1 . Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs.

AVOID BIG EVENTS Big sporting events, concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival (19 Oct.) cost £ 169. 15 at Booking.com. A week later, the same room cost £ 118.15.

If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid--- or you're looking for a big event to pass your time--- check out sites such as Whatsonwhen.com, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category.

STAYAWAY FROM THE STATION If traveling to your destination by train, you may want to find a good base close to the station, but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday.

Don't be too choosy about the part of town you stay in. Booking two months in advance, the cheapest room at Travelodge's Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was £ 95.95 . A room just a tube journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was £ 75.75 . And at Farringdon, a double room cost just £ 62.95 .

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF Really central hotels in cities such as London. Edinburgh and Cardiff can cost a fortune, especially at weekends and during big events. As a choice consider checking into a self-catering flat with its own kitchen, where you can cook. Often these flats are hidden away on the top floors of city centre buildings. A great example is the historic O'Neill Flat on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, available for £ 420 for five days in late September, with room for four adults.

GET ON A BIKE London’s "Boris bikes' have attracted the most attention, but other cities also have similar programs that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you on public transport or car parking costs.

Among the smaller cities with their own programs are Newcastle (casual members pay around £ 1.50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes, or £5 per day).

1. The Brighton Comedy Festival is mentioned mainly to show big events may ________.

A．help travelers pass time

B．attract lots of travelers to the UK

C．allow travelers to make flexible plans

D．cause travelers to pay more for accommodation

2. "Farringdon" in Paragraph 5 is most probably ________.

A．a hotel away from the train station	B．the tube line to Covent Garden
C．an ideal holiday destination	D．the name of a travel agency

3. The passage shows that the O'Neill Flat ________.

A．lies on the ground floor

B．is located in central London

C．provides cooking facilities for tourists

D．costs over £100 on average per day in late September

4. Cardiff’s program allows a free bike for a maximum period of ________.

A．half an hour	B．one hour
C．one hour and a half	D．two hours

5. The main purpose of the passage is ________.

A．to tell visitors how to book in advance

B．to supply visitors with hotel information

C．to show visitors the importance of self-help

D．to offer visitors some money-saving tips

2 .

Welcome     to my Message Board!
Subject Slimming down classics?
Mr. Handsome 2007-5-12&24 AM	Orion Books,which decides there is a market in creating cut-down classics(经典著作)，is slimming down some novels by such great writers as L.Tolstoy,M.Mitchell and C.Bronte.Now,each of them has been whittled down to about 400 pages by cutting 30 to____per cent of the original,with words,sentences,paragraphs and,in a few cases,chapters removed.The first six shortened editions,all priced at ￡6.99 and advertised as great reads “in half the time”,will go on sale next month,with plans for 50 to 100 more to follow.The publishing house believes that modern readers will welcome the shorter versions.
Mr. Edwards 2007-5-12 9:40 AM	Well,I’m publisher of Orion Group.Thanks for your attention,Mr.Handsome. I must say,the idea developed from a game of “shame”in my office.Each of us was required to confess(承认)to the most embarrassing blanks in his or her reading.I admitted that I had never read Anna Karenina and tried but failed to get through Gone with the Wind several times.One of my colleagues acknowledged skipping(跳读)Jane Eyre.We realised that life is too short to read all the books you want to and we never were going to read these ones. As a leading publishing house,we are trying to make classics convenient for readers but it’s not as if we’re withdrawing the original versions.They are still there if you want to read them.
Ms.Weir 2007-5-12 11:35 AM	I’m director of the online bookclub www.lovereading.co.uk____. Mr.Edwards,I think your shortened editions is a breath of fresh air.I’m guilty of never having read Anna Karenina,because it’s just so long.I’d much rather read two 300-page books than one 600-page book.I am looking forward to more shortened classics!
Mr. Crockatt 2007-5-124:38 PM	I’m from the London independent bookshop Crockatt & Powell. In my opinion,the practice is completely ridiculous.How can you edit the classics?I’m afraid reading some of these books is hard work,and that is why you have to develop as a reader.If people don’t have time to read Anna Karenina,then fine.But don’t read a shortened version and kid yourself it’s the real thing.

1. According to the message board,Orinon Books_______.

A．opposes the reading of original classics

B．is embarrassed for cutting down classics

C．thinks cut-down classics have a bright future

D．is cautious in its decision to cut down classics

2. In Mr.Edwards’ opinion,Orion Group is shortening classics to_______.

A．make them easier to read

B．meet a large demand in the market

C．increase the sales of literary books

D．compete with their original versions

3. By describing the shortened classics as “a breath of fresh air”,Ms.Weir_______.

A．speaks highly of the cut-down classics

B．shows gailty of the original classics

C．feels guilty of not reading the classics

D．disapproves of shortening the classics

4. Mr.Crockatt seems to imply that_______.

A．reading the classic works is a confusing attempt

B．shortening the classics does harm to the original

C．publishing the cub-down classics is a difficult job

D．editing the classic works satisfies children’s needs

3 . In June,2007,a group of students from eight high schools in Winnipeg, the capital of Canada’s Manitoba province, will begin test-launching (试发射) a satellite the size of a Rubik’s cube.

The one-kilogram Win-Cube satellite, named for its home city and its shape, will be put into low orbit. Once in space, it can perform for a few months or up to several years, communicating information that could help find the early signs of earthquakes.

There are 80 similar satellite projects worldwide, but this is the first high-school based program of its kind in Canada. 30 Manitoba high school students are having a hand in designing and building the satellite, in cooperation with aerospace (航空航天的) experts and 10 students from the University of Manitoba, and with support from two other organizations.

The Win-Cube project is not something that goes on a piece of paper, it is real-world engineering, allowing high school students to have an opportunity to learn more about the exciting world of engineering through their participation in this challenging program. It is also taken as a wonderful example of the unique partnerships within Manitoba. Designing, building and lauching a satellite with high-school participation will bring this world-class educational project into reality and Manitoba closer to space.

“These Manitoba high school students deserve congratulations for their enthusiasm, innovation (创新), and a strong love for discovery,” said Education, Citizenship and Youth Minister Peter Bjornson. “We want to make science more relevant (相关的), interesting and attractive to high school students by showing them how classroom studies can relate to practical experience in the workplace or, in this case, in space,” Bjornson added.

The Win-Cube program is mainly aimed at inspiring a strong desire for discovery on the part of the students. It also shows Manitoba’s devotion to research and innovation and the development of a skilled workforce — all important drivers of knowledge-based economic growth.

1. According to the passage, the Win-Cube satellite is_______.

A．named after Manitoba and its shape

B．intended for international communication

C．designed like a Rubik’s cube both in shape and size

D．challenged by university students around the world

2. According to Mr. Bjornson,_______.

A．those Manitoba high school students are worth praising

B．the study of space can be practically made in classroom

C．Manitoba high schools are famous for the sutdy of space

D．scientific research is too far away from high school students

3. The primary purpose of the project is to_______.

A．find the early signs of earthquakes

B．relate studies to practical experience

C．help high school students study real-world engineering

D．inspire a strong desire for discovery among the students

4. The best title for this passage may be_______.

A．Manitoba School	B．Win-Cube Program
C．Space Cooperation	D．Satellite Launching

4 . What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming. and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood. I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.
1. The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was______.

A．doing shopping	B．having a debate
C．reading a message	D．leaving for Wyoming

2. The author's inspiration for the gift came from_____.

A．a photo of a flower	B．a story about a kid
C．a call from the mother	D．a text about Christmas

3. The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by_____.

A．the father	B．the author
C．William Blake	D．Edgar Allan Poe

4. The author made the gift by_____.

A．searching for the poems online

B．drawing the background by hand

C．painting the letters in three colors

D．matching the words with pictures

5. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To show how to design images for gifts.

B．To suggest making gifts from one's heart.

C．To explain how computers help create gifts.

D．To describe the gifts the author has received

5 .        In my living room, there is a plaque(匾) that advises me to “Bloom(开花) where you are planted.” It reminds me of Dorothy. I got to know Dorothy in the early 1980s, when I was teaching Early Childhood Development through a program with Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky. The job responsibilities required occasional visits to the classroom of each teacher in the program. Dorothy stands out in my memory as one who “bloomed” in her remote area.
       Dorothy taught in a school In Harlan County, Kentucky, Appalachian Mountain area. To get to her school from the town of Harlan, I followed a road winding around the mountain. In the eight-mile journey, I crossed the same railroad track five times, giving the possibility of getting caught by the same train five times. Rather than feeling excited by this drive through the mountains, I found it depressing. The poverty level was shocking and the small shabby houses gave me the greatest feeling of hopelessness.
       From the moment of my arrival at the little school, all gloom(忧郁) disappeared. Upon arriving at Dorothy’s classroom. I was greeted with smiling faces and treated like a queen. The children had been prepared to show me their latest projects. Dorothy told me with a big smile that they were serving poke greens salad and cornbread for “dinner” (lunch). In case you don’t know, poke greens are a weed-type plant that grows wild, especially on poor ground.
       Dorothy never ran out of reports of exciting activities of her students. Her enthusiasm never cooled down. When it came time to sit for the testing and interviewing required to receive her Child Development Associate Certification, Dorothy was ready. She came to the assessment and passed in all areas. Afterward, she invited me to the one-and-only steak house in the area to celebrate her victory, as if she had received her Ph. D. degree. After the meal, she placed a little box containing an old pen in my hand. She said it was a family heirloom(传家宝), but to me it is a treasured symbol of appreciation and pride that cannot be matched with things. (360 words)
1. “Early Childhood Development” in Paragraph 1 refers to __________.

A．a program directed by Dorothy

B．a course given by the author

C．an activity held by the students

D．an organization sponsored by Union college

2. In the journey, the author was most disappointed at seeing __________.

A．the long track	B．the poor houses
C．the same train	D．the winding road

3. Upon arriving at the classroom, the author was cheered up by __________.

A．a warm welcome	B．the sight of poke greens
C．Dorothy’s latest projects	D．a big dinner made for her

4. What can we know about Dorothy from the last paragraph?

A．She was invited to a celebration at a restaurant.

B．She got a pen as a gift from the author.

C．She passed the required assessment.

D．She received her Ph. D. degree.

5. What does the author mainly intend to tell us?

A．Whatever you do, you must do it carefully.

B．Whoever you are, you deserve equal treatment.

C．However poor you are, you have the right to education,

D．Wherever you are, you can accomplish your achievement.

6 . When I was 8 years old, I once decided to run away from home. With my suitcase ____ and some sandwiches in a bag, I started for the front door and said to Mom, “I’m leaving.”
“If you want to ____ , that’s all right,” she said. “But you came into this home without anything and you can leave the same way.” I ____ my suitcase and sandwiches on the floor heavily and started for the door again.
“Wait a minute,” Mom said. “I want your ____ back. You didn’t wear anything when you arrived.” This really angered me. I tore my clothes off—shoes, socks, underwear and all—and ____ , “Can I go now?” “Yes,” Mom answered, “but once you close that door, don’t expect to come back.”
I was so ____ that I slammed (砰地关上) the door and stepped out on the front porch. ____ I realized that I was outside, with nothing on. Then I noticed that down the street, two neighbor girls were walking toward our house. I ran to ____ behind a big tree in our yard at once. After a while, I was ____ the girls had passed by. I dashed to the front door and banged on it loudly.
“Who’s there?” I heard.
“It’s Billy! Let me in!”
The voice behind the ____ answered, “Billy doesn’t live here anymore. He ran away from home.” Glancing behind me to see if anyone else was coming, I begged, “Aw, c’mon, Mom! I’m ____ your son. Let me in!”
The door inched open and Mom’s smiling face appeared. “Did you change your ____ about running away?” she asked.
“What’s for supper?” I answered. 1.

A．packed

B．returned

C．cleaned

D．repaired

2.

A．drop out

B．go by

C．move around

D．run away

3.

A．pressed

B．shook

C．threw

D．pulled

4.

A．bag

B．clothes

C．sandwiches

D．suitcase

5.

A．explained

B．suggested

C．continued

D．shouted

6.

A．angry

B．sorry

C．frightened

D．ashamed

7.

A．Certainly

B．Naturally

C．Suddenly

D．Possibly

8.

A．play

B．hide

C．rest

D．wave

9.

A．sure

B．proud

C．eager

D．curious

10.

A．house

B．tree

C．door

D．yard

11.

A．also

B．still

C．even

D．already

12.

A．conclusion

B．promise

C．concern

D．decision

7 . A recent study of ancient and modern elephants has come up with the unexpected conclusion that the African elephant is divided into two distinct species.

The discovery was made by researchers at York and Harvard universities when they were examining the genetic relationship between the ancient woolly mammoth and mastodon to modern elephants — the Asian elephant, African forest elephant and African savanna elephant.

Once they obtained DNA sequences from two fossils, mammoths and mastodons the team compared them with DNA from modern elephants. They found to their amazement that modern forest and savanna elephants are as distinct from each other as Asian elephants and mammoths.

The scientists used detailed genetic analysis to prove that the African savanna elephants and the African forest elephants have been distinct species for several million years. The divergence of the two species took place around the time of the divergence of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths. This result amazed all the scientists.

There has long been debate in the scientific community that the two might be separate species but this is the most convincing scientific evidence so far that they are indeed different species.

Previously, many naturalists believed that African savanna elephants and African forest elephants were two populations of the same species despite the elephants’ significant size differences. The savanna elephant has an average shoulder height of 3.5metres while the forest elephant has an average shoulder height of 2.5metres. The savanna elephant weighs between six and seven tons, roughly double the weight of the forest elephant. But the fact that they look so different does not necessarily mean they are different species. However, the proof lay in the analysis of the DNA.

Alfred Roca, assistant professor in the department of Animal Sciences at the University of Minois, said, “We now have to treat the forest and savanna elephants as two different units for conservation purpose. Since 1950 all African elephants have been conserved as one species. Now that we know the forest and savanna elephants are two very distinct animals, the forest elephant should become a bigger priority for conservation purpose.”

1. One of the fossils studied by the researchers is that of ________.

A．the Asian elephant	B．the forest elephant
C．the savanna elephant	D．the mastodon elephant

2. The underlined word “divergence” in paragraph 4means “________”

A．evolution

B．exhibition

C．separation

D．examination

3. The researcher’s conclusion was based on a study of the African elephant’s ____________

A．DNA

B．height

C．weight

D．population

4. What were Alfred Roca’s words mainly about?

A．The conservation of African elephants.

B．The purpose of studying African elephants

C．The way to divide African elephants into two units

D．The reason for the distinction of African elephants

5. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Naturalist’s Belief about Elephants.	B．Amazing Experiment about Elephants
C．An Unexpected Finding about Elephants	D．A Long scientific Debate about Elephants

8 . My father was Chief engineer of a merchant ship, which was sunk in Word War II. The book Night of the U-boats told the story.

Memories

In September, 1940, my mother, sister and I went to Swansea, where my father’s ship was getting ready to sail. We brought him a family photograph to be kept with him at all times and keep him sale.

Then I remember my mother lying lace down, sobbing. She had heard from a friend that the ship had been sunk by a torpedo.

I can remember the arrival of the telegram, which in those days always brought had new. My grandmother opened it. It read, “Safe, Love Ted.”

My most vivid memory Is being woken and brought down to sit o my father’s knee, his arm in a bandage.

He was judged unfit to return to sea and took a shore job in Glasgow for the rest of the war. For as long as I can remember, he had a weak heart. Mother said it was caused by the torpedoes. He said it was because of the cigarettes. Whichever, he died suddenly in his early 50s.

Ten years later I read Night of the U-bouts and was able to complete the story.

Torpedo

One torpedo struck the ship. Father was in the engine room, where the third engineer was killed. He shut down the engines to slow the ship making it easier for it to be abandoned.

By the time he got on deck he was alone. Every lifeboat was gone except one which had stuck fast. When he tried to cut it free it swung against the ship, injuring his hand and arm. He had no choice but to jump — still with the photograph in his pocket.

Three days later, he and other survivors were safe in Glasgow. All 23 with him signed the back of the photograph.

In my room is the book and the photograph. Often, glass in hand, I have wondered how I would have dealt with an explosion, a sinking ship, a jump into a vast ocean rind a wait for rescue? Lest we forget, I have some more whisky and toast the heroes of the war.

1. We can infer that the mother and children went to Swansea ________.

A．to meet a friend	B．to see the father off
C．to take a family photo	D．to enjoy the sailing of the ship

2. What did the author learn about the father from the telegram?

A．he was still alive.	B．His knee was broken.
C．His ship had been sunk.	D．He had arrived in Glasgow.

3. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 6 refers to the father’s ________.

A．weak heart	B．taking a shore job
C．failure to return to sea	D．injury caused by a torpedo

4. What can we know about the author’s father after his ship was attacked?

A．He lost his arm.	B．He repaired the engines.
C．He managed to take a lifeboat.	D．He was the last to leave the ship.

5. What is the passage mainly about?

A．A group of forgotten heroes	B．A book describing a terrifying battle.
C．A ship engineer’s wartime experience.	D．A merchant’s memories of a sea rescue.

9 . People in communities have slowly been pushed apart through the years, mostly because people simply aren’t taking the time to say a simple “hello”. After considering this phenomenon, I decided I was going to _______the way I was doing things.

My _______came one morning when I was in the community library. I passed by a girl who_______ her books out of her locker. Thinking like most that someone else would help her pick them up, I continued my way. However, when I had to_______ because I stupidly forgot my book, I noticed she had just finished packing them up by herself and no one had stopped to _______her.

“OK,” I thought to myself, “this is where I should have changed.”

My best opportunity came a few days later when I saw a man _______by himself waiting for the library to open, so I sat down next to him and began a _______. It was difficult to get started, and even harder when I had to say goodbye, almost every _______ from my new friend had a tone (语气) of doubt in it. And who could blame him?

People aren’t used to making an _______chat with a stranger. But a change, no matter how__________ it is needed, doesn’t just happen. It takes people like us to make it possible. I__________ you to take a small step out of your comfort zone and try to make someone’s day a little brighter. Together, we can really make society come __________ as a whole.

1.

A．change

B．explain

C．learn

D．show

2.

A．trouble

B．doubt

C．wish

D．opportunity

3.

A．took

B．dropped

C．got

D．pulled

4.

A．come out

B．stand by

C．go back

D．turn up

5.

A．please

B．greet

C．help

D．praise

6.

A．sitting

B．walking

C．riding

D．running

7.

A．discussion

B．lesson

C．report

D．conversation

8.

A．joke

B．response

C．cry

D．story

9.

A．unchangeable

B．unprepared

C．unforgettable

D．unfinished

10.

A．desperately

B．frequently

C．simply

D．widely

11.

A．allow

B．warn

C．order

D．advise

12.

A．later

B．straighter

C．closer

D．slower

10 . 完形填空(共20小题)
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从第1至第20小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

When I was young, my parents ran a snack bar in our small town.

One evening in early April, my mother told me to fill in at the snack bar_______а worker who had the flu. I told her I would mess it up, _______I had never worked at the bar before. I _______that instead of making money, I would end up owing it.

“You can do it,”said my mother. “_______, you won’t get much business until lunch.”

“But I’ll never remember the orders, and I’m no good _________money. Please, Mom, don’t_______me.”

“Then I’ll help you,”she said.

I shrugged my shoulders. I thought my mother’s_______was a bad one, but I _______ .

When I got to the bar the next day, I found my mother was_________. Because the weather that day was rainy and cold, people wanted hot snacks and drinks.__________, I was really slow at taking the orders and making change. The line of people grew, and everybody seemed__________I was so nervous that my hands shook, and I__________a cup into pieces. What a mess! Then my mother came to__________me, and she also showed me how to make____________. If someone gave me $5 for something that cost $3.25, I handed over__________quarters and a dollar and said, “75 cents makes four dollars, plus one dollar makes five.” Things went more__________after that.

By the end of the day, I could remember orders, __________the bill, and make change quickly with a smile. I was even a little__________when the sun came out and dried up business. My mother said she was proud of me, and when she__________that I work at the snack bar again next year, I did not even shrug. I was too busy__________the restaurant I would open one day.

1.

A．to

B．for

C．after

D．over

2.

A．because

B．though

C．until

D．while

3.

A．promised

B．noticed

C．worried

D．hoped

4.

A．Therefore

B．However

C．Besides

D．Yet

5.

A．of

B．on

C．about

D．with

6.

A．blame

B．fool

C．frighten

D．make

7.

A．idea

B．bar

C．day

D．answer

8.

A．guessed

B．obeyed

C．begged

D．admitted

9.

A．angry

B．sad

C．wrong

D．ashamed

10.

A．At least

B．At last

C．At most

D．At first

11.

A．surprised

B．impolite

C．pleased

D．impatient

12.

A．damaged

B．destroyed

C．broke

D．ruined

13.

A．scold

B．help

C．beat

D．save

14.

A．money

B．lunch

C．coffee

D．change

15.

A．two

B．three

C．four

D．five

16.

A．smoothly

B．fairly

C．simply

D．conveniently

17.

A．turn in

B．count out

C．take over

D．add up

18.

A．discouraged

B．disturbed

C．disappointed

D．distrusted

19.

A．thought

B．stated

C．announced

D．suggested

20.

A．imagining

B．preparing

C．examining

D．describing