1 . The First Americans

There was a time long ago when a land bridge connected Asia and North America. The first settlers in North America crossed this land bridge from what is now Siberia to Alaska. The people who made this initial crossing were probably following the animals they used for food.

Eventually, the oceans rose and the land bridge between the continents disappeared. The settlers, who I shall call the “First Americans”, could not return to their homeland.     1    

For the next few thousand years, the First Americans migrated south and east throughout North and South America. They made the journey all the way from Alaska to the southern tip of South America, a distance of more than 10,000 miles.     2    

In the far north, above the Arctic Circle, the First Americans became hunters of the ocean.     3     In the brief summer, they gathered berries and other plants. In the winter, they stayed in lodges much of the time preparing for the next summer. It was a hard life, but they learned to survive in these harsh conditions.

Farther south, in what is now Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico, the First Americans became cliff dwellers (悬崖居民). They began by living in caves that already existed in the cliffs.     4     The dwellings they constructed in many ways resembled today’s apartment buildings.

    5     They built a system of dams and canals so they could store and use water almost any time of the year. They were so successful that they could raise fruits and vegetables that were not found naturally in the desert.

In Mexico and South America, the First Americans founded civilizations that were among the greatest in the world. They built huge pyramids, lived in fabulous cities» and made great advances in science and mathematics long before the Europeans arrived.

A．They also discovered foods like corn and potatoes.

B．Along the way, they established many different civilizations.

C．The First Americans of the Southwest learned to irrigate the desert.

D．They would have to survive in the New World, they had discovered.

E．They built boats of animal skins and hunted or fished for their food.

F．People living near each other tended to share similar environments and customs.

G．They discovered how to add to the caves by building structures of wood and stone.

2 . In spite of the uncertainty of the economy, the movie industry has been stricken by a box-office outburst. Suddenly it seems as if everyone is going to the movies, with ticket sales this year up 17.5 percent, to $1.7 billion.

And it is not just because ticket prices are higher. Attendance has also jumped, by nearly 16 percent. If that pace continues through the year, it would amount to the biggest box-office increase in at least two decades.

Americans, for the moment, just want to hide in a very dark place. People want to forget their troubles, and they want to be with other people. Helping feed the outburst is the mix of movies, which have been more audience-friendly in recent months as the studios have tried to adjust after the discouraging sales of more serious films.

As she stood in line at the 18-screen Bridge theater complex here on Thursday to buy weekend tickets for “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience,” Angel Hernandez was not thinking much about escaping reality. Instead, Ms. Hernandez, a Los Angeles parking lot attendant and mother of four young girls, was focused on one very specific reality: her wallet.

“Spending hundreds of dollars to take them to Disneyland is ridiculous right now,” she said. “For $60 and some candy money I can still be a good mom and give them a little fun.”

A lot of parents may have been thinking the same thing Friday, as “Jonas Brothers” sold out more than 800 theaters, and was expected to sell a powerful $25 million or more in tickets.

The film industry appears to have had a hand in its recent good luck. Over the last year or two, studios have released movies that are happier, scarier or just less depressing than what came before. After poor results for a rush of serious dramas built around the Middle East, Hollywood got back to comedies.

1. Which of the following is not a reason for the improvement of the movie industry?

A．A growing number of people are going to the cinema.

B．People are richer with the development of economy.

C．More comedies are made than serious films.

D．People have to pay more to watch a movie.

2. Ms. Hernandez purchased the movie tickets because ________.

A．she tried to escape reality

B．she was a crazy movie fan

C．she was fond of Disneyland

D．she wanted to please her kids

3. According to the text, which of the following number is not used to describe the shooting up of the movie industry?

A．17.5%	B．$1.7 billion
C．$60	D．$25 million

4. The passage is developed mainly by ________.

A．presenting the effect and analyzing the causes

B．following the order of time

C．describing problems and drawing a conclusion

D．making comparison of ideas

3 . You may know the Eiffel Tower as one of the most famous man-made monuments in the world, and you’d be absolutely right! Read on to learn about the history of the spectacular Eiffel Tower.
Travelers from around the world flock(蜂拥) to Paris, France, to visit the Eiffel Tower, making it the most visited paid monument in the entire world! In fact, in 2010, the Eiffel Tower welcomed its 250 millionth visitor!
The history of the Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the famous monument. Construction began in January of 1887 and was completed in only two years. Their plan was to finish the tower in time to be the entrance arch for the World’s Fair in 1889. This fair celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the French Revolution, which took place from 1789 to 1799.
The height competition
Located on the Champs de Mars, the tower is the tallest structure in Paris. It was the tallest man-made structure in the world for 41 years until the Chrysler Building in New York surpassed(超过) it. Then the spire(塔尖) atop the tower was added, raising its height to 17 feet taller than the Chrysler Building. It is now 1,063 feet tall! There are two replicas(复制品) of the Eiffel Tower in the world: a half scale model at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas and a full-sized monument of a similar (but not exact) design in Tokyo, Japan.
Three shades of awesome
Some pictures make the Eiffel Tower look like a dark iron color. But it is, in fact, bronze. Not only that, but the tower is actually painted three different shades to make it appear even taller: darkest on the bottom and lightest on the top.
1. The Eiffel Tower was constructed to ________.

A．show great respect for Gustave Eiffel

B．make Paris the most visited city in the world

C．show the French people’s construction skill

D．celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution

2. Which of the following does the author mention in the passage?

A．The political meaning of the Eiffel Tower.

B．The disadvantages of the Eiffel Tower.

C．The location of the Eiffel Tower.

D．The cost of the Eiffel Tower.

3. Where can you find a structure similar to the Eiffel Tower according to the passage?

A．In New York.	B．In Las Vegas.
C．In Los Angeles.	D．In Florida.

4. The main purpose of the passage is to ________.

A．tell visitors where to find the replicas of the Eiffel Tower

B．raise people’s awareness of protecting the Eiffel Tower

C．offer people some information about the Eiffel Tower

D．call on people to visit the Eiffel Tower

4 . Earthquakes are ____， and thousands of them happen each day. But most are too weak to feel. During a ____ earthquake, there is often a great noise first. Then the earth ____ terribly and many houses ____ down. Railway tracks break and trains go ____ lines; a great many factories are ____； thousands of deaths are caused, and many more lose homes ... ____ the great damage and deaths caused by the earthquake ____， other disasters such as fires often ____. More buildings are destroyed and more ____ are caused.
It is well known of the ____ of a possible earthquake, and for centuries man has been making researches on earthquakes. More than 2,000 years ago, ____， a Chinese scientist named Zhang Heng ____ a machine which could find out from which ____ the seismic waves had come, and this machine is still ____ by scientists today. Now we know much more about earthquakes and ____ they happen, but we still cannot ____ exactly when and where an earthquake will happen, and cannot ____ it from happening. So earthquakes are among the ____ disasters in the world.
No one can stop natural earthquakes. ____， scientists can help stop earthquakes destroying the whole cities and causing too many deaths.1.

A．common

B．familiar

C．strange

D．unusual

2.

A．real

B．small

C．big

D．weak

3.

A．moves

B．breaks

C．jumps

D．shakes

4.

A．get

B．fall

C．set

D．put

5.

A．off

B．behind

C．into

D．on

6.

A．burst

B．buried

C．destroyed

D．struck

7.

A．Except

B．Because of

C．Instead of

D．Besides

8.

A．lonely

B．itself

C．themselves

D．later

9.

A．follow

B．enter

C．come

D．copy

10.

A．quakes

B．results

C．difficulties

D．deaths

11.

A．information

B．problems

C．dangers

D．questions

12.

A．as a result

B．as well

C．for example

D．in fact

13.

A．invented

B．bought

C．found

D．discovered

14.

A．country

B．city

C．way

D．direction

15.

A．improved

B．used

C．protected

D．repaired

16.

A．where

B．why

C．what

D．when

17.

A．speak

B．point

C．talk

D．tell

18.

A．make

B．let

C．stop

D．prepare

19.

A．worst

B．fast

C．most

D．best

20.

A．However

B．So

C．And

D．But

5 . On a freezing cold day, a couple had to move into a small apartment because of their failure in business. The husband worked day and night to support the family but gave no care of his wife. So she thought, “He doesn't love me any more. He just cares about his business ... not me”．

One day, she was about to take a shower when he stopped her at the door, “Let me take it first, okay?” “Why not me first?” she asked. “I am tired, honey, you take it later, okay?” She was entirely unhappy.

One day, she found nothing to do and turned on his computer. A few words came into her sight. Reading them, she burst into tears. It was his diary：

Today, I was quite sad. She asked me why I was always taking the shower first, and I said to her, “I was exhausted.” She was unhappy. In her mind, I treated her not as well as usual, but what could I do? I was not as rich as before! We moved to the small apartment, and there was only one shower in the bathroom. It was so cold to take a shower in such a cold winter. But I found that if one person took the shower first, the room could get a little warmer. So every day I rushed to the bathroom first. I was thinking that, when she took the shower, the room would get warmer, even if it was only 1℃.

Now I cannot give her a comfortable life, take her to good restaurants, or buy expensive dresses for her, but at least, I can give her 1℃ love.

1. Why did the couple move to the small apartment?

A．Both of them were out of work.

B．They wanted to live a better life.

C．The man could take better care of his business.

D．They were too poor to live in the former house.

2. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “exhausted”？

A．Devoted.	B．Worried.
C．Tired.	D．Injured.

3. What can be inferred from the passage ?

A．They would live a richer life soon.

B．The woman misunderstood her husband.

C．The man would care less about his business.

D．The woman would get angry after reading the diary.

4. What's the best title of the passage ?

A．A Love Story	B．1℃ Love
C．A Suffering Couple	D．Fight for the Bathroom