IV. Reading comprehension. 20% (请将答案A或B或C或D,填写在相应的空白处) Passage 1 The blue eyes that looked at him from outside the door were like the light through a magnifying glass when it is at its brightest and smallest, when paper and leaves begin to smoke. “ Hey ,” said the man in the door. “Remember me?” “ Yes,” the boy said, whispering. “Rick.” He felt so surprised to see Rick. All of Rick seemed to be shown in the eyes, with a strong feeling that ought to have hurt him “ You knew me,” Rick said. “You hadn’t forgotten.” “ You’re ——just the same,” the boy said, and felt much thankful. He seemed even to be wearing the same clothes, the same blue shirt and grey trousers. He was thin, but he was built to be lean; and he was still, or again, sunburnt. After everything, the slow white smile still showed the slight feeling of happiness. “ Let ’ s look at you, ” Rick said, dropping into a chair. Then slowly he felt more at home, and he became once more just Rick, as if nothing had happened. There were lines about his eyes, and deeper lines on his cheeks, but he looked like —— just Rick, lined by sunlight and smiling. “ When I look at you,” he said, “You make me think about me, for we look like each other.” “ Yes,” said the boy, eagerly, “they all think we both look like my grandfather.” 1. On his return , Rick ______. A. had not changed much B. looked very old C. was much thinner than before D. was wearing different clothes 2. Rick and the boy are probably ______. A. brothers B. related C. friends D. neighbours 3. You could describe Rick as ______. A. old and friendly B. old and nervous C. thin and nervous D. thin and friendly 4. From the passage we can tell that the boy ______. A. was worried that Rick had forgotten him B. was proud of what Rick had done C. was pleased to see Rick D. wondered where Rick had been 5. Rick and the boy ______. A. had similar personalities B. cared about each other C. had lived in the same house D. felt their friendship had changed Passage 2 Can trees talk? Yes, but not in words. Scientists have reason to believe that trees do communicate with each other. Not long ago, researchers learned some surprising things. First a willow tree attacked in the woods by caterpillars ( 毛虫 ) changed the chemistry of its leaves and made them taste so terrible that they got tired of the leaves and stopped eating them. Then even more astonishing, the tree sent out a special smell---a signal causing its neighbors to change the chemistry of their own leaves and make them less tasty. Communication, of course, doesn’t need to be in words. We can talk to each other by smiling, raising our shoulders and moving our hands. We know that birds and animals use a whole vocabulary of songs, sounds, and movements. Bees dance their signals, flying in certain patterns that tell other bees where to find nectar ( 花蜜 ) for honey. So why shouldn ’ t trees have ways of sending message? 6. It can be concluded from the passage that caterpillars do not feed on leaves that ______. A. are lying on the ground B. have an unpleasant taste C. bees don’t like D. have an unfamiliar shape 7. The willow tree described in the passage protected itself by ______. A. growing more branches B. communicating with birds and bees C. changing its leaf chemistry D. shaking caterpillars off 8. According to the passage, the willow tree was able to communicate with other trees by ______. A. waving its branches B. giving off a special smell C. dropping its leaves D. changing the colour of its trunk 9. According to this passage, bees communicate by ______. A. making special movement B. touching one another C. smelling one another D. making unusual sound 10. The author believes that the incident described in the passage ______. A. cannot be taken seriously B. should no longer be permitted C. must be checked more thoroughly D. seems completely reasonable