高三英语寒假作业（四）第一部分阅读理解（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。

并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑．AOne of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap(包装).On September 11th, 1958, Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying. "I promised you a gift, and here it is." What an honor! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories. I told it over and over how much I loved it!One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as "hopeless", "pitiful", and "dying", which sounded ominous.Christmas was ing. "Don’t expect any presents this year." Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room. "If your baby brother lives, that'll be Christmas enough." As he spoke, his eyes were filled with tears. I'd never seen him cry before.The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say. "What? He's all right?" He hung up and shouted upstairs. ―The hospital said we can bring Richard home!""Thank God.'" I heard Mum cry.From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My sacks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love!1. What happened to the author on September 11 1958?A. He got a baby brotherB. He got a Christmas giftC. He became four years oldD. He received a doll2.What does the underlined word ―ominous‖ in Paragraph 3 probably mean？A. Impossible.B. BoringC. DifficultD. Fearful3. Which word can best describe the feeling of the father when Christmas was ing?A. Excitement.B. Happiness.C. Sadness.D. Disappointment.BAmerican researchers found females are the more talkative sex because of a special ―language protein‖ in the brain.The study, conducted by neuroscientists(神经学家) and psychologist from the University of Maryland, concluded that women talked more because they had more of the Foxp2 protein. The research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that higher levels were found among humans that were women but in rats that were males. Their findings came after it was previously claimed that ladies speak about 20,000 words a day –over 13,000 more than men. ―This study is one of the first to report a sex difference in the expression of a language-associated protein in humans or animals,‖ said Prof Margaret McCarthy, who led the study. In their study, the researchers attempted to determine what might make male rats more vocal than their female friends.They separated four-day-old rats from their mothers and then counted the number of times they cried out in the ―ultrasonic（超声波的）range‖, the frequencies higher than humans can hear, over five minutes. While both sexes called out hundreds of cries, the males called out twice as often, they found. But when the pups were returned to their mother’s cage, she fussed over her sonsfirst. Tests conducted on the parts of the brain known to be associated with vocal calls showed the male pups have up to twice as much Foxp2 protein as the females. The researchers then increased the production in the brains of female pups and reduced it in males. This led to the female rats crying out more often and their mothers showing more interest to them. In contrast, males became less ―talkative‖.The researchers then tested samples from ten children, aged between three and five, which showed that females had up to 30 per cent more of the Foxp2 protein than males, in a brain area key to language in humans.―Based on our observations, we assume higher levels of Foxp2 in girls and higher levels of Foxp2 in male rats is an indication that Foxp2 protein levels are associated with the more communicative sex,‖ said Prof McCarthy.―Our results imply Foxp2 as a component (成分)of the neurobiological basis of sex differences in vocal communication in mammals.‖1. From the second paragraph, we can learn that ________.A. women always speak more words than menB. men and male rats have low levels of language proteinC. women and male rats have similar levels of Foxp2D. McCarthy isn’t the first to find females more talkative2. The underlined phrase ―fussed over‖ in the third paragraph probably means______.A. paid attention toB. related toC. put pressureon D. counted on3. The researchers carried out the experiments on rats in order to _______.A. test which part of the brain is key to language in rats and humansB. prove the levels of Foxp2 protein in humans and rats are differentC. determine the reason why female rats are more talkative than male ratsD. discover the association between Foxp2 protein and vocal communication4. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?A. Tests on humans and ratsB. Why women are the talkative sexC. Sex differences in Foxp2 proteinD. Foxp2 proteinCDear Reader,I receive many letters from children and can’t answer them all—there wouldn’t be time enough in a day. That is why I am sending you this printed reply to your letter. I’ll try to answer some of the questions that are commonly asked.Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte’s Web? Well, many years ago I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse. That’s how the story of Stuart Little got started.As for C harlotte’s Web, I like animals and my barn（谷仓）is a very pleasant place to be, at all hours. One day when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was doomed to die. This made me sad. So I started thinki ng of ways to save a pig’s life. I had been watching a big grey spider at her work and was impressed by how clever she was at weaving. Gradually I worked the spider into the story that you know, a story of friendship and salvation（拯救）on a farm. Three years after I started writing it, it was published. (I am not a fast worker, as you can see.)Sometimes I’m asked how old I was when I started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early—as soon as I could spell. In fact, I can’t remember any time in my life when I wasn’t busy writing. I don’t know what caused me to do it, or why I enjoyed it, but I think children often find pleasure and satisfaction in trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was no good at drawing, so I used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing can be a way of earning a living.Some of my readers want me to visit their school. Some want me to send a picture, or an autograph, or a book. And some ask questions about my family and my animals and my pets. Much as I’d like to, I can’t go visiting. I can’t send books, either—you can find them in a bookstore or a library. Many children assume that a writer owns (or even makes) his own books. This is not true—books are made by the publis her. If a writer wants a copy, he must buy it. That’s why I can’t send books. And I do not send signatures—I leave that to the movie stars. I live most of the year in the country, in New England. From our windows we can look out at the sea and the mountains. I live near my married son and three grandchildren.Are my stories true, you ask? No, they are imaginary tales, containing fantastic characters and events. In real life, a family doesn’t have a child who looks like amouse; in real life, a spider doesn’t spin words in her web. In real life, a swan doesn’t blow a trumpet. But real life is only one kind of life—there is also the life of the imagination. And although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too—truth about the way people and animals feel and think and act.Yours sincerely：E.B. White 1．The author wrote the letter because _________.A．he is not a fast workerB．he was invited to answer the questionsC．he didn’t have enough time to answer all the lettersD．he felt sorry for not being able to send books to his readers2．What pr obably caused the writer to get interested in writing children’s book?A．Writing can be a way to earn his living. B．The fact that he was not good at drawing.C．His mother influence on his childhood. D．The instinct of children. 3．From Para.5, we can learn that ＿＿＿＿.A．many famous people like to visit schoolsB．movie stars will send autographs to readersC．many people think authors have copies of their own booksD．the author lives with his married son and three grandchildren4．In the last paragraph, the author is trying to tell us ____ .A．we only have one kind of lifeB．there is no truth in imaginary talesC．imaginary tales are based on our true lifeD．fantastic characters and events only exist in imaginary talesDA fellow speaker from California named Geri flew to Japan, in her favorite jeans and a casual jacket, to give her first speech. Fourteen hours later, four perfectly dressed Japanese gentlemen greeted her at Narita Airport. Smiling and bowing low, they handed her their business cards. With her bag in one hand, Geri took their cards with the other. She thanked them, glanced briefly at the cards, and put them into her jeans pocket quickly.When the five of them arrived at the hotel, they invited Geri to tea in the lobby (大厅). While sipping tea, the gentlemen presented her with a small gift which she eagerly opened. She was thrilled with the gift and shouted excitedly, ―Oh, it’s beautiful!‖At this point, the four Japanese gentlemen stood up and, bowing only very slightly, said ―Sayonara‖ and left immediately. Poor Geri was left astonished. What did she do wrong?Everything! Her jeans were the first gaffe. Even if you’re coming off a bicycle in Japan, you do not meet clients (客人) casually dressed. The second mistake was Geri’s handling of their business cards rudely. In Japan, the business card is one of the most important communicative tools. It is always presented and accepted respectfully with both hands. However, Geri put their cards away much too quickly. In Japan, people use business cards as a conversation starter. You chat about each other’s cards and work and do not put theirs away until they gently and respectfully place yours in safekeeping. Putting it carelessly into her jeans pocket was the ultimate disrespect.Then, the fourth horror of horrors was that Geri should not have opened the gift in front of her clients. In a land where saving face is critical, it would be embarrassing to discover the gift they gave was not as nice as the one they received. What is worse, Geri hadn’t even given them a gift!1. In the four Japanese gentlemen’s eyes, Geri took their cards _____________.A. excitedlyB. embarrassinglyC. politelyD. disrespectfully2. Why did the four Japanese gentlemen leave Geri suddenly?A. Because they couldn’t bear Geri’s behavior any longer.B. Because they had finished the task.C. Because Geri had something more important to do.D. Because Geri felt embarrassed.3. What does the underlined word ―gaffe‖ in Paragraph 3 probably mean?A. ignoranceB. sadnessC. mistakeD. carelessness4. The third mistake Geri made was that she _____________.A. used her own card as a conversation starterB. kept her clients’ cards in a wrong placeC. took her clients’ cards with one handD. met her clients in jeans第二节（共5小题：每小题2分，满分10分）【题文】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。