1 . LONDON (Reuters) — Quiet place — Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is preparing to have her swans counted.

Buckingham Palace has announced that the annual Swan Upping, a tradition dating back to the 12th century which involves a census (审查) of the swan population on the River Thames, will be conducted by the Queen’s official Swan Marker from July 20 to 24.

“With the assistance of the Queen’s Swan Warden, Professor Christopher Perrins of the University of Oxford, the swans and young cygnets (小天鹅) are also assessed for any signs of injury or disease,” Buckingham Palace said in announcing the count.

The process involves the Swan Marker, David Barber, rowing up the Thames for five days with the Swan Warden in traditional skiffs while wearing special scarlet uniforms and counting, weighing and measuring swans and cygnets.

It may seem odd, but it is very important to the Queen. According to custom, Britain’s sovereign owns all unmarked, mute swans in open water, but the Queen now exercises the right only on stretches of the Thames and its nearby tributaries.

In medieval times, the Swan Marker would not only travel up the river counting the swans, but would catch as many as possible as they were sought after for banquets and feasts.

This year, the Swan Marker and the Swan Warden are particularly keen to discover how much damage is being caused to swans and cygnets by attacks from dogs and from discarded fishing tackle (渔具).

It is also an important year because Queen Elizabeth has decided to join her team of Swan Uppers for part of the census. She will follow them up the river and visit a local school project on the whole subject of swans, cygnets and the Thames.

“Education and conservation are essential to the role of Swan Upping and the involvement of school children is always a rewarding experience,” Buckingham Palace said.

1. In medieval times, ________.

A．swans were better protected than now

B．a lot of swans were killed by dogs

C．swans were a delicious dish on royal banquets

D．common people could catch the swans

2. We can infer from the passage that the process of counting the swans ________.

A．remains almost unchanged in the past years

B．involves a lot of royal members

C．sometimes lasts longer than before

D．is always guarded by special soldiers

3. Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?

A．Britain’s Queen is concerned about swans.

B．Britain’s Queen orders a count of swan.

C．An old tradition in Buckingham Palace.

D．Queen Elizabeth will count swans herself.

4. The underlined word “tributaries” can be best replaced by ________.

A．districts

B．banks

C．trees

D．branches

2 . 我们不把他的肤浅观点当回事，不想对其作出回应。（bother）（汉译英）
_______________________________________________________________________________

3 . The new book the publishers looked forward to last season by ________ all means is expected to make a sensation at last.

A．being put out

B．was put out

C．putting out

D．put out

4 . Fill in the blanks with the proper expressions given below. Change the form when necessary.

current tend display fit constitute suspend peculiar practice odd

1. If you exceed your credit limit, we have the right to ________ or cancel your account.
2. We work-long hours and rush around trying to ________ in domestic chores.
3. Pandas, ________ to China, are treasured and loved by people all over the world.
4. The garden deserted for years was taken over and well ________.
5. The block becomes magnetic when the ________ is switched on.
6. The background music to this film is completely at ________ with the storyline.
7. Perseverance, endurance and endeavor ________ one’s fulfillment.
8. The comparison shows considerable disagreement between theory and ________.
9. A joyful festive atmosphere is accompanied by a breathtaking ________ of fireworks.

5 . 很多专家认为，北斗系统将会在农业和交通等诸多领域有许多实际运用，从而弥补了之前没有卫星所造成的遗憾。(application) (汉译英)
_______________________________________________________________________________

6 . What we need, rather, is the recognition ________ bringing up children involves a partnership of parents.

A．that

B．which

C．of

D．when

7 . Most people know what it is like to have their blood pressure taken but few understand ________ the numbers that are used to record blood pressure mean.

A．what

B．how

C．which

D．as

8 . ________, he felt regretful and wanted to resign in spite of all his effort.

A．Having not passed the test	B．Not passed the test
C．His pupils not having passed the test	D．Not his pupils passing the test

9 . It is ________ the fish can survive out of water for months ________ makes them the coolest.

A．where… that

B．when… that

C．that… that

D．what… that

10 . He ________ for the unexpected accident causing considerable losses so he cannot but ________ his mistake due to carelessness.

A．was blamed… admit	B．was to blame… admit
C．had been blamed… to admit	D．was to blame… to admit