四、閱讀理解(共15小題：每題3分，共45分。)

　　閱讀下列短文，然后根據(jù)短文的內(nèi)容從每小題的四個(gè)選擇項(xiàng)中選出最佳的一項(xiàng)。

　　A

　　My wife and I moved into our home nine years ago. We have a yard and a “rock garden”. There the rocks appear to be just thrown up onto the dirt as if someone were in a hurry to finish. Very often when we have more flowers. Denise or I would plant them between the rocks, just to add some color to the area.

　　Last summer I found, in the rock garden, a tiny little plant that I could not immediately recognize. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either. We decided to let it continue growing until we could find out what it was.

　　Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the strange plant , it appeared to be a sunflower. It looked thin and tall with only one head on it. I decided to baby it along and weed(除草)around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something unusual. The sunflower had not started where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the sun.

　　If a tiny little sunflower didn’t a big rock stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability to do the same thing. If we believe in ourselves like that little sunflower, we can reach where we aim to go and get what we need for growth.

　　We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the ability to achieve our goals. Like the sunflower, it knew it had the ability to get over the rocks because it had faith in itself that it would succeed. Stand tall like the sunflower and be proud of who and what we are, then other things will begin to support us. We will find a way to go under or around any “rocks” in order to realize our goals.

　　36. why did the family plant flowers in the “rock garden”?

　　A. To attract visitors.

　　B. To remove the rocks.

　　C. To please their neighbors.

　　D. To make the area colorful.

　　37. The author let the tiny plant continue growing .

　　A. to see how long it could live

　　B. to see how big it could grow

　　C. to find out what it actually was

　　D. to know if his wife had planted it

　　38. Why did the author think the sunflower was unusual?

　　A. It was very thin and tall.

　　B. It had only one head on it.

　　C. It grew on top of a big rock.

　　D. It began to grow under a rock.

　　39. What does the author want to say through the story?

　　A. Rocks cannot prevent us from success.

　　B. Sunflowers are able to grow everywhere.

　　C. We should take good care of the rock gardens.

　　D. We can get over difficulties if we trust ourselves.

　　B

　　It is not easy to become a doctor in the United States. The first step is getting into medical schools. More than 120 American schools offer study programs for people wanting to be doctors.

　　Advice about medical schools can be got from books and magazines like The Princeton Review, which provide information about medical schools, study programs and jobs. Competition(競爭)to enter medical schools is strong. American medical schools have only about 16,000 openings for students each year. However, more than two times this many want to enter medical schools.

　　An important part of their application(申請)is the Medical College Admission Test(MCAT). The Association of American Medical Colleges provides the test by computer. It is offered in the United States and in other countries. Applicants need to do well on MCAT. They also need a good record in their college studies.

　　An interview(面試)is also required for entrance to medical schools. The interviewer wants to know if the applicant understands the demands of lift as a medical student and doctor in training. He also wants to know about the applicant’s goals for a life in medicine.

　　A medical education can cost a lot, from 15,000 dollars to 40,000 dollars a year or more. Most students need to borrow money to pay for the education.

　　40. How many people hope to go to medical school in the U.S. each year?

　　A. More than 32,000 B. About 24,000

　　C. Less than 16,000 D. About 20,000

　　41. Who prepares MCAT for medical school applicants?

　　A. The Princeton Review.

　　B. The Medical College Admissions Office.

　　C. The medical schools in the United States.

　　D. The Association of American Medical Colleges.

　　42. Which of the following do interviewers want to know about the applicants?

　　A. What courses they want to learn in medical schools.

　　B. How much money they hope to carn in future.

　　C. When they plan to start their medical training.

　　D. Whether they understand a doctor’s duties.

　　43. What can be infected about the applicants from the text?

　　A. They must be hard-working.

　　B. They have to do well in medicine.

　　C. They should have work experience.

　　D. They must carn 15,000 dollars a year.

　　C

　　Most musicians agree that the best violins(小提琴)were made in Cremona Italy,about 200 years ago. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments(樂器)like the Italian violins. However, they are not the same. Why are these old Italian vilins so special? No one really knows. But many people think they have an answer.

　　Some people think it is the age of the violins. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only the old violins from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer.

　　Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremona knew something special about wood for violins.

　　But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut into the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians something think that this is the secret of the Italians.

　　Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists make new violins that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new ones still do not sound as good as the old ones. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish(清漆).It makes the wood look shiny, but it also helps the sound of the instrument. Since no one know what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish, no one can make the same varnish today.

　　There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. And there are not many of the on violins left. So these old violins from Cremona become more and more precious.

　　44. What would be the best title for the text?

　　A. The Secrets of Cremona Violins.

　　B. The History of Cremona Violins

　　C. The Making of Italian Violins

　　D. The Studies of Italian Violins

　　45.What is still not clear about Cremona violins?

　　A. The shape. B. The wood

　　C. The size. D. The varnish.

　　46. Which of the following words can best describe Cremona violins?

　　A. Light B. Shining.

　　C. Valuable. D. Modern.

　　D

　　Advice on Public Speaking

　　Building confidence(信心)

　　Faith in yourself, your topic and your healthy mind is a must if you are to be a better public speaker. Many speakers are not prepared and lose confidence because of that. But others lack confidence because they are afraid of being judged-and possibly made fun of-just like they were in high school speech class. Build your confidence by using all your tools and knowing that you are excellent.

　　Knowing what’s up

　　You have to know your topic inside and out. Nothing kills your speech like “um” and “uh” in every sentence. Research your subject to the point where you are an expert. And that’s half the battle.

　　Practicing

　　Researching and knowing your topic is one thing, but actually delivering that information is another. Practicing your speech in advance is a must. You will find your beats and your direction,through hours in front of the mirror practicing. So when you climb up on stage, it will be like riding a bike, unless you don’t know how to ride a bike.

　　Dressing properly

　　You will want to dress properly for the occasion(場合)—which could be a suit or simply a jacket. Make sure it also has the comfort you need. If the clothes are not comfortable, you may not pay full attention to your speech.

　　Making connections

　　Make a personal connection with someone in the audience(聽眾).It might be someone you know that you can call out to, or someone in the front row you can speak directly to. Maybe your speech leads you to ask them a question, which is an easy way for you to take yourself from the stage and place yourself as one of your audience. It also takes the pressure off.

　　47. What does “ that’s half the battle”mean in the text?

　　A. You have already won the battle.

　　B. You are getting on the way to final success.

　　C. You need experts to guide you in public speaking.

　　D. You should write sentences without “um” and “uh”.

　　48. The author compares delivering a speech to riding a bike because both of them need .

　　A. guiding B. practice

　　C. proper dressing D. self-confidence

　　49. Which of the following ways is suggested in making connections with the audience?

　　A. Looking at someone in the distance

　　B. Calling out to someone you don’t know.

　　C. Asking someone in the audience a question.

　　D. Shaking hands with someone in the front row.

　　50. What is the main purpose of the text?

　　A. To show you how to dress properly.

　　B. To help you become a good speaker.

　　C. To teach you how to gain confidence.

　　D. To help you get to know the audience.