1 . On 15th June 1996, a huge bomb in Manchester, in the north-west of England, destroyed the city centre, causing nearly a billion pounds’ worth of damage. The bomb, which had been planted by a terrorist group called the IRA, injured over 200 people but remarkably killed no one as police had evacuated the area following a warning from the IRA.
Manchester had already undergone some changes as it recovered from the economic depression of the early 1990s that had destroyed much of its industry and created large-scale unemployment. It had won the right to host the Commonwealth Games (a large sporting event) and redeveloped some deserted areas through the building of the National Velodrome, an exhibition centre and an award-winning concert hall. However, at the time of the bombing, the city centre was still badly neglected — dominated by the Arndale Shopping Centre (once described as looking like an enormous public toilet) and squares that were run-down and affected by drug addiction. So, dreadful though the bombing was, it actually provided an opportunity to start again that might not have happened otherwise.
Within weeks of the explosion, the government had set up a public-private company to manage the recovery and launched an international competition to design the redevelopment. The winning plan involved restoring the historic buildings that had been damaged, tearing down and rebuilding some of the ugly buildings, creating new public spaces and improving life for pedestrians. Alongside this, the government reduced traffic in the centre by changing the direction of some main roads and developed an integrated public transport system, making access to the centre easier. Since these improvements, the city has attempted to boost tourism by using some of the city’s historical sites for major public events and by creating the Urbis building, which now houses the National Museum of Football. In turn, these changes have been key in attracting new investors, such as the Qatari royal family who own Manchester City Football Club.
Since 1996, the Manchester economy has grown in all areas. However, there are some concerns that inequality has also increased. Nor are all the new spaces appreciated. One new garden square designed by an international architect was rated as the worst attraction in the city. Others argue that in changing market stalls and industry for luxury consumption and glass buildings, the city has lost some of its soul.
1. What does the word “evacuate” (paragraph 1)most probably mean?| A．Looking for something in a place. | B．Estimate the losses in a ruined place. |
| C．Remove people from a place of danger. | D．Determine a numerical value of a place. |
| A．It presented an unexpected opportunity for Manchester. |
| B．It destroyed the city centre that used to be busy and crowded. |
| C．It resulted in a lot of people getting hurt or killed in Manchester. |
| D．It cost Manchester its chance to host the Commonwealth Games. |
| A．It set up Manchester City Football Club. |
| B．It organised an international competition to attract new investors. |
| C．It tore down some historical sites to make room for public events. |
| D．It developed a public traffic system to make the city center more accessible. |
| A．Damage Manchester suffered due to the IRA bombing. |
| B．The IRA bombing in Manchester and its consequences. |
| C．Challenges related to the redevelopment of Manchester. |
| D．The long-term effects of the changes made in Manchester. |
2 . Henry Stanley is perhaps best known for his expedition into Africa to find Dr. David Livingstone, but that’s not the only rescue mission he undertook. In December 1886, Stanley set off into Africa on what would be his last journey: an attempt to find and bring home a German zoologist named Eduard Schnitzer.
Schnitzer had taken the name “Emin Pasha,” in an attempt to be better received by those he was living among. Pasha was cataloging a host of recently-discovered plant and animal lifeforms when fighting broke out in the Sudan. Pasha withdrew to Equatoria, at about the same time the Emin Pasha Relief Committee was formed. In addition to the chief goal of bringing Pasha home, Stanley was also under orders from the King of Belgium to open up some new trade routes in the area.
The roundabout route the Committee ended up taking meant that by the time they finally found Pasha many members of the expedition were dead. Those that did survive were worn, ill, and starving by the time they found Pasha who, in comparison, was well-dressed, clean, and—by some accounts—smoking a three-year-old cigar when they finally found him. He was in need of some support and supplies, but he had neither intent nor desire to leave the area. Arguments arose, causing a firm hatred between Stanley and Pasha.
Stanley finally convinced Pasha to leave with the remains of the expedition, setting off on a demanding trip back through Africa. They finally met up with some German explorers, and made it back to the port town of Bagamoyo in 1889.
During the party they threw to celebrate their return to civilization, Pasha fell off a balcony and broke his skull. Stanley returned to Europe to receive commendations and congratulations, while Pasha slowly recovered from his unwanted rescue.
1. What may be the title of this passage?| A．Happiness was balanced by sadness | B．Stanley’s best known expedition |
| C．A “successful” rescue mission | D．A legend of Emin Pasha |
| A．Hatred among the members led to bloody conflicts. |
| B．They were involved in a fighting with the local army. |
| C．The Committee was dismissed halfway through the mission. |
| D．The route they chose cost them too much time and supplies. |
| A．Criticism. | B．Resignation. |
| C．Preparation. | D．Credit. |
| A．Pasha was in good condition. | B．Pasha ran out of supplies. |
| C．Pasha felt delighted at their arrival. | D．Pasha was addicted to tobacco. |
3 . Mr.Selfridge, the Wisconsin-born retailer (零售商) who left school at 14, rose to become a partner in Marshall Field’s, Chicago. Founded in 1852, it was one of the first and most ambitious US department stores. Mr.Selfridge had done well with Marshall Field’s. He liked to say, “The customer is always right,” which made the Chicago store popular. And he is believed to have invented the phrase “Only (so many) Shopping Days until Christmas”.
When he visited London on holiday in 1906 he was surprised to find most of the city’s department stores were no match of their American and Parisian competitors. This led Selfridge to leave the US and establish Selfridges, a department store named after him, at the west end of London’s Oxford Street. In Oxford Street, Selfridge’s design team shaped an ambitious classical palace building with a wall of plate glass windows.
Opened in 1909, Selfridges offered customers a hundred departments along with restaurants, a roof garden,reading and writing rooms, reception areas for foreign visitors, a first aid room and most importantly, a small army of knowledgeable floor-walking assistants who served as guides as well as being thoroughly instructed in the art of making a sale.
Mr.Selfridge did much to make the department store a destination rather than just a big and comprehensively stocked city shop. It became a place to meet and for ladies to lunch. Mr.Selfridge later introduced the department store as a key element of the 20th Century culture, and Chaplin acknowledged the growing trend for shopping in the department store in his film The Floorwalker.
1. What can be learned about Mr.Selfridge from Paragraph 1?| A．He was well-educated. | B．He was a modest man. |
| C．He was a gifted businessman. | D．He was dishonest. |
| A．The broad choice of goods. | B．The large number of departments. |
| C．The small group of guards. | D．The well-trained sales guides. |
| A．To encourage shoppers to spend more. | B．To introduce the history of Selfridges. |
| C．To compare different department stores. | D．To explain how to start a department store. |
“My work is done.” Those words were some of the last penned by George Eastman. He included them in his suicide note. They mark an ignoble end to a noble life, the leave taking of a truly great man. The same words could now be said for the company he left behind. Actually, the Eastman Kodak Company is through. It has been mismanaged financially, technologically and competitively.
But George Eastman is not how he died, and the Eastman Kodak Company is not how it is being killed. Though the ends are needless and premature, they must not be allowed to overshadow the greatness that came before. Few companies have done so much good for so many people, or defined and lifted so profoundly the spirit of a nation and perhaps the world.
Kodak served mankind through entertainment, science, national defense and the stockpiling of family memories. Kodak took us to the top of Mount Suribachi and to the Sea of Tranquility. It introduced us to the merry old Land of Oz and to stars from Charlie Chaplin to John Wayne, and Elizabeth Taylor to Tom Hanks.
| A．It showed us the shot that killed President Kennedy, and his brother bleeding out on a kitchen floor. |
| B．George Eastman was not only interested in commercial profits, but also in the improvement of other people’s lives. |
| C．In an era of easy digital photography, when we can take a picture of anything at any time, we cannot imagine what life was like before George Eastman brought photography to people. |
| D．For 20 years, its leaders have foolishly spent down the patrimony(祖传的财物) of a century’s prosperity. |
| E．Before George Eastman brought photography to people, painting was the only way for people to keep a record of their ancestors. |
| F．It is impossible to understand the 20th Century without recognizing the role of the Eastman Kodak Company. |
