On Saturday, millions of people around the world will celebrate Saint 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（观众） and more than 150,000 participants （参与者）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 as event organizers dump about 40 pounds of fluorescence, a powerful dye(染料), 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 F. 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 fifth century, when it was still part of the Roman Empire. He was captured （抓捕）and sold into slavery（卖为奴隶） 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（牧师） 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.
1．What’s the best title of the passage?
A．History of Saint Patrick’s Day B．An Official Holiday in US
C．The Largest Parade in the World D．Celebrations across the Country
2．What do you think is the official color of St. Patrick’s Day?
A．Green B．Red. C．Black. D．Yellow.
3．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
4．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.
I suddenly heard an elephant crying as though frightened Looking down I immediately recognized that something was wrong and ran down to the edge of the near bank There I saw Ma Shwe with her three-month-old calf struggling in the fast-rising water and it was a life-and-death struggle Her calf was floating and screaming with fear Ma Shwe was as near to the far bank as she could get, holding her whole body against the rushing water and keeping the calf pressed against her huge body . Every now and then the rushing water would sweep the calf a way.
There was a sudden rise in the water and the calf was washed clean over the mother's body and was gone Ma Shwe turned quickly to reach it and pressed the calf with her head and trunk（象鼻）against the rocky bank Then with a huge effort she picked it up in her trunk and tried until she was able to place it on a narrow shelf of rock
Just at this moment she fell back into the river If she were carried down it would be certain death I knew as well as she did ,that there was one spot（地点）where she could get up the bank but it was on the other side from where she had put her calf
While I was wondering what I could do next I heard the sound of a mother's love Ma Shwe had crossed the river and got up the bank and was making her way back as fast as she could roaring（吼叫）all the time but to her calf it was music.
| 1． |
The moment the author got down to the river bank he saw（）.
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| 2． |
How did Ma Shwe manage to save her calf from the fast-flowing water?（）
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| 3． |
How did the calf feel about the mother elephant's roaring?（）
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| 4． |
What can be the best title for the text?（）
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任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题l分，满分l0分）
请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。
Communication Principles
How you see yourself can make a great difference in how you communicate．“Every individual exists in a continually changing world of experience of which he（or she）is the center”．Many communication scholars and social scientists believe that people are products of how others treat them and of the messages others send them．But every day we experience the centrality of our selves in communication．A student．for instance，may describe a conflict with a teacher as unfair treatment：“I know my teacher doesn’t like the fact that I don’t agree with his opinions．and that’s why he gave me such a poor grade in that class．”The teacher might say the opposite．Each person may believe that he is correct and that the other person’s view is wrong．
The concept of serf originates in communication．Through verbal and nonverbal symbols, a child learns to accept roles in response to the expectations of others．You establish self-image。The sort of person you believe you are，by how others think of you．Positive，negative，and neutral messages that you receive from others all play a role in determining who you are．Communication itself is probably best understood as a dialogue process．Our understanding of communication comes from our interactions with other people．In a more obvious way．communication involves others in the sense that a competent communicator considers what the other person needs and expects when selecting messages to share．So，the communication begins with the self，as defined largely by others，and involves others，as defined largely by the self．
Communication Occurs almost every minute of your life．If you are not communicating with yourself（thinking，planning，reacting to the world around you），you are observing others and drawing inferences from their behavior．Even if the other person did not intend a message for you．you gather observations and draw specific conclusions．A person yawns and you believe that person is bored with your message．A second person looks away from you and you conclude that person is not listening to you．A third person smiles（perhaps because of a memory of a joke he heard recently） and you believe that he is attracted to you．We are continually picking up meanings from others’ behaviors and we are constantly providing behaviors that have communicative value for them．
More often than not，you may have hurt someone accidentally and you may have tried to explain that you did not mean that. You may have told the other person that you were sorry for your statement．You may have made a joke out of your rude statement．Nonetheless，your comment remains both in the mind of the other person and in your own mind．You cannot go back in time and erase your messages to others．Communication cannot be reversed（倒退），nor can it be repeated．When you tried to re—create the atmosphere，the conversation，and the setting，nothing seemed right．Your second experience with a similar setting and person made far different results．
| Paragraph outline |
Supporting Details |
| Communication begins with the self |
●People are somewhat products of others’ treatment and messages． ●we are always（71） ▲ in communication with others． |
| Communication （72） ▲ others |
●Experiences of others help children learn to accept roles． ●Messages from others help you（73） ▲ who you are． ●Needs and（74） ▲ of others should be considered． |
| Communication （75） ▲ everywhere |
●We are communicating with ourselves by thinking，planning and reacting to the outside world． ●We are always（76） ▲ other people by observing even if they do not intend any message for you． ●We are constantly collecting meanings from others’（77） ▲． ●We are constantly（78） ▲ meanings by what we do． |
| Communication cannot be reversed nor repeated |
●You may explain what you have done，but you cannot（79） ▲ what remains in the other person’s mind． ●Yon may redo the conversation，but you（80） ▲ achieve the same results． |
Have you ever noticed the colour of the water in a river or stream after a heavy rainfall? What do you think caused this change in colour? It is soil that has been washed into the river from the riverbank or from t}le nearby fields．
Components of Soft
Soil is made up of a number of layers（层），each having its own distinctive colour and texture．The upper layer is known as the litter．It acts like a blanket．limiting temperature changes and reducing water loss．The topsoil layer is made up of small particles of rock mixed with rotten plant and animal matter called humus（腐殖质），which is black and gives the topsoil its dark colour．This layer is usually rich in nutrients，oxygen，and water．Below the topsoil is the subsoil，a layer that contains more stones mixed with only small amounts of organic matter．This layer is lighter in colour because of the lack of humus．Beneath the soil lies a layer of bedrock．
Soil forms from the bottom up．Over time bedrock is attacked by rain, wind，frost, and snow．It is gradually broken down into smaller particles in a process called weathering．Plants begin to grow，and rotten materials enrich the topsoil．Most of the soil in Eastern Canada．for example．Was formed from weathered rock that was exposed when the ice disappeared l2．000 years ag0．
Water Beneath the Soil
Surface water collects and flows above the ground in lakes．ponds．and rivers．Once in the soil or rock，it is called groundwater．Gravity pulls groundwater through the soil in a process called percolation（渗透）．Eventually the water reaches a layer called the water table．Under this is bedrock through which water cannot percolate．
As water percolates downward，it dissolves organic matter and minerals from the soil and carries them to deeper layers．This causes a serious problem because plants require these nutrients for growth.
Soil pH
Soil can be acidic．neutral．or basic．The pH of the soil is determined by the nature of the rock
from which it was formed．and by the nature of t}le plants that grow and rot in it．
The acidity of rain and snow can lower the pH of the groundwater that enters the soil．By burning fossil fuels such as coal，oil and gasoline，humans have been contributing to higher levels of acidity in many soils．When fossil fuels are burned．gases are released into the air and then fall back to earth as acid rain．Acid soil increases出e problem of carrying nutrients to lower soil levels．As nutrients are removed，soil is less fertile．Plants grow more slowly in acidic soil，and also become easily attacked by diseases．
| 1． |
The layer of soil that provides necessary nutrients for plant growth is called．
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| 2． |
According to the text．which of the following is NOT true?
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| 3． |
We can infer from the passage that the water table lies．
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| 4． |
The underlined word "dissolve" is used to express the idea that organic matter and minerals from soil are．
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Transport Guide
The Brisbane City Council（BCC）is responsible for bus and ferry services with in the city limits and suburbs．Most buses will either arrive at the city or an interchange where connecting buses can be caught．BCC buses operate from 5：30 am to 11：00 pm Monday to Thursday and 5：30 am t0 12：00 am on Fridays .On weekends and public holidays buses operate less frequently Pre—paid bus tickets can be purchased from the QUT （Queensland University of Technology）bookshop，the campus newsagency．most other newsagencies and general stores，and any BCC Customer Service Centre．Short-term students at QUT cannot use their ID cards to gain a discount fare on BCC public transport．You will need to buy an adult ticket to travel．Bus fares are dependent on the number of zones you have to travel．There are several types of tickets：
Single：one way ticket to reach your destination，including transfers within 2 hours．
Daily: unlimited travel within the zones．
Off-peak’ Daily：discounted unlimited travel between 9：00 am and 3：30 pm and after 7：00 pm
Monday to Friday, and all day on weekends and public holidays．
Weekly：unlimited travel within the zones for one week from the date of issue．
Monthly：unlimited travel within the zones for one calendar month from the date of issue．
Ten-trip Saver: 10 trips at any time within the zones on buses and ferries only．
Transport routes．timetables and fare information are available from:
Public Transport Information Centre
69 Ann Street （corner of George St）
Brisbane City
Phone l3 12 30（Transport Information Service）
64．The transport guide above is most likely provided by．
A．Public Transport Information Centre
B．the Brisbane City Council
C．Queensland University of Technology．
D．BCC Customer Service Centres
65．We can learn from the passage that．
A．buses are scheduled as usual on weekends and public holidays
B．regular students at QUT need to buy adult tickets
C．Pre—paid tickets can be bought from the Public Transport Information Centre
D．Ten-trip Savers can be used at off-peak time
66．An exchange student staying at QUT for five days has to travel between zones every day．What type of ticket would he probably buy?
A．Single． B．Weekly． C．Off-peak Daily． D．Ten—trip Saver．
It was the first mow of winter -- an exciting day for every, child but not for most tether. Up until now, l had been able to dress myself for recess（课间休息）, but today I would need some help. Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten teacher at Princess Elizabeth School near Hamilton, Ontario, had been through first snow days ,tony times in her long career, but I think struggled still remember this one.
I managed to get into my wool snow pants. But I straggled with my jacket because it didn’t fit well. It was a hand-me-down from my brother, and it made me wonder why I had to wear his ugly clothes. At least my hat and matching scarf were mine, and they were quite pretty. Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots. In her calm, motherly voice she said, "By the end of winter, you will be able to put on own boots. “ I didn’t realize at the time that this was more a statement of hope than of confidence.
I handed her my boots and stuck out my foot. Like most children, I expected the adult to do an the work. After mush wiggling and pushing, she managed to get first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too.
I announced，“They’re on the wrong feet．”With the grace that only experience can bring，she struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again．Then I said，“These aren’t my boots．you know．”As she pulled the offending boots from my feet，she still managed to look both helpful and interested．Once they were off．I said，“They are my brother’s boots．My mother makes me wear them，and I hate them!” Somehow，from long years of practice，she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying little girl．She pushed and shoved．less gently this time，and the boots were returned to their proper place on my feet．With a great sigh of relief，seeing the end of her struggle with me，she asked，“Now，where are your gloves?’’
I looked into her eyes and said．“I didn’t want to lose them．so I put them into the toes of my boots．”According to the passage，the little girl gotfrom her brother．
| A．the wool snow pants and the jacket | B．the jacket and the boots |
| C．the jacket and the hat | D．the boots and the gloves |
What made it so hard for the teacher to help the little girl put her boots on?
| A．The gloves in the toes of the boots． |
| B．The slowness of the teacher. |
| C．The wrong size of the boots． |
| D．The unwillingness of the girl． |
It can be inferred that before the little girl finally went out to enjoy the first snow of winter，the teacher had to help her put on her boots．
| A．once | B．twice | C．three times | D．four times |
Which of the following sentences from the text BEST indicates that the teacher is very considerate?
| A．In her calm，motherly voice she said，“By the end of winter，…”（Paragraph 2） |
| B．With the grace that only experience can bring，she struggled to…（Paragraph 4） |
| C．…．she still managed to look both helpful and interested．（Paragraph 4） |
| D．…，she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying little girl.（Paragraph 4） |