1 . The Pharos, the great lighthouse of Alexandria, was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It stood on the island of Pharos, in the harbor of the city of Alexandria. In 290 B.C, Ptolemy I Soter, the ruler of Egypt, ordered the building of the lighthouse. Twenty years later, it was finished−the first lighthouse in the world and the tallest building on Earth except the Great Pyramid of Egypt.

The Pharos was designed by Sostrates, a Greek architect. Sostrates wanted to leave his name on the base of the lighthouse. But Ptolemy refused, ordering that only his own name appear on the building. But Sostrates found a way to do that. At the base of the Pharos, Sostrates left a message containing his own name. Then he covered it with plaster (建筑石膏) and left Ptolemy's name over it. After many years, the plaster disappeared and people knew the true architect of the lighthouse.

In 1302 and 1323, two strong earthquakes hit Alexandria, and the lighthouse was damaged. In 1326, it finally fell into the sea. Much of what we know about the lighthouse comes from the writings of Arabs who once visited the Pharos.

The Pharos was about 384 feet tall, the same height as a modern 40-storey building. At the top of the lighthouse stood a large statue of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Under it was a beacon, the source of light for the lighthouse. The Pharos used two kinds of beacons. At night, a large fire created the light. During the day, a huge mirror made use of the sunlight to create the light.

It was said that the mirror was also used to set enemy ships on fire as they entered the harbor by directing the sun’s rays (sunlight) at them. Although it is clearly impossible, the idea is interesting.

1. Why did Sostrates use plaster at the base of the Pharos?

A．To follow Ptolemy's orders.

B．To hide his name left on the base.

C．To protect the base from damage.

D．To make the lighthouse more beautiful.

2. How long had the Pharos stayed standing?

A．For about 800 years.	B．For about 1,000 years.
C．For about 1,600 years.	D．For about 2,000 years.

3. What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．The lighthouse.	B．The statue.
C．A large fire.	D．A huge mirror.

4. What can be a suitable title for the passage?

A．Sostrates and Ptolemy.

B．The function of an old lighthouse.

C．The Pharos, a wonder of the ancient world.

D．The architect of an old lighthouse.

2 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文, 请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。短文中有10处语言错误, 每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（^）, 并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2. 只允许修改10处,多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Welcome to the Great Wall. Measured more than 6,000 kilometers in length, the Great Wall is known as the long wall in the world. It had a long history of more than 2,000 years. That is amazing about the Great Wall is that it is main made of stones and bricks, and that all the construction was done by hand. As it was used to protecting the country from foreign invaders, every a few hundred meters along the Great Wall, there was a watchtower. Now, as a symbol of China, the Great Wall has become one of the most famous tourist attraction in the world. There is no wonder that the Great Wall attracts thousands foreign tourists every year.

3 . Rainforests are home to a rich variety of medicinal plants, food, birds and animals. Can you believe that a single bush（灌木丛）in the Amazon may have more species of ants than the whole of Britain! About 480 varieties of trees may be found in just one hectare of rainforest.

Rainforests are the lungs of the planet-storing vast quantities of carbon dioxide and producing a significant amount of the world's oxygen. Rainforests have their own perfect system for ensuring their own survival; the tall trees make a canopy（树冠层）of branches and leaves which protect themselves, smaller plants, and the forest animals from heavy rain, intense dry heat from the sun and strong winds.

Amazingly, the trees grow in such a way that their leaves and branches, although close together, never actually touch those of another tree. Scientists think this is the plants' way to prevent the spread of any tree diseases and make life more difficult for leaf-eating insects like caterpillars. To survive in the forest, animals must climb, jump or fly across the gaps. The ground floor of the forest is not all tangled leaves and bushes, like in films, but is actually fairly clear. It is where dead leaves turn into food for the trees and other forest life.

They are not called rainforests for nothing! Rainforests can generate 75%of their own rain. At least 80 inches of rain a year is normal-and in some areas there may be as much as 430 inches of rain annually. This is real rain-your umbrella may protect you in a shower, but it won't keep you dry if there is a full rainstorm. In just two hours, streams can rise ten to twenty feet. The humidity（湿气）of large rainforests contributes to the formation of rainclouds that may travel to other countries in need of rain.

1. What can we learn about rainforests from the first paragraph?

A．They produce oxygen.	B．They cover a vast area.
C．They are well managed.	D．They are rich in wildlife.

2. Which of the following contributes most to the survival of rainforests?

A．Heavy rains	B．Big trees.
C．Small plants.	D．Forest animals.

3. Why do the leaves and branches of different trees avoid touching each other?

A．For more sunlight.	B．For more growing space.
C．For self-protection.	D．For the detection of insects.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Life-Giving Rainforests	B．The Law of the Jungle
C．Animals in the Amazon	D．Weather in Rainforests

4 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

It's long been known for its beautiful architecture, large quantities of green spaces and     1    （tradition） coffee shops — and now Vienna is building itself a reputation for something even more pleasing.

The Austrian capital has been ranked the world's most livable city for the second year running,     2     （reach） the top with almost perfect scores for stability, culture and environment, education and construction, and health care.

The index considers more than 30 qualitative （定量的）factors ranging five broad     3    （category） , the data as follows: stability （25%）, healthcare （20%）, culture and environment （25%）, education （10%） , and infrastructure （20%）.

Lucie Lamster Thury,     4       New Yorker who moved to Vienna in 2004 and runs shopping tours of the city, said Vienna "taught me how to live".

“Coining from Manhattan it was hard to slow down but I love the pace of Vienna. It's     5     （relative） quiet, clean and culturally abundant, and I've never felt     6     （safe） in Europe or in the States. ”

“I thought I'd never get used to shops being closed on Sundays, but it     7     （change） my life — people actually get to rest here, and private life is as important as work. ”

It was followed by Melbourne,     8    Vienna bettered last year after Melbourne was at the top seven years.

Sydney, Osaka and Calgary make     9    the top five on the annual Global Liveability Index of 140 cities around the world,     10    （collect） by The Economist Intelligence Unit.

5 . Urbanization

Until relatively recently, the vast majority of human beings lived and died without ever seeing a city. The first city was probably founded no more than 5,500 years ago.    1    In fact, nearly everyone lived on farms or in tiny rural（乡村的）villages. It was not until the 20th century that Great Britain became the first urban society in history—a society in which the majority of people live in cities and do not farm for a living.

Britain was only the beginning.    2    The process of urbanization—the migration（迁徙）of people from the countryside to the city—was the result of modernization, which has rapidly transformed how people live and where they live.

In 1900, fewer than 40% of Americans lived in urban areas. Today, over 82% of Americans live in cities. Only about 2% live on farms.    3    

Large cities were impossible until agriculture became industrialized. Even in advanced agricultural societies, it took about ninety-five people on farms to feed five people in cities.    4    Until modern times, those living in cities were mainly the ruling elite（精英）and the servants, laborers and professionals who served them. Cities survived by taxing farmers and were limited in size by the amount of surplus food that the rural population produced and by the ability to move this surplus from farm to city.

Over the past two centuries, the Industrial Revolution has broken this balance between the city and the country.    5    Today, instead of needing ninety-five farmers to feed five city people, one American farmer is able to feed more than a hundred non-farmers.

A．That kept cities very small.

B．The rest live in small towns.

C．The effects of urban living on people should be considered.

D．Soon many other industrial nations became urban societies.

E．But even 200 years ago, only a few people could live in cities.

F．Modernization drew people to the cities and made farmers more productive.

G．Modem cities have destroyed social relations and the health of human beings.

6 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

I wake up to the sound of the wind buffeting the cloth of my tent. Even though the sun is    1    (bright) shining, telling whether it is morning or night is impossible. I’m above the Arctic Circle,    2    in summer the sun never sets. I’m in the remote far north of Sweden in Sarek National Park,    3    place with no roads or towns.

Around 9,000 years ago, reindeer began to arrive at Sarek’s mountains. Following the reindeer    4    (be) the Sami people, who made this territory their home. In 1909, Sarek was made a national park    5    (keep) the land in its natural state.

For hundreds of years,    6    (look) after reindeer was a way of life for the Sami. Today, most Sami have houses in villages near Sarek and live a modern life just    7    their neighbours and enjoy their    8    (tradition) as before.

After breakfast, I pack my bag and set out again. Being in such a    9    (beauty) and wild place makes me feel    10    (bless) to be alive.

7 . 语法填空

Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth. It's also among the driest.     1    (cover) about 14 million square kilometers around the South Pole, it is the fifth     2     (large) continent in the world. A high mountain range, the Transantarctic Mountains,     3     (run) from east to west, cutting the continent into two. There are    4    (volcano) too, but they are not very active. Antarctica holds about 90% of the world's ice, and most of its fresh water is in a frozen state, of course. Approximately 98% of the surface is covered     5     (permanent) by the ice cap. On average it is around two kilometers thick, but in some places it reaches a     6     (deep) of about five kilometers. Strong winds driven by gravity blow from the pole to the coastline, while other winds blow round the coast. It is difficult     7     (imagine) a more inhospitable place.

Yet Antarctica is full of wildlife, which has adapted     8     its extreme conditions. But the Antarctic winter,     9     involves a period of over three months of complete darkness, as well as the extreme cold and lack of rainfall, means that few types of plants can survive there. Only two types of flowering plants are found,     10     there are no trees on the large continent.

8 . When you think of the Arctic, you imagine an icy land of pure white snow, which is considered to be the last really clean place     1    (leave) on Earth. Yet plastic trash has now reached the remote regions of the Arctic and the Alps. A team of     2    (scientist) has discovered large quantities of microplastics(微塑料) — very small pieces of plastic waste — in the Arctic snow. While microplastics have been found in sea-water, drinking water, and even in animals over     3     past several years, this is the first study to show microplastics in snow,     4     indicates it is an airborne pollutant that must be paid attention to.

The researchers state that microplastics in snow suggest that microplastics may be in the air that we     5    (breath). Therefore, it is really important     6    (assess) if microplastics also reach lung tissues.

Previous research has found that they flow over long distances and into our oceans,     7    (damage) ecosystems along the way. They start in our wastewater, when we wash clothes     8     plastic fibers. The wastewater then flows into rivers and out to sea, where they     9    (eat) by sea animals. If people then eat these animals, it means that we’re     10    (probable) eating the plastic as well.

9 . There are forests, lakes and sea around Stockholm (斯德哥尔摩). So it has the feeling of a small town. To the east, many boats pass by every day. To the west, visitors can do many kinds of water sports. Stockholm’s people are proud of their city. Their city’s blue waters are so clear. People can go swimming and fishing in the center of the city. Few cities can have places like these.

Water is very important in Stockholm in many ways. Visitors can enjoy visiting the beautiful city by boat. The boats can pass by many of Stockholm’s beautiful bridges and palaces. One of the most famous trips is named “Under the Bridges of Stockholm”.

After a boat trip of the city, the next step should be a trip to some of the 24,000 islands in Stockholm. Some of the islands are just rocks; others are green with forests. Many have people to live in. Everyone is welcome to fish, swim and go on a trip.

Every August, the city celebrates for the Stockholm Water Festival. The festival sports and other activities go on 24 hours a day swimming, music, art and dancing. In the evening, we can watch beautiful fireworks (焰火) in the sky. The King gives the Stockholm Water Prize to the person who does the most work in water.

1. Why are people in Stockholm proud of their city?

A．Because waters in their city are very clear.

B．Because forests are around their city.

C．Because the city is not very big.

D．Because it is a very old city.

2. What does the underlined word “waters” mean in the passage?

A．水	B．海水
C．湖水	D．水域

3. From the passage we know that ________.

A．bridges in Stockholm are very old

B．water is important to Stockholm

C．visitors can swim or fish far from the city

D．visitors can visit beautiful palaces on foot

4. Many ________ are on the islands of Stockholm

A．animals	B．garden worker
C．birds	D．rocks and forests

5. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The Stockholm Water Festival is held in August every year.

B．The festival sports go on 24 hours a day.

C．Visitors can watch beautiful flowers in the evening

D．The King gives the Stockholm Water Prize in the Water Festival.

10 . An international group of coffee experts has considered Ethiopia’s coffee as the best in the world.Coffee is a top export (出口物) of the country. But at home, it is seen as national pride. Ethiopians feel good about their coffee, and enjoying a drink with friends is a long tradition.

Some people say the climate produces quality beans. Morton Wennersgarrd is a coffee importer. He said, “Ethiopia has different ancient types of coffee. They are planted in places with perfect soil, perfect altitude (海拔), and climates that are really suitable for coffee processing.”

Finding the best quality beans is often an issue of taste. The process is known as   cupping — tasting and comparing coffee from different roasted beans, grading and then pricing them. But before international experts come to taste, coffee beans are studied in small coffee laboratories. Helen Assefa, a lab technician, describes   the process, “When the coffee comes to the lab, we assess (评价) its quality first by recording the details.Then we weigh the moisture (水分) level and we examine the beans for analysis. After that we grind (磨碎) the coffee beans and taste the samples. In the end, we check for defective (有瑕疵的) beans.” Mubarik Abaoli is a lab worker.He says that testing is a very difficult and long process. “We select out the defects by hand. And we select out the defect according to the defect types.”

Ethiopia has got a lot of money by exporting coffee to more than 120 countries. The country has an export revenue (税收) of more than 840 million a year. But not all the best coffee leaves Ethiopia. Forty percent of the coffee grown in the country stays there. It remains an important part of everyday life at work, at home and at ceremonies.

1. Ethiopians’ attitude towards coffee may best be described as        .

A．proud	B．relaxed
C．brave	D．doubtful

2. The third paragraph is mainly about_______.

A．the ways of making coffee

B．the process of assessing the coffee

C．the tips on planting the best coffee

D．the influence of the coffee

3. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．More than 120 countries export coffee to Ethiopia.

B．Coffee plays an important role in Ethiopians’ life.

C．40% of the coffee grown in Ethiopia is exported.

D．Ethiopians earn their living by exporting coffee.

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To advertise the coffee in Ethiopia.

B．To comment on coffee experts’ work.

C．To introduce the best coffee in the world.

D．To recommend tourists activities in Ethiopia.