第二部分 阅读理解（共两节，满分35分）
第一节（共10小题；每小题2.5分，满分25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，并在答题纸上将该项涂黑。
A
21. What is the text mainly about?A. Benjamin’s visit to Philadelphia.B. Williams’ influence on Benjamin.C. The beginning of Benjamin’s life as an artist.D. The friendship between Benjamin and Pennington.
22. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 3 suggest?
A. The cat would be closely watched.
B. The cat would get some medical care.
C. Benjamin would leave his home shortly.
D. Benjamin would have real brushes soon.
23. What did Pennington do to help Benjamin develop his talent?
A. He took him to see painting exhibitions.
B. He provided him with painting materials.
C. He sent him to a school in Philadelphia.
D. He taught him how to make engravings.
24. Williams’ two books helped Benjamin to ________.
A. master the use of paints
B. appreciate landscape paintings
C. get to know other painters
D. make up his mind to be a painter
答案解析：
21. C 本文主要讲述了美国绘画之父本杰明·韦斯特的艺术生涯的起点，包括他如何制作画笔、接受表兄的礼物、去费城参观以及决定成为艺术家的过程。
22. D 划线句子表明本杰明的猫的命运即将改善，结合上下文，这意味着本杰明将不再需要用猫毛制作画笔，因为他将很快拥有真正的画笔。
23. B 根据第三段的内容，本杰明的表兄彭宁顿给他寄了一盒颜料和一些画笔，这些都是绘画材料，帮助本杰明发展他的艺术才能。
24. D 文章最后一段提到，尽管本杰明对这两本书理解不多，但它们是他接触古典绘画的入门，并使他决定成为一名艺术家。这说明这两本书帮助本杰明下定决心成为一名画家。
B
Getting less sleep has become a bad habit for most American kids. according to a new survey(调查) by the National Sleep Foundation, 51% of kids aged 10 to 18 go to bed at 10 pm or later on school nights, even though they have to get up early. Last year the Foundation reported that nearly 60% of 7- to 12-year-olds said that they felt tired during the day, and 15% said they had fallen asleep at school.
How much sleep you need depends a lot on your age. Babies need a lot of rest: most of them sleep about 18 hours a day! Adults need about eight hours. For most school-age children, ten hours is ideal(理想的). But the new National Sleep Foundation survey found that 35% of 10- to 12-year-olds get only seven or eight hours. And guess what almost half of the surveyed kids said they do before bedtime? Watch TV.
“More children are going to bed with TVs on, and there are more opportunities(机会) to stay awake, with more homework, the Internet and the phone,” says Dr. Mary Carskadon, a sleep researcher at Brown university Medical School. She says these activities at bedtime can get kids all excited and make it hard for them to calm down and sleep. Other experts say part of the problem is chemical. Changing levels of body chemicals called hormones not only make teenagers’ bodies develop adult zxxk characteristics, but also make it hard for teenagers to fall asleep before 11 pm.
Because sleepiness is such a problem for teenagers, some zxxk school districts have decided to start high school classes later than they used to. Three years ago, schools in Edina, Minnesota, changed the start time from 7:25 am to 8:30 am. Students, parents and teachers are pleased with the results.
25. What is the new National Sleep Foundation survey on?
A. American kids’ sleeping habits. B. Teenagers’ sleep-related diseases.
C. Activities to prevent sleeplessness. D. Learning problems and lack of sleep.
26. How many hours of sleep do 11-year-olds need every day?
A. 7 hours. B. 8 hours. C. 10 hours. D. 18 hours.
27. Why do teenagers go to sleep late according to Carskadon?
A. They are affected by certain body chemicals.
B. They tend to do things that excite them.
C. They follow their parents’ examples.
D. They don’t need to go to school early.
答案解析：
25. A 根据第一段提到的“According to a new survey by the National Sleep Foundation, 51% of kids aged 10 to 18 go to bed at 10 pm or later on school nights,”可以判断，这项新的国家睡眠基金会调查是关于美国孩子的睡眠习惯。
26. C 根据第二段提到的“For most school-age children, ten hours is ideal,”可以得知，对于大多数学龄儿童来说，理想的睡眠时间是每天10小时。
27. B 根据第三段中Dr. Mary Carskadon的话“More children are going to bed with TVs on, and there are more opportunities to stay awake, with more homework, the Internet and the phone... these activities at bedtime can get kids all excited and make it hard for them to calm down and sleep.”可以推断，青少年晚睡是因为他们倾向于在睡前做些让他们兴奋的事情，如看电视、上网和打电话。
C
FLORENCE, Italy—Svetlana Cojochru feels hurt. The Moldovan has lived here seven years as a caregiver to Italian kids and elderly, but in order to stay she’s had to prove her language skills by taking a test which requires her to write a postcard to an imaginary friend and answer a fictional job ad.Italy is the latest Western European country trying to control a growing immigrant(移民) population by demanding language skills in exchange for work permits, or in some cases, citizenship.Some immigrant advocates worry that as hard financial times make it more difficult for natives to keep jobs, such measures will become a more vehicle for intolerance than integration(融合). Others say it’s only natural that newcomers learn the language of their host nation, seeing it as a condition to ensure they can contribute to society.Other European countries laid down a similar requirement for immigrants, and some terms are even tougher. The governments argue that this will help foreigners better join the society and promote understanding across cultures.Italy, which has a much weaker tradition of immigration, has zxxk witnessed a sharp increase in immigration in recent years. In 1990, immigrants numbered some 1.14 million out of Italy’s then 56.7 million people, or about 2 percent. At the start of this year, foreigners living in Italy amounted to 4.56 million of a total population of 60.6 million, or 7.5 percent, with immigrants’ children accounting for an even larger percentage of births in Italy.Cojochru, the Moldovan caregiver, hoped obtaining permanent residence(居住权) would help her bring her two children to Italy; they live with her sister in Moldova, where salaries are among the lowest in Europe. She was skeptical that the language requirement would encourage integration.Italians always “see me as a foreigner,” an outsider, even though she’s stayed in the country for years and can speak the local language fluently, she said.
28. Why does Cojochru have to take a language test?
A. To continue to stay in Italy. B. To teach her children Italian.
C. To find a better job in Italy. D. To better mix with the Italians.
29. Some people worry that the new language requirement may ________.
A. reduce Italy’s population quickly B. cause conflicts among people
C. lead to financial difficulties D. put pressure on schools
30. What do we know about Cojochru?
A. She lives with her sister now in Italy.
B. She enjoys learning the Italian language.
C. She speaks Italian well enough for her job.
D. She wishes to go back to her home country.
答案解析：
28. A 根据第一段中的“but in order to stay she’s had to prove her language skills by taking a test”可知，Cojochru必须通过语言考试来证明自己的语言能力，以便继续留在意大利。
29. B 根据第二段中的“Some immigrant advocates worry that...such measures will become a more vehicle for intolerance than integration”可知，一些移民倡导者担心这些措施可能会加剧人们的不容忍，而不是促进融合，这可能会引起人们之间的冲突。
30. C 根据最后一段中的“She was skeptical that the language requirement would encourage integration... she can speak the local language fluently”可知，Cojochru对语言要求是否能促进融合表示怀疑，并且她提到自己能流利地说当地语言，这表明她的意大利语足够好，能够胜任她的工作。其他选项A、B和D在文中没有提及或者与文意不符。
