第二部分：阅读理解(共两节，满分40分)
(共15小题;每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A, B, C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
My father was always a good gardener. One of my earliest memories is standing without shoes in the freshly tilled(翻耕的) soil, my hands blackened from digging in the ground.
As a child, I loved following Dad around in the garden. I remember Dad pushing the tiller(耕作机) ahead in perfectly straight lines. Dad loved growing all sorts of things: yellow and green onions, watermelons almost as big as me, rows of yellow corn, and our favorite--- red tomatoes.
As I grew into a teenager, I didn’t get so excited about gardening with Dad. Instead of magical land of possibility, it had turned into some kind of prison. As Dad grew older, his love for gardening never disappeared. After all the kids were grown and had started families of their own, Dad turned to gardening like never before. Even when he was diagnosed with cancer, he still took care of his garden.
But then, the cancer, bit by bit, invaded his body. I had to do the things he used to do. What really convinced me that Dad was dying was the state of his garden that year. The rows and rows of multicolored vegetables were gone. Too tired to weed them, he simply let them be.
For the first few years after he died, I couldn’t even bear to look at anyone’s garden without having strong memories pour over me like cold water from a bucket. Three years ago, I decided to plant my own garden and started out with just a few tomatoes. That morning, after breaking up a fair amount of soil, something caught the corner of my eye and I had to smile. It was my eight-year-old son Nathan, happily playing in the freshly tilled soil.
21. Why did the author like the garden when he was a child?
A. He wanted to be a garden-crazy like his father.
B. He loved being in the garden with his father.
C. The garden was full of his favorite food.
D. The garden was just freshly tilled.
22. When all the kids started their own families, the author’s father _____.
A. stopped his gardening
B. turned to other hobbies
C. devoted more to gardening
D. focused on planting tomatoes
23. What happened to the garden when the author’s father was seriously ill?
A. There was a great harvest.
B. The garden was almost deserted.
C. No plant grew in the garden at all.
D. The author’s son took charge of the garden.
24. Why did the author start his garden with tomatoes?
A. He wanted to honor his father.
B. His son liked the fields of tomatoes.
C. He only knew how to grow tomatoes.
D. He thought tomatoes were easy to manage.
B
Here are the comments on CRI (China Radio International) given by people from different countries on the Internet.
People Comments Yingtian Hu
Guangzhou, China This is the first time that I participate in CRI. And I like it very much. I hope its website will become the most excellent one with the foreign languages. And I choose the important news which I think has a great influence on our society and our lives. In the end, I hope that more and more persons join in CRI and make it perfect! SujanParajuli,
Select city, Nepal I am both a regular listener of CRI and visitor of its wonderful Website. First of all, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to CRI for its great efforts to keep the listeners up-to-date during the year 2008. We, the listeners, are greatly grateful to CRI for its praise-worthy efforts to quench the thirst of its dear listeners. During the Year 2008, I found all of your programs quite interesting, informative and educational. Once again, thanks a lot for offering lots of information, news, entertainment and many items which have indeed broaden the horizons of our knowledge and understanding as well. Ibrahim
Rustamov,
Tajikistan With CRI, I was impressed by China’s rapid development in all spheres. But I felt so sorry to get to know about the snowstorms in China and Wenchuan earthquake. CRI and CCTV play a great role in introducing China to the world! Kudos! My friends and I wish CRI all the best! Mike Thatcher,
London My family and I are all keen on Chinese Culture, especially the beautiful Chinese folk music. Various interesting programs by CRI just open a window for us foreigners, through which we can know more about China and have a better understanding of the Chinese culture. Best wishes to CRI! Best wishes to China!
25. Which of the following benefits of CRI is NOT mentioned above?
A. CRI helps to keep its listeners up-to-date.
B. CRI helps its listeners to better understand China.
C. CRI helps its listeners to practice and improve foreign languages.
D. CRI helps its listeners broaden their knowledge with its rich contents.
26. The underlined phrase “quench the thirst” refers to _____.
A. satisfy one’s need B. supply drinks
C. take care of D. keep in touch with
27. What can be concluded from the four comments?
A. CRI has a great influence on our society and lives.
B. Wonderful though CRI is, there are still many weaknesses.
C. CRI plays an important role in introducing the world to China.
D. CRI has made great efforts to make itself better and gained popularity.
