北京市2011年中考英语一模试题分类汇编：阅读理解
【北京市西城区2011年中考一模英语试题】
六、阅读下列短文，根据短文内容，从短文后各题所给的A 、B 、C 、D 四个选项中，选择最佳选项。（共
26分，每小题2分）
A
Buy Once, Read Everywhere
Kindle is our bestseller. It enables you to download books anytime, anywhere,
while on the go. while on the go.
Read in Bright Sunlight
Kindle‘s screen reads like real paper. Read as easily in bright sunlight as in your sitting room.
Lighter than a Paperback
At only 8.5 ounces. It‘s a third the weight of the iPad. Holds 3, 500 Books
Kindle can carry up to 3, 500 books.
Never Gets Hot
Unlike a computer, Kindle never gets hot so you can read comfortably as long as you like.
What customers are saying:
AMAZING!!! By Luigi
Very satisfied customer By Milou
My hurt hands were making reading large books painful (疼痛的). The kindle is so light I can carry it easily.
Love my Kindle By Bonnie
I received my Kindle as a gift for my birthday. I love it!
Easy to carry By Justine
Just put it in a handbag either large or small.
48. How much does a Kindle cost?
A. $8.5.
B. $139.
C. $248.
D. $3, 500.
49. Compared to a computer, Kindle ______.
A. doesn‘t get hot
B. has no screen
C. is harder to use
D. is heavier to carry
50. Who got a Kindle as a gift?
A. Luigi.
B. Milou.
C. Bonnie.
D. Justine.
B
More Than a Zoo
Popcorn Park is not like most zoos. It is a very special place. Workers at the zoo care for hurt or sick animals. They return some of these animals to their natural homes. Those animals that cannot live on their own stay at Popcorn Park Zoo.
At first this unusual place was not a zoo. It was called the Forked River Animal Care Center. The workers there took care of lost or unwanted cats and dogs.
The change to the center began in 1977 when a raccoon needed help. The workers cared for the animal. Finally it was better, but it could not care for itself. The raccoon was allowed to live at the center.
Once people heard about the wonderful work being done at the center, they began taking all kinds of hurt or homeless animals there. Soon the center was no longer just a home for cats and dogs. So many animals were living at the center that it became more like a zoo. It was time for a new name.
Popcorn Park Zoo got its funny name because many of the animals there like to eat popcorn（爆米花）made without oil or salt. Also the popcorn is sold at the zoo to help make money to care for the animals. People buy the popcorn to feed the animals as a treat.
Popcorn Park Zoo now takes care of more than 200 kinds of animals. All the animals at the zoo get lots of care and love.
51. Workers at the zoo look after ______.
A. only homeless cats and dogs
B. hurt or sick animals
C. all the unwanted cats and dogs
D. young or old animals
52. The zoo got its name because ______.
A. vistors can make popcorn themselves
A. vistors can make popcorn themselves
B. the workers at the zoo like to eat popcorn
C. the popcorn in the zoo is free for visitors
D. many animals there like to eat popcorn
53. From the text we can know that ______.
A. the animals at the zoo are looked after well
B. all the animals will be returned to their natural homes
C. the zoo was a very famous park in the past
D. the zoo spends much money taking care of the animals
C
Huec o Tanks State Historical Park is home to thousands of Native American paintings and drawings. Ancient works of rock art dating back thousands of years lie within caves hidden in the hills. The paintings at Hueco Tanks have lasted for centuries.
The walls tell stories of many people and many times for at least 10, 000 years. Several different groups of people have traveled through and lived in the area. These groups often left their mark with rock paintings and drawings. Scientists have studied these ancient works of art to learn more about the people who made them. Scientists believe that around 6, 000 BC a group now known as the Desert Archaic people occupied (占有) the area. The earliest of their drawings are simple wavy and straight lines. Later drawings show scenes of people holding spears (矛) while deer and other animals run around them.
Around 1, 000 AD the Mogollon people lived in the area. The Mogollon were farmers. More than most farmers, the Mogollon valued water. For them water held great meaning. This group of farmers painted many pictures of water flowing over the land and rain with lightning.
The Mescalero Apaches created some of the most recent rock art at Hueco Tanks. They stayed in the area for a short time around 1, 600 AD. Spanish explorers had arrived in North America by this time. Many of the cave paintings from this period show Spanish soldiers on horses.
In 1849 the California Gold Rush was well under way. Some people traveled through hot, dry West Texas as they made their way to California‘s goldfields. Hueco Tanks provided water and shade (阴凉处) for these travelers. Many of these travelers put their names and dates on the rocks at Hueco Tanks. These writings are still found on the rocks today.
In May 1970 Hueco Tanks was made a state park, giving the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department control of the area.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is using technology to help take care of the rock art. By studying
these works of art, visitors and scientists can learn much about the lives of some early Native Americans.
54. Which of the following may be the drawn by the Desert Archaic people?
55. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Dese rt A rchaic people raised many animals.
B. Mogollon people considered water very important.
C. The Mescalero Apaches created most of the painting.
D. People began to protect the paintings in 1970.
56. The passage is an introduction of ______.
A. the Native American‘s life
B. the history of Hueco Tanks
C. the development of the Midwest
D. the rock arts at Hueco Tanks
D
She was only about five feet tall and probably never weighed more than 110 pounds, but Miss Bessie was a towering presence in the classroom. She was the only woman tough enough to make me read Beowulf and think for a few stupid days that I liked it. From 1938 to 1942, she taught me English, history — and a lot more than I realized.
I shall never forget the day she scolded (批评) me into reading Beowulf. ―But Miss Bessie,‖ I complained, ―I ain‘t much interested in it.‖
Her large brown eyes became sharp. ―Boy,‖ she said, ―how dare you say ?ain‘t‘ to me! I‘ve taught you better
than that.‖
―Miss Bessie,‖ I said, ―I‘m trying to join the football team, and if I go around saying ?it isn‘t‘ and ?they aren‘t,‘ the guys are gonna laugh me off the team.‖
―Boy,‖ she replied, ―you‘ll play football because you have guts (勇气). But do you know what really takes guts? Refusing to lowe r your standards to those of the crowd. It takes guts to say you‘ve got to live and be somebody fifty years after all the football games are over.‖
I started saying ―it isn‘t‖ and ―they aren‘t,‖ and I still joined the team without losing my friends‘ respe ct. Negroes, as we were called then, were not allowed in the town library, except to sweep floors or clean tables. But with the help of some nice whites, Miss Bessie kept getting books out of the white library. That is how she introduced me to the Bront?s, Byron and Keats. ―If you don‘t read, you can‘t write, and if you can‘t write, you might as well stop dreaming,‖ Miss Bessie once told me.
So I read whatever Miss Bessie told me to, and tried to remember the things she insisted that I store away. It could be embarrassing to be unprepared when Miss Bessie said, ―Get up and tell the class who Frances Perkins is and what you think about her.‖ Forty-five years later, I can still recite her ―truths to live by‖.
Miss Bessie noticed things that had nothing to do with schoolwork, but were essential to a youngster‘s development. Once a few classmates made fun of my worn-out hand-me-down overcoat. As I was leaving school, Miss Bessie patted me on the back of that old overcoat and said, ―Carl, never worry about what you don‘t have. Just make the most of what you do have —a brain.‖
No child can get all the necessary support at home, and millions of poor children get no support at all. This is what makes a wise, educated, warm-hearted teacher like Miss Bessie so essential to the minds, hearts and souls of this country‘s children.
57. The underlined words ―towering presence” in the first paragraph means _______.
A. Miss Bessie was strong enough to influence her students
B. Miss Bessie was watching the students all the time
C. the students thought she was tall and heavy
D. the students felt nervous in front of her
58. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Carl‘s friends came from poor families.
B. Carl hated to read Beowulf in public.
C. Miss Bessie wanted Carl to be a better man.
D. Miss Bessie didn‘t want Carl to play foot ball.
59. Miss Bessie asked Carl to read a lot because _______.
A. his parents were too poor to afford books
B. he was not allowed into the library
C. the whites didn‘t want the blacks to read
D. she expected him to have a goal in life
60. Which of the following would be the bes t title of the passage?
A. Dreams Go with Education
B. An Unforgettable Lesson
C. Unforgettable Miss Bessie
D. Reading Makes a Full Man
【答案】
六、阅读短文，选择最佳选项。（共26分，每小题2分）
48. B 49. A 50. C 51. B 52. D 53. A
54. A 55. B 56. D 57. A 58. C 59. D 60. C
【北京市通州区2011年中考一模英语试题】
阅读下面的四篇短文，根据短文内容，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选择最佳选项。
A
The Services of Our Library
48. We probably can see this ―Services‖ in a ____.
A. library
B. cinema
C. hospital
D. shop
49. There are ____ kinds of videos in the library.
A. two
B. three
C. four
D. six
50. We can keep the books from this library no longer than ____.
A. one week
B. two weeks
C. three weeks
D. four weeks
B
I loved music when I was young. I learned to play the guitar at 11 and I wrote my first song four years later. My dream was to become a country singer
After years of hard work, a record company was showing interest in me. One day during a trip to mountains, a friend offered me a bit of meth, a kind of drugs(毒品). I smoked it. And that was all that I thought about for the next year and a half. I couldn‘t live without it.
When the police came to me, I looked like death. The first seven days in prison, I just slept. When I woke up on the eighth day, I had never known such shame and guilt(罪恶感). I walked down the hall to the pay phone. My mama is the sweetest person on the earth, and I knew this was going to break her heart. When I heard her voice on the phone, I told her where I was. She just said, ―Son, don‘t you know you can‘t do anything to make me not love you?‖
Her words gave me the confidence to face my trouble. And I also realized this was my chance to start a new life.
When people hear my words, I hope they will not ma ke the same mistake as I have, but I do know that you can overcome almost anything, especially smoking drug. That‘s why I sha re my story here.
51. The writer wrote his first song when he was ____ years old.
A. 11
B. 13
C. 15
D. 17
52. Why was the writer put into prison?
A. Because he offered others meth.
B. Because he took drugs.
C. Because he refused the company.
D. Because he didn‘t pay for his phone.
53. The writer‘s purpose in telling his story is to ____.
A. show the drugs‘ danger
B. thank his mother
C. warn his friends
D. help other people
C
Sometimes you think your teacher hates you? You‘re not the only one. Teachers and
students sometimes have personality clashes(冲突), just like any two people who don‘t get
along. After all, teachers aren‘t perfect.
However, most of the time, there are lot of reasons why you complain about your tea cher‘s bad attitude(态度) to you. So try to find out if your teacher really does dislike you. Or something else is going on. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
* Is your teacher angry at you personally, or at something you‘ve been doing?
All teachers have something that they strongly dislike. Maybe your teacher hates it when people whisper(低声说话) in class. If you try hard not to do these things, the situation might get better.
* Are you the only person being treated badly, or is your teacher shouting at the whole class?
Ask your classmates if they‘ve been having trouble with the teacher too. If they say yes, perhaps your teacher is having problems outside of school, or is new and feels something badly.
*Are you working up to your ability?
You and the kid sitting beside you both got a C on the last test, and y our teacher told you that you could do better, but didn‘t say anything to her! Isn‘t this unfair? Well, teachers often treat different students in different levels in different way s. They will be angry if they feel someone does not do the work he is able to. It‘s their way to encourage a student to try a little harder.
* Are you more sensitive(敏感) than most students?
Try to find out if you are very sensitive to be criticized(批评). If the other students aren‘t as sensitive, they will not be in such trouble even though the teacher treated them the same way. There‘s nothing wrong with being sensitive, but if you act to criticism differently than most kids, this would be the reason why you think your teacher doesn‘t like you.
54. The writer thinks that it is ____ when teachers and students have clashes.
A. not a matter at all
B. a serious problem
C. something normal
D. no good for students
55. If only one boy is critic ized in a teacher‘s class, the boy should ____.
A. ask his classmates for help
B. think more about himself
C. talk with the teacher at once
D. treat the teacher the same way
56. The writer wrote the passage to tell students how to ____.
A. get along with their teachers
B. do during a class as a student
C. understand the teachers‘ feeling
D. act when they are criticized
D
There are several kinds of distances(距离) people keep. Dr. Hall names them intimate, personal, social, and public. Intimate distance is being very close to another, as in a family. Personal distance might be the kind people put between themselves at a party. Social distance is more businesslike and formal. Public distance is used by actors, politicians, and leaders before a large group.
Scientists are trying to find out how people use these different distances. They want to discover why, when, and where people allow closeness or use space to protect themselves from others.
Since proxemics is a new science, there aren‘t m any conclusions about the meaning of spaces separating people. But you can make some general observations(观察) on your own. Take note how you use space on different situations. What message do you get from other people as they move close to you or away from you? Does distance give you a feeling that you are being ignored(忽视)? When do you feel crowded(拥挤的)?
Standing in line at a shop counter, you can learn about space. People keep just enough distance between each other so that they don‘t invade(侵犯) each other‘s area. If you should move in on another person‘s area, you would soon know it. That person would become nervous or turn around to show you the angry expression on his or her face. Or that person might simply tell you, ―Please step back. I’m too crow ded.‖
School is a good place to study how space is used and how people mark their own area. At school you probably have a desk or part of a table to call your own. How do you feel when you find someone sitting at your desk or covering your table with papers and books? Maybe you want to protect your area. You might tell the other person that it belongs to you. Then you might move his or her things aside. You might even ask that person to leave your area.
Whether people are close together or far from each other, space can tell you indeed. The most important thing in space dialogue is whether people respect one another‘s areas. Invading other people‘s space might mean
trouble.
57. From the passage we can learn that ____.
A. close or not,there is distance between people
B. personal distance is between family members
C. close distance can make you feel comfortable
D. one must keep enough distance from others
58. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. You must protect your area from ot hers‘ invading it.
B. Space among people is something important for us.
C. Distance can tell the relationship between people.
D. Scientists are studying why there are kinds of spaces.
59. What does the last sentence ―Please step back. I‘m too crowded‖ in P aragraph 4 mean?
A. Go away or I am leaving.
B. You take all my area as yours.
C. Come and see I am here.
D. You‘re standing too close to me.
60. The best title of the passage probably is ____
A. How interesting space is!
B. Space does speak indeed
C. Space can be everywhere
D. One should own his space
【答案】
六、阅读理解
48. A 49. C 50. C 51. C 52. B 53. D 54. C 55. B 56. A 57. A
58. C 59. D 60. B
【北京市延庆县2011年中考一模英语试题】
六、阅读下列短文，根据短文内容，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选择
最佳选项。（共26分，每小题2分）
A
Thes e four ads are for four children‘s books. They talk about the writers, prices, sizes and so on of the books.
Alfie’s Angels
Henriette Barkow Ages 8-12 Pictures by Sarah Garson
Alfie wants to be an angel（天使）because angels can do anything! But his teacher has other ideas. She thinks Alfie wants to look cool.
￡7.50 21.5 cm x 27cm Languages : English and French
That’s My Mum Henriette Barkow Ages 8-12 Pictures by Derek Brazell People often think that Mia‘s mum is not her mother because they don‘t like each other. Mia doesn‘t want people to think that. Mia and her friend Kai decide to do something about this.
￡6.50 21.5 cm x 27cm Languages : English and Chinese
What Is Peace
Emma Damon Ages 4-6 Peace is giving…not taking.
Peace is lo ve…not hate.
And peace is many more things…
￡5.99 19 cm x 21cm Languages : English and Japanese
Farmer Duck
Martin Waddell Ages 6-8
Pictures by Helen Oxenbury
There was a duck. It lived with a lazy
farmer. While the duck worked, the
farmer lay in bed. One day the other
animals decided to do something for
the duck.
￡8.50 28 cm x 23cm
Languages : English and Korean
198 words
48. Why does Alfie want to be an angel?
A. Because angels can fly.
B. Because angels can do anything.
C. Because angels look like each other.
D. Because angels are cool.
49. How much is What Is Peace?
A. ￡7.50.
B. ￡6.50.
C. ￡5.99.
D. ￡8.50.
50. Andy is a Korean boy. Which book can he read?
A. Alfie‘s Angels.
B. That‘s My Mum.
C. What Is Peace.
D. Farmer Duck.
B
Read how Sofia writes a composition.
she
carefully
180words
51. What does Sofia do first before she writes the composition?
A. She looks at the title and thinks a lot.
B. She has a sandwich and goes to watch TV.
C. She writes a few ideas onto a piece of paper.
D. She looks up a couple of words in the dictionary.
52. When she meets some words sh e‘s not sure,.
A. she writes them down
B. she looks back at her notes
C. she crosses some things out
D. she looks them up in the dictionary
53. From the passage we can know Sofia is a .
A. drive r
B. doctor
C. student
D. parent
C
My name is Lin Hui. I like to tell stories about people who work together. What is even better is when countries help each other and build a good friendship. An excellent example of this happened when Britain and China worked together to bring the Milu deer back to China.
Milu deer, a kind of animal with large horns(角), used to be common in China long ago. Like other deer they lived together and ate grass and the soft parts of trees. Milu deer were often killed for food or sport. The Ming and Qing dynasties(朝代) did not protect them and many were killed. That is how the Milu deer disappeared from China.
Luckily before all of them were killed, some were taken to Britain to improve the environment of the beautiful park which belonged to the Duke of Bedford. He liked them so much that he took them from China to Britain. Milu deer liked the cool, wet weather in England and their number increased year by year. As a result, when in 1985 the government of China wanted to bring back the Milu deer, the Duke of Bedford was able to help. The first deer came back to China to the Nanhaizi Milu Park 20 kilometers south of Beijing and the centre in Dafeng, Jiangsu province.
The deer certainly seem happy to be back in China because their number has grown quickly. There are now so many of them that a new park has been opened fo r them in Hubei Province. At the moment the Milu deer live in centres where they are being well protected and cared for. It is hoped that one day there will be enough animals
to let them live in the wild again.
294words
54. The Milu deer disappeared long ago in China because .
A. they were not well protected
B. they could find nothing to eat
C. they died of a serious disease
D. they had the habit of living together
55. After some of the Milu deer were taken to Britain, .
A. people used them to carry things
B. the D uke of Beford sold them all
C. they didn‘t like the weather there
D. their number became larger and larger
56. What‘s the best title of the passage?
A. The number of the Mulu deer.
B. The life of the Milu deer.
C. The return of the Milu deer.
D. The importance of the Milu deer.
D
Train-spotting
Many people around the world have seen Danny Boyle‘s movie Train spotting starring Ewan McGregor, but ho w many of us really know what train-spotting is all about? Now this is not considered cool in town a nd the word ―train-spotter‖ in Britain is related to ―geek‖ or ―nerd‖ (someone who seems very ridiculous). But is this reputation really deserved?
First of all, let‘s see what train-spotting is. It is said that there are some 100,000 train spotters in the UK. Exactly as the title suggests, they spot trains, that is, they stand in train stations, look at the number of each train that leaves and arrives and write it down. The eventual aim is to have seen every train in the country.
Being crazy about railways and trains is not modern and it dates back to 1804. As the number of trains grew and they got faster and faster, so did the interest in them grow? Is this any stranger than people who love cars?
So, what do you need to be a train-spotter? Well, all you really need is a pen or pencil and a notebook to write down the train numbers. Other equipment(装备) includes hot tea in a thermos, a camera and some sandwiches for those long a fternoons spent on train platforms when you don‘t want to risk the delights of railway station food.
It‘s interesting to note that despite the ―bad name‖ of train-spotting, there have been famous railway lovers in history, such as Alfred Hitchcock, who filmed them regularly, especially The 39 Steps. There is evidence, too, that being a train-spotter is not necessarily a strange phenomenon（现象）in Britain.
One glance at the US train stations should be enough to convince you that train-spotters there are alive and well. In America, they try to call rail lovers ―train-fans‖ and talk of ―train-fanning‖. Don‘t let this fool you—these people are train spotters and there are a lot of them. Each month, two million pages are visited on the website https://www.doczj.com/doc/8212092795.html,.
340words
57. What is train-spotting according to the passage?
A. A kind of hobby.
B. A type of sport.
C. A strange phenomenon.
D. A special job.
58. Which of the following about train-spotters is true according to the passage?
A. They number each train they see.
B. They keep a careful path of every train.
C. They count the trains passing in front of them.
D. They produce films about trains with video cameras.
59. The writer writes the passage to .
A. introduce some famous train-spotters
B. encourage readers to do more train-spotting
C. try to present a true picture of train-spotting
D. describe the necessary equipment in train-spotting
60. What do we learn from the passage?
A. Train-spotters in the UK want to fool people.
B. Train-spotting is more acceptable in America.
C. Train-spotters are much stranger than car lovers.
D. Train-spotting relates to （与…有关）a dangerous lifestyle. 【答案】
六、阅读短文，选择最佳选项。（共26分，每小题2分）
48．B 49．C 50．D 51．A 52．D 53．C 54．A 55．D 56．C 57．A
58．B
59．C 60．B
【北京市顺义区2011年中考一模英语试题】
A
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows By J. K. Rowling Paperback , 784 pages.
Publisher (出版商): Arthur a Levine Date ：07/07/2009ading level : Age: 9—12 Price : $16.69
Deceptively Delicious
By Jessica Seinfeld Hardcover , 204 pages.
Publisher : Collins
Date ：09/01/2007 Reading Level : Parents Price : $12.83
48．Among the books, there is/are ____ written for adults.
A. one
B. two C . three
D. four
Reading Level : Adults Price : $5.50
49．Who wrote Rich Dad, Poor Dad?
A. J.K. Rowling.
B. Jessica Seinfeld.
C. Cormac McCarthy.
D. Robert T. Kiyosaki.
50．Which of the following books is the latest(最新的) in print?
A. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
B. Deceptively Delicious.
C. Rich Dad , Poor Dad.
D. The Road .
B
How often do you use your car? Can you use your car less often? Do you know the following facts in the UK?
? About 50% of all car journeys are just for fun.
? Over 80% people go to work by car.
? 25% car journeys are under two miles.
? 70% car journeys are under five miles.
WALKING & CYCLING
Instead of using the car for short journeys, why not walk or ride a
bicycle? Walking is a most popular form of exercise—it‘s healthy and it can
save you money. If you work nearby, try walking or cycling instead of
driving. Walking your children to school gives them valuable road
experience.
BUSES
Bus companies are using new buses: some run on new fuels which produce less
pollution; some have easier way for disabled and old people. There are special
traffic lanes (行车道) to make bus journeys easier and more reliable. So do
something to help solve the pollution problem—let the bus take you to w ork and your children to school.
TRAINS
All car journeys, long or short, can be hard work. For some trips it is wiser to take the train. Leave your car at home and walk, cycle or take a bus to and from the
station. Train travel is fast, safe and comfortable. Train tickets are not always
expensive; some are can be made quite cheaper.
51.How many of car journeys are just for fun in the UK?
A. 25%.
B. About 50%.
C. 70%.
D. Over 80%.
52. The writer believes that ________ can give children valuable road experience.
A. walking to school
B. travelling by train
C. taking new fuel buses
D. having car journeys for fun
53. What does the writer think of travelling by train?
A. Tiring.
B. Comfortable.
C. Exciting.
D. Bad.
C
Comets(彗星) are parts of our solar system（太阳系）. Like the planets,
they go around the sun.
But comets are not made of solid rock like planets. A comet is a ball of
dust, stones, and ice. Many people call comets dirty snowballs.
The ―snowball‖ may be only a few miles across. But when the sun
heats the ―snowball,‖ much of it is changed to gases. The gases spread out
and form the comet‘s head, which may be thousands of miles across.
* * *
A comet moves fast in its trip around the sun. But when we see it, the comet does not seem to move. That‘s because it i s so far away. The moon moves fast, but when you look at it, you can‘t see any motion. That‘s because the moon is far away.
So comets do not rush across the sky. You cannot see any motion. But if you look night after night, you can see that a comet changes position among the stars. If you watch the moon night after night, you‘ll see that it also changes position.
Each year astronomers discover new comets. Some of them are seen only
once. They make one trip around the sun and then go way out into space. The sun‘s gravity（重力、引力）cannot
hold them.
Other comets, like Halley, keep returning. They have been capture d by the sun. Halley‘s earliest visit was probably 3,000 years ago. It may keep returning for another 3,000 years.
But every time a comet goes around the sun, the comet loses part of itself. Gases and dust are pulled out of the comet. That‘s why Halley is now dimmer than it used to be. Next time it visits us, in 2062, it may be even dimmer. Each visit it may get dimmer and dimmer, until it finally disappears.
54. What is this passage mostly about?
A. Comets and the sun.
B. Why comets are like snowballs.
C. Who discovered the first comet.
D. Facts about comets.
55. According to the passage, some comets have been ―captured by the sun.‖ What does the underlined phrase mean?
A. The comets are rushing into the sun.
B. The comets have been brightened by the sun.
C. The comets are stuck in the sun‘s gravity.
D. The comets have been burned by the sun‘s heat.
56. How does the author help the reader understand what a comet looks like?
A. By telling about a famous one.
B. By explaining how far away it is.
C. By describing how fast it moves.
D. By describing it as a dirty snowball.
57. What is the most likely reason the author wrote this passage?
A. To give information about comets.
B. To tell readers about famous comets.
C. To explain the importance of comets.
D. To encourage readers to look for comets.
D
Languages keeps evolving（进化、发展）, and English is no exception. It is a language that embraces(欣然接受)new words that may be cool today but gone tomorrow.
There are, however, some words and phrases that have stood the test of time. OK, which has become the international standard for expressing agreement, is a good example.
But why is this rather odd(奇怪的)expression so popular and so useful when we could use any number of other words to say the same thing?
Writing in The Times, Allen Metcalf, author of OK: The Improbable Story of America’s Greatest Word, writes: ―What OK provided that the others did not was neutrality(中性), a way to express agreement without having to offer an opinion.‖
For example, if someone asks you ―Shall we go for a walk after lunch?‖ you can simply respond ―OK‖. There you go – no extra opinions. Just straight, plain old OK.
So just where did this rather curious expression come from? The origins of OK have been widely disputed (辩论，争论). Some people have guessed that OK was the name of a person or a product.
Speakers of many different language s have had their say on this question, keen to claim the term as their own.
W riting an article for London‘s Metro newspaper, Metcalf states: ?O and K are present in every language of the world, as expressions that can be abbreviated(缩写) OK.‖ For example: French –―O qu-oui‖, ―yes indeed‖; German –―Ohne Korrektur‖, ― without correction needed‖; and in Latin or Greek, ―Olla kalla‖, ―all good‖.
But, does it sound a little too informal with this popular little expression?
Apparently not.
In a speech wh ere he stated that his election (当选) would not be a radical (激进的) result to all problems, President Obama said: ―… even though I am president…, AI-Qaida is still a threat(威胁) and that we cannot pretend somehow that because Barack Hussein Obama got elected as president, suddenly everything‘s going to be OK,‖ he said.
So, there you go, stra ight from the president. It‘s OK to say OK, and thanks to the expression‘s widespread usage across the world, you can be understood anywhere.
58. Using the example of Obama, the author wants to show that________.
A. there is still a long way to go to defeat Al-Qaida
B. Obama likes to use OK when he speaks