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

In much of Asia, especially the so-called “rice bowl” cultures of China, Japan, Korea,     1     Vietnam, food is usually eaten with chopsticks.

Chopsticks are usually two long, thin pieces of wood or bamboo. They can also be made of plastic, animal bone or metal. Sometimes chopsticks are quite artistic. Truly elegant chopsticks might     2     (make) of gold and silver with Chinese characters. Skilled workers also combine various hardwoods and metal     3     (create) special designs.

The Chinese have used chopsticks for five thousand years. People probably cooked their food in large pots,     4     (use) twigs (树枝) to remove it. Over time,     5     the population grew, people began cutting food into small pieces so it would cook more quickly.

Food in small pieces could be eaten easily with twigs which     6    (gradual) turned into chopsticks.

Some people think that the great Chinese scholar Confucius,     7     lived from roughly 551 to 479 B.C., influenced the     8     (develop) of chopsticks. Confucius believed knives would remind people of killings and     9     (be) too violent for use at the table.

Chopsticks are not used everywhere in Asia. In India, for example, most people traditionally eat     10     their hands.

2 .         Do you know how Uncle Sam became the popular symbol of the United States?

Some historians believe that he is based on a real person, Samuel Wilson. During the War of 1812, Wilson sold meat to American troops. Wilson labeled the meat barrels (桶) US. This meant that it was for the army. At that time, US was not used to mean “United States”. An officer asked what the US on the barrels meant. A soldier replied, “United States”, meaning Samuel Wilson.

The Uncle Sam image (形象) today shows a man with a beard, a stars and stripes (星条旗) top hat, and a suit. Thomas Nast created this image in about 1838. It represented the government in Nast’s political cartoons. Some people believe that Nast based his image on Dan Rice, a popular entertainer. Rice performed while wearing a top hat and suit.

Others think it was James M. Flagg that drew the most famous image of Uncle Sam in 1917, during World War I. It shows a serious man pointing a finger at the viewer and says “United States”. Flagg drew this enduring image to encourage Americans to join the U.S. Army. It has been used for this purpose ever since.

Today, Uncle Sam is a symbol of the United States that is recognized around the world.

1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Uncle Sam was a character created by the government of the United States.

B．Samuel Wilson, a businessman, sold meat to American troops during the War of 1812.

C．Uncle Sam was based on an entertainer to show Americans were popular people.

D．The image of Uncle Sam has been used to urge Americans to join the army since 1838.

2. The underlined word “enduring” in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to “________”.

A．long-lasting	B．short-lived
C．painful	D．scary

3. It can be inferred from the passage that___________.

A．Uncle Sam is an officer from the American army

B．Uncle Sam’s top hat and suit reflect the American flag

C．Tile Uncle Sam symbol is the best of all American symbols

D．Opinions differ about how Uncle Sam became a national symbol

4. Which of the following can best sum up the passage?

A．The name Uncle Sam was invented during the War of 1821.

B．There are many symbols of the United States, including Uncle Sam.

C．Over time, the image of Uncle Sam came to represent the United States.

D．Uncle Sam is a national symbol that is recognized around the United States.

3 . The British royal family is about to be slimmed down. The queen plans to reduce the number of real royals, as was recently announced. However, there seems little sign of the monarchy (君主) disappearing completely．
Up till the 17th century, the British king or queen was believed to rule by “divine (神的) right”, which was the idea that God chose the king or queen to rule and that he or she was therefore above the law. However, this idea ended with the English Revolution, in which King Charles I was imprisoned and then killed in 1649．
So what role does the British royal family have today?
Well, the Queen has important formal duties: as Head of State, the Queen represents the UK on visits abroad and invites other world leaders to visit the UK. As Head of the Armed Forces, only the Queen can declare when the UK is at war or when war is over. The Queen also has constitutional duties: She has to sign many government and Commonwealth documents every day.
In addition, the royal family spends a great deal of its time traveling up and down the country in support of different charity projects. But the public in Britain do not believe there should be a royal family. Sometimes, the press and media criticize the royal family as well. One criticism is that British people should not have to pay for the royal family through their taxes．
Today, the royal family works hard to be relevant in the modern world. The queen’s speech on TV is less formal every Christmas, and is now available as a podcast (播客). In 2005, after graduation from university, Prince William spent time teaching English in Uruguay, the sort of work many young British people do at some time in their lives．
1. What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?

A．The British king or queen is no longer believed to rule by divine right．

B．The British king or queen is about to become common people．

C．The English Revolution put an end to the British royal family in 1649．

D．The royal family’s role was most important in Britain in the 17th century．

2. Which of the following is NOT among formal duties of the Queen?

A．Declaring when the UK is at war．

B．Travelling around the world for charity projects.

C．Inviting other world leaders to visit the UK．

D．Signing Commonwealth documents every day．

3. Prince William is mentioned in the passage to show that ________．

A．he is popular in the UK

B．many young British people do voluntary work

C．he has tried to win young people’s admiration

D．the royal family is trying to change their image

4. We can infer from the passage that ________．

A．British people are all in favor of the royal family

B．the British royal family are facing surviving challenges

C．the public are encouraged to oppose the royal family

D．British youths are required to teach English in Uruguay in their lives

4 .     1    People use money to buy food, furniture, books, bicycles and hundreds of other things they need or want. When they work, they usually get paid in money.

Most of the money today is made of metal or paper.    2    One of the first kinds of money was shells.

Shells were not the only things used as money. In China, cloth and knives were used. In the Philippine Islands, rice was used as money for a long time. Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used as money in parts of Africa.

The first metal coins were made in China. They were round and had a square hole in the centre.    3    

Different countries have used different metals and designs for their money.    4    Sweden and Russia used copper (铜) to make their money. Later some countries began to make coins of gold and silver.

But even gold and silver were inconvenient if you had to buy something expensive. Again the Chinese thought of a way to improve money.    5    The first paper money looked more like a note from one person to another than the paper money used today.

Money has had an interesting history from the days of shell money until today.

A．The first coins in England were made of tin (锡).

B．But people used to use all kinds of things as money.

C．No one knows for certain when people began to use money.

D．People strung (串连) them together and carried them from place to place.

E．Money, as we know, is all made of paper.

F．They began to use paper money.

G．Today anyone will accept money in exchange for goods and services.

5 . In addition to seeing wonderful films, one of the joys of coming to the Quad Cinema is to hang out in the area. The Quad is located right in the heart of Greenwich Village, perhaps the most charming and interesting neighborhood in the city. Here are some attractions we recommend, all within a comfortable walk from the Quad:
Washington Square
As one of the best-known of New York City’s 1,900 public parks, it is a landmark in the Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village, as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. Come on a Sunday when it’s most lively and festive.
New York University
It surrounds Washington Square. See the impressive Bobst Library and visit the amazing bookstore. NYU is now considered one of the most powerful universities in the world.
Judson Memorial Church
Located on Washington Square south between Thompson Street and Sullivan Street, opposite Washington Square Park, this beautiful church was completed in 1892. The Judson is most famous for its vocal participation in social events.
Washington Mews
It is a hidden, private street in New York City between Fifth Avenue and University Place just north of Washington Square Park. It was first developed as a mews (row of stables) that serviced horses from homes in the area. Since the 1950s the former stables have served as housing, offices and other facilities for New York University.
Jefferson Market Courthouse
Built in 1833 as a market, it was later changed to a courthouse, and in the 1950s it was emptied and close to being destroyed. It was saved and turned into a library. Many consider it to be the most beautiful building in the village.
1. What does the author want to tell in the passage?

A．To introduce some attractions in the Quad.

B．To suggest the Quad Cinema is the best place.

C．To imply the Quad attracts a lot of visitors.

D．To tell readers to enjoy their life fully.

2. The author mentions Washington Square because_______.

A．it is in the center of Greenwich Village

B．it has a history of more than 100 years

C．it is a landmark in the Manhattan

D．it has witnessed so many incidents

3. Where is Judson Memorial Church?

A．To the south of Washington Square.

B．Behind Washington Square Park.

C．Opposite Thompson Street.

D．Close to New York University.

4. When Washington Mews came into being______ .

A．it was designed for a university

B．it was intended for keeping horses

C．it was filled with free facilities

D．it was used as a park for horses

6 . At present time, roller skating (滑旱冰) is easy and fun. But many years ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, people never tried skating on wheels. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making instruments (工具). In his free time he liked to play the violin. Merlin was a man with many ideas and many dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to go to an important party. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think. He wanted to find a way to make a wonderful entrance at the party. Merlin had an idea. He thought that he would attract a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll (滚动). Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skate shoes. Merlin was very proud of them. He dreamed of arriving at the party and skating into the room while playing the violin. He was sure that everyone would be very surprised.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing his violin. Everyone was really surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skating. He rolled on, playing the violin. Then, with all eyes on him, Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall. The mirror broke into many pieces with a very loud noise.
Nobody forgot Merlin’s wonderful entrance after that.
1. The first paragraph tells us that people began to skate on wheels from 1750 because _______.

A．it is very easy

B．it is very exciting

C．Joseph Merlin’s instruments

D．it is very popular

2. People called Merlin a dreamer because ___________.               .

A．he slept and dreamed a lot

B．he was full of different ideas and dreams

C．he invented the first roller skates

D．he always made people’s dreams come true

3. ___________ made Merlin think of skating on wheels.

A．Merlin’s work	B．Merlin’s violin
C．A huge mirror	D．An important party

4. What was Merlin’s problem after he rolled into the room?

A．He couldn’t stop his roller-skating.

B．He couldn’t attract a lot of attention.

C．Everyone was surprised at him.

D．He couldn’t play the violin while rolling.

5. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Joseph Merlin’s Story

B．How Roller Skating Was Invented

C．A Surprising Entrance to the Party

D．Violin and roller skating