1 . Most of the 20th century has been a development on the Industrial Revolution taken to an extreme: people now own more products than ever before; there are enough unclear weapons to destroy the earth several times over; there is hardly any forest left and pollution has got to the point where we buy water. Within a few years I predict you will be able to buy air. (There once was a time when you didn't need to buy food or shelter either.)

Important developments in the last century are the breaking down of the class structures left over from the Industrial Revolution stage, bringing with it the empowerment of the “common man”： the working day is set by law to only 8 hours a day; everyone has the vote; the media has less obvious government control; people have landed on the moon, sent spacecrafts to Mars and so on. Families have also shrunk drastically (强烈地); the nuclear family came about, and especially in the last half of the 20th century, one­parent families are becoming more common. This shrinking in the size of the family shows the increased independence of people — once upon a time people had to live in large groups to survive.

As humans have “become the gods”， they have realized their individuality and independence and taken their control of the world to an extreme. In many countries the land is almost completely used in the production of food and as living space and they live in small cities which are entirely human constructed, made from materials which are also entirely human constructed (concrete bricks) with hardly any remains of nature. Weeds are poisoned because they are messy; even parks have trees grown in tidy lines; grass is mowed to keep it short and so on. I think the massive drug “problem” troubling people is a result of too much of this influence, humans needing to escape the stark world they have created by entering fantasy worlds.

Over the last 100 years, the 20th century consciousness has spread throughout the world; most of Asia has been thoroughly “Westernized”， and most of the Third World is being overrun by Western ways of doing things and living.

1. What's the author most concerned about?

A．The influence of pollution.

B．Strong effects of development.

C．Changed positions of humans as gods.

D．The process of the Industrial Revolution.

2. What is the author's attitude towards the changes of the 20th century?

A．Objective.	B．Tolerant.
C．Vague.	D．Negative.

3. What does the underlined word “stark” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Unfair.	B．Illegal.
C．Dull.	D．Violent.

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Men's individuality is over controlled.

B．People have damaged nature too much.

C．Men's independence is partially limited.

D．People show concern for nuclear families.

2 . My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six falling grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. “
Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I’m giving the whole thing up to you.” I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time”, and hung up.
Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”
1. By saying “Karl became withdrawn”, the author means that the boy changed entirely and ________.

A．preferred to stay alone at home	B．lost interest in his studies
C．refused to talk to others	D．began to dislike his mother

2. There was silence on the other end of the line because ________.

A．the speaker was too moved to say anything to the mother

B．the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking

C．the speaker didn’t want the mother to recognize his voice

D．the speaker was unable to interrupt the mother

3. The sentence “he even made the honor roll” means that ________.

A．he was even on the list to be praised at the parent-teacher meeting

B．he was even on the list of students who made progress in grades

C．he was even on the list of students who had turned themselves around

D．he was even on the list of the best students at school

4. What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Children in single-parent families often have mental problems.

B．Mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life.

C．Being understood by parents is very important to teenagers.

D．School education doesn’t work without full support from parents.

3 . 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.

4 . Before a new type of airplane goes into service, every part of it is tested again and again. But there are two tests that are more important than all the others.
The first is called the “tank test”. A modern airplane must fly very high in the sky. Air must be pumped into the plane so that the passengers can breathe. The metal structure (结构) of the plane has to be very strong for this reason. When the plane is filled with air, the air presses against the skin of the plane inside. The pressure   (压力)   on a small window is like a huge foot that is trying to get out. If a small part of the plane were to fail, the plane would explode in the sky. To test the structure of the plane, the plane is lowered into a huge tank or container of water.   Then it is filled with air. The pressure inside the plane is greater than it ever will be when it is high up in the air. Finally, there is an explosion. This does not cause so much damage inside the water tank as it would anywhere else. Engineers can discover which part of the plane has broken. Then that part is made stronger,
The most dangerous test happens when the new plane is going through test flights in the air. The test pilot must find out exactly what happens when the engines (发动机) are all shut off at once. The plane begins to fall like a stone. It is the pilot’s job to find out how he can get control of the plane again.   These two tests are examples of how planes are made safe before they ever carry passengers.
1. By doing the “tank test”, the engineers can find out ________.

A．the power of the airplane engines	B．the amount of air in the plane
C．the strength of the plane structure	D．the pressure inside and outside the plane

2. What will happen to the plane under the “tank test”?

A．It will be tested by pilots.	B．It will be broken.
C．It will be made stronger.	D．It will be filled with water.

3. According to the text. why are test flights most dangerous?

A．Too much air may get into the plane.	B．The plane may explode in the air.
C．The pilot may lose control of the plane.	D．The engines may be damaged.

4. What might be the most suitable title for the text?

A．How Airplanes Are Made and Tested	B．Two Important Tests on Airplanes
C．The Importance of Flying Safely	D．The Danger of Testing Airplanes

5 . Teenagers who drink alcohol are at higher risk of becoming victims of violence, a Cardiff University study has found.

A team from the School of Dentistry' s Violence Research Group studied drinking habits inchildren aged | 1-16 in England. They found not only a link between drink and violence but also that children who drank were more likely to be hit, even if they weren' t violent themselves.

The researchers are now calling for measures to prevent alcohol misuse to reduce injury risk. Current policy focuses on reducing aggression but this research shows that there should be equal effort to reduce victimization(受害).

More than 4,000 children were surveyed at 13 schools at four local authorities in the North, the Midlands, London, and the South. The study found that 25% of 1 l-year-olds were drinking monthly and 3.6% daily, with 12.8% admitting to getting drunk 3 to 5 times a year. By the age of 16, 40% were drinking weekly and 6.2% were drinking every day. The research also showed 22.6% of 16-year-olds were getting drunk more than 21 times a year.

The study, which has just been published in the Journal of Adolescence, found a strong link between frequency of drinking and frequency of hitting other people.

However, children who reported drinking monthly were also three times more likely to be hit. Adolescents(青少年) who drank but didn't get into fights were more likely to be hit than those who did fight.

Professor Jonathan Shepherd, who led the research, said a lot of previous alcohol-related violence work had focused on the offenders rather than the victims. His team is calling for more pre-vention work from parents and teachers in the first two years of secondary school by taking advantage of the "teachable moment", that is, immediately after a student has missed school because of drunkenness.

Previous work by Professor Jonathan Shepherd has shown drinkers may be more at risk of vio-lence because of reduced physical co-ordinatlon ( 配合), poor decision-making in threatening situa-tions and isolation while out late at night.

He said,"This new study seems to be the first to show a direct link between alcohol misuses and victimization. There now needs to be much more effort put into reducing alcohol misuse in order to reduce injury. "

1. The underlined word "aggression" in the third paragraph probably means_____

A．violence

B．sad feelings

C．bad manners

D．drunkenness

2. Drinkers may be more at risk of violence because of all the following EXCEPT __

A．reduced the physical co-ordination

B．isolation while out late at night

C．a higher frequency of hitting other people

D．poor decision-making in threatening situations

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to Professor Shepherd' s research?

A．The frequency of children getting drunk increases with age.

B．His previous alcohol-related violence work had focused on the offenders

C．Some children missed school because of drunkenness.

D．This new study shows a direct link between alcohol misuse and victimization.

6 . I shall never forget the night, a few years ago, when Marion J. Douglas was a student in one of my adult-education classes. He told us how tragedy had struck at his home, not once, but twice. The first time he had lost his five-year-old daughter. He and his wife thought they couldn’t bear that first loss; but, as he said, “Ten months later, God gave us another little girl and she died in five days.”

This double bereavement was almost too much to bear. “I couldn’t take it,” this father told us. “I couldn’t sleep, eat, rest or relax. My nerves were entirely shaken and my confidence gone.” At last he went to the doctors: one recommended sleeping pills and another recommended a trip, but neither helped. He said, “My body felt as if it was surrounded in a vice(大钳子), and the jaws of the vice were being drawn tighter and tighter. The tension of grief(悲伤) - if you have ever been paralyzed(使瘫痪) by sorrow, you know what the meant. ”

“But thank God, I had one child left -a four-year-old son. He gave me the solution to the problem. One afternoon as I sat around feeling sorry for myself, he asked, ‘Daddy, will you build a boat for me?’ I was in no mood to build a boat; in fact, I was in no mood to do anything. But my son is a persistent fellow! I had to give in. Building that toy boat took me about three hours. By the time it was finished, I realized that those three hours spent building that boat were first hours of mental relaxation and peace that I had had in months! I realized that it is difficult to worry while you are busy doing something that requires planning and thinking. In my case, building the boat had knocked worry out of the ring. So I determined to keep busy.”

“The following night, I made a list of jobs that ought to be done. Scores of items needed to be repaired. Amazingly, I had made a list of 242 items that needed attention. During the last two years I have completed most of them. I am so busy now that I have no time for worry.”

No time for worry! That is exactly what Winston Churchill said when he was working eighteen hours a day at the height of the war. When he was asked if he worried about his huge responsibilities, he said, “I am too busy. I have no time for worry.”

1. The underlined word “bereavement” in the second paragraph refers to _________.

A．having lost a loved one	B．having lost a valuable article
C．having lost a profit-making business	D．having lost a well-paid job

2. Marion felt his body as if it was caught in a vice because _________.

A．he couldn’t earn enough money to support his family

B．he was suffering from sleeplessness disease

C．he couldn’t get out of mental pressure

D．he felt tired of adult-education classes

3. Marion made a list of over 200 items that needed to be repaired because _________.

A．he hadn’t been able to spare time to mend them

B．he wanted to kill his free time by repairing them

C．the items had actually been broken and needed attention

D．repairing the items helped crowd worry out of his mind

4. At the end of the passage, the author wrote about Winston Churchill in order to ________.

A．prove that he followed Churchill’s example

B．support his student’s solution to his problem

C．show that he was successful in his career

D．make it clear how his conclusion was reached

7 . It was a warm April day when a big fat envelope came in the mail from the only college I had ever imagined attending. I tore open the packet. My eyes were fixed on the word “congratulations”. I don’t remember ever smiling so wide.
Then I looked at my financial（财政的）package.
The cost of Dream School’s tuition（学费）, room and board was around $ 40,000--- an impossible sum! How could I afford to attend? What good reasons did I have to go there when three other fine colleges were offering me free tuition? My other choices were good, solid schools even if they weren’t as famous as my first choice.
In my mind, attending my dream university would be the only way to realize my dream of becoming a world-class writer. My parents understood how I felt. They told me that even though it would be a financial problem, I could go wherever I would be happiest. But as I was always careful with money, I wasn’t sure what to do.
One of the schools that offered me a full ride had an informational dinner one night in the spring. Considering my parents’ financial difficulties, I decided to drive the 45 minutes and attend. At first, all I had planned to do was smile politely, eat free food, listen quietly. But I surprised myself.
At dinner the president of the university talked about the wonderful activities on campus （校园）including guest lectures and social gatherings. He also made it perfectly clear that free food would be offered at all future events. He continued with explanations of professors, class sizes, activities, and sporting events on campus. As he spoke, I began to realize that this school, though not as good as my first choice, might be the best one for me. It seemed small yet with many great programs. It seemed challenging yet caring.
As the president ended his speech, we clapped politely and pushed back our chairs. As I walked out that door, a feeling of comfort washed over me. Looking at the campus that night, I realized that I would be spending the next four years right there.
In all honesty, my university is not as well-known as my “dream”university. However, it turned out to be the right choice of schools for me.
1. How did the author feel when he started to read the letter?

A．He was uncertain which school to go to.	B．He was lost in his dream.
C．He was worried about the money.	D．He was full of joy.

2. We can learn from the passage that the parents were _________.

A．honest

B．supportive

C．strict

D．decisive

3. In Paragraph 5, “offered me a full ride”can be replaced by “_______”.

A．would pay for transport to the school

B．would show me around the campus

C．would offer free meals at all events

D．would charge me nothing for tuition

4. What does the author mainly want to say?

A．You should consider comfort in your choice of schools.

B．Your second-choice college may actually by your best fit.

C．You should try your best to attend your dream school.

D．Your choice of schools should be based on their fame.

8 . A beautiful woman took a plane on business. She found her seat and sat down next to a young man. The man was just thinking of making a few dollars on the plane. When he saw the woman, he got an idea.
“Hey! Would you like to play a game?” he asked the woman. “No, thank you. I just want to take a nap (打盹),” the woman answered. “It’s really easy. All you have to do is to answer the questions that I ask you. If you don’t know the answer, you give me five dollars. If I don’t know the answer to your question, then I’ll give you five dollars.” “No,” the woman still refused. “OK. If I don’t know the answer to your question, I’ll give you five hundred dollars. How about that?” the man said. Then the woman became interested and decided to join in the game.
“OK. How many moons does Jupiter (木星) have?” asked the young man. The woman reached into her purse and took out a five-dollar bill. “What goes up the mountain with three legs and comes back with four?” the woman asked. Then the young man took out his computer and searched the Internet for an answer. Minutes later, the young man handed five hundred dollars to the woman.
After a few hours, the young man really wanted to know the answer to the question. So he asked the woman, “What is the answer to your question?” The woman reached into her purse and handed the young man a five-dollar bill.
1. Why did the man ask the woman to play a game?

A．He wanted to show his kindness.

B．He wanted to have a pleasant journey.

C．He wanted to earn some money from it.

D．He wanted to make friends with the woman.

2. How much did the woman get at the end of the story?

A．$ 500.

B．$ 5.

C．$ 10.

D．$ 490.

3. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．The woman told the man the answer to her question.

B．The woman gave the man’s money back to him.

C．The woman asked the man another question.

D．The woman didn’t know the answer, either.

4. We can learn from the story that the woman is ______.

A．clever

B．friendly

C．polite

D．honest

9 . The Danish capital is a year-round destination. Here are some of the city's best annual events.
Roskilde Festival (July)
The Danes love the outdoors and they love rock music; the Roskilde Festival is where they combine these passions for a weekend of drunken celebration. The four-day event is held about 30 minutes from the city completely, which means you can either go in for the full festival experience, or you can travel from the city to the festival each day.
There are also day tickets if you don't have the power for the whole collection of facts.
Kulturnatten (October)
For something a little more high brow there's the Night of Culture. For one night only some 300 venues in the city stage theater performances, art exhibitions, concerts and poetry readings.
Father Christmas Congress (July)
One of the more bizarre fixtures in Copenhagen's calendar, the event is held in July—the slow season for Santas—at the Bakken amusement park, some 20 minutes north of the city. The most interesting of the event is a procession of Santas from all over the world along Strøget. Parents should be prepared for some embarrassed questions from the kids.
Tivoli Gardens (November/December)
These pleasure gardens make for a great day out any time of the year but to see them at their most attractive, visit from mid-November through December, when they are transformed into a fairy tale of lanterns and Christmas markets. There's also outdoor skating, a Christmas entertainment and the very Danish 'Nissekøbing' village, home to more than 100 mechanical fairies.
1. If you are free in October, you can go to _____.

A．Roskilde Festival	B．Kulturnatten
C．Father Christmas Congress	D．Tivoli Gardens

2. Roskilde Festival is a festival _____.

A．where many famous singers in Denmark gather

B．which is only held in the center of a city

C．that lasts about half an hour per day

D．that the Danas can enjoy

3. How does the author think of the procession of Santas?

A．Astonishing.

B．Funny.

C．Worth seeing.

D．Full of encouragement.

4. The passage is probably written for _____.

A．guides

B．tourists

C．businessmen

D．writers

10 . Runners in a relay(接力) race pass a stick in one direction. However, merchants passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road.
The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of citied and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 B, C, to about A, D, 1300, when sea travel offered new routes(路线)　, It was sometimes called the world’s longest highway. However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe.
The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft(嫁接)　different trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web.
The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathways for learning, diplomacy(外交), and religion (宗教)
1. It’s probable that traders along the Silk Road needed         .

A．to remember the entire trade route	B．to know the making of products
C．to receive certain special training	D．to deal with a lot of difficulties

2. The Silk Road became less important because         .

A．it was made up of different routes	B．silk trading became less popular
C．sea travel provided easier routes	D．people needed fewer foreign goods

3. New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people         .

A．learned from one another	B．shared each other’s beliefs
C．traded goods along the route	D．earned their living by traveling

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Silk Road ; Past and Present	B．The Silk Road; East Meets West
C．The Silk Road; Routes Full of Dangers	D．The Silk Road; Pathways for Learning