If you ask most Americans, they would say their favorite season of the year is summer. The weather is warm. They do not have to wear heavy clothes to keep warm. Young people do not have to go to school. They can do many activities outside, like playing sports and swimming at the beach or the pool. They like the sunshine during the day and the warm summer nights. People have written and recorded hundreds of songs about summer. These are some of our favorites.
One of the most famous songs about summer is from George Gershwin’s opera “Porgy and Bess”. He wrote the music in nineteen thirty-five. The opera takes place in the southern United States. It opens with these words: “Summertime and the living’ is easy. Fish are jumping’ and the cotton is high.” Leontyne Price sings the song.
The nineteen fifties and sixties produced many songs about teenagers enjoying their summer vacation from school. The songs are about having fun, swimming in the ocean, driving in cars. However, for some teenagers, summer vacation was not all fun and games. Some of them had to work to earn money.Why did people write and record so many songs about summer?
| A．Summer is warm. |
| B．They do not have to wear heavy clothes to keep warm. |
| C．They can do many activities outside. |
| D．They like summer. |
Which of following statements is NOT true?
| A．There are 1950s or 1960s songs about teenagers enjoying their summer vacation from school. |
| B．Many songs are about teenagers having fun in summer. |
| C．Teenagers have not only fun and games but other things in summer. |
| D．Some teenagers have to work to earn money in summer |
Please choose an appropriate title for the passage.
| A．Summer. |
| B．Children in Summer. |
| C．Summer and Children. |
| D．Songs about Summer. |
If you want to walk in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest figures, then go to Oxford. Many of Oxford’s 38 colleges are open to the public year-round. Here are a few of the colleges worth visiting and some famous people who have studied there.
Christ Church College
Long before it became known as a location for the Harry Potter films, Christ Church was the college where Albert Einstein, author Charles Dodgson who wrote Alice in Wonderland, and 13 British prime ministers studied. In this large and popular college, you can see the paintings in the 16th-century Great Hall.
Magdalen College
Many consider Magdalen to be one of the most beautiful Oxford’s colleges. This is where author Oscar Wilde read his classics course. You can enjoy the medieval(中世纪的) church with its 15th-century tower. Opposite the college is the beautiful Botanic Garden founded in 1621.
Merton College
Founded in 1264, Merton has the oldest medieval library in use. J. R. R. Tolkien is said to have spent many hours here writing The Lord of the Rings. One of the college’s treasures is an astrolabe(星盘)，thought to have belonged to Chaucer. The college has the most amazing collection of medieval colored glass in Oxford.
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library, the main research library of the University of Oxford, is the largest university library in the UK. It is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library. It holds more than 9 million printed items on 189 km of shelving and seats up to 2,500 readers. The users of the library here include five kings, 40 Nobel Prize winners, 25 British prime minister and countless famous writers.If a Harry Potter fan travels to Oxford, he’ll probably visit ____________.
| A．Merton College | B．Bodleian Library |
| C．Magdalen College | D．Christ Church College |
Which of the following can travelers see in Magdalen College?
| A．A 15th-century tower. |
| B．A seven–ton tower bell. |
| C．England’s smallest cathedral. |
| D．British oldest botanic garden. |
According to the passage, J. R. R. Tolkien is ____________.
| A．the founder of Merton College |
| B．the author of The Lord of the Rings |
| C．the designer of the oldest medieval library |
| D．the owner of the astrolabe in Merton College |
What do we know about the Bodleian Library?
| A．It lies in Magdalen College. |
| B．It is the most famous library in the UK. |
| C．It has a collection of 2,500 kinds of books. |
| D．It is smaller than the British Library. |
A British farmer has been searching for a group of fighter planes for 15 years. The planes were lost in Burma during World War II. David Cundall, 62, traveled to Burma a dozen times. He spent about US $207,000 in the hope of finding a British Spitfire（喷火式战斗机）buried in the Southeast Asian country. Finally, his hard work paid off.
Cundall started his search after his friend heard from a group of U.S. war veterans（老兵）that they had buried Spitfires in the region. “We’ve done some pretty silly things in our time, but the silliest was burying Spitfires,” the veterans said.
Cundall began placing ads in magazines to try to find soldiers who might have been involved. After 15 years of searching, he finally managed to locate the missing airplanes. The planes had never been flown and were buried in their transport crates（条板箱）. “We made a borehole（钻孔）and used a camera to look at the crates. They seemed to be in good condition.” Cundall told The Telegraph. The aircraft had arrived at a Royal Air Force base in Burma in August 1945. But, by that point in the war, the planes weren’t needed. “In 1945, Spitfires were ten a penny, and you could see them everywhere.” Said Cundall.
British Prime Minister, David Camerion, recently visited the country. As The Telegraph reports, Camerion’s help may mean that the Spitfires could soon be on their way back to the United Kingdom. Cundall hopes that with the help of investors, the planes can finally take to the skies.
“Spitfires are beautiful aeroplanes and should not be rotting away（腐烂）in a foreign land,” Cundall says. “They saved our neck in the Battle of Britain and they should be protected.”Which of the following is the best title for the text?
| A．A British Farmer’s Dream |
| B．Burma’s Buried Treasure |
| C．A Search for Buried Planes |
| D．The Design of the British Spitfire |
What did the war veterans feel when they talked about the buried planes?
| A．Disappointed | B．Excited. |
| C．Regretful | D．Hopeful |
What does the underlined phrase, “ten a penny ”, in the third paragraph mean?
| A．expensive. | B．cheap. | C．rare | D．common |
What can we learn about the British Spitfires?
| A．The planes buried under the ground were seriously damaged. |
| B．The planes were not needed at that time during World War II. |
| C．It will be very difficult to take the planes back to the United Kingdom. |
| D．The planes were buried in Burma after they crashed there. |
What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?
| A．Cundall has asked Prime Minister David Cameron for help to bring Spitfires back. |
| B．The government of Burma will not allow Britain to bring the Spitfires back |
| C．The Spitfires buried in Burma are beginning to rot away. |
| D．Cundall likes Spitfires very much and he thinks they should be preserved. |
（London）—If it really is what’s on the inside that counts, then a lot of thin people might be in trouble.
Some doctors now think that the internal( 内部的) fat surrounding important organs like the heart or liver could be as dangerous as the external fat which can be noticed more easily.
“Being thin doesn’t surely mean you are not fat,” said Dr Jimmy Bell at Imperial College. Since 1994, Bell and his team have scanned nearly 800 people with MRI（核磁共振） machines to create “fat maps” showing where people store fat.
According to the result, people who keep their weight through diet rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits （沉积）of internal fat, even if they are slim.
Even people with normal Body Mass Index scores can have surprising levels of fat deposits inside. Of the women, as many as 45 percent of those with normal BMI scores (20 to 25) actually had too high levels of internal fat. Among men, the percentage was nearly 60 percent.
According to Bell, people who are fat on the inside are actually on the edge of being fat. They eat too many fatty and sugary foods, but they are not eating enough to be fat. Scientists believe we naturally store fat around the belly first, but at some point, the body may start storing it elsewhere.
Doctors are unsure about the exact dangers of internal fat, but some think it has something to do with heart disease and diabetes. They want to prove that internal fat damages the body’s communication systems.
The good news is that internal fat can be easily burned off through exercise or even by improving your diet. “If you want to be healthy, there is no short cut. Exercise has to be an important part of your lifestyle,” Bell said.What is this piece of news mainly about?
| A．Thin people may be fat inside. |
| B．Internal fat is of no importance. |
| C．Internal fat leads to many diseases. |
| D．Thin people also have troubles. |
Doctors have found _____.
| A．the exact dangers of internal fat |
| B．internal fat is the cause of heart disease and diabetes |
| C．being slim is not dangerous at all |
| D．being slim doesn’t mean you are not fat inside |
According to the passage, which of the following is WRONG?
| A．Exercise can help to reduce the internal fat. |
| B．People can get rid of internal fat by improving diet. |
| C．Men are more likely to have too much internal fat. |
| D．People with heart disease all have internal fat. |
From the last paragraph, we can find that _____.
| A．whether internal fat can lead to disease has been proved |
| B．exercise plays an important role in people’s life for keeping healthy |
| C．thin people usually have internal fat even if they are slim |
| D．it is easier to burn off internal fat than external fat |
The underlined part in the last paragraph means _____.
| A．a long road | B．an easy way |
| C．a clear difference | D．a short distance |
Have you ever dreamed about sending a letter to yourself or your friends in the future ? While express mail representing efficiency and speed is prevalent（盛行的）in China , there is another type of mail appearing as a new business : “ Future Mail ” . “ Future Mail ” service can make people slow down and let them understand the meaning of “ time ” in another way . And “ Future Mail ” letters are “ reminders of affection , friendship and love ”.
Lin Xiaofan , a senior high school student in Hefei , wrote a letter to her mother in advance to express her love to her mother for next Mother’s Day . Feng Xiao , a youth who feels pressure despite of some achievements in her career decided to write a letter to herself on her 25th birthday and have it delivered five years later on her 30th birthday through a “ Future Mail ” . She expressed her thoughts about her present life and her expectations for the future to encourage herself to face up to the challenges of her life with courage .
While “ Future Mail ” is gaining popularity , some people are concerned about what happens if the postal address of the receiver changes or if the company goes broken before letters are delivered . Actually , customers required to complete an acceptance form and make an assessment so they can be compensated if their letters or goods are lost or damaged .
Most of the business’s customers are college students and young white-collar workers . Psychologists said young Chinese might be given a vent（发泄）to their negative feelings through the service . Most people put their hopes and wishes in the letters so they can experience the connection between “ past ” and “ present ” while they receive the letters . It can help people reunderstand the meaning of “ time ” .The underlined word in Para . 3 probably means .
| A．paid | B．changed | C．bought | D．repaired |
Which of the following is NOT true ?
| A．People can express their thoughts and feelings to themselves or others through a “ Future Mail ” . |
| B．The “ Future Mail ” business is not perfect . |
| C．Only young people accept the new “ Future Mail ” service . |
| D．“ Future Mail ”service can let people reunderstand the meaning of “ time ” . |
You can read this article in newspaper’s part .
| A．sports . | B．science |
| C．leisure(闲暇) | D．policy |
Which is NOT the purpose of Feng Xiao’s letter ?
| A．To encourage herself to face up to the challenges . |
| B．To express her thoughts about her present life . |
| C．To express her expectations for the future . |
| D．To remind herself of something she must do . |
The best title of this article should be .
| A．The Different Kinds of Letter |
| B．“ Future Mail ” Business Taking off in China |
| C．The Advantage of “ Future Mail ” |
| D．The Letter in Future |
There are 115 distinct（独特的）species of pine trees with 35 native to North America. Pines are defined as evergreens with long, needle-like leaves and are only native to the northern hemisphere. Pine trees are an adaptable and tough species that can survive in many conditions where other plants cannot. The average pine is 45 to 60 feet tall, but some are nearly twice as high.
Western White Pine
The western white pine grows the tallest of any pine tree, reaching up to 110 feet in height. They have blue-green needles arranged in bundles（束）of five and produce a long cone（球果）.
Bristlecone Pine
The bristlecone pine grows slowly, reading about 20 feet tall. It is one of the oldest species of pine.
Mexican Pine
The Mexican pine can grow to 50 feet tall, with long, slender needles that drape（下垂）off it like a weeping willow（柳树）. Often nicknamed the “willow pine”, it is native to Mexico. Its leaves can droop up to 12 inches long.
Sugar Pine
The sugar pine is another of the large pine species, such as the bull pine, but it also has the largest cones of any pine species, at 10 to 20 inches long. It grows from Oregon to California and is often used for construction.
Jack Pine
The jack pine is one of the smallest species of pine with rare leaves. Compared with the pines mentioned above, it doesn’t seem to belong to the family. It is considered a member of the scrub-pine family; it prefers sandy soil.From the first paragraph, we know that pines _______.
| A．are native to North America |
| B．are very adaptable |
| C．can grow to 60 feet tall at most |
| D．usually grow in tough conditions |
Which of the following pines is often used as a building material?
| A．The Mexican pine. | B．The bristlecone pine. |
| C．The sugar pine. | D．The jack pine. |
The Mexican pine ______.
| A．is the oldest species of pine. |
| B．produces a long cone |
| C．has willow-like needles |
| D．prefers sandy soil |
We can learn from the passage that _______.
| A．the Mexican pine has the longest leaves |
| B．the Jack pine doesn’t seem to belong to the same family as the other pine trees |
| C．the bull pine is a kind of little pine tree |
| D．all the pine trees mentioned have a great number of leaves |
This text is most probably taken from ______.
| A．a celebrity（名人）magazine | B．a nature magazine |
| C．a fashion magazine | D．a history magazine |
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