Fast Reading Materials for Senior Grade Three
I. 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的（A、B、C和D）四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
All the World Asks
On my first day in a college classroom , I felt like an overgrown child returning to eivilization (文明世界) after having been lost in the forest for thirty years . there I sat , 36 enough to be a father to most of the students in the room , 37 unconfident enough to be their baby brother . We were crowded elbow (肘部) to elbow , listening to a 38 who looked even younger than the students . I felt oncomfortable and out of place as the professor carefully 39 what she expected us to learn . As I listened , I couldn’t help but 40 of my own oldest daughter who was now beginning her first year in 41 , just like me . I remembered how hanl I had tried to help build self-confidence in her and my other children . So why did I suddenly feel like a scared 42 myself ? When I walked out of that classroom , I had serious 43 about my ability to make it 44 college . Not until late that night did my thinking 45 . It was a long-distance 46 from my daughter , my fellow college freshman (新生), that did the trick . She spoke on the phone about the doubts , worries and anxieties she was 47 . She was certain that she’d never 48 at college . How 49 her worries sounded . In my most confident parental 50 . I said, “Doing your best it all the world 51 .” the next day in class , those words still repeated in my head . When the professor raised a 52 for the class ,nobody , including me , 53 to answer . When I looked around at the 54 and uncertainty on the young faces in that room , I knew 55 what I had to do : my best . That’s all the world asks . So raised my hand , and the professor called my name . I spoke .
36．A．big B．tall C．old D．strong
37．A．and B．so C．or D．yet
38．A．professor B．teacher C．lecturer D．instructor
39．A．showed B．explained C．designed D．offered
40．A．think B．speak C．talk D．hear
41．A．school B．office C．classroom D．college
42．A．father B．parent C．child D．son
43．A．fears B．doubts C．opinions D．ideas
44．A．over B．on C．with D．through
45．A．stop B．turn C．change D．continue
46．A．call B．talk C．report D．discussion
47．A．obtaining B．gaining C．experiencing D．feeling
48．A．fail B．succeed C．win D．pass
49．A．common B．ordinary C．regular D．familiar
50．A．sound B．whisper C．word D．voice
51．A．hopes B．asks C．wants D．expects
52．A．request B．problem C．question D．demand
53．A．dared B．preferred C．tried D．prepared
54．A．sorrow B．joy C．fear D．anger
55．A．exactly B．roughly C．gradually D．certainly
II. 阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Everybody hates it , but everybody does it . A recent report said that 40% of Americans hate tipping .
In America alone , tipping is a $16 billion-a-year industry .Consumers acting politely ought not to pay more than they have to for a given service . Tips should not exist . So why do they ? The common opinion in the past was that tips both rewarded the efforts of good service and reduced uncomfortable feelings of inequality . And also , tipping makes for closer relations . It went without saying that the better the service , the bigger the tip .
But according to new research from Cornell University , tips no longer serves any useful function . The paper analyzes numbers they got from 2547 groups dining at 20 different restaurants . The connection between larger tips and better service was very weak . Only a tiny part of the size of the tip had anything to do with the quality of service .
Tipping is better explained by culture than by the money people spend . In America , the custom came into being a long time ago . It is regarded as part of the accepted cost of a service. In New York restaurants , failing to tip at least 15% could well mean dissatisfaction from the customers . Hairdressers can expect to get 15%—20% , and the man who delivers your fast food $ 2. In Europe , tipping is less common . In many restaurants the amount of tip is decided by a standard service charge . In many Asian countries , tipping has never really caught on at all . Only a few have really taken to tipping.
According to Michael Lynn , the Cornell papers’ author , countries in which people are more social or outgoing tend to tip more . Tipping may reduce anxiety about being served by strangers . And , says , Mr . Lynn, “in America , where people are expressive and eager to mix up with others , tipping is about social approval . If you tip badly , people think less of you . “Tipping well is a chance to show off .”
56．This passage is mainly about .
A．different kinds of tipping in different countries B．the relationship between tipping and custom
C．the origin and present meaning of tipping D．most American people hate tipping
57．Which of the following best explains the underlined phrase “caught on” ?
A．been hated B．become popular C．been stopped D．been permitted
58．Among the following situations , in your opinion , who is likely to tip most ?
A．A Frenchman just quarreled with the barber who did his hair badly in NY.
B．A Chinese student enjoyed his meal in a famous fast food restaurant in NY.
C．A Japanese businessman asked for a pizza delivery from a Pizza Hut in NY.
D．An American just had a wonderful dinner in a well-known restaurant in NY.
59．We can infer from this passage that .
A．tipping is no longer a good way to satisfy some customers themselves
B．tipping has something to do with people’s character
C．tipping in America can make service better now
D．tipping is especially popular in New York
B
It came as something of a surprise when Diana, Princess of Wales, made a trip to Angola in 1997, to support the Red Cross campaign for a total ban on anti-personnel landmines (地雷). Within hours of arriving in Angola, television screens around the world were filled with images of her comforting victims (受害者) injured in accidents caused by landmines . “I knew the huge numbers,” she said. “But putting a face to those figures brought the reality home to me ; like when I met Sandra , a 13-year-old girl who had lost her leg, and people like her.” The Princess concluded with a simple message: “We must stop landmines”. And she used every opportunity during her visit to repeat this message.
But, back in London, her views wee not shared by some members of the British government , which refused to support a ban on these weapons . Angry politicians started an attack on the Princess in the press ，They described her as “very ill-informed” . The Princess responded by brushing aside the eriticismas: “This is a prevention we do not need . All I’m trying to do is to help.” Opposition parties , the media and the public immediately voiced their support for the Princess . To make matters worse for the government , it soon appeared that the Princess trip bad been approved by the Foreign Office , and that she was in fact very well-informed about both the situation in Angola and the British government’s policy regarding landmines . the result was a sever blow on the government .
To try and limit the damage, the Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkidnd, said that the Princess’ views on landmines were not very different from the government’s policy, and that it was “working towards” a worldwide ban. The defence secretary, Michael Portillo declared the matter was “a misunderstanding”. For the Princess, the trip to this war-torn country was an excellent opportunity to use her popularity to show the world hw much destruction and suffering landmines can cause . She said that the experience had also given her the chance to get closer to people and their problems.
60．Princess Diana paid a visit to Angola in 1997 .
A．to explain the British government’s stand on landmines
B．to show off her image as a friend of landmine victims
C．to look into the suffering of landmine victims there
D．to voice her support for a total ban of landmines
61．What did Diana mean when she said “…putting a face to those figures brought he reality home to me” (Line 5, Para , 1)?
A．Seeing the pain of the victims , she realized the seriousness of the situation .
B．Meeting the landmine victims in person made her believe the statistics .
C．The actual situation in Angola made her feel like going back home .
D．She just couldn’t bear to meet the landmine victims face to face .
62．Some members of the British government criticized Diana because .
A．she was ill-informed of the government’s policy
B．they were actually opposed to banning landmines
C．she had not informed the government before the visit
D．they believed that she had misunderstood the situation in Angola
63．What did Princess Diana think of her visit to Angola ?
A．It had greatly helped her gain more popularity .
B．It had brought her closer t the ordinary people .
C．It had caused disappointment to the British government
D．It had affected her relations with the British government .
C
If you’re training for a marathon , a proper plan for water intake (摄入) is important . Of course , there’s the risk of dehydration (脱水) . But athletes now know they can also get into trouble by drinking to much . To much water intake can lower levels of sodium (钠) in the blood . The death of a 28-year-old woman following the Boston Marathon caught the attention of many runners and led to new research .
Experts advise long distance runners to replace the liquids they sweat out . Their goal is to try to keep someone from not getting dehydrated by more than 2 percent of their body weight .
One technique for deciding how much water you need is to get the exact numbers. Runners have to weight themselves before and after a run to determine how much water they’ve lost. If their weight drops by more than 2 percent, they have not drunk enough water.
Hyponatremia occurs when runners drink so much water that blood salt levels drop off . A study published last year tested 488 runners who completed the Boston Marathon and found 13 percent of them had dangerously low blood salt levels. The first sign that runners may notice is slightly swelling in the hands. They can’t get their rings off , and then they might feel sick . They may not remember where they are. In fact, most runners get enough salt to get back to normal levels by eating just one meal after a run. Contrary to the old advice that runners should drink as much as they can to prevent dehydration, the new research has shown that the body is a remarkable machine that actually tells you via thirst when you need water.
64．The author of this passage is primarily concerned with .
A．the signs and treatment for dehydration
B．the long distance runners who need help
C．how to manage water intake during a marathon
D．a 28-year-old woman who died after a Boston Marathon
65．Why do runners have to weigh themselves before and after a run ?
A．They can improve their performance in a run .
B．They can learn how much salt there is in the blood .
C．They ca know the quantity of water they’ve lost during a run .
D．They can decide what kind of water they should take during a run .
66．What conclusion can we draw from the passage?
A．Taking much salt during a run can avoid selling in the body.
B．Either too much or to little of water intake is harmful.
C．A rich meal is helpful to our performance in a run.
D．We should take enough salt during a run.
67．According the passage, which of the following statements is correct?
A．Too much water intake→blood sodium levels ↓→dehydration.
B．Too much water intake→blood salt levels ↓→hyponatremia.
C．No water intake→blood sodium levels↑→hyponatremia.
D．No water intake →blood salt levels ↓→hyponatrenmia.
D
Stratford –on-Avon , as we all know , has only one industry—William Shakespeare—but there are two clearly separate and different branches . There is the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), which presents excellent productions of the plays at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre on the Avon . And there are townsfolk who largely live on the tourists who come, not to see the play, but to look at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage , Shakespeare’s birthplace and the other sights .
The townsfolk of Stratford doubt that the theatre adds a penny to their income . They frankly dislike the RSC actors, those who walk with long hair and beard and great noise .
The tourist stream are not entirely separate. The sightseers, who come by bus and often take in Warwick on the side , don’t usually see the plays. And some of them are even surprised to find a theatre in Stratford . However, the playgoers do manage a little sight-seeing along with their play-going. It is the playgoers, the RSC declares, who bring in much of the town’s income because they spend the night (some of them four or five nights ) pouring money into hotels and restaurants . The sightseers can take in everything and get out of town by nightfall.
The townsfolk don’t see it this way and local government does not put away some money for the RSC. Stratford cries poor traditionally. Nevertheless, every hotel in town seems to be adding a new wing or a cocktail room. Hilton is building its own hotel there , which you will be sure will be decorated with Hamburger bars , dinner rooms ad so forth , and will be very expensive .
Anyway, the townsfolk can’t understand why the RSC needs help from the government. The theatre has broken attendance records for three years in a row . Last year, its 1,431 seats were 94 occupied all year long and this year they will do better. The reason, of course, is that costs have rocketed and ticket prices have stayed the same. It would be a shame to raise prices too much because it would drive away the young people who are Stratford’s most attractive customers. They come entirely for the plays, not the sights. They all seem to look alike, though they come from all over.
68．From the first two paragraphs, we learn that .
A．the townsfolk think little of the RSC’s contribution to the town’s income
B．the actors of RSC imitate Shakespeare on and off stage
C．the two branches of the RSC are not on good terms
D．the townsfolk earn little from tourism
69．It can be inferred from the third paragraph that .
A．the sightseers cannot visit the castle and the palace separately
B．the playgoers seem to spend to spend more money than the sightseers
C．the playgoers go to no other places in town than the theatre
D．the sightseers do no other things than shopping in town
70．By saying “Stratford cries poor traditionally”, the author means that _________.
A．Stratford has long been in financial difficulties B．Stratford cannot afford the new projects
C．the town is not really short of money D．the townsfolk used to be poorly paid
71．According to the townsfolk, the RSC deserves no help form the government because _____.
A．the behavior of the actors is not socially acceptable
B．ticket prices can be raised to cover the spending
C．the company is financially il-managed
D．the theatre attendance is on the rise
E
Stone Hill Mall has fewer large department stores than most malls but, instead, features more than 100 small specialty shops, while the few that are not used yet will be filled as soon as the mall’s owners find proprietors(业主) who fit the mall’s image.
One thing that makes Stone Hill Mall popular was that all of the stores remain open form 9 am. until 10 pm., Monday through Friday. This favorable start has certainly been advantageous thanks to such features as its being the only shopping center in the area to provide free baby-sitting for children from two to eight years old and its offering restaurants to suit every pocket, with the possible exception of the highly budget-conscious. Furthermore, as far as movie entertainment is concerned. Stone Hill Mall tops Westgate Mall, which looked very impressive when it opened has hast year, with three separate cinemas.
Besides, the air-conditioning system makes sure a comfortable inside temperature of 25 degrees centigrade no matter what the weather is like outside, and in addition to is three beautiful fountains, the mall has a quiet garden area with comfortable benches and chairs for shoppers who have become tired.
One complaint about Stone Hill Mall is that it is located outside the city, but there is a regular bus service between the mall and the city center. A further complaint might be that, although the mall is surrounded by trees to mix it with the scenery, it will be some years before these can effectively make the main buildings and the vast buildings and the vast parking lot a part of the area around.
72．Stone Hill Mall is different from other malls because it has __________.
A．many shops selling special goods B．shops selling expensive goods
C．more large department stores D．more empty space to rent
73．Stone Hill Mail is popular with shoppers mainly because of its
A．children’s stores B．long business hours
C．attractive restaurants D．entertainment equipment
74．It is implied in the passage that the writer takes a attitude towards the mall .
A．fair B．indifferent C．critical D．one-sided
75．The main purpose of the passage is to .
A．draw attention to the strange looking shopping centers
B．compare Stone Hill Mall with other shopping centers
C．discuss the favorable conditions of the mall
D．introduce the special kind of the mall