1 . After seemingly endless waiting, news finally reached President Abraham Lincoln. The North had won at Gettysburg. The citizens of Pennsylvania created a national cemetery（公墓）for the soldiers who lay dead at Gettysburg. A ceremony was planned. Lincoln received an invitation to attend. He was not asked to give the major speech of the day. That honor was given to a New England statesman and professional speaker named Edward Everett. The president was asked instead to say “a few words”.

As the day approached, Lincoln’s wife asked him to reconsider. Their son, Tad, had fallen ill. Mary Lincoln was near crazy. On the morning of the day, Tad was so sick that he could not eat. Lincoln felt unwell himself, but he decided to go anyway.

On Thursday, November 19, for two hours, Everett held the audience spellbound with his rich voice and inspiring words. Then Lincoln rose to speak. “Four score and seven years ago,” he began in his high pitched（声调高的）voice. He spoke for barely three minutes.

As Lincoln sat down, some eyewitnesses recalled little applause（掌声）. Others heard “not a word, not a cheer, not a shout”. A person taking notes asked Lincoln, “Is that all?” Embarrassed, Lincoln replied, “Yes--for the present.” A photographer in the crowd had not even had time to take a picture.

Lincoln thought his speech was a failure. Some newspapers considered it as “silly” and “boring”. But Everett correctly predicted that the Gettysburg Address would “live among the history of man”. A few days after both of them had spoken at Gettysburg, he wrote to Lincoln, saying that he wished he had come “as close to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes”. Lincoln replied, telling Everett how pleased he was that “the little I did say was not entirely a failure.”

Indeed it was not. It gave the North new hope and purpose as to why it was fighting the war. Today, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is remembered as one of the greatest speeches of all time.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．Lincoln was asked to give a mini speech.

B．Lincoln was elected President on the victory of Gettysburg.

C．Lincoln’s speech was given to celebrate the end of the War.

D．Lincoln ordered the construction of a cemetery in Gettysburg.

2. Why does the writer mention the person taking notes?

A．To show the disappointment of the audience.

B．To show the greatness of Lincoln’s speech.

C．To laugh at Lincoln for his unsuccessful speech.

D．To tell us that Lincoln was very sad about his speech.

3. What did Everett intend to express about Lincoln’s speech in the 5th paragraph?

A．Sympathy.	B．Criticism.
C．Appreciation.	D．Embarrassment.

4. Why did Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address become famous?

A．Because it was distinctively well constructed.

B．Because it was concise and delivered in a rich voice.

C．Because Everett, a great speaker, sang high praise for it.

D．Because people got hope and a sense of purpose from it.

2 . Each year, 150,000 people hike Scotland’s Ben Nevis — Britain’s highest mountain. Many choose to take the so-called tourist trail, the rocky path which winds its way to the peak. Few realise that this path was initially carved out in 1883 for a very unique scientific expedition.

In the late 19th century, a key question of science was how depressions, storms and other severe climatic events form in the atmosphere. By 1875 mountain observatories were being established across the US, Mexico, India, France, Germany and Russia. Keen to gather similar data for Britain, the Scottish Meteorological Society decided to build a weather station at the top of Ben Nevis.

And so began a remarkable experiment. From 1883 to 1904, a few hardy individuals lived year-round in a small stone hut, surviving on tinned food and making hourly recordings of everything from atmospheric temperature to humidity (湿度), wind speed to rainfall. In total they made almost 1.5 million observations.

“They were living in very severe weather conditions: 100mph winds were not uncommon, and the temperature would drop to -15°C at times. The main danger they faced was that they were very close to the edge of the cliff (悬崖). If you weren’t careful, you would disappear off the cliff completely,” says Ed Hawkins, professor of climate science at the University of Reading.

However, by 1904, the Scottish Meteorological Society could no longer afford the observatory’s running costs. It was closed down and the data largely has remained hidden in the dusty pages of archives (档案馆) ever since.

Today, plans are underfoot to build a new modern observatory on the ruins on the former site — with automatic measuring devices rather than human data collectors. “We haven’t had any long-term observations up there for a long time now, and this would give us information straight away on how the climate at the top of the mountain has changed,” Hawkins says. “We think that the high altitude regions are some of the places where we’ve seen the largest changes in temperature. This could tell us a lot.”

1. Why was the weather station at the top of Ben Nevis built?

A．To attract visitors to Ben Nevis.

B．To study the formation of extreme weather events.

C．To provide weather forecasts for the whole Britain.

D．To compete with weather stations in other countries.

2. What do Hawkins’ words in Paragraph 4 mainly focus on?

A．The geographical features of Ben Nevis.

B．The extreme climate on top of Ben Nevis.

C．The achievements made by the weather station.

D．The bad working conditions of the station workers.

3. What does Hawkins say about the new observatory?

A．It will take a long time to build.

B．It will need many human data collectors.

C．It will have archives for the old weather station.

D．It will detect climate change at Ben Nevis’ peak quickly.

4. Why does the author write the text?

A．To argue.	B．To inform.
C．To advertise.	D．To appeal.

4 . In 1944, 730 representatives from 44 allied (同盟) nations met in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, just as World War Ⅱ was ending. They were attending an important conference. This mostly forgotten event shaped our modern world because the Bretton Woods Conference agreed on the establishment of an international banking system.

To make sure that all nations would be successful, the United States and other allied nations set rules for a postwar international economy. The Bretton Woods system created the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF was founded as a kind of global central bank from which member countries could borrow money. The countries needed money to pay for their war costs. Today, the IMF promotes international trade by guaranteeing the stability of the international currency and financial system.

The Bretton Woods system also set up the World Bank. Although the World Bank shares similarities with IMF, the two institutes remain distinct. While the IMF keeps an orderly system of payments and receipts between nations, the World Bank is mainly a development institution. The World Bank initially gave loans to European countries ruined by World War Ⅱ, and today it lends money and technical assistance specifically to economic projects in developing countries. Its goal is to “bridge the economic divide between poor and rich countries.”

These two specific accomplishments of the Bretton Woods Conference were major. However, the Bretton Woods system particularly benefited the United States and it placed the U.S. dollar as the global currency. A global currency is one that countries worldwide accept for all trade, or international transactions (交易) of buying and selling. Because only the U.S. could print dollars, the United States became the primary power behind the IMF and the World Bank. Today, global currencies include the U.S. dollar, the euro (European Union countries), and yen (Japan).

The years after Bretton Woods have been considered the golden age of the U.S. dollar. More importantly, the conference deeply shaped foreign trade for decades to come.

1. For what purpose was the Bretton Woods Conference held?

A．To shape our modern world.	B．To set up IMF and the World Bank.
C．To help allied nations to pay for their war costs.	D．To guarantee the success of all allied nations.

2. What does the difference between IMF and the World Bank mainly lie in?

A．Their accomplishments.	B．Their functions.
C．Their founders.	D．Their influence.

3. What does the underlined part “These two specific accomplishments” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．The foundation of IMF and the World Bank.	B．The international currency and financial system.
C．Currency cooperation and financial stability.	D．Developing countries and the entire word.

4. It can be inferred that________.

A．Bretton Woods increased U.S. economic influence around the world

B．the IMF and the World Bank work closely together to guarantee success

C．the conclusion of World War Ⅱ had little influence on events at Bretton Woods

D．the conference organizers recognized the need for markets to function in-dependently

5 . Anxiety sweat. Horsehair Wet grass and soil after a rain. Gunpowder. Perfume （香水） containing rosemary and bitter orange. A touch of leather.

This might have been what Napoleon's withdrawal from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 smelled like. At least, these are some of the elements that Caro Verbeek, an art historian and olfactory（嗅觉的）researcher, tried to combine when she was reconstructing the smell. “Wars are extremely smelly,” Dr. Verbeek said. “Soldiers don't write about their injuries as much as they write about the terrible sounds and smells. So we know more about them. We also know that it had rained the night before the battle, that anxiety sweat smells different from normal sweat, and that there were thousands of horses on the field.” These were some details Dr. Verbeek relied on during the reconstruction, which is part of a project called “In Search of Lost Scents（气味）.” The scent is offered in the Rijks museum as part of tours- -on pieces of paper or in a necklace with tiny pumps- alongside Jan Willem Pieneman's 1824 painting of the scene.

Dr. Verbeek approaches past smells by attempting to recreate versions of them, as she did with the Battle of Waterloo, making a perfume of sorts that might be associated with historical events, people and works of art. Bringing smell into a museum context can be one way to make art more accessible. Marie Clapot, associate museum educator, has worked over the last few years to bring smell into the museum “It's not just about ‘Oh, it's nice to smell something.’ It's one way you can make an art objet accessible” It is also a way, she said, to bring a number of people into the conversation about art who might not be moved by traditional art history.

1. What did Dr. Verbeek's reconstruction depend on?

A．Personal experience in the war.	B．Pure imagination for the past.
C．Great talent in descriptive writing.	D．Detailed facts about the history.

2. What's the purpose of bringing smell into the museum?

A．To inform visitors of the project of nice smells.

B．To promote the popularity of traditional art history.

C．To get visitors to know wars and battles in history.

D．To combine various elements from different fields.

3. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．What does history smell like?

B．How was a project carried out?

C．The Battle of Waterloo: a smelly war

D．The Rijks museum: a creative museum

6 . Mention the terms Italian culture and Renaissance art and one is immediately reminded of the mysterious smile of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

The Renaissance had a deep effect on the development of European culture. Having its beginnings in Italy, by the 16th century, it had spread to the rest of Europe. Its influence was felt in different fields such as philosophy, literature, religion, science, politics, and, of course, art. The scholars of the Renaissance period applied the humanistic method to every field of study, and wanted to have human emotion and realism in art.

Renaissance scholars studied the ancient Latin and Greek texts, searching the libraries of Europe for works of ancient times that had become obscure, in their hunt for reforming and perfecting their worldly knowledge. However, that does not mean that they refused religion. In fact, many of the greatest works of the Renaissance period were devoted to it, with the church supporting a lot of the works of Renaissance art. However, there were slight changes in the manner in which the scholars began to treat religion, which affected the cultural life of society, which in turn influenced the artists of that period and therefore was reflected in their art.

In Raphael’s The School of Athens, for example, some well-known people were described as classical scholars with Leonardo da Vinci given as much importance as Plato in his time. Giotto di Bondone, 1266-1337, a Florentine, who is regarded as the greatest Italian painter just earlier than the Renaissance period, is thought to be the first artist who treated a painting as a window into space.

However, it was only after the writings of Filippo Brunelleschi, 1377-1446, who is considered the first great builder of the Italian Renaissance, that perspective (透视法) was formally accepted as an artistic technique.

1. What makes Italy stand out in a way in world history?

A．Its artists during the Renaissance were numerous.	B．It was the center of the European countries.
C．It had many famous inventors in different fields.	D．It was home to the Renaissance.

2. The underlined word “obscure” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ________.

A．meaningless and hard to recognize	B．clear and meaningful to guiding people
C．unclear and difficult to understand or see	D．easy to understand but having little meaning

3. When was perspective officially accepted during the Renaissance?

A．After the completion of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

B．After Leonardo da Vinci’s being compared to Plato.

C．After Giotto di Bondone’s paintings were respected.

D．After Filippo Brunelleschi’s completing his writings.

4. The passage aims to tell us ________.

A．Italy’s Renaissance art and artists	B．the famous artists in Italy’s history
C．Italy’s influence on the world in culture	D．the hardships during the Renaissance in Italy

7 . There were many battles that took place during the American Revolutionary War (1775—1783), but perhaps so ne of the worst battles involved. the American Continental Army versus(对抗) the winter at Valley Forge in 1777 and 1778. Here many people believe was where the American Army was born. Valley Forge is located about 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia in the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania.

General George Washington was the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and he decided to setup winter camp at Valley Forge. It was close to Philadelphia, which was where the British had been camping out for the winter. This allowed him to keep a watchful eye on their movements. There were high areas in Mount Joy and Mount Misery where the army could make fortifications(防御工事). Nearby was also the Schuylkill River, which was used as a barrier to the North.

The army's stay at Valley Forge turned into a time of training. Besides Washington, two other leaders included General Friedrich von Steuben and General Marquis de Lafayette.

Steuben was born in Prussia and arrived at Valley Forge with a recommendation letter from statesman and scientist Benjamin Franklin. He trained the Continental Army using the daily drill(操练), even in the extremely cold weather. In fact, he was responsible for writing the army's Revolutionary War Drill Manual, which served as the standard United States drill manual(手册) until the War of 1812.

Lafayette was a French military leader, working for no pay, and asking for no special treatment. He later became an important commander in several key battles during the war.

Besides the freezing weather, it was consistently cold, wet, and snowy at Valley Forge. In addition, food was lacking, and there were very few warm clothes, shoes, or blankets. The log cabins they lived in were crowded, cold and damp, and allowed diseases to easily spread. Of the 10,000 men at Valley Forge, 2,500 died before the break of spring mostly from diseases.

Following the winter at Valley Forge, under Washington's leadership, a better-disciplined, trained, and more powerful army, in high spirits, left on June 19, 1778. Nine days later, their first victory against the British occurred at the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey.

1. Why was Valley Forge chosen as the site of a winter camp?

A．It was key to the effective conduct of war.	B．It was an ideal place for military training.
C．It was very far from the British camp.	D．It was an area with adequate supplies.

2. Who was the author of the important drill manual?

A．Benjamin Franklin.	B．George Washington.
C．Marquis de Lafayette.	D．Friedrich von Steuben.

3. Which can be used to describe the conditions at Valley Forge?

A．Strange.

B．Tough.

C．Favorable.

D．Relaxing.

4. How did the Continental Army change after the winter?

A．It was taken over by the American Army.	B．It won more support from the people.
C．It had many more soldiers.	D．It became a stronger army.