1 . As the effects of climate change set in, coastal cites such as the Italian city of Venice and the American city of New Orlean are slowly sinking. So is Bangkok. Officials in the city and scientists say they do not know how long people will be able to continue living in the Thai capital.

Thailand’s military rulers are considering action. The National Reform Council wants the government to form a committee to deal with the warnings that Bangkok could be permanently underwater many years from now.

The Saen canal was built in Bangkok in the late 1830s. In a neighborhood near the waterway, walkways are breaking up. Walls on homes, small businesses and an Islamic center appear to be bending. The area is sinking about two centimeters a year, which is two times the average rate for the rest of Bangkok.

“I don’t know what to do.” says Vijitri Puangsiri who has lived in the neighborhood for 44 years. Her home needs to be repaired every year because of the sinking ground. The walkway in front of her century-old house where she operates a small restaurant must also be repeatedly repaired.

“If you travel on the canal boats, you can see how this is all hollow,” Somsak Kongeeng says, “The buildings to see him are sinking because they were not built on solid foundations,” He joked that if we come back to see him again in 20 years, the water level will be almost as high as his head. But he is also partly serious. That might be only a small overstatement in a city that is, on average, just two meters above sea level.

Observers say two reasons for the sinking are a rising sea level and too much pumping of groundwater. Another reason, they say, is the decision by developers to build so many high-rises because they earn quantities of money by doing so. This kind of development worries those who are concerned with the rising water level.

1. What do we know from the passage?

A．Vijitri Puangsiri’s home needs repairing owing to the broken walkway.

B．The Saen canal was a supporting evidence of the sinking ground.

C．Somsak Kongeeng simply treats the sinking as a joke.

D．Bangkok is not suitable for people to live in any more.

2. To slow down the sinking of the city in a practical way, we suggest ________.

A．replacing the loose soil with concrete	B．controlling pumping groundwater
C．forbidding the construction of high-rises	D．stopping the rising of sea level

3. What is the writer’s purpose of writing the passage?

A．To appeal to protect the city of Bangkok.	B．To explain the reasons for the sinking
C．To stress the significance of Bangkok.	D．To inform us of the situation of Bangkok.

4. What is the best title of this passage?

A．The Saen Canal — Cause of the Sinking	B．A Warning from Bangkok
C．Bangkok — a Coastal City at Risk	D．Reasons for Sinking Building

2 . The custom of flying a piece of cloth high in the sky began more than 2,000 years ago in China. Since then, kites have been served in many fields, like doing scientific experiments, powering boats, taking pictures from the air and much more. In fact, kite-flying is a great way to clear the mind.

When Americans Kay and Larry Day found a store selling kites nearly 20 years ago, they decided to buy a few kites for their family. For fun, Larry bought one for himself. “He went out and flew it and decided he needed to go back and get a better one,” Kay remembered. Since then, she and her husband have loved kite-flying. They own many kites and plan trips around flying them. They also organize a kite-flying event each winter in their hometown in Iowa. “I’m at peace when I’m flying a kite,” said Larry.

Nic O’Neill, president of the American Kite-fliers Association said that kite-flying can be done alone or with friends and family. Kites appeal (有吸引力) to people who like to create works of art or to those who like to combine kite-flying with music. O’Neill said, “Part of the reason I love flying kites is that I have to risk trying and not succeeding. The best way to learn is to go out, undo the string (细绳) and let your kite fly. The perfect condition includes a nice steady wind and a place away from trees and buildings.”

Grant Lovett began flying simple kites as a child, but moved on to costlier and more complex kites as an adult. Today, Lovett likes making his own kites. He builds them from strong, lightweight materials and products designed for sailboats. Lovett attends kite-making classes and looks for new models on the Internet. He makes kites of different shapes and sizes because flying conditions can be greatly different. He also notes that experience makes a difference, and so does the weather and he likes the happy feelings that he experiences when his kite moves through the sky. “It is really calming,” he said.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．Kites have been used widely.

B．Kites have developed gradually.

C．Kites have been designed differently.

D．Kites have lost their popularity.

2. How does kite-flying make Larry feel?

A．Excited.

B．Hopeful.

C．Peaceful.

D．Amazed.

3. What do O’Neill and Grant Lovett consider in kite-flying?

A．The flying experiences.

B．The flying conditions.

C．The skills of making kites.

D．The materials for making kites.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Kite-Flying Is Fit for All Ages.

B．Kite-Flying Gets More Popular.

C．Kite-Flying Is a Traditional Sport.

D．Kite-Flying Gives a Lift to People.

3 . Wolves are important animals in the traditions and stories of most Native American tribes. To Native Americans, wolves often stand for bravery. The animals also are signs of strength, loyalty, and success at hunting. However, something happened. Perhaps wolves attacked too many people or ate too many farm animals. Whatever the reason, wolves were killed in many areas. They also became known as villains. From the wolves in some films to the wolves in children’s stories, wolves get a bum rap in both literature and English expressions.

For starters, there is the term “lone wolf”. The lone wolf isn’t a bad person. But they like to do things on their own. Lone wolf makes you think the person doesn’t want to be around people because he or she dislikes them. In news stories, you sometimes hear the terms “lone wolf attacker” or “lone wolf shooter”. These individuals are not part of a larger group carrying out an attack. They are acting alone.

Now, let’s move on to the home. Parents might criticize their child for wolfing down their food. In other words, the child eats very quickly and looks a little wild. And if someone says a child was raised by wolves, that child has bad manners and is behaving like a wild animal. A wolf call is a whistle or other noise made by a man to show that he likes the way a woman looks. But a wolf call is not a nice thing. These men sound wild and rude. A wolf at the door means someone to whom you owe money is waiting just outside your door.

1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?

A．Wolves are thought little of now.	B．The wolves in some films are brave.
C．Wolves attack many people every year.	D．Wolves stand for strength in children’s stories.

2. What’s the meaning of the term “lone wolf ” in news stories?

A．Someone who feels lonely.	B．Someone who is less popular.
C．Someone who does things alone.	D．Someone who has little experience.

3. Which of the following has something to do with money?

A．A wolf call.	B．A wolf at the door.
C．Being raised by wolves.	D．Wolfing down something.

4. What does the text mainly tell us?

A．Too many wolves being killed.	B．Our misunderstanding about wolves.
C．Different meanings of the word “wolf”.	D．Some expressions about the word “wolf”.

4 . Mention the terms Italian culture and Renaissance art and one is immediately reminded of the mysterious smile of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

The Renaissance had a deep effect on the development of European culture. Having its beginnings in Italy, by the 16th century, it had spread to the rest of Europe. Its influence was felt in different fields such as philosophy, literature, religion, science, politics, and, of course, art. The scholars of the Renaissance period applied the humanistic method to every field of study, and wanted to have human emotion and realism in art.

Renaissance scholars studied the ancient Latin and Greek texts, searching the libraries of Europe for works of ancient times that had become obscure, in their hunt for reforming and perfecting their worldly knowledge. However, that does not mean that they refused religion. In fact, many of the greatest works of the Renaissance period were devoted to it, with the church supporting a lot of the works of Renaissance art. However, there were slight changes in the manner in which the scholars began to treat religion, which affected the cultural life of society, which in turn influenced the artists of that period and therefore was reflected in their art.

In Raphael’s The School of Athens, for example, some well-known people were described as classical scholars with Leonardo da Vinci given as much importance as Plato in his time. Giotto di Bondone, 1266-1337, a Florentine, who is regarded as the greatest Italian painter just earlier than the Renaissance period, is thought to be the first artist who treated a painting as a window into space.

However, it was only after the writings of Filippo Brunelleschi, 1377-1446, who is considered the first great builder of the Italian Renaissance, that perspective (透视法) was formally accepted as an artistic technique.

1. What makes Italy stand out in a way in world history?

A．Its artists during the Renaissance were numerous.	B．It was the center of the European countries.
C．It had many famous inventors in different fields.	D．It was home to the Renaissance.

2. The underlined word “obscure” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ________.

A．meaningless and hard to recognize	B．clear and meaningful to guiding people
C．unclear and difficult to understand or see	D．easy to understand but having little meaning

3. When was perspective officially accepted during the Renaissance?

A．After the completion of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

B．After Leonardo da Vinci’s being compared to Plato.

C．After Giotto di Bondone’s paintings were respected.

D．After Filippo Brunelleschi’s completing his writings.

4. The passage aims to tell us ________.

A．Italy’s Renaissance art and artists	B．the famous artists in Italy’s history
C．Italy’s influence on the world in culture	D．the hardships during the Renaissance in Italy

5 . Measuring about 13,170 miles long, the Great Wall of China is no doubt the longest man-made project on earth. It was once widely believed that it could be seen from space. Some media even reported with affected seriousness, “The biggest building the astronauts could see from space is the wall, which looks very much like a black worm.” Consequently, this statement has gone deep into people's minds and become an honor that Chinese people have enjoyed for years.

Is the Great Wall truly visible from space? Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut who was lifted into outer space by the spacecraft Shenzhou V, gave a definite answer “No.” Yang's negative response may probably put out a fair number of people's passion. But it powerfully corrected the misconception. The wall is indeed majestic, but you won't see it from space!

In fact, Neil Alden Armstrong, the American astronaut who first set foot on the moon in 1969, was asked many times whether or not he had seen the Great Wall from the moon. Recently from a sound recording announced by NASA Johnson Space Center, Armstrong said that he had seen the continents, lakes and blue spots touched with red. But he could not make out any man-made objects on earth from the moon.

The Great Wall is narrow and irregular. In space, something irregular is hard to observe. Measuring about 10 metres wide on average, it easily merges(融入) into the surrounding environment. With solely the naked eye, it is totally invisible at a height of 196,850 feet. To watch the wall on the moon is like seeking for a single hair from about 2,688 metres away. To say an astronaut can see it from space is obviously not true.

However, some people introduced an idea to make the Great Wall visible from space. If we install bright spotlights on the wall, astronauts will see the lights at night. But this suggestion has not been carried out by scientific experiments.

1. Which is right about the saying “the Great Wall can be seen from space”?

A．News media cast doubt on the saying.	B．There was much evidence for the saying.
C．Astronauts played a trick on Chinese people.	D．The Chinese had belief in the saying for long.

2. What does the underlined word “majestic” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Second to none.

B．Far-reaching.

C．Grand.

D．Visible.

3. As Armstrong once said, what did he see from the moon?

A．The Great Wall.

B．Bright spotlights.

C．Places painted blue.

D．Large area of land.

4. How does the author prove a point in Paragraph 4?

A．By listing figures.

B．By giving examples.

C．By classifying facts.

D．By drawing conclusions.

6 . The English language developed as a result of several invasions of Britain. The first involved three tribes called the Angles, the Jutes and the Saxons. A mix of their languages produced a language called Anglo-Saxon, or Old English. It sounded very much like German. Only a few words remained from the Celts who had lived in Britain.

    1     The Vikings of Denmark, Norway and Sweden arrived in Britain more than one thousand years ago. The next invasion took place in the year 1066. French forces from Normandy were led by a man known as William the Conqueror.     2     The words “parliament” “jury” “justice” and others that deal with law come from the Norman rulers.

The English language was violently influenced by an event that took place more than one thousand four hundred years ago. In the year 597, a Roman religion began its attempt to establish the religion of Britain.     3     Latin was not spoken as a language in any country at that time. But it was still used by some people. Latin made it possible for a church member from Rome to speak to a church member from Britain. Educated people from different countries could communicate using Latin.

    4     English began to grow more quickly when William Caxton returned to Britain in the year 1476. He had been in Holland and other areas of Europe where he had learned printing. He returned to Britain with the first printing press. The printing made it possible for almost anyone to buy a book.     5     Slowly, during the year 1500 English became the modern language we would recognize.

A．Meanwhile, experts cannot explain many English words.

B．The language of the Roman religion was Latin.

C．Two more invasions added words to Old English.

D．The Norman rulers added many words to English.

E．It helped spread education and the English language.

F．English is a little like a living thing that continues to grow.

G．English speakers also continue to invent new words by linking old words together.

7 . There were many battles that took place during the American Revolutionary War (1775—1783), but perhaps so ne of the worst battles involved. the American Continental Army versus(对抗) the winter at Valley Forge in 1777 and 1778. Here many people believe was where the American Army was born. Valley Forge is located about 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia in the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania.

General George Washington was the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and he decided to setup winter camp at Valley Forge. It was close to Philadelphia, which was where the British had been camping out for the winter. This allowed him to keep a watchful eye on their movements. There were high areas in Mount Joy and Mount Misery where the army could make fortifications(防御工事). Nearby was also the Schuylkill River, which was used as a barrier to the North.

The army's stay at Valley Forge turned into a time of training. Besides Washington, two other leaders included General Friedrich von Steuben and General Marquis de Lafayette.

Steuben was born in Prussia and arrived at Valley Forge with a recommendation letter from statesman and scientist Benjamin Franklin. He trained the Continental Army using the daily drill(操练), even in the extremely cold weather. In fact, he was responsible for writing the army's Revolutionary War Drill Manual, which served as the standard United States drill manual(手册) until the War of 1812.

Lafayette was a French military leader, working for no pay, and asking for no special treatment. He later became an important commander in several key battles during the war.

Besides the freezing weather, it was consistently cold, wet, and snowy at Valley Forge. In addition, food was lacking, and there were very few warm clothes, shoes, or blankets. The log cabins they lived in were crowded, cold and damp, and allowed diseases to easily spread. Of the 10,000 men at Valley Forge, 2,500 died before the break of spring mostly from diseases.

Following the winter at Valley Forge, under Washington's leadership, a better-disciplined, trained, and more powerful army, in high spirits, left on June 19, 1778. Nine days later, their first victory against the British occurred at the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey.

1. Why was Valley Forge chosen as the site of a winter camp?

A．It was key to the effective conduct of war.	B．It was an ideal place for military training.
C．It was very far from the British camp.	D．It was an area with adequate supplies.

2. Who was the author of the important drill manual?

A．Benjamin Franklin.	B．George Washington.
C．Marquis de Lafayette.	D．Friedrich von Steuben.

3. Which can be used to describe the conditions at Valley Forge?

A．Strange.

B．Tough.

C．Favorable.

D．Relaxing.

4. How did the Continental Army change after the winter?

A．It was taken over by the American Army.	B．It won more support from the people.
C．It had many more soldiers.	D．It became a stronger army.

8 . The night the Titanic sank

From a high place on the ship, Fred Fleet, who worked on the Titanic, saw the iceberg just a few hundred metres a way. He rang the bell to warn the people to stop the ship.     1     Soon after that, one passenger, Major Peuchen, noticed that the ship wasn't straight in the water. But nobody listened to him.

    2     Another ship, the Californian, was about 30 kilometres north of the Titanic. When the Californian saw the iceberg, it stopped. It also sent a radio message to warn other ships in the area. At about 11:15 pm, the Californian's radio operator turned off the radio, and went to bed. The Titanic sent a message back, giving its position—wrongly!     3    

Soon after midnight, the crew of the Californian saw rockets going up into the sky from the Titanic. Their captain said, “Fireworks!     4     ”The radio wasn't turned on again, and the Californian didn't move. At 12:25 am on the Titanic, people began to get into the lifeboats.

At 2:20 am on April 15th the Titanic finally sank. Another ship, the Carpathia, heard the Titanic's last call for help.     5     At 4: 10 am, the Carpathia saw the Titanic's lifeboats floating on the dark water, and rescued the survivors. Later, the Californian turned the radio back on, and heard that the Titanic had sunk.

A．The accident happened at about 11:40 pm.

B．Everyone was very proud of the Titanic.

C．The passengers of the Titanic are having a party.

D．It was 58 miles away, but it raced to help the ship.

E．But it was travelling too fast to stop, and it hit the iceberg.

F．Before the accident, the Titanic had received an ice warning.

G．A lot of people stayed on the ship instead of trying to escape.

9 . In early November of 1503, during Christopher Columbus's fourth and final trip to America, his ship was seriously damaged in a storm. Columbus and his men had to live on a small island for several months while they tried to repair their ship and return to Spain.

At first, the local people on the island were very kind to the European visitors, giving them all the food and clothes they needed to survive. However, as months passed, the local people became more and more unhappy with their guests, who were tricking and stealing from them. Finally the locals decided to stop helping. Without food or any way to leave the island, Columbus's group was soon in serious trouble.

Luckily for Columbus, he had a book about the stars and planets on his ship. It described the movements of all the objects in the night sky. The book, written by a well-known German scientist, said there would be a total lunar eclipse(月全食) on the evening of   February 29,1504 and how long it would last.

Columbus worked out the difference in time between Germany and North America. He then had a meeting with the local leaders just before the eclipse would take place. In this meeting, Columbus told them his god was angry because the local people were no longer giving food. So his god would take away the moon to punish them. The moment Columbus finished talking, just as he had planned, the moon began disappearing.

The local leaders grew panicked and quickly agreed to provide Columbus with food and anything else he wanted. But first, Columbus's god had to return the moon. Columbus told them he would have to discuss the idea with his god on his ship. Knowing the moon would stay completely hidden for about 48minutes, Columbus returned just before the moon began to reappear. From that day on, until they finally left, Columbus and his men no longer had any trouble getting the food they needed.

1. The local people became angry because the Europeans ________.

A．looked very different	B．had nothing to trade
C．were cheats and thieves	D．wanted to take their land

2. Where did Columbus learn about the total lunar eclipse?

A．From a book.	B．From the moon.
C．From his group.	D．From the locals.

3. What did Columbus do after returning to his ship on the night of the meeting?

A．He discussed the problem with his god.

B．He waited for the total lunar eclipse to finish.

C．He read about the stars and planets.

D．He told his men what happened.

4. What can we learn about the Europeans from the passage?

A．They all believed in God.	B．They never returned to Spain.
C．They admired the local people.	D．They caused their own problems.

10 . The Story of Music

How did music begin? Did our early ancestors first start by beating things together to create rhythm, or using their voices to sing? What types of instruments did they use?     1     The answers show that the history of music is, in many ways, the history of humans.

So, what is music?

This is difficult to answer, as everyone has their own idea. “Sound that conveys emotion” is what Jeremy Montagu of the University of Oxford and author of the article describes.

    2    

If we take singing, then controlling pitch(音高) is important. Scientists have studied the skulls and jaws of early apes, to see if they were able to make a sound and control pitch. Another important component of music is rhythm. Our early ancestors may have created rhythmic music by clapping their hands.     3    

Many of these instruments are likely to have been made from soft materials like wood, and so haven't survived. What have survived are bone pipes. So, music is old, and may have been with us from when humans first evolved.

But why did it arise and why has it existed?

There are many possible functions of music. One is dancing. Another obvious reason for music is entertainment.     4    

However, the major reason why music arises and exists may be that it brings people together.     5     He concludes: “It has even been suggested that music, in causing such bonding, created not only the family but society itself, bringing individuals together who might otherwise have lived alone.”

A．When did our ancestors begin making music?

B．Music can express certain emotion that you can feel.

C．This may be linked to the earliest musical instruments.

D．Our ancestors created music by beating stones or sticks by accident.

E．Has music always been important in human society, and if so, why?

F．Music can also be used for communication, often over large distances.

G．“Music leads to bonding, such as bonding between mother and child or bonding between groups,” explains Montagu.