Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers fried to conquer (征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.
In the 1840s ,the main crop, potatoes was affected by disease and about 750, 000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.
For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.
The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly, Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived (复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish songs which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.What does the author tell us in Paragraph 1?
| A．How the Irish fought against the English. |
| B．How Ireland gained independence. |
| C．How two “Irelands” came into being. |
| D．How English rulers tried to conquer Ireland. |
The last paragraph is mainly about____.
| A．the Irish character | B．Irish culture |
| C．Irish musical instruments | D．a famous Irish writer |
We learn from the text that in Ireland _____.
| A．different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments |
| B．people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside |
| C．it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker |
| D．food shortages in the 1840s led to a decline in population |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Life in Ireland | B．Ireland, Past and Present |
| C．A Very Difficult History | D．The Independence of Ireland |
Ⅱ阅读(共两节，满分50分)
第一节：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A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
TODAY, Friday, November 12
JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms. Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen.
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco. Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High St., from 8a. m. to 8p. m. Tel: 682—1158.
SATURDAY, November 13
JAZZ Lysis at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 60p.
MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment fair price. Tel: 789—6749.
FAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road, Richmond.
JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 80p.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion(手风琴). Tel: 789—4536
SUNDAY, November 14
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 a. m. to 8 p. m.
FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688—4626.
HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion.
1. Where and when can you hear the Norman Chop Trio?
A. At the Bull’s Head on Sunday.
B. At the Derby Arms on Sunday.
C. At the Bull on Saturday.
D. At the Black Horse on Saturday.
2. Where and when can you hear the Mike Thomas Jazz Band?
A. At the Derby Arms on Friday.
B. At the Black Horse on Friday.
C. At the Star and Garter on Saturday.
D. At the Derby Arms on Sunday.
3. You want to enjoy the electric accordion on Saturday. Which telephone number do you have to ring to find out what time it starts?
A. 789—6749. B. 789—4536. C. 682—1158. D. 688—4626.
4. You want to spend the Saturday by joining the entertainment with your family. Where should you go?
A. Disco at The Lord Napier.
B. The sing-along at The Black Horse.
C. The electric accordion at The Derby Arms.
D. Jazz at The Bull’s Head.
5. You want to spend the same day at two different places and don’t want to cross any street. Which of the following is your best choice?
A. The sing-along at the Black Horse and Jazz at The Bull’s Head.
B. The sing-along at The Black Horse and Folk Music at The Derby Arms.
C. Folk Music at The Derby Arms and Heavy Music with Tony Simon at The Bull.
D. Musical Hal lat The Star ＆Garter and Disco at The Lord Napier.
If you are a recent social science graduate who has had to listen to jokes about unemployment from your computer major classmates, you may have had the last laugh. There are many advantages for the social science major because this high-tech "Information Age" demands people who are flexible and who have good communication skills.
There are many social science majors in large companies who fill important positions. For example , a number of research studies found that social science majors had achieved greater managerial success than those who had technical training or pre-professional courses. Studies show that social science majors are most suited for change, which is the leading feature (特点) of the kind of high speed, high-pressure, high-tech world we now live in.
Social science majors are not only experiencing success in their long-term company jobs, but they are also finding jobs more easily. A study showed that many companies had filled a large percentage of their entry-level positions with social science graduates. The study also showed that the most sought-after quality in a person who was looking for a job was communication skills, noted as "very important" by 92 percent of the companies. Social science majors have these skills, often without knowing how important they are. It is probably due to these skills that they have been offered a wide variety of positions.
Finally, although some social science majors may still find it more difficult than their technically trained classmates to land the first job, recent graduates report that they don' t regret their choice of study.
1．By saying that "you may have had the last laugh" in the first paragraph, the author means that you may have _______
A．shared the jokes with computer majors
B．earned as much as computer majors
C．found jobs more easily than computer majors
D．stopped joking about computer majors
2．Compared with graduates of other subjects, social science graduates ____.
A．are ready to change when situations change
B．Bare better able to deal with difficulties
C．are equally good at computer skills
D．are likely to give others pressure
3．The underlined word "land" in the last paragraph probably means _______
A．keep for some time B．successfully get C．immediately start D．lose regretfully
4．According to the text, what has made it easy for social science graduates to find jobs?
A．Willingness to take low-paid jobs.
B．Readiness to gain high-tech knowledge.
C．Skills in expressing themselves.
D．Part-time work experience
第二卷（满分50分）
Ⅰ：阅读理解：（共8小题，每题1分，总分8分）
（A）
Chocolate might lower your chances of having a heart problem. According to a new study, a new study, a small amount of chocolate every day could decrease the risk of having a heart attack, by nearly 40 percent, German researchers followed nearly 20,000 people over eight years, sending them several questionnaires about their diet and exercise habits. They found people who had an an average of six grams of chocolate a day—or about one square of a chocolate bar—had a 39 percent lower risk of a heart attack.
Previous studies have suggested dark chocolate in small amounts could be good for you, but this is the first study to track its effects over such a long period. Experts think the flavonols（黄酮醇）contained in chocolate are responsible. Flavonols, also found in vegetables and red wine, help the muscles in blood vessels（血管）widen, which leads to a drop in blood pressure. “It’s a bit too early to come up with recommendations that people should eat more chocolate, but if people replace sugar or high-fat snacks with a little piece of dark chocolate, that might help,” said Brian Buijsse, a doctor at the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Nuthetal, Germany, the study’s lead author.
The people tracked by Buijsse and colleagues had no history of heart problems, had similar habits for risk factors like smoking and exercise, and did not vary widely in their Body Mass Index（身体质量指数）.
Since the study only observed people and did not give them chocolate directly to test what its effects were, experts said more research was needed to determine the candy’s exact impact on the body. Doctors also warned that eating large amounts of chocolate could lead to weight gain. “This is not a prescription（指示）to eat more chocolate,” said Robert Eckel, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado who is not linked to the study. “If we all had (a small amount of)chocolate every day for the rest of our lives, we would all gain a few pounds.” Eckel said it was amazing to find such a small amount of chocolate could have such a protective effect, but that more studies were needed to confirm its conclusions.
1．What is the main purpose of the article?
A．To suggest people eat as much dark chocolate as possible.
B．To warn people not to eat too much chocolate.
C．To tell people how to avoid a heart attack.
D．To report on a study about the benefits of chocolate.
2．Both Buijsse and Eckel believe that .
A．dark chocolate in enough amounts could be good for our health
B．eating large amounts of chocolate could lead to weight gain
C．we can cure our heart problems with dark chocolate
D．we’d better not advise people to eat more chocolate at present
3．Which of the following statements about the study is FALSE?
A．It’s the first time that the effects of dark chocolate has been examined.
B．The researchers followed nearly 20,000 people for over eight years.
C．The researchers didn’t give any diet instructions to the people followed by the study.
D．The study found that eating about six grams of chocolate a day was beneficial.
4．We can infer from the text that .
A．eating a small amount of dark chocolate will lower your blood pressure
B．scientists are now certain of the effects of dark chocolate
C．eating a little chocolate over a long period will not lead to weight gain
D．Flavonols can only be found in dark chocolate and red wine
Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer. But there is one question that has millions of current answers. That question is “What’s your name?” Everyone gives a different answer, but everyone is correct.
Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do they come from? What do they mean? People’s first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents. Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used. Some parents choose the name of a well-known person. A boy could be named George Washington Smith; a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones.
Some people give their children names that mean good things. Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”.
The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names. A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near brook(小溪)；someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road. The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.
Other early surnames came from people’s occupations. The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals. In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village. Some other occupational names are: Carter — a person who owned or drove a cart; Potter —a person who made pots and pans.
The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village. The Carpenter’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture.
Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities. When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with the gray hair probably became John Gray. Or the John was very tall could call himself John Tallman. John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer.
Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name. English-speaking people added –s or –son. The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was Robert. Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O. Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the McDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell.
1．Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?
A．Places where people lived. B．People’s characters.
C．Talents that people possessed. D．People’s occupations.
2．According to the passage, the ancestors of the Potter family most probably _______.
A．owned or drove a cart B．made things with metals
C．made kitchen tools or contains D．built houses and furniture
3．Suppose and English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to become a world leader, the baby might be named _______.
A．Beatrice Smith B．Leonard Carter
C．George Longstreet D．Donald Greenwood
4．The underlined word “descendants” in the last paragraph means a person’s _____
A．later generations B．friends and relatives
C．colleagues and partners D．later sponsors
Below is a housing guide for students going to London.
University accommodation office
Many university accommodation offices have their own list of registered landlords (房东). Others also provide information on accommodation agencies and other housing organizations. The advantage of using your university accommodation office is that you can get some support if you have 'a problem. The disadvantage is that they are unlikely to have enough registered landlords to house all their students.
Property papers: Loot and Renting
Loot is an important source (来源) of information about private housing for co-renters. The offers are from private landlords, agencies and individuals looking for other co-renters. They also have a website: www. loot. com. The advantage of using Loot is that there are some excellent bargains. The disadvantage is that there is no quality control over the offers.
Renting is another useful paper. The offers in this paper are mainly from accommodation agencies. Their website is at www. Renting.co. uk.
Accommodation agencies
The majority of rented accommodation in London is probably advertised through accommodation agencies. The advantage of using accommodation agencies is that you will have access to a large number of accommodations. A good agent will listen to your requirements and can save you time in looking for the right accommodation. The disadvantage is that they will make a range of charges to potential renters.
Noticeboards
Around the universities you will find a number of noticeboards where offers of accommodation will be posted. These will either be from landlords or from students. Some universities will also have online noticeboards where students can advertise to other students. Advertisements from students can be an excellent way to find accommodation. However, advertisements from landlords can be problematic.
Word of mouth
Some of the best housing in London is never advertised but is passed on from one group of students to another by word of mouth. It might be that you can find out about good offers from final year students. However, don't suppose that just because you have found out about housing from a friend it is necessarily, going to be better than that found through any other source.
Family
Faced with the very high rents charged in London, some students and their parents will consider buying as an alternative. In some cases this might be a good choice
1．What is the advantage of using Loot?
A．It has more offers from accommodation agencies than Renting.
B．It gives you personal information about other co-renters.
C．Their website is designed mainly for students.
D．There are some good bargains.
2．A good agent can help you .
A．know more people
B．find cheap accommodation
C．get the right accommodation quickly
D．get free information about mos t accommodations
3．The information passed on by word of mouth is important because .
A．it is better than that found through any other source
B．it helps you find some of the best housing never advertised
C．the final year students always offer better information
D．the landlords have little valuable information
4．For students going to London for the first time, which of the following provides the most reliable information?
A．University accommodation offices.
B．Loot and Renting.
C．Noticeboards.
D．Family.