Before we start a voyage, we usually try to find out more or less definitely where we are bound and how we are supposed to get there.
I happen to have the “Concise Oxford dictionary” on my desk and that will do as well as any other. The word I am looking for appears at the bottom of Page 344. edition 1912.
“Geography: the science of the earth's surface, form, physical features, natural and political divisions, climate, productions and population.”
I could not possibly hope to do better, but I still stress some of the aspects of the case at the expenses of others, because I intend to place man in the centre of the stage. This book of mine will not merely discuss the surface of the earth and its physical features, together with its political and natural boundaries. I would rather call it a study of man in search of food and shelter and leisure for himself and for his family and an attempt to his background or has reshaped his physical surroundings in order to be comfortable and well nourished and happy with his limited strength.
Among the two million human beings in the world, there is of course the widest possible range for all sorts of experiments of an economic and social and cultural nature. It seems that those experiments deserve our attention before anything else. For a mountain is after all merely a mountain until it has been seen by human eyes and has been walked on by human feet and until its slopes and valleys have been occupied and fought over and planted by a dozen generation of hungry settlers.
The Atlantic Ocean was just as wide and deep and as wet and salty before the beginning of the 13th century as after, but it took the human touch to make it what it is today—a bridge between the New World and the Old, the highway for the commerce between East and West.
For thousands of years the endless Russian plains lay ready to offer their abundant harvest to whoever should take the trouble to sow the first grain. But the aspect of that country today would he a very different one if the hand of a German or a Frank, rather than that of a Slav, had guided the iron-pointed stick that plowed the first furrows (犁沟).
The island of Nippon would shake and quake just as continually, whether they happened to be settled by Japanese or by the Tasmanian race, but in the latter case they would hardly be able to feed 60,000,000 people.
Generally speaking, I have paid more attention to the purely “human” side of geography than to the commercial problems which are so important in a day and age devoted to mass production.
In the first four paragraphs, the author wants to share with the readers ______.
| A．his approach to planning a voyage |
| B．his emphasis on using a dictionary |
| C．his definition of the word “geography” |
| D．his altitude to the earth's physical features |
Which of the following will the author NOT consider to be on experiment according to Paragraph 5?
| A．Exploring a mountain. |
| B．Climbing a mountain. |
| C．Planting on slopes and valleys. |
| D．Becoming hungry. |
The author mentioned the Russian plains and the island of Nippon to show that _____.
| A．they both feed a lot of people |
| B．they enjoy very good natural conditions |
| C．different people may make the same place different |
| D．their natural conditions haven't changed for many years |
【原创】How is the passage organized?
| A．Topic ---Argument --- Explanation |
| B．Introduction --- Supporting examples --- Conclusion |
| C．Opinion --- Discussion --- Description |
| D．Main idea --- Comparison --- Supporting examples |
第三部分阅读理解（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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A new study suggests that the more teenagers watch television, the more likely they are to develop depression （沮丧；抑郁）as young adults.
The researchers used a national long - term survey of adolescent health to investigate（调查）the relationship between media use and depression. They based their findings on more than four thousand adolescents who were not depressed when the survey began in 2000.
As part of the survey, the young people were asked how many hours of television or videos they watched daily. They were also asked how often they played computer games and listened to the radio. Media use totaled an average of five and one - half hours a day. More than two hours of that was spent watching TV.
Seven years later, in 2007, more than seven percent of the young people had signs of depression. The average age at that time was twenty -one.
The study didn’t explore if watching TV causes depression. But one possibility is that it was taking time away from activities that could help prevent depression.
Previous study found that people who describe themselves as happy spend less time watching television than unhappy people. The study found that happy people are more likely to be socially active to read, to attend religious services and to vote.
1. The result of the research seems to prove ________.
A. teenagers are more likely to develop depression than adults
B. other media uses do no harm to adolescents
C. TV probably causes teenagers to grow up with depression
D. those who don’t watch TV will not develop depression
2. We can learn from the survey that of all the media use ________.
A. computer games are teenagers’ favorite
B. most teenagers prefer to listen to the radio
C. teenagers enjoy watching TV very much
D. newspaper is not included in the survey
3. According to the passage, what kind of activity may help prevent depression?
A. Playing computer games. B. Taking part in sports.
C. Listening to the radio. D. Watching movies.
4. We can conclude that a teenager should ________.
A. play more video games instead of watching TV
B. be active in taking part in outdoor activities
C. be more active in watching educational TV programmes
D. attend religious services and care for politics
It’s been claimed that playing a musical instrument makes you smarter．
New research suggests that regularly playing a musical instrument changes the shape and power of the brain, and may be used in therapy (疗法) to improve cognitive (认知) skills．
Experts say there is growing evidence that musicians have brains that are structurally and functionally different from those of non-musicians, especially in the areas of the brain used in processing (处理信息)
The parts of the brain that control motor skills, the storage of audio information, hearing and memory become larger and more active when a person learns how to play an instrument and can apparently improve the alertness (警觉) and planning．
Lutz Jancke, a psychologist at the University of Zurich, said, “Leaning to play a musical instrument has great benefits and can increase IQ by seven points in both children and adults．We found that even people over the age of 65, after four or five months of playing an instrument for an hour a week, had strong changes in the brain.” The parts of the brain that control hearing and memory, and the part that controls the hands, among others, all become more active.
“Of course music isn’t the only answer, but I do believe that it should be used in addition to other things.”
Mr．Jancke also said that learning a musical instrument could also make it easier to learn foreign languages and make one more sensitive to understanding the emotions of others．“So not on
ly does this make it easier to pick up other languages and have a better memory of one’s own, we have also seen musicians are able to pick out exactly what others are feeling just by the tones of their voices—sympathy, disappointment, that kind of things.”
He added, “Several studies indeed show that playing music increases memory and language skills, but more research is needed.”
1．What is the passage mainly about?
A．How to use musical instruments.
B．How music affects the brain.
C．How playing music makes people smarter.
D．The development of research into music.
2．Compared wi
th non-musicians, __________.
A．musicians are better at foreign languages
B．musicians are more active in sports
C．musicians have stronger emotions
D．musicians’ brains work differently in proce
ssing
3．Which of the following is NOT a benefit of playing an instrument?
A．It makes it easier for one to pick up foreign languages.
B．It allows one to show his feelings more exactly to others．
C．It gives one a better memory in one’s own language．
D．it makes one understand others’ feelings better．
4．From Luz Jancke we lean that _________．
A．playing an instrument benefits children more than adults
B．playing an instrument has no benefits for people over 65
C．some studies show playing music can increase memory
D．he will do more research into brain development and music
In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin．Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success．These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial or ethnic group, if some members are darker skinned than others．
The result is that skin lightening has become a common activity across Africa, Asia and other areas of the world．More and more people with dark skin are using skin-lightening products, even if they may face health risks.
They believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives．Many people think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family．Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful.
Some beauty care products and soaps contain chemicals that make skin lighter．This process is also called bleaching．But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous．One of the chemicals has been linked to kidney (肾) damage and some kinds of cancer．It also causes low birth weight in babies when mothers use it during pregnancy．
At first, bleaching products make the skin color lighter．But after long-term use they can cause problems．They can even make some skin darker．The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color to skin．The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight．Then the skin can become thick and discolored．Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse.
Fatimata Ly treats skin conditions in the Senegalese capital，Dakar．Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal．She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger．Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage．
And these are not the only risks．Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional damage．They fee
l regret and sadness．They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color as it was．
1．Which of the following words can replace the underlined word “bleaching”?
A．whitening B．changing C．lighting D．pleasing
2．Why has the skin lightening become a common activity all over the world?
A．There are many products that can make the dark skin light.
B．Many people with dark skin have no confidence.
C．Relatively speaking, light skin has more advantages over dark skin.
D．People with dark skin are forced by the pressure of their families.
3．According to the text the following ar
e the risks using the bleaching products EXCEPT______.
A．blackened fingernails B．permanent skin damage
C．emotional damage D．a waste of time and money
4．From the text we can conclude the writer’s attitude toward using the bleaching products is probably ___________．
A．supportive B．positive C．doubtful D．negative
●Tower Bridge is one of London’s most well known landmarks．Opened in 1894, this hydraulic (液压的) bridge can be raised to permit river traffic to pass underneath.
Visitors to Tower Bridge can enjoy wonderful views of the River Thames from the bridge towers．There is also a museum which explains how the bascule bridge operates and discusses its history．Tower Bridge is often incorrectly referred to as London Bridge．London Bridge, however, is a different bridge that is located directly upstream from Tower Bridge.
●The British Museum is a “must do” for all visitors to London, England．Treasures from around the world can be found in Britain’s largest and most popular museum．To top it off, admission to the British Museum is free of charge.
Due to the enormous size of the museums, visitors should be clear about what they wish to see．One “must see” is the Rosetta Stone–a key puzzle piece in the recorded history of humankind．The British Museum is located in the Bloomsbury district of London in London WC1.
●Greenwich Park is a beautiful large park located a few kilometers away from the centre of London．Attractions in Greenwich include the Cutty Sark, the Gypsy Moth and the Old Royal Observatory．A painted line at the observatory indicates zero degrees of longitude（经度）.
Many visitors to Greenwich enjoy having their photos taken with one leg in the western hemisphere（半球）and the other in the eastern hemisphere．Greenwich is the place where time was officially tracked – “Greenwich Mean Time” or “GMT”.
Greenwich is located in London SE10.
●The Eurostar high–speed train service provides fast connections between London and Paris and London and Brussels．The Eurostar trains pass through the 32–mile Channel Tunnel under the English Channel．The tunnel is also known as the“Euro Tunnel”or“Chunnel”．The Channel Tunnel is considered to be one of the world’s great engineering wonders.
Trains leave form the Waterloo Rail Station which is located in south London.
1．If a tourist doesn’t have any money on him, which of the following can he do?
A．Visit Tow
er Bridge. B．Visit the British Museum.
C．Go around Greenwich Park. D．Take a Eurostar high–speed train.
2．Where can we find the attraction of the Cutty Sark?
A．On London Bridge. B．In the Old Royal Observatory.
C．In the British Museum. D．In Greenwich Park.
2．What can we learn from the passage?
A．Tower Bridge can be raised mainly to let the water flow faster.
B．The British Museum is the largest museum in the world.
C．Greenwich Park is where the western hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere meet.
D．The Eurostar train can take people from London to many cities in Europe directly.
3．In what web page do you think the passage is probably found?
A．International news. B．Study abroad.
C．Travel Guide. D．Art of architecture.
Jenny Bowen, an American living in Beijing, was selected as the only American to carry the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch on Chinese soil．She and seven other non-Chinese winners had been chosen from 262 applicants from 47 countries in a contest organized by Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group and the official English-language newspaper, China Daily．When Bowen ran with the Olympic torch, she was not only representing the United States, but also representing thousands of Chinese orphans (孤儿).
Bowen, a mother of two adopted (收养) Chinese daughters, is director of Half the Sky Foundation, an organization which was founded in 1998 and aims to enrich the lives of orphaned children in China．In nearly 10 years, Bowen and Half the Sky have touched the lives of over 13,000 children．Half the Sky is now present in 36 welfare institutions in 28 Chinese cities． About 4,000 children are active in the program, which provides trained staff, educational tools, medical support and care for orphans.
Bowen hoped that running with the Olympic torch would help draw attention to the children in China．She was among 19,400 runners who carried the flame along an 85,000-mile, 130-day route across five continents．Beijing organizers say it was the longest torch relay in Olympic history.
Like Bowen, the 
seven other non-Chinese winners, including a German engineer and a Venezuelan designer, live in China．Other countries represented were the Philippines, Colombia, India, Japan and Russia.
According to Olympic organizers, candidates (候选人) were selected based on an online vote, committee selection, their “love of Chinese culture and history” and devotion to “communicating information of a real China to their native countries”．Each runner carried the torch for 200 meters on Chinese soil.
1．Bowen hopes that being a torch runner would help ________.
A．collect educational tools, medical support, etc, for orphans
B．make Half the Sky Foundation well known
C．draw special attention to orphans in China
D．communicate information of America
2．According to the text, Jenny Bowen ________.
A．is interested in Chinese sports
B．fo
unded the organization of Half the Sky
C．has adopted 13,000 children during 10 years
D．loves Chinese culture and history
3．Which of the following about the 2008 torch relay is WRONG?
A．The contest for its runners is organized by Lenovo Group and China Daily.
B．It has eight foreign runners, including an American, a German and a Venezuelan.
C．It will be the longest relay with the most runners in Olympic history.
D．It will be an opportunity to communicate information of a real China to the world.
4．What’s the best title for the passage?
A．Happy Life of a Great US Woman in China
B．A US Woman Carrying 2008 Olympic Torch in China
C．The Development of Half the Sky Foundation
D．The Longest Torch Relay in Olympic History