Part 3  Reading and Writing   (第三部分读写)

VI.  Reading comprehension (阅读理解): (共50分)

A. Choose the best answer（根据短文内容，选择最恰当的答案): ( 12分)

It was a warm April day when a big fat envelope came in the mail from the only college I had ever imagined attending. I opened the packet. My eyes were fixed on the word “congratulations”, I don’t remember ever smiling so wide. But then I found that the cost of Dream School’s tuition（学费）was around $ 40,000 --- an impossible amount! How could I afford to attend? What good reasons did I have to go there when three other fine colleges were offering me free tuition? My other choices were also solid schools even if they weren’t as famous as my first choice.

In my mind, attending my dream university would be the only way to realize my dream of becoming a world-class writer. My parents understood how I felt. They told me that even though it would be a financial(金融的) problem, I could go wherever I would be the happiest. But as I was always careful with money, I wasn’t sure what to do.

One of the schools that offered me free tuition had an informational dinner, one night in the spring. Considering my parents’ financial difficulties, I decided to drive the 45 minutes and attend. At first, all I had planned to do was to smile politely, eat free food and listen carefully. But I surprised myself.

At dinner the president of the university talked about the wonderful activities including guest lectures and social meetings. He also made it perfectly clear that free food would be offered at all future events. He continued with explanations of professors, class sizes, activities, and sporting events on campus. As he spoke, I began to realize that this school, though not as good as my first choice, might be the best one for me. It seemed small yet with many great programs. It seemed to care about the students a lot. As the president ended his speech, I realized that I would be spending the next four years right there.

To be frank, my university is not as well-known as my “dream” university. However, it turned out to be the right choice of schools for me.

74. In the 6th line, the underlined word solid means “________”. 

  A) strong and hard                                               B) good but not special               

C) common and cheap                                          D) expensive but friendly

75. My ambition is to become ________.

  A) a scientist                    B) a president              C) a writer            D) a professor

76. ________ worried me a lot when I got the offer from my dream university.

  A) The location of the university

  B) The offers from 3 other colleges

  C) The cost of the tuition

  D) The activities organized on campus

77. At the informational dinner party, the president left me a deep impression by ________.

  A) offering me free food and free events                      

B) his intelligence and politeness                                 

C) showing me a bright future         

D) his explanation of the university

78. I made up my mind after the president’s speech because _______.

  A) the university has a very long history and is very large

  B) there are many famous professors teaching in the university

  C) the university is just as well-known as my first choice

  D) great programs are provided and it cares about students

79. We can learn from the passage that ________.

  A) the way to success is choosing the best university

  B) only students from rich families go to better universities

  C) it’s wise to choose the right rather than the best

  D) a good speech can make a difference in one’s life

B.  Choose the words or expressions and complete the passage（选择最恰当的单词或词语完成短文):（12分）

Calista knows how hard her brother tries to do the things most kids can do easily. She also knows how much he loves being able to go to Special Olympics competitions and how great he feels when he wins an award. She has wanted to become an official Special Olympics volunteer ever since 2005 when she was only 7.    80    she was too young to become a real volunteer at the moment, Calista found another way she could do to help.

When she knew that their local Special Olympics program lost their largest fundraising (筹款) event, she came up with    81   ! She decided to make and sell crafts (手工艺品) to help raise money for the program. Since December 2006, she has spent over 100 hours making and selling her crafts and has raised $440 for the program. She continues to make and sell her crafts every chance she gets and says that her goal is to raise $3,000. She named her project Calista Cares and even set up a website, in the hope of getting more people to know about    82    and raising more money for Crawford County Special Olympics.

Not only has she done all of these    83   , but since the age of 5, Calista has helped out as much as she can at all of the Special Olympics events she goes to. Whether it is keeping scores or recording time on the field, picking balls during the softball throws or simply cheering on the athletes, she has been always ready to give    84   .

Calista is an amazing little girl who spends many hours working on her crafts and always tries to find more places to sell them. She expects    85    from others, just collecting as much money for the program.

80. A) If                       B) When                     C) Although                  D) Unless

81. A) many friends              B) a good plan                     C) a useful website       D) lots of money

82. A) her                     B) you                         C) us                           D) them

83. A) gently                B) luckily                     C) silently                    D) successfully

84. A) her friendship     B) the project                C) a helping hand          D) her crafts

85. A) an award            B) nothing                    C) a job                        D) a holiday