The London Eye is a giant 135---meter tall Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames in the British capital. Since 20 January 2011, it has been officially known as the EDF Energy London Eye following a three---year deal with the company. It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people every year. The London Eye is located at the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames In the London Borough of Lambeth in England, between Westminster Bridge( which has longer history than the famous Severn Bridge to the west of London) and Hungerford Bridge. When erected in 1999, it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world, until surpassed first by the 160 m Star of Nanchang in 2006, and the 165m Singapore Flyer in 2008. A breathtaking feat of design and engineering, passengers in the London Eye’s capsules can see up to 40 kilometers in all directions. The London Eye is the vision of David Marks and Julia Barfield, a husband and wife architect team. The wheel design was used as a metaphor for the end of the 20th century, and time turning into the new millennium(千禧年). Back in 2000, the London Eye was known as the Millennium wheel. In 2009, a 4D Film Experience was added as a free extra to enjoy before your ride on the Eye. Once you get high enough and start coming down the other side, you will see people reach for their cameras. Here’s where the good stuff is right at your fingertips(or seems so). Parliament and Big Ben are beneath you, as are so many other historical things . If you are interested in other attractions in London, you can refer to the homepage. Which of the following statements is NOT correct ?
| A．It is so popular that every year, more than 3.5 million people visit the London Eye. |
| B．London Eye is called the EDF Energy London Eye from 2011 because the company bought it. |
| C．It is designed by David Marks and Julia Barfield, a husband and wife architect team. |
| D．It is 135---meter tall and is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe. |
What cannot be seen from the London Eye ?
| A．The beautiful sights of the River Thames. |
| B．The Westminster Bridge. |
| C．The famous Seven Bridge. |
| D．Big Ben |
We can infer from the passage that___________.
| A．London Eye is the third tallest Ferris wheel in the world. |
| B．London Eye was named the Millennium Wheel at first. |
| C．London Eye is free of charge, and that's why so many people come here. |
| D．Before your ride on the London Eye, you can first enjoy a 4D film now. |
You can find this passage_________.
| A．in a magazine | B．in a newspaper | C．from a guidebook | D．on a website |
As a boy, Charles Robert Darwin collected anything that caught his interest: insects, coins and interesting stones. He was not very clever, but Darwin was good at doing the things that interested him.
His father was a doctor, so Darwin was sent to Edinburgh to study medicine, and was planned to follow a medical career. But Charles found the lectures boring. Then his father sent him to Cambridge University to study to be a priest. While at Cambridge, Darwin’s interest in zoology and geography grew. Later he got a letter from Robert FitzRoy who was planning to make a voyage around the world on a ship, the Beagle. He wanted a naturalist to join the ship, and Darwin was recommended(推荐). That voyage was the start of Darwin’s great life.
As the Beagle sailed around the world, Darwin began to wonder how life had developed on earth. He began to observe everything. After he was home, he set to work, getting his collection in order. His first great work The Zoology of the Beagle was well received, but he was slow to make public his ideas on the origin of life.
Later Darwin and Wallace, another naturalist who had the same opinions as Darwin, produced a paper together. Darwin’s great book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (《物种起源》) appeared. It attracted a storm. People thought that Darwin was saying they were descended from monkeys. What a shameful idea! Although most scientists agreed that Darwin was right, the Church was still so strong that Darwin never received any honors for his work.
Afterwards, he published another great work, The Descent of Man. His health grew worse, but he still worked. “When I have to give up observation, I shall die,” he said. He was still working on 17, April, 1882. He was dead two days later.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Charles Darwin’s ideas |
| B．Charles Darwin’s works |
| C．Father of modern biology: Charles Darwin |
| D．The greatest scientist: Charles Darwin |
Darwin’s father sent him to Edinburgh to _____.
| A．make him like natural history |
| B．make him become a doctor |
| C．let him change his hobbies |
| D．have him give up his collection |
According to the passage, Charles Darwin’s whole life was changed by _____.
| A．his study at Cambridge University |
| B．his collection of coins |
| C．the naturalists at Cambridge |
| D．the voyage of the Beagle |
The underlined part “they were descended from monkeys” probably means “_____”.
| A．they gave monkeys life |
| B．they were different from monkeys |
| C．they were developed from monkeys |
| D．they had to live with monkeys |
Which is the right order about Charles Darwin according to the passage?
a. He published another great work, The Descent of Man.
b. His father sent him to Cambridge University to study to be a priest.
c. His first great work The Zoology of the Beagle was well received,
d. He got a letter from Robert FitzRoy who was planning to make a voyage around the world on a ship.
| A．acbd | B．bdca | C．bcda | D．abdc |
Football is, I believe, the most popular game in England: one has only to go to one of the important matches to see this. Rich and poor, young and old, one can see them all there, shouting for their teams. One of the most surprising things about football in England is the great knowledge of the game which even the smallest boy seems to have. He can tell you the names of the players in most of the important teams. He has pictures of them and knows the results of large numbers of matches. He will tell you who he thinks will win such a match, and his opinion is usually as good as that of men three or four times of his age.
Most schools in England take football seriously（认真地）— much more seriously than nearly all European schools, where lessons are all very important and games are left for the children themselves. In England it is believed that education is not only a matter of filling a boy’s mind with facts in the classroom; education also means the training of character by means of games, especially team games, where the boy or girl has to learn to work with others for his or her team instead of working for himself or herself alone. Therefore the school plans games and matches for its students. Football is a good team game. It is good both for the body and the mind. That is why it is every school’s game in England.Football games are very popular in England among _____________.
| A．all the people | B．grown-ups |
| C．boys only | D．boys and girls |
In England, a boy’s opinion of a match is often______________ .
| A．three or four times better than that of a man |
| B．worse than that of a man |
| C．as good as that of a man |
| D．worth thinking three or four times |
In England, education means _________________ .
| A．filling a boy’s mind with stories |
| B．more than the teaching of knowledge |
| C．the teaching of knowledge only |
| D．training character by means of football games |
We can use_______ instead of the underlined word “therefore”
| A．however | B．as a result |
| C．why | D．at that place |
From the passage, we learn that _______________.
| A．schools in England make use of football games for the training of character |
| B．England is better than all the European countries |
| C．football is more important than lessons |
| D．only some schools in England have football game |
| Gallery Policies for Visitors to National Gallery of Art, Washington |
|
| Visitors must present all carried items for inspection upon entry. After inspection, all bags, backpacks, umbrellas, parcels, and other things as determined by security officers must left at the checkrooms, free of charge, close to each entrance. All over-sized bags, backpacks and luggage must be left at the checkrooms near the 4th Street entrance of either the East or West Building. These items will have to be x-rayed before being accepted. Items of value, such as laptop computers, cameras, and fur coats, may not be left in the checkrooms but may be carried into the galleries. We regret that we do not have enough space for visitor items larger than 17×26 inches into the Gallery or its checkrooms. Additional security procedures and checks may be taken according to the decision of the Gallery. |
For the safety of the artworks and other visitors, nothing may be carried on a visitor’s back. Soft front baby carriers are allowed, but children may not be carried on shoulders or in a child carrier worn on the back. Pushchairs are available free of charge near each checkroom. Smoking is prohibited. Food and drink are not permitted outside the food service areas. Unopened bottled water may be carried only in a visitor’s bag. Cell phones may not be used in the galleries. Animals, other than service animals, are not permitted in the Gallery. Skateboarding is prohibited. Picture-taking (including video for personal use is permitted except in special exhibitions and where specifically prohibited. Tripods (三角架) are not allowed. Please do not touch the works of art. |
When people come to visit the Gallery, they should ____________.
| A．leave all their carried items at the checkrooms |
| B．have all their carried items x-rayed at the entrance |
| C．take all their carried items with them without inspection |
| D．have all their carried items inspected at the entrance |
What does the Gallery feel sorry for?
| A．Visitors have to keep their valuable items in the checkrooms. |
| B．The size of visitor items allowed into the Gallery is limited. |
| C．It cannot keep over-sized visitor items due to limited space. |
| D．Visitor items over 17×26 inches must go through additional checks. |
Parents with small children visiting the Gallery _____________.
| A．can carry their children in soft front child carriers |
| B．can carry their children on their shoulders |
| C．can carry their children in child carriers worn on the back |
| D．ought to pay if they want to use pushchairs for their children |
Most people today think of chocolate as something sweet to eat or drink and can be easily found in stores around the world. It might surprise you that chocolate was once highly treasured.
The wealthy people of Spain first enjoyed a sweetened chocolate drink. Later, the popularity of the drink spread throughout Europe. Chocolate remained a drink that only wealthy people could afford to drink until the eighteenth century. During the period known as the Industrial Revolution, new technologies helped make chocolate less costly to produce.
Farmers grow cacao trees in many countries in Africa, Central and South America, but these trees are difficult to grow. They require an exact amount of water, warmth, soil and protection. After about five years, cacao trees start producing large fruits called pods, which grow near the trunk of the tree. The seeds inside these pods are harvested to make chocolate. Growing cacao is very hard work for farmers. Today, chocolate industry officials, activists, and scientists are working with farmers. They are trying to make sure that cacao can be grown in a way that is easy for the farmers and safe for the environment.
The market value of the yearly cacao crop around the world is more than five billion dollars. Chocolate is especially popular in Europe and the United States. Each year, Americans eat an average of more than 5 kilograms of chocolate per person. Specialty shops that sell costly chocolate are also very popular. Many offer chocolate lovers the chance to taste chocolate grown in different areas of the world. We can learn from the passage that chocolate was ______.
| A．served with a drink in old times |
| B．popular with people around the world |
| C．a drink enjoyed by the rich in old times |
| D．bought easily in stores in old times |
What made it possible to produce chocolate inexpensively?
| A．A warm climate. | B．Official aid. |
| C．New technologies. | D．Scientific protection. |
What should ideal cacao farming be like？
| A．Simple and time-saving. |
| B．Safe and labour-saving |
| C．Easy and labour-saving |
| D．Easy and environment-friendly. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Scientists are trying to help people find various cacaos. |
| B．The chocolate industry is developing rapidly only in European countries. |
| C．People in America love to produce dear chocolate. |
| D．Chocolate making is probably a big business internationally. |
British men are encouraged to cry.
There are certain things British men like to believe about themselves. The first is that one day they will again win the World Cup. They also believe they do not cry. Over the centuries, Britons are believed to have a "stiff upper lip". But is this true?
Yes, it is. A recent study arranged by Kleenex on how the British express their emotions reveals that 95 percent of them still contain their emotions.
Moreover, while 72 percent think this is unhealthy, 19 percent can't remember the last time they "let it out". As a result, Kleenex is launching the "Let It Out" campaign that encourages Britons to grab a tissue and have a good cry.
These days, however, the male Briton's attitude toward crying is changing. Though the majority still struggles to open up emotionally, a 2004 study by Oxford's Social Issues Research Center found that 77 percent of British men considered crying in public increasingly acceptable. Half of London males admitted crying in front of their mothers. Scotsmen are the least emotional, although they are the most likely to cry at weddings.
Peter Marsh, director of the center, said, “Crying can now indicate sensitivity rather than weakness. Like with David Beckham, crying because you're dropping off your boy at nursery isn't seen as weak.”
Winston Churchill was said to be a frequent crier, shedding tears at seeing a survivor in an air raid shelter（防空洞）, and when he saw his wife after a long absence.
Psychologists say that while society has accepted that men can cry, there are limits. Ronald Bracey, a consulting psychologist, said, “If a man began to cry when he was having stitches（缝针）in hospital, he would be considered as a wimp（软弱的人）. Men still need to be seen as strong when it comes to physical pain. ” What does the passage mainly deal with?
| A．Different attitudes British men have towards crying. |
| B．British men's dream of the World Cup. |
| C．Advice on how to control emotions. |
| D．Impression of British men. |
Which of the following concerning(关于) the British men is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．They are supposed to easily control emotions over the centuries. |
| B．They are confident that they will again get successful in the World Cup. |
| C．Nowadays, the male Briton's attitude toward crying is changing. |
| D．About 50% of Britons admitted crying before their mothers. |
The underlined word “contain” in paragraph 3 means ______.
| A．store | B．include |
| C．hold back | D．possess |