The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of 2 September 1666 . In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city , where most of the houses were wooden and close together .Over one hundred people became homeless , but only a few lost their lives .
The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King’s baker（面包师）in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family , was able to get out through a window in the roof . A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery（面包房）into a small hotel next door .Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.
By eight o’ clock three hundred houses were on fire . On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul’s and the Guildhall among them.
Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire, “People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment．Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.”
The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire．With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.
After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect(建筑师), wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone．In fact, the streets are still narrow, but he did build more than fifty churches, among which were St Paul’s
The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.How was the fire put out according to the text?
| A．The King and his soldiers came to help. |
| B．All the wooden houses in the city were destroyed. |
| C．Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled down |
| D．People managed to get enough water from the river. |
It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that ______.
| A．some people lost their lives |
| B．the birds in the sky were killed by the fire |
| C．the King’s bakery was burned down |
| D．many famous buildings were destroyed |
Why did the writer cite(引用)Samuel Pepys?
| A．Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire. |
| B．Because Pepys also wrote about the fire. |
| C．To show that poor people suffered most. |
| D．To give readers a clearer picture of the fire. |
Which of the following were reasons for the rapid spread of the big fire?
(a) There was a strong wind.
(b) The streets were very narrow．
(c) Many houses were made of wood.
(d) There was not enough water in the city.
(e) People did not discover the fire earlier.
| A．(a) and (b) |
| B．(a), (b) and (c) |
| C．(a), (b), (c) and (d) |
| D．(a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) |
When something goes wrong，it can be very satisfying to say，“Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault.” or “I know I’m late，but it’s not my fault；the car broke down.” It is probably not your fault，but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation，you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on the person. You should accept that the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on “whose fault it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stop on for success.
63. According to the passage, winners___________________.
A. deal with problems rather that blame others
B. meet with fewer difficulties in their lives
C. have responsible and able colleagues
D. blame themselves rather that others
64. The underlined word remedy in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. avoid B. accept C. improve D. consider
65. When your colleague brings about a problem, you should______________.
A. find a better way to handle the problem B. blame him for his lack of responsibility
C. tell him to find the cause of the problem D. ask a more able colleague for help
66. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. A Winner’s Secret. B. A Winner’s Problem.
C. A Winner’s Opportunity. D. A Winner’s Achievement.
Nickname: Hawaii’s Island of Adventure Size: 4,028 square miles
Population: 148,677. The most heavily populated areas are Hilo on the east side and Kailua-Kona on the west.
Temperature: Averages between 71°F and 77°F year around (expect the mercury (水银柱) to drop at higher heights).
Beaches: 47 Golf Courses: 20 Highest Peak: Mauna Kea, 13,796 feet.
Agriculture: The bulk (主体) of Hawaii’s farming products are grown and processed on the Big Island, including coffee, macadamia nuts and papaya.
Lodging: 9,655 rooms total; Nightly rates range from$ 35—$ 5,000.
Airports: Hilo International Airport on the east side and Kona International Airport on the west side.
Rental Cars: All of the nationally known rental car companies have locations at Hilo International and Kona International Airports as well as many resorts. In addition, Hilo, Kona and the major resort areas are serviced by taxis.
Resources: Call (800) 648—2441 to order a video, poster, brochures and maps from the Big Island Visitors Bureau. See www.bigisland.org for Updated information.
Shopping: The large shopping centers are in Hilo, Kona, Waimea and the Kohala Coast.
59．The passage is intended to be read by _______.
A．students B．businessmen C．tourists D．immigrants
60．What does the underlined part “expect the mercury to drop at higher heights” mean?
A．Things are easy to lose weight at higher places.
B．Dropping things from higher places is expected.
C．Temperature is expected to be lower at higher places.
D．Temperature is expected to be higher at higher places.
61．Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a traffic means to get around the Big Island?
A．By train. B．By air. C．By rental car. D．By taxi.
62．What can we infer from the passage?
A．You can see www.bigisland.org for updated information.
B．You can call (800) 648 – 2441 to order some food.
C．You can find some counts to play tennis on the island.
D．You may pay a high price for spending one night on the island.
My aunt Edith was a widow of 50, working as a secretary, when doctors discovered what was then thought to be a very serious heart disease.
Aunt Edith doesn’t accept defeat easily .She began studying medical reports in the library and found an article in a magazine about a well-known heart surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBekey, of Houston, Texas.He had saved the life of someone with the same illness .The article said Dr. DeBekey’s fees were very high; Aunt Edith couldn’t possibly pay them .But could he tell her of someone whose fee she could pay?
So Aunt Edith wrote to him .She simply listed her reasons for wanting to live: her three children, who would be on their own in three or four more years, her little - girl dreamt of traveling and seeing the world .There wasn’t a word of self-pity-only warmth and humor and the joy of living .She mailed the letter, not really expecting an answer.
A few days later, my doorbell rang .Aunt Edith didn’t want to come in; she stood in the hall and read aloud. “Your beautiful letter moved me very deeply .If you can come to Houston, there will be no charge for either the hospital or the operation. Signed Michael DeBekey.”
That was seven years ago. Since then, Aunt Edith has been around the world .Her three children are happily married. For her age, she is one of the youngest, most alive people I know – all because of an open heart surgeon who knew how to honor his profession, and how to open his own heart.
56．Aunt Edith wrote a letter to Dr. Debakey to.
A．ask for his advice B．beg him to operate on her
C．ask him to introduce another doctor D．ask for his sympathy
57．The underlined phrase “open heart” in the last paragraph means .
A．open – minded B．kind – hearted C．patient D．skillful
58．What can we conclude from the passage?
A．Dr. DeBakey is willing to operate on anyone free of charge.
B．Dr. DeBakey is expert in getting along with his patients.
C．My aunt Edith is very poor and mean.
D．My aunt Edith is optimistic and strong – minded.
Today both English language and Internet have brought the whole world right in your drawing room. Now you can do whatever you want to without leaving the comfort of your home. So English has become a must. Nothing is imaginable without it. How to solve the problem?
No speech can be imagined without listening. Develop a habit of listening to something in English daily. I mean to say, listen to English songs, short stories, interviews and short and simple conversations regularly. Repeat listening what you have just listened. Not once but many times. How does a child become able to speak? It is simple. He/She is compelled to listen whatever their parents and people around them speak. Gradually they begin to reproduce what they have heard. So enjoy listening. Listening practice will fix correct pronunciation of the words in your mind and you'll be able to utter them as naturally and easily as a native speaker does.
Speak what you have listened, as the more you listen, the more you will be able to speak and the more learning of the language will occur. So go on practicing speaking whatever you have heard. Furthermore speaking practice will train your mouth and ears. The main ideas of what you have listened and spoken will get fixed into your memory. Once the structures of sentences, phrases get fixed in your subconscious you'll never have to fumble for words, phrases or sentences when you converse with your friends or with someone else.
When you have taken these two steps, you will find amazing change. Now you can start to put in a little time in reading and writing skills as reading and writing skills have their own importance and place in a language learning and you can develop them on the strong foundation of listening and speaking skills later.
67. What’s the purpose of the first paragraph in the passage?
A. To tell us that the world is becoming smaller than before.
B. To show us the wide use of internet in today’s world.
C. To indicate the importance of learning English.
D. To suggest that it is convenient to live in today’s world.
68. What the author thinks is the most important step in learning English?
A. Forming the habit of listening B. Practicing speaking
C. Keeping on reading daily D. Improving writing skills
69. A child mentioned in the second paragraph is to_______.
A. explain how he becomes able to speak
B. show he could listen whatever others speak
C. introduce he can speak whatever he hears
D. indicate the importance of listening
70. Which of the following may be the best title of the passage?
A. The Steps of Listening
B. Learn English in Two Easy Steps
C. Listening Comes Before Speaking
D. Four Skills for English Learning
Most young architects ----particularly those in big cities ----can only dream about working in a building of their own. And making that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner, Brain Bell. Their building is a former automobile electrical –parts firm in Atlanta. From the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting (生锈的)walls.
In 2000, Yocum and Bell found this building in the city’s West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been abandoned years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition (拆除), pulling rubbish out through the roof, because it was too dangerous to go inside the building. The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do, and “to treasure what was there—the walls, the rust, the light,” Yocum said. “Every season , more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It’s like an art installation（装置）there---a slow-motion show.”
Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer(缓冲)zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond.
Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less.
63. According to the passage, it is for most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their own.
A. easy B. unnecessary C. unrealistic D. common
64. Yocum bought the old building because .
A. it was a bargain to him B. it was still in good condition
C. it was located in the city center D. it looked attractive from the outside
65. It can be inferred from the passage that Yocum and Bell .
A. benefited a lot from pulling down the roof
B. turned more old buildings into art galleries
C. got inspiration from decorating their old building
D. paid more attention to the outside of the gallery
66. The main idea of the passage is that .
A. people can learn a lot from their failures
B. it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building
C. people should not judge things by their appearance
D. creative people can make the best of what they have