1 . Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word. For the other blanks, fill in each blank with one proper word. Make sure that your answers are grammatically correct.

Melbourne: So lovely. So... livable.

Every year, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) releases a list of 140 cities and ranks them in terms of their “livability”. Melbourne     1     (top) the list for the fifth year running.

The rankings rate “relative comfort” for more than 30 factors across five categories: stability, health care, education, infrastructure (基础设施), and culture and environment. The final scores     2     (calculate) as a percentage ranging from 1 (“intolerable”) to a perfect score of 100 (“ideal”).

Take a look at the top 10 cities, and you will find that half of     3     are in Australia and New Zealand, three in Canada, and two in Europe. They’re all medium-size cities in prosperous countries,     4     relatively low population densities. It's an equation (平衡，制衡局面) that leads to low crime rates and a functional infrastructure.

Does that mean non-Melbournians should all pack up and move to the world’s     5     (livable) metropolis? Not necessarily.

    6     the top 10 cities in the EIU’s rankings may be pleasant to live in, they’re not high on most people’s lists of top cities to visit. After all, they are not cities     7     (describe) as dynamic (充满活力的). Before Melbourne assumed the No. 1 ranking, it was Vancouver     8     came out on top for almost a decade its incredible stability.

“I find Melbourne a really boring town, so more livable means really dull,” said a policeman in Australia. “I live in Sydney because it’s interesting, not because it’s comfortable.”

Raised is the question whether you want to live in a livable city or a dynamic one. Big cities like Tokyo, London and New York suffer in the rankings because of higher crime rates and overburdened infrastructure,     9     drags down the rating of how “comfortable” they are. Yet they’re hard    10     (beat) — when it comes to recreational offerings, including nightlife, culture and entertainment.

2 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Geography Makes a Silent Return

In many ways geography is the forgotten science. Even the word “geography” tends to make people think of students     1     (label) maps in social studies class. But that hasn’t always been true. Before the internet, the world was a mysterious place. In many cases, people didn’t really know     2     existed a few miles from home. Studying geography offered people a way to learn about the world.

Geography,     3     (define) as the study of Earth, has always had a focus on maps. But mapping hasn’t always been easy. In the days before satellites, mapmaking required years of dangerous and difficult work. But mapping also meant a chance at adventure and fame.

Geography became the subject of explorers. People were eager to hear about the new things and places     4     geographers had studied. National Geographic is a great example of this interest. For more than a hundred years, the magazine’s stories and pictures     5     (tell) people about our exciting world.

Technology has changed the way people think about geography. Travel is now easy. The internet makes information simple     6     (find). We trust our phones to take us     7     we want to go. Even National Geographic has expanded beyond traditional geography, but that doesn’t mean geography has become     8     (important).

While some apps are obvious examples of modern geography in action, geography remains important in more subtle (不易察觉的) ways, too. Geography, which helps house hunters, solves public health issues, and determines good locations for new businesses,    9     (use) to plan communities as well.

Like traditional geographers, modern geographers study many different topics. That makes them well-suited for many different jobs and industries. Today, geographers often have titles like “urban planner” or “data analyst”. And the world is noticing     10     number of graduates with degrees in geography is also growing.

Maybe it’s time for you to discover the forgotten science again.

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答下面小题。
1.

A．The first complete map of the world's coral reefs has been launched.

B．Arizona State University has supported the coral science activities.

C．Paul Allen's private company created super coral to help save reefs.

D．Greg Asner will create the first worldwide, detailed coral reef map.

2.

A．A researcher from Arizona State University.

B．The late co-founder of Microsoft Corporation

C．The manager of a private financial company.

D．A professor from the University of Queensland.

3.

A．To gain free access to reef data

B．To join Asner's team.

C．To make their work more effective.

D．To see the development of the maps.

4 . The Victorians’ Way of Having Fun

Whether it was visiting a human zoo, taking a bull on a hot-air balloon ride, or singing beautiful songs, Victorian Londoners loved to have fun. As performance managers came up with increasingly well-designed ways to make money from the capital’s huge potential audience, Victorians effectively invented the modern leisure industry – including theme parks, pubs and professional football. As a new book by historian Lee Jackson explains, the hunt for profit involves surrounding morality, class and empire. So where did Victorians go for fun? And what still exists today?

Dancing Rooms: Argyll Rooms, Piccadilly

It’s now a building site near Leicester Square, but when the Argyll Rooms lost its licence in 1878, there was a riot (暴乱). Drunken students were so angry at the closure of their favourite place that they took to the streets. The Argyll closed as the dance craze came to an end, and Bignell turned the space into the Trocadero music hall. It kept that name through the 20th century when it was transformed into one of London’s most tasteless tourist attractions. The site currently awaits development into a hotel.

Pleasure gardens: Gremorne Gardens, Chelsea

Gremorne was run by three West End pub owners, popular among the young people then. It closed in 1877 after losing its licence. Pleasure gardens more generally lost their meaning of existence with the establishment of public parks. London’s rapid growth meant the valuable land was usually sold to big companies for other purposes, which is why so little of London’s great pleasure gardens remain.

Pleasure gardens were also overshadowed by larger exhibition grounds such as the Crystal Palace, which tried to find a way of balancing entertainment with cultural education. Little physically remains of the Crystal Palace itself, which moved to Sydenham from Hyde Park in 1854, but the grand 200-acre grounds still exist as a public park.

On the site of the Methodist Central Hall was a short-lived attraction that attempted to transport the seaside to central London. It was railways that made Margate and Southend accessible to Londoners, and some of the leisure activities peculiar to the seaside soon made it back to the capital.

Football grounds: Craven Cottage, Stevenage Road, Fulham

Fulham FC, London’s oldest professional football club, still works at their first ground, built by the Victorians in 1896. Versions of the sport had been around for centuries, but it was the Victorians who created the game and then professionalized it. This led to enclosed grounds where spectators paid for admittance, with the income spent on acquiring new players. The modern game was born.

1. Which of the following is not similar in meaning to “took to the streets” in Para. 2?

A．gathered together in the streets	B．enjoyed window shopping
C．went outside on the streets	D．protested on the streets

2. The reason why fewer great pleasure gardens are left in London is that        .

A．people built more factories	B．they were turned into farming land
C．the land was sold to developers	D．they became university campuses

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The money from football is used to buy new players.

B．London has much on its football history.

C．Fulham F.C. is more than 200 years old.

D．The Victorians have cultivated many footballers.

4. Which of the following is the main idea of this passage?

A．The building of railways led to the theme parks.

B．The West End’s gardens became big hotels.

C．The Victorians largely invented modern leisure industries.

D．The income from modern football supports new players.

7 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Surviving Art Traditions

Native American Indians expressed themselves through their artwork, which is carved onto totem (图腾) poles. Many people hold the belief     1     all Native American Indian tribes (部落) carved totem poles, but this is far from the truth. Carving totem poles was a tradition among many tribes, especially those that lived along the Pacific coast     2     forests grew. However, those Native American Indians who lived in the south west and the plains, and Inuit Indians, had     3     (few) trees to carve than the Pacific tribes.

The height of totem poles can vary considerably. Long ago totem poles     4     (find) to stand around 12m tall. Today, Native American Indian artists continue to carve trees, but some totem poles are short and are used in homes as decoration.     5     is not surprising that a genuine pole will cost more than $1500 per meter because traditionally carved totem poles involve a great deal of work, craftsmanship and time to produce.

The raising of a totem pole is an important celebration among the Indian tribe. A hole is dug for the pole to stand in. The pole is carried to the site in a ceremony which often hundreds of people attend. Ropes are used     6     (raise) the pole into place. Singing and dancing to drums accompanies the pole raising. Often poles are raised in this way     7     the carving begins. Carvers do their jobs then on the site.

Many people believe that totem poles are religious symbols, but this idea is false. Instead of     8     (act) as religious symbols, carvings represent the tribal nation and convey the tribes’ history. The story of a totem pole is frequently passed down from generation to generation. Having the story documented in this way helps keep this tradition     9     (recognize) in our history. These days, many totem poles no longer exist     10     decay and rot. However, there are still some tribes that continue to practice this ancient art form, and these totem poles are still being enjoyed by collectors of tribal art.

8 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. technology       B. contemporary       C. stretched       D. hidden     E. recognized F. discovery   G. updated     H. extensive   I. countless   J. estimated   K. definition

Most of us learn at primary school that there are seven continents, but the next generation of kids may be adding one more to that list.

According to a recent paper published in the Geological Society of American Journal by a group of researchers, "Zealandia" is a new continent that's     1     beneath the ocean.

Zealandia is     2     to be five million sq km. Most of this massive area is covered by water, but its highest mountains already have their own name: New Zealand.

The small country is the only part of Zealandia that isn't underwater, but the paper's authors want the huge landmass to be     3     worldwide as its own continent.

"The scientific value of classifying Zealandia as a continent is much more than just an extra name on a list," the researchers wrote in their paper.

Scientists discovered Zealandia all the way back in 1995, then started     4     research on the area using underwater and satellite mapping     5    . After completing their work, they were finally able to write a report suggesting that Zealandia be named a continent.

But who decides on what is a continent and what isn't? There is, in fact, no official organization that does. Some countries' schools teach that there are six or even five continents. This changes depending on where in the world the school is.

Due to their     6     as a "continuous expanse of land", some classify Europe and Asia as the same continent -- known as Eurasia. Schools in Russia and parts of Eastern Europe teach this.

And to make things even more confusing, France and Greece, as well as other countries, classify North America and South America as simply America.

This argument over how land is defined has even     7     into outer space. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided that Pluto was no longer a planet, 76 years after its     8     in 1930. Experts argued that it no longer met the requirements needed to be called a planet alongside the eight others in our solar system. It was therefore renamed a "dwarf planet (矮行星)", meaning that     9     books, models and museum exhibits all over the world had to be     10    .

But will the world take the same notice of Zealandia? The best way to tell is to keep an eye on our textbooks.