第三部分：阅读理解(共两节，满分40分)

第一节(共15小题;每小题2分，满分30分)

A

(2010•湖北黄冈3月)

After winning a big game，athletes are often asked how they attained that success.Most say their achievement is the result of gruelling hard work and intense practice.Usually athletes say how hard it is to win the big games.At the opposite end of the spectrum，however，is the fact that losing the big game，or，in my case，all the games，can be even tougher.

From the spectators’point of view，last year’s basketball season for my high school team was nothing short of an embarrassment.And while 0 and 20 is certainly nothing to be proud of，that season had a bigger impact on me than any other，and probably more than any season since.

As a team captain，I knew it probably wouldn’t be the easiest year，but did I ever think we would lose every game?Of course not.Since six of our top players had graduated，it was clear that we were a young team who would struggle.The struggle began earlier than expected，though，as our team’s starting center was suspended for the season，and two key members decided to quit after two weeks.At some point，quitting probably passed through every player’s mind，but，in the end，we all stuck it out，vowing to work even harder.

Then there came a time when even our own coach had given up on us.Personally，I felt like it was no longer worth giving my all.I thought，if even the coach doesn’t believe in us，why should I?But just as my hope began to fade，a teammate called a meeting.He said，“Nobody thinks we’re going to win，and heck，we may not，but，as teammates and friends，we owe it to each other to give it our all every game.”

Sure，it was a little cliché (陈旧的)，but it was that moment that taught me how to be a leader.It hit me then that I may have been a captain，but I，like others in my position，certainly didn’t deserve the role.As a leader you can never quit on the team who looks up to you.It is one thing to be named captain and feel great and go through the motions，but it is quite another to be a real captain and make sure everyone works to their potential all the time.

I am sure it is great to go through high school without losing and bringing home awards.But in all honesty，I relish the fact that my team lost every game last year.It may not help me to become a better basketball player，but it already has made me a better leader and person.

56.What was the biggest problem with the author’s team last season?

A.Several key members were unable to play the games.

B.Their coach no longer wanted to instruct them.

C.There were no actual leaders on the team.

D.Most of players lost hope and wanted to quit.

57.In the text，the author seems to suggest that a good leader should________.

A.be confident about himself B.make sure everyone goes all out

C.work hard to win the games D.feel great about his team

58.By saying “we owe it to each other to give it our all every game.”(Paragraph 4) the teammate means that all of them should________.

A.be responsible for the losses B.try their best on the court

C.feel thankful for what they’ve done D.get together to win every game

59.What is the main idea the author aims to express in the text?

A.Success is the result of hard work.

B.A friend in need is a friend indeed.

C.One can learn something from the failure.

D.A real leader should never give up.

B

(2010•合肥第四次检测)

McDonnell，who has made oil drilling off Virginia’s coast，one of his administration’s top tasks，flew to Houston on Monday to advertise the benefits of offshore drilling at a national conference.He told reporters before he left that he does not want to postpone drilling but to learn from the accident off Louisiana’s coast.

“What we do as Americans is that we find out what went wrong and how can we do things better，” McDonnell said.“I think that’s the spirit of American people.”

President Obama announced in March that Virginia will become one of the first East Coast states to drill offshore for oil and natural gas.Companies could conduct exploratory drilling in Virginia’s waters 50 miles off the coast late next year or early in 2012.

In Virginia Beach，the state’s largest city and one that relies heavily on tourism，Mayor Will Sessoms said he would be worried if the timetable was not changed.Sessoms supported drilling and helped the city pass a resolution (决议) in favor of it，in part to help the tourism industry by keeping the cost of gas down.But，he said，the Louisiana accident was a wake­up call.

“It’s alarming to me，” Sessoms said.“It gives me great concern.”

Obama swore Friday that no expansion of offshore oil drilling would take place until investigations into the Louisiana accident were complete.

Virginia’s officials，who support drilling，said they agree that drilling should be delayed.Sen.Mark Warner said it was “appropriate” for Obama to delay offshore projects. McDonnell said he wants to see a full investigation into the Louisiana accident，but he still thinks that drilling could begin off Virginia’s coast as soon as next year or early 2012.

McDonnell has also said that drilling off Virginia’s coast would create thousands of jobs，as well as lessen US dependence on foreign oil.

A recent explosion and fire on an exploratory well in the Gulf (海湾) of Mexico left 11 workers missing and dead.Crude oil (原油) has been leaking into the gulf since，inching closer to the coasts of Louisiana，Alabama and Mississippi.

The accident confirmed the worst fears of environmental groups and people already worried that possible spills (溢出) could harm plants，animals，and tourism.

60.What was McDonnell’s opinion about drilling off Virginia’s coast?

A.It should be stopped as it may cause damage to the environment.

B.It should be delayed due to the gulf oil accident.

C.It has a lot of benefits，and thus shouldn’t be delayed.

D.It could make the US dependent on foreign oil.

61.Why did Will Sessoms support drilling off Virginia’s coast?

A.It could create thousands of jobs. B.It could help recover the economy.

C.It met the spirit of American people. D.It partly helped the tourism industry.

62.What do we know about the accident?

A.The explosion in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers.

B.The leaked crude oil may affect the coasts of 3 states.

C.The investigation into the accident has been completed.

D.Officials who support drilling off Virginia’s coast are not in favor of the investigation.

63.What is the main idea of the report?

A.Officials reconsider support for drilling after the gulf oil accident.

B.It is dangerous to drill oil off the coasts.

C.People should learn from oil accidents to reduce damage to our environment.

D.Investigations should be carried out immediately after oil accidents.

C

(2010•绵阳市第三次诊断)

Everyone has good days and bad days.

Sometimes，you feel as if you’re on top of the world.But occasionally you feel horrible，and you lose things and you cannot focus on your schoolwork.

For more than 20 years，scientists have suggested that high self­esteem (自尊) is the key to success.Now，new research shows that focusing just on building self­esteem may not be helpful.In some cases，having high self­esteem can bring bad results if it makes you less likeable or more upset when you fail at something.

“Forget about self­esteem，” says Jennifer Crocker，a psychologist (心理学家) at the University of Michigan，US，“It’s not the important thing.”

Feeling good

Crocker’s advice may sound a bit strange because it is good to feel good about yourself.

Studies show that people with high self­esteem are less likely to be depressed，anxious，shy，or lonely than those with low self­esteem.

But，after reviewing about 18,000 studies on self­esteem，Roy Baumeister，a psychologist at Florida State University，has found that building up your self­esteem will not necessarily make you a better person.

He believes that violent and wicked (邪恶的) people often have the highest self­esteem of all.He also said：“There’s no evidence that kids with high self­esteem do better in school.”

Problems

All types of people have problems.People with high self­esteem can have big egos (自我) that can make them less likeable to their peers (同龄人)，said Kathleen Vohs，a psychology professor at Columbia University.

People with high self­esteem tend to think more of themselves，Vohs says.People with low self­esteem are more likely to rely on their friends when they need help.

What to do

Researchers say it is best to listen to and support other people.Find positive ways to contribute to society.If you fail at something try to learn from the experience.“The best therapy (药方) is to recognize your faults，” Vohs says.“It’s OK to say，I’m not so good at that，and then move on.”

64.It is concluded in the research that high self­esteem________.

A.is not important at all B.has taken on a different meaning

C.may not be the key to success D.does not help you do better at school

65.According to the research，people with high self­esteem________.

A.have better relationship with people of their own age

B.are more likely to become violent and wicked

C.tend to be proud and do not care much about others

D.often feel depressed and can’t focus on their work

66.The advice in the last paragraph is mainly for people________.

A.with high self­esteem B.with low self­esteem

C.who are still at school D.who are good at everything

D

(2010•江苏高考模拟三)

The well­known Rushmore National Monument in the United States is built on the Rush Moore Peak,1829 meters above sea level，of the Black Hills in the south—west of South Dakota.It is a group of huge stone statues of four American presidents，George Washington，Thomas Jefferson，Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.President Washington is the founding father of the country;the 3rd President Jefferson drafted the US Declaration of Independence;the 16th President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and the 26th President Roosevelt protected the average people’s right to compete fairly with trusts.All 1829 meters above sea level，made outstanding achievements for their country.They were pioneers of US history.

The stone statues of presidents were built at the suggestion of a historian in the State of Dakota，with a view to carrying forward the US pioneering spirit everlastingly.

The statues are 18 meters high.They are the highest and greatest realistic stone statues in the world，taller than a 6­storied building and larger than the Great Sphinx of Egypt.The size of each head is 20sq mt，with a 20­meter­long face，a 7­meter­long nose，a 2.6­meter­wide mouth and two 1.5­meter­wide eyes.Though not facing the same direction，they are all lifelike and look ahead gravely in harmony with fixed gazes.On clear days，one can have a sight of the four presidents with their firm and steady expression at a distance of dozens of kilometers.

Since the stone sculpture is unique in style，the Monument is now the US National Art Centre of Popular Education.Groups of people keep streaming everyday to the site for a visit and tourists across the world are also interested in taking a view of this great Monument.

67.Which statement is false according to the first paragraph?

A.The famous Rushmore National Monument is 1829 meters above sea level.

B.All the four presidents made great contributions to London.

C.the group of statues are made of huge stones.

D.The statues are built to honor the presidents in the US

68.Why were those four presidents chosen?

Because the four presidents________.

A.made great contributions to their country

B.were pioneers of US history

C.played an important role in the different periods of the American history

D.all of the above

69.What are the statues like?

A.They look like a 6­storied building.

B.They are like the great Sphinx of Egypt.

C.They are like true men standing there.

D.They are lifelike，looking ahead with fixed gazes.

70.For what groups of people across the world come to visit the Monument?They come________.

A.to learn the US pioneering spirit B.to look back upon the history of the US.

C.to learn the art of sculpture D.to enjoy the view of the Monument