1 . 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 is 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 (发行) in Britain and sending birthday cards became     4     (cheap) and therefore more popular. The development of colour printing processes in the 1930s also helped to increase sales of cards.

Today usually cards     5     (give) with a present, even when people can send     6     (they) wishes in person. In recent times, e-cards have also become popular: many people are starting to use these instead       7     traditional cards as they are free, environmentally     8     (friend) and arrive more quickly. So will e-cards take the place of paper cards in ten or twenty years? Probably not. For young     9     (child) and old people or for very formal occasions (正式场合) e-cards are not proper and some people     10     (simple) don’t use the Internet.

2 . 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。

The United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, England—many people are     1     (confuse) by what these different names mean. So what is the     2     (different) between them, if any?     3     (get) to know     4     little bit about British history will help you solve this puzzle.

In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. Later, in the 18th century, the country Scotland was joined     5    (create) the Kingdom of Great Britain. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.     6    (final), in the 20th century, the southern part of Ireland     7     (break) away from the UK, which resulted     8     the full name we have today: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Most people just use the shortened name: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”,     9     means the UK is also often     10     (refer) to as Britain or Great Britain.

5 . Humans evolved from apes. This is what we learned in biology class. But what came before apes? Chinese scientists have discovered fossils that could enrich the evolutionary story of how humans evolved from fish.

According to four articles published in the journal Nature in late September, Chinese researchers found fish fossils that provide the “missing link” about the origin of the jaw, a key feature that 99.8 percent of vertebrate (脊椎动物) species have.

Zhu Min, a lead researcher of the studies from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the findings drew a large amount of interest in the science world due to the importance of jaws in animal evolution.

However, the rise of the jaw had been a mystery due to a lack of sufficient fossil evidence to support that jawed vertebrates lived 450 million years ago.

The latest findings made by Zhu’s team presented a set of five surprisingly well-preserved fish fossils that included three whole-bodied fish, helping scientists paint a more accurate evolutionary picture of the origin of the jaw. The fish fossils were discovered at two sites in Chongqing and Guizhou, whose strata (岩层) date back to the Silurian Period that began around 440 million years ago.

These fossils show that jawed fish were already thriving (繁荣) in the world’s ancient oceans at that time. Later on, more diverse and larger jawed fish evolved and began to spread around the world, paving the way for some fish to eventually go on land and evolve into other animals — including humans.

“These fossils provide an unprecedented (前所未有的) opportunity to peek into the ‘dawn of fish’ and help scientists trace many human body structures back to these ancient fish thus filling some key gaps in the evolutionary history of how fish evolved into humans,” Zhu said.

1. In which column of a magazine will you most probably read the passage?

A．Your Voice.	B．Animals.
C．Science Study.	D．History.

2. Why did the findings draw a large amount of interest in the science world?

A．Because jaws are a key trait of all vertebrate species.

B．Because jaws are significant in animal evolution.

C．Because the rise of the jaw had been a mystery.

D．Because there is a lack of sufficient evidence.

3. What does the underlined phrase “at that time” refer to?

A．Around 440 million years ago.

B．Around 450 million years ago.

C．When jawed fish began to spread around the world.

D．When fish evolved into humans.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Who Are Our Ancestors?	B．What Came Before Apes?
C．The Origin of the Jaw	D．Key Gaps in Evolution

7 . 根据课文内容填空

The four countries that     1     to the United Kingdom work together in some areas. They use the same flag,     2     as the Union Jack, as well     3     share the same currency and military     4    . However, they also have some differences. For example, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland all have different education systems and legal systems. They also have their own     5    , like their own national days and national dishes. And they even have their own football teams for competitions like the World Cup!

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。

Longjing tea,     1     has topped the list of the ten most famous teas in China with its color, taste and shape,     2    (name) after its production region --- Longjing Village of West Lake. The good environment and water resources have contributed much to the     3    (grow) of the tea, confirming the saying that "Longjing tea is the     4     (good) among all of the teas in the world".

Thanks     5     Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, the tea has earned a high reputation. The story went that Emperor Qianlong visited the mountain during his Hangzhou travels, and he saw some ladies picking the tea at     6     foot of the mountain. He was so interested in their movements that he decided to have a go himself. While     7    (pick) the tea, he received the news of his mother's illness, so he carelessly put the leaves in his right sleeve and    8    (leave) Hangzhou for Beijing. He visited his mother    9    (immediate) upon his arrival in Beijing, and his mother smelt the fragrance of the tea leaves from his sleeves and wanted to have a taste. After drinking a cup of tea, she found herself completely    10    (refresh), and she even praised it as a cure for all ills. From then on, it was listed as the tribute tea.