The First of May is a Bank Holiday—the first public holiday of the year in England. Most people consider it a special day, the beginning of summer, a day when the light lasts long into the evening, and when we can look for warm weather. We don't always get it. We feel disappointed, but not surprised if there are cold winds and frosts at night in May. Winter should be over. Most people know that in the past, when farming occupied almost everyone, the changing seasons were of great importance. In that older time there was every reason to celebrate May Day. Customs of those celebrations remain.
Of these customs, the best known is the choosing of a May Queen and the dancing round Maypole. Even these customs are little more than memories now—but in the last century it was quite common in villages and small towns, and even in schools and colleges, for a pretty and popular girl to be chosen Queen of the May. It was a great honour to be chosen. For a day she wore a light and flowery dress, carried garlands（花环）, and was ceremonially crowned with flowers. She presided over a procession, as a rule with a number of attenda
nts, and over the Maypole dancing and all kinds of entertainment. The Maypole was slender（苗条的） tree trunk, cut off its branches, with beautiful ribbons 
fastened to the top. The dancing was designed in such a way that the dancer's movements move the ribbons into a pattern. Thi
s, as you can imagine, required skill from the dancer, and was not achieved without practice.
It's the Celtic people who celebrated the First of May as a spring festival. Their celebration seems to have had little to do with taking pleasure in early, beautiful flowers and in warmer weather! They called it Beltane—the fire of the god Bel. They lit fires, in the expec
tation that their blaze would help the sun in its struggle to regain its strength. They drove their cattle between banks of flame in the expectation that the terrified beasts would be purified and protected from disease. A tree, which must have been blackened with smoke, stood in the middle of the fires, and is thought to have been the origin of the Maypole. Their priests（牧师） made sacrifices to the goods in the hope of good harvests and sufficient store of food for the winter. There was dancing certainly, but it was
noisy and cheerful, since its purpose was not to weave a pattern of colored ribbons, but to drive out evil spirits from the earth and to arouse those kind spirits.
57. The main purpose of the passage is to show ________.
A. the reason why they celebrate May Day
B. the start and customs of May Day
C. the way they celebrate May Day
D. the choosing of a May Queen during May Day
58. According to the passage, which sentence is NOT true?
A. In the old days they celebrated May Day for the changing of the seasons.
B. In England summer begins at the first of May.
C. The custom of the choosing of a May Queen still exists in the present May Day celebration.D. The Celtic people celebrated the first of May as a spring festival.
59. From the surrounding words and sentences we know that the word “presided” means ____.
A. 管理 B. 越过 C. 指挥 D. 主持
60. The best title for this passage is ________.
A. The First of May B. The Beginning of Summer
C. May Queen D. The Holiday of the Year
Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you’ve got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we’re the apple of our parents’ eyes, and that our Grandmas think we’re great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. But sometimes it’s a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.
Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about US. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.
It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren’t good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you don’t wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.
The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat(拍) yourself on the back, you’ll know you’re well on your way. Good luck!
46. You need to build a positive self-image when you ___ _______ _ ___.
A. dare to challenge yourself B. feel it hard to change yourself
C. are unconfident about yourself D. have a high opinion of yourself
47. According to the passage, our self-images _____.
A. have positive effects B. are probably untrue
C. are often changeable D. have different functions
48. How should you change your self-image according to the passage?
A. To keep a different image of others. B. To make your life successful.
C. To understand your own world. D. To change the way you think.
49. What is the passage mainly about?
A. How to prepare for your success.
B. How to face challenges in your life.
C. How to build a positive self-image.
D. How to develop your good qualities.
50. Who are the intended readers of the passage?
A. Parents. B. Adolescents.
C. Educators. D. People in general.
Ⅲ 阅读 (共两节，满分40分)
第一节阅读理解 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，
并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing? Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about interests both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.
“I would never have said to my mom, ‘Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?’” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.”
Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.
Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent-child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue int0 adulthood.
No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, “To my mother, my best friend.”
But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents. “There’s still a lot of strictness and authority on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College. “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”
Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that encourages everyone to have a say.
“My parents were on the ‘before’ side of that change, but today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side,” explains Mr. Ballmer. “It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.”
41. The underlined word gulf in Para.3 most probably means ___ ______.
A. interest B. Distance C. Difference D. separation
42. Which of the following shows that the generation gap is disappearing?
A. Parents help their children develop interests in more activities.
B. Parents put more trust in their children’s abilities.
C. Parents and children talk more about sex and drugs.
D. Parents share more interests with their children.
43. The change in today’s parent-child relationship is ____ _____.
A. more confusion among parents
B. new equality between parents and children
C.1ess respect for parents from children
D. more strictness and authority on the part of parents
44. By saying “today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side.” the author means that today’s parents ___ _____ ____ _ _ ___.
A. follow the trend of the change
B. can set a limit to the change
C. fail to take the change seriously
D. have little difficulty adjusting to the change
45. The purpose of the passage is to ____ ___ _____ ____.
A. describe the difficulties today’s parents have met with
B. discuss the development of the parent-child relationship
C. suggest the ways to handle the parent-child relationship
D. compare today’s parent-child relationship with that in the past
Audrey Hepburn (奥黛丽·赫本) was born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. She really was blue-blood from the beginning with her father, a wealthy English banker, and her mother, a Dutch noblewoman. After her parents divorced, Audrey went to London with her mother where she went to a private girl school. Later, when her mother moved back to the Holland, she attended private schools as well. While taking a vacation with her mother in Arnhem, Holland, Hitler's army took over the town. It was here that she fell on hard times during the Nazi occupation. Audrey suffered from depression and poor nutrition.
After the liberation, Audrey went to a ballet school in London on a scholarship and later began a modeling career. As a model, she was graceful and, it seemed, she had found her job suitable for her in life - until the film producers came calling. After being spotted modeling by a producer, she was signed to a bit part in the European film Nederlands in 7 lessen in 1948. Later, she had a speaking role in the 1951 film, Young Wives' Tale (1951) as Eve Lester. The part still wasn't much, so she headed to America to try her luck there. Audrey gained immediate prominence in the US with her role in Roman Holiday in 1953. This film turned out to be a splendid success as she won an Oscar as Best Actress. This gained her enormous popularity and more plum roles. One of the reasons for her popularity was the fact that she was self-like, unlike the sex-goddesses of the time. Roman Holiday was followed by another similarly wonderful performance in the 1957 classic Funny Face.In 1988, Audrey became a special ambassador to the United Nations fund helping children in Latin America and Africa, a position she retained until 1993.Her elegance and style will always be remembered in film history as evidenced by her being named in Empire magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time."
71.The underlined words “fell on hard times” in the second paragraph refer to______
A. the producers always let her act a lit role in a film.
B. parents’ being divorced brought her serious pain
C. depression and no nutrition brought her serious pain
D no good jobs were suitable to her
72. Audrey went to America to look for a new chance because_______
A. in the European films there were only little roles for her to act
B. in the Americana there were many important film roles waiting for her to act
C. in the American there were many different jobs suitable to her
D. in the European films there were all roles she didn’t like
73. Which one of the following films made Audrey win an Oscar Best Actress Award?_______
A. Nederlands in 7 lessen B. Young Wives' Tale as Eve Lester
C. Roman Holiday D. the 1957 classic Funny Face
74.This passage mainly tells us about______
A. Audrey’s struggle in the film fields and public admiration
B. Audrey’s family and her career
C Audrey’s childhood and her films won great awards
D. Audrey’s hard times and her achievement
75. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Audrey Hepburn was born into a poor family.
B. In 1957, Audrey Hepburn won another success in Funny Face.
C.Audrey Hepburn received many parts shortly after being spotted modeling by the producer.
D. In 1993 Audrey became a special ambassador to the United Nations fund helping children in Latin America and Africa.
We’ve used the wind as an energy source for a long time. The Babylonians and Chinese were using wind power to pump water for irrigating crops 4,000 years ago, and sailing boats were around long before that. Wind power was used in the Middle Ages, in Europe, to grind(磨碎) corn, which is where the term “windmill” comes from.
We can use the energy in the wind by building a tall tower, with a large propellor（螺旋桨） on the top. The wind blows the propellor round, which turns a generator to produce electricity. We tend to build many of these towers together, to make a “wind farm” and produce more electricity. The more towers, the more wind, and the larger the propellors, the more electricity we can make. It's only worth building wind farms in places that have strong, steady winds, although boats and caravans（大篷车）increasingly have small wind generators to help keep their batteries charged.
The best places for wind farms are in coastal areas, at the tops of rounded hills, open plains and gaps in mountains — places where the wind is strong and reliable. Some are offshore. To be worthwhile, you need an average wind speed of around 25 km/h. Most wind farms in the UK are in Cornwall or Wales. Isolated places such as farms may have their own wind generators. In California, several “wind farms” supply electricity to homes around Los Angeles.
The propellors are large, to obtain energy from the largest possible volume of air. The blades can be angled to cope with varying wind speeds. Some designs use vertical turbines (垂直涡轮机), which don’t need to be turned to face the wind. The towers are tall, to get the propellors as high as possible, up to where the wind is stronger. This means that the land beneath can still be used for farming.
66. The first paragraph aims to introduce to us _______.
A. the function of wind power B. the source of wind power
C. the nations using wind power D. the history of using wind power
67. The best places for building the wind farm are places where _______.
A. boats and caravans can often be seen B. isolated farms don’t have enough electricity
C. there are less human activities D. the wind is strong and reliable
68. We can infer from the passage that _______.
A. wind farms will not take up too much farming land
B. wind farms need no fuel because wind is free
C. the blades can be angled to turn to face the wind wherever it comes from
D. the higher and larger the towers are, the stronger the wind is
69. What can be a suitable title for the passage?
A. Where to build a wind farm. B. ABC of the using of wind energy.
C. How to make best use of wind. D. Wind energy is the best energy.
70.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means______________________.
A.The blades can increase wind speeds
B.The blades can decrease the wind speeds
C.The speed of blades can be changed.
D.The blades can be adjusted to face different wind speeds
Below is adapted from an English dictionary
| figure/fīg ə / noun, verb ●noun 1. [C, often pl.] a number representing particular amount, especially one given in official information: the trade /sales figures 2. [C] a symbol rather than a word representing one of the numbers between 0 and 9: a six-figure salary 3. [pl] (informal) the area of mathematics that deals with adding, multiplying, etc 4. a person of the type mentioned: Gandhi was both a political and a religious figure in Indian history. 5. the shape of a person seen from a distance or not clearly 6. a person or an animal as shown in art or a story: a wall with five carved figures in it 7. [C] the human shape, considered from the point of view of being attractively thin: doing exercise to improve one’s figure 8. [C] a pattern or series of movements performed on ice: figure-skating [IDM] be/become a figure of fun: be/become sb. that others laugh at cut a…figure: (of a person) to have a particular appearance He cut a striking figure in his dinner jacket. put a figure on sth.: to say the exact price or number of sth. |
a fine figure of man/woman: a tall, strong-looking and well-shaped person figure of speech: a word or phrase used in a different way from its usual meanings in order to create a particular mental image or effect figurehead: someone who is the head or chief in name only (with no real power or authority) ●verb 1. to think or decide that sth. will happen or is true: I figured that if I took the night train, I could be in Scotland by morning. 2. to be part of a process, situation, etc. especially an important part: My opinion of the matter didn’t seem to figure at all. 3. to calculate an amount or the cost of sth.: We figured that attendance at 150,000. [PHRV] 1. figure in: to include (in a sum): Have you figured in the cost of hotel? 2. figure on: to plan on; to expect sth. to happen: I haven’t figured on his getting home too late. 3. figure out: to work out; understand by thinking: Have you figured out how much the trip will cost? [IDM] It/That figures! (informal): That seems reasonable, logical and what I expect. |
61. I didn’t really mean my partner is a snake; it was just a ______.
A. figure of eight B. figure head C. figure of speech D. a fine figure
62. ---She was coming late again.
---______! That’s typical of her.
A. It figures her out B. It figures C. It cuts a poor figure D. She is a figure of fun
63. What does “watch my figure” in the sentence “Don’t tempt me with chocolate; I am watching my figure.” mean?
A. add the numbers B. have sports C. try not to get fat D. watch games
64.No one can figure out the reasons for the Poland president plane crash in 2010. Here figure out means:_________
A.watch out B.work out C.understand well D.break out
65.---Promise you don’t wear this kind of clothes?People will play a joke on you.
---I don’t care whether I am________. I just want to keep warm.
A.a figure of fun B.a healthy figure C.a figure head D.a bad figure
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