第二部分：阅读理解（每小题2分；满分50分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I was hurrying to class one morning when Hillary Barnes, the most popular girl in school, stopped me. “Are you the twin who won the art contest?” she asked.
“No, that’s Christine. I’m Katie,” I said.
We’re not identical twins; we look quite different. Still, we’re the Carpenter Twins. It was making you angry having a twin straight out of a fairy tale. She could defeat Snow White in a beauty contest and attract friends like the Pied Piper! Compared to Christine, I felt like one of Cinderella’s stepsisters.
In math class I dug into my school bag, searching for my homework. “Here, Katie,” said Christine, offering a crumpled paper. “It was under your pillow.” “Thanks,” I said. She’d made my bed again! Truly she was an amazing sister. How could I be angry with her? It wasn’t her fault I was the one with wild, unmanageable hair and no talent.
The bell rang, and I slapped my math book shut. “Katie, don’t forget our basketball game after school,” reminded Christine.
“I won’t,” I said. Joining Christine’s basketball team was my latest effort to be like her. Though I’d practiced hard all season, my shots still bounced off the rim of the basket. I ran awkwardly when trying to dribble(运球) the ball. Once a pass I threw hit Coach Struthers in the shoulder, practically knocking her over.
This was a new day, a new game. As I was breathing slowly, thinking positive thoughts, Christine called, “Katie, here!” She threw me a ball. I jumped for it; it slipped through my fingers and flew into the bleachers. No one was seated right there, but my relief disappeared when the ball crashed into the tape recorder that was used to play The Star Spangled Banner before each game.
I apologized in a low voice as I picked up the broken pieces of the recorder. Coach looked at the mess and asked, “How are we going to play the song now?”
Christine suggested, “Let Katie sing it! She’s always singing at home.”
Coach asked, “Would you?” I found myself nodding. Coach announced the national anthem and everyone stood. Standing before a microphone, I looked at the flag and took a deep breath. The notes seemed to flow from deep inside me, and my voice was steady and clear. When I finished, the gym was silent. Then it filled with cheering. As the game started, teammates patted my back and gave me the “thumbs up” sign.
Laura Jamison said, “You should try out for the school musical!” I nodded and said that I might.
The next morning, Hillary Barnes stopped me in the hallway and asked, “Are you the twin who sings?”
“Yes, that’s me,” I answered, smiling as I walked to class.
41. The author wrote this story most likely to ______.
A. show that people are talented in different ways
B. explain why some people are not talented
C. inform readers about making the most of bad situations
D. persuade readers to always be kind to others
42. Which question does paragraph 6 answer?
A. How did Christine help Katie on the basketball court?
B. How often does the team practice?
C. How does Katie like Christine?
D. Why does Katie join the basketball team?
43. Which detail from the story supports the idea that Katie does a good job singing at the basketball game?
A. She looks at the flag and takes a deep breath.
B. A teammate says she should try out for the school musical.
C. Coach Struthers asks her to sing before the game. 
D. Her sister says she is always singing at home.
44. Based on the event described in this story, Katie can best be described as ______
A. foolish    B. cheerful            C. clumsy       D. jealous