Watercolor is the oldest paints known. It dates back to the early cave men who discovered they could add lifelike qualities to drawings of animals and other figures on the walls of caves by mixing the natural colors found in the earth with water.
Fresco(壁画), one of the greatest of all art forms, is done with watercolor. It is created by mixing paints and water and applying these to wet plaster(灰泥). Of the thousands of people who stand under Michelangelo's heroic ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, very few know that they are looking at perhaps the greatest watercolor painting in the world.
The invention of oil painting by the Flemish masters in the fifteenth century made fresco painting go down-hill, and for the next several centuries watercolor was used mainly for doing sketches(素描) or as a tool for study. It was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that English painters put back watercolor as a serious art form. The English have a widely-known love for the outdoors and also small, private pictures. The softness of watercolor had a remarkably strong attraction for them.
The popularity of watercolor continued to grow until in the twentieth century. The United States passed England as the center for watercolor, producing such well-known watercolor artists as Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The gradual weakness of fresco painting. |
| B．Oils having more power or influence over watercolor. |
| C．The rediscovery of watercolor in England. |
| D．The start and development of watercolor. |
The first watercolor artists were ______.
| A．early cave men | B．Italian fresco artists |
| C．Flemish masters | D．English artists of the 18th century |
In 16th and 17th centuries the artists thought ______.
| A．watercolor was more costly, but was better |
| B．oil painting lasted less long, but clearer and brighter |
| C．watercolor was not suitable for finished works |
| D．oil painting was difficult to use |
According to the passage, watercolor painting was put back in England because ______.
A.it was easy to use outdoors B.it was a strong medium
B.it was extremely bright in color D.it was well suited to popular tastesWhat would the next paragraph most probably deal with?
| A．The works of famous American watercolor artists. |
| B．The weakness of oils as popular paints. |
| C．Techniques of producing watercolor. |
| D．Modern American oil painters. |
阅读下面短文，根据短文内容用完整的句子回答问题。（答案写在答题卷相应番号后的横线上）
Walking is a popular form of exercise. It is an easy activity and offers a good way to improve physical fitness.
Regular, brisk walks help a person’s body work better. Walking builds a stronger heart and lungs. Walking also seems to help protect the heart from heart disease. The lungs work better because they take in and use oxygen more effectively. Walking can help in weight control, too. A quick fifteen- minute walk burns as many calories as jogging the same distance in half the time. Walking causes very few injuries. So there is also a lower “dropout” rate among walkers than among runners. People are more likely to continue a walking program.
Walking offers some mental benefits, too. It seems to make people feel better. Many walkers say they sleep better at night when they take regular walks. Others say they have a better attitude about life.
Walking offers many of the same physical and mental benefits as other forms of exercise, but walking offers some special advantages, too.
Almost everyone can walk. There are no special lessons or coaching. To become a serious walker, a person only needs to walk faster, farther, and more often.
People can walk almost anywhere. There are no special playing fields or courts for walking. Sidewalks, streets, parks, fields, and malls are excellent places for walking.
People can walk almost anytime. A person doesn’t need a team or a partner for walking. There is no “season” for walking. Most walkers walk in all kinds of weather.
Walking doesn’t cost anything. There are no special fees for walking. Good walking shoes and comfortable clothes are the only equipment that a walker needs.
Walking offers a form of exercise within the reach of nearly everyone. With a little time and effort, people can rediscover a valuable form of exercise and improve their fitness.What may be the best tile of the passage? Please think of one within 10 words.
____________________________________________________________________________Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by this one: “Compared to running, more people can continue walking as a form of exercise.”?
____________________________________________________________________________ Which word in the passage means the same as the underlined word “benefits”? (Please answer in a complete sentence.)
____________________________________________________________________________ Among the special advantages of walking, which one do you think is the most important? (Please answer in a complete sentence.)
____________________________________________________________________________Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
____________________________________________________________________________
阅读下面短文，从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项，并在机读卡上相应番号处将该项涂黑。
People who show confidence really seem to have it made. They seize more rewarding careers, keep good relationships, and just seem to do everything with more styles than the rest of us.
So what is the secret? There isn’t one. Self-confidence is a skill and habit that anyone can learn to develop. And although people who are raised in an encouraging environment with confident role models have a hard start in self-confidence development, we all can learn to become more confident at 
any age.
Try these simple tips for practicing and increasing your self-confidence levels:
Dare to fail. Anybody who’s out there bravely performing is going to fail repeatedly. If you are not failing, you are not trying. So don’t take failure too hard or too personally. Just learn to deal wit
h it and use its lessons to keep improving.
When in doubt, pretend you know what you are doing. Because, if you are confident of your abilities, by the time you have done it, you will be experienced.
Dress for success. You don’t have to be beautiful to be confident. Make the most of your own unique physical characters and weaken your disadvantages.
Listen to yourself. You are the only person who knows what’s right 
for you. Don’t put others’ opinions above your own inner voice.
Build a confident vocabulary. Stop putting yourself down and give up continually blaming your tiny weaknesses. Learn to show up your strong points and the world will learn to see and celebrate them with you.
Pass on the praise. Praise others for their virtues and strengths. This practice will not decrease your confidence, but help increase it. The passage is written mainly __________.
| A．to explain the definition of self-confidence |
| B．to explain the secret of self-confidence |
| C．to tell people how important self-confidence is |
| D．to tell people how to build self-confidence |
The underlined word “one” in the second paragraph refers to __________.
| A．the secret of self-confidence |
| B．the skill of self-confidence |
| C．the style of doing things |
| D．a rewarding career |
The main idea of the sixth paragraph is __________.
| A．to be confident means to have no disadvantages |
| B．taking full advantage of your physical characters will help you be confident |
| C．your unique characters will help you be confident and be successful |
| D．to be confident means to be beautiful |
All the following are tips to increase your self-confidence level EXCEPT_________.
| A．not to be afraid of failure |
| B．dress yourself properly |
| C．pretend to know everything |
| D．make your advantages more obvious |
__________ will weaken your self-confidence.
| A．Praising others for their strong points |
| B．Always following others’ advice to do things |
| C．Giving up blaming your weaknesses |
| D．Believing in yourself |
阅读下面短文，从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项，并在机读卡上相应番号处将该项涂黑。
June 5 is World Environment Day. This makes us pay more attention to our environment and the need to protect it.
When Wang Boxuan, a Beijing high schoolboy, uses up his exercise books, he does not throw them away. Each one is stored at his school with hundreds of exercise books given by other students. Then they are sold to a Beijing paper making factory.
The paper is recycled and used again by students and teachers in the school. At the same time, the money made from the sales goes towards schools in Inner Mongolia for planting trees and grass. This place is one of the sources of the sandstorms that often attack Beijing during springtime.
Wang’s school is one of the schools in the capital that take part in the “Green Promise” —environmental protection activity. So far, nearly 210,000 students have taken part in the activity, collecting more than 87 tons of waste paper.
Students are eager to help make the capital a more pleasant place. What do Wang Boxuan and his schoolmates do with the waste exercise books?
| A．Throw them away. | B．Store and sell them. |
| C．Cut them into pieces. | D．Give them to the students in Inner Mongolia. |
What is the money used for?
| A．Buying new exercise books. | B．Helping poor students. |
| C．Planting trees and grass. | D．Being stored. |
What can we infer from the third paragraph？
| A．Students will have no exercise books to use in many years. |
| B．There will be no waste paper in many years. |
| C．The sandstorms will be weaker in Beijing in many years. |
| D．Beijing will be much dirtier in many years. |
Choose the right order according to this passage?
1 Trees and grass were planted.
2 Schools in Inner Mongolia received the money.
3 Students collected waste paper.
4 Students sold the paper to a paper making factory.
| A．③②④① | B．②①④③ | C．③④②① | D．③②①④ |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Planting Trees. | B．Green Promise. |
| C．Collecting Waste Paper. | D．Making Money. |
信息匹配（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分)
A. Agra Fort
Near the gardens of the Taj Mahal stands the important 16th-century Mughal monument known as the Red Fort of Agra. This powerful fortress of red sandstone encompasses, within its 2.5-km-long enclosure walls, the imperial city of the Mughal rulers. It comprises many fairy-tale palaces, such as the Jahangir Palace and the Khas Mahal, built by Shah Jahan; audience halls, such as the Diwan-i-Khas; and two very beautiful mosques.
B. Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world, and some Western historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed. The Taj is the most beautiful monument built by the Mughals, the Muslim rulers of India. Taj Mahal is built entirely of white marble. It was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers. It was completed in 1648 C.E. at a cost of 32 Million Rupees.
C. Keoladeo National Park
This former duck-hunting reserve of the Maharajas is one of the major wintering areas for large numbers of aquatic birds from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China and Siberia. Some 364 species of birds, including the rare Siberian crane, have been recorded in the park.
D. Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi
This tomb, built in 1570, is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal. The gardens also contain the red-and-white sandstone and black-and-yellow marble tomb of Humayun’s wife and the tomb of Humayun’s barber.
E. Grand Canyon National Park
The Grand Canyon is perhaps the most awesome sight in the United States--and one of the wonders of the world. Much of the park’s beauty is related to its geology and ecology. Schmidt explores the shape of the land, its plants and animals, and its human history. A fascinating book that everyone visiting the Grand Canyon should read. The Skywalk at Grand Canyon West is really exciting.
F. Sundarbans National Park
The Sundarbans covers 10,000 sq. km of land and water (more than half of it in India, the rest in Bangladesh) in the Ganges delta. It contains the world’s largest area of mangrove forests. A number of rare or endangered species live in the park, including tigers, aquatic mammals, birds and reptiles.
请阅读以下旅游者的信息，然后匹配旅游者和他/她拟旅游的景点。Carina is fond of art and likes travelling very much. In order to take part in the following exhibition, she wants to take some photos of birds from all over the world, especially the rare Siberian crane. In the meanwhile, she doesn’t want to spend too much money.
Daisy’s major is biology. She is interested in studies of tigers in India. Before graduation, she needs to write an essay on the tiger. She hears that it is one of the largest tiger populations of any of India’s parks. And so she wants to go there to do some research.
Alexander is a college student of Physics. He learns that this canyon is a gift from past generations that goes beyond what we experience. He is looking forward to going there and experiencing the Skywalk in the park.
Sammy majors in history. He will visit it again this summer. He says it’s built entirely of white Marble and is one of the eight wonders of the world. Its beauty is beyond description, particularly at dawn and sunset. It seems to glow in the light of the full moon. On a foggy morning, the visitors experience it as if suspended when viewed from across the Jamuna river.
Nancy comes from the history department. Last summer she visited the ancient markets of Agra and this year she wants to visit it again. Not long ago she said: “Arriving at the Delhi airport, we representatives were warmly received. Our tirdness flew in seconds by the traditional welcome that we got at the hotel’s reception.” The next day they visited the famous tomb.
If you look for a book as a present for a child. You will be spoiled for choice even in a year when there is no new Harry Patten J.K Powling’s wizard. The past decade has been a harvest for good children’s books, which has set off a large quantity of films and an increased sales of classics such as The lard of the Rings.
Yet despite that , reading is increasingly unpopular among children. According to statistics in 1997 23% said they didn’t like reading in all. In 2003, 35% did . And around 6% of children leave primary school each year unable to read properly.
Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computes games. Maybe the books boom has affected only the top of the educational pile. Either way, Chancellor Cordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class. In his pre-budget report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most.
Reading Recovery is aimed at six year olds, who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes with a specially trained teacher. An evaluation either this year reported that children on the school made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months’ progress, and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age.
International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school they read well, but read text often for fun than those elsewhere. Reading for fun matters because children who are been on reading can report lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success. According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage. Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?
| A．Many children’s books have been adapted from films. |
| B．Many high-quality children’s books have been published. [ |
| C．The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films. |
| D．The sales of presents for children have increased. |
Statistics suggested that .
| A．the number of top students increased with the use of computers |
| B．a decreasing number of children showed interest in reading |
| C．a minority of primacy school children read properly |
| D．a huge percentage of children read regularly |
What do we know about Reading Recovery?
| A．An evaluation of it will be made sometime this year. |
| B．Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking. |
| C．It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading. |
| D．Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading. |
Reading for fun is important because book-loving children _______.
| A．take greater advantage of the project |
| B．show the potential to enjoy a long life |
| C．are likely to succeed in their education. |
| D．would make excellent future researchers |
The aim of this text would probably be _______.
| A．to overcome primary school pupils reading difficulty. |
| B．to encourage the publication of more children’s books |
| C．to remind children of the importance of reading for fun |
| D．to introduce a way to improve early children reading |