Venice, one of the cities in Italy,was founded in A.D.811 by the people of Malamocco, fleeing （逃跑）from the Franks. It was said that they were guided by pigeons carrying little crosses, and settled where now Venice lies.

Venice is built on 117 islands. It has 150 canals and 400 bridges. The narrow streets, with their historic names, are covered with stones,but have no footpaths. They are dotted with flower shop signs and lanterns. Shops and palaces stand by side. The brick bridges are high enough to allow boats to pass freely under them.

The center of public life is St. Mark’s Square where tourists and citizens sit in the famous Florian and Quadri cafes to listen to music, enjoying themselves. The Quadri is more popular but the Florian, founded in 1720, is the best-known cafe because it has received such great persons as Byron (an English poet) and Goethe (a German poet).

Unfortunately the special position of Venice is threatening（威胁）it’s own existence. The terrain（地势）on which it is built began to sink while the level of the surrounding waters is constantly rising. Howe’ver, many measures have already been taken to prevent the city from sinking.

1. In the second paragraph, the author ______.

A. showed up where Venice is         B. told us who built the city of Venice

C. described what Venice is like       D. talked about why Venice is surrounded by waters

2. Which of the following shows the right relationship?（○=Italy;△=Venice;□=St.Marks Square）

 

 

 

 

 

3. Why is the Florian the famous cafe? Because ______.

A. it appeared in Byron and Goethe’s poems

B. it is more close to St. Mark’s Square than the Quadri

C. it was founded in 1720,much older than the Quadri

D. Byron and Goethe were once it’s customers

4. From the article we can see that ______.

A. many people have fled because Venice’s existence is being threatened

B. the level of the surrounding water is constantly rising because the city of Venice began to sink

C. the government has already taken many measures to save the city from going down

D. many steps have already been taken to prevent the terrain from rising

 

Boxing is a fist fighting sport between two matched combatants (对手) wearing padded gloves. A boxer’s primary aim is to land as many blows as possible to the head and torso (躯干) of the opponent, using strength and speed to dominate the contest. One of the oldest sports still practiced, boxing dates back to thousands of years ago. Today the sport is popular in many parts of the world and encompasses (包括) both amateur and professional matches.

For most of the 20th century boxing attracted huge fan and media attention in the United States. Some boxing champions became legendary, larger-than-life figures, such as Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, and Muhammad Ali. Criticized to varying degrees throughout its history for its violent nature and high injury rate, boxing has somehow always managed to survive——and even thrive——as a sport.

Modern boxing regulations are based upon the 12 rules set out by British boxing officials in the mid-19th century. These rules became known as the Marquess of Queensberry Rules, named after the 8th Marquess of Queensberry, John Sholto Douglas, who sponsored and published them. In addition to in-the-ring rules, modern boxing also has specific regulations regarding eligibility for the fighters themselves.

The modern rules for professional and amateur boxing differ, but both types of contests are divided into time periods called rounds. In professional boxing, each round lasts three minutes; in amateur boxing, two minutes. A one-minute rest period between rounds is standard. Amateur contests consist of three rounds; professional contests may consist of up to 12 rounds. A bell is usually sounded by a timekeeper to begin and end each round.

A key step in making boxing safer and more respectable was the introduction of gloves, ending brutal bare-knuckle competition. Boxing gloves are heavily padded to soften the impact of the blow and to protect the hands of the boxer. As an added protection, the hands are taped before being placed in the gloves, which are essentially huge mittens. Professional gloves usually weigh between 170 and 226g; amateur gloves average 226 to 340g.

1.Which of the following is true according to the information in the passage?

A. Boxing is a violent sport with high injury rate.

B. People enjoy boxing because of its brutal nature.

C. Only professional players are allowed to attend boxing matches.

D. Boxing is a popular sport with a history of only 200 years.

2.Boxing has always managed to survive as a sport. In the author’s opinion, __________.

A. this is because many people can participate in this popular sport

B. this is because boxing is a sport which can bring good business

C. the reason for this cannot be fully explained

D. this is because there are many legendary boxers

3.Which of the following facts about boxing is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. The time set for a round.   B. The weight of gloves.

C. The size of boxing rings.   D. The signal to begin and end each round.

4.The author’s purpose in writing this passage is __________.

A. to give a general introduction to the sport of boxing

B. to advertise a band of boxing-related product

C. to discourage people from enjoying this violent sport

D. to get support for a sport with long tradition

5.Which of the following statements can best describe the sport of boxing as a whole?

A. It is a brutal and violent sport, with little popularity in modern times.

B. It is a traditional sport, with little room for improvement.

C. It is a controversial sport, which nevertheless enjoys great public support.

D. It is strictly professional sport with rigid and exclusive rules.

 

Many people go to school for an education. They learn languages, history, geography, physics, chemistry and mathematics. Others go to school to learn a skill so that they can make a living. School education is very important and useful. Yet no one can learn everything they want to know. The teacher’s job is to show his students how to learn. He teaches them how to read and how to think. So, much more is to be learned outside school by the students themselves.

It is always more important to know how to study by oneself than to memorize some facts or a formula. It is usually quite easy to learn a certain fact in history or a formula in mathematics. But it is very difficult to use a formula in working out a maths problem. Great scientists, such as Einstein, Newton and Galileo didn’t get anything from school. But they were all so successful. They invented so many things for mankind.

The reason for their success is that they knew how to study. They read books that were not taught at school. They worked hard all their lives, wasting not a single moment. They would ask many questions as they read and they did thousands of experiments.

Above all, they knew how to use their brains.

1. Many people go to school for an education. But some others go to school for __________.

A．enjoying themselves	B．learning subjects
C．learning a skill	D．making a living

2.. A teacher’s job is mainly to train his students to master the ability of __________.

A．learning by themselves	B．making a living
C．reading and thinking	D．studying all the subjects

3.Using a formula in working out a maths problem is ______ memorizing it.

A．much easier than	B．more difficult than
C．as easy as	D．as difficult as

4. The scientists were successful because __________.

A．they read books that were not taught at school

B．they worked all their lives

C．they wasted not a single moment

D．they knew how to use their brains

 

I don’t really care how many claws the animal in a comic book (漫画书) has. I’m not overly concerned whether the bird is colored green or grey. In fact I don’t think comic book “collector” really applies to me at all. I’m probably more of a comic book “appreciator”. My interest has always been in what can be accomplished with the medium of “visual story - telling”. In the respect, comic books are the best thing going. And there are some great comics out there.

I’m not sure exactly where this interest of mine came from. I do know that as a child, comic books allowed me to improve my reading – skills. The Mighty Thor made me develop an interest in Norse legends; Challengers of the Unknown got me interested in science fiction. The combination of words and pictures was a perfect springboard (起点) for my childhood imagination.

So just how does one learn to appreciate comic book art? There is a classic example. Writer Scott Macloud was philosophical (达观的) about what makes a comic book stand out in his best – selling book Understanding Comics. The book, first published in 1994, has been translated into 13 languages and is practically useful for students studying graphic illustration (图示说明).

On the Internet there are some cool comic book sites to be found. More than a few are mainly about superheroes and the like. But there are some choice sites that I would describe as “literary (文学的),” in that you can find some great resources that discuss the comic book as an art form. Among them there is a great article and interview at www.rcharvey.com discussing the influence of several artists and writers in the field.

Check it out. Spend two dollars on a comic book and read it with your children. You may find yourself enjoying what you see and read. You may even find yourself wanting more.

And wanting to read more is a good thing!

53．According to Para. 1 the author is concerned about          .

A．the color of the characters in a comic book

B．how many comic books he has collected

C．what he can learn from a visual story

D．whether a story is true to life

54．What do we know about Scott Macloud’s best – selling book?

A．There are many classic examples if comic books in it.

B．It is helpful 1 for students studying science fiction.

C．It suggests what good comic books are like.

D．It is mainly intended for parents.

55．In the passage, the author encourages people to         .

A．follow the example of superheroes from comic books

B．join in the discussion at www.rcharvey.com

C．consider comic books to be literary.

D．buy and read more comic books

56．What is the best title for the passage?

A．Children’s favorite books

B．Well – known comic books

C．Comic books – cooler than you think

D．How to become a good comic book writer

 

第四部分读写任务 (共1小题，满分30分)

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

[阅读材料]

An elderly carpenter（木匠） was ready to retire．He told his employer of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family．He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire．They could get by．

The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor．The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work．He resorted to（采用） poor workmanship(工艺，手艺) and used inferior（低劣的） materials．It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career．

When the carpenter finished his work, the employer came to inspect the house．He handed the front-door key to the carpenter．"This is your house," he said, "my gift to you．"

The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently．

[写作内容]

1．以约30个词概括短文的要点；

2．以约120个词在这个故事内容的基础上展开讨论并包括以下内容：

（1）    今天的付出和明天的收获之间的关系；

（2）    构筑房屋和构建生活之间的关系；

（3）    对你的议论进行总结。

[写作要求]

1.   作文中可使用自己的亲身经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，

但不得直接原文抄袭。

2.   题目自拟。

[评分标准]          概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。