61．Why did the family change their ice-cream order a dozen times?

　　　 A．They couldn’t agree with one another　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　 B．They wanted to test the writer’s patience.

　　　 C．They couldn’t afford to buy their favorite ice-cream.　　　　　　　　　

　　　 D．The text doesn’t tell us.

60．Which of the following can’t describe the writer’s situation before she got her tip?

　　　 A．She was tired.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．She was busy.　　　

　　　 C．She was sorry.　　 　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．She was confident.

59. Indians didn’t need to learn each other’s language because _______.

A. they thought they could easily make themselves understood

B. they could use signals or sign language

C. different tribes lived far away and never met each other

D. they never communicated with one another

答案　 56.C　 57.D　 58.D　 59.B

Passage 21

(江西省南昌二中2009屆高三5月模擬考試B篇)

It was the end of my first day as a waitress in a busy New York restaurant. My cap had gone away, and my feet hurt. The loaded plates I carried seemed to be heavier and heavier. Tired and discouraged, I didn’t seem able to do anything right. As I made out a check for a family with several children who had changed their ice-cream order a dozen times, I was ready to stop. Then the father smiled at me as he handed me my tip. “Well done,” he said, “you’ve looked after us really well.” Suddenly my tiredness disappeared. I smiled back, and later, when the manager asked me how I’d liked my first day, I said, “Fine!” Those few words of praise had changed everything. Praise is like sunlight to the human spirit; we cannot flower and grow without it. And yet, most of us are only too ready to apply to others the cold criticism, but are unwilling to give our fellows the warm sunshine of praise. Perhaps that is why one word of praise can bring such pleasure.

It’s strange how chary we are about praising. Perhaps it’s because few of us know how to accept it. It’s especially rewarding to give praise in areas in which effort generally goes unnoticed. An artist gets admired for a glorious picture, a cook for a perfect meal. But do you ever tell your laundry(洗衣店)manager how pleased you are when the shirts are done just right? In fact, to give praise costs the giver nothing but a moment’s thought and a moment’s effort.

58. Sign language is _______.

A. to write one’s signature　　　　

B. a secret way of talking to some Indian tribes

C. a kind of gesture only for Indians　

D. a way to express one’s ideas by making gestures

57. An Indian used a mirror to do all the followings EXCEPT _______.

A. send messages in code　

B. get the attention of someone in the distance

C. warn someone of danger

D. to tell a friend from an enemy

56. The whole text is mainly about _______.

A. different tribes have different languages

B. the Indians had many kinds of languages

C. how Indians communicated between different tribes

D. why the Indians used many languages

58. What’s the best title of the passage?

A. Do kids still like reading?　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Kids’ interest in reading drops.

C. New technology on kids’ reading.　　　　　 D. Parents’ influence on kids’ reading.

答案　 56.B　 57.B　 58.A

Passage 20

(江西省撫州一中2009屆高三第四次模擬考試A篇)

Each Indian tribe had a different language. Many Indians never learned any language except their own. Do you know how Indians from different tribes talked to each other? They had two ways to talk without sound. One way was by sign language; the other way by signals.

Sign language is a way of talking by using signs. Indians used sign language when they met strangers. In this way, they could find out whether the stranger was a friend or an enemy. In the Indian sign language, signs were made with the hands. One sign meant “man”. Another meant “horse”. To tell the time of day when something happened, an Indian pointed to the sky. He showed where the sun had been at the time.

Indians usually used signals when they wanted to send messages to someone far away. To make signals, an Indian might use a pony. He might use a blanket. Or he might use smoke, a mirror or fire arrows.

To signal that he had seen many animals, an Indian rode his pony in a large circle. Sometimes the Indian gave a signal like this and then went away to hide. This meant that there was danger.

The blanket signal was visible from far away. An Indian held the corners of a blanket in his hands. Then he began to swing the blanket from side to side in front of him. An Indian could send many different signals with his blanket.

He could also send many signals with a mirror. He usually used the mirror to warn someone of danger. Or he attempted to get the attention of a person far away. But he also used it to send messages in code. Of course, mirrors could be used only when the sun was shining. At night, Indians used fire arrows for signaling.

　 An Indian also sent signals with smoke. He made a small fire of dry wood. Then he put grass or green branches on it. He held a blanket over the fire for a minute. When he removed the blanket from the fire, there was a cloud of smoke. The number of clouds of smoke told his message in code.

Now you can see that Indians didn’t need to learn each other’s language. They could talk to one another by using signals or sign language.

57. It can be inferred from the passage that _____________.

A. the study is conducted to find how much time children spend reading every day

B. the older children grow, the little they spend reading every day

C. about half of all parents begin reading to their kids before their first birthday

D. parent engagement in child’s reading can have a great influence on them

56. According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. In modern society, most kids still like reading.

B. Most kids are more likely to read e-books for fun every day.

C. Parents have a strong influence on kids’ reading

D. Most kids like reading as well as technology.

62. What will be continued after this passage?

A.　 How hard Chinese students studied in America.

B.　 Some advice on how to take care of yourself in America.

C.　 The difficulties you will meet with while living in America

D.　 Some other things to consider to choose the right school.

答案　 59.B　 60.C　 61.C　 62.D

Passage 19

(江蘇省啟東中學(xué)2009屆高三最后一卷A篇)

The saying that children don’t like reading any more has been proved untrue. A new study finds that 75 percent of kids between five and 17 say that although they love technology, they still want to read books.

“The Kids & Family Reading Report” also says that 62 percent of kids prefer reading printed books rather than those on a computer. At the same time, those who search an author’s website or use the Internet to find books by a particular author, are more likely to read books for fun every day.

The study also once again proves that the time kids spend reading books for fun decreases after the age of eight and continues to drop through the teen years. The report is a follow-up to a 2006 study. But this time the focus is on the role of technology and when kids’ interest in reading starts to drop.

“Despite the fact that after the age of eight more children go online daily than read for fun daily, high frequency Internet users are more likely to read books for fun every day,” says Heather Carter, a writer of the report.

One in four kids between five and 17 say they read books for fun every day and more than half of kids say they read books for fun at least two to three times a week. One of the key reasons kids say they don’t read more often is that they have trouble finding books they like - a requirement that parents underestimate.

The study also finds that parents have a strong influence on kids’ reading, but only about half of all parents begin reading to their kids before their first birthday. The percent of children who are read to every day drops from 38 percent among five-to eight-year-olds to 23 percent among nine-to 11-year-olds - exactly the same time that kids’ daily reading for fun starts to drop.

“Parent engagement in their child’s reading from birth all the way through the teen years can have a great influence on how often their children read and how much they enjoy reading,” adds Carter.