Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English ruler tried to conquer 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 will 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 Creeks". 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 English rulers tried to conquer Ireland. |
| D．How two “Irelands” came into being. |
We learn from the text that in Ireland________.
| A．food shortages in the 1840s led to a decline in population |
| 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．different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments |
The last paragraph is mainly about________.
| A．the Irish character |
| B．Irish culture |
| C．Irish musical instruments |
| D．a famous Irish writer |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Life in Ireland | B．A very difficult history |
| C．Ireland, past and present | D．the independence of Ireland |
Rome had the Forum (论坛). London has Speaker’s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.
Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street comers. And just talk. Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, “ Talk to Me,” they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.
They don’t collect money. They don’t push religion (宗教). So what’s the point?
“To see what happens,” said Liz. “ We simply enjoy life with open talk.”
Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return. “ It started as a crazy idea.” Liz said. “ We were so curious about all the 10 strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their job, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything.” Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went. Marcia had led her husband to a serious disease. “That was very heavy on my mind.” Marcia said. “ To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good,” she explained.
To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people appeared, as well as some television cameramen and reporters. They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something the two say they’ll consider before making a decision.
| A．Telling stories to strangers. |
| B．Setting up street signs. |
| C．Talking with people |
| D．Organizing a speaker’s party. |
| A．They knew Liz and Bill very well. |
| B．They happened to meet the writer of the text. |
| C．They organized the get-together in the city park. |
| D．They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill. |
| A．Go in for publishing |
| B．Do more television programs. |
| C．Continue what they are doing |
| D．Spend more time reading books. |
| A．They have decided to wait a year or two. |
| B．They will think about it carefully |
| C．They agreed immediately |
| D．They find it hard to do that. |
Norm Pethrick, a 36-year-old man in Australia’s northern city Darwin, was praised on Thursday for jumping onto a crocodile’s back to save his wife Wendy at Litchfield National Park, a popular tourist spot southwest of Darwin, a local newspaper reported.
Ms Pethrick was standing on a river bank Wednesday afternoon when the saltwater crocodile lunged (扑), locking its jaws on both her legs as it tried to drag her underwater. Norm Pethrick, who with his wife had been collecting water, immediately went to help her. He jumped onto the back, poked (戳) the eyes of the crocodile and finally got his wife free.
Ms Pethrick was later taken to Royal Darwin Hospital for a medical treatment. The doctors said she was suffering eight puncture wounds (伤口) in her right leg, a puncture wound in her left leg and a serious cut to one of her fingers.
“This could have been a fatal and tragic situation,” said the general manager of Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH), Dr Len Notaras, according to a local report.
He said Ms Pethrick was saved by her husband’s “quick and diligent actions”.
Dr Notaras also said she would remain in hospital for three to four days and have an operation to clean the wounds, which are easy to get infected because of bacteria (细菌) on the teeth of the crocodile.
| A．a travel guide | B．a newspaper |
| C．a textbook | D．a novel |
| A．swimming in the river | B．standing on the river bank |
| C．watching the crocodile | D．fishing in the water |
| A．Her eyes were badly poked. |
| B．She had eight wounds altogether. |
| C．One of her fingers also got hurt. |
| D．One of the crocodile’s teeth was found in her leg. |
| A．brave | B．diligent | C．quick | D．humorous |
There are many international organizations which work to save and protect endangered species (物种) and natural environment. If you would like more information about any of the organizations listed below, you can write to the addresses given.
Friends of the Earth (FOE) campaigns on a range of problems including rain forests, the countryside, water and air pollution and energy.
Friends of the Earth International Secretariat
P.O. Box 19199
1000 G.D.
Amsterdam
The Netherlands Greenpeace uses peaceful but direct action to defend the environment. It campaigns to protect rain forests and sea animals, stop global warming and end pollution of air, land and seas. It also opposes nuclear power.
Greenpeace International
Keizergracht 176
1016 DW Amsterdam
The Netherlands BirdLife International is an organization which works to save endangered birds all over the world.
BirdLife International
Wellbrook Court
Girton Road
Cambridge CB3 0NA
England
WWF—World Wide Fund For Nature is the world’s largest private international organization for the conservation of nature and threatened species.
Information Officer
WWF International
Avenue du Mont-Blanc
1196 Gland
Switzerland
| A．call them | B．write them a letter |
| C．visit them | D．send them an e-mail |
| A．reduce pollution | B．defend rain forests |
| C．protect ocean animals | D．save endangered birds |
| A．Friends of the Earth | B．World Wide Fund For Nature |
| C．Greenpeace | D．BirdLife International |
| A．Environmental Protection Organizations |
| B．Global Traffic Problems |
| C．Endangered Animals |
| D．Natural Beauty |
After a busy day of work and play, the body needs to rest. Sleep is necessary for good health. During this time, the body recovers from the activities of the previous day. The rest that you get while sleeping makes it possible for your body to prepare itself for the next day.
There are four levels of sleep, each being a little deeper than the one before. As you sleep, your body relaxes little by little. Your heart beats more slowly, and your brain slows down. After you reach the fourth level, your body shifts back and forth from one level of sleep to the other.
Although your mind slows down, you will dream from time to time. Scientists who study sleep point out that when you are dreaming, your eyeballs begin to move more quickly (although your eyelids are closed). This stage of sleep is called REM, which stands for rapid eye movement.
If you have trouble falling asleep, some people suggest breathing very slowly and very deeply. Other people believe that drinking warm milk will make you drowsy. There is also an old suggestion that counting sheep will put you to sleep.
| A．you move restlessly | B．you start dreaming |
| C．your mind stops working | D．your eyeballs move quickly |
| A．lazy | B．sleepy |
| C．relaxed | D．pleased |
| A．breathe slowly and deeply | B．drink cold drinks |
| C．get up and run | D．look for some sheep |
高考临近，许多家长用金钱，旅游等承诺鼓励孩子努力学习，考上一所好大学。假定你是高三学生李华，请根据所提供的有关信息，给某英文报社写封短信。
内容要点：
1、许多家长用金钱，旅游等承诺鼓励孩子努力学习，考上一所好大学；
2、可能会导致学生只关注物质奖励，而减少学习乐趣；
3、一旦获得想要的奖励就失去了学习动力；
4、你的建议。
注意：
1、不要逐词逐句地翻译。
2、为使语句连贯，可以适当增加细节。
3、词数100左右，信的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总数。
Dear Editor,
With the college entrance examination approaching, …
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Yours truly,
Li Hua