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? W
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.
“A very disruptive（扰乱型的）six-year old child kicked my legs and clawed at my hand.” said one teacher. “I broke up a fight but was kicked，” said another. Many people have heard stories like this. But the situation is more worrying still and it involves(涉及) parents.
Every child, regardless of(不管) the surroundings into which they are born，has the right to achieve their potential. And we recognize that, as a nation，it is a long way to achieve this goal. But rights come with responsibilities and what worries people is that we are in danger of ignoring the latter.
Far too many children are behaving badly at school，even to the point of being violent to teachers. This is terrible enough，but it is hard to be surprised since many children are just mirroring the behavior of their parents. Too many are starting school unable to hold a knife and fork, unused to eating at a table，and unable to use the toilet properly.
We are in danger of becoming a nation of families living separate lives under one roof. The bedroom, once a place to sleep，has become the living space for the young. Spending hours in front of computer screens, on social networking sites or being addicted to computer games, children and young people spend little time with their parents. Parents are unable to monitor just what their children are watching.
Schools cannot right the wrongs of society and teachers cannot become substitute (代替)parents. Both parties need to work together. Parents must be helped and given confidence to take back control. They are responsible for setting limits to their children’s behavior and sticking to those limits when things get tough(困难). They are responsible for setting a good example to their children and for devoting that most precious of resources---time---so that children come to school ready and willing to learn. In the opinion of the writer, what problem do people ignore?
| A．The school violence. |
| B．The pressure of students’ learning. |
| C．The right to achieve students’ potential. |
| D．the responsibilities of the students. |
The writer’s attitude to the behaviors of parents may be ________.
| A．dissatisfied | B．unconcerned | C．understanding | D．tolerant(容忍的) |
The underlined part in Para 4 may means__________.
| A．parents and children live in their separate rooms |
| B．parents care little about children’s life at home |
| C．children don’t live with their parents in the same room |
| D．children spent little time with their parents at home |
From the last paragraph, we can infer that______.
| A．schools can’t correct the wrongs that society does to teachers |
| B．teachers have no responsibility for playing the role of parents |
| C．parents should spend time with children making them ready to learn |
| D．students are responsible for making themselves known in society |
Death Valley is the lowest, hottest, driest area in North America. This California National Park has less than 5 cm of rainfall a year and temperature up to 53℃ in summer. That’s enough to keep Americans away during the hottest months from June to August. But it is the high temperature and terrible heat that draw their most crazy fans, the foreign tourists. From all over the world, they come to the valley floor in cars, carrying maps and water bottles, and fanning themselves with newspapers to keep cool.
About 1.3 million visitors enter the park each year, from June through August. 90% of them are foreigners. They go there to experience the summer heat that gives Death Valley its name. The average high in July is 53.2 ℃ and the low 30 ℃. For August, the average high is 52.2 ℃ and the low 29.4 ℃.
So what do Americans think of the foreign visitors who arrive for the heat, just when locals from the United States try to avoid it? Park manager Brenda Henson says, “ The foreigners want to experience the heat in Death Valley. We think it’s crazy.”
In fact, Death Valley is a series of salt flats (盐滩) 225 km long and 6 km to 26 km wide. Birds and animals are largely absent, and only the hardiest plants have some chance of existence in this extreme place.
One tourist from Paris concluded, “ We come to it because we can tell all our friends and family that we’ve been to the hottest place in the world.”The real attraction of Death Valley for foreigners is that _____.
| A．summer heat keeps Americans away |
| B．experiencing the heat in it is cool |
| C．it is a series of salt flats |
| D．it is a famous place in the world. |
What does the underlined word “ hardiest” in Paragraph 4 mean?
| A．Most difficult. | B．Most energetic. | C．Strongest. | D．Best. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The hottest time in Death Valley is from June to August. |
| B．Not all the visitors to Death Valley are foreigners. |
| C．The lowest temperature in Death Valley is 29.4 ℃. |
| D．Death Valley is made up of salt flats. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Crazy Fans of Death Valley. |
| B．Importance of Death Valley. |
| C．Beauty of California National Park. |
| D．The Best Tourist Attraction in North America. |
I had been rather proud of myself when my friends and family got the ticket，whether it was for speeding，parking or stop sign violations (违反)．It was something that happened to others. But last Friday I joined the club.
I was asked to do a new project last week. On Friday morning on my way to work，I suddenly remembered that I had spent the past six weeks without considering that I had a week’s vacation planned during that time. I was very disappointed with myself for not remembering it. The fact is that I was not paying enough attention to my driving and I did not come to a complete stop at the stop sign in front of a school. I was so distracted (思想不集中的)that I didn’t even notice I had a policeman on my tail with his lights flashing. Finally I looked in my mirror and caught on.
The policeman was rude and took my papers. Fortunately，I had everything up to date and since I had never had a ticket before，there was nothing for him to do but write me a ticket. While I was sitting there in the seat of “shame”，I felt bad. If I had been that distracted and a child had run onto the road，perhaps I would have not reacted as well as I could have. It was a wake-up call.
People at work asked me if I tried to talk my way out of it. Frankly，it never occurred to me. I felt guilty. Now I no longer have a clean driving record. Please be careful out there，as a moment’s distraction can lead to tragedy.What is this passage mainly about?
| A．The writer’s most unforgettable experience. |
| B．How the writer got her first ticket. |
| C．An accident caused by the writer. |
| D．Why the writer is always so careful. |
We can infer that the underlined part “the club” in Paragraph 1 here refers to ________.
| A．people who are crazy about driving cars |
| B．a club for drivers without much experience |
| C．people who get tickets for breaking traffic rules |
| D．a club for people to talk about their driving stories |
What made the writer unable to focus on her driving?
| A．Planning how to spend the vacation. |
| B．Thinking of the forgotten vacation. |
| C．Thinking about her work. |
| D．Missing her children. |
From the experience，the writer has probably learnt ________.
| A．what is really important to her |
| B．how to deal with policemen |
| C．to enjoy the small things in life |
| D．to be much more careful |
Today most Chinese teenagers are happy to be favored by two parents and four grandparents in their families. But have you ever thought about how to take care of four to twelve old people when you grow up and get married? This could be a problem for most Chinese youths as China is entering a new stage of an aging society.
An aging society refers to one where 10 percent or more of its population is over 60. By the end of 2007, Chinese over 60 years old have made up 11.7 percent of the nation’s total population. “China is getting old before becoming rich,”said Cai Chuang, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The population increase that has powered Chinese growth for three decades will give way over the next ten years to a rapid aging of the society. This will lead to weaker economic growth, because of a lack of labor resources.
As a result of the family planning policy, it is expected that the country’s total working population will decrease after 2015.
China is not the only country getting old. More that 60 countries have become aging societies and one in three people in the European Union is a senior citizen.
However, experts said that China doesn't have a highly developed social security network to support the old. Social security is an insurance program protecting those in need, including the old, the disabled and others.An aging society is a society that _________.
| A．less that 10% of its population is over 60 |
| B．10% or more of its population is over 60 |
| C．there are four old people in a family |
| D．most of its population is over 60 |
If China enters an aging society, __________.
| A．there will not be enough labor resources |
| B．the family planning policy will be ended |
| C．everyone needs to take care of four to twelve old people |
| D．China will have a highly developed social security network |
What does Cai Chuang mean by saying“China is getting old before becoming rich.”?
| A．China will be an aging society, then be a developed country. |
| B．China will be a rich country before being an aging society. |
| C．An aging society will affect Chinese economy development. |
| D．China will stop developing because of its aging problem. |
The passage mainly talks about .
| A．an aging society | B．Chinese social problem |
| C．family panning policy | D．aging problem in China |
His first successful fight was for the equal rights of black people in South Africa. Then, as the first black president, he fought to unite the country and organize the government. Now Nelson Mandela has set his sights on a new enemy, AIDS.
On March 19 the 82-year-old, former president, hosted his second AIDS-awareness concert. He warned that 25 million people in Africa were already infected with the fatal disease.
Mandela was born in a small village in South Africa in 1918. He was adopted by the chief of his tribe and could have been a chief himself and lived a happy country life.
But he refused to be a chief when his people lived under racial discrimination(歧视). He decided to fight for equal rights for all the people in South Africa. Before 1990, under the country’s Racial Segregation Law, colored and white people lived separately. Black people were treated unfairly even when taking a bus. Blacks had to stand at the back of the bus to make room for white people even when there were only a few of them on board.
For his opposition to the system, Mandela was arrested and spent 27 years in prison. He was freed in 1990 and became the president of the country after the first election were held in which everyone could vote.
Mandela was not only a political fighter who attacked with speeches. He was also a trained boxer and fought in the ring when he was young.
“Although I did not enjoy the violence of boxing, I was interested in how one moved one’s body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat”, he wrote in his autobiography.
As a skillful fighter, he chose music as his weapon against AIDS. He hopes to win another victory against AIDS.When was Mandela arrested?
| A．In 1963 | B．In 1990 |
| C．When he refused to be a chief | D．When he became the president |
Nelson Mandela succeeded in doing the following except _______.
| A．winning the equal rights for the black people in South Africa |
| B．Uniting South Africa |
| C．organizing a government in South Africa |
| D．controlling the spread of AIDS |
If Nelson Mandela hadn’t fought against racial discrimination, he_______.
| A．could have been the president of South Africa |
| B．could still have lived a happy life |
| C．could have been in a difficult situation |
| D．would have been an excellent boxer |
Which of the following statements can best describe the life of Nelson Mandela?
| A．struggle is his life |
| B．sports make his fame |
| C．fight for equal rights |
| D．a great fighter against government. |