In Washington D.C., 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is a very special address. It is the address of the White House, the home of the president of the United States.
Originally the White House was gray and was called the presidential Palace. It was built from 1792 to 1800. At this time, the city of Washington itself was being built. It was to be the nation’s new capital city. George Washington, the first president, and Pierre Charles L'Enfant, a French engineer, chose the place for the new city. L'Enfant then planned the city. The president's home was an important part of the plan.
A contest was held to pick a design for the president's home. An architect named James Hoban won. He designed a large three-story house of gray stone.
President Washington never lived in the Presidential Palace. The first president to live there was John Adams, the second president of the United States, and his wife Mrs.Adams did not really like her new house. In her letters, she often complained about the cold. Fifty fireplaces were not enough to keep the house warm.
In 1812 the United States and Britain went to war. In 1814 the British invaded Washington. They burned many buildings, including the Presidential Palace.
After the war James Hoban, the original architect, partially rebuilt the president’s home. To cover the marks of the fire, the building was painted white. Before long it became known as the White House.
The White House is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United States. Every year more than 1.5 million visitors go through the five rooms that are open to the public.The White House was built in Washington_____.
| A．because a French engineer was invited to design it |
| B．because President George Washington liked to live in it |
| C．because the British invaders lived in it in1812-1814 |
| D．because it was to be the nation’s capital city |
The president’s home and the city of Washington were______.
| A．built by the American army | B．built by the British troops |
| C．planed by George Washington | D．planned by the French |
The original home of the president needed to be rebuilt______.
| A．because John Adams’ wife did not like it |
| B．because it was cold in winter even with 50 fireplace |
| C．because it had been burned down during the war |
| D．because George Washington was not willing to live in it |
The new presidential home was painted white to ______.
A. cover the marks of fire B. attract tourist from France
D. to please Mrs. John Adams D. keep it warm in winter
Barack Obama has never been shy about comparing himself with Abraham Lincoln. He did so when he announced his presidential election in Illinois, where both he and Lincoln served in the legislature (立法机关). "The life of a tall, thin, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible." Obama said. "He tells us that there is power in words and that there is power in hope." Such comparisons have continued on big and small occasions, but the most important similarity, in Obama's mind, is how he plans to govern if elected.
Obama says he admires Doris Kearns Goodwin' s wonderful Lincoln biography, Team of Rivals. "He talks about it all the time." says a top assistant. "He is particularly interested in the idea that Lincoln successfully won the hearts of many people who had run against him for President, some of them even disagree with him firmly." "The lesson is that you shouldn't let your hatred get in the way of hiring absolutely the best people." says Obama. "I think American people are practical and so I have an interest in casting a wide net, seeking out people with a wide range of expert knowledge, including Republicans, for the highest positions in the government."
"I don't want to have people who just agree with me." He says. "I want people who are continually pushing me forward and I'd be very interested in having those sorts of Republicans in my government, especially people who can speed up a responsible and logical conclusion to the Iraq war."
60. According to Barack Obama, the biggest similarity between Lincoln and himself is ______.
A. they both lived Illinois B. they served in the same office
C. both of them are black D. they have the same idea in governing
61.Obama is willing to cooperate with those who disagree with him because_______.
A. he is interested in Republicans' ideas
B. he doesn't want to show his hatred to the public
C. they have the highest positions in the government
D. they may push him to make the right decisions
62. The author wrote the passage to _________.
A. compare Obama and Lincoln
B. help Obama to win more support
C. tell us something about Obama
D. announce Obama's political ideas
63. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Obama is a member of the Republicans.
B. The passage was written after the presidential election.
C. Doris Goodwin is one of Obama’s assistants.
D. In the end Lincoln was able to get the support of the people who once hated him.
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项ABCD中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Life has changed in Mexico City. Streets normally filled with people are empty. One of the most popular professional soccer teams recently played a game in an empty stadium that can seat more than100,000 people. It's swine flu that has made life in Mexico City grind to a halt (慢慢停了下来).
Seemingly out of nowhere, swine flu has caused confirmed deaths in 12 countries as of April 30. It has sent a wave of alarm around the world. Governments are trying to find ways to prevent further out-breaks. The World Health Organization has raised its swine flu global threat level to five out of six.
People may be familiar with bird flu, but they know little about swine flu. Swine flu is a contagious respiratory disease in pigs. It is caused by a type-A influenza virus.
Humans can also catch swine flu. The virus causes regular outbreaks in pigs, but people usually do not catch it. However, there have been cases of the virus spreading to people, and then from one person to another.
The symptoms of swine flu are similar to the common flu. They include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, and vomiting. The high proportion of young adults among the deaths is one of several mysteries about this virus. Most of the dead had lung damage. What caused it is not yet known.
The virus spreads the same way the common flu does. When an infected person coughs or sneezes around another person, the latter is put at risk. People can get the disease by touching something with the flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes.
There are medicines to treat swine flu. Doctors suggest using anti - viral drugs. They keep the virus from reproducing inside the body.
Although there are no vaccines for it now, several everyday steps can help prevent the spread of the virus: washing hands frequently; avoiding close contact with people who are sick; and avoiding touching surfaces that might have the virus on it.
People may worry that they will get swine flu from eating or preparing pork. In fact, you cannot catch the virus from pork products if they have been properly prepared and cooked. Cooking food at temperatures of 71℃ kills the virus.
56.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. It mainly tells us how swine flu broke out in Mexico City.
B. It presents the reader with some information concerning swine flu.
C. It tells us the differences between swine flu and bird flu.
D. It mainly tells readers the dangers caused by swine flu.
57. The following tips can protect us from swine flu EXCEPT _________.
A. keeping us away from other people
B. washing hands frequently
C. avoiding close contact with sick people
D. avoiding touching surfaces that might have the virus on them
58. What's the main idea of the first paragraph?
A. Mexico City is really a place of horror now.
B. People in Mexico City like staying at home.
C. People in Mexico City don't like soccer.
D. Swine flu has seriously affected people's life in Mexico City.
59. What can we infer from the passage?
A. At present there still aren't effective vaccines for swine flu.
B. Swine flu virus cannot spread in the air.
C. From now on, people can't eat pork if they want to be safe.
D. All of the dead killed by swine flu had lung damage.
Paris has the Eiffel Tower; New York has the Statue of Liberty; and Brussels, the Manneken Piss．
Think of the Belgian capital and, if anything, you think of the small peeing (撒尿) boy—a 60-meterhigh bronze figure standing on a block, supplying a constant stream of water to the basin under him．
Some might laugh．But for Jacques Stroobants, the statue is up there with the best of them．
“I’m proud of him．People come from all around the world to see him,” says 60-year-old Stroobants with a fatherly glance at the little boy．
As the most famous landmark of Brussels, Manneken Piss has a very special place in the heart of Belgians．
The original Manneken Piss dates back to 1388, but the statue tourists see today dates from 1619 when the city built a second one after the original was destroyed．
Many stories go round Manneken Piss．Nobody knows why he was made．One story is that he saved Brussels by putting out the flames of a deadly fire with his well-aimed piss．But the most believable story is that the boy, the son of a wealthy man, was kidnapped (绑架)．The father had a statue built in honor of the way his son was found—peeing against a tree．
Perhaps best-known for his naked beauty, the “peeing boy” has also been clothed in some of the finest clothes money can buy．
Stroobants has been changing his clothes for the last 29 years．On average, he has clothes on 300 days a year．And on special days, he pees beer．
A few of the ways he’s been dressed are：a football player, Mozart and an army general．Now, he has more than 600 pieces of clothes．
There is no strict charge for those wishing to provide clothes for the little boy．But certain conditions must be met．
“The clothes cannot include either advertising or political message,” said Stroobants, because they would cheapen the national treasure．
But Manneken Piss is still something local people can make money from—by selling all kinds of souvenirs．
72．Which of the following is NOT true about Manneken Piss?
A．It has a history of more than 600 years.
B．It stands in Brussels.
C．It is best known for the clothes he wears.
D．It is 60 meters high.
73．The Manneken Piss has a special place in the heart of Belgians because _______．
A．it’s good looking with water running constantly
B．it brings joys to people who see it
C．it helps people make money
D．it’s a symbol of the city
74．We can learn from the passage that ________．
A．for most of the year, the boy is naked
B．Stroobants is probably in charge of taking care of the statue
C．people can provide any clothes for Manneken Piss free of charge
D．people make money by advertising Manneken Piss
75．The local people can get money by selling _______．
A．objects that remind the tourists of a trip
B．clothes that Manneken Piss has worn
C．anything that is related to Manneken Piss
D．stone figures that resemble Manneken Piss
Many parents find that their children act very mean to their friends．They wonder what they can do about this behavior without squashing their spirit．Here is what parenting experts explain and suggest：
Pre-schoolers have no idea how others feel．They are in the process of understanding their own feelings and have not yet developed “emotional intelligence”．Children of this age also do things just because it can make them feel powerful when they are able to make others respond．
Here are some things you can do to reduce the mean talk：When the child’s in a good mood, look her in the eyes and lovingly tell her how you feel when she speaks in a mean way to another child．Have a look of disappointment on your face and role-play with her to show her the behavior you would like to see．Then, every time you see her demonstrating the “nice” interaction with others, stop what you’re doing, give her eye contact and make a big deal out of it．Young children need to know what good behavior looks like with regular encouragement．When you catch her being mean to a child, get down on your knees next to her, and, with your arm around her, face the child that is receiving her meanness, and apologize to the child for both of you, then walk away．As soon as the other child is away, let your daughter know how disappointed you are in her behavior and quickly let it go．
Parents should set up a consequence when this negative behavior occurs．You can give these other ideas a try first．If you’re not seeing any results after a few times, then go ahead and set up the consequence (such as not being able to play with that child)．Avoid using “time out” because it doesn’t work．It gives the child too much power and too much attention．The most effective consequences are those that are directly tied to the behavior．If she is being mean to children, then the play session ends．And most importantly, set up this consequence in advance when the negative behavior is NOT occurring．
If you should catch her being a “bully” to another child, and she has somehow hurt him or her, immediately put all your attention on the victim, not her．Don’t scold or punish your daughter．Softly, gently, and immediately, nurture the hurt child and get your daughter to assist you in the nurturing．When things have calmed down, let her know face to face how disappointed you are in her behavior, not her as a child．
68．When a child talks mean to his friend, the best way to correct it is to ________．
A．tell him directly that it is a wrong doing B．demonstrate what a good behavior is
C．make him apologize to his friend D．ask his friend not to play with him any more
69．The underlined phrase “make a big deal out of it” in paragraph 3 probably means ________．
A．show some disappointment B．say a few word
s of praise
C．exchange gifts with the child D．present a surprised look
70．When dealing with a child’s mean action, you shouldn’t _______．
A．punish her in the presence of her friend B．put on a disappointed look on your face
C．tell her that you are unhappy to see that D．nurture the hurt child immediately
71．The passage is mainly about how to _______．
A．bring up children B．solve pre-school children’s problems
C．help children make friends D．guide children when bad behaviors occur
Each winter, the rugged North Shore serves up some of the largest and most impressive ocean waves on the planet．Giant waves make their long journey across the northern Pacific to the area’s shoreline．For many island residents, this means only one thing: surf up．
The exact origin of surfing is unknown, but most historians believe that the Polynesians were already very good at the sport by the time they migrated to the Hawaiian Islands some 2 000 years ago．Early Hawaiians called surfing “He’e nalu”, which literally translates to “wave sliding”．During this time, only high-ranking officials and nobles had access to the best surf spots．King Kamehameha himself was said to be a keen and skilled surfer．
Surfing really took off in the early 1990s．Riding boards made from redwood and balsa wood, early surfers risked their lives to take on these giant waves．
Today, thanks to a number of modern innovations and inventions, the surfing population on the North Shore has exploded．Wave riders and spectators from around the world gather here from November to February, hoping to catch that perfect wave．Winter wave heights can get as high as 20 feet, with faces up to 50 feet! This extreme surf is for experts only, and even then conditions are considered highly dangerous．
World-known surf contests are held here from early November to late December．The Van’s Triple Crown of Surfing, which includes the Vans Hawaiian Pro at Ali’ i Beach Park in Hale’ iwa, the Rip Curl Cup at Sunset Beach, brings together the world’s best professional surfers．Watching them surfing on the grand waves is really a feast for the eyes．
Although winter on the North Shore may not be the best time and place to learn how to surf, the summer months provide safer and more favorable conditions．
64．The passage is most probably from ________．
A．a guide book B．a magazine
C．a government report D．a geography textbook
65．What can we learn from the passage?
A．High officials were the best surfers in the past.
B．Surfing dates back to at least 2 000 years.
C．The best time for surfing is from November to February.
D．Surfing is a sport for professionals and experts.
66．Which of the following is NOT true to the passage?
A．The Polynesians were among the earliest people who took up surfing.
B．Modern inventions make surf boards safer for the surfers.
C．It is a perfect chance for spectators to watch the competitions.
D．More and more people on the North Shore go in for surfing.
67．It’s suggested that a surf learner should ________.
A．make use of the summer time to learn how to surf
B．meet the challenge of the perfect waves on the North Shore
C．take the chance to win a prize in the world-known competitions
D．watch the professional suffers surfing whenever possible