1 . 原文填空

There is so much more to learn about the interesting history and culture of the United Kingdom. Studying the history of the country will make your visit     1     more enjoyable. The capital city London is a great place to start,     2     it is an ancient port city that has a history     3     all the way back to Roman times. There are countless historic sites to explore, and lots of museums with ancient relics from all over the UK. The UK is a     4     mix of history and modern culture,     5     both new and old traditions. If you keep your eyes open, you will be surprised to find that you can see both its past and its present.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Amber Room, the gift from Frederick William I to Peter the Great with    1    amazing history, was given this name because several tons of amber were used to make it. It was also a treasure    2    (decorate) with gold and jewels,     3    took the country’s best artists about ten years to make.    4    return, the Czar sent him a troop of his best soldiers. Later, Catherine II had the Amber Room     5    (move) to a palace outside St. Petersburg where she spent her summers. She told her artists to add more details to    6    . Sadly,     7    the Amber Room was considered one of the wonders of the world, it is now missing. In September 1941, Germany and Russia were at war. There was not enough time for     8    (Russia) to remove the Amber Room. However, some of the Nazis secretly stole the room itself. In less than two days 100,000 pieces were put inside twenty-seven     9    (wood) boxes. There is    10    doubt that the boxes were then put on a train for a German city.

3 . 【课本原文】

Three Days to See

I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.

Now and then I have tested my seeing friends to discover what they see. Recently, I asked a friend who had just returned from a long walk in the woods what she had observed. “Nothing in particular,” she replied.

How was it possible, I asked myself, to walk for an hour through the woods and see nothing worthy of note? I who cannot see find hundreds of things to interest me through mere touch. If I can get so much pleasure from touch, how much more beauty must be revealed by sight. And I have imagined what I should most like to see if I were given the use of my eyes, say for just three days.

On the first day, I should want to see the people whose kindness and gentleness and companionship have made my life worth living. I do not know what it is to see into the heart of a friend through that “window of the soul”, the eye. I can only “see” through my fingertips the outline of a face. I should like to see the books which have been read to me, and which have revealed to me the deepest channels of human life and the human spirit. In the afternoon I should take a long walk in the woods and intoxicate my eyes on the beauties of the world of nature. That night, I should not be able to sleep.

On my second day, I should like to see the pageant of man's progress, and I should go to the museums. I should try to probe into the soul of man through his art. The things I knew through touch I should now see. The evening of my second day I should spend at a theater or at the movies.   

The following morning, I should again greet the dawn, anxious to discover new delights, new revelations of beauty. Today I shall spend in the workaday world, amid the haunts of men going about the business of life.

At midnight permanent night would close in on me again. Only when darkness had again descended upon me should I realize how much I had left unseen.

I who am blind can give one hint to those who see: Use your eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken blind. And the same method can be applied to the other senses. Hear the music of voices, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an orchestra, as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow. Touch each object you want to touch as if tomorrow your tactile sense would fail. Smell the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel, as if tomorrow you could never smell and taste again. But of all the senses, I am sure that sight must be the most delightful.

(Excerpts from “Three Days to See” by Helen Keller)

1. How did Helen feel when her friend told her she observed nothing after a long walk?

A．Unbelievable.	B．Pleased.
C．Understanding.	D．Interested.

2. What did Helen most want to do if she had three days to see?

A．To stay up throughout the night.

B．To take a long walk in the woods.

C．To see the people who have helped her a lot.

D．To see books which have revealed much to her.

3. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．Helen loves darkness and silence.

B．Helen is only stricken with blindness.

C．Helen wishes people to suffer from diseases.

D．Helen thinks healthy people ignore too much.

4. What can we learn from the text?

A．It turns out that people with disabilities are more imaginative.

B．The author looks forward to only three days of normal vision.

C．We should take what we have for granted, not cherish too much.

D．It is not lack of beauty in the world, just the eyes finding beauty.

4 . 【课本原文】

CHEMICAL VERSUS ORGANIC FARMING

Chemical pesticides and artificial fertilisers have been in widespread use in farming since the middle of the 20th century. When they were first introduced, many farmers welcomed them as a great way to fight crop disease and increase production. Over time, however, what some scientists have found is that their long­term use can sometimes harm both the land and people’s health.

For example, pesticides can damage the land by killing not only harmful bacteria and insects, but also helpful ones. In addition, these chemicals can stay in the soil and underground water sources for a long time. This affects the crops grown on the land and, in turn, the animals and humans who digest them. Many people worry that these chemicals may make them ill and even cause cancer. In fact, some pesticides like DDT have been prohibited in most countries because of the damage they cause to people and the environment. As for chemical fertilisers, crops grown with them usually grow too fast to be rich in nutrition. They may look beautiful on the outside, but inside there is usually more water than essential minerals, and they often have less flavour as well.

As an alternative, some farmers have switched to organic farming, and many customers have turned to organic food when they shop at the local grocery. Organic farming is simply farming without using any chemicals. Organic farmers focus on keeping their soil rich and free of disease through natural means. For example, many organic farmers use natural waste from animals as fertiliser. This makes the soil in their fields richer in minerals. It also keeps the air, soil, water, and crops free of chemicals.

Organic farmers also use many other methods to produce rich soil. They often change the kind of crop grown in each field every year. For instance, they may grow corn or wheat in a field one year, and then grow beans there the next. Why different crops are grown is that they put important minerals back into the ground, making it ready for the next batch of crops. Organic farmers also plant diverse crops that use different depths of soil to help keep it rich. For example, peanuts grow on the ground’s surface, but many other vegetables put down deep roots. The goal of using different organic farming methods is to grow good food while avoiding damage to the environment or to people’s health.

Some people would prefer to stop the use of man­made chemicals in agriculture entirely. What keeps them from doing so is the fact that chemical farming serves the high demand for food around the world. Organic farming is nowhere near able to meet that need. Therefore, there is still a long way to find a suitable solution that puts sufficient food on the dinner table while keeping people and the environment as healthy as possible.

1. Why did many farmers welcome the introduction of chemical farming?

A．They can fight crop disease and increase production.

B．They harm both the land and people’s health.

C．They can help produce rich soil.

D．They are not expensive.

2. What concerns many people about the use of pesticides?

A．Pesticides can damage the land.

B．Chemicals can stay in the soil for a long time.

C．Pesticides can kill harmful bacteria and insects.

D．Chemicals may make people ill and even cause cancer.

3. Why do organic farmers change the kind of crop grown in each field every few years?

A．It helps put important minerals back into the ground.

B．It can avoid damage to the environment.

C．It can help increase output.

D．The writer didn’t tell us.

4. Why can’t we stop the use of man­made chemicals in agriculture entirely?

A．Organic farming cost us a lot of money.

B．Organic farming can meet people’s need.

C．Chemical farming brought us huge profit.

D．Chemical farming helps serve the need for food.

7 . Now, we scientists ________ _________ ______ ______ _______ it is perfectly possible to live and not know.
如今，我们科学家理所当然地认为，生而有所不知是完全有可能的。

8 . When they failed to produce any promising results, Tu _________ _________ the ancient books of traditional Chinese medicine again.
当这些未能取得任何有希望的效果时，屠呦呦就再次查阅中医典籍。

9 . The Amazon River, ________ _________ the rainforest gets ________ name, is close to 6,400 kilometres _________ _______—roughly 100 kilometres longer than the Yangtze River.
亚马孙雨林得名于亚马孙河，亚马孙河长约6,400千米， 比长江还长大约100千米。

10 . There was __________ explosion of bright colors and lively music, and the group jumped into action. (用适当的词填空)