34. A. encouraged    B. admired         C. enjoyed         D. found

35. A. loved         B. appreciated      C. avoided         D. hated

36. A. similar       B. close           C. related         D. strange

37. A. degree       B. prize           C. education       D. welcome

38. A. happens     B. comes          C. matters         D. proves

39. A. as well as    B. in addition to     C. along with       D. instead of

40. A. challenges     B. experiences      C. events          D. talents

Ⅳ. 阅读理解(共两节，满分30分)

第一节：阅读下面短文，从各题A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。(共10小题;每小题2分，满分20分)

A

Rob Coulter worked in the wild of South Africa. He knew the animals, insects, and reptiles(爬行动物)of Africa very well. Rob knew them so well that he became careless.

One night, while camping alone, Rob reached out to pick up a large piece of wood and felt something bite his arm. Rob didn't think much about it. But a little later, his arm began to ache. When he looked closely at it, he immediately saw two teeth marks in the skin of his arm. He realized that a poisonous snake had bitten him. His pulse became rapid.

Rob's mind raced as he thought about what he had to do to survive. Rob knew that he should remain calm, stay still, keep the injured arm below the level of his heart and avoid eating or drinking anything, especially anything with alcohol in it. He also knew that cutting the wound to suck the poison out was a bad idea.

He used his two-way radio to call for help. As he waited, he washed the bite with soap and water. To help slow the spread of the venom(毒液), he wrapped a bandage two inches above the bite and made it loose enough to slip a finger under it so that it would not cut off the flow of blood. Then, after about half an hour, his friend Mike arrived. Mike took Rob to the local hospital, where Rob was given antivenin—an antidote for snake venom.

Rob still enjoys camping, but he is now very careful not to disturb snakes.

41. Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?

A. A travel magazine.                         B. A book review.

C. A lesson plan.                             D. A news report.

42. How did Rob realize that he had been bitten by a snake?

A. His pulse became rapid.                B. His arms began to ache.

C. His skin immediately turned dark.         D. Teeth marks appeared in his arm.

43. How can we deal with snake wounds according to the passage?

A. Stay calm and don't move.               B. Run for help as fast as possible.

C. Drink alcohol to stop the poison.           D. Cut the wound and suck the poison out.

44. The underlined word "antidote" in Para. 4 probably means something that is used to_____.

A. reduce the pain                          B. resist the poison

C. make people calm                       D. kill the virus

B

Gingerbread Houses: A Popular, Classic Holiday Treat

You can cook with it. You can make candy from it. You can put it into drinks or take it as medicine. Ginger has many uses, but none as beautiful as when it is used in a gingerbread house.

Past and present

Ginger—he key part of gingerbread and the houses themselves—has a long history. It is believed that ginger was used as early as 2,000 B. C. in China. Gingerbread houses were first written about during the 15th century. But it was the 19'th century fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" that started the trend. As European immigrants made their way around the world, so did gingerbread houses!

One example occurred in the town of Belleville in the 1850s. As large numbers of German immigrants moved there, many brought along their gingerbread house recipes. Today, during the holidays, Belleville hosts a "Gingerbread Walk" through its downtown area. Along the path, shop owners display beautifully-made gingerbread houses and other gingerbread creations. The event allows visitors and locals alike to enjoy Belleville's tastiest tradition.

The world's largest

In 2006, Roger Pelcher constructed the world's largest gingerbread house in Bloomington, Minn. Measuring over 60 feet tall, the house took Pelcher's team l,700 hours to complete. To achieve the world record, Guinness World Records said 95 percent of the outside had to be eatable.  So Pelcher used 14, 250 pounds of gingerbread and over a ton of candy on the house!

Winning houses

At Christmas time, people from Sweden to Seattle enter their creations in gingerbread house contests. Winners receive prizes for the most difficult to build, most creative, most beautiful as well as other categories. But winning contests isn't the main reason why making these houses is so popular. The wonderful smell as the gingerbread bakes and the joy of eating it are the real reasons!

DIY

Online directions and ready-to-assemble kits make creating gingerbread houses easier than ever before. You can make them as simple or as complex as you choose,  Experience a "taste" of the holidays with your own gingerbread house this year!

45. We learn from the text that______________.

A. the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" made gingerbread houses popular in the world

B. "Gingerbread Walk" has attracted people to enjoy Belleville's tastiest tradition

C. gingerbread houses were brought to Belleville by Asian immigrants

D. gingerbread house making started in ancient China

40. What makes gingerbread houses so popular?

A. An interesting origin.

B. Extraordinary prizes to winners.

C. The smell and enjoyment of eating.

D. Creations in gingerbread-house contests.

47. What can we infer from this passage?

A. Gingerbread houses are eaten by people only at Christmas.

B. We can book many kinds of gingerbread houses through the Internet,

C. Immigration played an import ant role in the spread of gingerbread houses.

D. The gingerbread house made by Pelcher failed to achieve the Guinness World Records.

C

BASE Jumping

BASE jumping is a very dangerous sport of using a parachute to jump from fixed objects. It has become popular with those individuals who are constantly looking for new and exciting things to do. Because BASE jumping is very dangerous,  it is sometimes considered a “stunt”(绝技)or "daredevil activity" rather than a sport.

BASE stands for the four categories of fixed launch points for a BASE jump: building, antennae, span(bridge), and earth(cliff). "BASE numbers" are awarded to those jumpers who have completed at least one jump from each of the categories. A BASE number qualifies a participant as a recognized BASE jumper.

Carl Boenish made the first official BASE jump from the Troll Wall in Norway in 1984. Unfortunately, Carl Boenish was killed two days after that first BASE jump as he tried to make another BASE jump off the Troll Wall. Improvements in equipment have helped reduce BASE jumping deaths. Still, many people, including experienced and skilled jumpers, are still injured or killed every year. There are no reliable statistics on the number of people killed or injured while BASE jumping, but it is certainly more dangerous than skydiving. Because of the high death rate, BASE jumping has not gained widespread acceptance. This is also one of the reasons that it is illegal in many countries,  A BASE jumper needs to get permission to use both the place from which the jump starts and the landing area. Some places, like the Troll Wall, are banned because of the high level of danger. However, many sites are still open to jumpers.

BASE jumping is something that teenagers shouldn't do. It can easily injure or kill them. It also requires a lot of time, energy and money. As parents expect their children to have good judgment, they should think hard before they do anything that is really dangerous.

48. What is the author's attitude towards BASE jumping?

A. It should be banned.

B. It should be encouraged.

C. The jumpers should be careful.

D. More sites should be open to jumpers.

49. The author shows his viewpoint by ________.

A. listing the numbers

B. using a famous saying

C. explaining causes and effects

D. showing the facts and examples

50. Which of the following is true?

A. Carl Boenish died in the first BASE jump from the Troll Wall in 1984.

B. Even experienced jumpers can be injured or killed in a certain jump.