第四部分：閱讀理解(第31~45題，每題3分，共45分)
下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道題，每題后面有4個選項。請仔細閱讀短文并根據(jù)短文回答其后面的問題，從4個選項中選擇1個最佳答案涂在答題卡相應(yīng)的位置上。
第一篇 Pop Music in Africa
Young musicians in African countries are creating a new kind of pop music. The tunes and the rhythms of their music combine African traditions with various forms of music popular today, such as hip-hop, rap, rock, jazz, or reggae. The result is music that may sound familiar to listeners anywhere in the world, but at the same time is distinctly African. It is different also in another way: Many of the songs are very serious and they deal with important social or political issues in Africa today.
Eric Wainaina is one of these African musicians. He grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, in a family of musicians. As a teenager, he listened to pop music from the United States, and later he moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music. Now he has produced a CD in Kenya. Eric' s most popular song, “Land of ‘ A Little Something'” is about Kenya' s problem of bribery, or paying others for illegal favors. He wants people to listen to his songs and think about how to make Kenya a better place to live.
Another musician who writes serious songs is Witness Mwaijaga from Tanzania. Her own experiences have helped her understand the suffering of many African women. At the age of fifteen she lost her home, but she was luckier than other homeless young people. She could make a living by writing songs and singing on the street. By the time she was eighteen years old, she had become a star. Her songs are written in rap or hip-hop style about the problems that she sees in Tanzania, especially AIDS and the lack of rights for women1.
Baaba Maal, from Senegal, also feels that pop music must go beyond entertainment. He says that in Senegal, storytellers have always been important people. In the past, they were the ones who kept the history of their people alive. Baaba believes that songwriters now have a similar responsibility. They must write about the world around them and help people understand how it could be better. The words of his songs are important, in fact. They speak of peace and cooperation among Africans, as well as the rights of women, love for one' s family, and saving the environment2.
One of South Africa' s most popular musicians is Brenda Fassie. She is sometimes compared to Madonna, the American pop star, because she likes to shock people in her shows. But she also likes to make people think. She became famous in the 1980s for her simple pop songs against apartheid. Now that apartheid has ended, her songs are about other issues in South African culture and life. To sing about these, she uses local African languages and a new pop style called kwaito.
In recent years, people outside of Africa have also begun to listen to these young musicians. Through music, the younger generation of Africans are connecting with the rest of the world and, at the same time, influencing the rest of the world.
31, This passage is about how African pop music is________.
A) usually about love and romance
B) more serious than most pop music
C) popular with young people in Africa
D) mostly written just for entertainment
32, For people outside of Africa, African pop music is________.
A) the same as other pop music
B) not usually very interesting
C) entirely strange to them
D) both familiar and different
33, The musicians mentioned in this passage all________.
A) write about serious problems
B) studied in the United States
C) lost their homes at a young age
D) write songs in a new pop style
34, Eric Wainaina________.
A) prefers to sing in English
B) listened to traditional music
C) studied music in Boston
D) performs only in the United States
35, Witness Mwaijaga writes about the problems of women partly because________.
A) she has had a difficult life herself
B) there are many problems in Tanzania
C) she has had an easy life herself
D) there are no other women singers
第二篇 Road Trip Vacations
It's summer. In the United States, it's the season of swimming pools, barbeques, camping and road trips.
Road trip vacations where the car journey is part of the fun are especially popular with college students, who like to explore the country on wheels. These budget trips are ideal for students who often have plenty of free time but little money.
"Ever since I went to college, I've been traveling around a lot, exploring the country," said Austin Hawkins, a 19-year-old college student from New York. This summer, Hawkins and his friends have spent weekends traveling in New England.
The best part about car trips, said Hawkins, is that you can be spontaneous. "On a road trip, if you get interested in things you see along the way you can stop and explore."
Matt Roberts, a 20-year-old student from Ohio who drove to Montreal, Canada, agrees. "With road trips you don't have to plan in advance, you can just get into a car and drive."
Even with high gas prices, driving with friends is cheaper than flying. Roberts paid about 40 dollars for gas, but a round trip plane ticket would have cost nearly 400 dollars.
Driving trips first became popular in the 1920s. Newly paved roads and improved, cars made it possible to travel longer distances. Motels started appearing outside cities.
By the 1950s, car ownership became the norm. Construction of the US interstate highway system began in 1956 and motel and restaurant chains popped up everywhere making long distance trips easier.
Today, the US has the highest car ownership rate in the world. Only 8 percent of American homes have no car, according to the most recent US census.
Though many college students don't own a car, most have access to one. On many of Hawkins' trips, they used a borrowed van.
Hawkins' most memorable road trip took place over spring break. He and two friends drove from New York to New Orleans to volunteer, helping rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina hit it last July. They crossed the country in two days and slept in their car in church parking lots.
Roberts' road trip to Canada last winter was even more eventful. Upon arriving in Montreal, they were lost in a blizzard and shivering in the -25°cold. To find their hotel, they turned on a laptop and drove around in circles until they found a spot with wireless Internet coverage.
"I know we should have planned better, but we're young. Now, when I see those guys I always say: 'Remember when we were lost in the snow storm!' I'll never forget that."
36, Who are road trip vacations especially popular with?
A College students who like to travel on wheels.
B Teachers who have plenty of free time but little money
C Volunteers who want to help rebuild New Orleans.
D Americans who have no cars.
37, What will Hawkins do when he sees something interesting on a road trip?
A He will turn back.
B He will drive around.
C He will stop to explore.
D He will stop exploring.
38, When did motels suddenly appear everywhere?
A After the work to build the interstate highway system started.
B When driving trips became popular.
C After many roads were paved.
D After new cars were made.
39, Which of the following words can best describe Hawkins' trip to New Orlends?
A Eventful.
B Colorful.
C Delightful.
D Unforgettable
40, The word “blizzard” in paragraph 12 could be best replaced by
A snow storm.
B hurricane.
C mist.
D fog
第三篇 Why So Many Children
In many of the developing countries in Africa and Asia, the population is growing fast. The reason for this is simple: Women in these countries have a high birth rate—from 3. 0 to 7. 0children per woman. The majority of these women are poor, without the food or resources to care for their families. Why do they have many so children? Why don't they limit the size of their families? The answer may be that they often have no choice. There are several reasons for this.
One reason is economic. In a traditional agricultural economy, large families are helpful. Having more children means having more workers in the fields and someone to take care of the parents in old age1. In an industrial economy, the situation is different. Many children do not help a family; instead, they are an expense. Thus, industrialization has generally brought down the birth rate. This was the case in Italy, which was industrialized quite recently and rapidly. In the early part of the twentieth century, Italy was a poor, largely agricultural country with a high birth rate. After World War II, Italy' s economy was rapidly modernized and industrialized. By the end of the century, the birth rate had dropped to 1. 3 children per woman, the world' s lowest.
However, the economy is not the only important factor that influences birth rate. Saudi Arabia, for example, does not have an agriculture-based economy, and it has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. Nevertheless, it also has a very high birth rate (7. 0). Mexico and Indonesia, on the other hand, are poor countries, with largely agricultural economies, but they have recently reduced their population growth.
Clearly, other factors are involved. The most important of these is the condition of women. A high birth rate almost always goes together with lack of education and low status for women. 2 This would explain the high birth rate of Saudi Arabia. There, the traditional culture gives women little education or independence and few possibilities outside the home. On the other hand, the improved condition of women in Mexico, Thailand, and Indonesia explains the decline in birth rates in these countries. Their governments have taken measures to provide more education and opportunities for women.
Another key factor in the birth rate is birth control. Women may want to limit their families but have no way to do so. In countries where governments have made birth control easily available and inexpensive, birth rates have gone down. This is the case in Singapore, Sri Lanka, and India, as well as in Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, and Brazil. In these countries, women have also been provided with health care and help in planning their families.
These trends show that an effective program to reduce population growth does not have to depend on better economic conditions. 3 It can be effective if it aims to help women and meet their needs. Only then, in fact, does it have any real chance of success.
41,In a traditional agricultural economy, a large family __.
A) can be an advantage
B) may limit income
C) isn't necessary
D) is expensive
42,When countries become industrialized, ________.
A) families often become larger
B) the birth rate generally goes down
C) women usually decide not have a family
D) the population generally grows rapidly
43,According to this passage, Italy today is an example of an________.
A) agricultural country with a high birth rate
B) agricultural country with a low birth rate
C) industrialized country with a low birth rate
D) industrialized country with a high birth rate
44,Saudi Arabia is mentioned in the passage because it shows that________.
A) the most important factor influencing birth rate is the economy
B) factors other than the economy influence birth rate
C) women who have a high income usually have few children
D) the birth rate depends on per capita income
45,In Mexico, Thailand, and Indonesia, the government________.
A) is not concerned about the status of women
B) has tried to industrialize the country rapidly
C) does not allow women to work outside the home
D) has tried to improve the condition of women
