It is December thirty-first,2004,the time when the old year dies and the New Year is born.
Many Americans have parties at home and invite all their friends .Many of these events are noisy。People shout and sing. They often blow on small noisemakers when the New Year arrives at midnight. They kiss their husband or wife or the person they are with. They dance to music. Other Americans spend a quiet evening at home .They drink Champagne at midnight to welcome the New Year.
Some people drink too much alcohol at New Year’s Eve celebrations .This can lead to tragic results if a person drinks too much and then drives a car. The National Safety Council says hundreds of people die in road accidents during the holiday.
In recent years ,the danger of accidents has resulted in a new tradition called the “designated driver” One person among a group of friends drinks little or no alcohol during New Year’s Eve celebrations. Then this designated driver can safely drive the other people home. Many American cities also offer free taxi service on New Year’s Eve to take people home safely.
Other Americans observe the coming of the New Year at events without alcohol .More than 220 American cities hold these First Night celebrations. Artists in Boston Massachusetts started the tradition of First Night celebrations. In 1976.They wanted to observe the coming of a New Year. But they did not want to hold noisy drinking parties. So they organized, music, art and other events to observe the holiday.
How Americans Observe New Year’s Day
| Ways to celebrate |
Celebrations with alcohol |
Celebrations without alcohol |
| At home |
At theatres or |
|
| Activities |
Drinking parties with |
Attending music |
| Making very |
||
| Kissing each other |
||
| Dancing to music |
||
| Main problems |
Many deaths on the road |
None |
| Ways |
Making arrangements for some people not |
None |
阅读下列五个段落，并从所给选项中选出每一个段落最恰当的小标题，并将其字母标号填在相应的横线上（其中一个为多余选项）
| A．Five-a-day "Not much benefit" |
| B．More Harm than Good |
| C．Long holidays "harm learning" |
| D．Young yet brave |
E．Most followed on Twitter
F．New "Green" Red Buses
45．
What is red but green, open but closed and old but new? Answ
er: London's stunning new double-decker buses．The new bus uses more efficient green technology and has two staircases and an open platform, enabling people to hop on and hop off．It also has a special design for the front end, which gives it a futuristic look．
46．______
For many years British people have been advised to eat at least five items of fruit or vegetables every day in order to improve their health and reduce the likelihood of illness, in particular, cancer．However, according to a new scientific study, only 2．5% of cancers could be prevented by eating more fruit and vegetables．
47．_______
American actor Ashton Kutcher is no longer the most popular person on Twitter．With almost five million followers ?about 20,000 more than Ashton, Britney Spears is the most popular person on Twitter now．In reply to the news, Britney tweeted, "WOW!!!!! # 1 on Twitter! Thank you!" and treated fans by answering questions they tweeted to her．
48．_______
According to a report, being away from school for a long time can mean you start to forget what you've learnt during the school year．Researchers say the school year should be divided into five eight-week terms, with only four weeks off for summer,-instead of six weeks．They think that way, you would be more likely to remember things you learnt in subjects like maths and science．
49．_______
Jordan Romero, who is trying to become the youngest ever person to climb the world's highest mountain, has reached the first level．Advanced Base Camp．He's been training hard and his family think that he's ready to do it．However, some people think that he's far too young to be taking on such a dangerous adventure．
阅下面的文章，并从所给选项中选出最恰当的句子完成每个段落，并将其字母标号填在相应的横线上（其中一个为多余选项）。
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The Mississippi
The Mississippi is a romantic river whose relationship with man goes back beyond its discovery by the Spaniards in the 16th century．Indians used the river as a highway and as a source of food．and it was they who gave it its name“misi-sipi”，meaning“river of many fishes”．European explorers called it the Mississippi．Today, it is often called“Old Man River”．
45 ．Flowing from north to south，it gathers many waters on its way．You will easily understand why it is called“Old Man River”，or the“Father of Waters”．A lot of early setters built their homes on the land along its waters．The Mississippi was and is the old man of all American people，too
46 ．In 1927 the Mississippi flooded 26 thousand acres，sweeping away farms，towns，everything in its path．In
1938 its floods drowned or killed 200 people and made millions homeless．Today the river has largely been controlled．
47 ．Pioneers who first reached its banks wondered not only where it went，but what lay beyond．In 1764 the French founded a city on the right bank of the river, and named it after their king，Louis XV．This city, named St Louis，became the jumping-off place for the adventurous men and women who opened up the Great Plains，and the way to the Far West．
48 ．One of the saddest memories may be that of the blacks who were carried down the river and sold as slaves．The river also remembers that their sobbing and crying voices once passed over its waters．
49 ．Today, the river is still an important part of the American economy．Goods are carried up and down the river to get to other parts of the country and the world．
根据短文内容，从下框的A – F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余项。
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Remembering names is an important social skill．Here are some ways to master it.
gain
?”
t names．Last names can come later.
第二节.根据课文适当填空.（每小格1分，总分11分）
She had almost reached her destination when a delicious smell 68 her progress and she stopped .So the men had brought home the meat for the 69. !The smell of cooking meat filled the air 70. her, and her senses became 71. with hunger…. 72. she sat down, only to be scooped up by her laughing, shouting sister, Lala smiled with 73. .
Leave the beaten track occasionally and 74. into the woods. Every time you do you will be 75. to find something that you have never seen before. Follow it up, 76. all around it, and before you know it, you will have something worth thinking about to 77. your mind. All really big discoveries are the result of 78. .
第二部分：短文填空（共10空，每空1分，满分10分）
阅读下面的短文，在标有序号的空白处填入一个适当的词，或填入括号中单词的正确形式，使短文语义完整。（答案写在答题纸上）
Imagine the scene．You have been sitting indoors for weeks revising for exams，（81）_______everyone else has been having a great time．At this moment，you are dreaming of a different life．You imagine yourself on a beach in some remote part of the world．（82） _______ all this seem like a dream ？Well，that dream could come（83）_______ ！
Remember that travel can be educational．You learn a（84） _______ about life—and yourself—when you spend time abroad．Nowadays，many young people have a year off（85） ________ they start university．During this year they learn new skills and explore their interests．But it is important to spend the time （86）________ (wise)．Remember that you will （87）_______to come back and start studying again when the year has ended．Nobody will be impressed if you have（88） _______ your time lying in bed，listening to hip-hop music and watching TV！
You could go to Nepal and teach English．Some people have even（89） _______ (employ) as farmers in the Andes！This may sound romantic （90） _______ you have to think about money，too．In the end，you may have to take any job you can，or maybe even two．
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