1 . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is America’s fifth largest city. Once a major American colonial city, it is the home of America’s first library, its first hospital, and its first zoo. Now it is also the first US city to be named a World Heritage City. On November 6, 2015, Philadelphia joined more than 260 other cities that have been recognized for their influence on the world. These cities include Paris, France, Florence, Italy, and Cairo, Egypt.
The exciting news was announced by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Deputy Mayor Alan Greenberger, responsible for economic development and business guidance, and the Global Philadelphia Association. “Today marks the start of a new and exciting chapter in the history of Philadelphia,” remarked Nutter when the announcement was made. “As a World Heritage City, Philadelphia is being officially recognized on the global stage for its wealth of contributions to the world.”
To be named a World Heritage City, a city must be home to a UNESCO World Heritage site. UNESCO World Heritage sites are selected for their universal value and significance. For Philadelphia, the site is Independence Hall.
Independence Hall is where two of the most important documents in US history — the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution — were adopted. The Declaration of Independence, approved on July 4, 1776, united the 13 former British colonies and declared them independent from British rule. From then on, a democratic and free country was born, which changed the course of world history. The US Constitution, signed in 1787, established the American democratic system of government. A democracy is a system of government in which the people elect their leaders. The Constitution later spelled out the basic freedoms American citizens have.
Greenberger says the city’s selection as a World Heritage City also reflects its educational, cultural, and economic achievements. The city is home to dozens of colleges and universities, and many museums, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “Philadelphia has rightfully earned its place as one of the greatest cities in the world. As we celebrate this milestone, we will focus even more on improving Philadelphia’s status as a World Heritage City to attract more guests to visit, invest, work, study and live here.” Greenberger says.
1. We can learn from Paragraph 1 that Philadelphia ________.| A．has the best American hospitals |
| B．contributed a lot to the global economy |
| C．is known for many America’s firsts |
| D．has been famous as a World Heritage City |
| A．the economic development of the city |
| B．the history of Philadelphia |
| C．the contributions of the city |
| D．the significance of the city’s selection |
| A．The city really deserves the honor. |
| B．It’s easy for the city to win the honor. |
| C．It won’t be long before the city takes off. |
| D．The honor will bring the city a better future. |
| A．Philadelphia Makes a Difference | B．Philadelphia Makes History |
| C．Philadelphia Develops a Lot | D．America Wins Global Respect |
2 . It was December 25, 1914, only 5 months into World War Ⅰ. German, British, and French soldiers already sick and tired of the senseless killing, disobeyed their superiors and fraternized (打得火热) with “the enemy” along two-thirds of the Western Front. German troops held Christmas trees up out of the trenches (战壕) with signs, “Merry Christmas.”
“You no shoot, we no shoot.” Thousands of troops streamed across a no-man’s land filled with dead bodies. They sang Christmas carols, exchanged photographs of loved ones back home, shared rations, played football, and even roasted some pigs. Soldiers embraced (拥抱) men they had been trying to kill a few short hours before. They agreed to warn each other if the Generals (将军) forced them to fire their weapons, and to aim high.
It shocked the high command on either side. Here was disaster in the making: soldiers declaring their brotherhood with each other and refusing to fight. Generals on both sides declared this peacemaking to be wrong. Fifteen million would be killed.
Not many people have heard the story of the Christmas Truce. On Christmas Day, 1988, a story in the Boston Globe mentioned that a local FM radio host played “Christmas in the Trenches” several times and was surprised by the effect. The song became the most requested recording during the holidays in Boston on several FM stations. “Some callers even telephone the host deeply moved, sometimes in tears, asking, ‘What the hell did I just hear?’”
You can probably guess why the callers were in tears. The Christmas Truce story goes against most of what we have been taught about people. It gives us a glimpse of the world as we wish it could be and says, “This really happened once.” It reminds us of those thoughts we keep hidden away, ou of range of the TV and newspaper stories that tell us how trivial (微不足道的) and mean human life is. It is like hearing that our deepest wishes really are true: the world really could be different.
1. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?| A．Troops celebrated their victories. | B．Generals forced their army to fight back. |
| C．Soldiers made peace with their enemies. | D．Soldiers decided to give in to their enemies. |
| A．A fierce war. | B．Many deaths. | C．A peaceful world. | D．Many heroes. |
| A．They experienced the war. | B．They lost loved ones in the war. |
| C．They valued the life in peace. | D．They desired to protect their motherland. |
| A．Being against wars. | B．Cherishing today’s happiness. |
| C．Remembering heroes. | D．Showing no respect for life. |
A period of important agricultural development began in the early 1700s in Great Britain and the Low Countries(Belgium, Luxembourg. and the Netherlands, which lie below sea level).
One of the most important of these developments was an improved horse-drawn seed drill invented by Jethro Tull in England. Until that time，farmers sowed seeds by hand. Tull’s drill made rows of holes for the seeds. By the end of the 18th century, seed drilling was widely practiced in Europe. Many other machines were developed in the United States.
Along with new machines，there were several important advances in selective farming. By selectively breeding animals (breeding those with desirable traits), farmers increased the size and productivity of their livestock. Plants could also be selectively bred for certain qualities. In 1866, Gregor Mendel’s studies in heredity (遗传) were published in Austria.
New crop planting methods also evolved during this time. Many of these were adopted over the next century or so throughout Europe. For example，the Norfolk four-field system, developed in England，proved quite successful. It involved the yearly rotation (轮作) of several crops, including wheat, turnips, barley, clover, and ryegrass.
Not all parts of the world benefited from these developments instantly. However，farmers in other parts such as Australia and Africa continued to use old ways of agriculture for a long time.
| A．This could add desired nutrients to the soil thanks to the rich variety of crops. |
| B．Over centuries, the growth of agriculture contributed to the rise of civilizations. |
| C．In experiments with pea plants, he learned how traits were passed from one generation to another. |
| D．In the 1830s Cyrus McCormick’s harvesting machine helped modernize the grain-cutting process. |
| E．This helped to produce extra food to trade for other goods and allowed people to work at other tasks. |
| F．New agricultural inventions dramatically increased food production in Europe and European colonies. |
4 . Can we humans avoid war? Can war be prevented ?
Our task now is not to blame the past，but to plan for the future.
If there is peace in the world, men can use their rockets to explore the mystery of space,their submarines to explore the depth of the sea,their missiles to deliver to mails and their fine equipment to penetrate(穿透）jungles of Africa ,instead of using them military.
Governments can use their money to build more schools,so that more children can be educated to be useful citizens.
We know that neither peace nor such a dream world can come true in a day or month.
| A．How can a peaceful world be achieved? |
| B．The process may even take decades or centuries. |
| C．Peace can be won through the efforts of all human beings. |
| D．Things for military use can be transformed to peaceful use. |
| E．Scientists can use atomic energy to power steamships and planes. |
| F．I am sure that we would not like to experience another world war, |
| G．History tells that there were wars, great or small，in every century, in every decade. |
5 . Exploring the sands on the beach, Tonya III man came across a lidless boule. She picked it up, looked inside and noticed something. She turned it upside down. Out came a damp, neatly rolled piece of paper. Tonya took it home, dried and unrolled it.
What caught her eye was the year field, 18 . Though at first sceptical of finding something this old so easily, she continued reading. It began with some coordinates (坐标). Below was a request in German asking the bolded finder to put down the date and location of where it was found and return it to the nearer German embassy.
The Illmans took the note Rosa Anderson, a curator (馆长) at the Western Australian Museum. Soon Anderson called, saying he had been able to locate a 19th - century ship named Paula. Even more exciting was that experts in Germany were able to track down Paula’s logbooks and find a record by a “Captain O. Diekmann,” confirming that a bottle had been thrown overboard on June 12. 1886 - the date on the message. The sailor had also listed the coordinates of the ship’s location, which matched the ones on the note. Another evidence of the note’s truth was the logbook’s neat script (手稿), which paired perfectly with that of the handwritten message. The records also indicated that the bottle was one of the thousands thrown by the seamen back then as part of an experiment to track the water currents.
Anderson believes the note remained undamaged because it was put in a strong bottle with a narrow opening which allowed little water in, even after the lid came off. The expert guessed it had been probably washed ashore and remained buried in the thick sand.
The 131 - year - old note, now lying in the Western Australia Museum, was confirmed as the oldest message in a bottle ever discovered.
1. What’s the purpose of writing this text?| A．To advertise for the Western Australia Museum. |
| B．To praise the Illmans for their important discovery. |
| C．To explain how the note came to light and its value. |
| D．To describe the habits of the seamen in the 19th century. |
| A．Astonished. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Overjoyed. |
| A．The records in Paula’s logbooks. |
| B．The date and words written on it. |
| C．The location where it was found. |
| D．The sailor’s experiment to follow the water currents. |
| A．the note was handwritten |
| B．the lid of its container came off |
| C．the bottle had been floating in the sea |
| D．its container had stayed buried in the sand |
6 . Yinxu (Ruins of Yin) is the ruins of the last capital of China’s Shang Dynasty (1600 BC―1046 BC). The capital served 255 years for 12 kings. It shows the golden age of early Chinese culture, crafts and sciences, a time of great prosperity during the Chinese Bronze Age(青铜时代).
Discovered in 1899, Yinxu is one of the oldest and largest archaeological sites(考古遗址) in China and is one of the historical capitals of China and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It lies in central Henan Province, near the modern city of Anyang, and is open to the public as the Garden Museum of Yinxu. It is famous as the source of oracle bone script (甲骨文), the earliest recorded form of Chinese writing. The oracle bone script has recorded everything from dream explaining to events such as harvests, birth of a child, the weather, and the success of military campaigns.
Over 3,000 tombs, 2,200 pits, and 200 houses have been dug out at Yinxu. The large number of burial accessories found there shows the high level of the Shang crafts industry.
The site includes a main palace and an ancient tomb. Besides, there are a number of large buildings, at least 53 of which have been dug out.
Yinxu has seen many years of research, first studied by the Academia Sinica in the late 1920s to the early 1930s and most recently by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
1. During which of the following periods may Yinxu have been the capital of Shang Dynasty?| A．1600 BC—1500 BC. | B．1500 BC—1200 BC. |
| C．1300 BC—1046 BC. | D．1050 BC—850 BC. |
| A．was the last capital of China’s Shang Dynasty | B．proved the failure of Shang Dynasty |
| C．was discovered in the 1920s | D．can be visited by the public now |
| A．It was discovered in Yinxu. |
| B．It is the earliest form of Chinese writing. |
| C．Many things were recorded using it. |
| D．It is important for studying the Shang Dynasty. |
a. craft
b. gold
c. oracle bone script
d. tombs
e. bronze
f. houses
g. accessories
| A．afg | B．bed |
| C．bdg | D．ace |
