Westminster Abbey, founded in 1065, was the King’s place of residence until the 16th century. Since 1066, the Norman Conquest, it has been the “Royal church”—the place where kings and queens are crowned when they take the throne(即位).
It has also been the site of many royal weddings and funerals. King George VI, got married there in 1923; twenty four years later, his daughter, Queen Elizabeth II married Prince Phillip there; on April 29, 2011, Prince William also married Kate Middleton there. While fourteen years ago, the funeral service for Princess Diana, William’s mother, took place there.
It is also famous for its Poets’ Corner, which has been the traditional burial ground of the most famous English poets, writers and playwrights.
Today it is still a working church dedicated to regular worship and to the celebration of great events in the life of the nation. All are welcome to attend the regular services.
| Address |
Westminster Abbey, Parliament Square, London, SW1P3PA |
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| Nearest Tube Station |
Westminster St. James’ s Park |
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| Opening Times |
Monday to Saturday:9:30 am---4.30 pm Wednesday:9:30 am---7:00pm(last admission 6:00pm) Saturday:9:30pm---2:30pm(last admission1:30pm) |
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| Tickets: |
Individuals: Adult ￡18.00 |
Over 18 students: ￡15.00 (on production of a valid student card) Schoolchildren(11—18years old) ￡8.00 Child under 11 free accompanied by an adult |
Do pay a visit to the Poets’Corner, where are tombs and memorials for such well---known writers as Geoffery Chaucer---father of English Literature, Charles Dickens, and Thomas Hardy(Refer to next page for more or surf its official website:www.westminister-abbey.org). The Grave of the Unknown Warrior is an attractive story of a body brought back from France after the First World War.College Garden is thought to the oldest garden in England at nearly 1,000 years old.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Westminster Abbey has been the king’s residence for over 1,000 years. |
| B．About fifty years after Queen Elizabeth II got married, Princess Diana died. |
| C．All famous English poets, writers and playwrights can be buried in the Abbey. |
| D．From Monday to Saturday, one can visit the Abbey at any time in the day. |
How much will a couple with two children(aged 17 and 19) at least pay for a visit to the Abbey?
| A．￡62 | B．￡59 | C．￡50 | D．￡48 |
Famous sights in the Abbey are recommended to see EXCEPT________.
| A．the Poet’s Corner | B．the Grave of the Unknown Warrior |
| C．the College Garden | D．St. James’s Park |
This passage is most likely from a(n) ________.
| A．advertisement | B．website |
| C．guidebook | D．Poster |
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(有责任感的) 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.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. |
What do you think “florists” do?
| A．They sell flowers. |
| B．They make and sell bread. |
| C．They offer enough room for having family parties. |
| D．They sell special gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. |
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. |
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 |
I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to sit above the top of it. Mother sat writing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be a most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, Mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she said again, “is for Elizabeth.”
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed in action. But as a young girl. I wanted to have heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional (易动感情的)”. But she lived “on the surface (表面)”.
As years passed and I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.
My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace – it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
But the present of her desk told me, as she’d never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside – a photo of my father and a one-paper letter, folded and refolded many times. It was my letter.
“In any way you choose, Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.”The writer began to love her mother’s desk________.
| A．after Mother died | B．before she became a writer |
| C．when she was a child | D．when Mother gave it to her |
The passage shows that_________.
| A．Mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter |
| B．Mother was too serious about her daughter in words |
| C．Mother wrote to her daughter in careful words |
| D．Mother wrote to her daughter in careless words |
The underlined word “gulf” in the passage means_______.
| A．deep understanding between the old and the young |
| B．different ideas between mother and daughter |
| C．free talks between mother and daughter |
| D．part of the sea going far in land |
What’s best title of the passage?
| A．My letter to Mother | B．Mother and children |
| C．My Mother’s Desk | D．Talks between Mother and me |
YANGON -- Myanmar has officially accepted an offer of the United States to send humanitarian aid(人道主义援助) to the country’s cyclone(飓风;暴风)victims, state radio reported Friday in a night broadcast Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister U Kyaw Thu gave the assurance Friday, saying that the country is receiving such relief aid from any country without limit at this time according to its policy(政策) of dealing with the disaster, the report said.
Kyaw Thu denied rumors about Myanmar’s turning down of such relief materials from Western countries but accept those from nations in good relations with Myanmar, saying that the country has never done so in this case.
Kyaw Thu said that well wishers abroad may make cash donation through Myanmar embassies（使馆）stationed there, while those who like to donate relief goods may present at the Yangon International Airport and seaports.
According to the report, the US relief aid would arrive in Yangon in days.
A foreign ministry’s statement said earlier on Friday that at this moment, the international community can best help the victims by donating emergency provisions such as medical supplies, food, cloth, electricity generator, and materials for emergency shelter or with financial assistance," adding that "Myanmar will wholeheartedly welcome such course of action".
The government and the people of Myanmar are grateful to the friendly nations, the United Nations, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, private individuals and others for their sympathy and generosity." it said. Which of the following is true?
| A．The US relief aid was turned down at first and then accepted. |
| B．The US relief aid has been sent to the capital city of Myanmar. |
| C．There are rumors（谣言）that Myanmar has turned down the US relief aid. |
| D．Myanmar will wholeheartedly welcome such course of action but the US relief aid. |
We Chinese may denote money to help the country’s cyclone victims through_____.
| A．Myanmar embassies in Beijing. |
| B．the Yangon International Airport |
| C．the United Nations |
| D．the Yangon International seaports. |
What is Myanmar’s policy toward the aids from abroad?
| A．Myanmar prefers cash donation to relief goods. |
| B．Myanmar only receives emergency provisions such as medical supplies, food, cloth, electricity generator, etc. |
| C．Myanmar receives donation relief aid from any country without any limit. |
| D．Myanmar prefers relief goods to cash donation. |
The title that best expresses the idea of the passage is _______.
| A．How to help Myanmar. |
| B．Myanmar accepts US humanitarian aid officially. |
| C．Myanmar is receiving relief aid from any country without limit. |
| D．The government and the people of Myanmar are grateful. |
Thomas Lagos graduated from Wittenburg University in Ohio in only one year. His father, a Greek immigrant（移民）, said, “Whatever Tommy do, he’ll like to do fast.”
Thomas studied at Showee High School. He taught himself to read 750 words a minute. While he was in high school, he took 
of the 36 credits（学分）he needed to graduate from university. He took another 12 credits at the university simply taking examinations without attending the courses. The remaining credits he took by the old fashioned method of attending classes.
He studied very well, so he graduated with the greatest honours. Now at the age of nineteen, he has entered the graduate school of Michigan University. He is studying law.Thomas Lagos is .
| A．a Greek | B．an American in Greece |
| C．an immigrant | D．an American |
Thomas’s father .
| A．speaks English poorly | B．speaks English perfectly |
| C．does not speak English | D．is an Englishman |
The number of credits Thomas took by attending university courses was .
| A．36 | B． |
C． |
D．12 |
Thomas entered Wittenburg University .
| A．at the age of 19 | B．in one year |
| C．with the greatest honours | D．at the age of 18 |
Thomas’s course .
| A．can hardly be taken in an ordinary way | B．is unworthy |
| C．is good for boy students to take | D．should be widely taken |
In the 19th century, Americans from the eastern states moved out west to settle in the rich new lands along the Pacific Coast. The most difficult part of their trip was crossing “the Great American Desert” in the western part of the United States by horse and wagon.
The western desert can be very dangerous. There is little water and there are few trees. But the desert also has scenery of great beauty. Tall towers of red and yellow stone rise sharply from the flat, sandy valley floor. The scene has been photographed many times and appears in movies and on TV.
In Arizona, man-made dams across the Colorado River have made two large lakes in the middle of the dry desert country. At Lake Powell, the red stone arch of Rainbow Bridge rises high above the blue lake.
There are few roads. Many areas of Lake Powell’s shore can only be reached by boat or on foot. But hikers in this empty desert land sometimes find very old native American pictures, painted on the rocks.
In Death Valley, California, the summer temperature rises to 130°F—165°F. There is less than inches of rain each year. Death Valley is the lowest place in America---925 metres below sea level. In the 1800s, many travelers died when they tried to cross this waterless valley in the terrible heat.
Although the desert is dry and seems empty, there is plenty of life if you look closely. Snakes and rats have learned how to live in the desert heat. They live underground and come out at night, when it is cool. Plants such as cacti need very little water. When it does rain in the desert (sometimes only once or twice a year), plants grow quickly, and flowers open in a single day. For a short time, the desert is covered with brilliant (very bright) colours.In the 19th century, Americans moved from east to west because they .
| A．enjoyed the trip | B．wanted to make their home there |
| C．wanted to find new grassland there | D．had no water to drink |
From this passage. we can conclude that .
| A．the western desert is a good place for people to live in |
| B．there is little water but there are many trees in the desert |
| C．the desert is dangerous but it is full of beauty |
| D．till now, people know little about the desert |
In the 1800s, many travelers died in Death Valley because of .
| A．illness | B．high temperature |
| C．cold weather | D．poisonous water |
In the desert, animals will die .
| A．if they move about | B．if they can’t make holes underground |
| C．if they come out at night | D．if they drink much water |