第二节完形填空(共20小题;每小题l. 5分，满分30分)

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Some memories always stay with us and never fail to bring us warm feelings.

My husband Jerry had just finished cleaning and walked into the kitchen. He said, “All I have left to do is to   36   my thermos (热水瓶).” Then he did so. With a smile on his face, he spoke   37  , “Every time I fill this, I think of your   38  .”

“Honey, I bet she’s   39   us right now with a big smile.” Tears filled my eyes as I   40  .

“You know, I think of her whenever I fill my thermos and I always   41  , too.” My husband whispered, for mother’s recent   42   was still a fresh wound for both of us.

Years ago we traveled to spend several days with my parents. We were   43   in the morning as we were about to leave. My mother walked into the   44   as Jerry was about to fill his thermos. Nobody   45   it, but she said, “Jerry, if you fill that with hot water, you will have   46   coffee to drink during your   47  .” The look on her face is unforgettable. Jerry poured a cup of coffee and sat down to   48   a few more minutes with mother.

49   from a mother-in-law made a memory that will never be   50  . When hearing these words, he didn’t   51   they would forever ring in his ears, or that they would bring a smile to his face time and time again.   52  , mother would never have dreamt that her words would become a valuable and lasting   53   in the heart of her son-in-law.

Lasting memories don’t necessarily come from a(n)   54   moment in life, but simply   55   in an unexpected moment.

36. A. fill B. clean C. seek  D. open

37. A. cautiously B. softly C. sadly  D. nervously

38. A. brother B. dad C. sister  D. mom

39. A. watching B. comforting C. instructing      D. asking

40. A. argued B. explained C. spoke         D. admitted

41. A. struggle B. imagine C. apologize       D. smile

42. A. visit B. death C. failure        D. anxiety

43. A. reading B. driving C. sleeping        D. packing

44. A. station B. kitchen C. hotel  D. car

45. A. cared about B. pointed to C. heard of  D. agreed on

46. A. sweet B. strong C. white          D. hot

47. A. study B. trip C. work  D. stay

48. A. find B. apply C. enjoy  D. abuse

49. A. Presents B. Thanks C. Congratulations  D. Words

50. A. forgotten B. confirmed C. exposed        D. corrected

51. A. understand B. realize C. say  D. expect

52. A. Thus B. Instead C. Moreover  D. However

53. A. memory B. idea C. principle        D. faith

54. A. exact B. busy C. planned  D. required

55. A. end B. improve C. happen  D. continue

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

My mother passed away in 1983 at the age of 51. From the time I had left home, she made a point of always calling me on my birthday. Of course, it was not during the day like most people would do. She would call at 3: 00 am in the morning. Every year it would start like this, “At this time, years ago you woke me up, so I thought I’d wake you up. Happy birthday!” My mother had a great sense of humor.

In the early years after she passed away, I missed those 3:00 am phone calls. I often thought if only I could hear her voice one more time.

It was probably ten years after she died when this next event took place. My mother-in-law, Liz was visiting from Mexico the night before my birthday.

After chatting with Liz, we went to sleep together. Sure enough in the middle of the night, I awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. I looked at the clock, 3:00 am.

The ringing phone had also waken Liz. Picking up the phone, I said hello but all I could hear was a cracking sound. You know the sound you hear when it’s a bad connection. I kept saying hello. I said, “Liz, do you hear this?” Her answer was yes. Once again I said, “Hello. Who’s there?” Through the phone in a woman’s voice, I heard one word “Waterloo”. With that, it stopped.

I asked, “Did you hear the word Waterloo?” She said she had, but had no idea what it meant. With tears in my eyes, I told her how my mom always called me at 3:00 am in the morning to wish me a happy birthday!

Was it a call from my mom? Nobody else knew that she would call me in the middle of the night to wish me a happy birthday. By the way my mother lived at 222 Waterloo Street. To this day, I know in my heart, my mother always thinks of me at 3:00 am August 21st.

56. The story the author told probably happened on August 21st in       .

A. 1983 B. 1987 C. 1993            D. 1996

57. According to the author, the caller on that night was probably       .

A. her mother-in-law B. her husband

C. her father in Mexico　　　　　    D. her dead mother

58. The mother would call at 3:00 in the morning to       .

A. wake the author up B. wish the author a happy birthday

C. tell the author a story of humor D. remind the author of something

59. We can learn that through the story the author meant to tell us       .

A. her mother’s love for her B. a horrifying story

C. a visit before birthday D. an expected call

B

In a dry desert lies a small seed. It is the seed of a cactus (仙人掌) plant. The seed lies on the ground. It lies there for one year. It is waiting. The cactus seed must wait for rain. But not just any rain. It waits for a heavy rain. It needs a heavy rain so it can grow.

One day, a heavy rain falls. It makes the seed sprout. The small seed then sends out tiny roots. The roots go down into the earth. A new cactus begins to grow. The growing cactus needs food. Its food is in the seed. The seed feeds the cactus as it grows.

The cactus sends out more roots. They go deeper into the earth. There they reach water. Other roots are not so deep. They take water from light rains. Soon the food in the seed is gone. The new cactus must now make its own food. The cactus takes in light from the sun. It takes in air and water. The cactus turns these into food.

For two or more years the cactus grows. Then it is ready to flower. The cactus produces a bud (花蕾). The bud is the start of a flower. The bud has hairs on it. The hairs help keep animals away.

Then one day, there is a flower. But it will not stay for long. The cactus needs to save its food and water. So it keeps its flower only a few days. Then seeds fall from the flower. They fall to the ground. Here they lie for a year. They lie and wait for rain. One day, they will grow into a new cactus.

60. Why does the seed of a cactus lie on the ground?

A. To wait for a heavy rain to grow.

B. To avoid being hurt by animals.

C. To wait for a strong wind to send it far away.

D. To continue its growth after falling from the cactus.

61. The growing cactus gets its food from ______.

A. the wind  B. the seed  C. the heavy rain      D. the dry earth

62. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A. The roots of the cactus can’t go deep into the earth.

B. The cactus can make water from the air.

C. The cactus stops growing when its food is used up.

D. The cactus can create food with light, water and air.

63. The hairs on the bud of the cactus are used for ______.

A. taking in more air  B. absorbing more water

C. not being eaten by animals D. not getting burnt by light

C

The United Nations yesterday urged a global phase-out of old-style light bulbs and a switch to low-energy lighting that would save billions of dollars and combat (对抗) climate change. About 40 countries already have plans to switch from incandescent light bulbs (白炽灯泡), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said in a report.

Generation of electricity for lighting, often from burning fossil fuels, accounts for 8% of world greenhouse gas emissions (排放), it said. A shift to more efficient bulbs would cut electricity demand for lighting by 2%.

Indonesia, for instance, could save $1bn a year and cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 8m tonnes a year, the equivalent of taking 2m cars off the road. Brazil could save $2bn a year, Mexico $900m, Ukraine $210m and South Africa $280m. All would also deliver big cuts in emissions. “The actual economic benefits could be even higher,” said Achim Steiner, head of UNEP, who added that a switch to efficient lighting in Indonesia would avoid the need to build several coal-fired power stations costing $2.5bn. And similar findings come from other country assessments.

He also said the cost calculations did not include health benefits from switching from the use of fossil fuels, including use of kerosene lamps (煤油灯). About 1.8m deaths a year are linked with indoor air pollution.

UNEP cautioned(警告) there were drawbacks because the most common low-energy light bulbs contain toxic (有毒的) material. It said countries need to ensure safe collection and disposal(处理) of the light bulbs. It is a central challenge, especially in developing countries. Countries including EU members, the US, Canada, Australia, Cuba and the Philippines were working on phase-outs of old-style bulbs.

64. The underlined part “phase-out” in the first paragraph means “_____”.

A. new recognition                B. further discussion

C. gradual disuse                  D. steady improvement

65. By using low-energy bulbs, the greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by _____.

A. 0.16%         B. 2%        C. 6%          D. 8%

66. Which of the following countries will save the most money by using low-energy bulbs?

A. Indonesia.       B. Brazil.      C. Mexico.     D. South Africa.

67. What’s the challenge of popularizing low-energy bulbs?

A. Inconvenience in using.          B. Lack of financial support.

C. Safety of dealing with used bulbs.     D. Misunderstanding from the public.