第三部分：阅读理解（每题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Although the new year is already here, the great moments of the old year are still in the memory. Let’s look back at some of these.

the United States

One of the world’s largest New Year’s Eve parties was held in Times Square, New Year. The festival attracted hundreds of thousands of people to watch brightly-lit ball drop on a landmark building at the stroke(报时的钟声) of midnight.

A great amount of confetti(五彩纸屑) was released from the sky at zero o’clock..

Britain

Painted in shining colours and blowing on whistles,50,000 party-goers arrived in London’s Millennium Dome to dance in the New Year. The Millennium Dome came to life at midnight as 50 DJs started up, competing on five separate dance floors to warm the crowd into the party mood.

Russia

New Year is the biggest holiday in Russia. It is traditional to put up a tree for celebrations with family and friends.

On the very last day of the years, Russians with a taste for a very cold swim braved freezing temperatures to plant traditional, festival trees on the bed of the Northern Ocean and at the bottom of Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake.

Malaysia

Brave skydivers threw themselves off the world’s tallest buildings near midnight and floated towards the new year.

The jump from the 452-metre Petronas Twin Tower was called a real leap from one year to the next since the group took off in the last second of the old year and landed a minute later in the new year.“That was really cool,”said Roland Simpson,“over crowds of onlookers to the landing spot.”

61. In New Year the brightly-lit ball dropped______.

A. from the sky onto the Times Square    B. to celebrate the stroke of midnight

C. to welcome the arrival of Christmas    D. at the point between the old and the new year

62. Which of the following is NOT true about celebrations in the world?

A. A large quantity of confetti was given out from the tallest building.

B. Skydivers in Malaysia jumped down from the world’s tallest buildings.

C. Some Russians planted trees on the bed of Lake Baikal.

D. In Britain 50 DJs competed on five separate floors.

63.The underlined word “landmark”means______ in the text.

A. an easily recognizable object, such as a tall tree or building

B. something that marks an important point in one’s life

C. something marking the limits of a piece of land

D. a building that is marked on a map

64. The text shows that_____.

A. New Year has been the starting point for people to have dreams

B. people in different countries welcomed New Year in different ways

C. people’s ways of celebrations are exciting

D. the new year is better than the old year