SYDNEY （AFP） Nick Bryant reports:“It gives me great pleasure to introduce the ne

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SYDNEY （AFP） Nick Bryant reports:
“It gives me great pleasure to introduce the new caretaker of the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, from the United Kingdom, Ben Southall.”
A global recruitment（招聘） drive with the trappings of a TV reality show made it truly a tourism marketing campaign．
The best job in the world’s competition finally has a winner, Ben Southall, a 34-year-old charity worker from Britain．He beat 34,000 candidates from 200 countries in an online competition that became something of an Internet phenomenon．
“To go away now as the island caretaker for Tourism Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef is an extreme honour．I hope I can fill the boots as much as everybody is expecting, my swimming hopefully is up to standard and I look forward to all of the new roles and responsibilities that the task involves.” [Ben Southall]
For a disappointing Australian tourism industry currently in the doldrums, this has been an unexpected encouragement．Tourism Queensland deliberately chose the middle of winter of the northern Hemisphere to launch the campaign back in January, but didn’t expect anywhere near the global response．They think the only countries where people didn’t visit their website were North Korea and a few African nations．
What’s said to be the best job in the world comes with a $110,000 （about 750,000 yuan） contract for six months’ work, a luxury beachside home and a plunge pool．
In return, the island caretaker will be expected to stroll the white sands, enjoy the sun, diving and taking care of the reef, “maybe clean the pool”-- and report to a global audience via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates.
For the losers meanwhile, there’s the worst of long journeys home.
55．Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．The global recruitment mostly took place online．
B．Ben Southall got the job in January.
C．The recruitment started in winter in Australia．
D．The organizers knew the activity would attract attention from all over the world.
56．The caretaker of the islands is expected to be good at all the following EXCEPT ______.
A．swimming          B．writing   C．photographing        D．acting
57．It can be inferred from the report that ______.
A．it’s the easiest job in the world
B．you need to surf the Internet regularly to know what Ben Southall is doing there
C．the organizers of the activity knew North Koreans would never be interested in the job
D．The journey home of the losers of the competition will be dangerous
58．The underlined word “doldrums” probably means ______ .
A．depression          B．development C．recovery        D．promotion

答案

55—58: ADBA

解析

略

举一反三

One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister．On this occasion, the work was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend．I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children and the younger children would do a wonderful job of accompanying the older ones．Later, I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.
I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out．I called home with this happy news．But instead of hearing his cheerful, grateful voice on the other end of the line, all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.
It was, I should point out, after 10 p.m., when the two younger children should have been in bed, and when the two older children should have been answering the phone．“I’ll give him a lesson,” I said．I decided they must be outside．Why they might be outside at 10:30 on a wintry night I had no idea, but it was the only explanation I could come up with.
Finally, in desperation, I called his girlfriend’s house．After what seemed like countless rings, his girlfriend answered．“Yes,” she said brightly, “He’s right here.”
He came on the phone．I was not my usual calm, rational self．After all, one of

the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modern teenagers．“Where are the children?” I said．He said they were with him．They had done nothing wrong．My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake．This was too good to be believed．Well, it turns out that I shouldn’t have believed it．It was only part of the truth.
The following Saturday evening we were at my parents’ home, celebrating my birthday．My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts．Mounted and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children, dressed in their best clothes, and wearing their most wonderful expressions. They are pictures to treasure a lifetime, all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend.
59．The author went out and left her eldest son in charge of the younger children because _____ _.
A．she knew that his girlfriend was a good baby-sitter
B．she believed he could take good care of the younger ones with the help of his girlfriend
C．the older children have always loved the younger ones
D．she could not find a baby-sitter on that winter night
60．Shortly after the author left home one evening, she discovered that ______.
A．her son had brought his girlfriend home
B．her son had left home with his girlfriend
C．she shouldn’t have completely trusted her son
D．she should have taken the children along with her
61．The sentence “It was only part of the truth.” （Para．5） implies that the children not only enjoyed ice-cream but also ______.
A．had a birthday party            B．framed some photographs
C．had their pictures taken          D．showed off their best clothes
62．Which of the following possible titles best expresses the main idea of this passage?
A．An Evening Out   B．Modern Teenagers
C．Mother and Children                D．A Precious Birthday Gift

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第三部分: 阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
第一节：（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
It seems that beauty and women are twins. You are joking? No, I’m not. Observe for yourself. Ads on fashion flood TV screens, radio programs, magazines, newspapers, and the streets. Whether they have realized or not, women are besieged by a sea of fashion. They are taught to think that without beautiful clothes they will grow old and lose their charm. So who dares to neglet dressing up at the cost of their appearance and youth?
But I do not agree with the opinion that women have to show their minds through their looks. The richness of their mind proves to be more beautiful and attract

ive than their looks. A woman who has experienced many troubles and may be called “aunt” or “granny” can still maintain her beauty if she has such excellent qualities as knowledge, ability, a kind heart, great courage, concern for others, etc.
In addition, old and young, beautiful and ugly are relative concepts. People who keep a young mind will never feel old. Curious about new things and eager to learn more, they keep up with the tide. Painly dressed women may have a type of beauty, which is pure and real.
Reading and learning are the best way to keep one youthful. Good books are fertile soil which can feed the flower of one’s heart and looks.
56.The underlined word “besieged” may mean _______.
A. belonged to B. beside C. drew D. surrounded with
57. “So who dares to neglet dressing up at the cost of their appearance and youth?” means_______.
A. no one dares to notice that dressing up needs money
B. no one dares to fail to care for her appearance and youth with dressing up
C. everyone dares to notice that dressing up needs money
D. everyone dares to fail to care for her appearance and youth with dressing up
58. What’s the writer’s attitude of this passage?
A. He thinks that richness is beautiful.
B. It’s impossible to be old if you keep a young mind.
C. The richness of the mind is really beautiful.
D. An old lady can keep her beauty if she has knowledge.

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An eight-year-old girl took a jar with all her change in it, slipped out of the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall’s Drugstore with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. She waited patiently for the storek

eeper to give her some attention. At last she was noticed.
“What do you want?” the storekeeper asked, “I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen for ages,” he said without waiting for a reply to his question.
“Well, I want to talk to you about my brother, ” Tess answered. “He’s really sick and … and want to buy a miracle…. ”
“I beg your pardon?”said the storekeeper.
“His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?”
“We don’t sell miracles here, little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you,” the storekeeper said.
“Listen, I have the money to pay for it. Just tell me how much it costs,” said the girl with her eyes welling up.
The storekeeper’s brother was a well-dressed gentleman. He came up and asked, “What kind of miracle does your brother need?”
“I don’t know,” Tess replied. “I just know he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.”
“How much do you have?” asked the man

from Chicago.
“One dollar and eleven cents.”
“Well, what a coincidence(巧合)﹗”smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents—the exact price of a miracle for your brother.”
That gentleman was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a famous surgeon(外科医生). The operation was completed free of charge. Tess’s Mom and Dad were happily talking about the surgery—“a miracle”. Only Tess knew exactly how much the miracle cost. One dollar and eleven cents... plus the faith of a little child.
59. Why didn’t the storekeeper notice the little girl?
A. Because he was busy with his work.
B. Because the girl was too little to be seen.
C. Because he was talking with his brother.
D. Because he was telephoning his brother.
60. We can infer at first the storekeeper spoke to the little girl in a(n) _______.
A. friendly voice   B. impatient voice   C. delighted voice   D. surprised voice
61. The well-dressed gentleman _______.
A. was a very wealthy gentleman         B. was a famous biology professor
C. operated on the girl’s brother free       D. visited his brother now and then
62. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. Faith leads to the miracle           B. A very generous surgeon
C. A little girl saved her brother        D. A dollar and eleven cents

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The oldest stone buildings in the world are the pyramids. They have stood for nearly 5,000 years, and it seems likely that they will continue to stand for thousands of years yet. There are over eighty of them scattered along the banks of the Nile, some of which are different in shape from the true pyramids. The most famous of these are the “Step” pyramid and the “Bent” pyramid.
Some of the pyramids still look as much alike as they must have been when they were built thousands of years ago. Most of the damage suffered by the others has been at the hands of men who were looking for treasure or, more often, for stone to use in modern buildings.The dry climate of Egypt has helped to keep t

he pyramids in good condition, and their very shape has made them less likely to fall into ruin. These are good reasons why they can still be seen today, but perhaps the most important one is that they were planned to last forever.
The “Step” pyramid had to be on the west side of the Nile, the side on which the sun set. This was for spiritual reasons. It also had to stand well above the level of the river to protect it against the regular floods. It could not be too far from the Nile, however, as the stones to build it needed to be carried in boats down the river to the nearest point. Water transport was , of course, much easier than land transport. The builders also had to find a rock base, which was not likely to crack under the great weight of the pyramid. Finally, it had to be near the capital, or better still, near king’s palace so that he could visit it easily to personally check the progress being made on the final resting place for his body.
63. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the “Step” pyramid?
A. It is unlikely to fall into ruin in the near future.
B. It was built on the sands along the Nile.
C. It

is the oldest building on earth.
D. It is the most famous of the true pyramids.
64. The most important reason why some pyramids remain in good condition is that _______.
A. people have taken care of them
B. it doesn’t rain often in Egypt
C. they were well designed
D. the government has protected them from damage
65. Most of the damage to the pyramids has been caused by _______.
A. the regular floods B. the dry climate of Egypt
C. people searching for gold D. people in search of building materials
66. Why did Egyptians build the pyramids along the banks of the Nile?
A. Because they believed in their god.
B. Because it was difficult to find a large rock base far from the Nile.
C. Because the river helped a lot in the transport of building materials.
D. Because it was not easy to choose a suitable place for the pyramids.

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Do your kids like plastic toys? Well, I guess it’s time for them to play with wooden toys.
I have always liked kids’ wooden toys since I was five. I always ran along on the back of a hobby horse pretending to be a cowboy from the West when I was a little boy. Now I’m a dad and I still like buying these timeless natural wooden toys. They will never be out of style. My daughter has a child’s rocking horse, and my two sons hav

e wooden trains and cars. The great thing about this type of toys is that they will last generations if they are treated kindly. Even if they break, most of the time they can be repaired using spare parts bought from wooden-toy makers, and if the part is not too complicated(复杂的), you yourself can make the part from a piece of wood.
What if they do break and can’t be repaired? Well, at least they can be d

ealt with without having any bad effects on the environment. They can be turned into wood chippings and used for pathways in the country or play areas for kids. Even if the wooden toy is buried as rubbish, which is very rare these days, it will not harm the soil or the environment.
I like all types of wooden toys. There is such a wide variety of wooden toys today and the choice is getting bigger day by day. As an alternative(替代品) to plastic toys, wooden toys can’t be beaten. I’m sure in the near future wood will no doubt become the number one material for making toys, as plastic becomes more and more expensive because of rising oil prices and the environmental issues concerning plastic. Plastic toys might harm kids’ health, too.
67. According to the author, wooden toys which can’t be repaired will _______.
A. be taken back by the makers B. need a lot of money to deal with
C. not harm the environment D. be collected by collectors
68. From the last paragraph, we can learn that _______.
A. plastic will be used up sooner o

r later
B. plastic toys will not be allowed to be sold very soon
C. wooden toys will become more popular in the future
D. wooden toys will become more and more expensive
69. Which of the following is NOT the reason why plastic toys will be less popular in the future?
A. That plastic has bad effects on the environment.
B. That plastic toys might harm the health of children.
C. That plastic toys offer children few choices.
D. That oil prices are getting higher than before.
70. We can infer that this passage is written to _______.
A. tell us the disadvantages of plastic toys
B. advise parents to buy wooden toys instead of plastic ones
C. tell us how much the author and his children like wooden toys
D. advise toy makers to make wooden toys rather than plastic ones

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