When the seventeenth-century settlers brought the English language to America, they immediately and necessarily began to adapt (使适应) it to their new environment. These changes were clear early and criticized by some people on both sides of the Atlantic. However, after the Revolution, Americans began to be proud of their own form of English. Noah Webster was the major early supporter of American meanings and spellings over British ones and published the earliest American dictionary, An American Dictionary of the English Language. During the years since Webster, language differences have continued to develop, proving (证明) the truth of George Bernard Shaw’s often-repeated words that the two nations are divided by a common language.
Like the American language, the earliest American literature (文学) copied English models. However, after the Revolution and the War of 1812, writers began to create a clear American literature. However, in 1820, Sydney Smith asked the famous question “Who reads an American book?”
Answering to this and similar taunts (讽刺) with creative anger, American writers soon produced works that plenty of British people read. Works by Washing-ton Irving, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain had been acclaimed greatly in Britain by the end of the nineteenth century.
Even as American writers got respect in Britain, British writers continued to have great influence in America. Charles Dickens went to America twice, in 1842 and 1867-68. Other major British writers who traveled and lived in the United States include D.H. Lawrence and Aldous Huxley. British best works continue to be widely read. The works of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen became popular films.
At the turn of the twenty-first century, many books and writers continue to cross the Atlantic in both directions — made possible by the proud heritage (继承) of the shared language.The author of this passage seems to think ______.
A.British English is better than American English |
B.American English is better than British English |
C.the same language has divided the two nations |
D.the same language has connected the two nations |
From the question asked by Sydney Smith, we can infer ______.
A.the British had to translate American books into English ones |
B.the British found American books difficult to understand |
C.the British thought highly of books written by Americans |
D.the British looked down upon American books at first |
The underlined word “acclaimed” in Paragraph 3 probably means “______”.
A.sold | B.discussed |
C.welcomed | D.refused |
B
Can you imagine traveling to work in a one-man submarine? Some scientists believe that some day one-man submarines will be as numerous (许多) as automobiles are today. A famous French driver says, “One day soon, men will walk on the ocean floor as they do on the street!” Perhaps during your lifetime people will travel, work, and live in the sea.
If human beings want to live in the ocean, many human problems will need to be studied first. Some of these problems, similar to those of living in outer space, are pressure, lack of oxygen and weightlessness. Many questions remain unanswered.For example, can our blood adjust itself to underwater surroundings? What will happen to our muscle if we live in the water very long? Scientists are searching for answers.
Perhaps in the future man will live in the sea, away from the crowded and noisy cities on land.The sea has plenty of space, not only for floating communities (团体) and parks, but also for storing supplies and for underwater travel.
Some scientists believe that ocean living will benefit man in more than physical ways. In the freedom and beauty of the deep sea, man may find new sources of joy.
60.According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A.Man will live in the sea just like living on the earth in time.
B.Human beings can now freely walk on the ocean floor just like walking on the street.
C.There are as many submarines as automobiles in the ocean.
D.A famous French driver found a safe way to travel to the ocean floor.
61.If human beings want to live in the ocean, _____.
A.problems such as pressure, lack of oxygen and weightlessness have to be solved
B.people have to answer many questions asked by scientists
C.underwater surroundings must be improved to fit the human bodies
D.human muscle must be exposed in the water for a long time
62.Which of the following might not be the reason for the people who want to live in the ocean?
A.The sea has plenty of space.
B.The cities on land are crowded, noisy and polluted.
C.Ocean living will do good to them in physical ways and spiritual ways.
D.There are communities and parks on the ocean floor.
63.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.The Use of One-man SubmarineB.Living Things in the Ocean
C.Ocean LivingD.Beauty of Ocean Floor
第三部分阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
A
Experts around Europe are discussing the embarrassing museum safety following the theft of two art masterpiece paintings on Sunday. A large hunt got under way Monday for thieves who walked into a lightly guarded museum in Oslo, Norway, tore two paintings off the wall and ran away.
Some expressed fear that works of art are in increasing danger from violent robbery — unless, said Deputy Culture Minister Yngve Slettholm, "we lock them in a mountain bunker(碉堡)."
Armed, masked robbers stole the Edvard Munch masterpiece "The Scream" and another of Munch's works, "Madonna," from Oslo's Munch Museum on Sunday as visitors watched in disbelief.
The purpose behind the robbery also remained unknown. But art experts guessed the thieves were either looking for money or wished to impress other criminals since it would be nearly impossible to sell such famous pieces of art.
This is the second time in a decade that a version of the painting has been stolen. Another version of "The Scream" was stolen from Oslo's National Gallery in February 2004, but recovered three months later. The Munch works were not insured against theft, because it was impossible to set a price on them, said John Oeyaas, managing director of Oslo Forsikring, the city-owned company that insured the paintings against damage. But he said the theft in broad daylight from one of Norway's most visited museums raises the question of security — "How can we make these artworks available to the public while still ensuring their safety?"
56. The stolen paintings were drawn by ______.
A. Oslo Forsikring B. Yngve Slettholm C. Edvard Munch D. John Oeyaas
57.Which of the following description is correct about the theft?
A.The two paintings were stolen on Monday
B.Visitors to the museum saw the faces of the robbers
C.The thieves were looking for money
D.The thieves had weapons with them during the theft
58. The Oslo’s Munch Museum ______.
A.is one of the most popular museum in the country
B.had all its paintings insured against theft
C.were going to lock the paintings in a mountain bunker
D.had another version of “The Scream” stolen in 2004
59. What could be the best title for this passage?
A.Dangers of Violent Robbery
B.How to Ensure Safety of Artworks
C.Priceless Art Lost in Bold Theft
D.Famous Art Works Favored by Thieves
D
One day newly wedded Nancy lost her ring while helping to plant potatoes. Friends were called and the field was searched long but in vain. Later, when the pottoes were harvested, Everyone looked out for the ring but it remained lost. Another year came round and all the farmers working in the field kept their eyes open. The following year was the same. And year after year, whoever had business in the field aways had Nancy’s ring in his mind.
Then the farm changed hands but it went no farther than to cousins. So the memory of the lost ring remained alive until thirty-eight years had passed. Then came a spring day when a man was ploughing the field behind a pair of horses. Even after thirty-eight years he still looked out for the ring, and knew just which part of the field Nancy had lost it in. At this time, when he came there, he found it .He picked it up, put it carefully into his pocket, left his horse, and ran all the way down to the village and placed it into Nancy’s hand.
76.How did Nancy come to lose her ring?
A.She lost it while helping to harvest tomatoes in the field
B.She lost it while watering the plants in the field.
C.She lost it while working in the field.
D.She lost it while helping to plant potatoes in the field.
77.What was done so that the lost ring could be found?
A.Friends were asked to join in the search.
B.The field was searched for a long time.
C.Dogs were called to look for it.
D.Both A and B
78.Why did people keep looking for the ring even after the farm changed hands?
A.It was a very expensive ring
B.They all wanted to solve the mystery.
C.They all loved Nancy.
D.Everybody wanted to have this ring.
79.What did the ploughman do after finding the ring?
A.He picked it up and put it in his pocket.
B.He ran back to tell everybody in the village.
C.He placed it in a secret spot.
D.He returned it to the owner.
80.What can you infer from the story?
A.The ring was invaluable.
B.People on the farm were honest and helpful.
C.The ring’s mysterious disappearance was the work of supernatural power.
D.Nancy no longer expected that her ring would be found again.
C
The first newspaper were handwritten sheets which were posted in pubic places. The earliest recorded newspaper was started in Rom in 59 BC. In the 700’s the world’s first printed newspaper was developed in China. The paper was printed from carved(雕刻的) wooden blocks and sent out among the citizens. Europe didn’t have a regularly(定期的) published newspaper until 1609, when one was started in Germany.
The fist regularly published newspaper in the English language was printed in 1620. In 1621, an English newspaper was started in London and was published weekly. The first daily English newspaper was the Daily Courant, which didn’t appear until March 1702.
In 1690, Benjamin Harris printed the first American newspaper in Boston. But the local(当地的) government soon stopped its publication. In 1704, John Campbell started The Boston News-letter, the first newspaper to be published daily in America. By 1760, the whole America had more than thirty daily newspapers. There are now about 1800 daily papers in the United States.
Today, as a group, English language newspapers have the largest circulation(发行量) in the world. The largest circulation for a newspaper, however, is that of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, which sells over eleven million copies every day.
71.In Europe, the newspaper was first regularly published_____.
A.in England B.in Germany C.in France D.in London
72.The first English newspaper printed and sold every day appeared _________.
A.in 1620B.in 1609
C.at the end of the 17th century D.at the beginning of the 18th century.
73.How many years earlier was the newspaper printed in China than in America?
A.9 or 10 centuries. B.More than 1000 years. C.700 years or so D.Less than 800 years.
74.As suggested by the article, which of the following newspapers have the largest umber of readers in the world?
A.Italian language newspapers. B.German language newspapers.
C.English language newspapers. D.Japanese language newspapers.
75.Which title best gives the main idea of the passage?
A.The World’s First Newspaper.
B.History of Newspaper.
C.The First Daily Newspaper in American.
D.A Remarkable Man-Benjamin Harris.
B
Everybody knows that words can carry messages. People communicate with words. Books, magazines, TV , radio and films all help us to know what is going on in the world and what people are thinking about.
Do you think you can communicate without words? A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears in your eyes tell others that you are sad. When you put up your hand in class, the teacher knows that you say something or ask a question. You shake your head, and people know you are saying “No”. You nod and people know you are saying “Yes”.
Other things can also carry messages. For example, a sign at the bus stop helps you to know which bus to take. A sign on the wall of your school helps you to find the library. Signs on doors tell you where to go in or out. Have you ever noticed there are a lot of signs around you and you receive messages from them all the time? People can communicate in many ways without words. For example, an artist can use his drawings to tell about beautiful mountains, seas and many other things.
66.Choose the best title for this passage.
A.Ways for Communication.
B.The Best Way for Communication.
C.The Only Way for Communication.
D.Words Can Carry Messages.
67.How can people communicate with each other?
A.With words only
B.Only without words.
C.Either with words or without words.
D.Just by using different kinds of signs.
68.Which of the following is NOT a way for communication without words?
A.A cry for help B.A smile on your face C.Making a face D.Nodding your head
69.What does the road sign P tell people?
A.You can go into the park. B.You can please everybody.
C.You can leave your car there. D.You can cross the street there.
70.How can a musician (someone who writes music) communicate with people?
A.By saying something. B.By playing some music.
C.By writhing letters. D.All of the above are right.