阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从41—55各题所给的A, B, C, D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

Born in America, I spoke English, not Chinese, the language of my ancestors (祖先). When I was three, my parents flashed (迅速地显示) cards with Chinese    41    at my face, but I pushed them aside. My mom believed I would learn when I was ready, but the

42    never came.

On a Chinese New Year’s Eve, my uncle spoke to me in Chinese, but all I could do was    43    at him, confused, scratching (搔,抓) my head. “Still can’t speak Chinese?” He    44    me, “You can’t even buy a fish in Chinatown.”

“Hey, this is America, not China. I will get some right now with or without Chinese.” I replied and turned to my mom for    45   .

“When you get to the fish stand, remember to ask for fresh fish, Xin Xian Yu,” she said, handing over a $20 bill. I    46    the words running downstairs into the streets of Chinatown.

I found the fish    47    surrounded in a sea of customers. “I’d like to buy some fresh fish,” I shouted to the fishman. But he    48    my English words and turned to serve the next customer. The laugh of the people behind increased with their impatience. With every    49    the breath of the dragons on my back grew stronger — my blood boiling —    50    me to cry out. “Xian Sheng Yu, please” “Very Xian Sheng,” I repeated. The crowd erupted into laughter. My face turned    51    and I ran back home    52   , except for the $20 bill I held tightly in my pocket.

Should I laugh or cry? They’re Chinese. I should feel right at    53   . Instead, I was the joke, disgrace (丢脸) to the language.

Sometimes, I laugh at my fish    54   , but, in the end, the joke is on me. Every laugh is a culture lost; every laugh is my heritage (传统)    55    gradually.

41. A. custom B. games C. characters D. language

42. A. success B. study C. time D. attempt

43. A. aim B. joke C. nod D. stare

44. A. cared about  B. laughed at C. argued with D. asked after

45. A. decision B. permission C. information D. preparation

46. A. repeated B. reviewed C. spelled D. kept

47. A. farm B. stand C. pond D. market

48. A. guessed B. forget C. doubted D. ignored

49. A. second B. effort C. desire D. movement

50. A. forcing B. allowing C. persuading D. making

51. A. bright B. blank C. pale D. red

52. A. open-mouthed B. tongue-tied C. empty-handed D. broken-hearted

53. A. service B. home C. risk D. root

54. A. trade B. deed C. challenge D. incident

55. A. throwing B. disappearing C. dividing D. reflecting

III. 阅读(共两节，满分40分)

第一节 阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分，满分30分)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

For the first time in Hong Kong’s history, an entertainer has been written into middle school textbooks. He is considered one of the best actors in Hong Kong. Yes, he is Chow Yun-fat.

The example of his long hard struggle for success has been used in a chapter in a Hong Kong middle school textbook. Using his experience, students can learn to make the most of their time and to grab every opportunity to succeed.

On hearing about this, Chow said happily, “I really hope that my experiences can make young people understand that one should not be afraid of difficulties and setbacks (挫折), for they are the only way to success.”

Indeed, Chow has travelled a long and difficult path to reach his success. In 1955, he was born into a poor family in Hong Kong. When he was 17, he had to leave school. He worked in a number of jobs—as a postman, camera salesman and taxi driver. These experiences paved (铺路) the way for him to play all kinds of roles later in life.

Chow broke into the film industry in the late 1970s. He was one of the hardest working actors and starred in a number of popular TV dramas and films including “Shanghai Bund”(《上海滩》) and “A Better Tomorrow”. Since 1985, he has won many awards including Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards.

In 1995, he went to Hollywood. Although he was already over 40, he had to learn English. He even put chopsticks in his mouth to practise pronouncing certain sounds. His film, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, began to gain him more fame and recognition around the world. In 1998, the mayor of Chicago set aside January 12 as “Chow Yun-fat Day”.

56. Chow Yun-fat has been written into middle school textbooks mainly because ________.

A. he plays best in Hong Kong      B. he keeps on struggling for success

C. his experiences are very special   D. he is well thought of

57. Chow felt ________ when he learned that he had been written into middle school textbooks.

A. surprised        B. shy        C.sad       D. happy

58. What can we infer from the passage?

A. Chow Yun-fat is proud of his success.

B. Chow Yun-fat prefers to make a living by selling cameras rather than by

performing.

C. Chow Yun-fat has won more awards than other actors.

D. Chow Yun-fat is popular both at home and abroad.

59. The underlined sentence (in paragraph 6) suggests ________.

A. chopsticks is of great help to practise English pronunciation

B. Chow Yun-fat is willing to struggle with difficulties

C. Chow Yun-fat has suffered a lot before he went to Hollywood

D. it is hard for a person who is over 40 years old to learn spoken English

60. The author wrote this passage to ________.

A. introduce Chow’s films

B. praise Chow for his excellent performance

C. call on people to learn from Chow

D. show why Chow is popular

B