Have you ever been to the beautiful country of Holland and its capital Amsterdam? Anyone who has traveled to Amsterdam would probably agree on one thing: Amsterdam’s story is a tale of two cities — one during the day and a completely different one at night.
When the sun is up, this largest city in the Netherlands sits quietly on the Amstel River. You can rent a bicycle, visit the Van Gogh or Anne Frank museum, or take a water taxi. But when the sun goes down, the partying begins. In the big clubs and in the coffee shops, tourists gather to talk politics and smoke.
Several areas of the city clearly show the two worlds that rule Amsterdam. And they’re all within a short cab ride of each other. For example, Dam Square attracts daytime sightseers to its festivals, open markets, concerts and other events. Several beautiful and very popular hotels can be found there. And there’s the Royal Palace and the Magna Plaza shopping mall. But at night party-seekers come to the square. Hip hop or funk music (疯狂音乐) is heard there. So if you come, be ready to dance. The clubs don’t shut down until 4 am.
And while you’re there, check out the various inexpensive ways to tour the city. Don’t worry about getting lost. Although Dutch is the official language, most people in Amsterdam speak English and are happy to help you with directions. And you’ll notice that half the people walking around in the streets are on bicycles they rent. Amsterdam also has a well-planned canal system. For about 10 dollars, you can use the canal bus or a water taxi to cruise (巡游) the “Venice of the North”.
The city has a historic past. One impressive (印象深刻的) place to visit is the Anne Frank House on Nine Street. It was there that the young Jewish girl wrote her famous diary during World War II. Visitors can view Anne’s original diary and climb behind the bookcase to the room where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years.
【小题1】 What means of transport is not available to visitors in Amsterdam?

A．A carriage.	B．A bicycle.
C．A canal bus.	D．A water taxi.

【小题2】What can you learn about by visiting the Anne Frank House?

A．The wonderful past of Amsterdam.

B．The experience of a beautiful girl survivor.

C．The life of Jewish during World WarⅡ.

D．The suffering of the Dutch in wars.

【小题3】The passage is intended to _______.

A．call up people’s memories of World WarⅡ

B．tell readers what A Tale of Two Cities is about

C．instruct visitors what to do and see in Holland

D．offer readers some information about Amsterdam

【小题4】This passage is most likely taken from _______.

A．a private diary

B．a test paper

C．a travel journey

D．a history book

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Without plants, people could not live. We eat plants. ____56____  And we need plants for another reason: we need them because they are beautiful.
___57____  Imagine no flowers with their sweet smell, their beautiful colors and their lovely shapes. Imagine, when the wind blows, we’re not able to hear the leaves in the trees or watch the branches swing from side to side.
___58____  That is why we have parks full of trees and flowers. That is why people always like houses with room for some grass or a garden.
Do you talk to your plants?  ___59____  Peter Tompking and Christopher Bird wrote a book called The Secret Life Of Plants, telling of an experiment in which two seeds were planted in different places. While the plants were growing, one plant was given love and hopeful ideas. The other plant was given only hopeless ideas.  ___60____  Under the earth it had more and longer roots; above the earth, it had a thicker stem and more leaves. While the other one nearly stopped growing.

A．Plants get energy from the sun.

B．Do you give them love and attention?

C．After six months, the deserted plant faded away.

D．After six months, the beloved plant was bigger.

E. We take in oxygen that plants make.
F. Everywhere people need beautiful plants.
G. Imagine a world with no plants.

Why is a full moon, yellower and bigger when it is coming up than when it is higher in the sky?

That's a good question about something that we all can see. Let's talk about the moon's color first.
We see the moon only because of the sunlight that falls on it and is reflected. Actually, the moon is not a very good reflector, because its surface is all rocks and dirt. We see it in almost its true color when it is high in the sky.
When the moon first comes up, its light reaches our eyes after an extra-long path through the atmosphere (大气). There are lots of particles (微粒) scattering (分散) light in that long path. Blue light is scattered more than other colors, which means that it doesn't reach your eyes. The light that is left over looks yellow to your eye.
Now about the other question—why the moon seems to change in size. That's more complicated. It's not an effect of the atmosphere, the way color is; it's not caused by something fooling your eyes. It seems, instead, to be caused by something that fools your brain—an illusion(错觉).
Here's a drawing that creates an illusion. The two cones(圆锥体) are really the same size. But the rest of the drawing makes the right-hand cone seem farther away. Your brain knows that faraway objects are really larger than they look. It decides that the right-hand cone must be larger because it seems to be farther away.
Similarly, when you see the moon just come up over a line of trees or houses—or whatever makes the horizon(地平线)—it may be that your brain decides that the moon must be larger because it seems to be farther away.
【小题1】The moon doesn't reflect the sunlight very well because________________.

A．it is high in the sky	B．its surface is rough
C．its surface is white	D．it isn't a good reflector

【小题2】Which statement is true according to the passage?

A．In the course of its rising, the moon is getting smaller and smaller

B．The size of the moon is more complicated than its color

C．The atmosphere has the same effect on the moon's size as on its color

D．The change in the moon's size is caused by an illusion while that in its color is caused by the atmosphere

【小题3】After reading this passage, you can possibly answer one of the following questions. Which one? ______.

A．Why is the sun bigger when it rises over the horizon?

B．Why does the sun look bigger when it rises over the horizon?

C．Why does the sun look golden?

D．Why does the sun rise in the east?

【小题4】Who do you think probably wrote this passage?________.

A．A novelist	B．A reporter
C．A science editor	D．An English teacher．

Many people have been talking about the way in which the world will come to an end in 2012. Everybody wants to find out if December 21, 2012 is the last day of the earth. The rumor has already been spreading for a very long time. The Mayan’s prediction can account for the rumor. According to the rumor, the earth will experience dramatic changes in 2012 and the changes will be disastrous to all of the living creatures on earth. It is widely assumed that a Planet X will return to orbit the solar system. The return of Planet X will have a destructive effect on the solar system as well as on some planets including the Neptune, the Jupiter and the earth. Planet X will cross into their orbits. There’s a possibility that Jupiter will change into a little sun at this time, so folks will be well placed to see two suns in the sky in 2012.
The solar flares (耀斑) that occur in a 11-year cycle will reach their highest point in 2012. The powerful solar flares will affect the magnetic field of the earth and cause disasters. On December 21, 2012, the sun and the earth will line up in the same line at the equator(赤道). The winter solstice(冬至) only occurs once every 25,800 years. The events in the universe are signals that the world will come to an end. As a result of the solar flares, lots of disasters will happen that will destroy the face of the whole earth. Scientists are making the guess primarily based on the Mayan Long Count Calendar.
Many films have been made about the end of the world including End Game by Alex Jones and End Clock: Nostradamus 2012. The former provides insights about the way the world will become one state. After the world government is in place, it’s going to be easy to exterminate 80% of the people in the world. The rest will continue to live with assistance from advanced technology.
No one knows whether the world will end on December 21, 2012: There is no clear answer until the day arrives. Just as the Mayans claim, it will not be the time for the world to end. Instead, it will be the dawn of a fresh start.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?

A．Information about end-of-the-world predictions.

B．Different opinions about end-of-the-world predictions.

C．Some doubts about end-of-the-world predictions.

D．Destructive effects of the end of the world.

【小题2】Which of the following things will NOT happen if the end of the world really happens?

A．Humans will see two suns at the same time.

B．The earth will look completely different.

C．The earth and the moon will line up in the same line.

D．The solar flares will become stronger than before.

【小题3】The underlined word “exterminate” in Paragraph 3 probably means “__________”.

A．save

B．kill

C．help

D．rule

【小题4】What is the author’s attitude to the rumor that the world will end?

A．Optimistic .

B．Sad.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Scared.

A long time ago, there was a seed and because he was only a seed, nobody noticed him. Thus, feeling inferior (低级的), the seed gave no importance to his existence (存在). Then one day, a wind picked him up and threw him on an open field in the sun. Later, he was given rain. Years later he saw a traveler sitting by his side. "Thank you God for this. I really need some rest," he heard the traveler say. "What are you talking about?" the seed quickly asked. He thought the man was making fun of him. No one ever spoke to him like that. "Who just spoke?" the shocked man asked. "It is me. A seed." "A seed?" The man looked at the big tree. "Are you joking? You are not a seed. You are a big tree!" "Really?" "Yes! Why else do you think people come here?" "What do they come here for?" "To feel your shade (树阴)! Don’t tell me you didn’t know you had grown over time." A moment passed before the traveler’s words brought him pride. The seed thought and smiled for the first time in his life. The years of torture (折磨) by the sun and the rain finally helped him grow up. "Oh! That means I’m not a little seed anymore! I was actually born to make people feel comfortable. Wow! That’s great!"
【小题1】The seed didn’t realize the importance of his existence because __________.

A．nobody looked after him

B．he was thrown into the open air

C．he can’t not grow up

D．he didn’t believe in himself

【小题2】The traveler sat by the seed’s side to _____________.

A．escape from the rain

B．thank God for offering him a tree

C．have a rest and enjoy the shade

D．talk with the big tree

【小题3】How did the seed feel after hearing the traveler’s words at last?

A．Sad.

B．Proud.

C．Funny.

D．Sorry.

【小题4】The author’s purpose of writing the passage is to ________.

A．tell us a very interesting story

B．praise the seed for his strength

C．teach readers a lesson: don’t laugh at others

D．tell us that we should never lose hope

【小题5】Where does the passage most probably come from?

A．A history book.

B．A science book.

C．A story book.

D．A guide book.