2008年高考英语试题及参考答案(上海卷)(6)

unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.

(A)

ASK LASKAS

YOU’VE GOT QUESTIONS, SHE'S GOT ANSWERS

My children go to a primary school where they are not

allowed to play football in the playground for fear that a child

might be hurt. Besides, now the school says there must be no

homework because the local secondary school can't keep up with the

amount of homework given in the primary school. Can the school do

this? Puzzled Dad

It can't if enough parents do something about it. It is not just

schools. We live in a society which wishes to get rid of risk.

However, schools should have a little common sense and

courage. Children need risk if they arc to grow up self-sufficient and confident. They need homework, too, if they are to fulfill their academic potential. Complain, loudly.

I have a beautiful teenage daughter who spends an hour making up her face in front of the mirror every day. I tell her to go easy. She just gets mad or bursts into tears. How can I

make her understand she's beautiful the way she is. Plain Mom

You can't. Your daughter is at the age when she's trying to look beautiful, trying on new masks. And if her friends all dress up as she docs, you're in for an extra hard time.

Support her and tell her she's beautiful — even if she looks ridiculous for now. Then invite her to join you for a day at a spa (健康美容中心). Let her try various looks until she's comfortable in her own skin.

65. Why are the children not allowed to play football in the playground?

A. The school is afraid that children might be injured.

B. The school is not sensible and confident.

C. The children don't have enough time to do homework.

D. The children may fail to fulfill their academic potential.

66. What disturbs Plain Mom is that her daughter______.

A. becomes mad B. cries a lot

C. spends much rime before the mirror D. is not beautiful enough

67. The solution to Plain Mom's problem is to______.

A. make her daughter look less ridiculous

B. let her daughter dress up like her friends

C. make her daughter go to a spa every week

D. let her daughter feel herself what beauty is

(B)

Zoe Chambers was a successful PR (Public Relations) consultant and life was going well — she had a great job, a beautiful flat and a busy social life in London. Then one evening in June last year, she received a text message telling her she was out of work. The first two weeks were the most difficult to live through." she said. "After everything I'd done for the company, they dismissed me by text! I was so angry and I just didn't feel like looking for another job. I hated everything about the city and my life."

Then, Zoe received an invitation from an old school friend, Kathy, to come and stay. Kathy and her husband, Huw, had just bought a farm in north-west Wales. Zoe jumped at the chance to spend a weekend away from London, and now, ten months later, she is still on the farm.

"The moment I arrived at Kathy's farm, I loved it and I knew I wanted to stay." said Zoe. "Everything about my past life suddenly seemed meaningless."

Zoe has been working on the farm since October of last year and says she has no regrets. "It's a hard life, physically very tiring." she says. "In London 1 was stressed and often mentally exhausted. But this is a good, healthy tiredness. Here, all 1 need to put me in a good mood is a hot bath and one of Kathy's wonderful dinners."

Zoe says she has never felt bored on the farm. Every day brings a new experience. Kathy has been leaching her how to ride a horse and she has learnt to drive a tractor. Since Christmas, she has been helping with the lambing — watching a lamb being born is unbelievable, she says, "It's one of the most moving experiences I've ever had. I could never go back to city life now."

68. When working as a PR consultant in London, Zoe thought she lived a ______life.

A. satisfying B. tough C. meaningless D. boring

69. The most important reason why Zoe went to visit Kathy's farm is that______.

A. Zoe lost her job as a PR consultant B. Kathy persuaded her to do so

C. Zoe got tired of the city life D. Zoe loved Wales more than London

70. How docs Zoe feel about the country life according to the passage?

A. Tiresome and troublesome. B. Romantic and peaceful

C. Mentally exhausting but healthy D. Physically tiring but rewarding.

71. Which of the following is closest to the main idea of the passage?

A. A friend in need is a friend indeed. B. Where there is a will, there is a way.

C. A misfortune may turn out a blessing. D. Kill two birds with one stone.

(C)

A study involving 8,500 teenagers from all social backgrounds found that most of them are ignorant when it comes to money. The findings, the first in a series of reports from NatWest that has started a five-year research project into teenagers and money, arc particularly worrying as this generation of young people is likely to be burdened with greater debts man any before.

University tuition fees (学费) are currently capped at £3,000 annually, but this will be reviewed next year and the Government is under enormous pressure to raise the ceiling.

In the research, the teenagers were presented with die terms of four different loans but 76 per cent failed to identify the cheapest. The young people also predicted that they would be earning on