1 . There are two ways of driving in the world—if the driver’s seat is on the left and cars travel on the right side of the road, it is called “left-hand driving”, as it is in China, while the other way of driving is called “right-hand driving”, as it is in Britain. Nowadays, around 65% of the world’s population drives on the right of the road, while the rest is used to driving on the left.

Though no one knows the exact reasons, it seems likely that people in ancient times travelled on the left. Roman coins show pictures of horsemen passing on each other’s right. And right-hand people generally got on a horse from the animal’s left. Obviously, it’s safer to do this at the left side of the road, and it makes sense for the horse to be ridden on the left.

A change happened in the late 1700s. When Napoleon conquered nations, he forced them to travel on the right side of the road, which spread left-hand driving throughout Europe. However, Britain still stuck with the right-hand driving rule and countries which were part of the British Empire were made to follow. This is why India, Australia and the former British colonies in Africa continue to drive on the left. One exception is Egypt, as that country was defeated by Napoleon before becoming part of the British Empire.

Some countries changed sides until modern times. Sweden only moved to driving on the right in 1967 and Iceland changed the following year. Ghana changed sides in 1974. On September 7, 2009, Samoa became the third country ever to change from left-to-right-hand driving for the reason that it made it easier to import cheap cars from right-hand driving Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

So if you want to travel to another country or go on business, make sure you know whether it is left-hand or right-hand driving to avoid unnecessary troubles.

1. Which picture shows the correct driving in Britain?

A．

B．

C．

D．

2. In ancient times, Romans ________.

A．travelled on the right	B．behaved as they liked
C．got on the horses from the right	D．rode past each other’s right

3. In modern times, countries follow the same driving way EXCEPT ________.

A．Egypt

B．Australia

C．Sweden

D．China

4. What is the writer’s purpose for writing this passage?

A．To explain the advantages of the two ways of driving.

B．To compare the differences of the two ways of driving.

C．To complain about the change of the two ways of driving.

D．To introduce the development of the two ways of driving.

2 . 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。

Beijing's Forbidden City is a place full     1    wonder. From its thousands of rooms to its many beautiful artifacts(工艺品), it's one of China's most popular tourist     2    (destination). But even more than 600 years after it was built,  it's still managing to serve up surprises. Since     3    Ming Dynasty, it's estimated that the Forbidden City     4    (survive) more than 200 earthquakes. And while most structures aren't made     5    (resist) natural disasters, it seems that the Forbidden City was built to stand up to anything. According to experts, the answer to the Forbidden City's strength     6    (lie) in Dougong—a centuries-old building method     7    (invent) in China. This is the name for special structures on buildings that are perfect at     8    (keep) structures together     9    the weather gets rough. The Forbidden City draws visitors because of its rich history and     10    (culture) significance, but perhaps it should add one more thing to its list of attractions: earthquake shelter.

3 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Chinese brush calligraphy or “shufa” in Chinese is one of     1     most important art forms in China.Many Asian cultures have originated their own calligraphy, but China's is unequaled because of     2     (it) beauty, grace, and history.

The     3    (origin) of Chinese brush calligraphy are unknown, but local tales say it goes back over 4,000 years to the time of the legendary(传说的) Yellow Emperor (2698 －2598 B．C．)．At that time characters were carved on animal bones or tortoise shells.Only after Emperor Qin Shi Huang united China under his rule     4     one country did it really gain popularity as a common art form.

He simplified Chinese characters and regular rules were set,     5    (make) it easier for people to learn and master.This Chinese art form continued to progress and during the Tang Dynasty (618 －907 A．D．) a new type of cursive script (草书) was formed and standardized.It is written     6    (free), but is not as easy to read.

Today Chinese calligraphy is once again a subject in schools and an art form highly     7    (appreciate) across the world.Anyone can practice it and all     8     is required is a simple set including: brushes, ink, paper.It's fun for amateurs to try, but to become good at it, not only years of practice but also natural talent     9    (need)．Practicing this art consistently can develop personal character and is of great     10    (beneficial) to health.

4 . In ancient Greece, there were four major athletic meetings and the Olympian meeting played the most important part in the lives of the people. As time passed，the Olympian meeting gradually lost its local character and became first a national event and then international. No one knows exactly how far back the Olympic Games go but some official records date from 776 BC.

The Games took place every four years on the plain by Mount Olympus. Thousands of people came from all parts of the Greek world to watch the games. The winner of the foot race had the great honour of giving his name to the year of his history.

After a long history of almost 1, 200 years, the Games were stopped for religious (宗教的) reasons. It was then decided in 1896 to start the Olympic Games again. The meeting was held in Athens and 311 athletes from 13 countries took part in it but the idea of such an international meeting attracted the world's attention. After the 1908 London Olympics, many nations sent their best athletes. Although the Games have been time and again threatened by some unfavourable political events, the Games have taken place every four years.

Nowadays, the Games are held in different countries in turn. As the biggest international gathering of any kind in the world, athletes from different countries play games together and this provides them with good chances to learn to live together. The friendly feelings in the Olympic Village make people think of the world as one big family. The Olympic Games was hosted in Beijing in 2008, it is believed that the Games was a wonder of the world.

1. The first old Olympic Games took place _____.

A．a thousand years ago

B．in the seventh century AD

C．before 700 BC

D．in modern times

2. The continuity of the Olympic Games was once broken because of____.

A．religious reasons	B．wars
C．political events	D．Both A and B．

3. The Olympic Games meeting finally formed _____.

A．a local event	B．a national event
C．an international event	D．an official event

4. The friendly feelings between two countries are strengthened because___.

A．athletes come from different countries

B．they enable people to know each other better

C．athletes live in the Olympic village

D．they live in one big family

5 . Nine 1700-­year-­old brick tombs have been discovered in northwest China’s Xinjiang. Experts say that they can_______valuable clues for the research of exchanges(交换；交流) between the central Chinese government at that time and_________Western Regions.
It is the_______time ancient tombs with typical characteristics of China’s main Han nationality have been found in the Uygur ethnic region(自治区).
_________from Beijing, Shanxi and Xinjiang concluded that the tombs were_________between the middle and late third century and fourth century.
The tombs were unearthed during the_______of a road earlier this year in Kuqa county, 740 km from Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi and part of the_______Qiuci State. Qiuci State, which_______between the second century BC and 860 AD, was one of the 36 states in the Western Regions.
The tombs would help archaeologists with research into the political, economic and cultural _______between the Central Plains government and states in the west, and on the cultural________of the Central Plains on the Western Regions.
Archaeologists from the Xinjiang institute have dug nine tombs since August 22, __________bodies of more than 30 people, some ancient________and more than 60 pottery(陶器) jars. It is thought there are another three tombs to be________.
The people buried in the tombs were________either people from the western regions deeply influenced by the Han culture or the Han residents(居民)in the __________.1.

A．tell

B．provide

C．show

D．represent

2.

A．nearby

B．middle

C．faraway

D．few

3.

A．second

B．last

C．first

D．near

4.

A．Scientists

B．People

C．Officials

D．Archaeologists

5.

A．built

B．found

C．buried

D．studied

6.

A．construction

B．destruction

C．digging

D．repair

7.

A．ancient

B．big

C．far

D．near

8.

A．appeared

B．disappeared

C．lies

D．existed

9.

A．exchanges

B．businesses

C．development

D．studies

10.

A．model

B．atmosphere

C．influence

D．change

11.

A．finding

B．destroying

C．studying

D．protecting

12.

A．paper

B．silk

C．pearls

D．coins

13.

A．moved

B．dug

C．studied

D．picked

14.

A．surely

B．probably

C．certainly

D．nearly

15.

A．west

B．country

C．region

D．tomb

6 . On December 22, 1775, two of Washington’s soldiers brought a prisoner to his headquarters (司令部). Washington thanked the soliders, then gave an order that the prisoner was to be left alone and that the soldiers were to shoot if the man tried to escape. But when the door was closed, Washington smiled.

The man standing in front of him was John Honeyman, one of the general’s most trusted men. In early November, Washington had given Honeyman orders to travel with the British army as a servant and to stay with it until he had something to tell. Honeyman now had important information. He described the situation in Trenton, giving the exact number and position of the troops there.Trenton was held by several companies (连队) of Hessians (雇佣军). The Hessians were not English soldiers.They were Germans who had been hired by the British to fight in America. According to Honeyman, the Hessians fought only for money. They had done nothing to build up their defences in Trenton. Now they were busy planning a big Christmas celebration.

Washington immediately made a daring plan. He chose Christmas Day for an attack on Trenton. At ten o'clock next morning, the attack was over. The Americans won a great victory.

1. Why did Washington smile when the door was closed?

A．Because he was glad to catch the prisoner.

B．Because the man was one of his most trusted men.

C．Because he had caught the most dangerous spy.

D．Because he knew the man very well.

2. For what did Washington send Honeyman to stay with the British army?

A．Honeyman could make peace with the Brilhish soldiers.

B．He could let Honeyman have a pleasant trip.

C．He could catch more prisoners from the British army.

D．Honeyman could get important information for American.

3. Which countries did the war break out between?

A．America and Britain.

B．America and Germany.

C．Britain and Gennany.

D．Arnerica, Britain and Germany.

4. What’s the reason that Washington chose Christmas Day for an attack on Trenton?

A．It could be that it was a lucky day.

B．It might be that it was the best Christmas gift for Britain.

C．It must be that after the day the enemy was to escape.

D．It could be that the enemy would enjoy their holiday but not prepare to fight.

7 .        The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish from each other a lot. This is because the culture systems are two separate systems __1__.
       The origin of the eastern cultures is mainly from two countries: China and India. Both of the two cultures are gestated (孕育) by _2__. In China, the mother river is the Yellow River __3_ the Indian one is the Hindu River. These two cultures were _4___ for several thousand years and formed their own styles. Then in the Tang Dynasty of China, the Chinese culture _5___ went overseas to Japan, _6___ into the Japanese society and _7__ the Japanese culture nowadays. Though a bit different from the Chinese one, it __8__ to the same system.
       When the two mother rivers gave birth to the eastern culture, another famous culture was __9__ on the Mesopotamian Plain (美索不达米亚平原) — the Mesopotamian Civilization. This civilization later on developed into the cultures of the Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. And these two are well­-known as the __10__ of the European culture. _11___ the Chinese culture, the European one also __12__ waters. When the colonists of England __13__ in America, their culture went with them over the Atlantic Ocean. So the American culture doesn’t __14_ from the European one a lot.
       At the same time, the __15__ of the language systems adds to the cultural differences. In the East, most languages belong to the pictographic (象形文字的) languages while the Western languages are __16__ based on the Latin system, for example, the one I’m using to write this paper.
       Other factors like human race difference _17___ as well. However, _18__ the far distance and the steep areas between the East and West, the two cultures seldom _19__ until recent centuries.__20__ they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no interference (干扰) from the other.1.

A．above all

B．on the whole

C．in all

D．in no case

2.

A．mountains

B．plains

C．lakes

D．rivers

3.

A．or

B．for

C．while

D．when

4.

A．developed

B．improved

C．created

D．protected

5.

A．suddenly

B．quietly

C．gradually

D．naturally

6.

A．mixed

B．changed

C．decided

D．forced

7.

A．expanded

B．interrupted

C．influenced

D．shaped

8.

A．comes

B．belongs

C．amounts

D．adds

9.

A．brought up

B．carried out

C．given out

D．picked up

10.

A．result

B．sign

C．base

D．content

11.

A．Via

B．Except

C．With

D．Like

12.

A．affected

B．spread

C．crossed

D．formed

13.

A．joined up

B．went up

C．broke down

D．settled down

14.

A．come

B．suffer

C．result

D．differ

15.

A．difference

B．development

C．appearance

D．feature

16.

A．properly

B．part

C．simply

D．mostly

17.

A．last

B．count

C．reduce

D．change

18.

A．in terms of

B．due to

C．as to

D．in case of

19.

A．transform

B．display

C．communicate

D．distinguish

20.

A．Furthermore

B．Meanwhile

C．Therefore

D．However

8 . Throughout July 1945, the Japanese mainland, from Tokyo on Honshu northward to the coast of Hokkaido, were bombed as if an invasion were about to take place. In fact, something far more threatening was at hand, as the Americans were telling Stalin at Potsdam (伯茨坦).

In 1939 physicists in the United States had learned of experiments in Germany showing the possibility of atomic power and understood the coming damage of an atomic bomb. On August 2, 1939, Albert Einstein warned President Roosevelt of the danger of Nazi Germany’s advances in development of the atomic bomb. Eventually, the U.S. Office of Scientific Research Development was created in June 1941 and given combined responsibility with the War Department in the Manhattan Project to develop a nuclear bomb. After four years of research and development efforts, an atomic device was set off on July 16, 1945, in a desert area at Alamogordo, New Mexico, producing an explosive power equal to that of more than 15,000 tons of TNT. Thus, the atomic bomb was born. Truman, the new U.S. president, believed that this terrible object might be used to defeat Japan in a way less costly of U.S. lives than an ordinary invasion of the Japanese homeland. Japan’s unsatisfactory reply to the Allies’ Potsdam Declaration decided the matter.

On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb, carried from Tinian Island in the Mariana in a specially equipped B-29 was dropped on Hiroshima, at the southern end of Honshu. The combined heat and explosion destroyed everything in the explosion’s immediate neighbourhood , produced fires that burned out almost 4.4 square miles completely, and killed between 70,000 and 80,000 people, in addition to injuring more than 70,000 others. A second bomb dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, killed between 35,000 and 40,000 people, injured a like number and ruined 1.8 square miles.

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．An atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

B．After research and development efforts, an atomic bomb was born.

C．An invasion was about to take place with the use of the atomic bomb.

D．The birth and use of the atomic bomb ended the Second World War.

2. Albert Einstein warned Roosevelt of _________.

A．Nazi Germany’ success in making an atomic bomb

B．the possibility of atomic power from Nazi Germany

C．Japan’s unsatisfactory reply to the Allies’ Potsdam Declaration

D．destruction of everything from the explosion of the atomic bomb

3. What made the U.S. decide to drop the atomic bombs over Japan?

A．Truman’s becoming the president of the United States.

B．The great destruction power of the atomic bomb.

C．Reducing the cost of its lives.

D．Not being content with Japan’s reply.

4. How many people were killed by the two bombs dropped in Japan?

A．Between 105,000 and 120,000 people.

B．Between 35,000 and 40,000 people.

C．Between 70,000 and 80,000 people.

D．Between 140,000 and 150,000 people.

9 . Denmark is one of the happiest nations on earth with some of the best quality of life. You don’t need statistics to understand the Dane’s happy lot. Walk around any Danish town and you’ll experience some of the most harmonious civic spaces anywhere. Their intimate scales and perfect transport systems combine the rich history and bold modern lines of the built environment to delight the eye, and the locals’ manners and sense of humor is refreshing.

Denmark’s capital Copenhagen is a remarkable city with well­preserved medieval streets, renowned art galleries, Michelin­starred restaurants and a healthy business center. Finding something to do is never a problem and if all else fails, just admiring the streets with a hotdog in hand is an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.

Beyond the capital and the bigger cities, Denmark offers a mix of lively towns such as Ribe and Odense plus rural countryside, medieval churches, Renaissance castles and tidy 18th­century villages.

The coastline of Denmark with its sand dunes and greenery is a sight that always attracts visitors. So, no matter what time of year you’re in Denmark, you shouldn’t miss out on a trip to the nearest beach.

It’s hard, in short, to find fault with the place. The visitor’s most heartfelt complaint is usually the cost of visiting Denmark. True, it is not a cheap destination, but no more so than the UK, and which nation’s public transport system would you rather use？Cheer yourself up by thinking of the country’s remarkable organization and clockwork railway timetable as being financed by the extremely high taxes paid by your hosts. When viewed in this way, this first­rate destination seems like good value, and you get the fairy tales thrown in for free: the Danish royal family is genuinely loved and respected by the vast majority of its citizens, not least handsome Prince Frederik, his beautiful Australian­born princess­bride, Mar, and their young family.

1. Which of the following words can best describe Danes?

A．Polite and humorous.

B．Happy and romantic.

C．Kind and friendly.

D．Out­going and humorous.

2. The writer implies in the last two paragraphs that ________.

A．visiting the UK will cost less than travelling in Denmark

B．the transport system in the UK can’t equal that in Denmark

C．people in Denmark pay high taxes to welcome visitors

D．the Danish royal family plays an important role in politics

3. How does the passage mainly develop?

A．By providing examples.

B．By making comparisons.

C．By giving descriptions.

D．By following time order.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A．To introduce Danish culture.

B．To show the attractions of Denmark.

C．To share experiences of travelling in Denmark.

D．To describe the happy life people live in Denmark.