The Swiss army knife is a popular device that is recognized all over the world. In Switzerland, there is a saying that every good Swiss citizen has one in his or her pocket. But the knife had poor beginnings.
In the late nineteenth century, the Swiss army issued (发给) its soldiers a gun that required a special screwdriver (螺丝刀) to take it apart and clean it. At the same time, canned food was becoming common in the army. Swiss generals decided to issue each soldier a standard knife to serve both as a screwdriver and a can opener.
It was a lifesaver for Swiss knife makers, who were struggling to ask for cheaper German imports. In 1884, Carl Elsener, head of the Swiss knife manufacturer (maker) Victorinox, seized that opportunity with both hands, and designed a soldier’s knife that the army loved .It was a simple knife with one big blade (刀片), a can opener, and a screwdriver.
A few years after the soldier’s knife was issued, the “Schweizer Offizer Messer,” or Swiss Officer’s Knife, came on the market, Interestingly, the Officer’s Knife was never given to those serving in the army. The Swiss army purchasers considered the new model with a corkscrew (瓶塞钻) for opening wine not “essential for survival,” so officers had to buy this new model by themselves. But its special multi-functional design later launched(发行)the knife as a global brand. After the Second World War, a great number of American soldiers were stationed in Europe. And as they could buy the Swiss army knife at shops on army bases, they bought huge quantities of them. However, it seems that “Schweizer Offizer Messer” was too difficult for them to say, so they just called it the Swiss army knife, and that is the name it is now known by all over the world.What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To emphasize the importance of the Swiss army knife. |
| B．To introduce the functions of the Swiss army knife. |
| C．To explain the origin of Swiss army knife. |
| D．To tell a story about the designer of the Swiss army knife. |
What does “It” in the third paragraph refer to?
| A．Canned food was becoming popular in Swiss army. |
| B．Every good Swiss citizen had a knife in his pocket. |
| C．The Swiss army needed a knife for every soldier. |
| D．Swiss knives were competing with imported knives. |
Why didn’t the Swiss army purchase the Swiss Officer’s Knife?
| A．The new design was not considered necessary for officers to own. |
| B．The army had no budge to the purchase. |
| C．The knife was sold out to American soldiers. |
| D．The design of the knife was too simple. |
Who gave the name “ the Swiss army knife” to the knife discussed in the passage?
| A．Swiss generals | B．Carl Elsener |
| C．German businessman | D．American soldiers. |
B
London: It's well known that Charles Darwin's famous theory of evolution (进化) annoyed many people because it was against the Biblical view of creation. But few know that it also created problems for Darwin at home with his deeply religious wife, Emma.
"Darwin held back the publication of On the Origin of Species to avoid offending (触怒) his wife," says Ruth Padel, the naturalist's great－great－granddaughter. "Emma told him that he seemed to be putting God further and further off", Padel says in her north London home. "But they talked it through, and Emma once said, ‘Don’t change any of your ideas for fear of hurting, me.’ ”
As the world celebrates the 200th birthday of the man who changed scientific thought forever and the 150th anniversary of his book today, even his opponents admitted he was a giant figure.
Though opposition to his theory, continues, it is the elegant explanation of how species evolutes through natural selection that makes his 200th birthday such a major event.
More than 300 celebrations have been planned in Britain alone, where Darwin's face graces (使增光) the 10－pound bill along with that of Queen Elizabeth II.
Shrewsbury, the central England town where Darwin was born and raised, is holding a month-long festival for its most famous son. Down House, his former home near London, will hold a permanent exhibition recreating some of his most famous experiments.
Many more events have been planned all over the world.
What would he be doing if he were alive today? Padel thinks he would properly be studying DNA and the immune system.
45．The main purpose of the author is______.
A．to say something about Darwin and his wife
B．to introduce Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution
C．to sing high praise for the book On the Origin of Species
D．to report some celebrations of Darwin's 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of his books
46．Which of the statements is NOT true based on the passage?
A．Everyone agrees with Darwin now.
B．Darwin was brought up in Shrewsbury.
C．Emma was not really fond of his theory.
D．Darwin was very interested in living things.
47．The underlined phrase "held back" in the second paragraph probably means______.
A．prevented from B．kept a secret
C．cared about D．put off
48．It can be inferred that the passage is most probably______.
A．a scientific report B．a news report
C．an English composition D．a text
第二部分阅读理解（共两节，满分50分）
第一节阅读下面短文，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。（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
A
The Erie Canal was the first important national waterway built in the US. It crossed New York from Buffalo on Lake Erie Troy to Albany on the Hudson River. It joined the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The canal served as a route over which industrial goods could flow into the west, and materials could pour into the east. The Erie Canal helped New York develop into the nation's largest city.
The building of the canal was paid for entirely by the state of New York. It cost $ 7,143,789, but it soon gained its price many times over. Between 1825, when the canal was opened, and 1882, when toll charges(过运河费)were stopped, the state collected $ 121,461,891.
For a hundred years before the Erie was built, people had been talking about a canal which could join the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. The man who planned the Erie Canal and carried the plan through was De Witt Clinton. Those who were against the canal laughingly called it "Clinton's Ditch(沟)". Clinton talked and wrote about the canal and drew up plans for it. He and Governor Morris went to Washington in 1812 to ask for help for the canal, but they were unsuccessful.
Clinton became governor of New York in 1817, and shortly afterwards, on July 4,1817, broke ground for the canal in Rome, N.Y. The first part of the canal was completed in 1820. As the canal grew, towns along its course developed fast. The length of the canal is 363 miles.
41．We can see that the Erie Canal______
A．joined the Great Lakes together
B．crossed New York Lakes together
C．played an important part in developing New York City
D．was the first waterway built in the US
42．It can be inferred that______into the Atlantic Ocean.
A．the Great Lakes flow B．the Hudson River flows
C．Lake Erie flows D．the Erie Canal flows
43．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．The Erie Canal brought profits of over $ 114,000,000.
B．It's 363 miles from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
C．The West was more advanced than the East when the canal was built.
D．Many other states helped New York build the canal.
44．We can learn from the passage that______.
A．Clinton broke ground for the canal at both ends
B．Clinton started building the canal before he became governor
C．all parts of the canal were completed at the same time
D．construction of the canal took eight years
February has long been a month of romance. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.
On the 14th day, it is a custom for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals! This is what you see on Valentine’s Day, a day named after Valentine who was a priest in the third century Rome. When the emperor (皇帝) decided that single men could become better soldiers than those with wives, he didn’t allow marriage.
But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor sentenced him to death. While in prison, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death, he wrote her a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine”, an expression that is still in use today. Valentine died for what he believed in and so he was made a Saint (圣徒), as well as becoming one of history’s most romantic characters.
Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is also popular among Chinese young people. Some students are planning to make Valentine’s cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share in the spirit of St. Valentine.
72. Why did the emperor in Rome not allow marriage in his country?
A. Because there were few women in his country at that time.
B. Because he thought men without wives could be better soldiers.
C. Because there wasn’t enough food for so many people.
D. Because he wanted to control the birth rate.
73. Valentine was put into prison because _______.
A. he killed one of the soldiers B. he stole a lot of food
C. he didn’t obey the emperor’s order D. he didn’t want to be a soldier
74. The last paragraph mainly tells us _______.
A. students in China send cards to their teachers B. it is a good idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China
C. it is interesting to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China D. Valentine’s Day is also popular in China now
75. The best title for this passage should be _______.
A. Valentine’s Day B. A Brave Priest
C. Valentine’s Day in China D. A Romantic Man
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days：Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery(墓地).On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.
68. Which of the following is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?
A. Parents bring up children. B. Parents give love and care to children.
C. Parents educate children to be good persons. D. Parents pass away before children grow up.
69. Which do you think is right about “carnation”?
A. It has only two kinds of colors.
B. It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
C. It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.
D. People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May.
70. What do you know from the passage?
A. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May. B. Fewer women worked outside the home in the past.
C. Not all the children respect their parents D. Fathers are not as important as mothers at home.
71. On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, _______.
A. people usually have family parties B. everyone goes to visit the cemetery
C. children always go to parents’ home D. hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts
Two thieves came to a house to steal something. They dug a hole in the wall of the house.
There lived many mice in the house. The woman in the moonlight saw a mouse crawl(爬行) into the house. “Look! In comes one,” she said to the man in the house. He was so frightened that he hurriedly crawled out of the house and said to the one waiting outside, “She found me when I was just in.” But the thief outside didn’t believe him, so he said; “Let us two try to crawl into the house together.” At that time two mice happened to crawl into the house, too. The woman saw the mice and shouted, “In come two, catch them!” The two thieves were terribly frightened. The man in the house said, “You saw them come in but where are they? I will catch them tonight.” The two thieves started running away at once.
The two thieves wanted to make it clear whether they had been found or not the night before. The next day they acted as men selling sweet potatoes and came before the house. The man and the woman were ploughing in their fields. The rein(缰绳)broke and the woman came home for a rope. She saw two men selling sweet potatoes and wanted to buy some. She picked out two which looked like mice. At the time the man couldn’t wait for her any longer in the fields and he ran back from the fields to hurry her up. The woman showed the sweet potatoes to the man and said, “How they look like the two of last night.” The man said, “I asked you to fetch a rope, why don’t you hurry for it?” The two thieves ran away very quickly without their sweet potatoes.
65. The two thieves failed to steal anything from the house because_______.
A. they were found out B. they were frightened by what they had heard in the house
C. they didn’t work together well with each other D. mice stopped them from doing so
66. From the last paragraph, we know that_______.
A. the two thieves were famous selling sweet potatoes
B. the woman recognized the two thieves
C. the woman pretended to know nothing about the two thieves and made fun of them
D. the two thieves didn’t know that they were not found at all
67. The woman said, “How they look like the two of last night.” Here “the two” refers to_______.
A. the two thieves B. nothing C. the mice D. the ropes