第二部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A.B.C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
AWhen you're looking forward to taking a holiday in Egypt, you're certainly not shortof choices. The country has so many to see that you'll probably not want to limit yourselfto just one city.Hurghada-A Water Sports ParadiseWith 250 hotels ranking from comfortable 3-star hotelsLip to 5-star accommodation, the main attraction of stayinghere is the activities in and on the warm waters. It has becomean international centre for water sports, allowing visitors totake part in surfing, sailing and deep sea fishing. The watersare also home to a huge variety of coral and fish, making it a dream spotfor diving. If allthat isn-t enough, Hurghada is home to some of the world's finest underwater gardens.Luxor-An Open Air Museum of Ancient HistoryFor those with an interest in Egyptian history, Luxor is anexcellent place to stay and is built upon the site of the ancientEgyptian city of Thebes. If you make this the base for yourEgypt holiday, you're basically staying in an open air museum!The modern city of Luxor has the ruins of Karnak. Across theNile lie many more monuments, temples and tombs including the Valleyof the Kings and the Queens. The Nile sailing is necessary for those with an interest in the country's ancient history.Cairo- The Capital CityFinally, of course, there's Cairo. It-s definitely a startingpoint for most of Egypt holiday makers. Cairo offers an excel-llent mix of culture, art, cooking and sightseeing chances. Withthe famous pyramids, various temples and some fascinatingmuseums, Cairo is a fantastic choice if you can come to the city.21. Visitors flood to Hurghada mainly because it can offer them _ .A. the funniest botanic gardensB. choices of water activitiesC. a brief history of EgyptD. the mix of culture and art22. Which of the following cities do most tourists visit first in Egypt?A. Cairo.B. Luxor.C. Thebes.D. Hurghada.23. This passage is most probably taken from _ .A. a historical documentB. a science magazineC. a travel guideD. a book reviewBIt-s the universal cry of parents. "Get a job! " Soliman's mother told Soliman on thesecond day of his college breaks.After years of delivering furniture for his mother'-s store, he knew many people had things they wanted to get rid of. If he borrowed his mom's truck, he could make a little money by carrying away their garbage.One night, Soliman came up with a name for his new business - College Hunks Hauling Junk. He advertised the next day, and within hours, his phone rang. He askedhis friend Friedman to help. They made $ 220 in three hours by cleaning out a woman-s garage. Soliman and Friedman earned $ 10,000 that summer. But the two weren't readyto become full- time garbage mcn after graduation. "We were trained to finish college and get a good job," says Soliman, who first worked at a research firm. Friedman bccame an economic analyst.After working for the firm and the company for a while, both of them changed their minds. They quit their jobs and restarted their business, but had trouble finding a bankwilling to lend them money. "Within months," says Friedman, "we were pretty upset. "At last, one bank risked lending them $ 50,000. At first, they lost money. One customer asked them to deal with a dozen garbage cans filled with construction garbage. They measured the job by volume instead of by weight and charged just $ 130. "The cans wereso heavy that it took us two and a half hours," says Soliman, "And it cost us more than$ 250 to carry the load. "However, the tough experience taught them a lesson. They reduced the cost ofunloading by recycling metals and electronics. Just four years later, they ran a nationwide company that earned $ 3 million in 2014. " I figured if Nick and I failed, we'd learn more from failing than from not trying at all," says Soliman.24. What does Soliman find when helping to deliver furniture?A. Some parents want their kids to work at college breaks.B. Many families have things they don't want to keep.C. His mom's truck works well in carrying heavy furniture.D. It's hard to make money by carrying away the garbage.25. What makes Soliman think of starting his new business?A. His working experience in his mother's store.B. His strong desire to make use of the garbage.C. His hatred for people's throwing away things.D. His much available time at college breaks.26. How did Soliman and Friedman cut the cost of the company?A. By filling the cans with more garbage.B. By measuring the job by volume.C. By reducing the working hours.D. By recycling something useful.27. Which of the following can be learned from the passage?A. Easier said than done.B. Nothing succeeds like success.C. Two heads are better than one.D. Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.CBlue whales are the largest animals ever known to have existed on the planet, and they can grow to a length of 100 feet and weigh more than 330,000 pounds. But recently researchers have found that these whales are on the move and they have migrated from California waters to areas off Canada and Alaska for the first time since commercialwhaling ended in 1965.The researchers identified 15 blue whales that have appeared off the coast of BritishColumbia and the Gulf of Alaska since 1997. Four of these whales were recognized as ones that were once sighted off California shores, suggesting that the whales are returning to an old migration pattern between the coasts.Before commercial whaling began in the early 1900s, blue whales were found widely throughout the North Pacific and California waters. But from the 1920s to the 1960s, whaling severely reduced the whale populations. Blue whales never recovered in the Northern Pacific, making sightings in this area rare. However, much larger groups of whales have been observed close to California since the 1970s.The scientists had previously thought that the California population was separate from the population that had historically lived in North Pacific waters. But the current study shows that whales off the coast of British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska are likely partof the California population.To identify the blue whales, the researchers looked at photos of cetaceans taken in the North Pacific Ocean and compared them with a library of blue whale pictures taken along the West Cost of the United States and Southern Pacific. Up to now, the researchers arenot quite sure why the whales are changing their migration patterns, but they suspect that the whales may be following their food moving farther north by the changes in ocean conditions.28. According to the passage, blue whales are .A. following a fixed route of migrationB. dying out due to commercial whalingC. moving from the south to the northD. rarely found in the Southern Pacific29. The whale population in the northern Pacific .A. is different from the California populationB. is probably part of the California populationC. has become the largest group since the 1970sD. has lived there since the 1960s30. The underlined word "cetaceans" in Paragraph 5 probably means .A. land creaturesB. whale speciesC. ocean conditionsD. migration patterns31. What might make blue whales migrate according to the researchers?A. Commercial whaling.B. Weather conditions.C. Life reproduction.D. Food resources.DWhen slaves were first brought over from West Africa to the southern parts of America, they brought along with them aspects of their own culture-religion, dance, language, music, and cuisine. A mix of the two cultures eventually appeared. Thereligious dance of the ring shout turned into modern dances like the Charleston, and tribal chants slowly transformed into sorrowful hymns (圣歌) sung by slaves that described their hardships.These soulful accounts by slaves of the severe climate and conditions began to be called "the blues" , which continued in popularity among African Americans after the Civil War. This music increased in popularity into the early 1900s when many black musicians became an important part of the music industry.The slaves that had been brought over were from all different regions of West Africa, but they worked together until they gradually formed a common culture. This strengthenedthe identity of their music that, in the 1950s, eventually led to the beginning of rock androll. The Beatles, the most influential band of the 1960s, are often determined as the acceleraior that resulted in the ideology (意识形态)surrounding music that is still around today. The frcedom and individuality associated with that time period brought forth awhole culture surrounding music. It was not just music any more, but a lifestyle.Ovcr the dccadcs, music has developed into such a vital part of society and popculture. Musicians arc glorified, with tons of adoring and screaming fans. The modern technology of present day has allowed for a greater gap betwcen the creator of the musicand the fans, as well as a widespread commercialization of music. However, criticisms of modern pop music often arise due to its mass production, and now there is a lack of thesame soul and quality of naturalness and simplicity in music that was rising in the early20th century.32. What contributed to the birth of the Charleston?A. Various African religions.B. People's love of tribal dances.C.A mix of two different cultures.D. The popularity of sorrowful hymns.33. According to the passage, what can we learn about the blues?A. It became popular in the late 20th century.B. It may include the description of slaves' sad lives.C. It mainly told the stories of the American Civil War.D. It reflected the hard lives of many black musicians.34. What does the underlined word "this” in the third paragraph refer to?A. Slaves' collective work.B. One region of West Africa.C. The new common culture.D. The music by the Beatles.35. It can be learned that the music in the early 20th century____.A. possessed soul and sincerityB. became more commercializedC. was blamed for its mass productionI). widened the gap between musicians and fans第二节（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。
