Societies all over the world name places in similar ways. Quite often there is no official naming ceremony(仪式) but places tend to be called names as points of reference by people. Then an organized body steps in and gives the place a name. Frequently it happens that a place has two names: one is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habits die hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.
Many roads and places in Singapore (新加坡) are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road(斯坦福路) and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries--in both the West and the East.
Another way of naming places is naming them after other places. Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were originally from the places that the roads were named after. The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases. If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus--obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel.
Some places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places. Bras Basah Road is an interesting example. “Bras Basah” means “wet rice” in Malay (马来语). Now why would anyone want to name a road “Wet Rice Road”? The reason is simple. During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road.
A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes. There is “Circular Road” for one. Other roads may have part of their names to describe their shapes, like “Paya Lebar Crescent”. This road is called a crescent (月牙) because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again.We learn from Paragraph 1 that ________.
| A．the government is usually the first to name a place |
| B．a ceremony will be held when a place is named |
| C．many places tend to have more than one name |
| D．people prefer the place names given by the government |
What does the underlined phrase “die hard” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．Change suddenly. |
| B．Change significantly. |
| C．Disappear very slowly. |
| D．Disappear mysteriously. |
Which of the following places is named after a person?
| A．Selector Airbase. |
| B．Raffles Place. |
| C．Piccadilly Circus. |
| D．Paya Lebar Crescent. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Young Singaporeans have forgotten the pioneers. |
| B．Some places in Singapore are named for military(军事) purposes. |
| C．The way Singaporeans name their places is unique. |
| D．Some place names in Singapore are the same as in Britain. |
While famous foreign architects are invited to lead the designs of landmark buildings in China such as the new CCTV tower and the National Center for the Performing Arts， many excellent Chinese architects are making great efforts to take the center stage．
Their efforts have been proven fruitful． Wang Shu a 49﹣year﹣old Chinese architect， won the 2012 Pritzker Architecture prize ﹣which is often referred to as the Nobel Prize in architecture﹣on February 28． He is the first Chinese citizen to win this award．
Wang serves as head of the Architecture Department at the China Department at the China Academy of Art（CAA）． His office is located at the Xiangshan campus （校园）of the university in Hangzhou， Zhejiang Province． Many buildings on the campus are his original creations．
The style of the campus is quite different from that of most Chinese universities． Many visitors were amazed by the complex architectural space and abundant building types．The curves（曲线） of the buildings perfectly match the rise and fall of hills， forming a unique view．
Wang collected more than 7 million abandoned bricks of different ages． He asked the workers to use traditional techniques to make the bricks into walls， roofs and corridors． This creation attracted a lot of attention thanks to its mixture of modern and traditional Chinese elements．
Wang's works show a deep understanding of modern architecture and a good knowledge of traditions． Through such a balance， he had created a new type of Chinese architecture， said Tadao Ando， the winner of the 1995 Pritzker Prize．
Wang believes traditions should not be sealed in glass boxes at museums． "That is only evidence that traditions once existed，" he said．
"Many Chinese people have a misunderstanding of traditions． They think tradition means old things from the past． In fact， tradition also refers to the things that have been developing and that are still being created ，"he said．
"Today， many Chinese people are learning Western styles and theories rather than focusing on Chinese traditions． Many people tend to talk about traditions without knowing what they really are，" said Wang．
The study of traditions should be combined with practice． Otherwise， the recreation of traditions would be artificial and empty， he said．
（1）Wang's winning of the prize means that Chinese architects are ．
| A． |
following the latest world trend |
| B． |
getting international recognition |
| C． |
working harder than ever before |
| D． |
relying on foreign architects |
（2）What impressed visitors to the CAA Xiangshan campus most？
| A． |
Its hilly environment． |
| B． |
Its large size． |
| C． |
Its unique style． |
| D． |
Its diverse functions． |
（3）What made Wang's architectural design a success？
| A． |
The mixture of different shapes． |
| B． |
The balance of East and West． |
| C． |
The use of popular techniques． |
| D． |
The harmony of old and new． |
（4）What should we do about Chinese traditions according to Wang？
| A． |
Spread them to the world． |
| B． |
Preserve them at museums． |
| C． |
Teach them in universities． |
| D． |
Recreate them in practice． |
Cities usually have a good reason for being where they are， like a nearby port or river．People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade． New York City， for example， is near a large harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River． Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million． But not all cities develop slowly over a long period of time． Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight． In 1896， Dawson， Canada， was unmapped wilderness（荒野）．But gold was discovered there in 1897， and two years later it was one of the largest cities in the West， with a population of 30，000．
Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London or Paris． People went there for gold． They travelled over snow﹣covered mountains are sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers． The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow that could fall without warning． An avalanche（ 雪崩）once closed the path， killing 63 people．For many who made it to Dawson， however， the rewards were worth the difficult trip． Of the first 20，000 people who dug for gold， 4，000 got rich． About 100 of these stayed rich men for the rest of their lives．
But no matter how rich they were， Dawson was never comfortable． Necessities like food and wood were very expensive． But soon， the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found． The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in setting down， and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska， they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come． Today， people still come and go﹣ to see where the Canadian gold rush happened． Tourism is now the chief industry of Dawson City﹣ its present population is 762．
（1）What attracted the early settlers to New York City？
| A． |
Its business culture． |
| B． |
Its small population． |
| C． |
Its geographical position． |
| D． |
Its favourable climate |
（2）What do we know about those who first dug for gold in Dawson？
| A． |
Two﹣thirds of them stayed there． |
| B． |
One out of five people got rich． |
| C． |
Almost everyone gave up． |
| D． |
Half of them died． |
（3）What was the main reason for many people to leave Dawson？
| A． |
They found the city too crowded． |
| B． |
They wanted to try their luck elsewhere． |
| C． |
They were unable to stand the winter． |
| D． |
They were short of food． |
（4）What is the text mainly about？
| A． |
The rise and fall of a city． |
| B． |
The gold rush in Canada． |
| C． |
Journeys into the wilderness． |
| D． |
Tourism in Dawson． |
Welcome to Holker Hall Garden
Visitor information
How to Get to Holker
By car： Follow brown signs on A590 from J36， M6． Approximate travel times：Windermere﹣20 minutes， Kendal﹣25 minutes， Lancaster﹣45 minutes， Manchester﹣1 hour 30 minutes．
By rail： the nearest station is Cark﹣in﹣Cartmel with trains to Carnforth． Lancaster and Preston for connections to major cities & airports．
Opening times
Sunday﹣Friday（closed on Saturday）11： 00 am﹣4： 00 pm， 30th March﹣2nd November．
Admission Charges
Hall & Gardens Gardens
Adults： ￡12.00 ￡8.00
Groups： ￡9.00 ￡5.5
Special Events
Producers' Market13th April
Join us to taste a variety of fresh local food and drinks． Meet the producers and get some excellent recipe ideas．
Holker Garden Festival30th May
The event celebrates its 22nd anniversary with a great show of the very best of gardening， making it one of the most popular events in the gardening．
National Garden Day28th August
Holker once again opens its gardens in aid of the disadvantaged． For just a small donation you can take a tour with our garden guide．
Winter Market8th November
This is an event for all the family． Wander among a variety of shops selling gifts while enjoying a live music show and nice street entertainment．
（1）How long does it probably take a tourist to drive to Holker from Manchester？
| A． |
20 minutes． |
| B． |
25 minutes． |
| C． |
45 minutes． |
| D． |
90 minutes |
（2）How much should a member of a tour group pay a visit to Hall &gardens？
| A． |
￡12.00． |
| B． |
￡9.00． |
| C． |
￡8.00． |
| D． |
￡5.50． |
（3）Which event will you go to if you want to see a live music show？
| A． |
Producers' Market． |
| B． |
Holker Garden Festival． |
| C． |
National Garden Day． |
| D． |
Winter Market． |
As cultural symbols go，the American car is quite young．The Model T Ford was built at the Piquette Plant in Michigan a century ago，with the first rolling off the assembly line （装配线）on September 27，1908．Only eleven cars were produced the next month．But eventually Henry Ford would build fifteen million of them．
Modern America was born on the road，behind a wheel．The car shaped some of the most lasting aspects of American culture：the roadside diner，the billboard，the motel，even the hamburger．For most of the last century，the car represented what it meant to be American﹣going forward at high speed to find new worlds．The road novel，the road movie，these are the most typical American ideas，born of abundant petrol，cheap cars and a never﹣ending interstate highway system，the largest public works project in history．
In 1928 Herbert Hoover imagined an America with "a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage．" Since then，this society has moved onward，never looking back，as the car transformed America from a farm﹣based society into an industrial power．
The cars that drove the American Dream have helped to create a global ecological disaster．In America the demand for oil has grown by 22 percent since 1990．
The problems of excessive（过度的） energy consumption，climate change and population growth have been described in a book by the American writer Thomas L．Friedman．He fears the worst，but hopes for the best．
Friedman points out that the green economy（经济）is a chance to keep American strength． "The ability to design，build and export green technologies for producing clean water，clean air and healthy and abundant food is going to be the currency of power in the new century．"
（1）Why is hamburger mentioned in paragraph 2？
| A． |
To explain Americans' love for travelling by car． |
| B． |
To show the influence of cars on American culture． |
| C． |
To stress the popularity of fast food with Americans． |
| D． |
To praise the effectiveness of America's road system． |
（2）What has the use of cars in America led to？
| A． |
Decline of economy． |
| B． |
Environmental problems． |
| C． |
A shortage of oil supply． |
| D． |
A farm﹣based society． |
（3）What is Friedman's attitude towards America's future？
| A． |
Ambiguous． |
| B． |
Doubtful． |
| C． |
Hopeful． |
| D． |
Tolerant． |
Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks． His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he's an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter，including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road． What is even more interesting is that one of Stein's jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bag．
Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year． So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts （收银台）． The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California， including Los Angeles． Eyeing these headwinds， plastic﹣bag makers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume．
Among the bag makers' arguments： many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags， which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport． And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at， they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today．
The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement： reusable shopping bags． The stronger a reusable bag is， the longer its life and the more plastic﹣bag use it cancels out． However， longer﹣lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make． One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic．
Environmentalists don't dispute（质疑） these points． They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years．
（1）What has Steven Stein been hired to do？
| A． |
Help increase grocery sales． |
| B． |
Recycle the waste material． |
| C． |
Stop things falling off trucks． |
| D． |
Argue for the use of plastic bags． |
（2）What does the word "headwinds" in paragraph 2 refer to？
| A． |
Bans on plastic bags． |
| B． |
Effects of city development． |
| C． |
Headaches caused by garbage． |
| D． |
Plastic bags hung in trees． |
（3）What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic﹣bag makers？
| A． |
They are quite expensive． |
| B． |
Replacing them can be difficult． |
| C． |
They are less strong than plastic bags． |
| D． |
Producing them requires more energy． |
（4）What is the best title for the text？
| A． |
Plastic， Paper or Neither |
| B． |
Industry， Pollution and Environment |
| C． |
Recycle or Throw Away |
| D． |
Garbage Collection and Waste Control |