2 . I felt     1    (luck) to have won a place to go on a cultural tour to sites of lost civilizations. We visited Pompeii in Italy and Loulan in China. Pompei     2     (found) in the 8^th century BC, then taken    3    by the Romans in 89 BC. Later, Pompei was destroyed by a volcano. It erupted and covered Pompei with ash.    4     (fortunate), many people were buried alive. The city was forgotten for many years until the 18^th century when a stone with writing on it was discovered by a farmer. People started to dig in the area     5    treasure and caused much damage. Thus, in 1860, the area was governed by the government so     6    could be preserved and studied.

Differently, Loulan disappeared under the sand. There were just a few     7    (ruin) left. There was     8    ancient water system     9     (run) through the middle of the city. The desert was once a green with huge trees, but they were cut down,     10     resulted in the city being buried by sand.

They were both important commercial cities about 2,000 years ago. It was a pity that they disappeared for ever.

3 . For its critics, the arrival of the London Underground marked the moment the capital got into a messy state. The idea of an underground train had first been formed in the 1840s and one of the leading advocates was Londoner Charles Pearson, but work did not begin on what became the Metropolitan Railway until 1860.

What critics called “the Drain” was not universally popular. Some warned that the tunnels (隧道) would fall apart under the weight of the houses above; others thought an underground railway so terrible that criminals should be forced to take round trips. And the construction work angered the locals. “London would lose its charm forever with this ugly project,” one said.

But by January 1863, the first trains were ready to roll. On Friday 9 January, a special train packed with politicians made the first journey—though the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, refused to join then, explaining that at 78, he wanted to spend as much time above ground as possible. All went well, and the next day, Saturday 10 January, it opened to the public.

To general astonishment, the capital’s new Underground proved a great success. On that first day alone, 38,000 people walked deep down into the earth to ride between Farringdon Street and Bishop’s Road, Paddington. The carriages were divided into three classes and lit by gas; as one pleasantly surprised passenger put it, they were “so large that a man who is six feet tall may stand up straight with his hat on”.

“For the first time in the history of the world,” said The Daily News, “men can travel in pleasant carriages, and with great comfort, lower down than gas pipes and water pipes.”

1. What did Charles Pearson do?

A．He designed the Metropolitan Railway.

B．He showed his dissatisfaction with London.

C．He built a part of the London Underground.

D．He supported building the London Underground.

2. Why were people against the London Underground in the beginning?

A．Criminals did most of the construction work.

B．It provided single trips instead of return trips.

C．It was too new to be readily accepted by the public.

D．Lots of accidents happened in tunnels universally.

3. How was the politicians’ underground ride in 1863?

A．It was smooth.	B．It was lots of fun.
C．It was quite frightening.	D．It was totally disorganized.

4. What was the right description of the first underground train?

A．Its height was exactly six feet.

B．Its lights were powered by electricity.

C．Its floors had lots of gas pipes and water pipes.

D．Its carriages were more comfortable than expected.

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

People send birthday wishes using cards and postcards in many cultures. It’s not known when and where the tradition of     1     (send) birthday cards began, however, it is believed     2     it was in England in the early nineteenth century. In those days people sent birthday cards because they couldn’t wish somebody     3     happy birthday in person.

In 1840, the first postage stamp was issued in Britain and sending birthday cards became     4     (cheap) and therefore more popular. The     5     (develop) of colour printing processes in the 1930s also helped to increase sales of cards.

Today usually cards     6     (give) with a present, even when people can send     7     (they) wishes in person. In recent times, e-cards have also become popular: many people are starting to use these instead of traditional cards as they are free, environmentally     8     (friend) and arrive more quickly. So will e-cards take the place     9     paper cards in ten or twenty years? Probably not. For young children and old people or for very formal occasions, e-cards are not proper and some people     10     (simple) don’t use the Internet.

5 . The Origins of Famous Brands

Our lives are full of brand names and trademarked products that we use every day. Although many brand names are simple acronyms(首字母缩略词) or versions of their founders names, some of the companies we trust every day actually have fascinating and surprising back stories.

Starbucks

It seems fitting that the most famous coffee brand in the world would take its name from one of the world’s greatest works of literature. The inspiration for the name of the coffeehouse came from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. The founders’ original idea was to name the company after the Captain Ahab’s ship, but they eventually decided that Pequot wasn’t a great name for coffee, so they chose Ahab’s first mate, Starbucks, as the name instead.

Google

Google was originally called Backrub, for it searched for links in every corner of the Web. In 1997, when the founders of the company were searching for a new name showing a huge amount of data for their rapidly improving search technology, a friend suggested the word “googol”. When a friend tried to register the new domain (域) name, he misspelled “googol” as “google”.

Nike

Originally founded as a distributor for Japanese running shoes, the company was originally named BRS, or Blue Ribbon Sports. In 1971, BRS introduced its own soccer shoe, a model called Nike, which is also the name for the Greek goddess of victory. In 1978, the company officially renamed itself as Nike, Inc.

The right name is essential to a company’s success, and a great origin story is just as important as a great product. An attractive origin story is one more thing that keeps customers guessing, wondering, and buying its products.

1. What is the name of the Captain Ahab’s ship?

A．Moby Dick.	B．Starbucks.
C．Pequot.	D．Herman Melville.

2. Why did the founders of the Google want to change its name?

A．They mistook their name.

B．They wanted new customers.

C．The company’s original name was too long.

D．The company’s search technology was improving rapidly.

3. Where does the importance of the origin story of one company lie in?

A．It can change the company’s image.

B．It can add myth to the company.

C．It explains the development of the company to customers.

D．It makes customers imagine and purchase its goods.

6 . 5000 B.C.— People began to farm along the Nile River in Egypt.
2950B.C. — Egypt was first united under MENES.
2600B.C. — The first pyramid of Egypt, the Pyramid of Djoser, was built.
2500 B.C. — The great Pyramid of Gina was built.
2000 B.C. — The Bantu Peoples began to migrate into central and southern Africa.
1279 B.C. — Rameses II became pharaoh（法老）of Egypt.
1070 B.C. — The kingdom of Kush gained its independence from Egypt.
814 B.C. — The city of Carthage was established by the Phoenician Empire.
715 B.C. — Kush conquered Egypt and ruled it until 662 B.C.
650 B.C. — Cathage became independent. It grew into one of the most powerful cities on the Mediterranean Sea.
590 B.C. — The capital of Kush was moved from Napata to Meroe.
525 B.C. — The Persians conquered Egypt.
332 B.C. — The Greeks led by Alexander the Great conquered Egypt.
264 B.C. — Carthage fought in the First Punic War.
146 B.C. —Cathage was defeated by Rome. Roman forces destroyed the city.
30 B.C. — Cleopatra VII, the last pharaoh of Egypt, died. Egypt became part of Rome.
1. When did Cathage become independent?

A．715 B. C.	B．590 B.C.
C．650 B.C.	D．1070 B.C.

2. According to the text, Kush ruled Egypt for ________ years.

A．53.	B．30.
C．50.	D．63.

3. What does the text mainly tell us?

A．The whole history of Egypt.	B．Cities and peoples in Egypt.
C．The historical wars in Africa.	D．Timeline of Ancient Africa.

7 . The Silk Road is a name given to the many trade routes that connected Europe and the Mediterranean（地中海）with the Asian world. The route is over 6,500 km long and got its name because the early Chinese traded silk along it. Although silk was the main trading item, there were many other goods that travelled along the Silk Road between Eastern Asia and Europe. In the course of time, medicine, perfumes, spices and livestock（家畜）found their way between continents.

The Chinese learned to make silk thousands of years ago. For a long time they were the only ones who knew how to make this precious material. Only the emperor, his family and his highest advisers were allowed to wear clothes made of silk. For a long time the Chinese guarded this secret very carefully. The ancient Romans were the first Europeans who became aware of this wonderful material. Trading started, often with Indians as middlemen（中间人）who traded silk with the Chinese in exchange for gold and silver which they got from the Romans.

Travelling along the route was dangerous. The hot desert, high mountains and sandstorms made traveling a rough business. Most of the goods along the Silk Road were carried by caravans（商队）. Traders sometimes brought goods from one destination on the silk Road to another, from where the goods would be transported by someone else. Over the centuries people settled along the ancient route and many cities emerged. Later on there were fewer hardships to overcome, but by no means was it easy.

Religion, languages and diseases also spread along the Silk Road. Buddhism, which originated in India, spread to China along this route. European traders probably brought the plague from Asia to Europe along the ancient road.

In the early Middle Ages, traffic along the route decreased because of the decline of the Roman Empire. Trading along the Silk Road became stronger again between the 13th and 14th centuries, when the Mongols controlled central Asia. During the Age of Exploration the Silk Road lost its importance because new sea routes to Asia were discovered.

1. What do we know about the Silk Road?

A．It refers to many trade routes.

B．It was named because the ancient Arabians traded silk along it.

C．Silk was the only trading item on it.

D．Travelling along the Silk Road was easy and safe.

2. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 2?

A．Summarize the previous paragraph.

B．Add some background information.

C．Introduce a new topic for discussion.

D．Summarize the following paragraphs.

3. The Silk Road greatly promoted the development or spread of ________.
① new cities             ② religions             ③ languages             ④ diseases              ⑤ science and technology

A．①②③⑤	B．②③④⑤
C．①③④⑤	D．①②③④

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The Silk Road	B．Decline of the Silk Road
C．Dangerous Trade Travelling	D．Renaissance（复兴）of the Silk Road

8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式，并将答案填写在答题卡相应的位置上。

National Youth Day is celebrated in China every year on 4^th May. It     1     (establish) by the Government Administration Council of People’s Republic of China in December of 1949     2     (honor) the May Fourth Movement of 1919.

After World War I ended,     3     peace conference was held by the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France and Japan in Paris. China sent some of its delegates (代表) to participate in the conference. China demanded that Japan cancel the unfair “21 items” and     4     Germany should give Shandong Back to China,     5     was occupied by Japan during WWI. The very rational request was refused and the     6     (legal) privilege of Germany of Shandong Province was transferred to Japan. The outcome caused a significant amount of anger among the residents of China. Approximately 30,000 students from different     7     (university) around Beijing gathered at Tian’anmen Square on May 4^th to hold a protest     8     the decision. Finally on June 28^th Chinese delegates refused to sign the Paris Treaty,     9     (make) the movement a success. This marked the     10     (begin) of National Youth Day.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Chinese architecture is a style that has taken shape in East Asia over many centuries. The structural principles of Chinese architecture have remained largely     1     (change), the main changes being only the decorative details. Since the Tang Dynasty, Chinese architecture has     2     (have) a major influence     3     the architectural styles of Korea, Vietnam, and Japan.

The architecture of China is as old as Chinese civilization. From every source of information, there is strong     4     (evident) that the Chinese have always enjoyed a native system of construction that has kept its principal characteristics from old times to the present day. Over the large area from Chinese Turkistan (突厥) to Japan, the same system of construction is popular and this is the area of Chinese cultural influence.

Throughout     5     20th century, western-trained Chinese architects have tried     6     (combine) traditional Chinese designs into modern architecture, with great success. Moreover, the pressure for urban development throughout contemporary China required higher speed of construction and higher floor area ratio (容积率),     7     means that in the great cities the demand for traditional Chinese     8     (build) has declined in favor of modern architecture.     9    , the traditional skills of Chinese architecture,     10     (include) major and minor carpentry (木工), and masonry (石工), are still applied to the construction of vernacular architecture in the large rural area in China.

10 . For centuries, people wondered how big the Earth was. Unfortunately, although the Earth was flat, no one was able to figure out its size. Gradually, however, people began to realize that the Earth was really round.

Then, in the third century BC (2,300 years ago), a Greek man named Eratosthenes had an idea. Eratosthenes was sure that the Earth was a sphere. He used the sun and geometry (几何学) to figure out the size of the Earth. He calculated that the circumference (圆周) of the Earth was 28,600 miles (46,000 kilometers). The true size of the Earth is 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers).

Eratosthenes’ measurement was wrong, but it was very close to the truth.

For many centuries after Eratoshenes lived, people made maps of the Earth. However, they did not know very much about the world outside of Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Mapmakers could not draw accurate maps of the Earth until people began traveling around the world in the fifteenth century, mapping small areas each time. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, people began making correct maps of countries, but the first accurate maps of the world were not made until the 1890s.

Maps today are reliable (可依靠的), inexpensive, and easy to understand. People depend on maps every day. What would our lives be like without them?

1. A sphere is a ______.

A．large shape	B．planet
C．ball shape	D．member of the sun family

2. What’s a synonym (同义词) for “figure out”?

A．geometry	B．calculate
C．make out	D．understand

3. The first correct maps of the world were made_____________.

A．in the 15gth century	B．in the 18th century
C．in the 19th century	D．in the 20th century

4. When did map makers begin to draw correct maps of the Earth?

A．When people began to travel around the world

B．When people knew the size of the Earth

C．When people knew the shape of the Earth

D．Before people traveled around the world