The area south of the Thames at Greenwich has a long history. Throughout time different buildings have been constructed on the same site. The Palace of Placentia, an English Royal Palace built in 1447, no longer exists apart from a few remains under the present buildings.
The grand buildings on the South Bank of the Thames at Greenwich were designed by Sir Christopher Wren, most famous for St. Paul’s Cathedral. The buildings were finally completed in 1745, although some parts started to be used as early as 1705. They’re now part of a university — having served as a naval（海军）hospital and a naval college and the setting for several cinemas.
But the buildings stand on a site which has a much longer history, of which now only a part remains that is below the ground. For nearly two hundred years, from around 1450 to 1650, Greenwich was one of the main royal palaces of England. Some of the most famous English rulers, such as Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, not only lived there, but also were born there.
Henry VIII put an armory（兵工厂）there, and there were also gardens, a great fountain (喷泉) and a mass of buildings. The Palace was also in a strategic location, because at the time either side of Greenwich on the Thames were important Royal Dockyards (船厂).
Eventually, though, the Palace fell into disrepair. In 1664, the King at the time, Charles II, decided to replace it with completely new buildings in a modern style. Only a cellar (地窖) from the former Royal Palace now remains, under one of the new buildings. Its red brick, typical of the 16th century, contrasts (对比) sharply with the white stone above it.
Would you like to join us to have a good view of Greenwich?We can learn from the passage that the Palace of Placentia _____.
| A．had served as a university | B．was constructed with white stones |
| C．was designed by Christopher Wren | D．was of particular importance in a war |
The buildings on the South Bank of the Thames at Greenwich now _____.
| A．are in need of repair | B．differ from those in the 16th century |
| C．were designed in the style of Elizabeth I | D．have a history of more than half a century |
According to the passage, when did the Palace of Placentia disappear from the ground?
| A．In the late 1400s. | B．In the early 1600s. |
| C．In the late 1600s. | D．In the early 1700s. |
Where can we most probably read this passage?
| A．In a science report. | B．In a personal diary. |
| C．In a geography textbook. | D．In a travel magazine. |
I once experienced an unforgettable trip to Gloucester to see some of the world’s most beautiful and exciting animals in their own habitat(栖息地), the North Atlantic Ocean.
After a long trip by bus, we got on the ship. After a while, we stopped and everyone began to shout because we saw a humpback whale（座头鲸）. It was wonderful. Sometimes, whales came so close to the ship that you thought you could easily touch them.
While we were watching the whales, a guide was giving us some information about them, She told us that we saw only two kinds of whales- 50 foot humpback whales (singing whales) and 70-foot finback whales(the second largest whales on earth). She also said we could easily recognize a whale by its tail because every whale has a different kind of tail just like people have different fingerprints.
They all have names,and on this trip we saw “Salt” and “Pepper”, two whales named by a biologist and a fisherman. They were swimming toghter all the time.
I took twenty-seven photos,but it was very hard to take them because the whales were quick and stayed on the surface of the ocean just for a short time. It was really something. It was one of the chances that a person hardly ever experiences in life, but I had that chance.This passage is mainly about _________________.
A an unforgettable experience in the forest
B an unforgettable trip to see some strange animals in the mountains
C a long trip on the ship
D an unforgettable trip to watch whalesEveryone on the ship began to shout because_____________.
A a whale came so close to the ship
B they saw a singing whale
C they saw a finback whale
D they could touch the whaleWhen they were watching the whales, __________________.
A some of them fed the whales
B they found several kinds of whales
C a guide told them something about the whales
D some of them took many photos and touched the whalesHow can we recognize a whale?
A By its tail B By its head
C By its neck D By its eyes
That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theater. With opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines. I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.
As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away any possible robbers(抢劫犯). Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.
About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.
Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.
Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck(垃圾车) pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, “Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eyes. “Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape.
It was nearly 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had got my wallet back. I also had got back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.How did the writer feel when she was walking home after work?
| A．Cold and sick | B．Lucky and hopeful |
| C．Satisfied and cheerful | D．Disappointed and helpless |
From the first paragraph, we learn that the writer was busy_____.
| A．solving her problem at the bank |
| B．taking part in various city activities |
| C．learning acting in an evening school |
| D．preparing for the first night show |
On her way home the writer_____.
| A．lost her wallet unknowingly |
| B．was stopped by a garbage truck driver |
| C．was robbed of her wallet by a man with a knife |
| D．found some homeless people following her |
A jobless man wanted very much to have the position of “office boy” at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test. “You have passed the test,”he said. “Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the form to fill in and the date when you may start.”The man replied, “But I don’t have a computer , neither an e-mail.” “I’m sorry,”said the HR manager. “If you don’t have an e-mail, that means you are not living. And anyone who isn’t living cannot have the job.”
The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do with only $10 in his pocket. He thought and thought. Then he went to the supermarket and bought 10 kilos of tomatoes. He sold the tomatoes from door to door. In less than two hours, he had 20 dollars. He repeated the operation three times, and started to go early every day, and returned home late. Shortly, he bought a cart , then a truck, then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles (运货车队). Five years later, the man was the one of the largest food retailers (零售商)in the US.
One day, one of his friends asked him for his e-mail. He said,“I haven’t got one.”
His friend couldn’t believe his ears. “Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e-mail?” The man thought for a while and replied,“Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft.”The man didn’t get the job because he _______________________.
A disliked the job B didn’t pass the test
C didn’t have an e-mail D knew nothing about computersWhy could the man become one of the largest food retailers in the US?
A Because he had many friends to help him.
B Because he was smart and worked very hard.
C Because he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.
D Because he wanted to show Microsoft he was living.What does the story want to tell us?
A Computers are very important in our daily life.
B Everyone can make a lot of money with only $10.
C The HR manager didn’t find the ability of the man.
D Nothing in the world is impossible if we work hard,
TIJUANA, Mexico – A powerful earthquake swayed (摇动) buildings from Los Angeles to Tijuana, killing two people in Mexico, blacking out cities and forcing the evacuation (疏散) of hospitals and nursing homes. One California city closed off its downtown due to unstable buildings.
The 7.2-magnitude quake centered just south of the US border near Mexicali was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the region in decades.
"It sounds like it's felt by at least 20 million people," USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said. "Most of Southern California felt this earthquake."
Sunday afternoon's earthquake hit hardest in Mexicali, a commerce center along Mexico's border with California, where authorities said the quake was followed by at least 20 smaller aftershocks, including ones of magnitudes 5.1, 4.5 and 4.3.
"It has not stopped trembling in Mexicali," said Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo on Monday.
Escobedo said one man was killed when his home collapsed just outside of Mexicali and another died when he rushed into the street in panic and was struck by a car. At least 100 people were injured in the city, most of them struck by falling objects. Power was out in virtually the entire city.
Susan Warmbier was putting away groceries in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista when her husband asked, "Is the house moving?"
Elsewhere in San Diego, there were reports of shattered windows, broken pipes and water main breaks in private buildings, but no reports of injuries, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Maurice Luque said. Coronado Bridge over San Diego Bay was briefly closed as a precaution.
Across the border in Tijuana, Mexico, the quake caused buildings to sway and knocked out power in some areas. No tsunami warning was issued, but hundreds of people on Tijuana's crowded beach feared the worst and fled when they felt the ground shake.What's the best title of the passage?
| A．A strong quake in Mexico, but no tsunami |
| B．A strong quake kills 2 in Mexico, frightens US states |
| C．A strong quake, downtowns closed off |
| D．A strong quake, buildings collapses |
The 7.2-magnitude quake .
| A．centered just south of the Mexico |
| B．was felt by 20 million people in Mexico |
| C．was felt by most of Southern California |
| D．was the strongest earthquakes to hit the region in centuries |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Some cities had power failure after the quake. |
| B．One of the cities closed off its downtown because of the swaying buildings. |
| C．Many smaller quakes happened after the 7.2-magnitude one. |
| D．Hundreds of people on the beach died because of the tsunami. |
People got injured mostly .
| A．because they were in panic |
| B．because the power was out in the whole city |
| C．because of the falling objects |
| D．because they were buried under the falling objects |
Coronado Bridge over San Diego Bay was briefly closed .
| A．to avoid further dangers |
| B．by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department |
| C．as a reminding of the quake |
| D．to prevent the bridge from destroying |
If you’re a male and you’re reading this, congratulations! You’re a survivor. According to statistics，you’re more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman，and nine times more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term，about 78 years for men in Australia，you’ll die on average five years before a woman.
There're many reasons for this--typically，men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor.
“Men aren't seeing doctors as often as they should，” says Dr. Gullotta.“This is particularly so
for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike. According to a recent survey, 95％of women aged between 15 and early 49s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70％of men in the same age group.
“A lot of men think they’re unbeatable，”Gullotta says．“They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, Geez, if it could happen to him …”
Then there’s the ostrich（鸵鸟）approach．“Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know,” says Dr. Ross Cartmill.
“Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies,” Cartmill says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups.
“Prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases．Besides, the final cost is far greater，it’s called premature death.”Why does the author congratulate male readers at the beginning of the passage?
| A．They can live longer than they expected． |
| B．They are sure to enjoy a longer and happier life. |
| C．They have lived long enough to read this article. |
| D．They are more likely to survive serious diseases now． |
Which of the author’s statements is the most important reason that men die five years earlier on average than women according to the passage?
| A．Men drink and smoke much more than women. |
| B．Men don’t seek medical care as often as women. |
| C．Men are more likely to suffer from deadly diseases. |
| D．Men aren’t as cautious as women in face of danger. |
Which of the following best completes the underlined sentence “Geez, if it could happen to him…” （in Para 4） ?
| A．it could happen to me，too. |
| B．it would be a big misfortune. |
| C．I should avoid playing golf. |
| D．I should consider myself lucky. |
What does Dr．Ross Cartmill mean by“the ostrich approach”（in Para 5）?
| A．A casual attitude towards one’s health conditions. |
| B．A new treatment for certain psychological problems． |
| C．Refusal to get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved. |
| D．Unwillingness to find out about one’s disease because of fear. |