When you think of the tremendous technological progress we have made, it’s amazing how little we have developed in other respects. We may speak scornfully of the poor old Romans because they enjoyed the seemingly excited killing that went on in their arenas（竞技场）. We may despise them because they mistook these goings on for entertainment. We may forgive them because they lived 2000 years ago and obviously knew no better. But are our feelings of superiority（优越）really justified? Are we any less blood-thirsty? Why do boxing matches, for instance, attract such universal interest? Don’t the audience who attend them hope they will see some violence? Human beings remain as bloodthirsty as ever they were. The only difference between ourselves and the Romans is that while they were honest enough to admit that they enjoyed watching hungry lions tearing people apart and eating them alive, we find all sorts of arguments to defend sports which should have been banned long ago.

　　It really is incredible that in this day and age we should still allow hunting or bull-fighting, that we should be prepared to sit back and watch two men punch each other in a boxing ring, that we should be relatively unmoved by the sight of one or a number of racing cars crashing and bursting into flames. Any talk of ‘the sporting spirit’ is merely hypocrisy（虚伪）. People take part in violent sports because of the high rewards they bring. Audience are willing to pay vast sums of money to see violence. A world heavyweight championship match, for instance, is front page news. Millions of people are disappointed if a big fight is over in two rounds instead of fifteen. They feel disappointment because they haven’t experienced the exquisite pleasure of witnessing continuous violence.

　　Why should we ban violent sports if people enjoy them so much? You may well ask. The answer is simple: they are uncivilized. For centuries man has been trying to improve himself spiritually and emotionally—though with little success. But at least we no longer tolerate the sight madmen imprisoned in cages, or public punishment of any of the countless other barbarous (野蛮的) practices which were common in the past. Prisons are no longer the harsh forbidding places they used to be. Social welfare systems are in operation in many parts of the world. Big efforts are being made to distribute wealth fairly. These changes have come about not because human beings have suddenly improved, but because positive steps were taken to change the law. The law is the biggest instrument of social change that we have and it may exert great civilizing influence. If we banned dangerous and violent sports, we would be moving one step further to improving mankind. We would recognize that violence is unworthy of human beings.

1.It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s opinion of nowadays’ human beings is ________________

A．not very high.

B．high.

C．scornful.

D．neutral

2.Why does the author mention the old Romans in this article?

A．To reveal that the old Romans first started violent sports.

B．To prove that the old Romans were not civilized.

C．To show human beings in the past knew nothing better.

D．To indicate human beings today are as bloodthirsty as the old Romans.

3.How many dangerous sports does the author mention in this passage?

A．Three.

B．Four.

C．Five.

D．Six.

4.     What does the author want to illustrate in this article?

A． By banning the violent sports, we human beings can improve ourselves.

B． By banning the dangerous sports, we can improve the law.

C． We must take positive steps to improve social welfare system.

D． Law is the main instrument of social change.

 

I met him first in 1936. I rushed into his ugly little shop to have the heels of my shoes repaired. I waited when he did it. He greeted me with a cheerful smile. “You’re new in this neighborbood, aren’t you?”

    I said I was. I had moved into a house at the end of the street only a week before.

    “This is a fine neighborhood,” he said. “You’ll be happy here.” He looked at the leather covering the heel sadly. It was worn through because I had failed to have the repair done a month before. I grew impatient, for I was rushing to meet a friend. “Please hurry,” I begged.

    He looked at me over his spectacles. “Now, lady, we won’t be long. I want to do a good job. You see, I have a tradition to live up to.”

    A tradition? In this ugly little shop that was no different from so many other shoe repair shops on the side streets of New York?

    He must have felt my surprise, for he smiled as he went on. “Yes, lady, I inherited a tradition. My father and my grandfather were shoemakers in Italy, and they were the best. My father always told me, ‘Son, do the best job on every shoe that comes into the shop, and be proud of your fine work. Do that always, and you’ll have both happiness and money enough to live on.’”

    As he handed me the finished shoes, he said: “These will last a long time. I’ve used good leather.”

    I left in a hurry. But I had a warm and grateful feeling. On my way home I passed the little shop again. There he was, still working. He saw me, and to my surprise he waved and smiled. This was the beginning of our friendship. It was a friendship that came to mean more and more to me as time passed.

    Every day I passed his shop, we waved to each other in friendly greeting. At first I went in only when I had repair work to be done. Then I found myself going in every few days just to talk with him.

    He was the happiest man I’ve ever known. Often, as he stood in his shopwindow, working at a pair of shoes, he sang in a high, clear Italian voice. The Italians in our neighborhood called him la luce alla finestra—“the light in the window”.

    One day I was disappointed and angry because of poor jobs some painters had done for me. I went into his shop for comfort. He let me go on talking angrily about the poor work and carelessness of present-day workmen. “They had no pride in their work,” I said. “They just wanted to collect their money for doing nothing.”

    He agreed. “There’s a lot of that kind around, but maybe we should not blame them. Maybe their fathers had no pride in their work. That’s hard on a boy. It keeps him from learning something important.” He waited a minute and said “Every man or woman who hasn’t inherited a prideful tradition must start building one.”

    “In this country, our freedom lets each of us make his own contribution. We must make it a good contribution. No matter what sort of work a man does, if he gives it his best each day, he’s starting a tradition for his children to live up to. And he is making lots of happiness for himself.”

    I went to Europe for a few months. When I returned, there was no “light in the window”. The door was closed. There was a little sign: “Call for shoes at shop next door.” I learned the old man had suddenly got sick and died two weeks before

    I went away with a heavy heart. I would miss him. But he had left me something—an important piece of wisdom I shall always remember: “If you inherited a prideful tradition, you must carry it on; if you haven’t, start building one now.”                                            

1.The shoemaker looked sadly at the shoes because __________

A. they were of poor quality.

B. he didn’t have the right kind of leather

C. he thought they were too worn to be repaired

D. the author hadn’t taken good care of them.

2.The author was surprised when she heard that the shop had a tradition because the shop ________.

A. looked no different from other shoe repair shops        

B. had a light in the window

C. was at the end of a street

D. was quite an ugly and dirty one

3.What does the underlined word “inherit” mean in paragraph 6 mean?

A. develop                             B. receive                           C. learn                                  D. appreciate

4.The author later frequently went into the little shop __________.

A. to repair her worn shoes

B. only to chat with the shoemaker

C. to look at the new shoes there

D. only to get comfort from the shoemaker

5.Why was the shoemaker called “the light in the window” by his neighbors?

A. Because he always worked late at night.

B. Because he always put a light in the window.

C. Because he was always guiding the others.

D. Because he was always happy and cheerful.

6.What’s the best title of this passage?

A. A Proud Shoemaker                                                     B. A Prideful Tradition

C. The Light in the Window                                             D. Treasure Your Shoes

 

In both China and the West, at this time of the year, we must endure the cold, the wind and the snow of wintertime. How good it is then that we have festivals to keep our spirits up and hearts warm!

Spring Festival in China and Christmas in foreign countries are times for families and friends to get together, exchange gifts and have a big dinner.

Although the two holidays are different – one is to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth, while the other is celebrated because of thousands of years of Chinese folk traditions – Christmas and Spring Festival still have things in common.

In both, eating is a big part of the holiday celebration. In China we eat dumpling and niangao – cakes made of sticky rice – while Westerners sit down to a roast turkey or ham, with vegetables, apple-sauce and a plum (干果) pudding.

Gifts are another key element in both celebrations. In the West, families gather round the Christmas tree on Christmas morning and open their presents. Gifts range from the small – a box of chocolates – to the large. Children especially look forward to a big present, say a new bike or computer. Similarly, in China children receive gift money in red envelopes from their elders.

With the world becoming more connected, Spring Festival and Christmas have crossed cultural borders. It is not unusual in China to see Christmas trees and Father Christmas figures around the end of December.

And Chinese living abroad have made Spring Festival a special cultural event in many foreign countries. In some US cities, especially those with large Chinese neighborhoods, non-Asian adults and kids join in the fun.  “ I've been celebrating Chinese New Year for a really long time, and it's a great cultural festival for the community,” said Leslie Swartz, who works at the city's Children's Museum in Boston. “Everyone goes to Chinatown. There are lion dances and firecrackers. It's very lively. Schools also celebrate Chinese New Year. ” Swartz said.

Swartz has a 13-year-old adopted Chinese daughter, Mei. They celebrate at home, too, decorating the house and eating special foods. They make traditional Chinese New Year's fruit trays (拼盘). They also write good luck messages on red paper, called spring couplets (对联), and hang them by the doors at home.

The Title: East- West: We are alike

★   1.     : Spring Festival in China and Christmas in the west

★similarities:

▼ keeping spirits up and    2.    

▼being time for families and friends to    3. 

▼    4.   

▼having a big dinner

★  5.    between the two festivals

▼Spring Festival: folk traditions of China of thousands of years

▼Christmas: Celebrating ___6.      

★ Culture mixture: Spring Festival and Christmas having crossed 7.  

▼In China: Seeing   8.  and Father Christmas figures

▼In the USA: watching lion dances and9.  in Chinatown, making traditional Chinese New Year’ fruit trays, writing good luck messages on red paper and  10.  by the doors

 

The organization representing British universities has expressed concern about the potential effect of tuition fees（学费）after figures showed a drop of more than 6% in student applications with less than a month to go before the deadline for 2013 applications.

Data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) showed there were 265,784 university applications by UK-based candiates up to 17 Decemeber, 6.3% down on the parallel period in the admissions cycle the year before. While this is less than the 8.4% year-on-uear fall seen in earlier Ucas figures, released in mid-November, the coming January deadline makes it ever more likely that the total 2013 applicant figure will see a second sizeable fall following the introduction of annual fees of up to ￡9,000.

Nicola Dandridge, the chairman of Universities UK, said : “However, we must be concerned about any drops in the numbers applying to university and in particular, we must look closely at how the increase in graduate contributions in England may be affecting the decisions of promising students. However ,the December figures show a drop in numbers across the UK, suggesting that it is not only a question of tuition fees in England putting off from applying.”

A report of the Uncas figures to mid-December shows a 6.5% fall for applicants in England and 11.7% for those in Wales, with smaller drops of 3.9% for Scotland and 0.5% for Nortern Ireland. Scotiish students at home insitiutions pay on fees, while those from Nothern Ireland have fees capped to ￡3,575 for Northern Irish universities.

Dandridge added: “No one should be put off applying to university because of worries about finance.”

“It is important that no one is put off applying to university because they do not have information about the student support available to them. Most new students don’t need to pay directly. There will be more financial support for those from poorer families and everyone will make lower loan repayments thatn they do now once they are in well paid jobs.”

1.A drop of more than 6% for 2013 applications is probably the effect of        .

A．the increased tuition fees

B．the approaching deadline

C．the concern from applicants

D．the difficulties with applications

2.Compared with the previous year, the fall in student applications is         .

A．3.9%             B．6%               C．6.3%             D．8.4%

3.Why is the fall for application the smallest in Soctoland and Northem lreland?

A．Because they have more financial support.

B．Because the tuition is much cheaper for them.

C．Because the education is better there.

D．Because the universities are free for them.

4.Which of the following is true?

A．The application for universities is on a rise continuously.

B．The fall for applications is due to family problems.

C．The education in Scotland and Northern Ireland is worse.

D．The rise of tuition fees has an effect on applications.

5.The last paragraph tells us that        .

A．everyone should apply to university

B．students may get financial supports

C．lower loan repayments is unavailable

D．most new students will not pay fees

 

完形填空（共20小题; 每小题1分，满分20分）

    阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从下列各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。

When a rather dirty, poorly dressed person kneels at your feet and puts out his hands to beg __21____a few coins, do you hurry on, not ___22___ what to do, or do you feel sad and hurriedly ___23___ some money? What should our attitude___24___ beggars be? There can be no question that the world is full of terribly sad stories． It ___25___ be terrible to have no idea where our next meal is going to come from． It seems ___26___ not to give some money to beggars．

    __27____, most of the world’s great religions order us to be open-hearted and ___28___what we have with those less lucky than ourselves． But has the world changed? Maybe what was morally right in the old days, ___29___ one knew exactly who in the village had suffered misfortune and needed help, is no longer the best idea． Quite a few people will not give to beggars． Let us look at their ___30___．

    First, some believe that many city beggars dress up ___31___ to look pitiable and actually make a good ___32___ from begging． Giving to beggars only encourages this sort of evil（恶行）． __33____, there is the worry that the money you give will be spent on beer, wine or drugs． Thirdly, there is the opinion__34____there is no real excuse for begging． One might be poor, but that is no reason for losing one’s sense of ___35___ and self-dependence．

    Related to this is the opinion that the problem should be handled by the government __36____ordinary people． Some people think beggars should go to the local government department and __37____ help．

    It is hard to come to any final conclusion: there are various __38____and we must __39____ them differently． A few coins can save a life in some situations, and even if the money is wasted, that does not take away the moral goodness of the__40____．

A． to         B． with   C． at      D． for

A． knowing   B． expecting       C． demanding       D． settling

A． put away       B． hand over  C． take in        D． get out

A． at         B． in          C． over            D． towards

A． must      B． can         C． need            D． might 

A． warm-hearted   B． generous   C． cruel       D． considerate

A． Strangely      B． Honestly    C． Certainly      D． Surprisingly

A． give       B． donate      C share             D．contribute

A． why       B． when    C． what        D． how 

A． arguments     B． quarrels       C． sayings        D． talks

A． on show        B． on purpose     C． for fun        D． by accident

A． money          B． comfort         C． living         D． decision

A． Secondly      B． Surely          C． Possibly    D． Then

A． what           B． whether         C． that            D． which

A． goodness      B． pride   C． security        D． responsibility

A． rather than     B． or rather C． other than      D． but also

A． produce   B． receive     C． earn            D． offer

A． cases         B． events      C． conditions      D． states

A． go with    B．communicate with C． deal with   D． meet with

A． giver          B．receiver    C． villager        D． government