閱讀理解Ⅲ

A

When a dirty and untidy orange cat showed up in the prison yard， I was one of the first to go out there and pet it. I hadnt touched a cat or a dog in over 20 years. I spent at least 20 minutes， knelt down behind the kitchen as the cat rolled （打滾） around， relaxed. What he was expressing outwardly， I was feeling inwardly. It was an amazing bit of grace to feel him under my hand and note that I was reaching a life or another creature with something as simple as my care.

Over the next few days， there were other prisoners responding to the cat. Every yard period， a group of prisoners gathered there. They stood around talking and taking turns petting the cat. These were guys you wouldnt usually find talking to each other. Several times I saw an officer in the group， not chasing people away， but just watching and seeming to enjoy along with the prisoners. Bowls of milk and water appeared along with bread， wisely placed under the edge of the dustbin to keep the birds from getting it.

The cat was obviously homeless and in pretty bad shape. People said that the cat came to the right place. Hes getting treated like a king. This was true， but as l watched I was also thinking about what the cat was doing for us. There was a lot of talk about whats wrong with prisons in America. We need more programs. We need more psychologists or treatment of various kinds. Some may even talk about making prisons more kind. But I think what we really need is a chance to practice our own kindness. Not receive it， but give it. After more than two decades here， I know kindness is not a value thats encouraged. Instead， its often seen as a weakness. The culture encourages keeping your head down， minding your own business， and never letting yourself be weak.

The cat did my heart good to see the effect he had on me and the men here. By simply saying “I need some help here”， he did something important for us. He needed us. And we needed to be needed. I believe we all do.

1. From the passage， we can learn that the author was .

A. an animal protector

B. the owner of the cat

C. a prison officer

D. a prisoner

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE？

A. The cat was dirty because it was kept in prison.

B. The author realized the importance of practicing kindness.

C. The prisoners prepared food for both the cat and birds.

D. The officer in the prison enjoyed petting the cat.endprint

3. We can infer from the third paragraph that .

A. the author is not content with the prison culture

B. the American prison culture will be improved

C. showing love to others can make prisoners strong

D. caring for others is encouraged in American prisons

4. What is the best title for the passage？

A. Animals Need Care

B. Prison Culture is Important

C. Caring Makes us Human

D. Everyone Needs to be Cared for

B

Diplomacy has always involved formal dinners with leaders， backroom deals and secret meetings. In the digital age， reports of all those conversations can be stored in one memory stick. And once leaked to the public， some people are going to have heart attacks.

The release of more than 250，000 classified US State Department documents has forced the Obama administration into damage control.

Major newspapers in Europe and the US published on Sunday the US diplomatic cables provided by whistle-blower（告密者） WikiLeaks， an organization devoted to revealing secret documents. They reveal how the US deals with other countries—negotiating， pressuring and sometimes criticizing foreign leaders.

The leaks disclosed candid impressions from both diplomats and other world leaders about the USs allies and enemies. For example， a cable report from Rome recorded the view that the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi， 74， was a “physically and politically weak” leader whose “frequent late nights and penchant for partying hard mean he does not get sufficient rest”.

None of the disclosures appeared particularly explosive， but their publication could become a problem for the officials concerned and could erode trust in the US as a diplomatic partner.

The massive release of material intended for diplomats only is sure to ruffle feathers （得罪某人） in foreign capitals.

China is among many countries mentioned in the release.

One cable said that the US embassy in Beijing learned from “a Chinese contact” that attacks against Google， which quit the Chinese mainland market in March， were supported by the Chinese government.

Diplomatic cable is an official record written by US embassy staff to the Department of State in Washington of interaction between US diplomats and host country counterparts. They are usually summaries and important details of diplomatic meetings. But according to Pang， a scholar on international policies， diplomatic cables nowadays are less mysterious thanks to the Internet.endprint

Bradley Manning， 23， a US soldier， was suspected of stealing the memos， many of them classified， and feeding them to WikiLeaks.

5. The first two paragraphs of this passage serve as .

A. an introduction to the topic B. an example of diplomats daily life

C. a warning to the public D. a summary of the report

6. According to the context， the underlined word “penchant” in Para. 4 is closest in meaning to .

A. good imagination B. long pursuit

C. strong interest D. high expectation

7. We can learn from the passage that .

A. Chinese government publicly supports attacks against Google

B. US diplomats no longer trust the diplomatic cables

C. Bradley Manning released to the public massive documents

D. WikiLeaks promotes the leaking of information to fight government

8. Which of the following may possibly be the best title of the passage？

A. WikiLeaks in Trouble

B. Damaged Diplomats

C. Embarrassed Politicians D. Diplomatic Cables

C

If you want real happiness and safety， you ought to have at least two or three hobbies， and they must all be real ones. It is no use starting late in life to say： “I will take an interest in this or that.” Such an attempt only aggravates（加重） the strain of mental effort. A man may acquire great knowledge of topics unconnected with his daily work， and yet hardly get any benefit or relief. It is no use doing what you like； you have got to like what you do.

Broadly speaking， human beings may be divided into three classes： those who are toiled （勞作） to death， those who are worried to death， and those who are bored to death. It is no use offering the manual laborer， tired out with a hard weeks sweat and effort， the chance of paying a game of football or baseball on Saturday afternoon. It is no use inviting the politician or the professional or business man， who has been working or worrying about serious things for six days， to work or worry about trifling things at the weekend.

It may also be said that rational， industrious， useful human beings are divided into two classes： first， those whose work is work and whose pleasure is pleasure； and secondly， those whose work and pleasure are one. Of these the former are the majority. They have their compensations. The long hours in the office or the factory bring with them as their reward， not only the means of sustenance， but a keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplest and most modest forms. But Fortunes favored children belong to the second class. Their life is a natural harmony. For them the working hours are never long enough. Each day is a holiday， and ordinary holidays when they come are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vacation.endprint

Yet to both classes the need of an alternative outlook， of a change of atmosphere， of a diversion of effort， is essential. Indeed， it may well be that those whose work is their pleasure are those who most need the means of banishing （驅(qū)逐） it at intervals from their minds.

9. Which of the following does the writer disagree on？

A. Everyone should have some hobbies.

B. Everyone should have hobbies in the future， but not now.

C. A worker wont get benefit from the hobby like football.

D. A politician wont get benefit from worrying about small things.

10. The underlined word “trifling” in the second paragraph here means .

A. unimportant B. exciting

C. tiring D. necessary

11. Acording to the passage， what attitude should we take to our work？

A. We should separate our work with pleasure. B. We should never take up any work.

C. We should combine work with pleasure.

D. We should always work without any pleasure.

12. The author believes that if people regard work as pleasure they really want to .

A. combine work with pleasure

B. do their best to achieve their goals

C. be free from work in this way

D. try an effective method to do their work well

D

The incredibly diverse and unspoilt scenery

Made up of two main islands and a host of smaller ones， New Zealand has an amazing range of breathtaking scenery， from subtropical forests， beaches and offshore islands in the north to glaciers， lakes， snow-covered mountains and large flat plains in the south. There are also fiords， volcanoes， hot springs and beautiful rolling green pastures—a diversity like on other on earth.

Outdoor adventures

Where else can you go surfing， skiing， snowboarding， kayaking， tramping， sailing， swimming at the beach， parachuting， horse riding， caving—all within a one hundred mile radius？ And even on the same day！ Also， dont forget to try the bungy jump， invented and made famous right here.

The unique wildlife

New Zealand split from the large land mass joining Australia and Antarctica about 85 million years ago， resulting in bird and plant species that are found nowhere else. Forests contain an aboundance of interesting plant life from the towering ancient kauri trees to fronds of nikau palms. You might even see a kiwi—a small， flightless bird that has become the national symbol.

Safety

Youre very unlikely to experience crime in New Zealand. Even for solo women travelers， safety is not an issue. And if you venture off the beaten track into the wilderness， more good news—New Zealand has no nasty plants or creatures. In fact， NZ is one of only two countries in the world which doesnt have snakes （the other is Ireland）. So head on over to New Zealand. You will have an amazing time！endprint

13. When travling around New Zealand， which kind of animals will you most impossible to see？

A. weke B. kakapo

C. snake D. whale

14. Where can you find a place in which you can experience surfing， skiing， parachuting and horse riding within a one hundred mile radius？

A. America B. Australia

C. Japan D. New Zealand

15. Which kind of animals is the symbol of the New Zealand？

A. kiwi B. lizard C. peacock D. seal

16. In which part New Zealand can we see mountains covered with snow as well as large flat plains？

A. In the north B. In the south

C. In the west D. In the east

E

Researchers in Denmark say a large study of Danish children shows that vaccines（疫苗） do not weaken a childs natural defense system against disease.

The scientists examined medical histories of more than 800，000 children. The boys and girls were born in Denmark between 1990 and 2001. They all took part in a national vaccination program to prevent common childhood diseases. The program provides children with protective medicines every few months for their first eighteen months of life. Then they receive additional vaccines each year until they are five.

Some health experts had questioned whether the large number of vaccinations could damage the bodys natural defense system. There was special concern about combination vaccinations， like the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. These are three vaccines mixed together in one injection.

Some people have been concerned that the vaccinations might make the immune system work too hard and weaken it. They thought this could leave a child more at risk of diseases not targeted by the vaccines.

The Danish researchers looked at the childrens rates of hospital admissions for treatment of diseases not targeted by the vaccines. Such diseases included diarrhoea（腹瀉） and pneumonia（肺炎）.

The researchers say they found no increased risk of hospitalizations in the weeks following vaccinations. They found that none of the six kinds of vaccines the children received increased the risk of seven other major diseases.

Some childrens health experts say the study provides more evidence that vaccines are safe. They say the results should make parents feel sure about getting their children vaccinated.

17.What does the passage mainly talk about？

A.Researchers in Denmark.

B.Disadvantages of vaccines on children.

C.A research about vaccines on Danish children.

D.Danish childrens behaviour after vaccinations.

18.Some people are worried about all the following EXCEPT that .

A.combination vaccinations cannot be put into practice

B.vaccinations might weaken the childs immune system

C.vaccinations could do harm to the childs natural defense system

D.vaccinations might increase the risk of diseases not targeted by vaccines

19.What can we infer from the passage？

A.More parents may take their childrens vaccinations at ease.

B.Experts are not sure whether vaccinations put children at risk.

C.Parents are confirmed that vaccinations have bad influence on children.

D.Experts prove that six kinds of vaccines will cause seven other major diseases.

20.In which part of a newspaper does this article probably appear？

A.Society B.Education

C.Entertainment D.Healthendprint