Most musicians agree that the best violins were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins. But they aren’t the same. Why are these old Italian violins so special? Many people think they have an answer.
Some people think it is the age of the violins. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only those from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer.
Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. The wood of the violin is very important. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremona knew something special about wood for violins.
But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully. It has to be the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this is the secret of the Italians.
Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists make new violins that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old one. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish（清漆）, which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. Since no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish, no one can make the same varnish today.
There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. And there are not many of the old violins left. So these old violins are becoming more and more precious.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Secrets of Cremona Violins |
| B．The History of Italian Violins |
| C．Special Musical Instruments |
| D．How to Make the Best Violins |
The main purpose of the first paragraph is to_______________
| A．list some facts | B．raise a question |
| C．give an opinion | D．offer an answer |
What is still unclear about Cremona violins according to the writer?
| A．The shape． | B．The size． | C．The wood． | D．The varnish． |
Which of the following words can best describe Cremona violins?
| A．Light． | B．Shining． | C．Valuable． | D．Modern |
What can we learn from this passage?
| A．Modem things are always better than ancient ones |
| B．Ancient things are always better than modem ones |
| C．Once a cultural relic is lost．it Can never be recovered |
| D．Varnish for violins will become more and more precious |
The days of the hunter are almost over in India. This is partly because there is practically nothing left to kill, and partly because some steps have been taken mainly by banning tiger-shooting to protect those animals which still survive.
Some people say that Man is naturally a hunter. I disagree with this view. Surely our earliest forefathers, who at first possessed no weapons, spent their time digging for roots, and were no doubt themselves often hunted by meat-eating animals.
I believe the main reason why the modern hunter kills is that he thinks people will admire his courage in overpowering dangerous animals. Of course, there are some who truly believe that the killing is not really the important thing, and that the chief pleasure lies in the joy of the hunt and the beauty of the wild countryside. There are also those for whom hunting in fact offers a chance to prove themselves and risk death by design; these men go out after dangerous animals like tigers, even if they say they only do it to rid the countryside of a threat. I can respect reasons like these, but they are clearly different from the need to strengthen your high opinion of yourself.
The greatest big-game hunters expressed in their writings something of these finer motives. One of them wrote：
“You must properly respect what you are after and shoot it clearly and on the animal’s own territory (领地).You must fix forever in your mind all the wonders of that particular day. This is better than letting him grow a few years older to be attacked and wounded by his own son and eventually eaten, half alive, by other animals. Hunting is not a cruel and senseless killing — not if you respect the thing you kill, not if you kill to enrich your memories, not if you kill to feed your people.”
I can understand such beliefs, and can compare these hunters with those who hunted lions with spears and bravely caught them by the tail. But this is very different from many tiger-shoots I have seen, in which modern weapons were used. The so-called hunters fired from tall trees or from the backs of trained elephants. Such methods made tigers seem no more dangerous than rabbits.
59．There is no more hunting in India now partly because ________.
A．it is dangerous to hunt there B．hunting is already out of date
C．hunters want to protect animals D．there are few animals left to hunt
60．The author thinks modern hunters kill mainly ________.
A．to make the countryside safe B．to earn people’s admiration
C．to gain power and influence D．to improve their health
61．What do we learn about the big-game hunters?
A．They hunt old animals. B．They mistreat animals.
C．They hunt for food. D．They hunt for money.
62．What is the author’s view on the tiger-shoots he has seen?
A．Modern hunters lack the courage to hunt face-to-face.
B．Modern hunters should use more advanced weapons.
C．Modern hunters like to hunt rabbits instead of tigers.
D．Modern hunters should put their safety first.
Warning： reading too much Cinderella to your daughter may damage her emotional health in later life. A paper to be developed at the international congress of cognitive psychotherapy in Gothenburg suggests a link between the attitudes of women abused by their parents and early exposure to the wrong sort of fairy tales. It says girls who identified with Cinderella, Rapunzel and Beauty in Beauty and the Beast were more likely to say in destructive relationships as adults.
The theory was developed by Susan Darker Smith, a psychotherapist at the University of Derby. She interviewed 67 female abuse survivors and found that 61 put up with severe abuse because they believed they could change their partners with patience, composition and love. The same view was taken by male survivors who had been abused as children. Hardly any of the women in a control group, who had not experienced abuse, thought they could change their partners in this way.
These women and men said they would leave a relationship rather than put up with abuse from a partner. Ms Darker Smith found the abused women were much more likely to identify with Cinderella and other submissive female characters in fairytales, who were later rescued by a stranger prince or hero.
Although most girls heard the stories, damage appeared to be done to those who adopted the characters as role models.“They believe if their love is strong enough they can change their parents’ behaviors,” she said.”Overexposure in children to stories that emphasize the transformational qualities of love may make women believe they can change their partners.” For example, they might never have understood the obvious flaw in the story of Rapunzel, who remained locked in a high tower until rescued by a knight on a white horse, who broke the door down. “The question,”said Ms Darker Smith, “is why she did not break the door down herself.”
55．The passage is especially intended for _________.
A．parents with young daughters
B．girls who like reading fairy stories
C．girls who think they can change their partners
D．parents with grown-up daughters
56．Cinderella, Rapunzel and Beauty in Beauty and the Beast are similar in that _________.
A．they all married some princes B．they all changed their partners with love
C．they were all abused by their partners D．they all put up with abuse
57．Which of the following statements is true of the women in a control group?
A．They don’t believe in fairy tales.
B．They don’t believe in the transformational qualities of love.
C．They have also experienced abuse.
D．They survived abuse.
58．What does the underlined word
“submissive”in the 3rd paragraph probably mean?
A．kind-hearted B．passive C．gentle D．easy-going
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题;每小题2分, 满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
MEXICO CITY： A jetliner from the beach resort of Cancun was briefly hijacked as it landed in Mexico City on Wednesday. The hijackers released all passengers shortly before federal police stormed the plane, and the crew emerged unharmed moments later.
Police, who did not fire a single shot, led as many as
eight handcuffed men away from the airplane, which was isolated at the end of a runway in an area designed for emergencies. The hijackers’ motive was unclear, though Mexican news media initially identified them as Bolivians demanding to speak with Mexican President Felipe Calderon.
US, French and Mexican citizens were among the 112 passengers and crew on Aeromexico Flight 576, according to a US official who had been briefed on the situation. The official was not authorized to discuss the case and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Mexico’s transportation and communications secretary, Juan Molinar, said there was no bomb on the airplane, although some passengers said one of the hijackers held a package that resembled an explosive device, and a bomb squad (拆弹小组) was later seen near the airplane.
He did not immediately identify the hijackers or speculate on their motive.
“Various people who participated in the act have been detained and we are investigating,”Molinar said.
The attorney general’s office said it was opening an investigation into terrorism and kidnapping but did not specify how many people could be charged.
Mexican news media initially reported the hijackers were Bolivian, but Bolivia’s ambassador to Mexico, Jorge Mancilla, said Mexican authorities had no evidence that was the case. Mancilla said sources told him they could be Colombian or Venezuelan. Several passengers told reporters they did not notice a non-Mexican accent.
Passenger Rocio Garcia told the Televisa network that the pilot made an announcement after landing in Mexico City that the airplane was being hijacked. Passengers said the hijackers never communicated with them directly.
“These were scary moments,”she said.
She said she saw one of the hijackers whom she described as a well-dressed, older man.
“He looked fine, like a normal passenger,”she said.
Passenger Daniel Hernandez said he saw a hijacker carrying a Bible.
51．From the first paragraph we can conclude that _________.
A．the hijackers just wanted to play a trick on the police
B．the hijackers didn’t prepare for their action
C．the hijackers surrendered before the police fired
D．the hijackers lost their way at the last moment
52．From what Juan Molinar said we can learn that _________.
A．police were still trying to identify a possible bomb
B．passengers succeeded in stopping the explosion
C．a frightening bomb was found later on the airplane
D．several Mexicans were involved in the hijacking
53．What may be the first step taken when the hijacked plane landed?
A．They gave a sudden attack at the hijackers.
B．They kept the plane away from other planes.
C．They asked the crew to control the hijackers.
D．They abandoned the plane at the end of the runway.
54．The hijackers, as some passengers described, _________.
A．were good at bargaining with the police
B．were all well-dressed American old men
C．all came from Colombia or Venezuela
D．stayed calm and appeared noble, educated
Birds that are half-asleep—with one brain hemisphere (半球) alert and the other sleeping—control which side of the brain remains awake, according to a new study of sleeping ducks.
Earlier studies have documented half-brain sleep in a wide range of birds. The brain hemispheres take turns sinking into the sleep stage characterized by slow brain waves. The eye controlled by the sleeping hemisphere keeps shut, while the wakeful hemisphere’s eye stays open and alert. Birds also can sleep with both hemispheres resting at once.
Decades of studies of bird groups led researchers to predict extra alertness in the end-of-the-row sleepers which tend to be attacked more easily. Sure enough, the end birds tended to watch carefully on the side away from their companions. Ducks in the inner spots showed no preference for gaze direction.
Also, birds napping at the end of the line depend on single-hemisphere sleep, rather than total relaxation, more often than inner ducks did. Turning 16 birds through the positions in a four-duck row, the researchers found that compared with 12 percent for birds in internal spots, outer birds half-asleep during some 32 percent of napping time.
“We believe this is the first evidence for an animal behaviorally controlling sleep and wakefulness at the same time in different regions of the brain,” the researchers say.
The results provide the best evidence for a long-standing assumption that single-hemisphere sleep evolved as creatures scanned for enemies. The preference for opening an eye on the lookout side could be widespread, he predicts. He’s seen it in a pair of birds napping side-by-side in the zoo and in a single pet bird sleeping by a mirror. The mirror-side eye closed as if the reflection were a companion and the other eye stayed open.
Useful as half-sleeping might be, it’s only been found in birds 
and such water animals as dolphins, whales, and seals. Perhaps keeping one side of the brain awake allows a sleeping animal to surface occasionally to avoid drowning.
Studies of birds may offer unique insights into sleep. Jerome M. Siegel of the UCLA says he wonders if birds’ half-brain
sleep “is just the tip of the iceberg.” He supposes that more examples may turn up when we take a closer look at other species.
66. According to the passage, birds often half sleep because ______.
A. they have to watch out for possible attacks B. their brain hemispheres take turns to rest
C. the two halves of their brain are differently structured
D. they have to constantly keep an eye on their companions
67. What is implied about the example of a bird’s sleeping in front of a mirror?
A. An imagined companion gives the bird a sense of security.
B. Birds prefer to sleep in pairs for the sake of their security.
C. The phenomenon of birds napping in pairs is widespread.
D. A single pet bird enjoys seeing its own reflection in the mirror.
68. While sleeping, some water animals tend to keep half awake in order to ______.
A. alert themselves to the approaching enemy B. emerge from water now and then to breathe
C. be sensitive to the ever-changing environment
D. avoid being swept away by rapid currents
69. It can be inferred that ----------------.
A. Birds never sleep with both hemispheres resting at once.
B. Inner ducks depend on single-hemisphere sleep, rather than total relaxation, as often as
birds napping at the end of the line do
C. It is not the first time for scientists to research on birds’ half-brain sleep
D. Birds hardly sleep without a companion
70. By saying “just the tip of the iceberg”, Siegel suggests that ______.
A. half-brain sleep has something to do with icy weather
B. the mystery of half-brain sleep is close to being solved
C. most birds living in cold regions tend to be half sleepers
D. half-brain sleep may exist among other species
What is a Boy?
Between the innocence of babyhood and the seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a “boy”. Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males pack them off to bed at night.
Boys are found everywhere--- on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to this and that! Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them. A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUYTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket.
When you are busy, a boy is a trouble-maker and a noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it.
A boy is a mixture--- he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker, but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand.
He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines. He is not much for Sunday schools, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.
Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can put into one
pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-foot rope, six cents and some unknown things.
A boy is a magical creature---he is your headache but when you come home at night with only shattered pieces of your hopes a
nd dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic word, “Hi, Dad!”
61. The whole passage is in a tone of _______ .
A. humor and love B. respect and harmony
C. ambition and expectation D. confidence and imagination
62. What does the underlined sentence in Pare 4 probably mean?
A. He has altogether five fingers. B. He is slow, foolish and clumsy.
C. He becomes clever and smart. D. He cuts his hand with a knife.
63. According to the writer, boys appreciate everything in the following EXCEPT ___________.
A. ice cream B. comic books C. Saturday mornings D. Sunday schools
64. What does the writer feel about boyhood?
A. Curious. B. Tiring. C. Delightful. D. Unsafe.
65. The writer is probably ________ .
A. a cheerful young bachelor B. a keenly observant father
C. an appreciative fond mother D. a spoiled naughty kid
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