The city of Yangzhou came into being at the Spring and Autumn Period ( about 500 AC ).
As the key transportation link at joint (连接处) place of the Great Canal（运河）( Beijing-Hangzhou) and Changjiang (Yangtze River), Yangzhou has been from the Sui Dynasty (600 AD.) an economically rich city, and then reached its top in the Tang Dynasty. At that time Yangzhou was a famous port and one of few biggest cities in East Asia.
With the improvement of the local economy and easy transportation way, there happened in the history a special local culture, which has an important place in Chinese culture. Many famous men of letters, poets, artists, scholars (学者), statesmen, scientists and national heroes in the history were born in, lived in or had connection with Yangzhou. Li Bai, one of the greatest Chinese poets visited and stayed in Yangzhou several times in his life and one of his famous poems about Yangzhou has been so popular that Chinese of all ages can sing it and has become a symbol of Yangzhou . Zheng Banqiao, a famous Chinese painting painter in the Qing Dynasty heading a group called “Eight Eccentrics”, had strongly influenced Chinese paintings. Wang Zhong and Yuan Yuan and some other scholars formed school of Yangzhou Scholars and achieved great success in the study of classic Chinese and writing. Zhu Ziqing, one of most famous modern Chinese writers and scholars, had always been proud of himself as a native of Yangzhou and thanked the city for being nourished (养育) by its rich culture. Quite a few other names you may come across frequently (频繁地) in the study of Chinese culture and history have connection with Yangzhou. Yangzhou was so attractive and important that many Chinese emperors in history had come specially to visit or check the city. Emperor Suiyang, who ordered to cut the Great Canal so that he could come more easily and quickly, died on his last trip to the city and buried (埋葬) here. Emperor Qianlong had come all the way from the north and visited the city nine times.
| A．Yangzhou joined the Great Canal (Beijing-Hangzhou) and Changjiang (Yangtze River). |
| B．In the Tang Dynasty Yangzhou was a famous port and one of few biggest cities in Asia. |
| C．Emperor Suiyang was buried in Yangzhou. |
| D．Emperor Qianlong visited Yangzhou nine times. |
| A．《赠汪伦》 | B．《望庐山瀑布》 |
| C．《静夜思》 | D．《黄鹤楼送孟浩然之广陵》 |
| A．Zheng Banqiao | B．Zhu Ziqing | C．Wang Zhong | D．Li Bai |
| A．Yangzhou：An Economically Rich City |
| B．Yangzhou：An Easy Transportation City |
| C．Yangzhou：A Historical Culture City |
| D．Yangzhou：A Famous Tour City |
Mr. Zhang was a sports fan. He worked in a hospital in the capital. He was busy all the time and had little time to have a rest. And one day he felt unwell and couldn't go on working. He decided to spend a week's holiday in a quiet village where he could go swimming or fishing. He got off at a small railway station and soon got to a quiet village. He took a room hotel and went to sleep as soon as he had a good meal.
At first Mr. Zhang enjoyed himself there. He could do everything he wanted and went wherever he liked. Nobody disturbed him and knocked at the door at midnight. But on the fourth day he was in trouble. After lunch it was very hot. He went swimming in the river. Suddenly he saw a beautiful bird in a big tree. He wanted to catch it, so he walked to it, but it found him and flew away ans soon as gone. He began to pick some flowers in the forest and before long he lost his way.
The sun had gone down and night had fallen before Mr. Zhang found a small restaurant in another village. He came in and told them to bring him some bread, two eggs and a glass of tea. After a while his food was brought. Soon he ate up all the bread and eggs. When he was going to have the tea, he found there was a fly in the glass.
“ What's in my tea?” Mr. Zhang called out, “ A fly”
“ It's impossible, sir.” said the owner of the restaurant, “ I had told them to pick all the flies out of your tea before they brought it to you!”From the story we can guess Mr. Zhang may be a .
| A．engineer | B．doctor | C．tour guide | D．translator |
Mr. Zhang decided to take this holiday because .
| A．he was too tired to go on working | B．he was very busy all the time |
| C．he was paid a lot of money | D．he liked swimming and fishing |
Mr. Zhang hoped to spend a week's holiday by ..
| A．catching birds | B．swimming or fishing |
| C．picking flowers | D．having good meals every day |
Mr. Zhang went to the village from home ..
| A．by bus | B．by car | C．on foot | D．by train |
Mr. Zhang didn't enjoy himself in the village, did he?
| A．No, he wasn't. | B．Yes, he was |
| C．No, he didn't | D．Yes, he did. |
阅读下面的短文，根据短文内容完成表格。
An American named Crum invented potato chips in 1853, although that was not his intention(意图). He was a chef(厨师长) at a beautiful restaurant in Saratoga Springs, New York. A regular dish on the menu was fried(油炸的) potatoes, which was an ides that had started in France. At that time, French fried potatoes were cut into thick slices(片).
One day, a dinner guest at the restaurant sent back his fried potatoes to the chef because he did not like them so thick. So Mr Crum cut the potatoes a little thinner and fried them. The guest did not like those either. That made Mr Crum angry, so he thought he would just show the man. He sliced the potatoes paper-thin and fried them, thinking that the man would say nothing about it. However, to his surprise, the man loved the thin potatoes very much. Other guests tried them and liked them. So, Mr Crum’s potato chips were added to the menu. They were called Saratoga Chips.
Finally, Mr Crum opened his own restaurant to sell his famous chips. Now potato chips are packaged(包装) and sold in stores.
Is it a tree? Is it a bear? If you’re looking at a tree in the shape of a bear, it’s a topiary(林木雕塑). A topiary is a tree or a bush(灌木) that is trained into a shape. Growing a topiary garden takes both time and skills. 
A topiary gardener should make a drawing first. The drawing shows the final shape that the gardener likes. The gardener then chooses a bush for the topiary. It may be one that just planted or one that is already in place.
In June of the plant’s first year, the gardener looks for new leaves. When the leaves grow, it’s time to shape(给……造型) the bottom of the bush. It needs about five years. The top is not trimmed during this time. In the fifth year, the bush grows tall enough for shaping. Then the gardener begins to shape the whole bush.
Once a topiary has been starte
d, it needs care all year. In the summer it must be cut many times to keep its shape. This cutting also helps the bush grow. In the winter the bushes don’t grow. The gardeners have to brush snow of the plants, or snow may hurt some parts of them.
Topiary gardening is very old art. The Romans did it in the first Century. In the sixteenth century, people in Europe like topiaries too. By the late 1600s, topiaries were also grown in America. Today it’s popular in many parts of the world. Put the following in the right order according to the passage.
a. The gardener chooses a bush for the topiary.
b. The whole bush grows tall enough for shaping.
c. The gardener begins to shape the bottom of the bush.
d. The gardener draws the shape of a topiary.
| A．d→a→b→c | B．b→c→a→d | C．a→d→c→b | D．d→a→c→b |
In which part of the world did the topiary gardening begin first?
| A．In Rome. | B．In Europe. | C．In America. | D．In Africa. |
Many students ask for advice about improving their English. There are three basic questions.
The first question is about real English. Li Hao from Hubei wrote, “I enjoy watching English films and listening to real English songs. But it takes a long time. What do you think?”
This is a great way to learn English! Talk about the film or song with your friends, and guess the meaning of the new words. Just enjoy yourself!
The second question is about speaking. Sam, from Suzhou wrote, “Our school has a foreign teacher. But I’m shy and can’t speak to her. What should I do?”
When I visit China, lots of people in the street say, “Hello! How are you? Where are you from? Do you like China?” These are good questions to start a conversation. Many people are shy when they speak English, so before you begin, take a deep breath and smile! Smiling always helps.
The third question is about vocabulary. Olive, from Anhui wrote, “I want to remember all the new words. I wrote them down, but I forget them quickly. What should I do?”
Try to remember eight or nine words a day. Write them on pieces of paper and place them in your bedroom. Say the words when you see them, and change them every day. And when you’re shopping, how about counting the English words, or saying the English names for everything you see?How many basic questions do the students often ask?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
What should you do if you are shy to speak English?
| A．Watch English films. |
| B．Write down the words first. |
| C．Listen to real English songs. |
| D．Take a deep breath and smile before you begin? |
What is Oliver’s problem?
| A．He’s too shy to talk with others. |
| B．He’s not able to count English words. |
| C．He can’t remember new words. |
| D．He doesn’t know what real English is. |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．How to learn English |
| B．Talking about English films |
| C．Advice about English writing |
| D．The way of beginning an English conversation |
(Megan and Kyle are talking before class begins.)
Megan: Hey, Kyle, are you ready for the big test today? I studied that list of words and the definitions(释义) for two hours last night.
Kyle: Oh, but I didn’t study at all. I just wrote all the answers on the palm(手掌) of my hand, see?
Megan: Kyle! You can’t do that! That’s cheating(作弊)！
Kyle: Hey, don’t worry. I won’t be caught. Mrs King will never know.
(Mrs King comes in and passes out the test papers.)
Mrs King: Okay, no more talking. You may begin.
(Kyle looks st his hand when the teacher isn’t looking.)
Joe: (raising his hand) Mrs King, may I have a drink? I have the hiccups(打嗝).
Mrs King: Yes, you may.
Kyle: (raising his hand) Mrs King, may I get a drink, too?
Mrs King: Kyle, what is that on your hand? I think you had better come to my desk.
Kyle: Oh no…
(After this, Kyle realizes his mistake and never cheats in exams again.)根据Megan and Kyle are talking before class begins（在上课开始前）.及下文描述，可知这个故事可能发生在教室里。A
根据Kyle: Oh, but I didn’t study at all. I just wrote all the answers on the palm(手掌) of my hand, see?可知他把答案写在了手上，选项中没有正确答案。
Where did the story possibly take place?
| A．In the classroom. |
| B．In the library. |
| C．On the playground. |
| D．In the reading room. |
Where did Kyle write the answers?
| A．On his hand. |
| B．In his notebook. |
| C．Megan told his classmates everything. |
| D．Joe told Mrs King about Kyle’s cheating. |