1 . A fresh and gentle wind on your face, soft sand under your feet and blue waters as far as the eye can see. Is there any other Olympic sport that is played in such pleasant conditions as beach volleyball？

“I’ve gone to a lot of beautiful places, and met a lot of beautiful people. That wouldn’t have happened if I had been playing another sport.” said Randy Stoklos, America’s most famous beach volleyball player.

The sport began as a four-a-side game on beaches in Southern California in the 1920s. The first recorded two-man game took place there in 1930, and the first tournament (锦标赛) was held in Los Angeles 18 years later. The winners were awarded a case of Pepsi. In the 1950s, women started playing and the sport soon spread to Europe and South America. Yet at that time, beach volleyball was more an entertainment show than a sport, with beauty contests included. The Association of Volleyball Professionals was founded in 1983 and beach volleyball developed into a fast, athletic sport. Its world-wide popularity won beach volleyball a place at the 1996 Olympics in Atalanta, where 24 male teams and 16 female teams took part. At present, the US and Brazil are the best in the world at beach volleyball.

The game came to China in the early 1990s and there have been national tournaments since 1994. It became an official event at the Eighth National Games in 1997. China’s You Wenhui and Wang Lu finished ninth in the women’s beach volleyball world championships in Brazil.

1. The passage is mainly about ______.

A．the history of beach volleyball

B．how to play beach volleyball

C．the importance of beach volleyball

D．women’s beach volleyball in China

2. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE？

A．Beach volleyball was first played like other Olympic: sports.

B．Beach volleyball has always been an entertainment show rather than a sport.

C．Beach volleyball began on beaches in Souther California.

D．Women started playing beach volleyball in South America in 1945.

3. When did beach volleyball officially become an Olympic event？

A．In 1948,

B．In 1996.

C．In 1950.

D．In 1997.

4. According to the passage, we can learn that______.

A．in 1996, beach volleyball became an official event in China

B．China’s beach volleyball team is the best in the world

C．China’s beach volleyball players won the first place in Brazil

D．beach volleyball came to China in the early 1990s

2 . That the Leaning Tower of Pisa no longer leans quite so much after a ￡20 million project to save it has proved to be a great success.The tower,which was on the edge of collapse,has been straightened by 18 inches,returning it to its 1838 position.

“It has straightened a little bit more than we expected,but very little helps,”said Prof.John Burland,the only British member of the rescue committee.“The tower is still very slightly moving towards being upright.”

The tower,which has been leaning almost since building work first began in 1173,was closed to the public in 1990 because of safety fears.The 183-foot tower was nearly 15 feet off vertical and its structure was found to have been weakened by centuries of strain(作用力).

Prof.Burland said it could have collapsed “at any moment”.However,it took nine years of quarrelling before any work was done.The last attempt at straightening the tower was carried out.Concrete(混凝土) was poured into the foundations,but the result was that the tower sank further into the soil.

The straightening work involved digging out around 70 tonnes of earth from the northern side of the tower,causing it to sink on that side.Before the digging started,the tower was fixed with steel ropes and 600 tonnes of lead weights.

However,halfway through the project,concerns at the ugliness of the lead weights led to their removal and the tower leaned greatly.The weights were hurriedly reattached.One night,the tower moved more than it had averaged in an entire year.The tower’s stonework has also been restored.

The Italian government stepped in after a tower collapsed in Pavia in 1989,killing four people.Experts suddenly realized that the tower at Pisa,which was similarly built and on the same sort of earth,could do the same.

1. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．The Building of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

B．Saving the Leaning Tower of Pisa

C．The Collapse of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

D．The History of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

2. According to the passage,the Leaning Tower of Pisa 　　　.

A．closed for the straightening work in 1990

B．began to lean more than 800 years ago

C．has a history of more than 1,000 years

D．has become vertical

3. What drove the Italian government to save the Leaning Tower of Pisa?

A．The development of new technology.	B．The advice of Prof.John Burland.
C．The expectation of the rescue committee.	D．The collapse of a tower in Pavia.

4. What most probably played the most important part in straightening the tower?

A．The lead weights fixed to the tower.

B．Restoring the stonework.

C．Pouring concrete into the foundations.

D．Digging earth from the southern side of the tower.

5. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．The position of the tower has been restored to what it was 182 years ago.

B．Hundreds of years of strain has weakened the tower’s structure.

C．The tower doesn’t lean any more after the straightening work finished.

D．People spent nine years in discussing about the straightening work.

3 . 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。

When foreigners negotiate, or register in certain areas of China, they may be     1    (surprise) at Chinese’s special fondness and preference for seals. To Chinese, seals are an art of deep cultural roots,     2     combines the essence of both calligraphy(书法) and sculpture and inspires generations to study, to appreciate and to collect.

It is believed that seals came out as early     3     8,000 years ago after our ancestors could make pottery wares(陶瓷)and had private property. They were assumed to make marks on     4    (they) own possessions to prevent them from being stolen. When the first dynasty     5    (found),the king began to use seals to empower(授权)and to show lordly credits. Only the king’s special seal was then called “Xi”,     6    (represent) the highest authority. The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, had his “Xi”    7    (make) out of the invaluable and beautiful jade “Heshi Bi”.

Then the local governments also needed seals for     8     same function. Meanwhile, private seals were carved in a variety of lucky     9    (character)and vivid animal patterns.    10    (gradual). the sphragistics (印章学) came into being.