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When early colonial settlers went to America, they took many forms of dance to their new home. Square dancing, one of the oldest forms of American folk dancing, developed from several different Old World group dances, mainly English country dances, and the French quadrille(四对方舞).
In the American version of square dancing, four couples form a square and dance to music. An American addition to square dancing is the caller. What do you think a caller does?
The callers---someone who calls out the dance steps in time to the music--- was a completely American invention. At first dancers memorized all the steps for a particular dance, but eventually the dances became so complicated that it was necessary to have someone call out cues (提示) so that dancers didn’t have to remember so many steps. The caller didn’t just call out “do-se-do your partner”; a good caller also came up with colourful sayings or witty lines that he said in between the cues such as “Don’t be shy and don’t be afraid. Swing on the corner in a waltz promenade (步伐).” A caller might also come up with new dance steps and routines.
Although popular for years, square dancing seemed to be going out of style and fading away until the early 1930s, when Henry Ford helped revive interest in it. Ford, the automobile manufacturer, used to vacation at the Wayside Inn in Massachusetts, where he enjoyed the dance programme run by a man named Benjamin Lovett. Ford asked Lovett to come to Detroit and teach dances, but Lovett said he couldn’t because he had a contract with the inn. Ford solved that problem by buying the inn and Lovett’s contract. He took Lovett back to Detroit, where together they established a programme for teaching squares and rounds. Square dancing was updated and groups began forming all over the country.
53. What is the best title for the passage?
A. The Different Steps of Square Dancing
B. The Origin and Development of Square Dancing
C. Who Was the Inventor of Square Dancing?
D. Why Did Square Dancing Go Out of Style?
54. What does the underlined part “their new home” refer to?
A. The United Kingdom.            B. France.
C. Africa.                          D. America.
55. Why did the caller call out the steps for the dancers?
A. Because the dance was invented by the caller.
B. Because the dancers didn’t know the names of the steps.
C. Because the steps were very particular.
D. Because it was hard for the dancers to remember all the steps.
56. Why did the author mention Henry Ford in the last paragraph?
A. Because he was the man who made the first car.
B. Because he was vey fond of dancing.
C. Because he helped make square dancing popular again.
D. Because he taught people how to dance.

科目 英语   题型 阅读理解   难度 容易
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第三部分阅读(共两节,满分30分)
第一节阅读理解(共15小题,每题1.5分,满分22.5分)
阅读下面短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When John Milton, writer of “Paradise Lost”, entered Cambridge University, in 1625, he was already skilled in Latin after seven years of studying it as his second language at St. Paul’s School, London. Like all English boys who prepared for college in grammar schools, he had learned not only to read Latin but also to speak and write it smoothly and correctly. His pronunciation of Latin was English, however, and seemed to have sounded strange to his friends when he later visited Italy.
Schoolboys gained their skill in Latin in a bitter way. They kept in mind the rules to make learning by heart easier. They first made a word-for-word translation and then an idiomatic translation into English .As they increased their skill, they translated their English back into Latin without referring to the book and then compared their translation with the original. The schoolmaster was always at hand to encourage them. All schoolmasters believed Latin should be beaten in.
After several years of study, the boys began to write compositions in imitation of the Latin writers they read. And as they began to read Latin poems ,they began to write poems in Latin .Because Milton was already a poet at ten ,his poems were much better than those painfully put together by the other boys. During the seven years Milton spent at university, he made regular use of his command of Latin. He wrote some excellent Latin poems, which he published among his works in 1645.
41.What does the passage mainly tell about?
A.How John Milton wrote “Paradise Lost”. B.How John Milton studied Latin.
C.How John Milton became famous. D.How John Milton became a poet.
42.Which of the following is true of John Milton’s pronunciation of Latin?
A. It has a strong Italian accent. B. It has an uncommon accent.  
C. It was natural and easy to understand. D. It was bad and difficult to understand.
43.It can be inferred from the passage that .
A.Milton’s training in Latin was similar to that of the other boys
B.Milton hadn’t learned any foreign language except Latin before going to college
C.Milton’s Italian friends helped him with Latin when talking
D.Milton’s classmates learned Latin harder but worse than Milton.
44.Which of the following is suggested in the passage?
A.The schoolmaster mainly helped those who were bad at Latin.
B.The schoolmaster usually stood beside the schoolboys with a stick in his hand.
C.The schoolboys could repeat Latin grammar rules from memory.
D.Some of the schoolboys were quick at writing compositions in Latin.
45.What is the meaning of the underlined part “Latin should be beaten in” (Para.2)?
A.Schoolboys should be punished if they were lazy to learn Latin.
B.Schoolboys should be encouraged if they had difficulty in learning Latin.
C.Schoolboys were expected to master Latin in a short time.
D.Schoolboys had to study Latin in a hard way.

If you ask people to name the one person who had the greatest effect on the English language, you will get answers like “Shakespeare,” “Samuel Johnson,” and “Webster,” but none of these men had any effect at all compared to a man who didn’t even speak English – William the Conqueror.
Before 1066, in the land we now call Great Britain lived peoples belonging to two major language groups. In the west-central region lived the Welsh, who spoke a Celtic language, and in the north lived the Scots, whose language, though not the same as Welsh, was also Celtic. In the rest of the country lived the Saxons, actually a mixture of Anglos, Saxons, and other Germanic and Nordic peoples, who spoke what we now call Anglo-Saxon (or Old English), a Germanic language. If this state of affairs had lasted, English today would be close to German.
But this state of affairs did not last. In 1066 the Normans led by William defeated the Saxons and began their rule over England. For about a century, French became the official language of England while Old English became the language of peasants. As a result, English words of politics and the law come from French rather than German. In some cases, modern English even shows a distinction between upper-class French and lower-class Anglo-Saxon in its words. We even have different words for some foods, meat in particular, depending on whether it is still out in the fields or at home ready to be cooked, which shows the fact that the Saxon peasants were doing the farming, while the upper-class Normans were doing most of the eating.
When Americans visit Europe for the first time, they usually find Germany more “foreign” than France because the German they see on signs and advertisements seems much more different from English than French does. Few realize that the English language is actually Germanic in its beginning and that the French influences are all the result of one man’s ambition.
36. The two major languages spoken in what is now called Great Britain before 1066 were _________.
A. Welsh and Scottish B. Nordic and Germanic
C. Celtic and Old English D. Anglo-Saxon and Germanic
37. Which of the following groups of words are, by inference, rooted in French?
A. president, lawyer, beef B. president, bread, water
C. bread, field, sheepD. folk, field, cow
38. Why does France appear less foreign than Germany to Americans on their first visit to Europe?
A. Most advertisements in France appear in English.
B. They know little of the history of the English language.
C. Many French words are similar to English ones.
D. They know French better than German.
39. What is the subject discussed in the text?
A. The history of Great Britain.
B. The similarity between English and French.
C. The rule of England by William the Conqueror.
D. The French influences on the English language.
40. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. The Old English was originated from Germanic language.
B. William the Conqueror invaded England and conquered the whole country in 1066.
C. William the conqueror’s great ambition was to introduce French words into the English language.
D. According to the text, Shakespeare’ contribution to the development of the English language is less than that William the conqueror made.

The United Nations says forty million people or so around the world went hungry in 2008,mainly because of higher food prices. Early estimates from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that 963 million people did not get enough to eat.
World food prices have dropped since early 2008.Prices of major crops have decreased by more than half from their height earlier last year. But they remain high compared to earlier years.
But FAO official Hafez Ghana says lower prices have failed to end the food crisis(危机)in many poor countries."For millions in developing countries," he says, "getting enough food every day to live an active and healthy life is a distant dream.”
The FAO says food shortage is a threat to people's health.Today, two-thirds of the world's undernourished people live in just a few countries. These are India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Ethiopia and so on.
A report on food insecurity warns that the current economic crisis could send even more people into hunger and poverty.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of the people who continually go hungry fell from 34% in 1997 to 30% in 2008.But the FAO says Ghana is the only country that has reached two sets of hunger reduction targets.These were set by the 1996 World Food Summit and the Millennium Development Goals.The main reason is the growth in agricultural production in Ghana.
The FAO says some countries in Southeast Asia like Thailand and Vietnam have made progress in hunger reduction goals.But South Asia and Central Asia haven't, and North Korea is still in hot water.
31. What FAO official Hafez Ghana says implies _.
A. it's easy but takes long to provide people with enough food
B. enough food can make people more active and healthier
C. there is difficulty solving the food shortage in a short time
D. people in developing countries will never get enough food
32. Ghana has reached the targets of hunger reduction mainly because of _.
A. the still high food prices
B. the donation of developed countries
C. the two targets of hunger reduction
D. the growth in agricultural production
33. The underlined word "undernourished" in Para. 4 probably means _.
A. hungry and unhappyB. unhealthy for lack of food
C. not fat because of poverty D. undeveloped and poor
34. Which country has not made progress in hunger reduction?
A. North KoreaB. ThailandC. Vietnam D. Ghana
35. What is the best title of this passage?
A. The food production of the world
B. The hunger reduction target of the FAO
C. The food shortage around the world
D. The solution to the global food shortage

第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每小题2分,满分40分)
第一节:(共15小题,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy: there’s no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only have to share your children’s curiosity. Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a classroom of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me “textbook questions” about schooling, salary and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence. Finally I said, “Now that we’re finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”
After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, “Have you ever seen a grasshopper(蚱蜢) eat? When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?”
This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.
Secondly, give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. When adults increase their “wait time” to three seconds or more, children give more logical(符合逻辑的), complete and creative answers.
Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don’t jump in with “That’s right” or “Very good”. These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior. But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by saying “That’s interesting” or “I’d never thought of it that way before”, or coming up with more questions or ideas.
Never push a child to “Think”. It doesn’t make sense, children are always thinking, without your telling them to. What’s more, this can turn a conversation into a performance. The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a smaller target(目标) for your disagreement.
Lastly, show, don’t tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass(放大镜), and they’ll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water evaporates(蒸发), set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.
26. According to the passage, children are natural scientists, and to raise their interest, the most important thing for adults to do is _______.
A. to let them see the world around
B. to share the children’s curiosity
C. to explain difficult phrases about science
D. to supply the children with lab equipment
27. In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the word “lists” could best be replaced by ______.
A. any questions B. any problems
C. questions from textbooks D. any number of questions
28. According to the passage, children can answer questions in a more logical, complete and creative way if adults ________.
A. ask them to answer quickly
B. wait for one or two seconds after a question
C. tell them to answer the next day
D. wait at least for three seconds after a question
29. In which of the following paragraph(s) does the author tell us what to say to encourage children in a science discussion?
A. The second and third.B. The fourth and fifth.
C. The fifth and sixth. D. The seventh.
30. The author mentions all of the following techniques for adults to share with their children’s curiosity EXCEPT that adults should ________.
A. tell their children stories instead of reciting facts
B. offer their children chances to see things for themselves
C. be patient enough when their children answer questions
D. encourage their children to ask questions of their own


Earth is the third planet from the sun.It is one of the four inner planets.The other three inner planets are Mercury,Venus,and Mars.The inner planets are also called the rocky planets,because they are made of rocks.
Earth is often called the “Water Planet”,because it is the only planet in our solar system which has liquid water on its surface.About 70% of the surface of Earth is covered by water! The other part of Earth is made up of continents and islands which have different landforms on them.Examples of landforms are mountains and plains.Plants and animals can live on Earth,because it has so much water.
Earth spins very quickly compared to other planets.It only takes Earth 24 hours to spin around its axis one time.One Earth day is 24 hours long!Earth orbits the sun in 365 days! This makes one Earth year 365 days long!
Earth is the only planet in our solar system where humans,other animals,and plants can live.There is plenty of water to drink or to live in.Water is present on Earth in its big oceans and in the air! Clouds are made of water vapor.The atmosphere has a lot of oxygen in it for animals to breathe,but the rest of our “air” is made up of water vapor,nitrogen,carbon dioxide,and other gases.The air is perfect for plants to grow.Earth temperature is not the same in all places,but the temperature is just right for plants,animals,and humans in most places on Earth.
Like the other inner planets,Earth has volcanoes.Volcanoes on Earth are different from those on other planets,because they still erupt.Scientists think that there may be active volcanoes on other planets and moons in our solar system,but they are still studying this.
Earth has one planet which we call the Moon.The surface of the Moon has many craters on it These were caused when meteorites hit it.It has many volcanoes on it which do not erupt anymore.We can see the moon at night without using a telescope.It is the closest space object to our planet,Earth.
73.Earth is called the Water Planet,______.
A.because animals need water
B.the water makes it look blue from space
C.it has liquid water on its surface
D.Earth is the third planet from the sun
74It takes Earth ______to orbit the sun in one year.
A.24 hours B.24 days C.365 days D.360 days
75Life exists on Earth,______.
A.because the water,air,and temperature are just right
B.there is water vapor in clouds
C.Earth is the planet closest to the sun
D.earth has volcanoes

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