The most enjoyable way to discover Liverpool is by boat．The first thing to do is to take a ferry (boat) across the River Mersey. It’s the best way to find out about this city’s long and interesting history. The Liverpool Ferry，which is the oldest ferry service in Europe, started more than 800 years ago．
In the l8th century Liverpool became an important city for international business across the Atlantic Ocean．Ships sailed from Liverpool to the United States and Africa．The place to learn more about Liverpool’s importance is the Maritime Museum．
Liverpool was important because of its industry and trade in the 18th century．In the 20th century it became famous for music．The boys in the rock group，the Beatles，all came from Liverpool．The city is very proud of them．It named its airport John Lennon International Airport after one of the Beatles．Tourists can take a bus tour to visit some of the places the Beatles mention in their songs, like Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields．They can also visit the Cavern Club—the group first played there in 1961．The Beatles Story is a museum and gallery．Here you can find out more about these world—famous musicians．
But there’s more to see and do in Liverpoo1．At the Walker Art Gallery you can see the best art in the North of England．If you like modern art，the place to visit is the Tate Gallery．But above all，it’s the friendly and welcoming people of Liverpool who make this a city you should visit when you come to Great Britain．If you want to know more about Liverpool’s importance in history, you should ______.
| A．take a ferry across River Mersey |
| B．visit the Maritime Museum |
| C．visit the Cavern Club |
| D．visit the John Lennon International Airport |
In the 20th century Liverpool became well known all over the world because ______.
| A．its important in international business |
| B．a group of pop singers |
| C．a beautiful river called River Mersey |
| D．a big museum in the town |
As a devoted fan of the Beatles, you may choose to visit the following places EXCEPT ______.
| A．the Walker Art Gallery |
| B．The Beatles Story |
| C．the Cavern Club |
| D．Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields |
If you have a chance to visit Liverpool, _______ will probably impress you most.
| A．the Liverpool Ferry |
| B．the Liverpool’s history |
| C．the music of the Beatle |
| D．the friendly people of Liverpool |
This passage is mainly for ．
| A．people who live in Liverpool |
| B．students who want to study in UK |
| C．foreigners who plan to visit Great Britain |
| D．people who are interested in history |
The first visit to a foreign country that I can remember was when I was about seven years old. We live about 5 miles away from the Canadian border(边界). My family and I went to Parc Safari, Quebec, a wonderful place that has animals and rides. We drove down a nice long road. My sister and I sat in the back of the car, and it was a hatchback(有仓门式后背的汽车) so we opened it up. I remember feeding the animals snacks we had bought for ourselves.
The time we went we were told there would not be monkeys because they had escaped and had not been found. I remember thinking to myself, how cool it would be to see a monkey in our backyard.
Even though the monkeys were not there it was still so much fun. When we reached the area that had camels, giraffes and other animals, I remember one of the camels reached into the car to get our snacks. However, we were a little gross out because the camels seemed to froth(吐白沫) at the mouth and we had camel slobber(口水) all over the car and us.
It was one of the best family vacations that I can remember. It was not too far from home, it was in a different country and it was with my family. I cannot remember if we went on the rides or not but seeing many animals was a great time. Now I am grown up and have a son, and I am planning to go there again. He is 7 years old and I think he is at a great age to enjoy a trip like this. I am sure it has changed a lot over the years but it will still be a great family trip.Where did the author live when he was 7 years old?
| A．In Canada | B．Near the Canadian border |
| C．In the central US | D．In Parc Safari |
We fed the animals something _____.
| A．offered by people living there |
| B．we bought for them |
| C．we prepared for ourselves |
| D．cooked by my sister |
what does the underlined part “gross out” in paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．surprised | B．excited |
| C．tired | D．uncomfortable |
What does the author intend to do?
| A．To revisit the place he went to at seven. |
| B．To take his 7-year-old son to a zoo. |
| C．To have a family trip in his own country. |
| D．To have a holiday abroad with his parents. |
（共5小题，每小题3分，满分15分）
根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项是多余选项。
You may know the benefits of laughter on the mind and spirit. __1__. Norman Cousins used to say that laughter is so beneficial for your body that is like “inner jogging”.
Mayo Clinic Health Letter reports that laughter aids breathing by increasing your breathing rate. It can even help clear mucus (粘液) from your lungs. __2__. It increases circulation and improves the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues throughout your body. __3__. It helps fight off colds, flu etc. by increasing the concentration of immunoglobulin A (免疫球蛋白A) in your saliva (唾液). And it may help control pain by raising the levels of certain brain chemicals.
Furthermore, it is a natural stress reliever. Have you ever laughter so hard that you doubled over, feel off your chair, spit out your food? __4__. The good news is that you are allowed more than 15 laughs a day! Go ahead and double the dose and make it 30 times today. (You may begin to notice immediate improvement in your relationships!) Then double it again! __5__. People will enjoy being around you as well.
Laughter, it's the best medicine.
A. Laughter is also good for your heart.
B. A good laugh helps you build up you body to protect against diseases.
C. However, it is confusing why laughter makes people so good.
D. However, are you aware of how much a good laugh can help you physically?
E. A good laugh relieves physical tension and stress.
F. You cannot maintain muscle tension when you are laughing!
G. You are likely to feel better and deal with problems more effectively.
The US space agency NASA is looking for people to go to Mars, and stay there. This attractive career is for people who want a huge change of scenery and planet. The project is called the Hundred Years Starship, which aims to colonize (开拓殖民地) other lands such as the red planet Mars.
Settlers would travel to the red planet and live there forever. NASA says it would be too expensive to bring humans back to Earth. The space agency can afford, however, to send supplies to the astronaut pioneers from Earth. Astronauts would be landed on the planet's surface and would never be able to return home due to the cost.
NASA has started the project with $1.6 million, and hopes to attract investment from space-living billionaires. Google co-founder Larry Page told NASA he would be interested if the cost of a one-way ticket can go down from $10 billion to $2 billion.
The journey to Mars could take 4 months. Setting on the red planet would be extremely dangerous, especially given the freezing temperatures there. The thin atmosphere would be another problem as it is mostly carbon dioxide, so oxygen supplies are a must. A director in NASA said that he believed the trip might start with visiting Mars's moons first. He claimed that humans could be on Mars's moons by 2030.
Many scientists think colonizing space is absolutely necessary. Steven Hawking believes we must move to other planets to survive as a species. He said: “Once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe.” Scientists Dirk' Schulze-Makuch and Paul Davies also call it a “desirable goal”, though there surely are huge risks to explore new lands.Which of the following is TRUE about the Hundred Years Starship?
| A．It has cost NASA around $10 billion. |
| B．It is expected to be conducted on Mars in 2030. |
| C．It aims to explore new lands in the universe. |
| D．It is a project first raise by Steven Hawking. |
We can infer from the passage that Google co-founder Larry Page _______.
| A．used to be an astronaut | B．is no longer rich now |
| C．is a fan of space travel | D．is a generous man |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．One-way trip to Mars |
| B．Mars's another moon is found. |
| C．Human landing on Mars. |
| D．NASA's first cooperation with Google. |
The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States, becoming a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather than the year in which it is held, with Super Bowl I being the 1966 season championship game, when the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs. Super Bowl XLVI (46) was played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, on February 5, 2012, to determine the champion of the 2011 season; the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots.
The game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues’ champion teams would play in an AFL--NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was appointed as a “conference”, and the game was then played between the conference champions. Currently, the National Football Conference (NFC) leads the series with 25 wins to 21 wins for the American Football Conference (AFC).
The day on which the Super Bowl is played, now considered to be an existing American national holiday, is called “Super Bowl Sunday”, though it is not determined by the government. It is the second—largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day. In addition, the Super Bowl has frequently been the most watched American television broadcast of the year.
Because of its high viewership, commercial airtime during the Super Bowl broadcast is the most expensive of the year. Due to the high cost of investing in advertising on the Super Bowl, companies regularly develop their most expensive advertisements for this broadcast. As a result, watching and discussing the broadcast’s commercials has become a significant aspect of the event. In addition, many popular singers and musicians have performed during the event’s pre-game and halftime ceremonies because of the exposure’s attracting more fans.What does the Super Bowl use to show each game?
| A．The year when the game is held. |
| B．English letters. |
| C．Roman numerals |
| D．Arabic numerals |
What does the underlined word “merger” in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．Union. | B．Appearance. |
| C．Division. | D．Competition. |
According to the third paragraph, we can know that_______.
| A．the Super Bowl Sunday is an official national holiday |
| B．the Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest day for U.S. food consumption |
| C．the Super Bowl has owned the biggest TV audience among all games |
| D．Thanksgiving Day is the second--largest day for U.S. food consumption |
We can infer from the last paragraph that________.
| A．singers and musicians perform during the event’s ceremonies to get more attention |
| B．people seldom discuss the broadcast’s commercials |
| C．commercial companies make much money by broadcasting advertisements |
| D．commercial companies are not interested in the Super Bowl |
The national schools’ first aid competition is an interesting way for young people to practice their first aid skills in a safe environment.
A school may have three teams. The deadline for this competition has now been continued to April 21, 2012. All teams will compete at an elimination (淘汰) round, with the winners going forward to the National Final for the chance to become the winner.
A team has three formal members, and a reserve is also needed. All team members, together with the reserve, will take part. There are two age sections:
Junior: 7 to11
Senior: 12 to 16
This competition is based on the Young First Aid Course from St. John Ambulance Training Officer. Support will be given to make sure everyone has equal chances to win.
The winners of this competition will be invited to take part in the Young Grand Prior Competition. This competition improves the practical first aid skills of young people and tests their knowledge and skills with a series of realistic accidents and injuries. Youth teams are aged between 12 and 16 years old and should have three members. Young adults are aged between 17 and 21 and should have two members. All teams may bring a reserve. The Young Grand Prior Competition will be held at the Spa Complex, Scarborough, on November 28, 2012.
Those who want to take part in the national schools’ first aid competition will have to complete our application form. If you are fifteen and want to take part in the competition, you will _________.
| A．belong to the junior sections of the first aid competition |
| B．complete our application form by the end of April, 2012 |
| C．study the course of St. John Ambulance Training Officer |
| D．teach yourself a lot of knowledge and skills of first aid |
How many students will stand for a school?
| A．Sixteen | B．Twelve | C．Four | D．Three |
Form the passage we can learn that the Young Grand Prior Competition will __________.
| A．have a test with realistic accidents and injuries |
| B．not allow the adult competitors to take part in |
| C．be the highest level competition in the country |
| D．be held on April 21, 2012 |
The passage is written mainly for __________.
| A．those who want to practice their first aid skills |
| B．the young school students in the country |
| C．the middle school teachers in the country |
| D．the young people throughout the country |