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 month after Hurricace Katrina, I returned home in New Orleans. There lay my house,
reduced to waist-high rains, smelly and dirty.
Before the trip, I’d had my car fixed. When the office employee of the garage was writing up
the bill, she noticed my Louisiana license plate. “You from New Orleans?” she asked. I said I was,
“No charge.” She said, and firmly shock her head when I reached for my wallet. The next day I
went for a haircut, and the same thing happened.
As my wife was studying in Florida, we decided to move there and tried to find a rental house that we could afford while also paying off a mortgage（抵押贷款）on our ruined house. We looked at many places, but none was satisfactory. We’d began to accept that we’d have to live in extremely reduced circumstances for a while, when I got a very curious e-mail from a James Kemmedy in California. He’d read some pieces I’d written about our sufferings for state, the online magazine and wanted to give us (“no conditions attached”) a new house across the lake from New Orleans. It sounded a good to her return, but I replied, thinking him for his exceptional generosity, then we to go back. Then the University of Florida offered to let him house to me. While he want to England on his one year, paid leave. The rent was rather reasonable. I mentioned the poet’s offer to James Kemdedy, and the next day he sent a check covering our entire rent for eight months. Throughout this painful experience , the kindness of strangers back my faith in humanity .It’s almost worth losing you wordy possessions to be reminded that people really when given had a channel.
1．The garage employee’s attitude toward the author was that of
A．unconcern B．sympathy
C．doubt D．tolerance
2．What do we know about James Kemnedy?
A．He was a written of an online magazine.
B．He was a poet at the University of Florida
C．He offered the author a new house free of charge.
D．He learned about the author’s sufferings.
3．It can be inferred from the text that
A．the author’s family was in financial difficulty
B．rents were comparatively reasonable despite the disaster
C．houses were difficult to find in the hurricane0stricken area
D．the mortgage on the ruined house was paid off by the bank
4．The author learned from his experience that
A．worldly possessions can be given up when necessary
B．generosity should be encouraged in some cases
C．people benefit from their sad stories
D．human beings are kind after all.
Charles Blackman：Alice in Wonderland
An Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV),Australia
June —12 August 2007
Venue (地点) The Ian Potter Centre
Admission Free entry
Charles Blackman is famous for his beautiful painting of dreams. In 1956, he heard for the first time Lewis Carroll’s extraordinary tale of Alice in Wonderland –the story of a Victorian girl who falls down a rabbit hole, meets a lot of funny characters and experience all kinds of things .At that time, Blackman’s wife was suffering form progressive blindness. The story of Alice moving through the strange situations, often disheartened by various events ,was similar to his wife’s experiences. It also reflected so much of his own life. All this contributed to the completion of the Alice in Wonderland paintings.
Illustrator Workshop
Go straight to the experts for an introductory course in book illustration. The course includes an introduction to the process of illustration and its techniques, workshop exercise and group projects.
Dates Sunday 17 June &Sunday 5Aug.10am—1pm
Venue Gas Works Arts Park
Wonderful World
Celebrate the exhibition and Children’s Book Week with special activities just for the day, including a special visit from Alice and the White Rabbit
Date Sunday 24 June ,11am—4pm
Venue Exhibition Space .Level 3
Topsy-Turvy
Visit the exhibition or discover wonderful curiosities in artworks in the NGV Collection and make a magic world in a box. Alice and the White Rabbit will be with you. Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland will be screened.
Dates Sunday 8,15,22,29 July, and Tuesday 24-Friday 27 July, 12noon—3pm
Venue Theatre, NGV Australia
Drawing Workshop
Distortions of scale ( 比例失真) can make artworks strange but interesting .Find out how Charles Blackman distorted scale in his paintings to create a curious world .then experiment with scale in your own drawings. More information upon booking.
Date Friday 27 July,10:30am-3pm
Venue Foryer, Level 3
1. Charles Blackman’s paintings come from ________.
A. his admiration for Lewis Carrioll
B. his dream of becoming a famous artist
C. his wish to express his own feelings
D. his eagerness to cure his wife’s illness
2. Which two activities can you participate in on the same day?
A. Illustrator Workshop and Wonderful World
B. Illustrator Workshop and Drawing Workshop.
C. Wonerful World and Topsy –Turvy.
D.Topsy-Turvy and Drawing Workshop.
3. To understand the Alice in Wonderland paintings, you should go to ________.
A. Exhibition Space .Level 3 B. Gas Works Arts Park
C. Theatre ,NGV Australia D. Foyer, Level 3
4. Activities concerning children’s books are to be held
A. on June 24,2007 B. on July15,2007
C. on July 24,2007 D. on August 5,2007
阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
The city of Rome has passed a new to prevent cruelty to animals. All goldfish bowls are no longer allowed and dog owners must walk their dogs.
This comes after a national law was passed to give prison sentences to people who desert cats or dogs.
“The civilization of a city can be measured by this,” said Monica Carina, the councilor (议员) behind the new law.
“It’s good to do whatever we can for our animals who in exchange for a little love fill our existence with their attention,” she told a Rome newspaper.
The newspaper reported that round bowls don’t give enough oxygen for fish and may make them go blind.
“Rome has tried to protect fish more than anywhere else in the world .It stands out for recognizing that fish are interesting animals who deserve（值得）over respect and compassion every bit as much as dogs and cats and other animals,” said Karin Robertson, a director of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Last year a law was passed in Italy that gives people who desert pets big fines （罚款）and prison sentences. Since then local governments have added their own animal protection rules.
The northern city of Turin passed a law in April to give pet owners fines of up to ＄598 if they do not walk their dogs three times a day.
The new law in Rome also says that owners mustn’t leave their dogs in hot cars or cut their dogs’ tails to make them look lovelies. The law also gives legal recognition to the “cat ladies” who feed homeless cats. The cats live all over the city from ancient ruins to modern office car parks.
1．The new law passed in Rome will __________.
A．help improve fishing environment
B．guarantee better conditions for goldfish
C．stop people from catching goldfish
D．discourage keeping goldfish at home
2．People in Rome believe that the civilization of a city can be judged by its __________.
A．exchanges with other cities
B．protection for ancient ruins
C．awareness of animal protection
D．recognition of animal lovers
3．The underlined word “compassion” in Paragraph 6 is the closest in meaning to _______.
A．pity
B．praise
C．support
D．popularity
4．People may break the law in Turin if they _________.
A．keep their dogs or cats in cars
B．feed homeless animals in car parks
C．raise their cats near ancient ruins
D．shut their dogs home all day long
The year was 1932．Amelia Earhart was flying alone from North America to England in a small single—engined aeroplane．At midnight, several hours after she had left Newfoundland, she ran into bad weather．To make things worse, her altimeter (高度表) failed and she didn't know how high she was flying．At night, and in a storm, a pilot is in great difficulty without an altimeter．At times, her plane nearly plunged (冲) into the sea.
Just before dawn, there was further trouble．Amelia noticed flames (火焰) coming from the engine．Would she be able to reach land? There was nothing to do except to keep going and to hope.
In the end, Amelia Earhart did reach Ireland, and for the courage she had shown, she was warmly welcomed in England and Europe．When she returned to the United States, she was honored by President Hoover at a special dinner in the White House．From that time on, Amelia Earhart was famous.
What was so important about her flight? Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly the Atlantic Ocean alone, and she had set a record of fourteen hours and fifty—six minutes.
In the years that followed, Amelia Earhart made several flights across the United States, and on each occasion (时刻) she set a new record for flying time．Amelia Earhart made these flights to show that women had a place in aviation (航空) and that air travel was useful.
Which of the following statements is NOT the difficulty which Amelia Earhart met in her flight from north America to England?
| A．She was caught in a storm． | B．The altimeter went out of order. |
| C．Her engine went wrong． | D．She lost her direction. |
When Amelia Earhart saw flames coming from the engine, what did she do?
| A．She did nothing but pray for herself. |
| B．She changed her direction and landed in Ireland. |
| C．She continued flying. |
| D．She lost hope of reaching land. |
According to the passage, what was Amelia Earhart’s reason for making her flights?
| A．To set a new record for flying time. |
| B．To be the first woman to fly around the world. |
| C．To show that aviation was not just for men. |
| D．To become famous in the world. |
Which of the following statements was NOT mentioned?
A．She was the first woman who succeeded in flying across the Atlantic Ocean alone.
B．She showed great courage in overcoming the difficulties during the flight.
C She was warmly welcomed in England, Europe and the United States.
D．She made plans to fly around the world.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Amelia Earhart—First Across the Atlantic. |
| B．Amelia Earhart—Pioneer in Women’s Aviation. |
| C．A New Record for Flying Time. |
| D．A Dangerous Flight from North America to England. |
Matt grow the best vegetables in the village．He grows fruit too--big , sweet apples and oranges．And what else ? Well , the biggest and the prettiest flowers．Things grow in Matt' s garden all through the year．He cuts some flowers for his sitting room table ; and of course , he eats some fruit and vegetables．But he sells everything else in the market．Matt is not a poor man．
He knows a few other gardens ; but he does not have any friends．You might ask , " What is that ? Why doesn ' t he have friends ? "
I will tell you．People do not understand him．And they do not understand his garden, " Why not ? " you will ask．" It' s a very good garden , isn' t it ? "
It is a wonderful garden．Matt plants things in spring , summer and autumn and winter ．After that he does very little work．He sits in the garden with his small radio ．And everything grows ．
People ask , " How does Matt grow these wonderful things ? He waters the plants sometimes , but he doesn' t do anything else ．He just sits under an orange tree with his radio ．He listens to music nearly all day ! " And that is all quite true , people cannot understand it , and so they don' t like it very much ．
Matt likes music ．But what about the garden ? Who does the work ? I will tell you another true thing : the music does the work ．All plants love music ; and Matt knows that .
Do you want big vegetables and the loveliest flowers ? Well , just give your plants a lot of music , There are not only vegetables and flowers , but also ______ in Matt' s garden ．
| A．plants | B．fruit trees | C．ants | D．crops |
Matt makes a living by _______.
| A．selling his vegetables , fruit and flowers |
| B．growing trees in his garden |
| C．working in the market |
| D．helping other people growing plants |
Everything in Matt' s garden grows well because _____
| A．he has a good garden |
| B．he is good at growing things and likes listening to the radio |
| C．music helps his plants a lot |
| D．he is very hardworking |
People think that ______ .
| A．Matt' s garden is better than theirs |
| B．Matt works harder than they |
| C．Matt knows how to grow vegetables well |
| D．the radio helps Matt to grow veveything well in his garden |
People don' t like Matt because ____.
| A．he doesn' t give thim any vegetables or fruit |
| B．he listens to the radio too much |
| C．they are jealous（嫉妒的） of him |
| D．Matt doesn' t let them listen to his radio |