Look at the map of Spain and point at the center. You've located the country's capital and one of Europe's most beautiful cities: Madrid. This popular destination is considered a city of contrasts with its abundant historic sites, resting in the shadows of modern city buildings.

History

This city of over 3 million people is proud of Western Europe's largest Royal Palace, and some consider it to be Madrid's most beautiful building.

Inside the Royal Palace 2,800 rooms are decorated in glory with museum-quality furniture and artworks. Tourists can tour 50 of these large and splendid rooms.

Art

The internationally respected Prado Museum is the largest and most impressive art gallery in Spain. Opened in 1819, it is filled with works of art that feature the world's most comprehensive (全面的) collection of Spanish paintings.

Shopping

Madrid has some of Europe's best shopping, and potential buyers love to look through the stores looking for bargains. But for 500 years, shoppers have gathered to an extremely large outdoor flea market known as the Rastro where they find everything from antiques to CDs.

Entertainment

No trip to Madrid is complete without seeing a performance of Spain's famous art form, flamenco. Every day, flamenco performers sing, dance or play the guitar in small cafes and grand theaters alike.

Food

Madrid has a wide variety of restaurants, but because the Spanish typically eat late at about 9 or10 p.m., it's difficult to find good dinner food earlier. If you get hungry before then, the best solution is to try a tapas bar where light snacks are served. Be sure to try the jamon, a kind of dry- cured (干腌的) ham: Spain is famous for it.

1. What do we know about the Royal Palace in Madrid?

A．It has 50 rooms for visit.

B．It can hold 2, 800 people.

C．It's been visited by 3 million people.

D．It is thought to be the largest in Europe.

2. What kind of market is "the Rastro"?

A．For higher discount.

B．For well-known artworks.

C．To sell various goods.

D．To only sell antiques and CDs.

3. What is a must when you are traveling in Madrid?

A．Having dinner earlier.

B．Enjoying flamenco.

C．Visiting Prado Museum.

D．Drinking in a tapas bar.

BETHPAGE, N. Y — The Dec. 5 (2013) broadcast, starring Carrie Underwood and Stephen Moyer, was a "real experiment".

It was the first day of camera blocking for a rehearsal (排练) of National Broadcasting Company's live broadcast of the original stage version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music. Inside a Long Island studio, a pop star, a group of kids and a well-known actor were rehearsing scenes on a copy of a grand estate in Salzburg, Austria.

The youngsters ran through So Long, Farewell, a tune they would perform as the children of Captain von Trapp, and the film star Stephen Moyer was cast as their widower dad, running through lines with Carrie Underwood, who was playing Maria, the bright-eyed novice (见习修女) who became the children' s tutor and, eventually, the Captain's wife. Around the corner, Broadway darling Audra McDonald, winner of five Tony Awards, performed as the Mother Abbess, Maria's guardian (监护人) . Fellow Tony winners Laura Benanti and Christian Borle — the Captain's charming companion, Elsa, and their buddy Max — were just outside the studio.

This The Sound of Music would mark the first time that a well-known Broadway musical had been performed live since a 1955 production of Peter Pan starring Mary Martin, who played Broadway's original Maria. Another Rodgers and Hammerstein's show, Cinderella, was written for the small screen, where it was performed live in 1957 — starring the young Julie Andrews, who later played Maria in the screen adaptation of The Sound of Music.

When choosing their cast, the producers were cautious about "using movie people who are used to performing take after take". "Moyer has a musical theater background," the producer Craig Zadan noted, "and Underwood has done a million live concerts."

Still, Zadan said. "There is a fear factor. There won't be auto-tuning here; if someone hits a bad note, you're going to hear it. Someone could make a mistake or forget lyrics. We're throwing them in front of a national audience, and anything may happen.

Moyer admitted, "There's no way not to feel the pressure. We've still got two weeks to go, and we're in good shape — we all know what we're doing. But, that doesn't mean that things won't go wrong, because they will. If I make a mistake, so be it. That's the challenge and the thrill of live theater. "

4. The "real experiment" in Paragraph I refers to ____________.

A．the actors and actresses working with each other for the first time

B．the experiment in the Long Island studio

C．the performance of the musical live in the theater

D．the updated adaptation of the original musical

5. What can we learn according to the passage?

A．Broadway's original Maria was played by Julie Andrews.

B．There were many famous stars in the live show.

C．Stephen Moyer was inexperienced in musicals.

D．Cinderella was another live performance produced by Craig Zadan.

6. According to Zadan, his worries about the live show lie in the possibility of __________.

A．unexpected problems on stage

B．the audience's doubtful attitude

C．not preparing enough tickets

D．actors and actresses' lack of experience

7. How does Stephen Moyer feel about the first performance?

A．Nervous but optimistic.

B．Satisfied but cautious.

C．Relaxed but doubtful.

D．Puzzled but enthusiastic.

Reuel Tolkien (1892—1973), the British linguist, writer. He created a fantasy novel ＂The Lord of the Rings＂ the well­known trilogy (三部曲).

Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. When he was 4 years old, his father died and his family moved back to England. Tolkien graduated from Oxford University when he was 23 years old, and participated in the First World War. During the war, Tolkien suffered from ＂trench fever＂ and stayed in the hospital until the end of World War Ⅰ. It was the days in the hospital that he began his writing career first.

After the war, Tolkien became a linguist. He was an editor of the ＂New English Dictionary＂ of 1918—1920. However, he was more researching into Anglo­Saxon language which makes his extensive contacts in Britain and the Nordic spread all over the folklore and mythology.

In 1937, Tolkien completed his first work ＂The Hobbit＂. Although this was a fairy tale, it was also suitable for adults to read. Because of good sales, the publisher Allen & Unwin convinced Tolkien to write its sequel. This encouraged Tolkien to complete his most famous works the epic (史诗) trilogy ＂The Lord of the Rings＂. The works of writing went on for almost a year with the support from his good friend Lewis.

At the beginning ＂The Lord of the Rings＂ was similar works for children, but after that writing style quickly became serious and dark. ＂The Lord of the Rings＂ was one of the most popular literary works in the 20th century in terms of sales and readers’ evaluation. Tolkien’s influence is important, for the success of ＂The Lord of the Rings＂ makes the fantasy novels of this literature genre (体裁) develop rapidly.

8. When did Tolkien take part in World War Ⅰ?

A．1896.	B．1915.
C．1916.	D．1937.

9. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Tolkien’s father died of ＂trench fever＂.

B．Tolkien wrote the ＂New English Dictionary＂ himself.

C．＂The Lord of the Rings＂ was finished about half a year.

D．Tolkien began his writing career in the hospital.

10. What is Tolkien’s ＂The Lord of the Rings＂ considered to be?

A．The first works of Tolkien.

B．Always serious and dark.

C．Beneficial to the development of the fantasy novels.

D．The most popular literary works in the 20th century.

11. The word ＂evaluation＂ in the last paragraph is close to the meaning of ＂___________＂.

A．opinion	B．value
C．interest	D．hobby

Since English biologist Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, scientists have vastly improved their knowledge of natural history. However, a lot of information is still of the speculation, and scientists can still only make educated guesses at certain things.

One subject that they guess about is why some 400 million years ago, animals in the sea developed limbs (肢) that allowed them to move onto and live on land.

Recently, an idea that occurred to the US paleontologist (古生物学家) Alfred Romer a century ago became a hot topic once again.

Romer thought that tidal (潮汐的) pools might have led to fish gaining limbs. Sea animals would have been forced into these pools by strong tides. Then, they would have been made either to adapt to their new environment close to land or die. The fittest among them grew to accomplish the transition (过渡) from sea to land.

Romer called these earliest four-footed animals “tetrapods”. Science has always thought that this was a credible theory, but only recently has there been strong enough evidence to support it.

Hannah Byrne is an oceanographer (海洋学家) at Uppsala University in Sweden. She announced at the 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting in Oregon, US, that by using computer software, her team had managed to link Homer’s theory to places where fossil deposits (沉积物) of the earliest tetrapods were found.

According to the magazine Science, in 2014, Steven Balbus, a scientist at the University of Oxford in the UK, calculated that 400 million years ago, when the move from land to sea was achieved, tides were stronger than they are today. This is because the planet was 10 percent closer to the moon than it is now.

The creatures stranded in the pools would have been under the pressure of “survival of the fittest”, explained Mattias Green, an ocean scientist at the UK’s University of Bangor. As he told Science, “After a few days in these pools, you become food or you run out of food... the fish that had large limbs had an advantage because they could flip (翻转) themselves back in the water.”

As is often the case, however, there are others who find the theory less convincing. Cambridge University’s paleontologist Jennifer Clark, speaking to Nature magazine, seemed unconvinced. “It’s only one of many ideas for the origin of land-based tetrapods, any or all of which may have been a part of the answer,” she said.

12. Who first proposed the theory that fish might have gained limbs because of tidal pools?

A．Hannah Byrne.

B．Charles Darwin.

C．Steven Balbus.

D．Alfred Romer.

13. Why were tides stronger 400 million years ago than they are today according to Steven Balbus?

A．There were larger oceans.	B．Earth was under greater pressure.
C．Earth was closer to the moon.	D．The moon gave off more energy.

14. The underlined word “stranded” in Paragraph 8 probably means “________”.

A．settled

B．trapped

C．abandoned

D．found

15. What is the focus of the article?

A．The arguments over a scientific theory.

B．The proposal of a new scientific theory.

C．Some new evidence to support a previous theory.

D．A new discovery that questions a previous theory.

Snow blindness — it’s a frightening phrase. Thankfully, it’s a condition that   is preventable.

Snow blindness is a painful and temporary loss of vision due to overexposure to the sun’s UV rays. Essentially, snow blindness is caused by a sunburned eye.

You don’t need snow to become snow blind.     16    

The terms “ snow blind ” and “ snow blindness “ have become popular because snow can highly reflect ultraviolet radiation.     17     Also, skiing, mountain climbing and snowboarding usually take place at relatively high altitudes, where the sun’s UV rays are stronger. Combined, these factors can double your risk of getting sunburned eyes, compared with being outdoors at lower altitudes in the summertime.

    18     Television journalist Anderson Cooper experienced snow-free snow blindness first-hand a few years ago when he spent a couple hours on a boat in Portugal without sunglasses and ended up “ being blind for 36 hours”, according to his report of the incident.

Not only can you become snow blind without snow — it can happen without sunlight, too!     19     For example, sun lamps can cause temporary snow blindness if proper eye protection is not used.

    20     To relieve pain or discomfort from snow blindness, stay indoors and wear sunglasses. Keep your eyes well-moistened with artificial tears. For additional relief, use over-the-counter pain relievers. Be sure to use only pain relievers you know you can take without worry of an allergic reaction. You also may find that placing a cool and dampened washcloth over your closed eyelids is comforting.

A．It will likely affect those traveling in snowy conditions.

B．To prevent snow blindness on the slopes, wear sunglasses.

C．Sometimes it occurs from man-made sources of ultraviolet radiation

D．In fact, snow can reflect over 80 percent of the UV rays that fall upon it.

E．Though it is commonly called snow blindness, the condition can occur in the absence of snow.

F．But water and white sand also highly reflect the sun’s UV rays, thus increasing the risk.

G．Snow blindness is scary, but usually it’s temporary, and there are ways to relieve the discomfort.

I had a bad habit of skipping to the last pages of a book. I just wanted to see how it ended _______ I was still in the middle of it. This habit _______ first my mom, then my friends, and _______ even my own daughter. Often my _______ wouldn't be limited just to the books I read but also to what others were _______ as well. Then one day my daughter told me in anger, "Dad, please just read a book one _______ at a time like everyone else!"

At times I didn't _______ this bad habit to just reading books either. I also tried to skip ahead in my own life and _______ what to do months or even years from now _______ enjoying each day at present. Although I knew that the __________ of my life wasn't done yet and that I had many pages __________ to go, I still couldn't control my burning desire to write the __________ of it halfway through. Time and again, I would foolishly jump ahead and try to solve every __________ problem before it happened. Life, __________, doesn't work like that. It loves to __________ us, and you never know what new problems, changes, or opportunities each new day will __________.

Recently when I found myself living in the __________ again, I heard a voice that gently told me I needed to "live one day at a time". When I heard those words, I __________, turned the book of my life back to the __________ page, and thanked God for today.

Each of us has to __________ the book of life line by line, moment by moment and trust that our story will be brought to its perfect end.

21.

A．since

B．for

C．while

D．because

22.

A．confused

B．annoyed

C．delighted

D．embarrassed

23.

A．usually

B．obviously

C．accidental

D．finally

24.

A．impatience

B．misunderstanding

C．disappointment

D．disagreement

25.

A．saying

B．reading

C．doing

D．observing

26.

A．page

B．copy

C．chapter

D．edition

27.

A．contribute

B．devote

C．apply

D．limit

28.

A．try out

B．figure out

C．let out

D．turn out

29.

A．on the part of

B．other than

C．instead of

D．on the basis of

30.

A．book

B．river

C．picture

D．play

31.

A．forgotten

B．left

C．kept

D．regretted

32.

A．feeling

B．beginning

C．ending

D．content

33.

A．universal

B．impossible

C．potential

D．serious

34.

A．otherwise

B．moreover

C．therefore

D．however

35.

A．surprise

B．cheat

C．satisfy

D．frighten

36.

A．seek

B．bring

C．seize

D．award

37.

A．present

B．future

C．memory

D．dream

38.

A．cheered

B．cried

C．lost

D．smiled

39.

A．exciting

B．hopeful

C．favorite

D．right

40.

A．write

B．review

C．explain

D．translate

语法填空

Owen was born with an extremely rare disease. He couldn't walk or see clearly because     41     the disease. This meant that Owen needed a walking stick     42     (get) around the house and a wheelchair if he wanted to go     43     (long) distances. He was also always in pain. He could bear the pain, but he couldn't bear the fact       44     people were always staring at him. It made the little boy very sad.     45     , that was all before a dog came into his life.

One day Owen's father read a story online about a dog that     46     (lose) his front legs before. After reading the story, the father and the son decided to adopt the poor dog. The dog changed their lives     47     (complete). He became Owen's best friend. Slowly but surely, Owen got back his confidence and then proudly walked around the neighborhood. Even his pain     48     (reduce) greatly by the dog's company.

In October 2015, the International Fund for Animal Welfare presented the dog with a special award. Their     49     (touch) story was also made into a short movie, which attracted nearly two million     50     (view) and made them cry. Dogs are truly man's best friends.

51. 短文改错

The news which the English Entrance Examination will be reformed has caused a big "earthquake" in our country. Many people, included students, are for it. But there is also some people who are against it. Personally, I think the reform has either advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, it can reduce students' learning burden and enable English to return back to its true function. On the other hand, it will cause students to spend less time study English and attach less important to English. If so, students will not have a good knowledge of English. What's more, if students didn't have such a good ability, they will not be able to broaden our horizons and meet the future challenges.

52. 假如你是李华,收到英国笔友Harry的电子邮件,邮件中提到他父母想看他的微信朋友圈 (We Chat Moments),他对是否同意和父母分享微信朋友圈感到犹豫。请你给他回信,要点如下:
1. 说明赞成或反对的观点;
2. 主要理由。
注意：1. 词数100左右;
2. 可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
3. 开头和结尾已为你写好,不计入总词数。
Dear harry,

How surprised and pleased to receive your email today! You told me that

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua