1 . In about 1450, European scholars became more interested in studying the world around them. Their art became truer to life. They began to explore new lands. The new age in Europe was eventually called “the Renaissance”. Renaissance is a French word that means “rebirth”. Historians consider the Renaissance to be the beginning of modern history.

The Renaissance began in northern Italy and then spread through Europe. Italian cities such as Naples, Genoa, and Venice became centres of trade between Europe and the Middle East. Arab scholars preserved the writings of the ancient Greeks in their libraries. When the Italian cities traded with the Arabs, ideas were exchanged along with goods. These ideas, preserved from the ancient past, served as the basis of the Renaissance. When the Byzantine Empire fell to Muslim Turks in 1453, many Christian scholars left Greece for Italy.

The Renaissance was much more than simply studying the works of ancient scholars. It influenced painting, sculpture and architecture. Paintings became more realistic and focused less often on religious topics. Rich families became patrons and commissioned great art. Artists advanced Renaissance style of showing nature and depicting the feelings of people. In Britain, there was a flowering in literature and drama that included the plays of William Shakespeare.

1. The underlined part in the first paragraph refers to ________.

A．from about 1450 to 1453

B．before about 1450

C．from about 1450 to now

D．from the 15th century to the 16th century

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the second paragraph?

A．The Renaissance began in Asia.

B．The Renaissance is one of the biggest cities in Italy.

C．The Renaissance began in Italy and was developed in Britain.

D．The Renaissance started in the northern part of Italy and then appeared in Europe.

3. Why did many Christian scholars in Greece go to Italy?

A．Because Italy was the centre of trade.

B．Because the Byzantine Empire fell to Muslim Turks in 1453.

C．Because Italy was between Europe and the Middle East.

D．Because they wanted to trade with the Italians.

2 . When gold was discovered in Coloma, California in 1848, news travelled fast and many went there to find their fortune. Before 1849, California was a place focusing mainly on agriculture. As word of the gold discovery spread, many people left their fields to seek their fortune. With more and more travellers arriving, restaurants and hotels were built to feed and accommodate (提供住宿) them.

On the mining sites, men were often forced to cook for themselves since few gold diggers were women. In the early days, both food and riches were plentiful and miners could uncover $2,000 worth of gold in just one day. When it came to food, there were plenty of wild animals to be hunted, and meat, beans and coffee could be purchased at a reasonable price. Times appeared to be good.

Over time, because the majority of food in California had to be imported, it became very expensive. Simple foods like eggs and bread were sold for one dollar a piece in 1849. Besides, fruit and vegetables were scarce (缺乏的).   Therefore, many gold diggers couldn't get enough food, and some even had no food at all at last. But the gold diggers also hated to tear themselves away from their search for gold and turned to quick and simple meals that could be cooked over hot ashes.

During the Gold Rush, San Francisco's famous sourdough (酸面团) bread became a main type of food. Miners would often buy a piece in the morning that would be eaten slowly throughout the day. The Boudin family, who came from France, was partly responsible for putting San Francisco sourdough on the map. The Boudin bakery has used the same sourdough, a piece of so­called mother dough since 1849. And when the 1906 earthquake hit, Louise Boudin managed to save some sourdough, ensuring that each piece of bread that came from the bakery would be linked throughout history. So far the Boudin bakery has remained in California, using the sourdough that is the same as the one in 1849.

1. What change took place in California after 1849?

A．The environment got damaged by gold diggers.

B．Gold diggers from outside became its main population.

C．The gold industry pushed each other forward.

D．Business of eating and living developed due to the Gold Rush.

2. What can we infer about gold diggers from Paragraph 3?

A．Many sadly left without any gold.

B．Many had to bring food from home.

C．Many likely ended up with poor health.

D．Many probably turned to unique ingredients.

3. What's Boudin family's contribution to California?

A．Helping discover lots of gold there.

B．Rescuing many people from the earthquake.

C．Creating a type of tasty bread for Califormans.

D．Passing down some food culture in the Gold Rush.

4. What's the best title for the text?

A．The Origin of San Francisco Sourdough

B．The Historical Changes of California

C．The Tough Life of Early Gold Diggers

D．The Rise and Fall of the Gold Rush

3 . The modern pizza was originally invented in Naples, Italy, but the word pizza is Greek in origin, derived from the Greek word pēktos meaning solid or clotted.The ancient Greeks covered their bread with oils, herbs and cheese. The first major innovation that led to flatbread pizza was the use of tomato as a topping. It was common for the poor of the area around Naples to add tomatoes to their yeast­based flatbread, and so the pizza began.

While it is difficult to say for sure who invented the pizza, it is however believed that modern pizza was first made by baker Raffaele Esposito of Naples. In fact, a popular urban legend holds that the archetypal(原型的) pizza, Pizza Margherita, was invented in 1890, when the Royal Palace of Capodimonte asked the Neapolitan pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito to create a pizza in honor of the visiting Queen Margherita. Of the three different pizzas he created, the Queen strongly preferred a pie wrapped in the colors of the Italian flag: red(tomato), green(basil), and white(mozzarella). Supposedly, this kind of pizza was then named after the Queen as Pizza Margherita.

Later，the dish has become popular in many parts of the world:

●The first pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba, was opened in 1830 in Naples.

●In North America, the first pizzeria was opened in 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi at 53 Spring Street in New York City.

●The first Pizza Hut, the chain of pizza restaurants appeared in the United States in 1958.

Nowadays, many varieties of pizza exist worldwide, along with several dish variants based upon pizza.

1. What's mainly talked about in the text?

A．Ways of making pizza.

B．The history of pizza.

C．Varieties of pizza.

D．Stories about pizza.

2. What can replace the underlined word “derived” in Paragraph 1?

A．Separated.	B．Adapted.
C．Originated.	D．Transformed.

3. How was pizza first started?

A．Ancient Greeks covered their bread with oils, herbs and cheese.

B．People in Naples added tomatoes to their bread as a topping.

C．Raffaele Esposito wrapped a pie in the colors of the Italian flag.

D．Queen Margherita awarded her name to pizza in the Royal Palace.

4. What can be learned from the text?

A．Pizza remains popular around the world.

B．The first Pizza Hut was opened in Naples.

C．The taste of pizza stays the same over time.

D．Gennaro Lombardi was the first to make pizza.

4 . 语法填空。

Edward Bulwer-Lytton was a     1    (talent) British writer     2     left his mark on the English language. His classic novel The Last Days of Pompeii imagines life in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in 79 AD,     3    Mount Vesuvius erupted. This terrible natural disaster destroyed Pompeii completely,     4    it also preserved the ancient city for future ages. Since 1748, Pompeii    5     (unearth) systematically. Today it is     6     international tourist destination.

Nearly seventeen centuries had rolled away     7     the city of Pompeii     8    (dig) from its silent resting place. Its walls were fresh as if     9    (paint) yesterday; not a single colour changed on the rich pattern of its floors. The remains of the beautiful city survive to remind us that human     10    (life) burn bright and short.

5 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word, for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Nuo Opera is one of the most popular folk operas in southern China. The ancient form of Nuo Opera is Nuoji,     1     is a special sacrificial ceremony (祭祀仪式). The exact date     2     Nuoji was formed is hard to discover. There are many different stories about the history of Nuo Opera. Some think     3     it began during the Zhou Dynasty. Around the Song Dynasty, people     4     (start) to perform with masks during Nuoji, thus Nuo Opera was basically formed. During the Qing Dynasty, Nuo Opera, which     5     (separate) from Nuoji, became a unique performing art.

Nuo Opera covers ancient religion, folklore (民间传说) and art and combines literature, music, dance, drama, paper-cut and so on.     6    , Nuo Opera involves many acrobatic (杂技的) performances and most of the performers are specially     7     (train). It has great artistic value and     8     (call) the living fossil of Chinese drama.

The mask is the unique symbol of Nuo Opera. Different roles require different masks to reveal the characters. The masks are mainly made of willow (柳树). Studies show that the face painting of Peking Opera and face changing of Sichuan Opera     9    (influence) by Nuo Opera masks.

Nuo Opera used to be very popular in every part of China, but gradually, it     10     (fade) out in most parts. Nowadays, it remains popular only among rural areas in south-west China, such as Guizhou Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

6 . The Great Pyramid of Giza in Cairo is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World which still survives.The other six Wonders of the Ancient World are the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Now a new list of seven wonders has been chosen from 21 locations’ shortlist for the worldwide vote by history lovers.

An original list of nearly 200 sites picked out by the public was narrowed to 21 by the organizers and experts, including the former director general of UNESCO Professor Federico Mayor. Among the 21 locations were Stonehenge (巨石阵) in Britain, Acropolis in Athens, the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Taj Mahal in India and the Great Wall in China. The only standard for the new list was that the landmarks were built or discovered before 2000.

The vote was organized by a non-profit Swiss foundation called New & Wonders specializing in the protection, rebuilding and mending of historical relics. The result was announced in Lisbon, on July 7,2007. Here is the complete list of the new seven wonders: the Great Wall of China,Petra,Chichen Itza, Christ the Redeemer, the Colosseum, Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal.

For more information, please click here.

1. Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A．Voting for the New Seven Wonders of the World

B．Disappearance of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

C．Stonehenge in Britain

D．The New Seven Wonders of the World

2. Which of the following doesn’t belong to the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?

A．The Statue of Zeus at Olympia.

B．The Statue of Liberty.

C．The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.

D．The Lighthouse of Alexandria.

3. What’s the main task of New & Wonders?

A．To build up new wonders.

B．To announce the voting results.

C．To protect and restore ancient sites.

D．To vote for the new seven wonders.

7 . 语法填空

The term “Union Jack”     1    (say) to have several origins. The “union” is thought to have come     2     the combination of the three flags into one and for hundreds of years and “jack”     3    (refer) to a small flag flown from a boat or ship. The Union Jack should     4    (real) be called the Union Flag,     5     the Union Flag is not used as often as the Union Jack.

The Union Jack is the     6    (much) common name for the flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack has existed since 1606,     7     England and Scotland were united.

In 1606, the first Union Jack was created     8     combining the English flag (the red cross of Saint George) with the Scottish flag (the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew on a blue background). Then, in 1801, the     9    (add) of Ireland to the United Kingdom added the Irish flag (the red Saint Patricks cross)     10     the flag.

8 . 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

A UNESCO World Heritage Site today, the ancient town of Pingyao in Shanxi province formed China’s economic backbone during the Qing Dynasty. The town was home     1     the country’s first piaohao (money exchange house) that financed the empire during a period when all bookkeeping was on paper, and the only way     2     (deal) with numbers involved the abacus (算盘) .

In the 19th century, merchants from Shanxi were making their     3     (present) felt in many other nations. They had to rely on security guards for transferring their wealth--gold and silver. The method was hardly safe and thus     4     (lead) to the emergence of piaohao.

The bank of Rishengchang, which     5     (literal) means “sunrise prosperity”, was established in 1823 and it became the prototype (原型) of China’s early financial system. At its peak, the Rishengchang bank had more than 30 branches across the country, with business     6     (reach) as far as Europe and the US.     7     more than a century later, in 1932, the exchange house halted (终止) its operations, the antiques displayed in the museum today continue to fascinate people.

In 2006, Rishengchang museum was named     8     “major national cultural relic” under protection by the State Council. Since then, it     9     (make) its way across the country and abroad. The museum now preserves original account books, letters, bills of exchange and seals,     10    existence reflects the spirit and wisdom of the Shanxi merchants.

9 . 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。

During China’s dynastic period, emperors planned the city of Beijing     1     arranged the residential areas according to social classes. The term “hutong”,     2     (original)meaning “water well” in Mongolian, appeared first during the Yuan Dynasty.

In the Ming Dynasty, the center was the Forbidden City,     3     (surround)in concentric(同心的)circles by the Inner City and Outer City. Citizens of higher social classes     4     (permit)to live closer to the center of the circles. The large siheyuan of these high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen often     5     (feature)beautifully carved and painted roof beams and pillars(柱子). The hutongs they formed were orderly, lined by     6     (space)homes and walled gardens. Farther from the center lived the commoners and laborers. Their siheyuan were far smaller in scale and     7     (simple)in design and decoration, and the hutongs were narrower.

Hutongs represent an important cultural element of the city of Beijing. Thanks to Beijing’s long history     8     capital of China, almost every hutong has its stories, and some are even associated with historic     9     (event). In contrast to the court life and upper-class culture represented by the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven, the hutongs reflect     10     culture of grassroots Beijingers.

10 . Complete the conversation about the UK using the phrases in their correct forms.

as well as     belong to     add to     join to     break away     keep your eyes open

A: I can never remember what the UK means! There’s England, Britain,     1     Great Britain!
B: Well, it helps if you remember that there are four countries that     2     the UK. That’s why it’s called the United Kingdom.
A: Four countries? I must have been asleep in that part of our history class! So the first country was England, and the others were     3     that?
B: Yes, right. First England, then Wales, then Scotland. The last country was Ireland, but later the southern half didn’t want to be     4     the United Kingdom.
A: Oh, I remember now! The southern part     5     from Northern Ireland, right?
B: Yes, you got it well remembered! But     6     in history class next time!