I. 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

Life in 2060

Let us suppose it is now about A.D. 2060. Let’s make believe(假设；虚构) it is about sixty years from now. Of course, things have changed and life is very different.

Voyages to the moon are being made every day. It is as easy to take a holiday on the moon today as it was for the people in 1960 to take a holiday in Europe. At a number of scenic spots on the moon, many hotels have been built. The hotels are air-conditioned, naturally. In order that everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery on the moon, every room has at least one picture window. Everything imaginable is provided for entertainment(娱乐) of young and old.

What are people eating now? People are still eating food. They haven’t yet started to take on heir(继承) supply of energy directly as electrical current or as nuclear power. They may some day. But many foods now come in pill form, and the food that goes into the pill continues to come mainly from green plants.

Since there are several times as many people in the world today as there were a hundred years ago, most of our planet’s surface has to be filled. The deserts are irrigated with water and crops are no longer destroyed by pests. The harvest is always good.

Farming, of course, is very highly developed. Very few people have to work on the farm. It is possible to run the farm by just pushing a few buttons now and then.

People are now largely vegetarians(素食者). You see, as the number of people increases, the number of animals decreases. Therefore, the people have to be vegetarians and we are healthier both in our bodies and in our minds, and we know the causes and cure of disease and pain, and it is possible to get rid of diseases. No one has to be ill any more.

Such would be our life in 2060.

1. According to the passage, what will be on the moon in about A.D. 2060?

A. Many tourists. B. Many other animals. C. Many plants. D. A sea.

2. What will people eat then according to the passage?

A. Biscuits in pill form. B. Foods in pill form.

C. Foods in water form. D. Foods in gas form.

3. The passage tells us that in 2060, ________ on the earth than now.

A. there are fewer population B. there are more pests

C. there is less water D. the crops are getting better

4. Why are people largely vegetarians in 2060?

A. Because they don’t eat meat .

B. Because doctors advise them not to eat meat.

C. Because the number of animals decreases.

D. Because all the animals have died of diseases.

B

Old Bear

Kevin Henkes (2008), under 40 pages

Target Audience: Preschoolers

Price: $3.8

Content: It is snowing really hard and Old Bear is getting ready for his long nap. As he sleeps, he dreams of being a cub again and enjoying the wonders of nature. He dreams about summer, fall, winter and spring and how each season brings him so much joy! The illustrations (插图) show the beauty of the seasons that Old Bear dreams about. Great book!

Half-Minute Horrors

Susan Rich (2009), 120~160 pages

Target Audience: Intermediates (4th~ 6th grade)

Price: $9.6

Content: Looking for a scary book that is also quick to read? How about a one-paragraph tale of terror or a simple drawing that will make your skin crawl? This book is a collection of very short stories, pictures and cartoons from an impressive group of authors and illustrators.

Leaves

David Ezra Stain (2007), under 40 pages

Illustrated by David Ezra Stain

Target Audience: Toddlers, Preschoolers

Price: $3.4

Content: It’s Little Bear’s first year. Fall has come to his island. When the leaves begin to fall, he wonders what to do. However, after following his instinct and sleeping through the winter, he awakens in spring to find everything blooming once again.

Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’

Eileen Spinelli (2003), under 40 pages

Illustrated by Megan Lloyd

Target Audience: Preschoolers

Price: $3.5

Content: The Tappletons (bears) are gathered together for their big Thanksgiving feast. However, all is not going well during the preparations. The turkey slides out of the house, down a hill and into a pond. There are no pies at the bakery and the lettuce for the salad has been given to the rabbits. As they sit down for the feast, Grandmother reminds them that although they have nothing to eat, they can still be thankful that they have each other.

5. What can we learn from the book Thanksgiving at the Tappletons?

A. We should always keep things in order.

B. We should try to make more delicious food on Thanksgiving.

C. If we don’t work hard, there will be no food.

D. Family love is the most important thing.

6. If you like reading horror stories, which book would you like?

A. Old Bear.

B. Half-Minute Horrors.

C. Leaves.

D. Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’.

7. Who are the main readers of these books?

A. Adults.

B. Old people.

C. Little children.

D. Middle school students.

8. Where can you probably find this passage?

A. In a travel guide.

B. In an advertisement.

C. In a science textbook.

D. In an official report.

C

3D cinema has been around since the early 20th century, but Hollywood brought the technology back in 2007. Many thought it was just a trick to make more money. But then came Avatar, the first must-see movie in 3D.

But since Avatar, 3D cinema has struggled. In 2010, several 3D movies bombed at the box office. And by late 2010, some people said the technology was dead. Of course, this isn’t the first time Hollywood has struggled technology. Although sound was added to movies in the late 1920s, it took audience time to get used to the new technology. But in the end, sound and color became the standard. James Cameron, director of Avatar, thinks we’re going through the same process with 3D.

Some day cinemas are charging too much for 3D movies. In the Us, seeing a 3D movie can cost up to $7.5 more than seeing it in 2D. Also, a recent study at California State University has found audience don’t actually enjoy movies in 3D any more than in 2D. Walter Murch, a famous movie editor, wrote in 2011 that human beings have no ability to process 3D images. Watching a 3D movie confuses our brain and this is why some people get headaches.

But James Cameron disagrees. In fact, he recently predicted that in five years all movies will be in 3D. And there are signs that 3D is fighting back. More 3D movies were put on the market in 2012 than ever before. The Lion King 3D recently made over $150 million at the box office, and Cameron’s Titanic 3D made even more.

Who knows what the future holds for 3D? Steven Spielberg recently said, “ I’m hoping 3D gets to a point where people don’t notice it because then it just becomes another tool and helps tell a story.”

9. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 probably means that in 2010, 3D movies ________.

A. were not successful B. became popular

C. developed quickly D. were of poor quality

10.The example of sound and color is used mainly to show that ______.

A. Hollywood tends to absorb what is new

B. 3D technology takes time to be accepted

C. Hollywood struggles with new technology

D. high technology helps to make better movies

11. In Walter March’s opinion, 3D movies_______.

A. bring movie makers great profits.

B. are more expensive than 2D movies.

C. do great harm to people’s health.

D. are unsuitable for people to watch.

12. What can we learn from the text?

A. Avatar was the first 3D movies.

B. 3D cinema has existed for years.

C. Titanic 3D has made the most money.

D. 2012 witnessed the coming of 3D’s time.

D

Given Australia’s size and the fact that early settlements were far apart, Australian society is remarkably homogeneous (同种的). Its citizens are fundamentally prosperous and the way of life in the major cities and towns is much the same however many miles divide them. It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents.

However, there is some difference in lifestyle between city dwellers and the country people. Almost 90 per cent of the population lives in the fast-paced cities along the coast and has little more than a passing familiarity with the desert. The major cities preserve pockets of colonial heritage, but the overall impression is modern, with new buildings reflecting the country’s youth. In contrast, the rural communities tend to be slow-moving and conservative. For many years, Australia was said to have “ridden on the sheep’s back”, a reference to wool being the country’s main money earner. However, the wool industry is no longer dominant. Much of Australia’s relatively sound economy is now achieved from natural coal and wheat, and by being the largest diamond producer in the world. Newer industries such as tourism and wine making are also increasingly important. Australians are generally friendly and relaxed, with a self-deprecating sense of humor. On the whole, Australia is a society without hierarchies (等级制度), an attitude generally held to stem from its prisoner beginnings.

Yet, contrary to widespread belief, very few Australians have true prisoner origins. Within only one generation of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Australia had become a nation of immigrants. Originally coming almost entirely from the British Isles, today one in three Australians comes from elsewhere. Australia’s liberal postwar immigration policies led to an influx of survivors from war-torn Europe, most notably Greeks, Italians, Poles and Germans.

The emphasis has shifted in recent years and today the majority of new immigrants are from Southeast Asia. Today Australia is a ‘blend of nations’ and although some racism exists, it has generally been a successful experiment and the country is justifiably proud to have one of the most harmonious multicultural communities in the world.

13. What does the writer mean by saying “It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents.” in the first paragraph?

A. Australians speak Standard English with no l