2012高考英语二轮复习专题限时训练（江苏专用）专题2 阅读理解 11（35分钟）AHe was an old man who fished alone in a boat in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. In the first forty days a boy had been with him. But after forty days without a fish the boys parents had told him that the old man was now definitely and finally salao, which is the worst form of unlucky, and the boy had gone at their orders in another boat which caught three good fish the first week. It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines or the gaff (鱼钩) and harpoon (鱼叉) and the sail that was furled around the mast (桅杆). The sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat. The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck. The brown blotches（斑点）of the skin cancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic sea were on his cheeks. The blotches ran well down the sides of his face and his hands had the deep-creased scars from handling heavy fish on the cords. But none of these scars were fresh. They were as old as erosions in a fishless desert. Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated. “Santiago,” the boy said to him as they climbed the bank from where the skiff was pulled up. “I could go with you again. Weve made some money.” The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him. “No,” the old man said. “Youre with a lucky boat. Stay with them.” “But remember how you went eighty-seven days without fish and then we caught big ones every day for three weeks.” “I remember,” the old man said. “I know you did not leave me because you doubted.” “It was papa who made me leave. I am a boy and I must obey him.” “I know,” the old man said. “It is quite normal.” “He hasnt much faith.” “No,” the old man said. “But we have. Havent we?” “Yes,” the boy said. “Can I offer you a beer on the Terrace and then well take the stuff home.” “Why not?” the old man said. “Between fishermen.” 1. The boy left the old man and went in another boat to fish because .A. the old man preferred to fish alone B. the old man was unluckyC. the boys parents ordered him toD. the old mans sail suggested a permanent defeat2. After reading this passage, we may safely conclude that .A. the old man was insistent and not afraid of failureLast year a crowd of bargain-hunters killed a Wal-mart worker in a New York suburb. This year, many stores are increasing security while they slash prices. “This is a huge time for the retail stores,” said Fred Joutz from George Washington University. “This is when they begin making their profits for the year.”Economics professor Fred Joutz says how Americans spend the weekend after Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.With the unemployment rate above 10 percent, Joutz says Americans are saving more and spending less. “Credit is still strictly controlled whether through credit cards or through borrowing from banks,” he said. Some retailers are attracting consumers by opening on Thanksgiving Day, when shops are traditionally closed. Other stores open their doors anywhere from midnight to four in the morning.And shoppers will be lining up in front of the doors in order to be one of the first ones to walk through and get a big discount. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually the first items to go. Sandy Thomas says its an annual family tradition and well worth it. “I just save maybe half of what I would have spent on a regular, you know, shopping trip,” she said.Economists say U.S. consumers will spend money this Black Friday, but they will spend it more carefully. 4. The underlined word “slash” in the first paragraph probably means _.A. reduce B. raise C. increase D. change5. The sentence “This day should be a shoppers dream.” should be placed between _.A. paragraph two and paragraph three B. paragraph one and paragraph twoC. paragraph three and paragraph four D. paragraph five and paragraph six 6. Why are many stores increasing security according to the passage?A. Because there are too many people saving more and spending less.B. Because its a time when they begin making their profits for the year.C. Because last year a crowd of bargain-hunters caused an accident.D. Because many stores open their doors from midnight to four a.m.7.What can we learn from the passage?A. Christmas shopping is traditional time and this year it is no exception.B. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually least discounted.C. The economy only affects consumers on that bargain day.D. Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.C Have you got any wonderf