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，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Centuries ago many houses in a bad state in London were torn down to make way for new streets．However the construction project was put off for quite some time and the foundations of the houses pulled down were left in the open.

One day a team of scientists arrived only to discover that on the patches of the foundations blocked from sunlight for years was growing wild plants dotted with little flowers．Puzzlingly some species were native to Mediterranean countries only.

Most of the destroyed houses had been built during the Roman invasion．Weighed down by piles of bricks and stones year after year the seeds possibly brought here in Roman times had almost no hope for survival．However once bathed in the sun they came alive.

The little seeds were so fragile yet so persevering．Though bricks piled on them many years they still remained alive．Once exposed to sunshine and rain they immediately exhibited signs of life．A little seed lying underground for hundreds of years still cherished the hope to live on．But what if a man is stuck in a similar situation?

One year a British expedition was marching through the boundless Sahara sands．With the sun hanging overhead hot waves of sandy winds were blowing against their faces like hot iron grains．The men were suffering both thirst and anxiety．The last drop of water was gone．Just then the captain brought out a water bottle saying “There is still one bottle of water left．However no one is to drink any before going out of the desert.”

The bottle of water lent them confidence to get through the desert and embodied their hope to live on．It was handed down the line of people．This changed into firmness the despair registered on the men’s faces．Finally the men walked out of the desert shaking off the threat of death．Tears out of joy welled out and trembling hands were trying to screw off the bottle cap and let out the water which had supported them spiritually．Now however it was sand pouring out—a bottleful of sand!

Was it a bottle of sand that rescued them from the burning sun and the boundless desert? No it was their firm faith like a seed that had taken root in their hearts and that finally let them out of the awful desert.

51．Centuries ago a team of scientists arrived in London and discovered _____ which made them confused.

     A．some wild plants                         

       B．some foundations of many old houses 

       C．many houses in a poor state   

       D．some little seeds

52．When the British expedition were marching through the Sahara _____.

     A．they had one bottle of water left                  

       B．they had the last drop of water

     C．the weather was anything but tolerable  

       D．they experienced thirst anxiety and hunger

53．The underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 probably means _____.

     A．the bottle of water changed the firmness on the men’s face into despair

     B．the bottle of water transformed the men’s desperation into confidence

     C．feeling heavy made the men strong rather than weak

     D．feeling heavy changed the men’s hope into disappointment

54．What lesson can we learn from the passage?

     A．Telling a lie is sometimes necessary.     

       B．Man can overcome any difficulty whatever it is.

       C．A man can do no more than he can.

       D．Where there is a seed there is hope.