There’s a small town in the central part of England called Gotham. Some say it’s a town of fools. Others say all the villagers are wise. Let me tell you about the people of Gotham so you can decide for yourself.
Long ago, England was ruled by a cruel king named John. One day, the people of Gotham heard that King John and his men would soon be riding through their town.This worried the villagers, for they knew the greedy king would demand food and accommodation for his men. What’s more, if he saw anything to his liking, he would surely take it.
A town meeting was called. After much discussion, the townspeople decided to cut down a number of huge trees to block the roads leading into Gotham. When King John and his men reached the outskirts of the village, they could not pass. Angry, King John ordered his men to go into the town and punish the villagers.
When the king’s officers finally made their way over the trees, they found a village of fools. Some say that was because the people of Gotham had a plan—they had decided to act like fools since they had never heard of anyone being punished for being a noodlehead. Others say that’s just the way they were.
In the village, the king’s men encountered a man riding a donkey. The man was bent over because he carried a huge bag of grain on his own shoulders. He looked exhausted. One of the king’s men approached him and asked, “Why, in heaven’s name, are you carrying that bag? Why don’t you just put it behind you on your donkey’s back?”
“You see,” replied the man from Gotham, “my donkey is feeling poor today. It’s bad enough that she has to carry me, so I decided to lighten her burden by carrying the bag myself.”
The king’s men said, “But sir, don’t you see that if you’re riding on top of the donkey, she’s
still carrying the weight of the bag?” The man didn’t reply. He just looked at the king’s men as if they were crazy and went on his way. The king’s officers giggled at the foolishness of the man. Before long, they passed a pond where they found a number of villagers in the midst of a great argument. Two of them were holding a big eel. “Quiet down,” commanded one of the king’s men. “What’s the problem here?”
One of the villagers stepped forward and said, “Last year we took all the extra fish we [caught and put them in this pond so they would multiply. But this year when we came back, all we caught was this one huge eel. Obviously it has eaten all of our fish! Since then, we have argued long and hard over how to punish this bad eel. But we have finally agreed on the perfect punishment. We are just about to drown the eel in this very pond!” The king’s officers couldn’t believe their ears. Drown an eel whose home is in the water? These men were sillier than the first man they met!
Before long, they reached the center of the village, where they were in for another surprise. There they found the rest of the townspeople building a towering stone wall. When the soldiers inquired what was going on, one of the villagers replied, “Every spring a cuckoo comes to live in our village. It always brings warm weather. When it leaves, the cold weather returns. Last year we decided that if we could get the cuckoo to stay here all year, we would always have warm weather. We built this stone wall, but it obviously wasn’t high enough because the bird flew away. This year we’re determined to build it so high that the cuckoo can’t escape.”
The king’s officers had heard enough. They couldn’t bring themselves to punish such stupid people. They returned to King John and told him all about the fools of Gotham. Whether it’s fair or not, the people of Gotham have been known as fools ever since.
What do you think? Were the villagers of Gotham wise or foolish?This story is most like___________.
| A．a news article | B．a folktale |
| C．realistic fiction | D．historical fiction |
The story is set in___________.
| A．A city | B．A forest |
| C．A royal palace | D．A small village |
Why do the townspeople cut down the trees?
| A．To make room for their crops. |
| B．To block the roads to the village. |
| C．To create a gift for the king’s men. |
| D．To build accommodation for the king’s men. |
The townspeople are worried about the king’s visit because he will___________.
| A．laugh at them |
| B．cut down their trees |
| C．take anything he wants |
| D．want to move to their town |
Based on the story, why might the townspeople be considered wise?
| A．They trick the king’s men into thinking they are fools. |
| B．They think ahead by putting their extra fish into a pond. |
| C．They make sure their donkeys are healthy enough to work. |
| D．They realize the importance of warm weather to their crops. |
The Japanese believe that a person has two souls, each necessary. One is the “gentle” soul; the other is the “rough” soul. Sometimes the person uses his gentle soul; sometimes he must use his rough soul. He does not favor his “gentle” soul; neither does he fight his “rough” soul. Human nature in itself is good, Japanese philosophers insist, and a human being does not need to fight any part of himself. He has only to learn how to use each soul properly at the appropriate times. Virtue for the Japanese consists in fulfilling one’s obligations to others. Happy endings, either in life or in fiction, are neither necessary nor expected, since the fulfillment of duty provides the satisfying end, whatever the tragedy it inflicts (遭受，承受). And duty includes a person’s obligations to those who have conferred benefits upon him and to himself as an individual of honor. He develops through this double sense of duty a self-discipline which is at once permissive and rigid, depending on the area in which it is functioning.
The process of acquiring this self-discipline begins in childhood. A Japanese child is given his own identity very early! If I were to define in a word the attitude of the Japanese toward their children I would put it in one succinct (简洁的) word – “respect”. Love? Yes, abundance of love, warmly expressed from the moment he is put to his mother’s breast. For mother and child this nursing of her child is important psychologically.
Rewards are frequent, a bit of candy bestowed ( 给予) at the right moment, an inexpensive toy…As the time comes to enter school, however, discipline becomes firmer. To bring shame to the family is the greatest shame for the child.
What is the secret of the Japanese teaching of self-discipline? It lies, I think, in the fact that the aim of all teaching is the establishment of habit. Rules are repeated over, and continually practiced until obedience becomes instinctive. This repetition is enhanced by the expectation of the elders. They expect a child to obey and to learn through obedience. The demand is gentle at first and tempered to the child’s tender age. It is no less gentle as time goes on, but certainly it is increasingly inexorable （不可阻挡的）.
1. The main purpose of the passage is to discuss_________.
A. the belief system of the Japanese people B. Japanese view of happiness
C. Japanese view of duty D. self-discipline of the Japanese people
2. What can be inferred according to the Japanese belief system?
A. Some people have two different souls.
B. Some people are born evil. C. One should try to achieve the happy ending.
D. Duty is central in Japanese view of virtue.
3. In the teaching of self-discipline the Japanese emphasize _________.
A. obligations to one’s family and relations.
B. early tolerant training combined with restrictive movement
C. heavy external (外界的) control including strict punishment
D. a permissive atmosphere almost until adulthood
4. How do the Japanese teach their children of self-discipline?
A. They lie to their children about the benefit of self-discipline.
B. They develop their children’s habit of obedience through various teachings.
C. They rely on the important role of schools.
D. They use rewards to set good samples of self-discipline.
5. What does the underlined word “It”in the last sentence refer to?
A. The demand. B. The age. C. The obedience. D. The establishment.
There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner ( Mrs. Reed, when there was no company, dined early) the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so dark, and rain so likely to pour, that further outdoor exercise was now out of the question.
I was glad of it. I never liked long walks, especially on cold afternoons. Awful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped (冻伤的) fingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the scoldings of Bessie, the nurse, and humbled (贬低) by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed.
Eliza, John, and Georgiana were now surrounding their mama in the drawing room; she lay on a sofa by the fireside, and with her darlings around her ( for the time neither quarrelling nor crying) looked perfectly happy. She had stopped me from joining the group. She said that she regretted to be under the necessity of keeping me at a distance, but that until she heard from Bessie, and could discover by her own observation that I was trying to acquire a more sociable and childlike nature and a more attractive and lovely manner, and that she really must exclude me from privileges intended only for good children.
“What did Bessie say about me?” I asked.
“Jane, I don’t like questioners; besides, there is something truly forbidding in a child taking up her elders in that manner. Be seated somewhere; remain silent until you can speak pleasantly.”
The study room adjoined the drawing room and I slipped there. It contained a bookcase. I soon possessed myself of a volume stored with pictures.
With the book on my knee, I was then happy; happy at least in my way. I feared nothing but interruption, and that came too soon.
1. The underlined phrase “out of the question” in the first paragraph probably means________.
A. impossible B. possible C. likely D. no problem
2. Jane never liked long walks on cold afternoons because ________.
A. it often rained
B. it was too cold to walk outside
C. she often suffered a lot, both mentally and physically
D. she was often scolded by the nurse
3. We can infer from the passage that________.
A. Jane was treated equally in the family
B. Jane couldn’t enjoy equal rights with her cousins
C. Mrs. Reed was very strict with Jane for the sake of her
D. Jane was too troublesome
4. From the passage we can infer that ________.
A. the drawing room contained a bookcase B. Jane liked reading very much
C. Jane drew the curtain to keep warm D. Bessie was Jane’s good friend
5. The main idea of this part of the story is ________.
A. Jane was on good terms with her cousins B. Jane spent a happy childhood
C. Jane was badly treated in such a family D. Jane loved Mrs. Reed and her cousins
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、D 选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Do you have any idea what you would like to be and do after graduation? A lot of people don’t begin thinking about careers until they reach junior or senior year, which, in my opinion, is too late.
When people are trying to decide what they want to do, it helps to know something they love. Ever since I was little, I’ve always been doing someone’s hair, make-up or nails, starting with Barbie dolls and progressing to humans. Over the years my family has really inspired me to do this and now I fix friends’ and family members’ hair for weddings, dances and other big events.
I have been thinking about what I would like to do for a career since middle school. I did some research and discovered that I might really enjoy being a cosmetologist, so I went to my hair stylist and asked her lots of questions about what it takes to reach her level and what she would recommend I do. I considered her advice and then did more research.
I used Aveda’s website to get information on the Aveda Institute and what type of credit(贷款) I would need from high school to apply. I found their institute has three parts: theoretical knowledge, practical experience, and professional business-building skills. For the past few years, I have been looking at Aveda in more and more detail. This school not only offers cosmetology, but also massage therapy. I grew up in Minnesota(美国中北部的一个州), so I plan to apply to the institute in Minneapolis that several people have highly recommended. It helps students become “future industry leaders in hair care, skin care, makeup and total body wellness”. It is affordable and everyone there is friendly and understanding.
Having done the groundwork and thinking about what I’d like to do after high school, I know that I will definitely pursue my dream of becoming a cosmetologist.
1.After reading the text, we can infer the author is interested in ___________.
A.traveling abroad B. service business C. social activities D. acting on the stage.
2.Why does the author think it’s too late for people to start thinking about careers in junior or senior year?
A. Because he/she began to think about them when very young.
B. Because many people are too old to learn.
C. Because a lot of people can’t grasp the opportunity.
D. Because many people have little they love.
3.We know from the text that a cosmetologist is __________ .
A. a chemist working at college B. a person who works in the institute
C. a doctor in a hospital D. a person doing all types of body care for people
4.The author plans to apply to the institute in Minneapolis NOT because________
A.the people there are good to others B. some people advise him/her to do so
C. the institute is free of charge D. the institute is helpful to his/her future
5. The author of the text may be a __________.
A. married person B. middle school student C. college student D. a teacher in an institute.
It has been more than twenty years since pioneering British computer programmer, Sir Tim Berners Lee, created the World Wide Web. But could he have ever imagined how much the web would change our lives? And would he approve of how some British students are taking advantage of his invention?
Universities and exam boards around the UK are becoming increasingly concerned with the rising number of cases of plagiarism, many of which are facilitated (助长) by the Internet access.
In the UK most school and university students complete coursework throughout the academic year which contributes toward their final mark. In many cases coursework makes up the main part of the qualification. Since coursework is completed in the students’ own time it cannot be monitored by teachers in the same way as an exam.
Derec Stockley, director of examinations in the UK, explains, “Plagiarism affects coursework more tha
n anything else, and in the cases that come to our attention, more and more are linked to the Internet.”
At a university level recent reports suggest that plagiarism has evolved from separate cases of individual cheating to systematic and even commercial operation. Students can now pay for bespoke essays to be written for them by experts.
It is estimated that the market in online plagiarism is now worth 200 million pounds a year. Every month more and more websites offering to write student’s essays for them appear on the Internet.
Barclay Littlewood, owner of Degree Essays UK employs 3,500 specialist writers and charges between 120 pounds and 4,000 pounds per essay. However, Mr. Littlewood refutes the accusation that he is helping students to cheat.
1．What dose the underlined word “plagiarism” in Paragrha 2 mean in the passage?
A．cheating B．problems of the Internet C．learning pressure D．coursework
2．Which of the following statements is mentioned by the author?
A．With the help of online plagiarism, students can write more creative coursework.
B．There will be no problem if online plagiarism is a systematic and commercial operation.
C．The Internet seems to have contributed much to the problem of online plagiarism.
D．Teachers should lay more emphasis on exams than coursework.
3．It can be inferred from the text that the author seems to _____.
A．blame Sir Tim Berners Lee for having created the World Wide Web
B．worry about the 
quality of students’ coursework influenced by the World Wide Web
C．be in favour of Littlewood’s defence against the accusation of him
D．have studied the problem of online plagiarism for nearly 20 years
4．Who should be blamed for online plagiarism?
A．Barclay Littlewood. B．Sir Tim Berners Lee. C．Derec Stockley. D．Nobody.
5．The paragraph following the passage will most probably be about_____.
A．the author’s opinions of Mr. Littlewood
B．different people’s opinions on plagiarism
C．how students use the website of Mr. Littlewood
D．Mr. Littlewood’s defence against those who accused him of his website
Like all animal species, plant species must spread their offspring to suitable areas where they can grow and pass on their parents’ genes. Young animals generally spread by walking or flying. Because plants don’t have that ability, they must somehow hitchhike(搭车). Some plant seeds scatter by blowing in the wind or floating on water. Many other plant species, though, trick an animal into carrying their seeds. How do they do this? They enclose the seeds within a tasty fruit and advertise the fruit’s ripeness by its colour or smell. The hungry animal collects and swallows the fruit, walks or flies off, and later spits out the seeds somewhere far from its parent tree. Seeds can thereby be carried for thousands of miles. It may surprise you to learn that plant seeds can resist digestion. In fact, some seeds actually require passage through an animal’s body before they can grow.
Wild strawberries offer a good example of hitchhiking tactics. When strawberry seeds are still young and not yet ready to be planted, the surrounding fruit is green, sour and hard. When the seeds finally mature, the berries turn red, sweet, and tender. The change in the berries’ colour serves as a signal to birds which then eat the strawberries, fly off, and eventually spit out the seeds.
Naturally, strawberry plants didn’t set out with a conscious intention of attracting birds only when their seeds were ready to be dispersed. Nor did birds set out with the intent of planting strawberries. Rather, strawberry plants evolved through natural selection. The sweeter and redder the final strawberry, the more birds spread its ripe seeds; the greener and more sour the young strawberry, the fewer birds destroyed the seeds by eating berries before the seeds were ready.
1．What does the underlined word “dispersed” in the third paragraph mean?
A．spread B．eaten
C．born D．planted
2．For plants, which of the following is NOT a way of spreading their offspring to suitable areas?
A．Hitchhiking. B．Blowing in the wind.
C．Floating on water. D．Tracking an animal.
3．Which strategy does the example of wild strawberries describe?
A．The conscious intent of attracting birds. B．Spreading by walking.
C．Spreading by flying. D．The strategy of taking a lift.
4．Why does the author describe how strawberry seeds are spread?
A．To show plants are good at
adapting to the environment. .
B．To show strawberry’s special way.
C．To show the plant has different ways of spreading seeds.
D．To show the mystery of plant.
5．What’s the passage mainly about?
A．How animals disperse offspring. B．How plants disperse their offspring.
C．Plant evolution. D．Plants’ hitchhiking on animals.
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