II.阅读理解。认真阅读下面两篇短文，根据短文内容从A、B、C和D四个选项中选出 一个最佳选项，并在答题卡(纸)上按要求填涂。(本大题共10小题，每小题2分， 共20分)

Passage 1

It，s hard to talk to dads sometimes. The roles we often expect our fathers to play-protector, provider-can make them seem impenetrable. That’s how it was with my dad. He was never much of a talker. He rarely drank, so we didn’t get to see him loosen up after a few beers. He didn’t tell stories about himself at the dinner table or when we went for walks in the park. He was a private person and seemed to want to stay that way.

But when my relationship and career simultaneously took a hit a year ago, things had to change. I was facing serious questions about my own nature, and I wanted to know that he had faced them, too. I needed to know how he had found his way, because I felt like I had lost mine.

In an acute moment of desperation，it occurred to me that sending an email might be the key. I could speak at a comfortable distance and give him room to adjust. He’d be up in his office filled with bookshelves, dusty CDs and old newspapers. I，d be at my desk in a basement apartment 20 minutes away.

So I wrote him a message. I told him about my regrets and fears, and I asked him to answer, if he felt like it, and to share something about himself，something that would give me much-needed perspective on both of our lives.

Two weeks later, it showed up in my inbox: a scanned, three-page hand-written document. Dad, a 68-year-old retired technologist and grandfather of four, had carefully considered my message, reached back into his memory and crafted a response-his history of love，longing, self-doubt, struggle and persistence.

After reading，I closed the email and started to cry. I cried because I wished I had opened up earlier but was grateful it wasn’t too late，and because I thought I knew him and now realized there was so much I hadn’t discovered. I cried because it felt as if I hadn’t been able to ask him anything of consequence about his life in all this time; instead, I had focused on not sharing anything about myself with him. I cried because at 33，in the midst of my own struggles, his letter instantly put me at ease. And I cried because in the end, it was so simple: I just had to hit “Send.”

We’ve since had many email exchanges. I’ve asked about his childhood and his relationship with his own parents. Some days I can even ask my dad questions face to face without getting a lump in my throat. Better yet，he occasionally offers stories without me asking, like the one about the time he and his friend Antonio skipped school to see a movie but got caught.

And I’m talking more, too. My problems haven’t been magically solved, but getting to know my dad better-and learning to love him more-has made the tough stuff more manageable and life sweeter. It’s hard to talk to dads sometimes. I’m glad I found a way to talk to mine.

21. Which of the following can best explain the underlined word in Paragraph 1 ?

A.Lonely and solemn

B. Impossible to understand.

C.Hard to reason with

D. Impatient and hot-tempered.

22. Why did the author want to talk to his father one year ago?

A. He needed his father’s financial support.

B. He tried to seek technical support from his father.

C. He had major problems in his work and relationship.

D. He wanted to improve his relationship with his father.

23. Why did the author choose to communicate with his father through email?

A. He intended to avoid embarrassment.

B. His father lived too far away from him.

C. His father preferred email communication.

D. He wanted to reach his father immediately.

24. How did the author feel about his father’s reply?

A. He felt sorry that his father was a lonely old man.

B. He felt guilty of giving his father so much trouble.

C. He was ashamed of sharing his problems with his father.

D. He regretted that he hadn’t communicated enough with his father earlier.

25. Which of the following is TRUE about the passage?

A. The father has a lot of stories to share with his son.

B. The family members prefer talking to each other face to face.

C. The author thinks email can replace face-to-face communication.

D. The email exchange is a turning point in the father-son relationship.

Passage 2

What do video cassettes, ice cream，pizzas，whisky and bouquets of flowers all have in common? The answer is that in Japan they can all be bought from a vending machine (自动售 货机).Japan boasts more vending machines per person than any other country in the world, with one for every 22 people. America, by contrast，has one for every 46; the European community only for every 200.

Japanese vending machines are also more productive and sales per machine are almost two-thirds higher than in America, because the Japanese machines sell high-value products, like whisky, as well as the usual Coca-cola and gum.

Want a cigarette or a bar of chocolate? In America or Britain the nearest vending machine is probably damaged, empty, or accepts only the right money in the wrong coins.

Thanks to its low crime-rates and sophisticated electronics，Japan’s vending machines are much more reliable. They are also less likely to run out, thanks to on-line monitoring of stocks.

Despite what looks like saturation by anyone else’s standards，the number of vending machines in Japan is set to grow. This is because the labour-saving advantages of vending machines have yet to be fully exploited. Declining birth rates，an aging population and tight controls on immigration are creating a shortage of low-wage workers in Japan and boosting the demand for ever cleverer machines. One of the fastest growing sectors is heated food such as pizzas. A vending machine can replace waitresses in hamburger joints, ticket vendors in cinemas and counter staff in all-night stores.

The latest trend is vending machines that sell love. Men looking for a girl-friend or women for a boy-friend can pay to have their vital statistics fed into the love machine一including their name，telephone number and, more important of all, the kind of car they drive. Then they can get information about their ideal life partner.

26. What is the purpose of the question raised at the beginning of the article?

A. To explain what kinds of products Japanese people like.

B. To show how vending machines are widely used in Japan.

C. To show the varieties of everyday necessities available in Japan.

D. To explain the reason which makes Japan proud of its prosperity.

27. Why is the nearest vending machine in American or Britain probably empty?

A. Thieves often steal from the machine.

B. Too many people are using the machine.

C. The machine is probably damaged by criminals.

D. The machine is not equipped with on-line monitoring.

28. What does the underlined word “saturation” (Para.4) mean?

A. Being completely filled. B. Being absolutely complicated.

C. Being relatively dependable. D. Being comparatively available.

29. What is the cause of the increasing popularity of vending machines in Japan?

A. The increase of immigrants.

B. The love for advanced technology.

C. The shortage of low-wage labourers.

D. The low cost of making vending machines.

30. What is the author’s attitude towards vending machines?

A. Neutral. B. Doubtful. C. Approving. D. Critical.

非选择题部分

注意事项： 用黑色字迹的签字笔或钢笔将答案写在答题纸上，不能答在试题卷上。

III.用国际音标标出下列单词中划线字母或字母组合的读音，并将答案写在答题卡(纸) 的相应位置。(本大题共20小题，每小题0.5分，共10分)注意：使用新式或老式音标均可。

31. startle 32. stagger

33. thumb 34. boat

35. violin 36. weather

37. wicked 38. renew

39.occupy 40. hear

41. courtesy 42. dictionary

43. assign 44. chew

45. extension 46. physics

47. growl 48. prejudice

49. plead 50. organ