2 . For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D.   Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

The first attempt of even the most talented artists, musicians, and writers is seldom a masterpiece, If you consider your drafts as dress rehearsals (彩排), or tryouts, revising will seem a natural part of the writing _______.

What is the purpose of the dress rehearsals and the out-of-town previews that many Broadway shows go through? The answer is adding, deleting, replacing, reordering, _______ revising. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Phantom of the Opera underwent such a process.

When Lloyd Webber began writing in 1984, he had in mind a funny, exciting production. However, when Phantom opened in London in 1986, the audience saw a moving psychological love story set to music. The musical had _______ several revisions due, in part, to problems with costuming and makeup (戏服和化妆). For instance, Lloyd Webber _______ some of the music because the Phantom’s makeup prevented the actor from singing certain sounds.

When you revise, you change aspects of your work in _______ to your evolving purpose, or to include _______ ideas or newly discovered information.

Revision is not just an afterthought that gets only as much time as you have at the end of an assignment. _______, it is a major stage of the writing process, and writers revise every step of the way. Even your decision to _______ topics while prewriting is a type of revising. However, don’t make the mistake of skipping the revision stage that follows _______. Always make time to become your own ____________and view your dress rehearsal, so to speak. Reviewing your work in this way can give you ____________ new ideas.

Revising involves ____________ the effectiveness and appropriateness of all aspects of your writing, making your purpose more clearly, and refocusing or developing the facts and ideas you present. When you revise, ask yourself the following questions, keeping in mind the audience for whom you are writing: Is my main idea or purpose ____________ throughout my draft? Do I ever lose sight of my purpose? Have I given my readers all of the ____________ that is, facts, opinions, inferences — that they need in order to understand my main idea? Finally, have I included too many ____________ details that may confuse readers?

1.

A．technique

B． style

C．process

D．career

2.

A．in particular

B．as a result

C． for example

D．in other words

3.

A．undergone

B．skipped

C．rejected

D． replaced

4.

A．rewrote

B．released

C． recorded

D． reserved

5.

A．addition

B．response

C．opposition

D．contrast

6.

A．fixed

B．ambitious

C．familiar

D．fresh

7.

A．However

B．Moreover

C． Instead

D．Therefore

8.

A．discuss

B．switch

C． exhaust

D．cover

9.

A．drafting

B．rearranging

C．performing

D．training

10.

A．director

B．master

C．audience

D．visitor

11.

A．personal

B．valuable

C． basic

D．delicate

12.

A．mixing

B．weakening

C．maintaining

D．assessing

13.

A．amazing

B．bright

C．unique

D．clear

14.

A．angles

B．evidence

C． information

D．hints

15.

A．unnecessary

B．uninteresting

C．concrete

D．final

3 . Science has a lot of uses. It can uncover laws of nature, cure diseases, make bombs, and help bridges to stand up. Indeed science is so good at what it does that there’s always a temptation (诱惑) to drag it into problems where it may not be helpful. David Brooks, author of The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, appears to be the latest in a long line of writers who have failed to resist the temptation.

Brooks gained fame for several books. His latest book The Social Animal, however, is more ambitious and serious than his earlier books. It is an attempt to deal with a set of weighty topics. The book focuses on big questions: What has science revealed about human nature? What are the sources of character? And why are some people happy and successful while others aren’t?

To answer these questions, Brooks surveys a wide range of disciplines (学科). Considering this, you might expect the book to be a dry recitation of facts. But Brooks has structured his book in an unorthodox (非常规的), and perhaps unfortunate, way. Instead of introducing scientific theories, he tells a story, within which he tries to make his points, perhaps in order to keep the reader’s attention.So as Harold and Erica, the hero and heroine in his story, live through childhood, we hear about the science of child development and as they begin to date we hear about the theory of sexual attraction. Brooks carries this through to the death of one of his characters.

On the whole,Brooks’ story is acceptable if uninspired. As one would expect, his writing is mostly clear and, to be fair, some chapters stand out above the rest. I enjoyed, for instance, the chapter in which Harold discovers how to think on his own. While Harold and Erica are certainly not strong or memorable characters, the more serious problems with The Social Animal lie elsewhere. These problems partly involve Brooks’ attempt to translate his tale into science.

1. The author mentions the functions of science at the beginning of the passage to__________.

A．illustrate where science can be applied

B．demonstrate the value of Brooks’ new book

C．remind the reader of the importance of science

D．explain why many writers use science in their works

2. According to the author, which of the following could be a strength of the book?

A．Its strong basis.

B．Its convincing points.

C．Its clear writing.

D．Its memorable characters.

3. What is the author’s general attitude towards the book?

A．Contradictory.

B．Supportive.

C．Cautious.

D．Critical.

4. What is the author likely to write about after the last paragraph?

A．Problems with the book.

B．Brooks’s life experience.

C．Death of the characters.

D．Brooks’s translation skills.

4 . Section B
Direction：Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished sattments. For each of them there are four choices markedA, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
(A)
One early morning, I went into the living room to find my mother reading a thick book called Best Loved Poems to Read Again and Again. My interest was aroused only by the fact that the word “Poems” appeared in big, hot pink letters.
“Is it good?” I asked her.
“Yeah,” she answered. “There’s one I really like and you’ll like it, too.” I leaned forward.
“‘Patty Poem,’” she read the title. Who is Patty? I wondered. The poem began:
She never puts her toys away,

The poem was just three short sections. The final one came quickly:

And I’ll be sad.                           
A terrible sorrow washed over me. Whoever Patty was, she was a mean girl. Then, the shock.
“It’s you, honey,” My mother said sadly.
To my mother, the poem revealed a parent’s affection when her child grows up and leaves. To me, the “she” in the poem was horror. It was my mama who would be sad. It was so terrible I burst out crying.
“What’s wrong?” my mother asked.
“Oh Mama,” I cried. “I don’t want to grow up ever!”
She smiled. “Honey, it’s okay. You’re not growing up anytime soon. And when you do, I’ll still love you, okay?”
“Okay,” I was still weeping. My panic has gone. But I could not help thinking about that silly poem. After what seemed like a safe amount of time, I read the poem again and was confused. It all fit so well together, like a puzzle. The language was simple, so simple I could plainly understand its meaning, yet it was still beautiful. I was now fascinated by the idea of poetry, words that had the power to make or break a person’s world.
I have since fallen in love with other poems, but “Patty Poem” remains my poem. After all, “Patty Poem” gave me my love for poetry not because it was the poem that lifted my spirits, but because it was the one that hurt me the most.
1. Why was the writer attracted by the book Best Loved Poems to Read Again and Again?

A．It was a thick enough book.

B．Something on its cover caught her eye.

C．Her mother was reading it with interest.

D．It has a meaningful title.

2. After her mother read the poem to her, the writer felt ______ at first.

A．sad	B．excited
C．horrified	D．confused

3. The writer’s mother liked to read “Patty Poem” probably because______.

A．it reflected her own childhood

B．it was written in simple language

C．it was composed by a famous poet

D．it gave her a hint of what would happen

4. It can be concluded from the passage that“Patty Poem”leads the writer to _______.

A．discover the power of poetry

B．recognize her love for puzzles

C．find her eagerness to grow up

D．experience great homesickness

5 . A Book Review—The Snake-Stone by Berlie Doherty
The setting: Urban England (the cities), but also rural England (the countryside) including remote English villages.
The theme: The main theme is a teenage search of self-discovery, in this case the search for a mother from whom the hero was separated at an early age. Its other concerns are love, getting on with others, being persistent and courageous and trying to deal with doubts, troubles and worries. As the book moves to a close, James’ swimming coach says to him: “You are not like a kid obeying instructions any more. You are diving like a young man who knows where he is going.”
The characters: James is the hero of the story. He is a championship diver, and has a comfortable life with his foster parents (养父母). Yet he also has the qualities to take him on a long journey to find his birth mother. The other characters in The Snake-Stone, James’ parents, his diving instructor, best friend, the villagers, people he meets on his journey, are pictured realistically.
The turning point: The turning point in the story comes while James’ foster parents are away in London, and he wonders about the identity of his birth mother. The only clue he has is a fossil, “the snake stone” which she left behind along with a note on which she had written: “Take good care of Sammie. It was written on a torn envelope with parts of an address still there.
The journey: Instead of going to London, James decides to find his birth mother. With help from his geography teacher, James sets out for the remote country village where his mother might be found. James has painful, challenging, but also humorous and happy travels. The mother he finally meets, Anne, has a minor yet powerful voice in the novel. He comes to understand why she left him at a stranger’s door fifteen years before. Although the meeting is not long, it leaves him with a feeling of completeness. As a journey of self-discovery The Snake-Stone also provides its readers with a happy ending. Its hero says, on returning to his foster parents, “I was home.”
1. What is the main theme of the novel?

A．Life with foster parents.

B．Life in the world of diving.

C．A journey of self-discovery.

D．A travel around the country.

2. What do the coach’s words in Paragraph 2 suggest?

A．James is a successful diver.

B．James is a hopeful swimmer.

C．James is an outgoing young man.

D．James is an independent young man.

3. The snake stone in the novel is        .

A．a stone with an address on it

B．a clue left by the birth mother

C．a gift from the swimming coach

D．a fossil left by the foster parents

4. Which of the following is true about the novel?

A．The story has a sad ending.

B．The story takes place in the city of London.

C．The characters are vividly described.

D．The turning point comes after the hero meets his birth mother.

5. It can be concluded that James’ journey is _________.

A．worthwhile	B．boring
C．comfortable	D．disappointing

6 . The True Story of Treasure Island

It was always thought that Treasure Island was the product of Robert Louis Stevenson’s imagination. ______, recent research has found the true story of this exciting work.

Stevenson, a Scotsman, had lived ______ for many years. In 1881 he returned to Scotland for a ______.With him were his American wife Fanny and his son ______.

Each morning Stevenson would take them out for a long ______ over the hills. They had been ______ this for several days before the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse. Kept indoors by the heavy rain, Lloyd felt the days ______.To keep the boy happy, Robert asked the boy to do some ______.

One morning, the boy came to Robert with a beautiful map of an island, Robert ______that the boy had drawn a large cross in the middle of ______. “What’s that?” he asked. “That’s the ______ treasure,” said the boy. Robert suddenly ______ something of an adventure story in the boy’s ______.While the rain was pouring, Robert sat down by the fire to write a story. He would make the ______ a twelve-year-old boy, just like Lloyd. But who would be the pirate (海盗)？

Robert had a good friend named Henley, who walked around with the ______ of a wooden leg. Robert had always wanted to ______ such a man in a story. ______ Long John Silver, the pirate with a wooden leg, was ______.

So, thanks to a ______ September in Scotland, a friend with a wooden leg, and the imagination of a twelve-year-old boy, we have one of the greatest ______ stories in the English language.

1.

A．However

B．Therefore

C．Besides

D．Finally

2.

A．alone

B．next door

C．at home

D．abroad

3.

A．meeting

B．story

C．holiday

D．job

4.

A．Lloyd

B．Robert

C．Henley

D．John

5.

A．talk

B．rest

C．walk

D．game

6.

A．attempting

B．missing

C．planning

D．enjoying

7.

A．quiet

B．dull

C．busy

D．cold

8.

A．cleaning

B．writing

C．drawing

D．exercising

9.

A．doubted

B．noticed

C．decided

D．recognized

10.

A．the sea

B．the house

C．Scotland

D．the island

11.

A．forgotten

B．buried

C．discovered

D．unexpected

12.

A．saw

B．drew

C．made

D．learned

13.

A．book

B．reply

C．picture

D．mind

14.

A．star

B．hero

C．writer

D．child

15.

A．help

B．problem

C．use

D．bottom

16.

A．praise

B．produce

C．include

D．accept

17.

A．Yet

B．Also

C．But

D．Thus

18.

A．read

B．born

C．hired

D．written

19.

A．rainy

B．sunny

C．cool

D．windy

20.

A．news

B．love

C．real-life

D．adventure