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，共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。

AThe National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is one of the world's greatest art museums. Millions of people have entered its doors to see paintings by the world's fine artists. But if these priceless masterpieces are to be preserved, the Gallery must protect them carefully. The Gallery's 135-man guard force has successfully prevented them from being stolen, but protecting the paintings from nature is a greater problem.In past times, the owners of paintings did not protect them from damaging changes in humidity （湿度）and temperature. As a result, the life of these paintings were shortened. In the National Gallery, however, humidity and temperature are carefully controlled. The building is air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter. The air-conditioning and heating systems are so important to the life of the paintings that the Gallery has two of each system. If one should fail, the extra one can take over.Light is another enemy of paintings. Ultraviolet rays （紫外线） in light cause paintings to fade （褪色）. Long ago, paintings often hung in dark churches and palaces. A coat of varnish （清漆） was a protection from the weak light. But when museums took over the care of many paintings, they were often hung in brighter light than before. Soon they were in danger of fading. The damaging effects of light were increased when the museums removed the varnish coating, yellowed with age.To protect its paintings, the National Gallery put a special kind of glass in its skylights. This glass allows visible lights to enter the building but it keeps out harmful ultraviolet rays. The Gallery has also developed new and better varnishes which help to keep paintings from fading.Thanks to these new precautions, many of the world's greatest paintings are being well protected for future generations to enjoy.1.The text mainly tells us about ______.A. the guard force in the National GalleryB. protecting great paintings from natureC. priceless paintings of past timesD. the air-conditioning and heating systems in the National Gallery2. Which of the following is NOT an enemy of paintings？A. Varnish.B. Temperature.C. Light.D. Humidity.3. The underlined word "precautions" in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.A. decorationsB. problemsC. suggestionsD. applications4. From the text we can infer that_______.A. great artists painted in dark churches and palacesB. you can touch these paintings while you are in the National GalleryC. the care of the world's greatest paintings is both a big responsibility and a challengeD. the guard force in the Gallery has not done a good job5. From the text, we can learn that __________ .A.ultraviolet rays cannot affect paintingsB.great artists painted with coats of varnishC.some priceless paintings were not well preservedD.the guard force in the National Gallery has not done a good jobBDrawing is a universal language. It was probably our first form of self-expression when we were babies：long before we start writing, we’re painting and scribbling（乱涂）, both in order to make sense of the world and because we enjoy it.In the history of human culture, too, painting and image making came before writing or even simple mathematics：30,000 years ago compared to 5,000. Yet after we leave school most of us never pick up a pencil again—willingly. If asked to draw something, most adults and many older children will shake their heads and say, “ Not me! I can’t draw. I’m hopeless at it.”When you think about it, this is very strange. Drawing involves coordinating（协调） the hand and the eye with the pencil. It’s a basic skill, no more difficult to learn than other amazing things that humans do, such as hitting a tennis ball o ver the net or writing our own name. there’s no special talent involved. Anybody who can learn to write can learn to draw.So, there you are – no excuse not to get out your pencil, pencil sharpener and rubber and take part in the Big Draw, a nationwide ser ies of free art events taking place all over Britain next October. Everyone’s welcome：all you need is a willingness to express yourself through drawing.The Big Draw, now in its fifth year, has already achieved two world records：one for the longest drawing in the world （1km） and the other for the greatest number of people drawing at the same time （7,000）. This year, there will be an attempt to create a new Guinness World Record for the longest visitors’book：people will be invited to leave their name and a drawing on a three-kilometer piece of paper.The theme this year is Inside\Outside—People, Structure（结构）and Spaces, and other events planned include drawing on a three-kilometer piece of paper.The Big Draw is not about turning the nation into artists, it is about helping people to acquire this universal language of communication. Its greatest achievement next October will be to bring hundreds of thousands of people together to look, imagine, draw and have fun.6. What is the writer’s main purpose in this text？A. To call on people to join a cultural event.B. To describe the history of drawing.C. To advise us to take drawing lessons.D. To explain how children develop.7. When we were babies we expressed ourselves by_______.A. enjoying languageB. learning to write.C. making marks on paper.D. painting pictures of the world.8. What can we learn about drawing from the text？A. It is the oldest human activity.B. It came before writing or mathematics.C. You can do it well if you keep your eye on the pencil.D. It requires special ability which only a few people have.9. Who is the Big Draw for？A. People who can’t draw.B. people who would like to try drawing.C. People who want to create a world record.D. People who don’t draw though they are adults.10. The Big Draw already holds a world record for _______.A. the number of visitors to the event.B. the length of time spent on a drawing.C. the number of balloons released in one day.D. the number of people drawing at the same time.CIf you spent years training to be a lawyer and had a great steady income,would you leave it to undertake a silly plan that only your mum and girlfriend believed in？ That’s exactly what Tom Pakenhamdid.He had the idea of starting an eco-friendly taxi company and so with five environmentally-friendly cars Green Tomato Cars was born. Now,only a few years later,the company has a group of 60 Toyota Prius Hybrids.When the company started in 2006 Tom admits,”Only my mum,girlfriend Sophie,now my wife,and Jonny（his business partner） were 100 percent behind the idea of starting London’s first green cab service.”Tom,who sold his ￡150,000 flat to raise money for the business,received the support of some well-knownpersons, Buckingham Palace officials and BskyB managers. Even Al Gore is a fan.Currently carrying 500-600 passengers a day,Green Tomato Cars is a shining example that commercial success and green issues are compatible（可共存的）.“All our drivers and employees are employed from the local community. We use local garages,service agents and vehicle sign-writers even though that is not always the most competitive choice. The reason is that to bring green products to the fore we believe we must not be inferior（较差的） to conventional taxis. The target is to be recognized as No.1 provider of environmental goods and services in London and around the world.”All their hard work has paid off as The Department for Transport has acknowledged Green Tomato Cars progress by giving them the Fleet Hero Award and last year the company was highlighted at the WTM World Responsible Tourism Day.Delighted with the publicity, Tom says,”I like to think we are playing our part with the cars switching to electricity. Carbon dioxide reductions of more than 600 tons have been achieved and this low footprint has sparked a revolution in the taxi world.”11.From the first paragraph,we can infer that_________.A.Tom Pakenham was a successful lawyerB.Tom Pakenham was a man full of confidenceC.Tom was supported by lots of people at the beginningD.It was easy for Tom to make decisions without full consideration12.The goal of the eco-friendly taxi company is to_________.A.earn more money to protect the environmentB.encourage more people to protect the environmentC.prove commercial success and green issues are compatibleD.become the No.1 provider of environmental goods and services13.Local workers are employed in Tom Pakenham’s taxi company because________.A.they provide better servicesB.this can help save a lot of costC.this does good to the environmentD.this can solve unemployment14.The vehicles in Green Tomato Cars are powered mainly by_________.A.petrolB.electricityC.wind energyD.solar energy15.What can we learn from the text？A.Green Tomato Cars has made greater profits.B.It costs people more to take eco-friendly taxis.C.Green Tomato Cars has been awarded by the government.D.Al Gore helped Tom pakenham raise money for his company.D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。