四、阅读理解(共15小题,每小题2分,满分30分)
A
Keeping Tennis Balls Cool and Bouncy
Have you ever watched a big tennis game and seen people taking out tennis balls from a fridge? This is because temperature affects how the ball bounces(弹起). A tennis ball is filled with air and this gives it pressure. When it is hotter, the pressure inside gets higher, and the ball is bouncier. The best temperature to store tennis balls is 20 ℃.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Why are there so many snails after it rains?
This is because snails breathe through their skin and water creates a process called osmosis(渗透). This allows them to take in more oxygen and breathe better. So after it rains, they come out of their home and get really busy, finding food and making small holes in the ground to lay their eggs. While it's raining, they don't come out as the water droplets could kill them on impact(在撞击时). If it hasn't rained for a long time, you'll see even more snails afterward because they will be even hungrier than normal.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
A Laugh a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
A new study shows that the saying “laughter is the best medicine” is probably true. Scientists did a study of 26 adults who had a type of heart disease. Over three months, half of the adults were told to watch funny TV shows like sitcoms and the other half were asked to watch serious shows like documentaries. After the study, the scientists found that for those who watched the funny TV shows, their ability to move oxygen around their body improved by 10％. Also, signs of inflammation(炎症) in their heart went down more for the group than for those who watched serious shows. Now that's something to smile about!
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
51. All the news above has something to do with ________.
A. PHYSICAL HEALTH B. SCIENCE STUDY
C. STAR STORIES D. MAGIC WORLD
52. When the temperature is lower, the tennis ball will ________.
A. have higher pressure inside B. be put in a fridge
C. be less bouncy D. have little air inside
53. What would be the best heading for the second piece of news?
A. When Rain Meets Snails B. Breathe in the Rain
C. Before or After the Rain D. Hungry for the Rain
54. There are so many snails after it rains because ________.
A. they can move around faster on wet ground
B. they can breathe better
C. they need to find drier homes
D. they are thirsty
55. According to the scientists, ________.
A. documentaries are good for heart disease
B. funny TV shows are better than serious shows
C. happy mood can make inflammation in our heart go down
D. people with heart disease should watch TV more often
B
Even before my father left us, Mom had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mom, I can't peel potatoes. I have only one hand.”
Mom never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “And don't ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”
In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod(钢杆) to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.
That night I told Mom about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we'll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars. “Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow. Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every progress. Finally when I could cross the monkey bars, I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.
One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. “Mom,” I said, weeping, “none of the boys would dance with me.”
For a long time, I didn't hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you'll be beating those boys off with a bat.” I came out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered for me. She had never let me see her tears.
56. Which of the following can be used to describe Mom's attitude towards the writer?
A. Cruel. B. Serious. C. Strict. D. Cold.
57. From the passage, we know monkey bars can help a child train ________.
A. the skill to throw things B. the speed of his hand movement
C. the strength to hang and swing D. the skill to catch things
58. What does the underlined sentence “I saw her ‘we'll see about that’ look” mean?
A. Mom believed the aim could be achieved if the writer stuck to it.
B. The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for the writer to give up.
C. Mom decided to prove she herself was better than the teacher.
D. What the writer had said brought Mom great interest.
59. The kids were standing with their mouths open because ________.
A. they felt sorry for what they'd done
B. they were afraid the writer might fall off
C. they wanted to see what the writer would do
D. they were shocked at the writer's progress
60. What can we infer from the passage?
A. The last incident was sad enough to make Mom weep.
B. The writer's experience reminded Mom of that of her own.
C. Mom could solve any problem except the last one.
D. Mom suffered much in the process of the writer's growth.
C
When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor, Dr. Gibbs. He didn't look like any doctor I'd ever known. He never invited us to play in his yard, but he was a very kind person. When he wasn't saving lives, he was planting trees.
★. He never watered his new trees. Once I asked why. He said that watering plants spoiled them. Each baby tree would grow weaker and weaker, so you had to make things difficult for them and pick out the weaker trees early on. He talked about how watering trees made for shallow(浅的) roots, and how trees that weren't watered had to grow deep roots in search of water under the earth by themselves. Deep roots were very important. He'd planted an oak and, instead of watering it every morning, he'd beat it with a rolled - up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree's attention.
Dr. Gibbs died several years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I watched him plant about twenty - five years ago. They're very big and strong now.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. Mostly I pray(祈祷) their lives will be easy. But lately I've been thinking that it's time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to face difficulties. There's always a cold wind blowing somewhere, so what we need to do is to pray for roots that reach deep into the brave heart. So when the rains fall and the winds blow, we could face it strongly and won't be beaten down.
61. Which of the following can be put in ★?
A. Dr. Gibbs wasn't expert at planting trees at first
B. Trees in Dr. Gibbs' yard didn't grow well
C. Dr. Gibbs had special ideas about planting trees
D. Dr. Gibbs had rich experience in planting trees
62. When Dr. Gibbs said “pick out the weaker trees early on”, he meant that ________.
A. some weak trees would be easily found out at the beginning
B. he would choose the weak trees to water earlier
C. the weak trees would be sent to his patients later
D. he would not plant weak trees so early any more
63. The passage tells us that the writer ________.
A. should beat his sons often B. often helped Dr. Gibbs water the trees
C. didn't understand Dr. Gibbs D. took good care of his sons
64. The writer wants to change his prayer, hoping that ________.
A. his trees will be stronger than Dr. Gibbs'
B. his trees will not be beaten down
C. his sons will be better at planting trees
D. his sons will be able to face difficulties
65. The best title for the passage should be “________”.
A. Watering Trees B. Growing Roots
C. Doctor and His Neighbor D. Praying for the future

51—55 BCABC 56—60 CCADD
61—65 CADDB