1 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. unremarkable     B.drawn        C. practical   D.sensation     E.setbacks       F.resolving G.applauding              H.inevitably          I.originality     J. subsequent       K.essentially

How did the Wright brothers take flight?

Wilbur and Orville Wright didn’t care much for attention. But after publicly demonstrating their flying machine, the inventors of the airplane became overnight international    1    . Crowds gathered, watching them go airborne (升空) and    2    their genius and courage. Thousands followed their achievements, which repeatedly made front-page news. While it might sound nice to say the Wrights were born inventors and geniuses who had always been     3     to aeronautics (航空学), that’s not really the case. Beginning in their Midwestern youth, the brothers faced numerous    4    . Their achievements stemmed from their own initiative and    5    .

Before they made history, Wilbur and Orville were, in one sense, fairly    6     children. They didn’t meet the typical standards of success.Though Wilbur was well read and Orville took advanced courses, neither graduated from high school and both struggled to get by on their own early in life. At the start, the brothers didn’t intend to invent the airplane. They simply reviewed what others had published about aeronautic, hoping they could make some sort of contributions. And that was when they noticed, to their surprise, very little progress had been made in the field. Wilbur and Orville realized that flight experiments had hit three main roadblocks to progress. They lacked a way to control the aircraft, a good wing design and a propulsion (推动力) system to power the flight. From there,     7    these problems became the brothers’ goal. Through trial and error, on December 17, 1903, the brothers flew the first manageable aircraft into the air, which proved the Wright Flyer could make a sustained, controlled and powered heavier-than-air flight. The aerial age truly began.

Though the Wright brothers had made history, their airplane was    8    only a proof of concept. It could make straight-line flights, but the design didn’t yet have any     9    use for society. In the     10    years of hard work and devotion, the brothers refined their aircraft. In1908, Wilbur demonstrated their plane in France, successfully proving what he and Orville had done.

2 . 阅读有关莫奈和印象派的文章。用方框中单词或短语的正确形式填空。

be fond of            emerge             influential             in particular purchase            realistic             subjective                 theme

Unlike the earlier Realists who painted in a     1     style, Impressionist painters focused more on their     2     feelings of things and instant impressions. When Impressionism     3     in France in the late 19th century, artists became more interested in everyday subject matter. They were also fascinated by modern objects. As one of the most     4     Impressionist painters, Claude Monet was impressed by the visual effects of the steam engine     5    , and he later produced twelve paintings of a train station in Paris. In 1883, Monet and his large family moved to Giverny, where he     6     a house and some land for his gardens. During his days at Giverny, Monet     7     painting his own gardens, with the water lilies, the pond, and the arched bridge. From this we can see that there were two clear     8     apparent in his work throughout his career: colours and reflections in water.

3 . 阅读下面短文,从选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。

A. was B. businessmen C. and D. from E.an H. which F. traveling G. central J. heard I. greatest

Wuhan is a city with both an ancient history     1     a thriving(繁华的) present. Historic relics tell the city’s long history dating     2     3,500 years. In the period of PreQin (770 B.C.--221 B.C),it     3     the land of the State of Chu and the cradle(发源地)

Starting here,    4     followed the great Yangtze River of the brilliant Chu Civilization. and lake network to expand businesses throughout the entire country. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)， Hankou became one of the four best-known towns in the country. For centuries, Wuhan has been the center of trade and transportation in     5     China. Today it is     6     important center in central China and a feature of Yangtze River cruises(航行) for sightseers and businessmen     7     from Sichuan to Shanghai or Hong Kong.

The uprising voice of the Revolution of 1911 was     8     here firstly. The revolution aimed to overthrow the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912) and establish the Republican     9     government, is one of the     10     events in modern China.

4 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. defined                 B. aiding                 C. trends                 D. dominate          E. typical        F. loss G. necessities               H. featured            I. mark                  J. survive             K. appliances

American Decoration in the Middle of the 20th Century

Home decorating has come a long way over the decades. Certain elements that began as     1    for survival—like fireplaces—have transformed into decorative elements in the modern age. Some styles are still massively popular, inspiring copycat furniture that sells for thousands. Other     2    are ignored or even ridiculed.

No one knows what home decoration of the future will look like. But if we look back through history, we can guess which design elements will come back—and which will disappear forever.

The Great Depression affected every aspect of American life—including decoration.   People were just trying to     3    during the 1930s, which didn’t leave a lot of room for non-essentials. But that doesn’t mean everyone gave up on making their homes look beautiful. A     4    living room would have a few throw rugs in interesting patterns, too. There was no one type of furniture that     5    the 1930s—curved and straight line furniture still     6    as the Art Deco style from the previous era was still popular. Plastic chairs and wingback chairs all had a place in the 1930s home. People were also likely to use what they had and not care so much about matching a certain taste.

It’s impossible to describe the 1940s without mentioning World War II. During the first half of the decade, home design took a backseat to     7    the war effort. The second half was much different. Returning soldiers had something new to look forward to: new kitchens with     8    such as refrigerators, freezers, and dishwashers. Traditional wood furniture in dark or blonde tones graced every room of the home.

Post-war America was a lot happier and shinier than recent decades. With a prospering middle class and a healthy economy, people had more time and money to devote to new pursuits—like decorating their houses.

The unfussy furniture made popular by Charles Eames started to     9    the American household. Everything was simple and uncomplicated. Wall to wall carpeting became the most desirable type of flooring, especially in unique colours.

The 60s brought about many changes to American culture and home design was no exception. People wanted to show off their unique sense of style more than ever before. Homes weren’t just seen as a     10    of how successful you were—they were also a chance to let your personality shine through home decoration.

5 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. alternative             B. capacity             C. characteristic             D. extinct             E. exclude             F. identity G. increasingly       H. interacting             I. measuring                    J. narrative             K. restore

The earliest storytellers

A stunning cave painting discovered in Indonesia may be the earliest evidence of storytelling. The artwork is at least 43,900 years old, and shows that humans were depicting scenes tens of thousands of years earlier than previously thought.

The painting is a 4.5-metre-wide hunting scene, discovered by Maxime Aubert of Griffith University, Australia and his colleagues. It depicts at least eight small human-like figures hunting two pigs and four dwarf buffaloes with spears or ropes. “It’s a(n)    1    scene,” says Aubert. He and his colleagues calculated the painting’s age by    2    the levels of uranium (铀) in stone layers that cover the images. At 43,900 years old, it could be the oldest figurative cave painting that has yet been found although we don't know what type of human made them. Until this discovery, the oldest known artworks depicting visual “stories”, with humans and animals    3    in a recognizable scene, dated from around 20,000 years ago and was found in Europe, such as the famous Lascaux paintings in France. “Now we show that at least 44,000 years ago, in South-East Asia, humans were telling stories and they were depicting them in rock art,” says Aubert.

“It’s really an exciting discovery,” says Genevieve von Petzinger at the University of Victoria, Canada, “It shows a (n)    4    timeline of how art developed. When you get a scene like this one, it opens the door a little further." The human-like figures appear to have animal    5    .” They are half human, half animal. The oldest previously known example was the Lion Man statue. Carved around 40,000 years ago, it combines a lion's head and human body. Until now, it was the earliest evidence of the ability of humans to depict things that don’t exist in nature-a(n)    6    linked to imagination and spirituality. “Now it seems the same thing was happening in South-East Asia, but even earlier,” says Aubert.

The cave painting gives us a glimpse into the minds of the people who created the Indonesian art, but we don’t yet know whether they were modern humans or one of our    7    cousins. The team hasn't found human remains in the Sulawesi cave, says Aubert, so it isn't possible to be sure of the    8    of the artists.

One possible group is the Denisovans, who may also have lived in Asia at this time. Earlier this year, while studying a site in China thought to have been home to Denisovans, a team of researchers revealed artistic engravings on a piece of bone.

“We can’t completely    9    Denisovans or another species,” says Aubert of the Indonesian cave art, “There were probably at least two other species that lived in this region at the same time as modern humans.”

The discovery comes as archaeologists    10    turn their attentions towards Asia. “People should stay tuned to Asia,” says von Petzinger, “In the next decade there will be many exciting announcements coming from this part of the world.”

6 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. polluted       B. consideration       C. undergoing       D. alternatives       E. account F. power       G. gathered       H. locally       I. present       J. readily       K. available

The course of human history has seen several changes in the forms of energy. Human inventions have dramatically increased the average amount of energy     1     for use per person. The first step toward the developing of more efficient fuels was taken when people discovered that they could use vegetable oils and animal fats instead of     2     or cut wood. Charcoal gave off a more intensive heat than wood and was more easily obtainable than organic fats. The Greeks first began to use coal for metal smelting in the 4th century, but it didn’t come into extensive use until the Industrial Revolution.

In the 1700s, more energy used in the United States and other nations     3     industrialization came from renewable sources such as wood, water streams and wind etc. These were     4     obtainable supplies. By mid-1800, 91 percent of all commercial energy consumed in the United States and European countries was obtained from wood. However, at the beginning of the 20^th century, coal became a major energy source and replaced wood. Although in most regions and climate zones wood was more     5     accessible than coal, the latter represents a more concentrated source of energy. In 1910, natural gas and oil firmly replaced coal as the main source of fuel because they burned more cleanly and     6     less. Unlike coal, oil could be refined to manufacture liquid fuels for vehicles, a very important     7     in the early 1900s, when the automobile arrived on the scene.

Nowadays, fuels such as oil and natural gas provide over 82 percent of commercial and industrial energy to     8     the world economic growth. Other forms of energy derived from nuclear fission and solar power     9     for 18 percent. However, with the petroleum prices rising and the limitations in fossil fuels, energy     10     will eventually become more attractive to reduce the dependency on oil and natural gas.

7 . Complete the personal account with the correct form of the verbs below.

tell   shout   reply   greet   weep   speak

We were in Rome when World War Ⅱ ended. The first we knew of it was when we heard bells ringing and people running into the streets. Everyone was     1     with joy and excitement. “What’s going on?” I asked. “It seems like the war is over,”     2     one of the soldiers. Everyone started     3     at once. Some people began     4     with joy and relief. Others were     5     each other that it was a day that they would go down in history. Later that day we     6     the allied tanks as they rolled into the square. It was a day of great joy and one I will never forget!

8 . Complete his speech with the correct form of the words or phrase below.

mud   weep   bomb   panic   soldier   frontier   civilian    incident   general   appreciation   machine gun

There have been so many conflicts in modern history that have led to loss of life. I recently watched a documentary online that showed the horror of war. It was about World War Ⅰ,where millions of young men spent years in     1     trenches fighting each other. There was a British     2     who was leading a group of     3    . They were based near the of the war in Eastern France. They were trying to protect     4     in a village. One night, many German     5     were dropped around the area. The villagers     6     and ran into the night. They were all killed by     7     fire. The     8     caused the general so much suffering. He was interviewed as an elderly man and was     9     as he spoke about it. Although it was a tough documentary to watch, I feel it gave me an     10     for the value of peace. The world would be a better place without any war or conflict.

9 . Complete the passage with the proper forms of the words in the box.

candidate     commitment     cruel     damp     motive     resolution     wage

One hundred years ago, exploring the Antarctic was a dangerous business. Because of the     1     weather and very little knowledge of how to survive in the Antarctic, the chances of success were quite slim and many explorers died. The people who signed up for such voyages were paid low     2    and had to tolerate poor working conditions and rough seas, along with the cold and     3    weather. They also had to have a strong     4    to finish what they had started no matter how hard it was, great personal discipline, and a firm     5     to the other members of the team. Yet, many    6     still applied to join such explorations. Some might have wanted to become famous. Others were looking for rewards. However, the     7     for many was to experience a great adventure.

10 . Directions: Complete the following passages by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. account B. contented C. contested D. date E. feature F. previously G. believably H. pointed I. represented J. stretches K. winds

For centuries, two of the most intriguing question about Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” were “Who?” and “When?” A discovery made at Heidelberg University in 2005 pretty much answered both. A note written in a manuscript in the library confirmed the     1     of da Vinci’s first biographer, Giorgio Vasari: that the sitter was a merchant’s wife, Lisa Gherardini. The note also helped     2     the masterpiece to between 1503 and 1506.

A third mystery—“Where?”—is still in dispute, But on June 3rd a French engineer, Pascal Cotte, declared that he and a collaborator had identified the landscape in the background of the painting. Arguments had once been made for     3     of countryside in the Marche region and between Milan and Genoa. During a presentation in Vinci, near Florence, Mr. Cotte argued that the artist was more     4     depicting a part of his native Tuscany-one that much interested him at the time. According to this theory, da Vinci     5     the area not as it was, but as, in an unrealized scheme, he intended it to be.

Mr. Cotte, who was asked by the Louvre (where the “Mona Lisa” hangs) to create a digital image of the painting, is the inventor of the multispectral (多光谱的) camera: a device that can detect not only the drawing below the surface of an oil painting, but also, where they exist, intermediate layers of work. It was among these, under what appears to be a     6     rock, that he found a preparatory sketch showing that da Vinci intended it to represent a castellated(城堡形的) tower.

The landscape of the “Mona Lisa” also includes a huge steep cliff. That is similar to one that da Vinci included in a sketch of a fortress(堡垒)     7     by Pisa and Florence in the war that broke out between them in 1503 (around the time he was painting Gherardini). The fortress with the nearby cliff—and a tower, known as the Caprona tower—all overlook the river Arno as it snakes from Florence to Pisa. All three also     8     in drawings made by da Vinci to illustrate a plan about which, says Mr. Cotte, he became “obsessive”.

Mr. Cotte argues that a channel that     9     through desolate countryside at the right of the “Mona Lisa” is too wide to be a road, as some have speculated, and is instead the dried-up bed of the Armo as da Vinci pictured it once his plan had been adopted.

It never was. But if Mr. Cotte’s theory is right, it might just explain why Gherardini, a Florentine, wears such a     10    , if mysterious, smile.