In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an intemational festival of music, dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
At the same time, the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge to the official festival. Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947,in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform, and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon, groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the “Fringe”, once less recognized, has far out grown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre, music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959, with only 19 theatre groups performing, some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1,25 million tickets were sold.Point was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at he beginning?
| A．To bring Europe together again. |
| B．To honor heroes of World War 11. |
| C．To introduce young theatre groups. |
| D．To attract great artists from Europe. |
Why did some uninvited theatre groups come to Edinburgh in 1947?
| A．They owned a public house there. |
| B．They came to take up a challenge. |
| C．They thought they were also famous. |
| D．They wanted to take part in the festival. |
Who joined the "Fringe" after it appeared?
| A．they owned a public house there |
| B．University students. |
| C．Artists from around the world. |
| D．Performers of music and dance. |
We may learn from the text that Edinburgh Festival________.
| A．has become a non-official event |
| B．has gone beyond an art festival |
| C．gives shows all year round |
| D．keeps growing rapidly |
China is having such a huge influence on the United States that many Americans are struggling to learn the Chinese language in a bid to keep competitive.
“Interest in learning Chinese among American youth and their parents has grown quickly in the past five years,” said Vivien Stewart, vice president at the Asia Society. China’s quick rise to near-superpower and its effects politically, economically and culturally are driving the American’s interest to learn the language, experts say. From kindergartens to high schools, studies by the Asia Society show, there is a “rapid rise” in interest among pupils to study the Chinese language. “The Chinese rich cultural traditions and blossoming economy mean that it is now important for all of our students to be better prepared,” said Michael Levine, Asia Society's executive director of education. A survey found that 2,400 high schools - an unbelievably high number - would be interested in offering the Advanced Placement (AP) courses in Chinese language and culture when the courses become available in 2016.
China, the world’s most popular nation, is important to the United States because it is a leading trader, consumer and investor. Its political influence is also rising across the world. It has replaced the United States as the world’s largest consumer and could become the second largest economy in the world, after the United States, in the next two to three decades.
Even though the US State Department has described the Chinese language “critical” to national prosperity and security, “the current facilities to support recruitment(招募) of students and teachers as well as the growth of high quality programs is terribly not enough,” an Asia Society study says. The Society has set an aim of having at least five percent of American high school students learning Chinese by 2015.
“Millions of Chinese are learning English, but only 24,000 Americans are learning Chinese,” said Andrew Corcoran of the San Francisco-based Chinese American International School. The most popular languages after English in US schools at present are Spanish and French while Japanese is the most popular Asian language.The underlined word blossoming (Para. 2)means______.
| A．weak | B．old | C．developing | D．developed |
Why do more and more Americans begin to learn the Chinese language?
| A．To be a bridge between the two big countries. |
| B．To keep competitive. |
| C．Because they are always interested in it. |
| D．To gain advantage in trade. |
What problems is the US faced with when it comes to learning Chinese?
| A．A lack in current facilities to support recruitment of students and teachers and programs. |
| B．Not many people want to learn foreign languages. |
| C．The language is rather difficult compared with English. |
| D．Too many Chinese are learning English. |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Foreign Language Learning |
| B．Danger from China |
| C．The Chinese Language gets More Popular |
| D．Difficulties in Learning the Chinese Language. |
Last summer holiday, I took a trip to Yunnan. It is in the southern part of our country .It is really a very beautiful place-grand mountains, clean rivers and kind people. Trees and flowers are seen everywhere. Every year there are lots and lots of visitors.
Maybe you have heard about Shi Lin (stone forests). There are all kinds of strange stones. Some of the small stones look like graceful girls; and the big stones look like handsome men. Other stones look like cats, peafowls, double-edged swords, mice, elephants and so on. Of all the stones, the stone like a beautiful girl in a legend is the most famous .Its name is A Shima.
I also went to Li Jiang. The roads in that city are just like the Eight Diagrams. Any road in the city goes to the center of Li Jiang. A river runs through the whole city. If you go along the river, you’ll never get lost. There are many ethnic minority people in Yunnan. They are very cordial. And they all like singing and dancing. We danced with them around the campfire that night. I really had a good time.
I like the elephants and fruits there best. An elephant is even taller than me! I even mounted the elephant, though I was very afraid at first. But the elephant seemed very friendly. I took some photos with it. The fruits there are very fresh and delicious. They are very good for our health.
The trip to Yunnan impressed me greatly. I will never forget it.Which of the following is not included in the advantages of Yunnan?
| A．grand mountains. | B．clean rivers. |
| C．kind people | D．good transports. |
The word “cordial” in the third paragraph means ________.
| A．strange | B．friendly |
| C．poor | D．unhappy |
Which of the following is not true?
| A．There are all kinds of strange stones in Stone Forests in Yunnan. |
| B．Some of the stones look like animals while some others like people. |
| C．The elephant is tall and fierce to visitors when it’s hungry. |
| D．LYunnan had a nice impression on the writer. |
The suitable title of the passage is _________.
| A．A good impression | B．A Trip to Yunnan |
| C．A visit to Shi Lin | D．The beautiful Paradise |
阅读理解（本大题共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列材料，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。
It'll soon be the birthday of one of my closest friends, Susie. I still cannot decide what to give her. She's a rare friend because she has been there for me all the time whenever I need a friend to talk to. I can always depend on her to be the first to arrive to give me advice when I have problems. I guess I am so lucky to have her as a friend.
It's more than seven years since I first met Susie in our school. I joined the theater group and she was a director then. At first I thought she was intimidating but in the end I realized that she needed to keep a strict image in order for her actors and actresses to take her seriously. And then during practice I got a chance to know her better. In fact, she was a friendly and warm-hearted person. Soon we become good friends.
I don't know exactly what to give my friend on her birthday as I believe she has everything. So it's really hard to buy her a gift she will appreciate. This year I want something different and special but I don't know what to give. One day I searched the internet without any purpose and to my surprise there is a really lovely site where you can buy all kinds of gifts.
I scanned some of their items and I found cool and exciting gifts. I chose a special personalized bracelet(手镯). I'm sure that this will look perfect on her. I put our names as part of the design of the bracelet so that it'll remind us that we'll forever be friends. I can't wait to give her my gift but I won't tell her yet. I don't want to destroy the surprise.Why does the author consider Susie as a rare friend?
| A．She can always offer help when the author is in need. |
| B．She author and Susie have lots of things to talk about. |
| C．Susie is good at solving problems. |
| D．Susie is a friendly and warm-heated person. |
The underlined word "intimidating" in paragraph 2 most probably means"_____"
| A．charming | B．nervous |
| C．warm-hearted | D．frightening |
The author wanted to put her and her friend's names in the bracelet in order to _____.
| A．Give her friend a big surprise |
| B．Make the present more special |
| C．Make her friend remember their friendship forever. |
| D．Remind her friend of their love between them. |
A Tour City ------- Pompeii
Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii (庞贝，意大利那不勒斯附近一座古城) , Italy. They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for ------ its stadium and theatre, its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii’s people. They do not see them because Pompeii has no people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2000 years.
Once, Pompeii was a busy city of 22,000 people. It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius (维苏威火山) , a grass-covered volcano (火山). Mount Vesuvius had not erupted (爆发) for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe. But they were not.
In August of AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii. When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead.
For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stone and ash. Then, in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city looked almost the same as it had looked in AD 79. There were streets and fountains, houses and shops. There was a stadium with 20, 000 seats. Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue colour in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine. They liked bread, too; metal bread pans were in even bakery (面包房). In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread ------- a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today. Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye-makeup .
Ginseppe has died, but his work continues. One-fourth has not been uncovered yet. Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii.Why do large numbers of people come to Pompeii each year?
| A．To visit the volcano. | B．To shop and eat there. |
| C．To watch sports and plays. | D．To see how Pompeiians lived |
Why did the city uncovered look almost the same as it had looked in AD 79?
| A．Because Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully. |
| B．Because the city was buried alive and remained untouched. |
| C．Because scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects. |
| D．Because nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted. |
What do we know about the Pompeiians who lived 2000 years ago?
A .They lived more or less the same as Italians now do.
B They liked women wearing all kings of makeup.
C They enjoyed a lazy life with drinking and eating.
D They went back to Pompeii after the eruption in AD 79.
Welcome to one of the largest collections of footwear（鞋类）in the world that will make you green with envy. Here at the Footwear Museum you can see exhibits from all over the world. You can find out about shoes worn by everyone from the Ancient Egyptians to pop stars.
| Room 1 The celebrity footwear section is probably the most popular in the entire museum. Started in the 1950s there is a wide variety of shoes and boots belonging to everyone from queens and presidents to pop stars and actors! Most visitors find the celebrities' choice of footwear extremely interesting. |
Room 2 Most of our visitors are amazed and shocked by the collection of “special purpose” shoes on exhibition here at the Museum of Footwear. For example, there are Chinese shoes made of silk that were worn by women to tie their feet firmly to prevent them from growing too much! |
| Room 3 As well as shoes and boots the museum also exhibits shoe shaped objects. The variety is unbelievable. For example , there is a metal lamp that resembles a pair of shoes, and Greek wine bottles that are like legs! |
The footwear Library People come from all over the world to study in our excellent footwear library. Designers and researchers come here to look up information on anything and everything related to the subject of footwear. |
Where would you find a famous singer's shoes?
| A．Room 1. | B．Room 2. |
| C．Room 3. | D．The Footwear Library |
All exhibits in each room.
| A．share the same theme |
| B．have the same shape |
| C．are made of the same material |
| D．belong to the same social class |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．The oldest exhibits in Room 1 were made in the 1950s. |
| B．Room 2 is the most visited place in the museum. |
| C．Room 3 has a richer variety of exhibits than the other two. |
| D．Researchers come to the Footwear Library for data. |
The purpose of the text is to get more people to ____________.
| A．do research | B．design shoes |
| C．visit the museum | D．follow celebrities |