1 . The history of writing instruments, with which humans have recorded and conveyed thoughts and feelings, is the history of civilization itself. This is how we know about our ancestors and their life.

The handy sharpened-stone was adapted into the first writing instrument. Around 24,000 BC, the cave man started drawing pictures with the stone onto the walls of his cave.    1    Walls at the Apollo site in Namibia are believed to be the oldest rock paintings to date.

Before paper came along, people used clay or wax tablets on which they wrote with sharp objects such as metal sticks or bones. Around 6000 years ago, the Egyptians invented the first paperlike material called papyrus. The word “paper” actually comes from the word “papyrus”.

    2    Bones or metal sticks were no longer useful as the papyrus could not be scratched. So the Egyptians created a reed-pen perfect for the papyrus.    3    And thus, ancient Egyptians transformed bamboo stems (茎) into an early form of a fountain pen.

Another writing instrument that remained active in history for a long period was the quill (鹅毛) pen. Introduced around 700 AD, the quill was a pen made from a bird feather. Goose feathers were most common.    4    For making fine line drawings, crow feathers were the best.

When writers had better inks and paper and handwriting had developed into both an art form and an everyday occurrence, man’s inventive nature once again turned to improving the writing instrument.    5    

A．Now something was needed to write upon the papyrus.

B．The papyrus became the most popular material at that time.

C．Swan feathers were of a high quality, being rare and most expensive.

D．Bamboo stems were better and much more expensive than goose feathers.

E．This led to the development of the modern fountain pen in the 19th century.

F．These were mostly the stems of grasses, especially from the bamboo plant.

G．These drawings showed events in daily life like the planting of crops or hunting victories.

2 . 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。

As we all know, the Great Wall of China is one of the greatest     1     (sight) in the world---the longest wall in the world ,which     2     (consider) the symbol of China and the wisdom of Chinese people.

With     3    long history of more than 2300 years, the “Long Wall” was built in different areas by different dynasties     4     (protect) their territorial（领土的）borders. During the construction of the Great Wall, there were many     5     (interest) legends and stories, such as Meng Jiang Nü weeping over the Great Wall, a sad     6     romantic love story .

Today, the Great Wall has become a place     7     interest not only to the Chinese but also to people all over the world. Perhaps the most     8     (wide) famous advertising words in history come from the poetic pen of Chairman Mao: “He     9     has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man,” Actually, since the Great Wall was opened to the public, hundreds of millions of visitors     10     (be) to its various sections.

3 . What is the capital of Canada? If you’re well-versed in geographic knowledge, you know the answer is Ottawa. But why is that? After all, Toronto is much larger than any other city in Canada. Montreal is an international city with ties to Europe. Vancouver is a major city with a very strategic port. Quebec City is centrally located.

Why were none of these cities chosen to be the capital of Canada? As it turns out, choosing a capital city is more complicated than pointing to the biggest city on the map.

Ottawa was a good choice because it was centrally located between two other major contenders. Montreal (which was predominantly French) and York (now Toronto, which was predominantly British). These two cities were the largest in Ontario and Quebec, which were at the center of Canada in the middle of 19th century. Picking Ottawa was a good compromise, as the Queen did not want to appear to favor one major city over the other.

Also, unlike Toronto and Montreal, Ottawa was central but also a safe distance away from Canada’s southern neighbor, the United States. It meant the capital would be safer in the event the U.S. decided to attack again. After all, it had only been 40 years since the War of 1812 when American troops had invaded as a result of British interference(干涉) in shipping. Although America was unable to capture Canada, the invasion was costly for the British government, who was not about to let it happen again.

Hence, Ottawa was a great choice for the capital of Canada.

1. Which is the biggest city in Canada?

A．Toronto.	B．Ottawa.
C．Montreal.	D．Vancouver.

2. Why was neither Montreal nor Toronto chosen to be the capital?

A．Ottawa was in the middle of Canada.

B．The Queen did not want to be criticized.

C．The two cities were in the middle of Canada.

D．There were different languages between the two cities.

3. What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A．The United States was a good neighbor.

B．The United States often attacked Canada.

C．Toronto and Montreal were in the middle of Canada.

D．The capital was not easy to be attacked.

4 . Before the 1830s, most newspapers were sold through annual subscriptions in America, usually $8 to $10 a year. Today $8 or $10 seems a small amount of money, but at that time these amounts were forbidding to most citizens. Accordingly, newspapers were read almost only by rich people in politics or the trades. In addition, most newspapers had little in them that would appeal to a mass audience. They were dull and visually forbidding. But the revolution that was taking place in the 1830s would change all that.

The trend, then, was toward the “penny paper”—a term referring to papers made widely available to the public. It meant any inexpensive newspaper; perhaps more importantly it meant newspapers that could be bought in single copies on the street.

This development did not take place overnight. It had been possible(but not easy) to buy single copies of newspapers before 1830, but this usually meant the reader had to go down to the printer’s office to purchase a copy. Street sales were almost unknown. However, within a few years, street sales of newspapers would be commonplace in eastern cities. At first the price of single copies was seldom a penny—usually two or three cents was charged—and some of the older well-known papers charged five or six cents. But the phrase “penny paper” caught the public’s fancy, and soon there would be papers that did indeed sell for only a penny.

This new trend of newspapers for “the man on the street” did not begin well. Some of the early ventures(企业) were immediate failures. Publishers already in business, people who were owners of successful papers, had little desire to change the tradition. It took a few youthful and daring businessmen to get the ball rolling.

1. Which of the following best describes newspapers in America before the 1830s?

A．Academic.

B．Unattractive.

C．Inexpensive.

D．Confidential.

2. What did street sales mean to newspapers?

A．They would be priced higher.	B．They would disappear from cities.
C．They could have more readers.	D．They could regain public trust.

3. Who were the newspapers of the new trend targeted at?

A．Local politicians.	B．Common people.
C．Young publishers.	D．Rich businessmen.

4. What can we say about the birth of the penny paper?

A．It was a difficult process.	B．It was a temporary success.
C．It was a robbery of the poor.	D．It was a disaster for printers.

5 . 阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卷的相应位置上。

As settlers moved to California     1     the mid-nineteenth century, they became concerned about the lack of rapid     2     (communicate) with the eastern United States. Because of the dangers and hardships of     3     (cross) the West, mail often did not arrive. Therefore the most important mails     4     (send) via Panama,     5     took a month or more. In 1860 a stagecoach company decided to meet the problem by beginning the Pony Express. The company hired     6    bravest riders and bought the fastest horses     7     (use) as relay(替换) teams between Missouri and California, and the company promised     8    mails would be sent in ten days. The company established two hundred stations along the route at which riders could rest and change horses. In less than two years,     9     , telegraph lines were completed and the Pony Express was     10     longer needed.

6 . Buckingham Palace has a history that dates back over 500 years and has changed hands on numerous occasions, however, much of the building that remains standing today is from the original structure built in the early 1700's.
In the beginning Buckingham Palace was originally known as Buckingham House. However, in 1762 George III liked the house so much that he bought it for 28,000 and renamed it "The Queen's House". The reason for this was down to the fact that he bought the house to give to his wife Charlotte. Shortly after he did this, work soon began in order to remodel the house with the help of Sir William Chambers. This trend then continued with the accession of George IV in 1820 when he decided to reconstruct the house but he still used it for the same purpose that his father did.
One of the biggest physical changes to the house occurred several years later when the king had a change of mind. It was in 1826 that King George IV set about transforming the house into what it is known today, Buckingham Palace. He did this with the help of an architect known as John Nash.
The work that Nash carried out involved doubling the size of the main block through adding a new suite of rooms on the garden side facing the west. He then faced this with mellow Bath stone, which reflected the French neo-classical influence favored by George IV. Many of the rooms that Nash added still remain pretty much unchanged today.
The palace as it stands today acts as not only the London residence of Her Majesty the Queen but also the administrative headquarters of the Royal Household. It is in fact one of the few working royal palaces that remain in the world today. The state rooms are extensively used by the Queen as well as members of the royal family as a way of receiving and entertaining guests on state, ceremonial and official occasions.
1. George IV reconstructed Buckingham House probably to         .

A．please his own wife

B．satisfy his son

C．sell at a good price

D．honor his old father

2. One of the biggest changes to Buckingham Palace took place in         .

A．1762

B．1820

C．1826

D．1829

3. The last paragraph mainly tells us

A．how important Buckingham Palace is today

B．what Buckingham Palace is like today

C．some information of royal palaces in the world

D．how Buckingham Palace is used today