1 . Fading beauty

She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last for ever. But, at nearly 500 years of age, time is catching up with the Mona Lisa.

The health of the famous picture, painted by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1505, is getting worse by the year, according to the Louvre Museum(卢浮宫博物馆) where it is housed.

“The thin, wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since experts checked it two years ago,” the museum said. Visitors have noticed changes but repairing the world’s most famous painting is not easy. Experts are not sure about the materials the Italian artist used and their current chemical state(化学状态).

Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year, many attracted by the mystery of her smile. “It is very interesting that when you’re not looking at her, she seems to be smiling, and then you look at her and she stops,” said Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University. “It’s because direct vision (视觉) is excellent at picking up detail, but less suited to looking at shadows. Da Vinci painted the smile in shadows.”[

However, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as mysterious as the smile. Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always carried it with him, until it was eventually sold to France’s King Francis I in 1519.

In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louvre by a former employee, who took it out of the museum hidden under his coat. He said he planned to return it to Italy. The painting was sent back to France two years later.

During World War II, French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.

Like many old ladies, the Mona Lisa has some interesting stories to tell.

1. What does the writer mean by “time is catching up with the Mona Lisa”?

A．The painting woman is not so beautiful any more.

B．Ageing is something that affects us all.

C．The painting needs repairing.

D． At such an old age, she is no longer popular.

2. What makes the repair work difficult?

A．The wooden panel is thin and old.

B．No one knows exactly what materials were used to create the painting and how it might respond to treatment.

C．The health of the painting is suffering.

D．Experts can’t agree on how to carry out repairs.

3. What makes her so mysterious according to Professor Livingston?

A．The materials the Italian artist used.	B．The way she smiles.
C．The way Da Vinci painted the smile.	D．It plays a trick upon the human eyes

2 . In the clinic, I asked if Michael could be retested, so the specialist tested him again. To my _______, it was the same score.
Later that evening, I ______ told Frank what I had learned that day. After talking it over, we agree that we knew our ________much better than an IQ test. We ________that Michael’s score must have been a _______ and we should treat him ________as usual.
We moved to Indiana in 1962, and Michael studied at Concordia High School in the same year. He got _______ grades in the school, especially _______ biology and chemistry, which was a great comfort.
Michael _______ Indiana University in 1965 as a pre-medical student, soon afterwards, his teachers permitted him to take more courses than ________. In 1968, he was accepted by the School of Medicine, Yale University.
On graduation day in 1972, Frank and I ________ the ceremony at Yale. After the ceremony, we told Michael about the ________ IQ score he got when he was six. Since that day, Michael sometimes would look at us and say ________, “My dear mom and dad never told me that I couldn’t be a doctor, not until after I graduated from medical school!” It is his special way of thanking us for the ________ we had in him.
Interestingly, Michael then _________another IQ test. We went to the same clinic where he had _______ the test eighteen years before. This time Michael scored 126, an increase of 36 points. A result like that was supposed to be ________.
Children often do as ________ as what adults, particularly parents and teachers,_________ of them. That is, tell a child he is “ ________”, and he may play the role of a foolish child.1.

A．joy

B．surprise

C．dislike

D．disappointment

2.

A．tearfully

B．fearfully

C．cheerfully

D．hopefully

3.

A．student

B．son

C．friend

D．doctor

4.

A．argued

B．realized

C．decided

D．understood

5.

A．joke

B．mistake

C．warning          D wonder

6.

A．specially

B．strictly

C．naturally

D．carefully

7.

A．poor

B．good

C．average

D．standard

8.

A．in

B．about

C．of

D．for

9.

A．visited

B．chose

C．passed

D．entered

10.

A．allowed

B．described

C．required

D．offered

11.

A．missed

B．held

C．delayed

D．attended

12.

A．high

B．same

C．low

D．different

13.

A．curiously

B．eagerly

C．calmly

D．jokingly

14.

A．faith

B．interest

C．pride

D．delight

15.

A．looked for

B．asked for

C．waited for

D．prepared for

16.

A．received

B．accepted

C．organized

D．discussed

17.

A．imperfect

B．impossible

C．uncertain

D．unsatisfactory

18.

A．honestly

B．much

C．well

D．bravely

19.

A．hear

B．learn

C．expect

D．speak

20.

A．wise

B．rude

C．shy

D．stupid

3 . Energy goes from one plant or animal to another. A food chain shows how this energy moves. Each time an animal gets eaten, its energy is passed onto the animal that eats it. The food chain is very important because it keeps the balance of nature. If one part of the food chain disappears, it can affect all the other plants and animals. Any threat to the food chain is a threat to the environment’s biodiversit(生物多样性). The food chain helps keep animal populations in balance. However, if something happens to increase or decrease one of the links in the food chain, that balance is broken. If one animal becomes endangered, it puts all the animals above it at risk.
Some of the threats are natural, such as wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, floods and so on. But the biggest threats to the food chain come from you and me. These threats include overhunting, overfishing, logging, farming, development, pollution, etc. The food chain is endangered anywhere humans have had an effect on the natural environment.
A recent study shows that the overfishing of large sharks is damaging the food chain along the US Atlantic coast. Canadian and American scientists say sharks are being killed in great numbers for their meat and fins(鳍). Now, not enough sharks are around to eat the cownose(牛鼻) ray. The ray’s population has increased and they have eaten up the shellfish to the point where it has hurt commercial(商业的) fishing.
Many of us disturb the natural environment in our own backyards. It’s up to us to take care of the environment and try not to disrupt the natural food chain. If we don’t act responsibly, animals will start disappearing.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?

A．The food chain is not easy to be broken.

B．The energy of an animal usually disappears when it dies.

C．Increasing the links will not break the balance of nature.

D．Breaking the food chain is bad for the biodiversity of the environment.

2. The study mentioned in Paragraph 3 proves that            .

A．human activities can be a big threat to the food chain

B．we are all responsible for the breaking of the food chain

C．natural disasters are hard to break the food chain

D．hunting large sharks for meat is beneficial

3. We can infer that the writer wrote this passage mainly to           .

A．explain what the food chain is

B．tell us something interesting about Nature

C．suggest that we stop eating meat to save animals

D．suggest that we not disrupt the natural food chain

4 . February has long been a month of romance（浪漫）. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.
On the 14th day, it is a custom for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals! This is what you see on Valentine’s Day, a day named after Valentine who was a priest（牧师） in the third century Rome. When the emperor (皇帝) decided that single men could become better soldiers than those with wives, he didn’t allow marriage. But Valentine continued to perform（主持） marriage ceremonies（典礼） for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor sentenced him to death. While in prison（监狱）, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death, he wrote her a letter, which he signed （签名）“From your Valentine”, an expression that is still   in use today. Valentine died for what he believed in and so he was made a Saint (圣徒), as well as becoming one of history’s most romantic characters.
Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is also popular among Chinese young people. Some students are planning to make Valentine’s cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped（心形的） cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share in the spirit of St. Valentine.
1. Why did the emperor in Rome not allow marriage in his country?

A．Because there were few women in his country at that time.

B．Because he wanted to control the birth rate.

C．Because there wasn’t enough food for so many people.

D．Because he thought men without wives could be better soldiers.

2. Valentine was put into prison because ______.

A．he killed one of the soldiers

B．he didn’t obey the emperor’s order

C．he stole a lot of food

D．he didn’t want to be a soldier

3. The last paragraph mainly tells us ______.

A．students in China send cards to their teachers

B．Valentine’s Day is also popular in China now

C．it is interesting to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China

D．it is a good idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China

4. The best title for this passage should be ______.

A．Valentine’s Day in China	B．A Brave Priest
C．Valentine’s Day	D．A Romantic Man

5 . It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole. And it has influenced（影响）us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
1. Why was the bike so important to the couple?

A．The man’s job was bike racing.	B．It was their only possession.
C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed.	D．They used it for work and daily life.

2. We can infer from the text that ____________.

A．the couple worked 60 hours a week.	B．people were busy before Christmas
C．the stranger brought over the bike	D．life was hard for the young family.

3. How did people get to know the couple’s problem?

A．From radio broadcasts.	B．From a newspaper.
C．From TV news.	D．From a stranger.

4. What do the couple learn from their experience?

A．Strangers are usually of little help.	B．One should take care of their bike.
C．News reports make people famous.	D．An act of kindness can mean a lot.

6 . Ⅲ 阅读（共两节
第一节阅读理解（共15小题；
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Good health is the most valuable thing a person can have, but one cannot take good health for granted. It is important to remember that the body needs proper care in order to be healthy. There are three things that a person can do to help stay in good shape: eat right food, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly.
Proper nutrition (营养) is important for good health. Your body cannot work well unless it receives the proper kind of “fuel”. Don't eat too much food with lots of sugar and fat. Eat plenty of foods high in protein (蛋白质) , like meat, fish, eggs and nuts. Vegetables and fruits are very important because they provide necessary vitamins (维他命) and minerals. However, don't overeat. It is not helpful to be overweight.
Getting the proper amount of sleep is also important. If you don't get enough sleep, you feel tired and easily get angry. You have no energy. Over a long period of time a little amount of sleep may even result in a change of personality. Be sure to allow yourself from seven to nine hours of sleep each night. If you do, your body will feel strong and refreshed, and your mind will be sharp.
Finally, get plenty of exercise. Exercise firms the body, strengthens the muscles, and prevents you from gaining weight. It also improves your heart and lungs. If you follow a regular exercise program, you will probably increase your life-span (寿命).Any kind of exercise is good. Most sports are excellent for keeping the body in good shapes: basketball, swimming, bicycling, running and so on are good examples. Sports are not only good for your body, but they are enjoyable and interesting, too.
If everybody were to eat the right foods, get plenty of sleep and exercise regularly, the world would be a happier and healthier place. We would all live to be much older and wiser.
1. According to the passage,_________.

A．if we were healthy, we could spend our days in doing things with less sleep

B．one can eat a lot to stay in good shape

C．one needn't take any exercise if he is healthy

D．we should always keep fit

2. In order to keep good health, ___________ .

A．we should eat a lot of sweets

B．one needs a large amount of fat

C．people should eat according to the foods nutrition

D．we must try to sleep now and then

3. Eating more and sleeping less________.

A．can keep healthy	B．is no good for you
C．gets you more energy	D．will keep your personality

4. The writer explains ________in this passage.

A．how to eat	B．the importance of doing exercise
C．how to keep healthy	D．what to eat

5. The title of the article should be___________ .

A．Eating and Exercising	B．How Vitamins Work in Man's Body
C．Staying Healthy	D．Sleeping Well