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 . 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

3 . 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.

4 . Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States. It’s the center of national government. It’s a busy, working city with a large population. But what is more, Washington is also a city of history and culture.
Washington was created in 1790, when the Congress (the highest lawmaking body of the U.S.A.) decided to place the nation’s new capital in the east of the country. It was built half-way between the northern and southern states of America. And of course it was named after George Washington, the first President of the United States.
There are many tourist sights in Washington. Perhaps the most important tourist sight is the Capital Building. This house is where the Congress is.
Another world-famous building in Washington is the White House. This is the home and office of the President of the United States. Most visitors are, however, surprised by how small the White House actually is.
Washington is also a great culture city. The Library of Congress contains one of the largest library collections in the world. The Smithsonian Museum holds the nation’s largest collection of cultural materials. And the John F. Kennedy Center is a famous center of art and culture. It has many great musical. and theatre performances throughout the year.
Now fill in the table with some information about Washington D.C.(注意：每空不要超过3个单词)

Washington D.C.

History and location	Created in     1    when the Congress decided that, and named after     2	Lies halfway between     3    and     4     states of   America
A capital city	Center of the     5     government
A popular tourist attraction	6    the most important tourist sight	Another important tourist sight is     7
A     8    city	9     has the nation’s largest collection of cultural materials	John F. Kennedy Center is a center famous for     10

5 . The University of Sheffield

Back to its origin

The University of Sheffield is a research university in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original “red brick” universities, which are a group of top and famous old universities. The University of Sheffield was originally formed by the combination of three colleges. The Sheffield School of Medicine was founded in 1828, followed in 1879 by the opening of Firth College by Mark Firth, a steel manufacturer (制造商), to teach arts and science subjects. Firth College then helped to provide money for the opening of the Sheffield Technical School in 1884 to teach applied science. In 1897 the three institutions were joined together to form the University College of Sheffield, which in turn became the University of Sheffield by Royal Charter (特许) in 1905. This university is famous for its good education and boasts a number of Nobel Prize winners among its former students.

More information

System:   The University has five departments: Arts and Humanities; Engineering; Pure Science; Social Sciences;   Medicine,   Dentistry   and   Health.   Sheffield   also   has   many   research   programs   in   fields   including aerospace, environmental science, psychology, and biology.

City show: Sheffield is a lively city in the north of England. Sheffield is known as the greenest city in Europe because of its 2 million trees. As a result, there are many parks and woods throughout the city and beyond. Sheffield is the greenest city in England with 150 woodlands and 50 public parks within the city. Once, in Sheffield, the folk hero—Robin Hood lived in Sherwood Forest with 150 of his loyal friends. And Charlotte Bronte, the English writer noted for her novel Jane Eyre was born in Sheffield.

1. Sheffield is in the of England.

A．east	B．west
C．south	D．north

2. Which statement about the University of Sheffield is not TRUE?

A．It has a good fame for many great graduates.

B．It has a long history of more than 180 years.

C．It is one member of “red brick” universities.

D．It owns different departments and research programs.

3. What can we infer from the text?

A．Sheffield has very beautiful scenery.

B．Charlotte Bronte is an English writer.

C．Sheffield is the biggest city of England.

D．Robin Hood is a character in Jane Eyre.

6 . 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.