第三部分：阅读理解（每题2分，满分40分）
阅读下面五篇短文，从各题A、B、C、D 四个选项中选出最佳答案。
A
I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I was treading water, just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.
    I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words. 
    It takes confidence to make a new start — there’s a dark period in-between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.” My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published , 
I put it aside.
    Then I met an agent（代理商）who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.
    The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal — that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.
    It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck — of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there’s no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract of the publisher — to be a published writer — is unbelievably rewarding.
56. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. I was waiting for good fortune.
  B. I was trying to find an admirable job.
  C. I was being aimless about a suitable job.
  D. I was doing several jobs for more pay at a time.
57. The author decided to write a novel ______ .
A. to finish the writing course
  B. to realize her own dream
  C. to satisfy readers’wish
  D. to earn more money
58. How did the writer feel halfway with the novel?
  A. Disturbed. B. Ashamed. C. Confident. D. Uncertain.
59. What does the author mainly want to tell readers in the last paragraph?
A. It pays to stick to one’s goal.
  B. Hard work can lead to success.
  C. She feels like being unexpectedly lucky.
  D. There is no end in sight when starting to do something.

B
Riding a London subway, a person from China will notice one major difference: in London, people do not look at each other. In fact, eye contact is avoided at all times. That’s not rudeness—people are just too busy to bother looking. 
Busy doing what, you ask? Well, they’re certainly not using the time for a moment of quiet reflection, nor are they reading a book. New technology has replaced quiet habits. Today the only acceptable form of book on the London underground is an e-book.
Apple must earn a fortune from London commuters(乘车上下班的人). Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, over 40,000—yes, that’s 40,000—“apps” (programs downloaded for the iPhone) have been designed.
Commuters love them because they are the perfect time-fillers. One “app”, called iShoot, is a game that features tanks. Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the train to be closest to the exit of their destination. ISteam clouds the iPhone screen when you breathe into the microphone. You can then write in the “ steam” on your phone screen.
For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be another choice. It’s not just teenagers who “plug in” to their music—iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages.
And if games, e-books and music aren’t enough to keep you engaged, then perhaps you would prefer a film. The development of palm DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV show or film on the way to work. With all these entertainments, it’s amazing that people still remember to get off the train.
60. People in London do not make eye contact on the subway because they are busy_____.
A. playing games, reading e-books, listening to music or watching films.
B. going to work  
C. reading books
D. thinking about private things 
61.Those who like war games can download _____to their iPhones.
A. Tube Exits    B. iShoot    C. ISteam    D. iPod
62.The underlined word “engaged” in the last paragraph probably means______.
A. delighted     B. busy     C. controlled   D. amused
63.The article tells us that_____.
A. London commuters are unfriendly to strangers
B. Apple has earned a lot of money from selling 40,000 iPhones
C. with all the new time-fillers, London commuters often forget to get off the train. 
D. technology is changing the way London commuters spend their traveling time.
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