A

For centuries Italian pizza chefs (厨师) have kneaded (揉) dough (面团), poured tomato sauce, and sprinkled (撒) cheese with loving care. Now a bright red vending machine (自动售货机), called Let’s Pizza, has risen up to do the same thing – in less than three minutes.

“This is not just a vending machine, it’s a mini–pizzeria (迷你比萨饼店),” said Claudio Torghele, the machine’s developer. “When the machine is working, there’s always a crowd.”

When Let’s Pizza hits the streets of Italy in April, you can expect to see some red–faced pizza chefs in the crowd. “This machine is a toy,” said Pino Morelli of the Association of Italian Pizzerias. “Perhaps it will find a place overseas, but Italians are born with pizza: their mothers feed it to them as babies. They understand it.”

These chefs say the Italian pizza, which was invented in the 18th century in southern Italy, needs time to be tasty. The dough (生面团) should be prepared 12 hours in advance, the ingredients should be fresh and the oven should be pre-heated.

Although people like to associate pizza and pasta (意大利面) with Italy, the Americans famously have an obsession (着迷) with the food. Pizza is one of America’s favorite foods. It is said Americans eat more than 380,000 square meters of pizza every day. “We live in an age when pizza gets to your home before the police,” joked American comedian Jeff Arder.

The wide choice of toppings (比萨配料) available has contributed to the popularity of pizza. But which is the most popular pizza? The answer is pepperoni (意大利辣香肠). It is reported that 36 percent of all pizza orders want their topping to be pepperoni, making it far and away the most popular pizza topping.

1. Which of the following is NOT true about pizza?

A. It was first invented in Italy in the 18th century.

B. It is one of the most traditional and important foods in Italy.

C. It is also very popular with American people.

D. It is made of dough, tomato sauce, cheese and pasta.

2. Compared to the machine-made pizza, the chefs think their pizza is better in taste because ______.

A. they prepare the ingredients in advance

B. they buy fresh dough at the supermarket

C. they use special skills for which they have been trained

D. it takes twelve hours for the kneaded dough to be ready to be put into a pre-heated oven

3. What did Pino Morelli mean by saying “This machine is a toy … They understand it”?

A. He thought it would be a big hit in Italy and everyone would like it.

B. He thought it was too small to supply enough pizza for Italian customers.

C. He thought it did not have a bright prospect in Italy because it did not make pizza the way Italians are used to.

D. He thought it was only a toy for children.

4. Which of the following statements about Americans is NOT true?

A. They eat a large quantity of pizza every day.

B. They sometimes have police deliver pizza to their homes.

C. They are famous for their preference for pizza as their food.

D. Most of them order pizza with pepperoni topping.

B

The famous English writer, Charles Dickens, is on every British child’s school reading list. Though Dickens is one of England’s greatest writers, he is not often read. Most people do not read his books because they think they are too long and the language he uses is old-fashioned (过时的). Television, however, has rescued this great English writer from disappearing in the modern age.

In the UK for several years, Dickens’ novels have been turned into exciting television dramas. His latest book to be filmed is his little known story Little Dorrit. Before the story became a 15-part television drama most Britons were unaware (不知道) that Dickens had ever written it.

Most of the Dickens television dramas are so well filmed that English students are likely to watch them in class while studying his book. There are, however, some differences between the books and television dramas. The television dramas often give more time to the exciting parts of Dickens’ books. For example, there is far more kissing scenes in the television shows than there are in the books.

Some television dramas have also slightly changed Dickens’ female characters to make them more acceptable to a modern audience (观众). In Dickens’ books his females are often weak and emotional. The TV dramas, however, show them as being fairly independent–minded.

Several TV critics (评论家) have argued that Dickens’ stories are actually better suited to television than they are being read as books. Their reasoning is that Dickens wrote his stories for newspapers. A chapter (篇) would appear in the newspaper each week so Dickens ended each chapter at an exciting moment. People then would buy the newspaper the following week to find out what happened later. This makes his stories perfect for being shown on television as 15-part programs.

5. Dickens’ books are not often read because ______.

A. his stories are very boring

B. the stories are long and the language is out of date

C. they are hard to understand

D. his television dramas are more attractive

6. Which of the following shows the differences between Dickens’ books and television dramas?

A. The television dramas are more often used in class for English students than the books.

B. The television dramas are better known than the books.

C. The television dramas are more exciting than the books.

D. There is far more kissing in the books than there are in the television dramas.

7. In television dramas, Dickens’ female characters are often shown as being independent-minded to ______.

A. cater for modern audience

B. be acceptable to female audience

C. increase the excitement of the stories

D. be more charming

8. We can learn from the TV critics that ______.

A. the popularity of Dickens’ books makes them suited to television

B. Dickens often ended his stories at an exciting moment

C. Dickens’ books are often made up of fifteen chapters

D. Dickens’ stories were originally intended for newspaper readers

C

There is no signal for telephone or Internet where we are now, nor any other boats to be seen (the article you are reading now is sent by satellite). You can imagine how isolated (偏远的) we suddenly feel, here in the fiords (海湾) of Southland.

Instead of human civilization (文明) we are surrounded by the most stunning (令人吃惊的) nature and wildlife. As luck would have it, this morning, we came across an amazing sight, one of man’s closest friends, the dolphin!

Late in the morning, around 10 am, our boat Pangaea arrived full sail into the Dusky Sound, the largest fiord in New Zealand. The weather was the best we have had so far. The sunshine was beaming down and there was a gentle, cool breeze (微风) and thin clouds. During winter, the South Island of New Zealand is seldom without rain or cold temperatures! Yes, don’t forget it is now winter in New Zealand and temperatures are often below 10°C.

All of the Young Explorers and the Mike Horn Team came up on deck when we reached the middle of the fiord. And that’s when we saw them!

In the beginning, there were just two or three dolphins playing in the distance, but as time passed, little by little, more of them emerged from the deep sea and came closer to us, showing absolutely no fear! We could easily see their smooth bodies through the clear sea! You cannot imagine how happy we were – what excitement!

Dolphins are very social mammals, as Dave, the marine (海洋的) biologist told us. We could see the mothers accompanying (陪伴) their calves (小海豚) and then later others would come and join the group.

The most important part of our scientific observation was to see whether they had nicks (伤痕) on their dorsal fin (背鳍). Usually the nicks are bite marks made by the calves, with which the conservationists (环境保护者) can identify (识别) them and count their numbers.

Instead of out–staying our welcome, we decided to leave and not disturb the dolphins any further. It’s very important to leave nature as you find it. After all, we were just passers–by and had already experienced a very privileged (幸运的) moment!

9. The author sailed with her teammates to the fiords of Southland of New Zealand to ______.

A. find a new island

B. do scientific research

C. be isolated

D. have a vacation

10. The author can only communicate with the outside world by ______.

A. telephone B. e-mail C. satellite D. post

11. Which of the following statements about the author’s experience is TRUE?

A. The weather was rainy and freezing cold that day.

B. They saw dolphins the moment they arrived at the Dusky Sound.

C. The dolphins weren’t afraid of humans.

D. It was very confusing for them to find so many dolphins there.

12. The nicks on dolphins’ dorsal fin ______.

A. are usually made when they fight with each other

B. are bite marks made by their mothers when they were born

C. show exactly how old they are

D. help conservationists recognize them and count their numbers

13. Which of the following will the author agree with?

A. Dolphins like to socialize with humans.

B. Dusky Sound is well preserved and never visited by humans.

C. Conservationists know the exact number of dolphins.

D. We should not disturb or exploit nature.

D

Some fish form huge schools. Could fish set up schools and teach their children how to survive in the ocean? You may ask. No. Here the “schools” are not the places where you study. They are fish shoals (鱼群) that cover tens of kilometers. What causes hundreds of millions of fish to gather and move together is one of biology’s mysteries.

Darkness appears to be the first step to the creation of shoals, according to a study published in the March 27 journal Science. A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and five other institutions studied Atlantic herring (鲱鱼), which forms shoals on a fishing ground off Massachusetts. They used an underwater imaging technology and fish-finding sonar (声纳) to observe the herring over several days in autumn when they spawn (产卵).

They found that, as the sun set, fish in scattered (分散的) groups began swimming much closer to one another than they normally do. When the numbers of fish reached a certain point in an area, this set off a chain reaction (连锁反应) of similar behavior that spread like a sound wave through the water.

The herring’s movement seemed to be started by sunset. The team didn’t record the breakup of these shoals, but a previous (先前的) study suggested that as the sun rose, the shoals fell apart.

“When the light fades (逐渐消失), it’s safer for the fish to move away from the seabed,” says Nicholas Makris, a professor at MIT who led the research. “Once they have a certain number of other fish, they suddenly come together – forming a shoal covering tens of kilometers within tens of minutes.”

Herring form shoals to migrate during the autumn spawning season. Some shoals were 40 km across and 30 m from top to bottom. They formed in deep water and moved into more shallow waters to spawn.

Forming shoals helps protect them from predators (掠食者) by giving them simple strength in numbers. The ordered movement of the shoal means the fish can reach their spawning ground more quickly and more safely.

Scientists have never before gathered information on so many animals acting together. Understanding these herring shoals could lead to more ideas about what causes animals to move in schools, says Iain Couzin, a biologist at Princeton University, US.

14. Which school in the following expressions is used the same way as the underlined one in the first paragraph?

A. a medical school B. school a horse

C. a school of whales D. schools of thoughts

15. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Scientists have found out the reason why fish gather and move together in huge shoals.

B. The research on Atlantic herring was conducted independently by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

C. The larger the shoal of herring is, the more slowly it moves.

D. There are more large shoals of herring at night than in the daytime.

16. According to the research, herring tend to get together except ______.

A. when they spawn B. when the sun rises.

C. when the sun sets D. when there are predators around

17. What seems to be the main reason for herring to gather and move together?

A. To keep other kinds of fish out of their spawning ground.

B. To keep themselves safe.

C. To live in the shallow waters.

D. To avoid the darkness.

E

It seems Jack Danielson, 17, leads a perfect high school life. He is brilliant at all sports and finds studying easy. However, there is one thing that always angers him: his parents never want him to shine like he knows he can. They are always encouraging him to let others win and to try to keep a low profile.

One night after a great football performance, Jack appears in the local news. From that moment on, his life changes completely.

He notices a strange man following him. When he tells his parents, his father immediately takes him as far away as he can, while explaining that they are not his real parents.

The “father” does not tell Jack why they have kept him in the dark all these years or who his real parents are before they are attacked (遭到攻击). Jack is forced to run for his life.

Jack finally discovers the truth – he has special powers and he is from 1,000 years in the future. He has been sent back to save the planet. His mission (任务) is to find something called Firestorm, which can stop the future disaster. With killers following him, Jack’s only friend is Gisco, a huge dog who speaks to him telepathically (心灵感应地), and Eko, a ninja (忍者) babe.

Written by US author David Klass, Firestorm, is on the 2008 Best Books for Young Adults list put together by the US Young Adult Library Services Association.

The fast pace, coupled with issues of ecology (生态学), time travel and self-identity (自我认同), makes for a thrilling and memorable read.

18. Jack Danielson feels annoyed because ______.

A. he is not good at any sports B. he doesn’t do well at school

C. he is followed by a strange man

D. his parents never encourage him to do his best

19. Jack finds his life completely changed ______.

A. after he appeared in the local news for his great football performance

B. after he discovered what his mission was about

C. when he realized he was kept in the dark for many years

D. when he noticed he was followed by killers wherever he went

20. Which of the following statements about Jack is NOT true?

A. He is a man with special powers.

B. He knows nothing about his real identity before he is attacked.

C. He has come from the future to stop Firestorm.

D. He has only two friends: Gisco and Eko.

21. We can infer from the passage that Firestorm ______.

A. will be a bestseller for teenagers in 2009

B. is published by the US Young Adult Library Services Association

C. is popular with those who like science fiction

D. has been translated into many languages

上期参考答案

Reading

D1 1. Harry Potter drove her studies and her career path. / Harry Potter gave her a different world to explore.

2. 1) She has read each of the Harry Potter books five times.

2) She has been to every midnight book and movie release.

3) Her closet and her apartment are filled with Potter-related goods.

4) Demma studied Latin for six years to understand the sorcery in the Harry Potter books.

3. The campus’ architecture reminded her of the school in the Harry Potter books.

4. 目前，如果她能证明自己是世界上最铁杆的哈利波特粉丝，她将会有机会赢得一家酒店20晚的住宿服务和一部iPhone 4G手机。

D2 1-4 CDBB D3 1-4 BDCB D4 1-4 BCCD

D5 Chunks: 1. 对……产生积极影响 2. 扩大社交圈 3. 互动元素 4. 承担

Sentences:

1. Do educational programs on TV have a positive effect on children?

2. I realize that for many people expanding a social circle is easier said than done.

3. It’s time to add more interactive elements in our website.

4. You have to take on more responsibility in your job.

Listening

1-3 ABC 4-6 CBA 7-8 BA 9. gathered 10. waiting 11. count 12. glass

13. ground 14. observe 15. bars

16. boat 17. noisy 18. with

高二阅读专项训练参考答案：

1-4 DDCB 5-8 BCAD 9-13 BCCDD

14-17 CDBB 18-21 DACC