2 . Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers tried to conquer (征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.

In the 1840s the main crop, potatoes, was affected by disease and about 750,000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.

For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.

The Irish are famous for being warm－hearted and friendly. Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived (复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish songs which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.

1. What does the author tell us in Paragraph 1?

A．How the Irish fought against the English.

B．How Ireland gained independence.

C．How English rulers tried to conquer Ireland.

D．How two “Irelands” came into being.

2. We learn from the text that in Ireland ________.

A．food shortages and a lack of work in the 1840s led to a decline in population

B．people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside

C．it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker

D．different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments

3. The last paragraph is mainly about ________.

A．the Irish character	B．the Irish culture
C．Irish musical instruments	D．a famous Irish writer

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Life in Ireland	B．A Very Difficult History
C．Ireland, Past and Present	D．The Independence of Ireland

3 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Chinese people place a high value in responsibility. It is our duty to taking care of our parents. We know that they have done a lot to take care of them. So we should give back some of the love and care they had given to us. As Chinese citizen, we have a responsibility to protect our country. Thus, we should study hardly for our motherland. Finally, we must remember that we should built a clean and beautiful world. It is important what we need to protect environment. By doing so, and we will make the world better.

4 . Several years ago, Jeremy Clarkson, presenter of the famous BBC television programme ‘Top Gear’, discovered that one of his guests was half German and half Irish. Immediately, he said, “That’s quite a strange combination. It’s like, ‘this must be done absolutely perfectly… tomorrow’ ”.

This joke played on stereotypes of the Germans as efficient and the Irish as lazy. Many people could understandably be offended by these kinds of assertions(断言). We do not know every Irish person, so how can we then conclude that every Irish person is lazy?

I recently read on a website that Irish business people were described as being “generally rather casual” and “more outwardly friendly than many European countries”. German business people, on the other hand, are considered to be very direct and according to the website, they “do not need a personal relationship in order to do business”. Once you hear advice like this, it becomes easier to understand where jokes like the one in the first paragraph come from.

So why do some people disapprove of the kind of stereotypes as seen in Clarkson’s joke, but not batting an eyelid(眨眼) when it comes to generalizations. What is the difference between the two?

By definition, a stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. A cultural characteristic, on the other hand, is a pattern of behaviour that is typical of a certain group.

So what does this really mean? Stereotypes are simply overstated assumptions about groups of people. Imagine if a tourist visited a small town in Switzerland and saw a number of locals playing the alphorn instrument, and then claimed that Swiss people can play the alphorn. This would be a stereotype! This is an overstated image of the Swiss which is based on one tourist’s experience.

If, however, this tourist were to say that the Swiss are very punctual, this could be seen as a cultural characteristic. This is because it is a pattern of behaviour which is very typical in Switzerland: from their transport system to their business meetings. In this way, some people argue that generalizing another culture is not just useful, but important. Politicians always have to be mindful of the cultural characteristics of different countries. By becoming aware of different cultural characteristics, they can avoid causing offence in those cultures. However, others argue that generalizing cultures will always lead to offensive stereotypes. They argue that the best thing we can do is to stop generalizing cultures and start treating people as individuals.

All this raises important questions: can making generalizations about groups of people be a positive thing? Or should we always avoid making broad assumptions about different groups?

1. When he said, “It’s like, ‘this must be done absolutely perfectly…tomorrow’”, Jeremy Clarkson really meant ________.

A．the stereotypes of the Germans and the Irish are not so good

B．the combination of half German and half Irish is interesting

C．the characteristics of the Germans and the Irish are opposite

D．the Germans will do it perfectly tomorrow while the Irish won’t

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The Swiss can play the alphorn quite well.

B．The Irish people are considered as lazy, direct and casual.

C．The Germans are thought to be efficient, friendly and direct.

D．The Swiss tend to arrive on time on various occasions.

3. Politicians think it important to generalize another culture because ________.

A．they don’t want to offend other people

B．generalizing will lead to offensive stereotypes

C．cultural characteristics are better than stereotypes

D．they think different cultural characteristics are useful

4. The main purpose of this passage is to ________.

A．illustrate the importance of making generalizations

B．show it is wrong to play jokes on stereotypes of different people

C．tell us the differences between stereotypes and cultural characteristics

D．discuss whether it is good to make generalizations about groups of people

5 . 根据课文内容，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Peru is a country     1     the central western coast of South America facing the Pacific Ocean. Three parts make up the country: narrow, dry, flat land     2     (run) along the coast, the Andes Mountains, and the Amazon rainforest.

Spanish is the main language of Peru. It is because Peru     3     (rule) by Spain from the 16th century to 1821. But before that, Peru was the centre of the ancient Inca Empire, and its emperor lived in what is now known as the site Machu Picchu.

Peru is an     4     (amaze) destination with something for tourists. Here     5     (be) two magical tours: Amazon Rainforest Tour and Machu Picchu Tour.

In Amazon Rainforest Tour, you can first take     6     short flight into the Amazon rainforest and then will travel for a day to your     7     (accommodate) by boat. In the following three days, you can explore the unique rainforest with a local guide. In the other tour, you can take a four-day hike through the Andes to the city of Machu Picchu. After     8     (explore) the ancient city, you will find it very amazing,    9     (especial) the Incas’ dry stone method of building. Inca builders cut stones     10     exactly that nothing was needed to hold walls together.

7 . 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。

From the first day I arrived in Kunming, I had my understanding of China     1     (change). Far from being narrow-minded and hostile to     2     (foreign) ，people came up to talk to me the first time I went out on the street. It happened to be all in Chinese, so I didn’t understand much,     3     it did cause me to rethink my assumptions.

As my Chinese improved, this continued throughout my stay, from my landlord introducing me to people who could help us learn Chinese to     4     (get) to know the couple who ran a noodle restaurant nearby.

If you’re interested in other people, their culture, and their language, they’ll be     5     (friend) to you. China isn’t     6     exception. Don’t judge a country by its media coverage,     7     (especial) some Western media, which have much prejudice.

I saw a very different kind of China with my own eyes. Kunming,     8     I lived for most of my stay, wasn’t much polluted. I had frank conversations with Chinese people about almost everything. Still China is developing，but the economic     9     (grow)means that most people     10     (see) their living standards improve rapidly in the last 20 years. People I spoke with were generally optimistic about the future.

8 . Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of China, Korea, and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. It is made up of over 3, 000 islands, the largest of which are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. Most of Japan's islands are mountainous, and many are volcanic, including the highest mountain, Mount Fuji.

The characters that make up Japan's name mean "the sun's origin", so Japan is also sometimes known as "The Land of the Rising Sun", a name that comes from the country's eastward position relative to mainland Asia.

The climate of Japan varies upon location-it is hot in the south and cool in the north. For example its capital and largest city Tokyo is located in the north and its average August high temperature is 31℃ and its average January low temperature is 2℃. By contrast, Naha, the capital of Okinawa, is located in the southern part of the country and has an average August high temperature of 30℃ and an average January low temperature of 14℃.

Its capital and largest city is Tokyo. At 377, 872 square kilometers, Japan is the sixty-second largest country by area. It has the world's 10th largest population, with nearly 128 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, with over 30 million people, is the largest city area in the world.

Japan is the world's third largest economy power behind China and is the sixth largest exporter and importer and is a member of the United Nations, G8, G4, and APEC.

1. What's the first paragraph mainly about?

A．Japan's mountains.	B．Japan's largest island.
C．Japan's location and characteristics.	D．Japan's neighbours.

2. What's the temperature difference between the January average of Tokyo and that of Naha?

A．2℃.

B．10℃.

C．12℃.

D．14℃.

3. What can we infer form the passage?

A．Tokyo is the largest city area in the world.

B．China is the world's second largest economy power.

C．Japan is the sixty-second largest country by population.

D．Japan has become a member of five international organizations.

4. Which could be the best title for the passage?

A．Japan, an Island Country	B．The Population and Geography of Japan
C．The History and Economy of Japan	D．A Brief Introduction to Japan

9 . Simple facts about the British currency

The British currency has two units—the pound and the penny. 100 pennies make £1.

Currency paper notes are   £5，£ 10，£ 20 and £ 50. The different notes are quite similar in size and appearance，so be careful! £50 notes are not common，and many shops will not accept them, because of the danger of false money.

Coins are £2. £1.50p. 20p. 10p. 5p. 2p and 1p.

In Scotland. Scottish banks issue their own bank notes of various values. British and Scottish notes and coins are interchangeable. However, you might find some unwillingness in the South of England to accept Scottish notes even though areas near Scotland will happily accept them. We therefore recommend that you exchange or spend any Scottish currency before leaving Scotland.

In conversation and shops, people often do not say "pounds". Something which costs £ 6.50 would usually be described as "six fifty". For things which cost less than one pound, people may say "pence", but often they say "pee", meaning "p". For instance. "That is ninety-nine pee". The larger coins will often be called, for example, "a fifty pee", or "a fifty pee piece".

Best ways of obtaining British money

You can change cash and traveller's cheques at British Banks, building societies (these are similar to banks). larger Post Offices, larger Travel Agents, some larger Tourist Information Centres. American Express, and Bureaux de Change.

Be careful, as some cost more than others! You will probably pay much more at Bureaux de Change at airports and in the centre of London.

Banks, building societies and travel agents will usually charge a fixed percentage fee, about 3%, with a minimum of fee of £2.50. Or it might be 2%, with a minimum fee of £3. Some, such as the Halifax Building Society, may charge a £2 handing charge, plus 1% fee. It is worth looking around. Larger post offices charge only a 1% fee, minimum £2.50, so they can be a good place to go.

1. What notes should you avoid while exchanging for British money?

A．£5 notes.	B．£10 notes.
C．£20 notes.	D．£50 notes.

2. How much is "eight thirty" in purchase?

A．£83.

B．£8.30.

C．83p.

D．8.30p.

3. Where can you probably get the most value of your money when changing for British currency?

A．British Banks.	B．Building Societies.
C．Larger Travel Agents.	D．Larger Post Offices.

10 . 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。

China is the world's largest center of goods-making and the world's largest exporter of goods. Chinese agriculture not only helps feed    1    (develop) places but also helps feed other major world powers. China has helped many    2    (Europe), South American and North African countries deal with the economic crisis(经济危机).

China,    3    has grown fast over the past decade, is now the largest economy outside the group of developed    4    (country). China, in particular, is in the news every day. Generally, it    5    (see)as one of the world's major economic powers. China's economy is twice larger than that of Brazil, India, and Russia, with    6    huge population, four times that of the US. Over the past 20 years, China has grown    7    (rapid).

I am very proud    8    (be) here in China and to have a great community of Chinese and foreigner, I hope one day, will he able to contribute    9    the development of the world's economic and scientific research. This one year of my life was amazing. I hope the coming days will be more exciting and at every step of my life. I    10    (learn)something new and interesting.