British writer John Bunyan was born at Elstow, Bedfordshire, England, in November, 1628. His father was a maker and mender of pots and kettles, and the son followed the same trade. Though he is usually called a tinker, Bunyan had a settled home and place of business. He had little schooling, and he describes his early surroundings as poor and mean. He became much interested in religions, but it was only after a tremendous spiritual conflict, lasting three or four years, that he found peace. His struggles are related with extraordinary vividness and intensity in his “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners.” His writing began with a controversy against the Quakers (教友派), and shows from the first the command of a homely but vigorous style.
Like most working men at the time, Bunyan had a deep hatred for the corrupted, hypocritical rich who accumulated their wealth “by hook and by crook.” As a stout Puritan(清教徒), he had made a conscientious study of the Bible and firmly believed in salvation (拯救) through spiritual struggle.
Bunyan’s style was modeled after that of the English Bible. With his concrete and living language and carefully observed and vividly presented details, he made it possible for the reader of the least education to share the pleasure of reading his novel and to relive the experience of his characters.
Bunyan’s works include Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666), The Life and Death of Mr. Badman (1680), The Holy War (1682) and The Pilgrim’s Progress (1684).
The Pilgrim’s Progress is the most successful religious allegory (寓言) in the English language. Its purpose is to urge people to observe Christian doctrines and seek salvation through constant struggle with their own weaknesses and all kinds of social evils. It is not only about something spiritual but also bears much relevance to the time. Its predominant metaphor — life as a journey — is simple and familiar. The objects that Christian meets are homely and commonplace, and the scenes presented are typical English ones, but throughout the allegory a spiritual significance is added to the commonplace details. Here the strange is combined with the familiar and the trivial joined to the divine, and, a rich imagination and a natural talent for storytelling also contribute to the success of the work which is at once entertaining and morally instructive.
“The Vanity Fair,” is an excerpt from The Pilgrim’s Progress. The story starts with a dream in which the author sees Christian the Pilgrim, with a heavy burden on his back, reading the Bible. When he learns from the book that the city in which he and his family live shall be burnt down in a fire, Christian tries to convince his family and his neighbors of the oncoming disaster and asks them to go with him in search of salvation, but most of them simply ignore him. So he starts off with a friend, Pliable. Pliable turns back after they stumble into a pit, the Slough of Despond. Christian struggles on by himself. Then he is misled by Mr. Wordly Wiseman and is brought back onto the right road by Mr. Evangelist. There he joins Faithful, a neighbor who has set out later but has made better progress. The two go on together through many adventures, including the great struggle with Apollyon, who claims them to be his subjects and refuse to accept their allegiance to God. After many other adventures they come to the Vanity Fair where both are arrested as alien agitators. They are tried and Faithful is condemned to death. Christian, however manages to escape and goes on his way, assisted by a new friend, Hopeful. Tired of the hard journey, they are tempted to take pleasant path and are then captured by Giant Despair. Finally they got away and reach the Celestial City, where they enjoy eternal life in the fellowship of the blessed.According to the passage, Bunyan hated the rich people mainly because ______.
| A．his father was making and mending pots and kettles |
| B．Bunyan had poor and mean early surroundings |
| C．the rich usually got their wealth in dishonest ways |
| D．Bunyan studied the Bible to save the human souls |
What are the main characteristics of Bunyan’s works?
① The languages are concrete and living.
② The stories are carefully and vividly described.
③ The plots are romantic and twisting.
④ The works are easy to understand.
| A．①②③ | B．②③④ | C．①③④ | D．①②④ |
John Bunyan wrote the book The Pilgrim’s Progress in order to ______.
| A．advise people to obey religious principles for salvation |
| B．tell people that life is a simple and familiar journey |
| C．add spiritual significance to the commonplace details |
| D．to combine the strange things with the familiar things |
What moral does the story of the last paragraph convey to us?
| A．Any imaginable things might happen in a pilgrim’s dream. |
| B．Christian the Pilgrim likes reading the Bible with a burden. |
| C．People can struggle against weaknesses and evils for salvation |
| D．People can enjoy eternal life in the fellowship of the blessed. |
B
David, a French priest(牧师)of thirty-six, was sent to China by the church in 1872.He did well in the natural and social science besides his religious activities(宗教活动)。He was also very interested in the rare wild animals and plants in China.
On May 4th, 1879, after searching half a month in the western part of Baoxing, Sichuan the hunters hired(雇用)by David succeeded in bringing him a "black-and-white bear". "The bear is extremely lovely", he wrote in his diary excitedly. Meanwhile, he felt it might be a new species (物种)never discovered by scientists.
He then decided to send it to Paris for a further study. Unfortunately the poor "black-and white" bear died of Jolts(颠簸)of the mountain roads and the climatic (气候)change. He had to send its pelt (皮毛)to the National Museum in Paris for display (展览)。In fact, the so-called "black-and white" bear was neither a bear nor a cat. After a complete study, Milla Edwards, head of the museum, judged that it was a new species. He gave the "giant panda".
The discovery made the world excited and Baoxing was also made famous for "home of the giant panda"
60．From the passage we can see that David mainly came to China to ____.
A. learn Chinese science and historyB. look for a panda for church
C. do something on religion(宗教) D. study the wild animals and plants in China
61．The word "rare" in this passage means ____.
A. very hard to
find B. worth no money C. easy to find D. running very fast
62．The first giant panda was caught ____.
A. by David, a French priestB. quite by accident
C. with a lot of difficulty D. after the hunters followed it for half a month
63. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
A. The giant panda died when it was on display.
B. David had never seen a giant panda before.
C. Milla was sure the animal was neither a bear nor a cat.
D. The discovery made the world excited with interest
三：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（A，B，C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
A
Most dog owners feel that their dogs are their best friends. Almost everyone likes dogs because they try hard to please their owners. One of my favorite stories is about a dog who wanted his owner to please him.
One of my friends has a large German shepherd ( 牧羊狗) named Jack. Every Sunday afternoon, my friend takes Jack for a walk in the park. Jack likes these long walks very much.
One Sunday afternoon, a young man came to visit my friend. He stayed a long time, and he talked and talked. Soon it was time for my friend to take Jack for his walk, but the visitor didn’t leave. Jack became very worried about his walk in the park. He walked around the room several times and then sat down directly in front of the visitor and looked at him. But the visitor paid no attention. He continued talking. Finally, Jack couldn’t stand it any longer. He went out of the room and came back a few minutes later. He sat down again in front of the visitor, but this time he held the man’s hat in his mouth.
German shepherds aren’t the only intelligent dogs. Another intelligent dog is a Seeing Eye dog. This is a special dog which helps blind people walk along the streets and do many other things. We call these dogs Seeing Eye dogs because they are the “eye” of the blind people and they help them to “see”. Seeing Eye dogs generally go to special schools for several years to learn to help blind people.
56. The writer tells the story about the dog Jack to show that _____________.
A. like many other dogs, it always tried to please its owner master
B. unlike many other dogs, it always wanted its master to please it
C. it was more intelligent than many other dogs
D. it was the most faithful dog of his friend’s
57. Jack came to sit in front of the visitor in order to __________.
A. 
please him B. be pleased
C. ask him to leave immediately D. invite him for a walk
58. The sentence “Finally, Jack couldn’t stand it any longer.” means_________.
A. Jack could no longer put up with the visitor
B. Jack could no longer stand but he might sit down
C. Jack was very tired and wanted a rest
D. Jack was very angry with the visitor
59. Which of the following titles would be the best for the passage?
A. Dogs--- A Great Help to People B. Dogs--- Our Faithful Companions
C. An Introduction to Dogs D. Famous Dogs in Germany
E
We might be surprised at the progress made in every field of study, but the methods of testing a person’s knowledge and ability remain as primitive as ever they were. It really is extraordinary that after all these years, educationists have still failed to design anything more efficient and reliable than examinations. For the claim that examinations test what you know, it is common knowledge that they more often do the exact opposite. They may be a good means of testing memory, or the knack(窍门) of working rapidly under extreme pressure, but they can tell you nothing about a person’s true ability and attitude.
As anxiety-makers, examinations are second to none. That is because so much depends on them. They are the marks of success or failure in our society. Your whole future may be decided in one fateful day. It doesn’t matter that you weren’t feeling very well, or that your mother died. Little things like that don’t count: the exam goes on. No one can give his best when he is in mortal terror, or after a sleepless night, yet this is precisely what the examination system expects him to do. The moment a child begins school, he enters a world of various competitions where success and failure are clearly defined and measured. Can we wonder at the increasing number of ‘drop-outs’: young people who are written off as failures before they have even started a career? Can we be surprised at the suicide rate among students?
A good education should, among other things, train you to think for yourself. The examination system does anything but that. What has to be learnt is rigidly laid down by a syllabus(教学大纲), so the student is encouraged to memorize. Examinations do not motivate a student to read widely, but to restrict his reading; they do not enable him to seek more and more knowledge, but induce cramming. They lower the standards of teaching, for they deprive(剥夺) the teacher of all freedoms. Teachers themselves are often judged by examination results and instead of teaching their subjects, they are reduced to training their students in exam techniques. The most successful candidates are not always the best educated; they are the best trained in the technique of working under pressure.
The results on which so much depends are often nothing more than a subjective assessment by some anonymous examiner. Examiners are only human. They get tired and hungry; they make mistakes. Yet they have to mark piles of hastily scrawled (潦草的)
scripts in a limited amount of time. They work under the same sort of pressure as the candidates. And their word carries weight. After a judge’s decision you have the right of appeal, but not after an examiner’s. There must surely be many simpler and more effective ways of assessing a person’s true abilities.
56.The main idea of this passage is _______.
A. examinations produce a harmful influence on education
B. examinations are ineffective
C. examinations are important to students’ development
D. examinations are a burden on students
57.The author’s attitude toward examinations is _______.
A. supportive B. neutral C. critical D. indifferent
58.The fate of students is decided by _______.
A. education B. examiners C. examinations D. students themselves
59.According to the author, the most important of a good education is _______.
A. to encourage students to read widely B. to train students to think on their own
C. to teach students how to deal with exams D. to master his fate
60.What does the author mean by saying “After a judge’s decision you have the right of appeal, but not after an examiner’s”(Para 4, Line 6) ?
A. Judges are not important.
B. The examiner has the final say concerning the result of the examination.
C. Prisoners are more powerful than students.
D. The court decisions are often inaccurate.
D
Gauri Nanda sees a wearable computer as a handbag—one that’s built out of four-inch squares and triangles of fiber, with tiny computer chips embedded(嵌入) in it. It looks, feels and weighs like your typical leather purse.
That’s where similarities end: This bag can wirelessly keep track of your belongings and
remind you, just as you’re about to leave the house, to take your wallet. It can review the weather report and suggest that you grab an umbrella. This purse can even upload your favorite songs onto your scarf.
Sure, a computing purse and scarf set may seem like the stuff of science fiction. But these devices, part of next generation of wearable computers, could become commonplace within a few years. DuPont created new super strong fibers that can conduct electricity and can be woven into ordinary-looking clothes. And the chipmaker developed chip packaging allowing wearable computers to be washed, even in the heavy-duty cycle.
As a result, these new wearable devices are different from the heavy and downright silly versions of the recent past, which often required users to be wrapped in wires and type on their stomachs. Unlike their predecessors, these new wearable computers also make economic sense. When her bag becomes commercially available in two to three years, Nanda expects it will cost around $150, which is the price of an average leather purse.
Here’s how the bag works: You place a special radio-signal-transmitting chip on to your wallet. A similar radio in your purse picks up the signal and notifies you that you’ve forgotten to take your wallet. In turn, sensors on your purse’s handles will notify the computer that you’ve picked up the purse and are ready to go.
Already, these new kinds of wearable devices are being adopted for use in markets like auto repair, emergency services, medical monitoring—and even, increasingly, for consumers at large. Indeed, more people will want to cross that bridge in the coming years--- making for a booming market for wearable computers that don’t like something out of science fiction.
52. Which of the following describes a wearable computer?
A. It can be washed in a washing machine.
B. It is much heavier than a leather purse.
C. It can download songs from the Internet.
D. It is made of clothes conducting electricity.
53. According to the passage, these new wearable computers ______.
A. require users to operate on the stomach
B. pick up the signals through wires and chip
C. are being applied in some different areas now
D. are smarter but more expensive than the old ones
54. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?
A. These new wearable computers have become fashionable.
B. People would like to learn more about these new computers.
C. These new wearable computers promise to sell well in the future.
D. The idea of these purse-like computers comes from science fiction.
55. The purpose of the passage is ______.
A. to introduce a new kind of computer B. to explain the function of computers
C. to compare different types of computers D. to show how high technology affects our life
C
Prince Charles yesterday pledged to reduce the royal impact on the environment through sweeping changes to his personal lifestyle and official schedule. The prince will replace carbon-heavy private jets and helicopters with scheduled flights and train services.
The move came as Prince Charles urged business leaders to publish the environmental pact of their activities.
He said, “Few accountants and business decision-makers ask, ‘How much of our critical natural resource is left? How many miles of polar ice cap has our business helped melt this year? By how many inches have we raised sea levels? How many species have we put at risk? How many homes will be flooded, how many people will die of thirst or starvation because of our activities? ’ These are not comfortable questions, but, by God, they need to be asked.”
He added, “At the moment these costs do not appear in anyone’s books… Yet they are real, they are incurred now and in a relatively short time, the damage being caused may be beyond remedy.” He said the world was “running up the biggest global credit card debt in history, but with little or no thought for how the bill will ever be paid”.
Flanked by the prime minister and business and community leaders at St James’s Palace, the prince said his new “accounting for sustainability” project would give consumers the power to choose products that caused less damage to the planet.
Duchy Originals, the prince’s food company, is taking steps to work out how much carbon dioxide and other green-house gas are emitted in growing, processing and distributing its products. The changes to the prince’s travel arrangements announced yesterday are part of a wider review of the carbon footprint associated with activities at all three of his residences. Clarence House in London, Highgrove and Birkhall on the Balmorals estate, as well as the activities of his 21 personal and 105 full-time staff. Measures include a review of electricity use, commuter and other staff travel and are intended to identify further reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. The review will report in June , when Clarence House will announce annual targets to reduce carbon emission.
47. One of the moves Prince Charles will take to reduce the royal impact on the environment is ______.
A. taking private jets that are not carbon-heavy
B. taking helicopters instead of private jets
C. taking trains instead of scheduled flights
D. taking scheduled flights instead of helicopters
48. How does Prince Charles feel about business leaders in terms of environmental protection?
A. Dissatisfied. B. Disappointed. C. Doubtful. D. Impatient.
49. In response to Prince Charles’ calls, Duchy Originals will ______.
A. make as much green food as possible B. cut down its cost.
C. figure out its greenhouse gas emission D. continue its greenhouse gas emission.
50. The underlined phrase “the biggest global credit card debt” in paragraph 3 probably refers to ______.
A. the great amount of waste produced by industry
B. the great damage caused to the environment
C. the great amount of debts of the royal family
D. the high cost of industry in their producing process
51. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Prince Charles Pledges Greener Royal Lifestyle
B. Better Late than Never
C. Prince Charles and His Concern for Environment
D. The Royal Family Has a Role to Play in Environment Protection