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，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

When milk arrived on the doorstep

When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn't take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.

Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note—“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery”—and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically（魔术般）appear.

All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn't freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.

There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete（竞争）. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.

Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch（门廊）. Every so often my son's friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.

56. Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer__________.

A. to show his magical power

B. to pay for the delivery

C. to satisfy his curiosity

D. to please his mother

57. What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy's house?

A. He wanted to have tea there.

B. He was a respectable person.

C. He was treated as a family member.

D. He was fully trusted by the family.

58. Why does home milk delivery no longer exist?

A. Nobody wants to be a milkman now.

B. It has been driven out of the market.

C. Its service is getting poor.

D. It is forbidden by law.

59. Why did the author bring back home an old milk box?

A. He missed the good old days.

B. He wanted to tell interesting stories.

C. He needed it for his milk bottles.

D. He planted flowers in it.

B

The word advertising refers to any kind of public announcement that brings products and services to the attention of people. Throughout history, advertising has been an effective way to promote（促进）the trading and selling of goods. In the Middle Ages, merchants employed “town criers”to read public messages aloud to promote their goods. When printing was invented in the fifteenth century, pages of advertisements(ads)could be printed easily and were either hung in public places or put in books.

By the end of the seventeenth century, when newspapers were beginning to be read by more people, printed materials became an important way to promote products and services. The London Gazette was the first newspaper to set aside a place just for advertising. This was so successful that by the end of the century several companies started businesses for the purpose of making newspaper ads for merchants.

Advertising spread quickly throughout the eighteenth century. Ad writers were starting to pay more attention to the design of the ad text. Everything, from clothes to drinks, was promoted with clever methods such as repetition of the firm's name or product, words organized in eye-catching patterns, the use of pretty pictures and expressions easy to remember.

Near the end of the nineteenth century, companies that were devoted to the production of ads came to be known as “advertising agencies（广告商）”. The agencies developed new ways to get people to think of themselves as members of a group. Throughout the twentieth century, advertising agencies promoted consumerism（消费主义）as a way of life, spreading the belief that people could be happy only if they bought the “right”products.

60. What was advertising like in the Middle Ages?

A. Merchants were employed to promote products.

B. Ad messages were shouted out in public places.

C. Product information was included in books.

D. Ad signs were put up in towns.

61. What does the word “This”in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A. Advertising in newspapers.

B. Including pictures in ads.

C. Selling goods in markets.

D. Working with ad agencies.

62. The 18th century advertising was special in its__________.

A. growing spending

B. printing materials

C. advertising companies

D. attractive designs

63. Which of the following might be the best title for the text?

A. The Story of Advertising

B. The Value of Advertising Designs

C. The Role of Newspaper Advertising

D. The Development of Printing for Advertising

C

While small may be beautiful, tall is just plain uncomfortable it seems, particularly when it comes to staying in hotels and eating in restaurants.

The Tall Persons Club Great Britain(TPCGB), which was formed six months ago to campaign（发起运动）for the needs of the tall, has turned its attention to hotels and restaurants. Beds that are too small, shower heads that are too low, and restaurant tables with hardly any leg-room all make life difficult for those of above average height, it says.

But it is not just the extra-tall whose needs are not being met. The average height of the population has been increasing yet the standard size of beds, doorways, and chairs has remained unchanged.

“The bedding industry says a bed should be six inches larger than the person using it, so even a king-size bed at 6′6″（6 feet and 6 inches)is falling short for 25% of men, while the standard 6′3″ bed caters for（满足需要）less than half of the male（男性）population,”said TPCGB president Phil Heinricy, “Seven-foot beds would work fine.”

Similarly, restaurant tables can cause no end of problems. Small tables, which mean the long-legged have to sit a foot or so away from them, are enough to make tall customers go elsewhere.

Some have already taken note, however. At Queens Moat Houses' Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh, 6′6″ beds are now put in as standard after requests for longer beds from taller visitors, particularly Americans.

64. What is the purpose of the TPCGB campaign?

A. To provide better services.

B. To rebuild hotels and restaurants.

C. To draw public attention to the needs of the tall.

D. To attract more people to become its members.

65. Which of the following might be a bed of proper length according to Phil Heinricy?

A. 7′2″.

B. 7′.

C. 6′6″.

D. 6′3″.

66. What may happen to restaurants with small tables?

A. They may lose some customers.

B. They may start businesses elsewhere.

C. They have to find easy chairs to match the tables.

D. They have to provide enough space for the long-legged.

67. What change has already been made in a hotel in Edinburgh?

A. Tall people pay more for larger beds.

B. 6′6″ beds have taken the place of 6′3″ beds.

C. Special rooms are kept for Americans.

D. Guest rooms are standardized.

D

Cassandra Feeley finds it hard to manage on her husband's income. So this year she did something more than a hobby（业余爱好）: She planted vegetables in her yard. For her first garden, Ms. Feeley has put in 15 tomato plants, and five rows of a variety of vegetables. The family's old farm house has become a chicken house, its residents arriving next month. Last year, Ms. Rita Gartin kept a small garden. This year she has made it much larger because, she said, “The cost of everything is going up and I was looking to lose a few pounds, too; so it's a win-win situation all around.”

They are among the growing number of Americans who, driven by higher living costs and a falling economy（经济）, have taken up vegetable gardening for the first time. Others have increased the size of their existing gardens. Seed companies and garden shops say that not since the 1970s has there been such an increase in interest in growing food at home. Now many gardens across the country have been sold out for several months. In Austin, Tex., some of the gardens have a three-year waiting list.

George C. Ball Jr., owner of a company, said sales of vegetable seeds and plants are up by 40% over last year, double the average growth of the last five years. Mr. Ball argues that some of the reasons have been building for the last few years. The big one is the striking rise in the cost of food like bread and milk, together with the increases in the price of fruits and vegetables. Food prices have increased because of higher oil prices. People are now driving less, taking fewer vacations, so there is more time to garden.

68. What does the word “residents”in Paragraph l probably refer to?

A. chickens

B. tomatoes

C. gardens

D. people

69. By saying “a win-win situation all around,”Ms. Gartin means that__________.

A. she is happier and her garden bigger

B. she may spend less and lose weight

C. she is selling more and buying less

D. she has grown more varieties of vegetables

70. Why is vegetable gardening becoming increasingly popular?

A. More Americans are doing it for fun.

B. The price of oil is lower than before.

C. There's a growing need for fruits.

D. The cost of living is on the rise.

71. Which of the following might be the best title for the text?

A. Family Food Planning

B. Banking on Gardening

C. A Belt-tightening Move

D. Gardening as a Hobby

E

Wanted, Someone for a Kiss

We're looking for producers to join us on the sound of London Kiss 100 FM. You'll work on the station's music programmes. Music production experience in radio is necessary, along with rich knowledge of modern dance music. Please apply（申请）in writing to Producer Vacancies, Kiss 100.

Father Christmas

We're looking for a very special person, preferably over 40, to fill our Father Christmas suit. Working days: Every Saturday from November 24 to December 15 and every day from December 17 to December 24 except Sundays, 10:30-16:00.

Excellent pay.

Please contact（联系）the Enterprise Shopping Centre, Station Parade, Eastbourne.

Accountants Assistant

When you join the team in our Revenue Administration Unit, you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Revenue Division, dealing with post and other general duties. If you are educated to GCSE grade C level we would like to talk to you. This position is equally suitable for a school leaver or for somebody who has office experience.

Wealden District Council

Software Trainer

If you are aged 24-45 and have experience in teaching and training, you could be the person we are looking for. You should be good at the computer and have some experience in programme writing. You will be allowed to make your own decisions, and to design courses as well as present them. Pay upwards of ￡15,000 for the right person. Please apply by sending your CV（简历）to Mrs R. Oglivie, Palmlace Limited.

72. Who should you get in touch with if you hope to work in a radio station?

A. Producer Vacancies, Kiss 100.

B. Mrs Oglivie, Palmlace Limited.

C. The Enterprise Shopping Centre.

D. Wealden District Council.

73. We learn from the ads that the Enterprise Shopping Centre needs a person who__________.

A. is aged between 24 and 40

B. may do some training work

C. should deal with general duties

D. can work for about a month

74. Which position is open to recent school graduates?

A. Producer, London Kiss.

B. Father Christmas.

C. Accountants Assistant.

D. Software Trainer.

75. What kind of person would probably apply to Palmlace Limited?

A. One with GCSE grade C level.

B. One with some office experience.

C. One having good computer knowledge.

D. One trained in producing music programmes.