1 . Ancient Rome was one of the world’s most powerful empires more than 2,000 years ago. The Romans’ Ideas about roads, laws, government and buildings still influence us today. Italy is shaped like a boot.

The Colosseum (角斗场) in Rome was built during the time of the Roman Empire, in the first century A.D.     1    . It is a popular tourist attraction today.

Italy is well-known for its designers, who create cars, handbags, clothes, shoes and other items that are in demand for their style and fine workmanship.

Today, the economy of Italy is stronger than in the past.     2    . Today, manufacturing and tourism are the main sources of income. There are some big companies, but Italy has many smaller companies, too.     3    . The southern part does not offer as many manufacturing jobs, so it is not as prosperous.

Italy is a member of the European Union, a group of countries that join together for better trade. The currency, or money, they use is called the “euro”.

Food and eating good meals are important to Italians.     4    . Popular foods include pasta, risotto, minestrone and pizza. McDonald’s is also popular there.

Many families still eat their main meal in the middle of the day.     5    . Families spend a lot of time together.

A．The family is very important to the Italian way of life.

B．The country used to depend on agriculture.

C．Mountains cover about three-fourths of the country.

D．It could seat about 50,000 people, who went to see fights between animals and people.

E．While there are some supermarkets, many people shop at small, neighborhood markets.

F．Italy has several islands off the coast.

G．The northern part of the country is the main manufacturing center.

2 . 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red?     1    . Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be pessimist. At least, this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings.     2    . If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.
    3    . A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day.     4    . A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides(自杀) than any other bridge in the area — until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply. Perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.
    5    . It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.

A．On the other hand, black is depressing.

B．They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favorite color as grow up — we are born with our preference.

C．The rooms are painted in different colors as you like.

D．If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement.

E．Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active.

F．Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colors.

G．Colors do influence our moods—there is no doubt about it

3 . How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments -mostly for entertainment purposes - is fair and respectful? Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats.

Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural homes. Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species, but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty. Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range.

The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs. The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusually and self-destructive behavior called zoochosis. A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.

Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered. Captive breeding (圈养繁殖) of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild. Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out. In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers. Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?

Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.

1. How would the author describe the animals’ life in zoos?

A．Dangerous.	B．Unhappy.
C．Natural.	D．Easy.

2. In the state of zoochosis, animals _________.

A．remain in cages	B．behave strangely
C．attack other animals	D．enjoy moving around

3. What does the author try to argue in the passage?

A．Zoos are not worth the public support.

B．Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals.

C．Zoos should treat animals as human beings.

D．Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment.

4. The author tries to persuade readers to accept his argument mainly by _________.

A．pointing out the faults in what zoos do

B．using evidence he has collected at zoos

C．questioning the way animals are protected

D．discussing the advantages of natural habitats

4 . Ann was on her first package trip in Rosas, Spain.
At the hotel, she checked in, and then went to her room to change before dinner. She was just ready to go downstairs when she found that her Spanish money wasn’t in her handbag. She carefully looked in all her luggage, but she couldn’t find it. All she had was a small purse with ten English pound notes in it!
Ann found a place to change her English money. She had very few pesetas(西班牙货币单位), and she would be here for two weeks. On her way back to the hotel, Ann bought some cheese, some bread and some oranges. When she got back, she told the manager that her doctor had told her not to eat Spanish food; she’d just have breakfast each day, as she knew the price of hotels included breakfast.
For the rest of her holiday, Ann swam in the hotel swimming pool, or lay on the beach and got a sunbath. When the other tourists went to interesting places, she always said she wasn’t well. In fact, her holiday wasn’t bad, except that she was always hungry. After all, a piece of fruit for lunch, and bread and cheese for supper isn’t very much.
Late in the afternoon of their last day, a girl, Jane, asked her why she never ate with them in the hotel restaurant. Ann told her about her money problems. Jane looked at her for a minute, and then said, “But didn’t you know? The price of this holiday includes everything!”
1. “A package trip” probably means _________.

A．a free trip

B．a long journey

C．a pleasant trip

D．a trip that includes the cost of all the tickets and services

2. Ann didn’t eat dinners in the restaurant of the hotel because _________.

A．she was afraid that she couldn’t pay for them with her little money

B．her doctor told her not to eat them

C．she wasn’t well

D．she wasn’t hungry

3. Why did Ann buy some cheese, some bread and some oranges?

A．Because they were good for her health.

B．Because she planned to eat them instead of lunch and supper.

C．Because she liked them more than dinners in the hotel restaurant.

D．Because she is afraid that she couldn’t eat enough in the hotel restaurant.

4. How do you think Jane would feel after she heard Ann’s answer?

A．Angry.

B．Happy.

C．Surprised.

D．Excited

5 . Iceland is experiencing a book boom（繁荣时期）.
It is hard to avoid writers in Reykjavik. There is a phrase in Icelandic, “ad ganga med bok I maganum”, meaning everyone gives birth to a book. Literally, everyone “has a book in their stomach”. One in 10 Icelanders will publish one.
“Does it get rather competitive?” I ask the young novelist, Kristin Eirikskdottir. “Yes. Especially as I live with my mother and partner, who are also full-time writers. But we try to publish in alternate years so we do not compete too much.”
“Writers are respected here,” Agla Magnusdottir tells me. “They live well. Some even get a salary.” Magnusdottir is head of the new Icelandic Literature Centre, which offers state support for literature and its translation. “They write everything --- modern sagas(长篇英雄故事), poetry, children's books, literary and extraordinary fiction --- but the biggest boom is in crime writing,” she says.
So what has led to this phenomenal book boom? I would say it is due to a crop of good writers, telling interesting tales with elegant economy and fantastic characters.
Iceland's black lava(火山岩) riverbeds, its steaming, bubbling earth, with its towering volcanoes and fairytale streams also make it the perfect setting for stories. Solvi Bjorn Siggurdsson, an Icelandic novelist, says writers owe a lot to the past. “We are a nation of storytellers. When it was dark and cold we had nothing else to do,” he says. “Thanks to the poetic works and medieval（中世纪的） sagas, we have always been surrounded by stories. After independence from Denmark in 1944, literature helped define our identity.”
Siggurdsson shows respect to Iceland's Nobel Literature winner, Halldor Laxness, whose books are sold in petrol stations and tourist centres across the island. Locals name their cats after Laxness and pay a visit to his home. “When Laxness won the Nobel Prize in 1955 he put modern Icelandic literature on the map,” Siggurdsson tells me. “He gave us confidence to write.”
1. The underlined phrase in the passage suggests that ________.

A．Icelanders love collecting books.

B．Icelanders love writing very much.

C．there are a lot of great books in Iceland.

D．it is competitive to publish a book in Iceland.

2. What kind of book is the most popular in Iceland?

A．Poetry.	B．Medieval sagas.
C．Crime novels.	D．Children’s stories.

3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?.

A．Siggurdsson won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955.

B．Icelanders publish books to increase their income.

C．Writers in Iceland don’t benefit from its literary tradition.

D．Iceland possesses some factors to be a perfect setting for stories.

6 . An American research company shows that $248.7 billion online sales are expected by 2014. It seems as if we can’t get enough of spending money through countless online clicks today. Following are some of the incredible things that you can buy online!
1) Parents
51-year-old Michael Amatrudo from Connecticut put a posting on Craig list in 2009 to sell his elderly parents, asking for $155 in return.
2) Chewing Gum
Bidding for Britney Spears’ chewing gum reached $14,000 in 2004. The pop star’s half-eaten sandwich also went for over $500.
3) Kidney Stone
Star Trek actor William Shatner sold his kidney stone for $20,000 when he put it up for sale online to see how much a piece of him was worth. He ended up giving the money to charity.
4) An Imaginary Friend
This imaginary guy went (or might still be going) by the name of Jon Malipieman and was sold on eBay for $3,000 by a man who claimed:
“My imaginary friend Jon Malipieman is getting too old for me now. I am now 27 and I feel I am growing out of him. He is very friendly. Along with him, I will send you what he likes and dislikes, his favorite things to do and his personal self portrait.”
5) Souls
The website demonical.com is probably the creepiest site I have ever visited. You can sell your own soul or buy the souls of people such as Fidel Castro and Woody Allen (both selling for $950). Bill Gate, whoever that is, has his soul for sale at $1,300 while Michael Jacobsen’s soul is being sold for $3000.
6) A Rock That Looks Like Meat
The screen shot from eBay tells us that people are bidding over $1 million for this “naturally formed bbq pork rock”. Absolute madness.
1. What is the author’s purpose for writing the passage?

A．To introduce some unbelievable things online.

B．To call on customers to resist the products.

C．To attract readers to visit the related websites.

D．To encourage readers to buy the things online.

2. Which is probably sold at the highest price according to the passage?

A．Chewing Gum.	B．Kidney Stone.
C．An Imaginary Friend.	D．A Rock That Looks Like Meat.

3. According to the text, _____ is most likely to have starred in a film.

A．Britney Spears	B．William Shatner
C．Jon Malipieman	D．Fidel Castro

4. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Michael Amatrudo charged a high price for selling his elderly parents.

B．William Shatner sold the kidney stone so as to donate the money to charity.

C．Jon Malipieman was sold because he was not wanted any longer.

D．The soul of Michael Jacobsen is worth more than that of Woody Allen.

7 . Moods, say the experts, are feelings that are likely to become fixed, having effects on one's outlook (way of looking at things) for hours, days or even weeks. That's great if your mood is a pleasant one, but a problem if you are sad, anxious, angry, or simply lonely.
Perhaps the best way to deal with such moods is to talk them out; sometimes, though, there is no one to listen. Modern pharmacology (药理学) offers a lot of tranquilizers (镇静剂) and anti-anxiety drugs. What many people don't realize, however, is that scientists have discovered the effectiveness of several non-drug methods to make you free from an unwanted mood. These can be just as useful as drugs, and have the added benefit of being nonpoisonous. So next time you feel out of sorts, don't head for the drug store―try the following method.
Of all the mood-changing self-help techniques, aerobic exercise (有氧运动) seem to be the best cure for a bad mood. ―If you could keep the exercise, you'd be in high spirits, says Kathryn Lance, author of Running for Health and Beauty.
Researchers have explained biochemical and various other changes that make exercise a better mood-raiser than drugs. Physical work such as housework, however, does little. The key is aerobic exercise – running, cycling, walking, swimming, or other repetitive and sustained activities that increase the heart rate and circulation(循环), and improve the body's use of oxygen. Do them for at least 20 minutes a time, three to five times a week.
1. What is the main subject of the passage?

A．How to beat a bad mood.

B．How to talk bad moods out.

C．How to do physical exercises.

D．How to do aerobic exercise.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that __________.

A．when one is in a bad mood, he or she may not work very well

B．the best way to overcome a bad mood is to talk to oneself

C．some drugs are more effective than physical exercises

D．taking drugs is at risk of being poisonous

3. The phrase "feel out of sorts", as is used in the second paragraph, could be best replaced by ___.

A．put things in order	B．are in a bad mood
C．search for tranquilizers	D．want a mood-raiser

4. Which of the following best describes the organization of this passage?

A．An exercise and its importance are explained

B．A problem is examined and solutions are given

C．Two different views of a problem are presented

D．Recent developments in medicine are described

8 . The Future Body Network
Are you tired of wires that spread all over your desk and make your tea pour onto your keyboard? If so, you may consider using devices（设备）that use technologies like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Neither of them sends information through wires. It sounds perfect, doesn't it? But this is not the end of the story.
Scientists are now trying to use the human body to do a similar job. They have come up with the idea of sending information over the small electric field on the surface of the skin. To do this, a transmitter（传送器）could be built into your pocket or a portable device like an MP3 player. This transmitter would then use your skin's electrical field to send information to a receiving device. Since this kind of transmission can only go as far as 20cm, the receiver would have to be close to some part of your body.
By using this body network, you wouldn't need a wire to link your MP3 player in your pocket to the headphones in your ears, or to send to your computer the pictures from a digital camera hanging around your neck. Moreover, you can exchange electronic cards or share music files with others by shaking hands, dancing cheek（脸颊）to cheek, or kissing each other.
Now, here comes a question. Why would anyone want to use their body as a network when Wi-Fi and Bluetooth already exist? The answer lies in the fact that with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, it is hard to limit the signals only to your own use. In a busy place, you can never know who might steal your information. However, body networking is safer. It is hard for other people to pick up signals sent over the surface of your skin since this body network only has a limit of 20cm from your body. Thus, no one else can easily pick up and interpret your signals.
Moreover, the most important use of body networking in the future may well be communication within the body rather than just on its surface. Imagine having a number of small devices implanted under your skin and using them to control your own nervous system. In other words, imagine that you have a powerful in-body computer. What do you think of this idea? Does it sound cool, like being a character in the movie RoboCop? Or would you prefer to be just an ordinary human being?

1. What's the main idea of the passage?

A．Technology is causing us to be lazy.

B．Technology is doing harm to our body.

C．Technology is advancing too quickly.

D．Technology is making our life easier.

2. Which of the following is NOT the way to exchange information over the skin?

A．Shaking hands.	B．Looking into one's eyes.
C．Kissing each other.	D．Dancing cheek to cheek.

3. The body network is safer because _________.

A．the information is only important to you

B．the information is stored inside your body

C．the information is sent out only 20cm from your body

D．the information is controlled by your nervous system

4. The movie RoboCop is most likely about________.

A．a man that is controlled by a computer

B．a computer that turns into a man

C．a robot that catches a thief

D．a thief that steals a robot

9 .

Museum of the Moving Image ( MMI ) ( Monday Closed ) As the best museum in New York City and with a balance of hands-on（实际操作的）activities and information , it’s the rare bird that can entertain and educate people of different ages . It’s a perfect destination for a family trip of a couple of hours . Pros—Excellent movie screenings . Easy subway access . Cons—Difficult to reach by car .

New York Hall of Science ( NYHS ) ( Monday Closed ) Being New York City’s only hands-on science and technology center , it is an interactive science museum focusing on its audience of children . It has the most hands-on exhibits in an NYC museum , and it’s a fun destination for ages 5 and up . Older folks might take great interest in the NASA rockets outside the museum , but don’t bother unless you’ve kids to keep you company . Pros—Cool interactive science exhibits , the rockets . Cons—Hard to reach by public transportation .

Queens County Farm Museum ( QCFM ) ( Year-round 7 days a week ) It is an actual farm in New York City and home to animals your kids can feed and a yard full of a climbing plant whose fruit can be made into wine . Good chance to meet sheep , goats , pigs , chickens and cows ! The animals are mostly readily accessible to visitors . And the museum sells food for young hands willing to get licked by sheep and goats . Pros—Outdoor fun . Cons—Expensive festivals , long bus ride , no subway .

Queens Museum of Art ( QMA ) ( Monday and Tuesday Closed ) Opened in 1972 to serve as a cultural center for the borough（行政区）, it exhibits art by local and international artists . Its best exhibits are on the two World’s Fairs , and of course , the Panorama of New York City , a giant , highly detailed diorama（透景画）of all five New York City boroughs . Pros—The Panorama , great gift shop . Easy subway access . Cons—Not much for kids .

1. The least likely choice for 5-year-old Jack to make among the museums is __________ .

A．QMA

B．TNYHS

C．TMMI

D．QCFM

2. According to the text , which of the following is NOT true ?

A．All the museums mentioned above lie in New York City .

B．No other museum in New York City is better than MMI .

C．NYHS has the most hands-on activities in America .

D．Lucky visitors can see grapes in one of the museums .

3. In which museum can you enjoy outdoor fun ?

A．MMI .

B．QCFM .

C．NYHS .

D．QMA .

10 . Cheaters called “pirates” often use camcorders(便携式摄像机) and cell phones to make illegal copies of blockbusters in the local theater. These pirates then sell those recordings on the street or over the Internet for very low prices. Some share them for free.
“It’s unfair for people to pirate movies,” says 15-year-old Hadaia Azad Ezzulddin. Movie piracy “takes money out of the pockets of thousands of people in the movie industry,” she notes. Victims include famous actors and directors as well as local theater owners and their employees.
Hadaia came up with an idea that could help stop movie piracy. Hadaia’s idea uses infrared(红外线的) light. This range of light is invisible to the human eye. It is visible, however, to many types of cameras. Theater owners could place small infrared lights on their movie screens. The lights would not disturb people watching the movie. It would, however, distort the recordings made by many types of cameras.
To test her idea, Hadaia built a box with a movie screen inside. Then, she projected images on that screen through a hole in the box. She took recordings of those images, using nine different types of cameras. These included the types found in cell phones as well as camcorders. During some tests, she also turned on light emitting diodes(发光二极管), or LEDs. The LEDs were embedded（植入的）in a certain place behind the movie screen. They gave out infrared light.
Sure enough, she showed, a pirated movie included odd stripes or spots if it had been recorded while the LEDs were on. It might be possible to use the LEDs to flash the date and time on the movie screen. The information would then appear in the illegal recordings. Theater owners or police might use the information to track down the pirates.
Cutting down on piracy might get more people into theaters to watch the real movie instead of an illegal copy. Six out of every ten films now produced aren’t profitable. They don’t make enough money to recover how much was spent to make and market them. Such a poor payback can discourage filmmakers from producing anything but the types expected to become blockbuster hits. It might also keep smaller theaters from showing a wider variety of movie types.
1. From what Hadaia says in Paragraph 2, we can infer that _______.

A．most people spend less money on pirates moves

B．the pirates don’t have to pay for the movie tickets

C．theater owners will increase the price of movie tickets

D．she strongly criticizes those who video movies in the theater

2. Infrared lights are put on the movie screens to _______.

A．adjust the brightness of the movie screens

B．make sure the images of movies are dark

C．make illegal copies of movies unpleasant to see

D．protect the eyesight of viewers in the darkness

3. What is the correct order of the steps in Hadaia’s test?
a. She projected pictures on the screen.
b. She used cameras to record the pictures.
c. She turned on the LEDs placed behind the screen.
d. She made a special box with a movie screen inside.

A．d c a b	B．d b a c
C．b a c d	D．b c a d

4. According to the last paragraph, we can know that _______.

A．forty percent of movies now are profitable

B．small theaters often choose to show low-cost movies

C．more and more people go to theaters to fight movie piracy

D．filmmakers prefer to produce ordinary movies than blockbusters