第三部分：阅读理解（共两节，40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，共30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
“I Went Skydiving at 84!”
As a young girl growing up in the 1930s, I always wanted to fly a plane, but back then it was almost unheard of a woman to do that. I got a taste of that dream in 2011,when my husband arranged for me me ride in a hot air balloon for my birthday. But the experience turned out to be very dull. Around that time ,I told my husband that I wanted to skydive. So when our retirement community（社区）announced that they were having an essay competition and the topic was an experience of a lifetime that you wanted to have, I decided to write about my dream.
In the essay, I wrote about my desire to skydive, stating George Brush Sr. did it at age 80. Why not me? I was just 84 and in pretty good health. A year went by and I heard nothing. But then at a community party in late April 2009, they announced that I was one of the winners. I just couldn’t believe it.
One june 11, 2009, nearly 40 of my family and friends gathered in the area close to where I would land while I headed up in the airplane. My instructor, Jay, guided me through the experience. The plane was the noisiest one I had ever been in, but I wasn’t frightened—I was really just looking forward to the experience. When we reachen 13,000 feet, Jay instructed me to throw myself out of the plane. When we first hit the air, the wind was so strong that I could hardly breathe. For a second I thought, “What have I gotten myself into?” But then everything got calmer. We were in a free fall for about a minute before Jay opened the parachute（降落伞）, then we just floated downward fo zhout five minutes. Being up in the clouds and looking at the view below was unlike anything I have ever felt—much better than the hot air ballon. I was just enjoying it.
Skydiving was really one of the greatest experiences of my life. I hope other people will look at me and realize that you don’t stop living just because you are 84 years old. If there’s something you want to experience, look into it. If it’s something that is possible, make it happen.
56. What happened to the auther in 2001?
A. She flew an airplane
B. She entered a competition
C. She went on a hot air balloon ride
D. She moved into a retirement community
57. The author mentioned George Bush Sr. in her essay to .
A. build up her own reputation
B. show her admiration for him
C. compare their health conditon
D. make her argument persuasive
58. How did the authou feel immediately after she jumped out of the plane?
A. Excited B. Scared C. Nervous D. Regretful
59. What did the author enjoy most when she was skydiving?
A.The beautiful clouds B. The wonderful view
C. The company of Jay D. The one-minute free fall
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60. Before sending a manuscript to the Post, a contributor is advised to .
A. get a better understanding of American issues
B. find out the range of the articles in the post
C. increase his knowledge in many fields
D. broaden his research focus
61.to submit nonfiction articles，a contributor must_____.
A. provide his special qualification
B. be a regular reader of the post
C. produce printed version
D. be over 45 year old
62.from the passage we can learn that the post
A. allows article submission within six weeks
B. favor science articles within 2，000 words
C. have a huge demand for humorous works
D. prefers nonfiction to fiction article
C
Students and Technology in the Classroom
I love my blackberry—it’s my little connection to the larger world that can go anywhere with me . I also love my laptop computer ，as it holds all of my writing and thought .Despite this love of technology ,I know that there are times when I need to move away from these device and truly communication with others.
On occasion ,I teach a course called History Matters for a group of higher education managers. My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes and ideas .Because I want students to thoroughly study the material and exchange their ideas with each other in the classroom ,I have a rule —no laptop ,ipads ,phones ,etc .When students were told my rule in advance of the class, some of them were not happy .
Most students assume that year reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology . There’s a bit of truth to that.Some students assume that I am anti-technology . There’s no truth in that at all . I love technology and try to keep up with it so I relate to my students.
The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversions and truly engae complex ideas. Interruptions by technology often break concentration and allow for too much dependence on outside information for ideas . I want students to think differently and make connections between the course the material and the class discussion .
I’ve been teaching my history class in this way for many years and the educations reflect student satisfaction with the environment that I create .Students realize that with deep conversation and challenge , they learn at a level that helps them keep the course material beyond the classroom .
I’m not saying that I won’t ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change ,I’m sticking to my plan. a few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too give up.
63.some of the students in the history class were unhappy with____
A. the course material B. others’ misuse of technology
C. discussion topics D. the author’s class regulator
64.the underlined word “engage ”in para.4 probably means ____
A. explore B. accept C. change D. reject
65.according to the author ,the use of technology in the classroom may ____
A. keep students from doing independent thinking
B. encourage students to have in-depth conversations
C. help students to better understand complex themes
D. affect students’ concentration on course evaluation
66.it can be inferred from the last paragraph that the author ____
A. is quite stubborn
B. will give up teaching history
C. will change his teaching plan soon
D. values technology-free dialogues in his class
D
As the railroads and the highways shaped the American West in the past centuries,a new electrical generating and transmission system for the 21 century will leave a lasting mark on the West,for better or worse.Much of the real significance of railroads and highways is not in their direct physical effect on the scenery,but in the ways that they affect the surounding commu solar plants and the pouer lines that will be laid down to?
67.what was the problem caused by the construction of the railways ?
A. small towns along the railways became abandoned .
B. some railroad stops remained .
C. land in the west was hard to manage .
D. land grants went into private hands.
68.what is the major concern in the development of alternative energy according to the last two paragraphs ?
A. the transmission of power B. the use of money and power
C. the conservation of solar energy D. the selection of an ideal place
69.what is the author ‘s attitude towards building solar plants ?
A. cautious B. approving C. doubtful D. disapproving
70.which is the best title for the passage ?
A. how the railways have affected the west
B. how solar energy could reshape the west
C. how the effects of power plants can be reduced
D. how the problems of the highways have been settled
第二节（共5小题；每小题2分，共10分）
根据短文内容，从短文后的七个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项中有两项为多余选项。
A. Rather, it is an important part of shaping the ideas themselves
B. This may seem like a lot of time, but the rewards are well worth it.
C. It may also help you to know that there is no such thing as a perfect speech
D. It has often been said that there are few new ideas in the world, only reorganized ideas.
E. If you are wondering what this has to do with your public speaking class, the answer is quite a lot.
F. The skills you learn in your speech class can help you become a more effective thinker in a number of ways
G. As you study the role of evidence and reasoning in speechmaking ,you will see how they can be used in other forms of communication as well.
