On Saturday, millions of people around the world will celebrate Stunt Patrick’s Day, which honors Patron Saint (or main religious figure) of Ireland. Communities across the United States will host parades, parties, and other festivities to mark the occasion.
This year, cities like Boston, New York, and Chicago have organized massive events celebrating Saint Patrick's Day. In New York City, hundreds of thousands of people will gather to watch the Saint Patrick’s Day parade -- the nation's largest. It is one of the most watched parades in the world. Last year, almost 2 million spectators and more than 150,000 participants filled the streets. The parade, first held in 1776, is also one of the oldest.
Chicago also throws a big celebration. Every year, the Chicago River, which crosses the city, glows green 40 pounds of fluorescence, a powerful dye, into the water.
Boston keeps its parade rolling for three hours or more. It is the nation's second-largest parade. The city will also salute one of its most famous former residents, President John Kennedy, by opening the exhibit "A journey Home: John F. Kennedy and Ireland" at his official library.
Patron Saint lived in Britain in the early Fifteenth century, when it was still part of the Roman Empire. He was captured and sold into slavery, in Ireland when he was only 16. He eventually escaped slavery and turned to a life of religious devotion. He trained to become a minister and set out to spread Christianity throughout Ireland. After 30 years as a religious leader, Patrick died on March 17, 1461. Saint Patrick's Day is always celebrated on March 17. In Ireland, it is an official holiday.
71. What's the best title of the passage?
A. History of Saint Patrick's Day B. An Official Holiday in the US
C. The Largest Parade in the World D. Celebrations across the Country
72. What do you think is the official color of Saint Patrick's Day?
A. Green. B. Red. C. Black. D. Yellow.
73. The last paragraph is mainly about ________.
A. the cruel slave trade B. Saint Patrick's contribution
C. activities during Saint Patrick's Day D. Ireland's Patron Saint
74. Patron Saint became a religious leader ________.
A. at the age of 16 B. in 1430s
C. in the early fifteenth century D. in his birthplace
75. Which of the following is not correct according to the passage?
A. Parade is a most important event to observe Saint Patrick's Day.
B. Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday.
C. Saluting the former president has become a main event on the occasion.
D. The Saint Patrick's Day parade has a history, of over two centuries.
Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment.
Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses（球场）in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.
There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.
72. Which of the following is the author most probably in favor of?
A. Cycling around a lake B. Motor racing in the desert
C. Playing basketball in a gym D. Swimming in a sports center
73. What do we know about golf from the passage?
A. It is popular in Portugal and Spain
Ｂ. It causes water shortages around the world
C. It pollutes the earth with chemicals and wastes
D. It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green
74. The author uses power walking as an example mainly because______.
A. it is an outdoor sport B. it improves our health
C. it uses fewer resources D. it is recommended by experts
75. The author writes the passage to ______.
A. show us the function of major sports
B. encourage us to go in for green sports
C. discuss the major influence of popular sports
D. introduce different types of environment-friendly sports.
第三部分 阅读理解 (共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的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。
Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it? Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind. How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing.
By putting thoughts into words, you are telling yourself the logic behind what you think, feel, or only partly understand. Often, explaining a thought is the process of understanding. In other words, you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power”.
Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember. Many, if not most, highly productive people are always taking notes. You can try keeping it all in your head, but if you keep a journal of your ideas, the next time you’re working on a big project, you’ll probably have more success.
Want to understand a topic? Write a book about it. That’s an extreme example, but if you are learning something new, write a letter to a friend about it, and you will understand it better. Want to invent something? Write an explanation of the problem—why you want to solve it, and why it is worth solving, and you’re half-way there.
Writers don’t always write because they clearly understand something beforehand. Often, they write about something because they want to understand it. You can do the same. Writing will help bring you to an understanding. Give it a try.
56．According to the passage, writing can help you a lot EXCEPT______.
A．to increase your brain power. B．to improve the ability to remember.
C．to develop your interest in study. D．to strengthen the understanding 
of a topic.
57．The underlined sentence “you’re half-way there” in the fourth paragraph means that______.
A．you are already successful
B．there’s a long way for you to go to reach your goal.
C．you are left wondering what to do
D．you have been on the way to success
58．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．A Way on How to Write. B．A More Powerful Mind Through Writing.
C．Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing. D．How to Start Your Writing.
59．Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．Writing can cure people o
f their brain disease.
B．People who can keep all thoughts in mind are more likely to succeed.
C．Writing a book about one topic is the only way to understand it.
D．The more you write, the more logical you will be.
New rules and behavior standards(行为规范)for middle school students came out in March .Middle school is going to use a new way to decide who will be the top students. The best students won’t only have marks. They will also be kids who don’t dye(染)their hair, smoke or drink. The following are some of the new rules.
Tell the truth.Have you ever copied someone else’s work in an exam? Don’t do it again! That’s not something an honest student should do. If you have played computer games for two hours in your room, don’t tell your parents you have done your homework.
Do more at school. Good students love animals and care for other people. April is Bird-Loving Month in China. Is your school doing anything to celebrate?
You should join! That way, you can learn more about animals and how to protect them. When more people work together, it makes it more fun for everyone.Have you ever quarreled with your teammates when your basketball team lost? Only working together can make your team stronger. Be friendly to the people you are with. Try to think of others, not only yourself.
Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought that people could live on the moon? Maybe you’ll discover EarthII some day. Don’t look down on new ideas。 Everyone’s new ideas are important . You should welcome them, because new ideas make life better and easier for everyone.
Protect yourself. Have someone ever taken money from one of your classmates? Don’t let it happen to you . If you have to go home late. You should take care of yourself and let your parents know.
Use the Internet carefully: The Internet can be very useful for your studies. But some thinks on the Internet aren’t for kids, so try to look at Web pages that are good for you. You can use the Web for fun or homework.
( )57.When did the new rules come out ?
A. Last year. B. Last week. C. Last month.
( )58. Do you have to tell your parents if you have played computer games instead of doing your homework according to the new rule?
A. Yes, I do. B. There’s no need to do that. C No, I don’t.
( )59. What should you do if you can’t get home on time according to the new rule?
A. I wouldn’t say anything.
B. I should let my parents know.
C. I think I can take care of myself.
( )60. What is the use of the Internet for children?
A. It is used for children to play computer games all day.
B. It is used for children to study or sometimes for fun.
C. It is used for children to chat with friends.
( )61. What does the passage mainly tell us to do?
A. How to protect (保护)animals.
B. How to use the Internet.
C. How to be good students
四．阅读理解(30分，每小题2分)
An important question about eating outside is who pays for the meal. If a friend of yours asks you to have lunch with him, you may say something like this, “I’m afraid of it,I’ll have to be some place cheap, because I have very little money .”The other person may say, “ OK, I’ll meet you at McDonald’s.” This means that these two persons agree to “go Dutch”, that is, each person pays for himself. He may also say, “Oh, no. I want to take you to lunch at Smith’s,” or “I want you to try the Chinese dumplings there. They’re great.” This means the person wants to pay for both of you. If you feel friendly towards this person, you can go with him and you needn’t pay for the meal. You may just say, “Thank you.” That would be very nice.
American customs（风俗） about who pays for dates（约会） are much the same as in other parts of the world. In the old days, American women wanted men to pay for all the meals. But, today, a university girl or a woman in business world will usually pay her way during the day. If a man asks her for a dance outside the working hours, it means “Come, as my guest（客人）.” So as you can see, it is a polite thing to make the question clear at the very beginning
（）52.The passage tells us_______________ .
A. how to eat outside B. where to eat outside
C. what to eat outside D. who pays for the meal
（）53.If you have little money, ___________________.
A. you’ll have a cheap mealB. you’ll borrow some from others C. you’ll ask your friend to pay for your meal D. you won’t want your friends to ask you to dinner
( )54.“Go Dutch" in this passage means______________ .
A.去饭馆B.就餐C.订餐D.各自付款
( )55. Sometimes your friend takes you to lunch. It means_______________ .
A. He’s going to lend some money to you B. He’s going to pay for your meal,too
C. He’ll be angry with you D. He can’t understand you
( )56. In America, some girls and women now______________ .
A. Ask men to pay for their mealsB. Try to pay for the men’s meals
C. Try to pay for their own mealsD. Never have anything outside
The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you’ll get your words mixed up and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can’t understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor, you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don’t be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes .The most important thing for learning English is: Don’t be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes.
( )62. The writer thinks the best way to learn a language is ______.
A writing in it B. using it C. learning the grammar.
( )63. What should you do in learning English?
A. Be careful not to make any mistakes.
B. Write as quickly as you can.
C. Talking in it as much as possible.
( )64. When people laugh at your mistakes, you______.
A. shouldn’t care about it B. should be angry with them C. should be happy
( )65. When you make a mistake, you should___________.
A. keep quiet B. get angry C. keep a sense of humor
( )66. What dose the passage mainly tell us?
A. Few people make mistakes in learning English.
B. Only foolish people make mistakes.
.C. Everyone makes mistakes in learning English