第三部分 阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分，满分40分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
51. Which of the following is true about Kate’s homework?
A. It’s very easy. B. It’s very boring.
C. It has to be done by herself. D. It requires teamwork.
52. What does “rocking the boat” most likely mean in Kate’s letter?
A. Causing trouble. B. Doing easy jobs.
C. Telling people what to do. D. Working without thinking.
53. Which of the following best describes Gary?
A. Kind and helpful. B. Lazy and dishonest.
C. Tall and strong. D. Honest and popular.
54. What do we know from Aunt Tara’s letter?
A. Kate is the leader of Ms. Lin’s class.
B. Kate should let Gary know how she feels.
C. Gary should be put in another group.
D. Gary has decided to change himself.
55. What’s Aunt Tara’s advice to Kate?
A. Do the homework without Gary’s help.
B. Ask her teacher immediately to make Gary do his job.
C. Talk to Gary first and then to Ms. Lin if necessary.
D. Ask her teacher to give her a different kind of homework.
B
Born with easy-broken bone disease, Zhang Yonghong is only half a meter tall and must use a wheelchair. His thin arms and legs can hardly support any weight, and he is unable to take care of himself. However, his hands are able to produce fine paper-cuts, which will free his daughter from the same disease.
To support himself, he learned how to make paper-cut art from his mother. He sold his artwork and taught his techniques in Xi’an for eight years before discovering his young daughter inherited the disease from him, leading Zhang to move his family to Beijing for his daughter’s better treatment five years ago.
The daughter’s treatment costs about 30,000 yuan a year. The family’s savings was used up in two years, and Zhang was forced to start to sell his work in underground passages with his healthy wife, who soon left him because of the hard life.
With a little help from government, he was lucky to meet some kindhearted people in Beijing. A Hong Kong businessman gave 60,000 yuan to him last year to treat the girl and start a small shop on Qiangulouyuan, which is known as a famous hutong that attracts lots of tourists over holidays. Zhang Rui, a university graduate, spends most of her time helping Zhang sell the paper-cuts, translating the stories the paper-cuts tell into English and selling the works on the roadside of Nanluoguxiang.
However, the artist still lives beyond his income (收入) and struggles to continue his small business. “Selling paper-cuts is his only source of income. Without this, he can’t support the family and treat his daughter,” says Zhang Rui, who hopes more people will help Zhang.
56. Why did Zhang grow only half a meter tall?
A. His easy-broken bone disease affected him.
B. His parents also had the same disease.
C. His poor family couldn’t provide him with rich food.
D. An unexpected accident caused him to grow slowly.
57. What does the underlined word “inherited” probably mean in Paragraph 2?
A. get around B. take away C. pass on D. go over
58. Why did his wife leave him?
A. Because she was afraid of losing the daughter.
B. Because she was tired of him and her children.
C. Because she lost hope for her daughter.
D. Because the life was too hard for them.
59. With the help of a Hong Kong businessman, Zhang Yonghong _________.
A. could support the daily life of his family
B. ran a shop of his own in Beijing
C. hired a girl to sell his artworks
D. could start a translation room
60. What can we conclude from the last paragraph?
A. Zhang still needs more people to help him.
B. Zhang manages his business very well.
C. Zhang’s business needs to be developed.
D. Zhang needs to look for a wife to help him.
