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(低估)．

       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．

       “Parents’ 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．

What can we learn from the text?

       A．Children don’t like reading any more after the age of 8.

       B．Most children like reading as well as going online.

       C．All kids like reading e – books instead of printed ones.

       D．Most children like going online instead of reading.

It can be inferred from the passage that        .

       A．the study of kids’ reading has been made before

       B．most parents begin reading to their kids from their birth

       C．a(chǎn)ll kids like to get information using the Internet

       D．nowadays all children still like to read books

Which of the following is true according to the text?

       A．The kids who often go online don’t like reading books.

       B．Parents should teach their kids reading from an early age.

       C．Sometimes it is difficult for kids to get the books they like.

       D．When kids get older, parents spend more time with them.

According to the text,        contributes a lot to children’s interest in reading.

       A．the Internet             B．parents’ engagement

       C．short supply of books      D．new technology

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

完形填空（共20小題；每題1分，滿分20分）
閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。
James was a curious young man. Everywhere he went, he liked to observe things and to __21__ people—what they did, what they said and what they wore. Subconsciously, he was making quick __22__ all the time. He couldn’t really __23__ it; it just happened.
For example, he once saw a man whose body was __24__ with tattoos(文身). That man was strong and walked proudly. James imagined his __25__ people up, sometimes with sticks and sometimes with his hands, speaking __26__ words each time he opened his mouth. A troublemaker, perhaps, James __27__ to himself.
Sometimes James felt __28__ for judging others this way, but that feeling was __29__ and never really lasted.
Then, one day, he saw a woman seated alone in a café. The woman was __30__, quite fat, and although she was not __31__, James could tell she was a short lady. __32__, James glanced across at her, looking at her from top to bottom. As his eyes reached her __33__, he got a shock.
There she was, on her left foot, wearing a platform shoe that was at least 3 inches high. __34__ could such a little middle-aged lady who was average-looking at best be so vain as to wear high platforms? Look beautiful? In that short moment of time, __35__ thoughts flowed through James’ mind.
A second later, James’ eyes naturally moved across to the lady’s right foot. And there, he got an even bigger __36__. ----It was a flat shoe. She was not vain; she had a birth defect(缺陷) ----uneven length of her legs. If anything, she deserved __37__ and understanding, certainly not blame, not even mental ones.
James was __38__ with guilt. It was a(n) __39__ lesson he learned about not __40__ conclusions, about not judging people, especially so quickly.

I noticed the woman when I entered the newsroom. My secretary told me she wanted to put an ad to   36  a baby. So I suggested several    37 lines for these ads to her:   38 , Baby to love; or Dear Birth Mother, Let Us Help You. The ad would contain   39  about her and her husband: they were   40 , could afford to raise a child. But then something   41  me: the major newspapers carried ads like this and their  42  were larger than ours. “Have you tried the major ones?” I asked. “Yes, but all failed and one more wouldn’t   43 .” She handed me a check and left with a   44  smile.
A week later the woman called in a    45  of delight: “Please don’t run the ad again. We ’ve connected with   46 . The baby is due in a month.” Good news. I asked her if she   47  keep in touch if the adoption   48  to have a happy ending. She agreed but added when the adoption was final she was   49   to give me the story.
One day my phone rang. I   50  her voice immediately. “The adoption is final. Would you like to come and meet him?” Happily, I made a (an )  51  with her for the next day. “His name is Ben,” she said, as I started to take                  52 . “He slept through the night from the start. Now he’s smiling and starting to turn over. Of course I’m not   53  him. If he is a little slow.” She paused. “ Oh, I should tell you Ben has Down’s Syndrome.(唐氏綜合癥)” I stopped writing . I wasn’t sure how to   54 . But she smiled “Ben was meant for us, don’t you see? He needs me more than a   55  developing child would.” She sat on the sofa, holding her son. Both of them smiled. “You wanted a story with a happy ending,” said the woman “ You got it.”

How can a creature weighing over 5 tons and normally taking 150 kilograms of food and 120 liters of water per day survive in a desert environment?

In the southwest African country of Namibia, and the Sahara lands of Mali further north, the desert elephant does just that.

Although not regarded as a separate species from the African elephant, the desert cousin differs in many ways. Their bodies are smaller, to absorb less heat, and their feet are larger for easier walking across sandy surfaces, they are taller, to reach higher branches. They have shorter tusks（象牙）, and most importantly, longer trunks to dig for water in riverbeds.

Desert elephants can travel over 70 kilometers in search for feeding grounds and waterholes, and have a larger group of families. They drink only every 3 –4 days, and can store water in a “bag” at the back of their throat, which is only used when badly needed. Desert elephants are careful feeders – they seldom root up trees and break fewer branches, and thus maintain what little food sources are available. Young elephants may even eat the dung（糞便）of the female leader of a group when facing food shortage.

During drought they are unlikely to give birth to their young but with good rains the birthrate will increase greatly. Desert elephants have sand baths, sometimes adding their own urine（尿液）to make them muddy!

As we continue to overheat our weak planet, it can only be hoped that other animal species will adapt as extraordinarily well to change as the desert elephant.

The underlined part in Paragraph 2 means “            ”.

A．remains in the African countries    B．drinks 120 liters of water a day

C．manages to live in desert areas     D．eats 150 kilograms of food daily

Desert elephants are called careful feeders because they _________.

A．rarely ruin trees                 B．drink only every 3-4 days

C．search for food in large groups     D．protect food sources for their young

The author answers the question raised in the first paragraph with __________.

A．stories and explanation           B．facts and descriptions

C．examples and conclusion         D．evidence and argument

What can be inferred from the last sentence in the passage?

A．Overheating the earth can be stopped. 

B．Not all animal species are so adaptable.

C．The planet will become hotter and hotter. 

D．Not all animals are as smart as desert elephants.

第二節(jié) 完形填空（共20小題；每小題1分，滿分20分）
請(qǐng)認(rèn)真閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。
Learn to Meet Challenges
My classmates called me “the alien” ,and they avoided me like the plague（瘟疫）.As a young boy, I  36   from a serious skin disease ,which filled my arms with scars（傷疤）. The true   37   of my condition, however, was social: I lived a life of loneliness.
Doctors predicted that I would never fully recover, but my parents encouraged me to hope for the future, teaching me that any difficulty could be overcome. I therefore took a / an   38    role in fighting against my disease, trying many medications and herbs, and my health   39    greatly before I graduated. I realized that my personal   40   had led to this improvement. I regained self-confidence and made many friends at school.
Years later,   41    my personal battle against disease, I learned a great deal about   42    by overcoming difficulties.
I joined the Culture Club as a Special Event Director. I  43   a group of six students in organizing various activities. I was the most advanced ESL student among the group, so I considered myself the most capable. But I quickly learned my   44    , While preparing for our first presentation, I was   45  with my team members and often rejected their   46      . I
performed most of their tasks myself , allowing them to   47    me only with small details. As a result, the presentation was not very successful. The setback   48    me, and I spoke of it to the club’s director. She responded that she   49  my ability to succeed in the future. This comment filled me with   50   , for I realized that I had never trusted my own team members.
51   they were weak in English, they had many valuable talents. I immediately   52   my policy, allowing my team members to choose the tasks they desired and to complete them on their own. For our program, we had many meetings, which gave   53  to many good ideas. Most importantly, the atmosphere among us improved dramatically. We were   54   and eager to devote time to the program , and I learned what true leadership is.
My experiences  55   improved my ability to handle challenging situations.
36. A. judged  B. suffered     C. prevented   D. separated
37. A. pain     B. sign    C. value  D. meaning