London is one of the most popular sites in the world for tourists to visit. If you are planning a trip to London in the future, you’re lucky. There are a variety of attractions for you to enjoy.
One of the most popular tourist attractions in London is the Tower of London. Founded more than 900 years ago, the Tower of London is one of the world’s most famous towers and has changer a lot. Here, you can also find the seven raven（烏鴉）which live in the Tower. There is a story that says：If there are no ravens in the Tower, the Tower and the kingdom will fall. There are also lots of tours, exhibits and special events that you can enjoy throughout the year.
Another popular place to visit is Westminster Abbey. It was set up in 1065 by Edward the Confessor. Visitors to Westminster Abbey can enjoy its beautiful special Gothic architecture（哥特式建筑）. There are also lots of memorials of Kings and Queens to enjoy. Excellent transportation is available here by bus or tube from many locations in London.
Buckingham Palace is another place with a rich history to discover. It’s the official London residence（住處） of Queen Elizabeth II. During August and September, you can visit the State Rooms and see the Changing of the Guards. The Queen’s Gallery is opened to the public daily. Checking the official timetable before you make sure to visit the Palace is a must, because it is not open year round.
If you’re expecting to enjoy one of London’s most beautiful landscapes, Hyde Park is the place for you. There are many activities available here to enjoy, including guided walking tours, swimming, tennis, and horse riding. In addition, many concerts are performed in Hyde Park. There’s also a playground available for the kids.
Tourist attractions in London

The Tower of London	*Built （71） __________900 years ago, the Tower of London is world-famous. * There are many ravens living in the Tower. （72） __________to an old story, if there are no ravens in the Tower of London, the Tower and the kingdom will fall. * During the （73） __________year, you can enjoy lots of tours, exhibits and special events.
Westminster Abbey	（74） __________in 1065, Westminster Abbey is famous for its beautiful special Gothic architecture and memorials of Kings and Queens.
Buckingham Palace	* With a rich （75） __________to discover, Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of Queen Elizabeth II. *（76） __________August to September, you can visit the State Rooms and see the Changing of the Guards. The public can get （77） __________to the Queen’s Gallery every day. * It’s （78） __________to check the official timetable before you visit the Palace.
Hyde Park	As one of London’s most beautiful landscapes, Hyde Park is the palace for you to walk, play tennis, （79） __________and ride horses. In addition, you can go to a （80） __________that is performed in Hyde Park.

What is great art? On the one hand, we can all see that great art is old art which is called great. But how do we know which art of our own times is great, and which will be forgotten? And who decides?
These are important questions, for the great art of the past often was not considered great during its own time. When Shakespeare and Charles Dickens were writing, for example, most critics considered them as hack (平庸的) writers with little or no literary ability.
Similarly, Van Gogh and many of the other Impressionist painters of the late nineteenth century were not allowed to participate in events involving what were thought to be the "real" painters of the time, and often they were very poor. Yet today their paintings often sell for millions of dollars, while those so-called "real" painters are now barely remembered.
So what makes great art? Can, for example, rock music be great art? Music videos? Cartoons and comics? Those who call themselves critics of the fine arts often have been the last to recognize great art in the past, and we can probably expect this to be the situation today.
Critics often don’t recognize great art because they tend to be prejudiced against what is popular. Popular works, whether they are novels, movies, or comics, are usually considered to be produced for the sake of money only, and not for the sake of art.
But popularity, it seems to me, is one of the three signs that a present-day work of art may come to be thought of as great. The other two are that it is groundbreaking, and that it is inherently (內(nèi)在的) beautiful.
Many works have one or even two of these qualities of being popular, unusual, and beautiful. But having all the three often will mean that a work of art will someday be seen to be great, though it may take a good spoonful of time, such as a century or two, to know for sure.
小題1:The first paragraph is intended to__________.

A．lead to the following and arouse the reader’s curiosity

B．introduce some real painters to the readers

C．introduce the questions the writer wants to answer

D．explain what kind of art will become popular

小題2:The author used the examples of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and Van Gogh to prove _____.

A．these masters’ works have some shortcomings

B．these masters wouldn’t have been so successful without the critics

C．truly beautiful works of art are never understood when first created

D．great masters are often not acknowledged while they were alive

小題3:According to the author, great works _______.

A．may be presented in different forms

B．a(chǎn)re generally valued by critics

C．a(chǎn)re thought valuable because of their sale price

D．will lose their value if they’re not accepted

小題4:What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Critics have changed their attitudes to great works.

B．Most of the opinions of critics are valueless.

C．The work of art itself, not the critics, determines its greatness.

D．Works of Impressionist painters will be great one day.

The city can seem a cold, mean place. In the middle of so many people hurrying about their own business, a person can feel alone among the millions of others.
There is a popular view that in cities, strangers are less likely to help an elderly person cross a street or call the police when they see a bike being stolen. Recently, a New Yorker named Casey Neistat did an experiment. He chained up his bike in several public places, then "stole" it in a number of obvious ways, such as using a hacksaw (鋼鋸). He filmed everything to see whether other New Yorkers would try to stop a shameless bike theft. The result? People just walked on by.
Is this evidence of an immoral, selfish urban society? Not necessarily. According to another recent study, the way city people mind their own business is about other factors besides morality (道德).
This is called the Bystander Effect, the theory that city people do not react because of the urban enviromnent they live in.
Psychologist Dr. Harold explained why people did not involve themselves in Neistat's bike theft experiment with the Bystander Effect.
First, people who live in cities are surrounded by so much activity that they stop noticing what is going on around them. Second, they are less easy to surprise and assume every activity has a logical explanation.
"The third is that people notice it, but they don't know what to do," he continued. "And the fourth is fear — they know they should do something, but they're afraid to challenge someone with a hacksaw."
A lack of concern is only a small reason why people don't take action, concludes Dr. Harold.
Despite the results of Neistat's experiment, there is also evidence of a sense of team spirit that connects people in cities. All it takes is a funny joke or a shared interest to start a conversation with someone at a bus stop. When city folk are in trouble, they come together for support — famously in New York on September 11, 2001.
City society is different, but that doesn't mean it's cold or mean — it just means it's busy!
小題1:Casey Neistat fihned everything in the experiment with the purpose of       .

A．proving that he was not the thief

B．telling people that bike theft was immoral

C．finding out who had a sense of right and wrong

D．making his experiment well-known to the public

小題2:We can infer from the third paragraph that morality      .

A．can partly explain a selfish urban society

B．is what our society should pay special attention to

C．is the only factor that leads to a selfish urban society

D．is the root of the Bystander Effect mentioned in the passage

小題3:The underlined part September 11, 2001 in Paragraph 9 serves as      .

A．a(chǎn) reminder of the sad memories

B．a(chǎn) way to prove Dr Harold's Bystander effect

C．evidence that city life can be really dangerous

D．a(chǎn)n example to show team spirit connecting city people

小題4:As can be inferred from the passage, the writer probably      .

A．criticizes the loss of morality in urban society

B．feels sad about the result of Neistat's experiment

C．thinks city people are too busy to care about others

D．disagrees that city life sometimes can be cold and mean

Bali is an Indonesia island that is rich in indigenous （本土的） culture．A lot of people say that Balinese culture is unique and that the people of Bali have always been contented with the "now"．If you ask a Balinese person what heaven is like, the probable answer will be "just like Bali"．This only goes to show that most Balinese people are happy to be where they are and never worry．
One factor that contributes to this laidback lifestyle is the culture of close family ties in Bali．In the Balinese culture, support is always available．Balinese extended families are so tightly knit that all members usually reside in the same complex．
Balinese culture is based on a form of this religion, which is called "Hindu Darma"．This religion reached the island during the eleventh century．Most of the family customs and
traditions as well as community lifestyles of the Balinese people are influenced by this．The religious influence even expands widely into the arts, which makes Bali distinct from the rest of Indonesia．
In spite of the fact that tourists flood to the island every year, Balinese people have managed to conserve their culture．Almost every native of Bali is an artist in some form or another．Parents and villagers have passed on their skills to their children, who all seem to have inclinations （愛好） either to music, dance, painting, and decor．
Another remarkable mark of the Balinese culture is the series of ceremonies and rituals known as the Manusa Yadnya．This marks the different stages of Balinese life．Cremation （火葬） is very popular on this island—and unlike in the West, death is a joyous and colorful event for the Balinese．
小題1:What do we know about Balinese according to the first two paragraphs?

A．They lead a very relaxing but unwealthy life．

B．They live in large families and are close to each other．

C．Their family members are distributed in different places．

D．Their extended families live too close together to get along well．

小題2:Bali is distinguished from the rest of Indonesia by _____．

A．people's tight family relationship

B．the family customs and traditions

C．people's great affection for religion

D．the influence of Hinduism on their culture

小題3:The underlined word "conserve" in Para．4 can be best replaced by "_____"．

A．preserve

B．spread

C．form

D．expand

小題4:When a person dies in Bali, it is a common practice to _____．

A．express deep sorrow at his death

B．celebrate the death like a great event

C．sing and dance joyfully in his honor

D．remember what he did in his lifetime

小題5:What is the text mainly about?

A．Balinese religion．	B．The lifestyle of Balinese．
C．Balinese culture．	D．The tourism in Bali．

LONDON: What could possibly be wrong with planting trees? The advantages are obvious; they  firm the soil, soak up (攝取) extra water and take carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) out of the atmosphere.
However, it now turns out that planting trees could add to global warming.
Tree roots do a great job of keeping soil firmly on the ground and out of the wind’s power. The problem is that some of those dust clouds play an important part in soaking up carbon dioxide.
Huge dust storms blow out over the oceans from dry parts of North Africa and central Asia. Tons of dust are lifted and left as a thin film over the ocean surface. The dust fuels oceanic life.
Dust from China is carried east and left in the Pacific Ocean. If a tree-planting programme there is successful and the dust supply reduced, the net result may be that less carbon dioxide gets locked away in the ocean.
Andy Ridgwell, an environmental scientist from the University of East Anglia, has spent the past few years studying dust and says his work “shows clearly the complexity of the system and the importance of not tinkering(粗劣地修補) with it without understanding the results. For this reason there is the need to focus(集中) on cutting carbon dioxide giving off rather than monkeying (瞎弄) about with the land surface.”
An American scientist, Robert Jackson, has shown that when native grassland areas are invaded(侵入) by trees, carbon is lost from the soil. “We are studying why the soil carbon disappears, but one theory is that trees do a lot more of their growing above ground compared to grasses, so less carbon goes directly into the soil from trees, ” says Jackson.
In wet areas of the world, the gain from trees absorbing carbon dioxide above ground seems to be outweighed(超過) by the loss of carbon from the soil below ground. Countries that plan to combat global warming by planting trees may have to think again. Solutions(解決辦法) to environmental problems are often more complex than they first appear, and understanding the Earth’s climate is a very great challenge.
小題1:People usually hold the opinion that    

A．huge dust storms can destroy carbon dioxide

B．huge dust storms can destroy the oceans on the earth

C．huge dust storms can’t do anything beneficial for man

D．planting trees is the only way to control huge dust storms

小題2:Andy Ridgwell, the environmental scientist, believes that      

A．dust plays a more important part than trees

B．trees shouldn’t have been planted in dry places

C．carbon dioxide is harmful to everything on the earth

D．environmental problems are more complex than expected

小題3:Robert Jackson’s experiment proves that       

A．grassland areas should be covered by forests

B．trees hold more carbon than grass

C．carbon can turn grass into dust

D．less carbon can make trees grow faster

小題4:The underlined word “combat” in the last paragraph means     

A．learn about

B．fight against

C．live with

D．give up

America is a country on the move. In unheard of numbers, people of all ages are exercising  their way to better health. According to the latest figures, 59 percent of American adults exercise regularly-up 12 percent from just two years ago and more than double the figure of 25 years ago. Even non-exercisers believe they would be more attractive and confident if they were more active.
It is hard not to get the message. The virtues of physical fitness are shown on magazine covers, postage stamps, and television ads of everything from beauty soaps to travel books. Exercise as a part of daily life did not catch on until the late 1960s when research by military doctors began to show the health benefits of doing regular physical exercises. Growing publicity (宣傳) for races held in American cities helped fuel a strong interest in the ancient sport of running. Although running has leveled off in recent years as Americans have discovered equally rewarding—and sometimes safer-forms of exercise, such as walking and swimming, running remains the most popular form of exercise.
As the popularity of exercise continues to mount, so does scientific evidence of its health benefits. The key to fitness is exercising the major muscle groups vigorously (強有力地) enough to approximately double the heart rate and keep it doubled for 20 to 30 minutes at a time. Doing such physical exercises three times or more a week will produce considerable improvements in physical health in about three months.
小題1:It can be learnt from the passage that the health benefits of exercise ___________.

A．a(chǎn)re to be further studied

B．a(chǎn)re yet to be proved

C．a(chǎn)re self evident

D．a(chǎn)re supported by scientific evidence

小題2:A growing interest in sports developed after ______________.

A．a(chǎn)n increasing number of races were held in American cities

B．research showed their health benefits

C．scientific evidence of health benefits was shown on TV ads

D．people got the message from magazine covers and postage stamps

小題3:Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Running—A Popular Form of Sport

B．Scientific Evidence of Health Benefits

C．Different Forms of Exercise

D．Exercise—The Road to Health

小題4:Which of the following is closest in meaning to the phrase “l(fā)eveled off” in the paragraph 2?

A．“reached its lowest level in popularity”

B．“stopped being popular”

C．“stopped increasing in popularity”

D．“become very popular”

No one knows yet the accurate number of lives which have been lost in this terrible fire .But reports suggest that it is more than one hundred .
A wall of flames fifty feet high and at least one hundred and fifty miles wide is now racing towards the forests and rich farmlands of southern Victoria . Towns less than one hundred miles from Melbourne will be in danger unless the wind changes . People are rushing excitedly into the streets . The police have warned them not to see the fire but many people are doing so .
The cause of the fire is unknown . No rain has fallen in this part of Australia for three months , and the hot , north-west wind from the great central desert is blowing at more than thirty miles an hour .
The firefighters are travelling to the fire by road , rail and air . But it is not easy to get there . Flames and fallen trees have cut off or blocked roads and railway lines . The thick smoke often prevents them from finding the air strips (飛機跑道).
It is said that the fire has brought the greater danger to the country since the Second World War .
小題1:By the time the article was written , the fire        .

A．had just broken out	B．had been put out
C．was spreading violently	D．was coming to an end

小題2:The writer wrote this article mainly to tell people        .

A．the fire was terrible and dangerous

B．it was impossible to put out the fire

C．more than one hundred people died of the fire

D．to join in the fight against the fire

小題3:In the 4th paragraph , the writer suggested that        .

A．the fire would soon be controlled by the firefighters

B．it would be very difficult to put out the fire

C．the government was paying great attention to the fire

D．the fire had caused great losses and the airport was in ganger

小題4:The underlined word “ accurate” in the first sentence has the same meaning as        .

A．recent

B．whole

C．rough

D．exact

Summer in Europe is very nice for us to visit one of our favourite cities for a break. Below we have put together a short list of our favourite summer break locations（地方） that offer a great balance of culture, sunshine and fun.
Berlin, the second most populous city in the European Union, gets the third place on our list. It has three famous airports: Tegel International Airport, Tempelhof International Airport, and Schonefeld International Airport.
The capital of Germany is on this list not only because it is a fantastic place to go on holiday but also since it teaches a very important lesson to humanity（人，人性）. The Berlin Wall, the better part of which still remains well kept for educational and amusement（娛樂） aims, reminds us of the extra costs paid by everyone. Today, the undamaged part of the Wall, known as the East Side Gallery, shows striking murals(壁畫)；if you are interested in this chapter(時期) of the city’s history, there is also a Berlin Wall Memorial you would want to visit. The Potsdamer Platz, divided into two by the Wall, is a newly developed area that is famous for a large shopping center and movie theatre complexes（混合體）, and adds a bit of modern colour to Berlin’s historical value.
Much like the other places that made the list, Berlin is also a city of art. The city has over one hundred and fifty museums in all, and a few of the ones providing an extraordinary experience include the Art Center Berlin Friedrichstrabe, the Museum of Indian Art, and the Museum of East Asian Art. Appreciating Berlin’s art is much like taking a university course in itself and it can only be truly appreciated in several trips.
小題1:Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in this passage?

A．Berlin is a city with a large population in Europe.

B．Berlin has many parks and bridges.

C．Berlin is a city with many museums.

D．Berlin is the capital city of Germany.

小題2:From the passage, visitors can enjoy         .

A．beautiful sights

B．striking murals

C．a(chǎn)rt museums

D．a(chǎn)ll the above

小題3:What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

A．The reasons for Berlin to be chosen on the list.

B．Berlin’s modern developments.

C．Berlin’s historical feature.

D．The significance(意義)of the Berlin Wall.

小題4:If Peter is interested in German history, he should visit         .

A．the Art Center Berlin Friedrichstrabe

B．the Museum of Indian Art

C．the Berlin Wall Memorial

D．movie theatre complexes

The English, as a race, are very different in many ways from all other nationalities, including their closest neighbors, the French, the Belgians and the Dutch. It is claimed that living on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it. Whatever the reasons are, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has developed many attitudes and habits which distinguish him from other nationalities.
Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who is fully relaxed only among people he knows well. In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems restrained, even embarrassed. You have only to witness a city train any morning or evening to see the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or having a light sleep in a corner, and no one speaks. In fact, to do so would seem most unusual. An Englishman, pretending to be giving advice to overseas visitors, once suggested, “On entering a railway carriage, shake hands with all the passengers.” Needless to say, he was not being serious. There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, if broken, makes the person immediately suspected.
In many parts of the world it is quite normal to show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc, often accompanied by appropriate gesture. The Englishman is somewhat different. Of course, an Englishman feels no less deeply than anyone of a different nationality, but he tends to display his feelings far less. This is reflected in his use of language. Imagine a man commenting on the great beauty of a young girl. A more emotional man might describe her state “Oh, she is a goddess”, whereas an Englishman might just say “Oh, she’s all right.” An Englishman who has seen a highly successful and enjoyable film recommends it to a friend by commenting, “It’s not bad you know”, or on seeing some very unusual scenery he might convey (表達) his pleasure by saying, “Nice, yes, very nice.” The overseas visitor must not be disappointed by this apparent lack of interest and involvement. Instead, he must realize that “all right,” “not bad,” and “nice,” very often have the sense of “first-class,” “excellent,” “beautiful”. This unique style of language use is particularly common in England, and is known as restrained statement.
小題1:According to the passage, the English are different from other nationalities in _______.

A．habits

B．a(chǎn)ttitudes

C．character

D．a(chǎn)ll of the above

小題2:The underlined word “restrained” in the second paragraph probably means “_______”. 

A．calm and controlled	B．polite and friendly
C．nervous and quiet	D．silent and kind

小題3:In Britain, if you don’t want other people to think you are strange, you’d better _______.

A．talk with others as much as possible

B．behave just like the English do

C．say nothing about yourself

D．shake hands with everyone you meet

小題4:If an Englishman says “all right”, it may mean “_______”.  

A．not bad

B．correct

C．quite right

D．wonderful

小題5:From the passage, we can infer that an Englishman _______.

A．doesn’t like to show his feelings so much

B．has less emotion than people of other nationalities

C．finds it easy to express his emotion

D．likes to have a joke with strangers

There is no doubt about it. The best way to learn new words is to do it unconsciously. I don’t mean while you’re unconscious. I mean while you are unconscious of the fact that it is sinking in.
That is how I learnt the 30,000 words in my vocabulary by living in an English-speaking world, mother tongue. I just pick them up. But some of them may be misunderstood. Now, to misunderstand does not mean not to understand. To misunderstand is to understand but incorrectly.
The 5% mislearnt of all the words we “know” will be the least frequently used words, as the more frequently used words are less likely to be mislearnt. Some of the misunderstanding may live with all our lives, without knowing that we got them wrong.
Many English teachers think that this natural method of learning words in one’s own mother tongue can be used for a second language learning. They teach their students how to play the Guessing Game. “There is no time to look up in your dictionaries all the new words you come across,” they will say. “You have to practice guessing what the word means from the context.”
This method of guessing in a second language learning does not work. It may succeed in many cases, but results in hundreds or thousands of wrongly-guessed meanings of words.
And what’s more, there are more separate meanings than there are words themselves. Our learners’ dictionaries usually have many meanings. A good dictionary is what makes self-learning possible.
Don’t guess! Look it up!
小題1: It is certain that the best way to learn new words is ______.

A．to learn them by oneself

B．to learn by living in an English-speaking world and using them frequently

C．to guess them from the context

D．to get more separate meanings of each word

小題2:The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refers to ______.

A．the 30, 000 words

B．English teachers

C．misunderstood words

D．frequently used words

小題3:Which of the following is most likely NOT true?

A．Some of the words the writer knows must have been misunderstood.

B．Most of the 30, 000 words the writer learned are frequently used ones.

C．How many words the writer got wrong are not known.

D．All the words the writer knows were learned by reading them.

小題4:It can be inferred that ______.

A．when somebody is conscious, he or she usually can’t learn new words by heart

B．we must use the words as often as possible in order to master them

C．it’s the best way to learn new words that one should only guess their meanings from the context

D．only dictionaries can help us learn language well.