay in London,'' she said.

There is, of course, the other view. Julie Lenoux is a student who moved to London two years ago. "I think people laugh more in Paris," she said.

"Both cities have changed beyond recognition," said Larry Collins, an author and sometimes a Londoner.

Like most people who know both cities well, he finds the two now fit together comfortably.

"I first fell in love with Paris in the 1950s. Things are so much more ordered, and life is better."

But certainly not cheaper.

In some parts of London, rents can be twice those on Avenue Foch in Paris.

Deciding between London and Paris requires a lifestyle choice.

Like Daphne Benoit, a French journalism student with perfect English, many young people are happy to be close enough so they don't have to choose.

"I love Paris, my little neighbourhood, the way I can walk around a centre, but life is too organized , "she said. "In London, you can be whoever you want. No one cares."

67. It can be inferred that ___________.

A. Paris and London are the two biggest cities in the world

B. in the 19th century, Dickens told his stories in the two cities

C. London and Paris used to be separated

D. Liverpool is a big city in France

68. According to this passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A. People feel it difficult to find a job in Paris.

B. People can't travel to London without a passport.

C. People can travel to London without a passport.

D. People can find any job in London.

69. According to this passage we know that _________.

A. Parisians enjoy English food more than their own

B. Londoners seldom travel to Paris on holidays

C. both cities have their advantages

D. young people prefer to live in London

70. Which city is better to live in according to the passage?

A. Paris.           B. London.         C. Both cities.     D. It just depends.

71. What's the meaning of the last sentence?

A. People can do everything in London.

B. People will feel lonely in London.

C. People in London enjoy living in different ways.

D. People in London enjoy a lawless life.

E

Now let's look ourselves as a species in relation to ecosystem balance.

Modern scientists believe that humankind, like other animals, evolved(进化) through millions of years of changes and adaptations to the environment and that our most direct evolutionary ancestor was probably an earlier species of the primate(monkey, ape) group. Despite this similarity with other creatures, however, the evolution of humankind differs from that of other species in one important and unique way.

In other species, evolution has led to specialization, both in the species abilities and in its place within the environmental structure. For example, the giraffe is much adapted to feeding on treetops, but it is also specialized and thus limited to feeding on trees and shrubs. Only with great difficulty can it bend down to graze on the ground. Similarly, the anteater is extremely well adapted to eating ants but is unable to catch or eat other animals. The same is true for countless other species.

For humankind it is opposite. Our evolution had led to a very generalized ability. Our highly developed intelligence and ability to make and handle tools mean that we can do almost anything. Humans evolved in such a way that we are able to move into every environment on Earth and even into space. No natural competitor offers great resistance, and other natural enemies such as disease have been controlled.

Said another way, we see in humankind a great imbalance between biological potential and environmental resistance. The result is the rapidly increasing world population, frequently referred to as the population explosion. Further, to support our growing population, natural ecosystems are being increasingly displaced by human habitations, agriculture, and other human supporting activities.

72. From the passage we can infer that in the course of evolution _________.

A. humankind is very important to earlier species, such as the primate group

B. human beings are limited by the environment while animals are not

C. human beings become more and more different from each other

D. humankind has experienced a generalization rather than specialization in ability

73. According to the passage, primate includes such animals as ________.

A. monkeys and anteaters               B. tigers and apes

C. apes and monkeys                   D. monkeys and giraffes

74. According to the passage, evolution has made it possible for humans to _______.

A. increase the population               B. resist natural offers

C. go to the moon                      D. cure all diseases

75. According to the author, imbalance between biological potential and environ mental resistance has resulted in ________.

A. the population explosion           B. the destruction of human habitations

C. the growth of natural ecosystem      D. the specialization of humans