2016南平3月质检英语试题及答案(2)

                                   B
A football team stands hanging their heads. The other team has just scored again. Suddenly, a girl flies into the air. She drops down into the arms of her fellow cheerleaders. They start dancing, waving colorful pom-poms（彩球）and chanting. The whole crowd joins in the chant, lifting the spirits of the team.
Since ancient times, there have always been audiences to cheer on athletes. But somehow it took thousands of years for organized cheers to start. They first appeared at Princeton University in the 1880s. Students organized a crowd chant that went “Tah Rah Rah, Tiger Tiger Tiger, Sis Sis Sis, Boom Boom Boom, Aaaaaaahhh! Princeton! Princeton! Princeton!” Not surprisingly, this chant didn’t catch on.
In 1898, a man named Johnny Campbell from the University of Minnesota became the first cheerleader. During a football game, he wanted to pump up the crowd, so he started leading them in a chant that went “Rah Rah Rah! Sku-u-mar, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-So-Tah!” Soon after, the first cheerleading team was created.
Nowadays, 97% of cheerleaders are female. So, it’s pretty hard to believe women were not allowed to be cheerleaders until 1923. When women joined in, the sport changed in varieties of ways. Women cheerleaders made it more athletic by adding gymnastics and acrobatics（特技）into the act.
Though women were becoming more common in cheerleading, the majority of cheerleaders were men until the 1940s. When America joined World War II in 1942, many college-aged men went off to war. Women took over the cheerleading roles and from then on, they dominated（主导）the sport.
Pom-poms, the flashy balls that cheerleaders hold in each hand while doing their cheers, were first used in the 1960s. They add a little extra excitement and flash to the cheerleaders’ moves.
As cheerleading became more popular, it then spread from college to high school and finally became an important part of American culture.
24. Which aspect of cheerleading does the passage focus on?
A. Its early years.   B. Its great popularity.
C. Its gradual development.  D. Its main characters.
25. What can we learn about organized cheerleading?
A. It was started by college students.  B. It didn’t appear until 1898.
C. It has existed thousands of years. D. It first took place during a football game.

26. Which of the following is TRUE about male cheerleaders?
A. They only make up 13% of the performers.
B. They added more excitement to their moves.
C. They’re considered to be weak and womanlike.
D. They used to take control of the cheerleading world.
27. What event led to the female dominance of cheerleading?
A. The American Civil War.  B. The Second World War.
C. The invention of pom-poms.    D. The addition of gymnastics. 
C
Once an old man rose early to read each morning. His grandson wanted to be just like his grandfather, so tried to emulate him every way he could.
    One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I try to read just like you do, but I don’t understand most of it, and I forget whatever I do understand immediately I close the book. So what good is it for me to read?”
    The grandfather, who was putting coal on the fire, said, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”
The boy did as told to, but the water leaked out before he could get the basket home.
The grandfather laughed, saying, “You’ll have to move a little faster.” This time he ran faster, but again the basket emptied. Out of breath, he decided it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket（桶）. But the grandfather said, “I want a basket of water instead of a bucket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.”
The boy knew what he was trying to accomplish was impossible. However, he decided to show his grandfather a third time.
The boy dipped the basket into the river and ran as hard as he could. With the empty basket, he gasped（喘气说）, “See Grandpa? It’s useless!”
“So you think it useless?” the old man asked. “Then look at the basket.” To his surprise, the boy found it washed clean of the dirty coal stains and now clean inside and out.
“My child, that’s what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but the words will change you inside and out. That is the work of reading in our lives.”  
28. Why did the man tell the boy to fetch a basket of water？
A. The work was too much for himself.
B. The work could test how fast the boy ran.
C. He intended to train the boy to run faster.
D. He meant to inspire the boy through an example.
29. What does the underline word “emulate” in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?
A. Admire. B. Encourage.  C. Challenge. D. Copy.
30. Which of the following words can be used to describe the grandfather?
A. Wise and diligent. B. Healthy and smart.
C. Thoughtful and loving. D. Serious and knowledgeable.
31. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. The Power of Reading.   B. A Basket of Water.
C. Old Man and His Grandson.  D. On Reading Books.
D
Be honest, when was the last time you cried? If you’re one of those who say they never cry, the statistics are against you. Women reportedly cry 64 times a year on average, while men shed（流）tears about 17 times. Everyone from professional athletes such as Michael Jordan to politicians like Barack Obama has been caught crying at least once. But why do we cry?