四、閱讀理解(共15題，每題3分，共45分)

　　閱讀下列短文，然后根據(jù)短文的內(nèi)容從每題的四個選項中選出最佳的一項。

　　Passage 1

　　Although the United States covers so much land and the land produces far more food than the present population needs, its people are by now almost entirely an urban society. Less than a tenth of the people are engaged in agriculture and forestry (林業(yè)), and most of the rest live in or around towns, small and large. Here the traditional picture is changing: every small town may still be very like other small towns, and the typical small town may represent a widely accepted view of the country, but most Americans do not live in small towns any more. Half the population now lives in some thirty metropolitan areas (large cities with their suburbs) of more than a million people each --- a larger proportion than in Germany or England, let alone France. The statistics (統(tǒng)計) of urban and rural population should be treated with caution because so many people who live in areas classified as rural travel by car to work in a nearby town each day. As the rush to live out of town continues, rural areas within reach of towns are gradually filled with houses, so that it is hard to say at what moment a piece of country becomes a suburb. But more and more the typical American lives in a metropolitan rather than a small town environment.

　　56. If now America has 250 million people, how many of them are engaged in agriculture and forestry?

　　A. About 25 million. B. More than 25 million.

　　C. Less than 25 million. D. Less than 225 million.

　　57. Which of the following four countries has the smallest proportion of people living in metropolitan areas?

　　A. United States. B. Germany. C. France. D. England.

　　58. What’s the meaning of the word “metropolitan” in the middle of the passage?

　　A. Of a large city with its suburbs.

　　B. Of small and large towns.

　　C. Of urban areas.

　　D. Of rural areas.

　　59. According to the passage, what can we learn about small towns in the United States?

　　A. Most small towns become gradually crowded.

　　B. Small towns are still similar to each other.

　　C. As the traditional picture is changing, towns are different.

　　D. Small towns are turning into large cities.

　　60. Why is it hard to say when a piece of country becomes a suburb?

　　A. Because they are the same.

　　B. Because the rush takes place too quickly.

　　C. Because the process is gradual.

　　D. Because more and more Americans live in metropolitan areas.

　　Passage 2

　　We have just climbed out of a spaceship onto the surface of the moon. Behind us is the ship, half in the sunlight and half in deep shadow. A few miles ahead is a wall mountains towering against the black sky. And there, as though resting on the mountains, is a great ball of light, beautifully colored in blue and green and brown with a patch of dazzling white at the top. It is our own faraway world --- the earth.

　　We take a step and rise like prize jumpers --- up float, and down again. Hopping carefully, we explore the valleys, the sloping crater walls, the shadowy crater floors. Not a sound can be heard --- there is no air to carry sound, no wind; there are no smells, no plants, no animals. There is nothing but rock and dust, blinding sunlight and cold black shadows.

　　61. This passage is written as though .

　　A. you were on the earth

　　B. the writer were on the earth looking at the moon

　　C. the writer were on the moon

　　D. you were on the moon with the author

　　62. The ball above the mountains is .

　　A. the sun B. the earth

　　C. a man-made satellite D. the spaceship

　　63. To get around on the moon, man would have to .

　　A. float through the air B. hop carefully

　　C. walk heavily D. ride in a spaceship

　　64. The moon is a silent world because it lacks .

　　A. animals B. air

　　C. human beings D. both A and B

　　65. In exploring the moon’s surface, you would not find .

　　A. blinding sunlight B. bushes and flowers

　　C. craters and valleys D. rocks and dust

　　Passage 3

　　In order to learn a foreign language well, it is necessary to overcome the fear of making mistakes. If the primary goal of language use is communication, then mistakes are secondary considerations that may be dealt with gradually as awareness of those mistakes increases. On the other hand, students shouldn’t ignore their mistakes. The language learner may observe how native speakers express themselves, and in what way native expressions differ from the way the learner might say them. For example, a Spanish speaker who has been saying “I do it” to express willingness to do something in the immediate future, could, by interacting (交流) with native speakers of English, observe that native speakers actually say “I’ll do it”. The resulting difference can serve as a basis for the student to change his way of using the present tense in English. But a student who is unwilling to interact in the first place would lose this opportunity to learn by trial and error.

　　66. According to the passage, the present tense in English is .

　　A. not used to express a desire to do something in the immediate future

　　B. used with some verbs but not with others to express future intention

　　C. basically the same in English as it is in Spanish

　　D. no the most difficult problem for foreign students

　　67. According to the passage, language learners can reduce the number of their mistakes by .

　　A. asking native speakers for explanations

　　B. reading good books in the foreign language

　　C. comparing their speech with that of native speakers’

　　D. speaking without regard to native speakers

　　68. Foreign students who do not interact with native speakers will NOT .

　　A. learn very much about foreign culture

　　B. learn about the history of the foreign language

　　C. have to worry about making mistakes

　　D. take advantage of available language models

　　69. Why shouldn’t foreign language students worry about making mistakes?

　　A. Because native speakers like foreign students who try to learn their language.

　　B. Because communication is the primary goal of language learning.

　　C. Because everyone makes mistakes when trying to communicate in a strange language.

　　D. Because native speakers will ignore their mistakes.

　　70. Which of the following is the author’s conclusion about the function of mistakes in learning a foreign language?

　　A. Mistakes are not important in the process of learning a language.

　　B. Learners are very afraid of making mistakes.

　　C. Making mistakes can help the learner discover the rules of the language.

　　D. Native speakers often do not tell foreign language learners about their mistakes.