When friends come to visit us in the evening, they spend their time telling us they are in a hurry and looking at their watches. It isn’t that our friends are all very busy, it is just that we haven’t got a television. People think that we are very strange. “But what do you do in the evening?”，they are always asking. The answer is very simple. Both my wife and I have hobbies. We certainly don’t spend our evenings staring at the walls. My wife enjoys cooking and painting and often attends evening classes in foreign languages. This is particularly useful as we often go abroad for our holidays. I collect stamps and I’m always busy with my collection. Both of us enjoy listening to the music and playing chess together.
Sometimes there are power cuts and we have no electricity in the house. This does not worry us, we just light candles and carry on with what we were doing before. Our friends, however, are lost---no television!---So they don’t know what to do. On such evenings our house is very full ---they all come to us. They all have a good time. Instead of sitting in silence in front of the television, everybody talks and plays games. The couple have not got a television, because .
| A．they are not rich enough |
| B．they are strange people |
| C．they enjoy spending evenings in their own ways |
| D．they don’t know what to do when there are power cuts |
Both of them are interested in .
| A．learning languages | B．traveling |
| C．staying home alone | D．watching people play games |
At night when there is no electricity, the couple .
| A．have to stare at the walls | B．can do nothing but sit in silence |
| C．will have many visitors | D．have to go out for candles |
The best title for this passage is _____.
| A．Why Do We Need a Television? | B．Candle! But No Electricity! |
| C．Different Friends, Different Hobbies. | D．We Go Without Televisions! |
Research at the University of Liverpool, UK, has found that Shakespeare’s language stimulates positive brain activity.
Shakespeare uses a linguistic（语言的）technique known as functional change that involves, for example, using a noun to serve as a verb．Researchers found that this technique allows the brain to understand what a word means before it understands the function of the word within a sentence．This process causes a sudden peak in brain activity and forces the brain to work backwards in order to fully understand what Shakespeare is trying to say.
Professor Philip Davis, from the university’s School of English, said: “The brain reacts to reading a phrase such as ‘he godded me’ from the tragedy of Coriolanus, in a similar way to putting a jigsaw puzzle（拼图玩具）together．If it is easy to see which pieces fit together you become bored of the game．But if the pieces don’t appear to fit, when we know they should, the brain becomes excited．By throwing irregular words into seemingly normal sentences, Shakespeare surprises the brain in a manner that produces a sudden burst of activity — a sense of drama created out of the simplest of things.”
Experts believe that this heightened brain activity may be one of the reasons why Shakespeare’s plays have such a dramatic impact on their readers.
Professor Neil Roberts, from the university’s Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Center, and Professor Davis, together with Dr Guillaune Thierry, from the University of Wales, UK, monitored 20 participants using an electroencephalogram (EEG) as they read selected lines from Shakespeare’s plays.
“The brain signal is relatively stable when we understand the meaning of a word but when the word changes the grammar of the whole sentence, brain readings suddenly peak．The brain is then forced to retrace its thinking process in order to understand what it is supposed to make of this unusual word,” explains Professor Roberts.
1．The research conducted by the professors has showed that ___________.
A．Shakespeare uses functional change to mislead readers
B．Shakespeare’s language excites positive brain activity.
C．Shakespeare’s plays have a dramatic effect on their readers.
D．Shakespeare’s language makes the brain signal relatively stable
2．Which of the following words can replace the underlined pronoun “it” in the 2nd paragraph?
A．technique B．word C．brain C．sentence
3．In the 3rd paragraph, the example of a jigsaw puzzle is used here to state___________.
A．the function of Shakespeare’s linguistic technique
B．a sense of drama created by playing the game
C．the Shakespeare’s thinking process
D．the brain’s reaction to reading a book
4．Based on the research, Shakespeare’s plays have a great effect on their reader lies in_______.
A．language used in plays B．characters showed in works
C．brain activity increased in reading D．thinking process when writing
When you arrive at the Shanghai Expo site, the first thing you see will be a huge red building in the ancient architectural style．Built according to the concept of “Oriental Crown”, the China Pavilion（展馆）will be the largest national pavilion at the Expo.
Themed “Search of the east”, the three-storey pavilion will be divided into three sections．Footprint of the East on the top floor will illustrate the change of Chinese cities; at Journey of Wisdom on the second, China’s four great inventions—the compass, paper, printing and gun-power will be displayed; and Blossoming(盛开) City on the ground floor will showcase the scenery of future cities.
Fantastic film
Take a lift and you will be taken to the 8,500-square-meter top floor．There, in a film by Lu Chuan, you’ll see how Chinese cities have changed, especially over the past 30 years．The 10-minute movie will be shown in a 600-seat theater.
“It will be like a short epic．The scenery of the work will be like Lord of the Rings．I will shoot the movie in many Chinese cities．Some love stories will be involved,” said Lu.
Grand painting
The painting Along the River During Qingming Festival, is considered a national treasure．It describes life in Bianjing, which is today’s Kaifeng in Henan province．More than 1,000 years ago, it was the largest city in the world．Multimedia technology will make more than 1,500 characters of the painting walk and move along a 100-meter-long wall.
Happy families
Four families are chosen from Zhejiang province to show their daily lives．Films of the families and furniture from the households will be exhibited.
At the pavilion, you’ll gain insight into the daily lives of these families at different periods．The designers believe these will mirror the great changes Zhejiang has witnessed since China’s reform and opening-up policy in the late 1970s.
Pick up your camera and upload your videos online, because you may find your work broadcast at the China Pavilion．
The search launched by four websites encourages people to capture and record the rapid development of cities in China and the beauty and the color in people’s lives．Two hundred outstanding entries will be made into films and played on screens at the China Pavilion.
With the theme “Same time”, the films will show the work and life of people in different parts of China at the same specific moments．Entries should last at least 30 seconds.
Four gold prize winners will be awarded about 10,000 yuan each．Others whose works are selected will also win prizes.
1．Which of the following statements is true according to the article?
A．Visitors can easily find the China Pavilion beside the traditional red building.
B．The theme of the China Pavilion is “Oriental Crown”.
C．The China Pavilion is designed by famous film director Lu Chuan.
D．Visitors can get to the top floor of the China Pavilion by lift.
2．The painting Along the River During Qingming Festival in the China Pavilion is special in that___________.
A．it shows what life was like in Beijing, the capital of China.
B．its epic scenery is like that of Lord of the Rings.
C．it describes the life of the world’s largest city more than 1,000 years ago.
D．it has more than 1,500 characters walking along a 100-meter-long wall.
3．In the China Pavilion all the exhibits and activities are trying to illustrate the very theme: ___________.
A．harmonious and sustainable development in China
B．great changes of Chinese cites
C．the city makes life better
D．humans and nature
4．Which of the following can be regarded as the best suitable topic for the blank?
A．vivid city life show B．Chinese lifestyle
C．thrilling moment D．prosperous cities
Freshmen, eager to get home for the Chinese New Year, queue up at the railway station for hours．Days later, they squeeze into a crowded train and dream of the home-cooked meals and love they'll enjoy once they arrive home．This, they say, makes all the trouble of getting home worthwhile.
However, many freshmen come to find that home is not exactly how they remembered it．Living away from their parents has exposed them to a new life of freedom – one that within hours of arriving some begin to miss．Household chores（家务活）and complaining parents are just a few of the things that can ruin students' winter fantasies．“My parents still treat me like I was in senior high,” Song Ying, a 19-year-old freshman at Shandong University, complained．“I get an earful from them every day.”
During her first term away from her Hubei home, Song missed everything – from her parents cooking to the city bus．She cried and ached to sleep in her own bed．So, upon finishing her exams, she fled home, thinking everything would be just as it used to be．But she was wrong．Now, she spends entire days at a friend's home to “avoid all the restrictions”．She logs online to update friends' profile on SNS, skips meals and sleeps in – just like she did on campus.
Things have been even tenser at home for Luo Ruiqi, a 19-year-old freshman at Beijing Jiaotong University．Instead of moving to a friend's house, though, he has decided to challenge his parents' rules for his right to be an adult at home．When they complained about the amount of time he spent in the toilet, Luo said he decided “enough is enough” and lost his temper．He feels guilty about his attitude, but he still argues that he is grown up enough to live by his own rules．“I just want to live my own way of living, wherever I am,” said Luo．
Recent graduates like Wang Kai know what Song and Luo are going through．But Wang, who graduated in 2008 and now works in Beijing, says students should value the time spent with their family and “just try to be nicer.” Wang says he acted the same way when he first returned home from college, but now, living 1,500 km away from his hometown in Hunan, he regrets his behavior．He realizes that his parents meant well．And, looking back, he says that “the way of living that we got used to on campus is not that healthy anyway”.
Parents, meanwhile, are more understanding than you might think．“Living on their own in a strange place can be hard –we've been there before,” said Luo's father．“We want to make sure that they are healthy and happy．Sometimes maybe we just worry too much.” As for the tension that's arisen between father and son, Luo senior laughed and said, “It's not a problem at all – he's my son; we work things out, always.”
1．Having read the passage, we can infer that home is now a(n) ___________for most freshmen.
A．birdcage B．paradise
C．temporary station in life D．open house
2．Why are things even tenser at home for Luo Ruiqi during the Chinese New Year?
A．He has to spend entire days at a friend's home to “avoid all the restrictions”.
B．He has decided to go against his parents for his right to be an adult at home.
C．He feels guilty about his attitude towards his parents.
D．He has wasted much money his parents gave to him.
3．According to the text, there exists a main problem between parents and children that_______.
A．parents want to bring their children under control as before.
B．children look down upon what their parents always do.
C．their way of life is apparently different now.
D．they are always misunderstanding each other.
4．Who the text implies is mainly responsible for the bad parent-child relationship?
A．parents B．social changes C．professors D．freshmen
5．What does the underlined part in the 2nd paragraph probably mean?
A．learn a lot B．receive much punishment
C．get a scolding D．have a narrow escape
After achieving a 9 percent GDP growth, hosting a successful Olympic Games and carrying out its first space walk, you'd think China would be happy．Yet China is not pleased．That at least is the opinion of a new book written by a group of Chinese authors．
China Is Not Happy was released in March．It is a follow-up to the 1996 work China Can Say No, a bestseller that complained about the influence of the West, and the US in particular, on China．Thirteen years later, the authors of China Is Not Happy list their dissatisfaction with how China is being treated in the world today．They argue that China needs to use its growing power and economic resources to build its own position of outstanding performances．"From looking at the history of human civilization, we are most qualified to lead this world．Westerners should be second," the book says．
The authors, single out the US for special scorn (轻蔑), and say their book's message has been helped by the economic crisis．"This economic problem has shown the Chinese people that America does have problems, and that what we've been saying is right," said Wang Xiaodong, one of the authors in an interview with The Wall Street Journal．Since being released on March 13, the book has become a bestseller in many Chinese b
ookstores．The publisher has printed 270,000 copies, and says sales are far better than expected．
Yet much of the response to the book has been negative．Several reviews in the Chinese media have criticized the book's radical opinions．The book is a way to "fish money from the pockets of the angry youth and angry elderly," wrote one critic in the China Youth Daily．Meanwhile, a well-known sociologist, Li Yinhe, has said that China needs patriotism (爱国精神), but there is a limit．In her blog she wrote, "If we are to bully other countries, take the world's resources and try to lead it, we're going over the top." Wang Xiaodong admitted in an interview with the US' Time magazine that the book's title is a bit of a trick．"Those words in the title are just for the purpose of promoting the book in the marketplace," he says．"We didn't choose them．It was the people selling the book who chose the title, because it would sell well."
1．What is the best title of the article?
A．Happy China makes wonders B．China—happy or unhappy?
C．China is not happy D．China challenges the world
2．Which of the following statements doesn’t agree with the opinions of the new book?
A．China has made great historical breakthroughs in the past several years.
B．China’s civilization has advantages over the westerners’.
C．China needs to use its growing power and economic resources to build its own world
Position
D．China should be the number one leader in the world
3．The book is named China Is Not Happy because___________ .
A．China wants to put pressure on the western countries.
B．it reflects the national feelings of Chinese people.
C．it is a good selling point.
D．the authors of the book want to make a hit in the market.
4．The writer presents the article with the purpose of ___________.
A．introducing a new book B．promoting a new book
C．raising discussions about a new book D．honoring the authors of a new book
第二部分阅读理解（共两节，满分50分）
第一节 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
In the dining room of my grandfather's house stood a giant grandfather clock．Meals in that dining room were a time for four generations to become one．The table was always spread with food containing love as the main ingredient．And that grandfather clock stood like an old family friend, watching over the laughter that was a part of our lives.
As a child, the old clock fascinated me．I watched and listened to it during meals．Even more wonderful to me was my grandfather's routine．He wound (上发条) that clock with a special key carefully each day．That key was magic to me．It kept our family's magnificent clock ticking and chiming．I remember watching as my grandfather took the key from his pocket and opened the hidden door in the clock．He inserted the key and wound — not too much, nor too little．He never let that clock wind down and stop．He showed us grandchildren how to open the door and let us each take turns winding the key．I remember the first time I did it I was so excited to be part of this family routine．
After my grandfather died, it was days after the funeral before I remembered the clock!
"Mama! The clock! We've let it wind down."
The tears flowed freely when I entered the dining room．The clock stood there quiet．It even seemed smaller without my grandfather's special touch.
Some time later, my grandmother gave me the clock and the key．The old house was quiet．No laughter over the dinner table, no ticking or chiming of the clock — all was still．I took the key in my shaking hand and opened the clock door．All of a sudden, I was a child again, watching my grandfather with his silver-white hair and blue eyes．He was there, winking at me, at the secret of the clock's magic, at the key that held so much power.
I stood, lost in the moment for a long time．Then slowly and carefully I inserted the key and wound the clock．It came back to life．Tick-tock, tick-tock, life and chimes were breathed into the dining room, into the house and into my heart．In the movement of the hands of the clock, my grandfather lived again.
1．Why does the writer say the table was always spreading with food containing love as the main ingredient?
A．The food was delicious and tasty.
B．The meal was made by his dear grandparents
C．The whole family talked about the love of each other over meals.
D．Four generations lived joyfully and harmoniously to become one.
2．By describing Grandfather’s routine in detail in the 2nd paragraph, the writer expresses___________.
A．It’s troublesome to make the clock work.
B．It’s a fantastic thing to play with the clock.
C．He greatly misses his late grandfather
D．His grandfather had a preference for the clock.
3．What kinds of mood are shown in the essay?
A．Sad and hopeful B．desperate and hopeful
C．Heart-broken and hopeless D．cheerful and hopeful
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