1 . Architectural history can take you through the evolution of those structures that served as a mark to remote civilizations, like the Egyptians and their architecture, reflected in pyramids, tombs, and many other ancient buildings along the Nile River．

In fact, the first big architectural design recorded in history was the work of Imhotep, Egyptian high priest（主教）, who designed and built the complex（综合建筑群） that took the name of his king, between the years 2630 to 2611 BC．

Ruins of the most varied architecture speak for themselves about the most varied civilizations, traditions, and beliefs around the world．Without architecture, the history of mankind would be incomplete．

Many surviving buildings of the ancient world are examples of the great things that architecture can do for the world．Among them, we can name the Great Pyramid, listed as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and the great Wall of China, built between the years 221 to 206 BC．

As time passed, all buildings and designs began to take special characteristics, becoming symbols of different eras identified as architectural styles．In ancient Greece, where buildings seemed to always be the same, there were three types of columns to identify each period of time．

The Romans inherited from the Greeks most of their traditions, beliefs, and customs, including architecture, but they also developed their own．

Architectural history was influenced by artistic, economic, politic, and socio-cultural events throughout the centuries, and Europe became the cradle（摇篮） of many well-known architects in the years following the fall of the Roman Empire．

As time passes, the actual architecture differs in shape, materials, construction methods, and designing goals, but the work of the architects will continue for generations to come．

1. Who made the first big architectural design recorded in history?

A．Chinese

B．Indians

C．Egyptians

D．British

2. What's the function of ruins of the architecture according to the passage?

A．They give tourists chances to visit them．

B．They help to satisfy the needs of houses．

C．They can bring in a great deal of money for the local people．

D．They represent different cultivations, traditions, and beliefs there and then．

3. Why does the writer mention the Great Pyramid?

A．To show its strength	B．To tell us its importance
C．To show its special style	D．To prove the function of architecture

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Architectural history was only influenced by economic and politic events．

B．The Roman Empire was the cradle of famous architects earlier than Europe．

C．The actual architecture remains the same in shape, material and designing goals．

D．Europe was the cradle of famous architects earlier than the Roman Empire．

2 . It's   been a decade since the launch of Airbnb and Uber, now considered a part of life for many people booking trips and journeys. In that time, several boat sharing apps have been working hard to regulate how people rent boats or book activities on the water.

Many of them have a similar business model to Airbnb, where customers rent boats directly from owners. GetMyBoat is the market leader with over 130,000 boats. The founders had the idea when they were sailing in the Atlantic and noticed that large numbers of boats were unused.

The company has grown from having a presence primarily in the lop boating cities in the US to having boats available in 9 ,300 destinations across 184 countries. Since it first started, GetMyBoat has sent over 120,000 people out boating. This year, it is projecting to send 65 ,000 people out on the water, a dramatic increase from the 53 people who booked a boat in its first year back in 2013.

US competitors include Boatsetter, which has 25 ,000 boats available across the world. Parisian- based Click&Boal has 30,000 boats globally and in the Mediterranean, Samboat is a major player with 25 ,000 boats.

It's an obvious win for boat owners who are looking for ways to minimize （使最小化）the cost of owning a boat by renting it out. And modern technology means that the boat can find nearby customers without being registered to a specific boating agency as in the past.

Safety issues are very important. Boatbound failed after a customer lost a leg in an accident because the company didn't require that people hire captains with the boats, something that its competitors do.

The market is changing in that fewer people are seeking to buy their own boats, while the number of people who want to experience boating is growing. This new market is allowing people to search for and book water experiences that offer something new.

1. What impressed the founders of GetMyBoat during their sailing in the Atlantic?

A．The wide use of Airbnb.

B．The popularity of water activities.

C．The large quantity of unused boats.

D．The large number of boats in the world.

2. How does the author explain GetMyBoat's business development?

A．By listing numbers.

B．By making comparison.

C．By following the time order.

D．By referring to its founders' words.

3. Why did Boatbound go downhill?

A．Because the company couldn't find ways to minimize the cost of owning a boat.

B．Because the competitors lay too much pressure on Boatbound.

C．Because the company was in lack of modern technology.

D．Because of a safely accident resulting from the company's carelessness.

4. What contributes to the boat sharing trend?

A．Few people can afford their own boats.

B．More people want to experience boating.

C．Few boat owners refuse cost-cutting offers.

D．More people have free time to try new things.

3 . 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。

A group of students from England, who are interested in archaeology, have come to the Zhoukoudian caves for a visit. An archaeologist     1     (warm) gives them a brief introduction     2     the life and habits of the earliest people there.

Early people lived in caves and they made fires in the centre of caves     3     (keep) themselves warm, cook the food and scare their enemies away, such as tigers and bears. They might have kept the fire burning all winter because layers of ash almost six metres thick have been excavated.

Early people did wear clothes made from animal skins. They used sharpened stone     4     (tool) to cut up animals and remove their skins. Smaller scrapers     5     (use) to remove the fat and meat from the skin. Finally using needles     6     (make) of animal bones, they would sew the pieces together.

Early people also paid attention to their     7     (appear) and wore necklaces. Some of the necklace beads were made of animal bones but some were made of shells,     8     told us that all the fields around Zhoukoudian caves used to be part of     9     large shallow lake. They moved around, following the herds of animals. They didn’t grow their own crops, but picked fruit when it     10     (ripen) and hunted animals.

4 . Tourism probably started in Roman times, Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman Empire. But when the Empire broke down, this kind of tourism stopped.

In the early 17th century, the idea of the “Grand Tour” was born. Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel. They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice in Italy. Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city. The “Grand Tour” was an important part of young people’s education—but only for the rich.

In the 18th century, tourism began to change. For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to “take the waters”. They believed that the water there was good for their health. So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns.

In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster. When the first railways were built in the 1820s, it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays by the sea. And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier.

Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built. People began to travel more to far-away countries.

The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people. Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them. Thus tourism grew. In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays. The company organizes everything—plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food—and tourists pay for it all before they leave home. The package tour and modern tourist industry was born.

The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949. But tourism did not take off until 1978. In 2002, the industry was worth 500 billion yuan and became an important part of China’s social development.

1. Which of the following is true?

A．The young men learned little from Grand Tour.

B．Tourism became faster and safer when the first railways were built in the 18th century.

C．More people chose ships for its cheap price.

D．In 2002, tourism became a significant part of China’s social development.

2. We can infer from the passage that ________ played the most important role in the tourism development.

A．transportation	B．education
C．money	D．people’s ideas

3. Modern tourism was born ________.

A．in 1978	B．in Roman times
C．in the early 17th century	D．in 1949

4. The underlined phrase “take off”(in the last paragraph) means ________.

A．plane rising into the air	B．bring down the prices
C．remove hats and clothes	D．develop very fast

5 . Thousands of years ago, people didn't live in cold places because they didn't know how to keep themselves warm. Later they learned to make clothes. When an animal was killed, they made use of its skins to cover their bodies. The skins kept them warm. Nature is people's good friend. It once helped people find fire, when lightning(闪电) hit a forest and started a fire. People took some of this fire to their homes. The fire kept them warm, and also frightened wild animals. Soon people found the food cooked tasted much better, so they began to use the fire to cook food. But people still didn't know how to make a fire. When they got a fire from the forest they tried to keep it burning. If it went out, they had to wait for years. But later they found different ways to make fire. For example, they made fire by burning wood or knocking two pieces of stones.

Today it's easy for people to make fire because they have matches, lighters and different kinds of heaters. They can make fire at any time they need.

1. Once people lived only in hot places because they did not know how to _____.

A．kill animals	B．take fire from forest
C．keep themselves warm	D．make matches

2. People use animal skins _____in those days.

A．for food

B．to make fire

C．for burning

D．to warm themselves

3. People later learned how to use fire to ______.

A．cook food

B．kill animals

C．cut off an animal’s skin

D．burn wood

4. People later learned to make fire by burning _____.

A．stones

B．wood

C．dry leaves

D．animal skins

6 . Magic (魔术) is believed to have begun with the Egyptians, in 1700 BC. A magician named Dedi of Dedsnefu was reported to have performed for the pharaoh (法老), or the king. He was also known to have entertained (使娱乐) the slaves who built the pyramids. The “Cups and Balls” trick that he was particularly good at is still performed by magicians all over the world today.

The ancient Greeks and Romans were also fascinated by the idea of magic. Actually, one of their main interests was the art of deception (欺骗). This explains why at that time the priests even built magic devices into their temples. These devices made it possible for doors to open by themselves and wine to flow magically out of statues’ mouths. This was done mainly to make people believe that the priests had unusual power.

Magic however, was not well accepted before the 1800s. Magicians were thought to be freaks(怪物) and, were only allowed to perform in a circus. It was in the 19^th century that the magician Robert Houdin came along and changed people’s views and attitudes about magic. It was because of Robert Houdin that many magicians were able to add Dr. or MD to their names. Today magicians try hard to find new ways to show their practiced skills. Magic is now entertainment for families all over the world.

1. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Magical Tricks	B．A Great Magician
C．Magic as Entertainment	D．The History of Magic

2. The underlined word “fascinated” in Paragraph 2 means _______.

A．amused

B．encouraged

C．attracted

D．moved

3. In ancient Greece, what did the priests do to show people they had unusual power?

A．They performed magical tricks to entertain people.

B．They made the statues in the temples drink wine as they wished.

C．They treated the people with wine flowing down from statues’ mouths.

D．They built magic devices in the temples to make doors open by themselves.

4. What did people think of magic before the 1800s?

A．Magic should be used only in temples.

B．Magic could only be performed in a circus.

C．Magic was performed by freaks and doctors.

D．Magic was the major daily activity for the pharaohs.

5. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Magic began about 3,700 years ago.

B．Dedi of Dedsnefu performed magic for kings only.

C．Robert Houdin was the first magician to perform magic.

D．The “Cups and Balls” trick has been performed for about 1,700 years.

7 . Baron Pierre de Coubertin was a Frenchman. At his time sports were not taught in French schools. De Coubertin believed that sports should go hand in hand with studies. He had an idea. His idea was to begin the Olympics all over again.

Sports teachers of other countries liked De Coubertin ideas. So in 1896, the modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. Since then the Olympics have been held once every four years, except three times, when there were wars.

The modern Olympic games have many foot races and field sports programs. The longest race in the games is called marathon.

Before the start of the Olympic Games, runners carry lighted torch( 火炬 ) through many nations towards the stadium where the games will be held. These sportsmen are from different countries. Yet they work together to carry the Olympic torch. It is passed from runner to runner, When the last runner enters the stadium, he or she places the torch in a special basin filled with oil. It catches fire. It is then, only then, that the Olympic Games can begin.

The Olympic flame burns throughout the games. It is the flame of peace.

1. Before 1896 French schools didn't teach ______.

A．match	B．history
C．sports	D．physics

2. Where were the first Olympic Games held?

A．In Athens,Greece	B．In German
C．In French	D．In Russia

3. According to this passage, the third modern Olympic Games should have been held in ______.

A．1896	B．1904
C．1915	D．1924

8 . C
Napoleon, as a character in Tolstoy’sWar and Peace, is more than once described as having “fat little hands.’’ Nor does he “sit well or firmly on the horse.’’ He is said to be “undersized.’’ with“short legs’’ and a “round stomach”. The issue here is not the accuracy of Tolstoy’s description--it seems not that far off from historical accounts but his choice of facts：other things that could be said of the man are not said. We are meant to understand the difference of a warring commander in the body of a fat little Frenchman. Tolstoy’s Napoleon could be any man wandering in the streets and putting a little of powdered tobacco up his nose—and that is the point.
It is a way the novelist uses to show the moral nature of a character. And it turns out that, as Tolstoy has it, Napoleon is a crazy man. In a scene in Book Three ofWar and Peace, the wars having reached the critical year of 1812,Napoleon receives a representative from the Tsar(沙皇), who has come with peace terms. Napoleon is very angry：doesn’t he have more army? He, not the Tsar, is the one to make the terms. He will destroy all of Europe if his army is stopped. “That is what you will have gained by engaging me in the war!” he shouts. And then, Tolstoy writes, Napoleon “walked silently several times up and down the room, his fat shoulders moving quickly.’’
Still later, after reviewing his army amid cheering crowds, Napoleon invites the shaken Russian to dinner. “He raised his hand to the Russian’s…face,” Tolstoy writes, and “taking him by the ear pulled it gently….” To have one’s ear pulled by the Emperor was considered the greatest honor and mark of favor at the French court. “Well, well, why don’t you say anything?’’ said he, as if it was ridiculous in his presence to respect any one but himself, Napoleon.
Tolstoy did his research, but the composition is his own.
1. Tolstoy’s description of Napoleon in War and Peaceis _________.

A．far from the historical facts	B．based on the Russian history
C．based on his selection of facts	D．not related to historical details

2. Napoleon was angry when receiving the Russian representative because _________.

A．he thought he should be the one to make the peace terms

B．the Tsar's peace terms were hard to accept

C．the Russians stopped his military movement

D．he didn’t have any more army to fight with

3. What did Napoleon expect the Russian representative to do?

A．To walk out of the room in anger.	B．To show agreement with him.
C．To say something about the Tsar.	D．To express his admiration.

4. Tolstoy intended to present Napoleon as a man who is _________.

A．ill-mannered in dealing with foreign guests	B．fond of showing off his iron will
C．determined in destroying all of Europe	D．crazy for power and respect

5. What does the last sentence of the passage imply?

A．A writer doesn’t have to be faithful to his findings.

B．A writer may write about a hero in his own way.

C．A writer may not be responsible for what he writes.

D．A writer has hardly any freedom to show his feelings.

9 . The Chinese invented paper in 105 A. D. They mixed the bark of a tree and rags (破布) with water, put a screen into the mixture, and lifted out a thin piece of wet paper. They dried the paper in the sun.
The Chinese kept their secret of how to make paper until a war with Muslims in the ninth century. The art of papermaking soon spread throughout the Muslim world.
The Mayan Indians in Central America and Pacific Islanders also discovered how to make paper, but their knowledge never spread to the rest of the world.
For centuries, all paper was made by hand. Rags were the main material. Then a French scientist discovered that people could make paper from wood, too. Finally, in the eighteenth century. a Frenchman invented a machine to make paper from wood.
1. Who discovered how to make paper?

A．The Chinese.	B．The Pacific Islanders.
C．The Mayan Indians.	D．All of the above.

2. When did the Chinese invent paper according to the passage?

A．About 1 ,800 years ago.

B．About 1, 900 years ago.

C．About 2, 000 years ago.

D．About 2, 100 years ago.

3. How was papermaking introduced into the rest of the world from China?

A．Through wars.

B．Through the Muslims.

C．Through the Mayan Indians.

D．Through the Pacific Islanders.

4. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A．The Invention of Paper.

B．The History of Papermaking.

C．Different Ways of Making Paper.

D．The Invention of a Papermaking Machine.