III. 阅读理解(40分)

A

A programmer and an engineer are sitting next to each other on a long flight from Los Angeles to New York. The programmer leans over to the engineer and asks if he would like to play a fun game. The engineer just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and rolls over to the window to catch a few winks.

The programmer persists and explains that the game is really easy and has a lot of fun. He explains, “I ask you a question, and if you don’t know the answer, you pay me $5. Then you ask me a question, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll pay you $5.” Again, the engineer politely refuses and tries to get to sleep.

The programmer, now somewhat agitated, says, “OK, if you don’t know the answer you pay me $5, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll pay you $50!” This catches the engineer’s attention, and he sees no end to this torment(折磨) unless he plays, so he agrees to the game.

The programmer asks the first question. “What’s the distance from the earth to the moon?” The engineer doesn’t say a word, but reaches into his wallet, pulls out a five dollar bill and hands it to the programmer. Now, it’s the engineer’s turn. He asks the programmer, “What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down on four?” The programmer looks up at him with a puzzled look. He takes out his laptop computer and searches all of his references. After about an hour, he wakes the engineer and hands him $50. The engineer politely takes the $50 and turns away to try to get back to sleep. The programmer, more than a little miffed, shakes the engineer and asks, “Well, so what’s the answer?” Without a word, the engineer reaches into his wallet, hands the programmer $5, and turns away and goes back to sleep.

36. What’s the best title for the passage?

A. A Boring Conversation B. A Fun Game

C. A Trick During The Flight D. A Question Without Answer

37. What’s the meaning of the underlined work “agitated”?

A. Angry. B. Excited. C. Surprised. D. Curious.

38. What kind of person is the programmer according to what he said?

A. Confident. B. Selfish. C. Greedy. D. Generous.

39. What can we infer according to the last sentence?

A. The engineer has little money with him.

B. Actually the engineer doesn’t know the answer, either.

C. The engineer is bored with programmer.

D. The engineer beats the programmer at last.

40. Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A. In the beginning the engineer is not interested in the game.

B. The engineer is too sleepy to want to play the game.

C. At last the engineer gains $45 from the programmer.

D. Nobody knows the answer to the engineer’s question.

B

Recently I spoke to some of my students about what they wanted to do after they graduated, and what kind of job prospects they thought they had.

Given that I teach students who are training to be doctors, I was surprised to find that most thought that they would not be able to get the jobs they wanted without “outside help”. “What kind of help is that?” I asked, expecting them to tell me that they would need a relative or family friend to help them out.

“Surgery(外科手术)”, one replied.

I was pretty alarmed by that response. It seems that the graduates of today are increasingly willing to go under the knife to get ahead of others when it comes to getting a job.

One girl told me that she was considering surgery to increase her height. “They break your legs, put in special extending screws, and slowly expand the gap between the two ends of the bone as it regrows, you can get at least 5cm taller!”

At that point, I was shocked. I am short, I can’t deny that, but I don’t think I would put myself through months of agony(痛苦) just to be a few centimeters taller. I don’t even bother to wear shoes with thick soles, as I’m not trying to hide the fact that I am just not tall!

It seems to me that there is a trend toward wanting “perfection”, and that is an ideal that just does not exist in reality.

No one is born perfect, yet magazines, TV shows and movies present images of thin, tall, beautiful people as being the norm. Advertisements for slimming aids, beauty treatments and cosmetic surgery clinics fill the pages of newspapers, further creating an idea that “perfection” is a requirement, and that it must be purchased, no matter what the cost.

In my opinion, skills, rather than appearance, should determine how successful a person is in his chosen career.

41. We can know from the passage that the author works as ________.

A. a doctor B. a model C. a teacher D. a reporter

42. Many graduates today turn to cosmetic surgery to ________.

A. marry a better manwoman B. become a model

C. get an advantage over others in job-hunt D. attract more admirers

43. According to the passage, the author believes that ________.

A. everyone should purchase perfection, whatever the cost

B. it’s right for graduates to ask for others to help them out in hunting for jobs

C. it is one’s appearance instead of skills that really matters in one’s career

D. media are to blame for misleading young people in their seeking for surgery

44. What does the author think of his height?

A. He hates to be called a short man.

B. He tries to increase his height through surgery.

C. He just accepts it as it is.

D. He always wears shoes with thick soles to hide the fact.

45. The best title for the passage should be “________”.

A. Young Graduates Have Higher Expectation

B. Young Graduates Look to Surgery for Better Jobs

C. Young Graduates’ Opinion About Cosmetic Surgery

D. Young Graduates Face a Different Situation in Job-hunt

C

The day my fiancé fell to his death, it started to snow, just like the bottom hadn’t fallen out of my world when he fell off the roof. His body, when I found it, was lightly covered with snow. It snowed almost every day for the next four months, while I sat on the couch and watched it pile up.

One morning, I shuffled(拖着脚步走) downstairs and was surprised to see a snowplow(扫雪机) clearing my driveway and the bent back of a woman shoveling my walk. I dropped to my knees, crawled through the living room, and back upstairs so those good Samaritans would not see me. I was mortified. My first thought was, how would I ever repay them? I didn’t have the strength to brush my hair, let alone shovel someone’s walk.

Before Jon’s death, I took pride in the fact that I rarely asked for help or favors. I defined myself by my competence and independence. How could I respect myself if all I did was sit on the couch everyday and watch the snow fall?

Learning how to receive the love and support that came my way wasn’t easy. Friends cooked for me and I cried because I couldn’t even help them set the table. “I’m not usually this lazy,” I swept. Finally, my friend Kathy sat down with me and said, “Mary, cooking for you is not a burden. It makes me feel good to be able to do something for you.”

Over and over, I heard similar words of comfort from the people who supported me during those dark days. One very wise man told me, “You are not doing nothing. Being fully open to your grief may be the hardest work you will ever do.”

In many ways I have changed for the better. I have been surprised to learn that there is incredible freedom that comes from facing one’s worst fear and walking away whole.

46. What made the author feel sad?

A. Her fiancé’s sudden death. B. Constant heavy snow.

C. Her fiancé abandoning her. D. Her job being refused again.

47. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “mortified” in Paragraph 1?

A. Surprised. B. Angry. C. Ashamed. D. Moved.

48. It is _______ that helped the author out of darkness.

A. herself B. her friends C. her fiancé D. a snowplow

49. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. The author was a capable and independent woman.

B. The author was so lazy that she wouldn’t shovel the walk.

C. Finally the author got through hardest work bravely.

D. When facing the worst fear, you will get strength.

50. What’s the author’s purpose in the passage?

A. To talk about her hardest work in her life.

B. To talk about her real love between her and her fiancé.

C. To tell us to walk out of hardest work confidently and bravely.

D. To tell us the importance of friendship.