To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains, but actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain, Its first use was as a shade against the sun!
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese in the 11th century BC.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in commonly used in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.
During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered as a symbol of power. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later in England.
By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe.
Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made , in a whole variety of colors.
【小题1】According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient_______.

A．China

B．Egypt

C．Greece

D．Rome

【小题2】Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?

A．No one exactly knows who the inventor of the umbrella was

B．The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun.

C．The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century

D．In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade.

【小题3】A strange feature of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as__________.

A．protection against rain	B．a symbol of honor and power
C．a shade against the sun	D．women’s decoration

【小题4】In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain_______________.

A．during the Middle Ages

B．in Rome

C．by the 18th

D．in Greece

【小题5】This passage talks mainly about_______________.

A．when and how the umbrella was invented

B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe

C．the development of the umbrella

D．The history and use of the umbrella

Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, U.S.A.,is in the central part of the state, on the Santa Fe River, which flows into the Rio Grande 35 kilometres west of the city. More than two thousand metres above sea level, it lies in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with the Ortiz Mountains to the southeast.
Santa Fe was founded in 1609 by the Spanish (西班牙人)on an old Indian village.In 1680 the Indians seized the place but only held it for twelve years before the Spanish retook it. The city remained under Spanish rule until Mexico won its independence (独立) in 1821. From then on it was a Mexican city until 1846 when it was taken over by American troops.
With a population of 48,953, Santa Fe is now the second largest city in the state. Because of its sunny weather, rich history and surrounding mountains, it is a good place for holiday makers. Besides hunting and skating in the mountains people enjoy shopping in the Indian and Spanish shops, which brings a large income to the city every year. In summer there is an international opera (歌剧) season when operas are shown in a partly-roofed ,open-air theatre daily for people from all over the world.
【小题1】At present Santa Fe belongs to           .

A．India

B．Mexico

C．Spain(西班牙)

D．the United States

【小题2】Which of the drawings below gives an idea of what Santa Fe is like?
RG="the" Rio Grande  SFR="the" Santa Fe River  OM="the" Ortiz Mountains

【小题3】Santa Fe was under the rule of the Mexicans in        .

A．1675

B．1695

C．1816

D．1833

【小题4】The people who held Santa Fe for the longest period in history were the           .

A．Spanish

B．Indians

C．Mexicans

D．Americans

【小题5】What is of special interest to people who visit Santa Fe in summer?

A．Hunting.

B．Fishing.

C．Watching operas.

D．Doing shopping.

【小题6】Santa Fe is best described (描述) as a             .

A．trade centre

B．holiday centre

C．home for all nations

D．seaport city

【小题7】One of the reasons for visitors to come to Santa Fe is that it            .

A．has fine weather	B．is the state capital
C．has historical monuments	D．is on the Santa Fe River

第二节 信息匹配（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）
阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。
首先，请阅读以下有关音乐会的信息。

A．Raymond’s Solo Concert: Raymond, the talented singer who shifts freely between musical, folk songs and hip hop, is to give a solo concert this weekend. The event will be part of the Asian tour promoting his new album. His concert has very high ticket prices, but his fans have bought tickets worth one million yuan in just four days. Place: Grand Theatre Time: 8:30 – 10:30 pm, January 6 Price: 380 – 2,000 yuan Tel: 7322-3411

B．Prince of the Piano: Clayderman has established a truly international career as a best selling recording artist and concert performer. He has recorded over 1,000 melodies and created a "New Romantic" style through a repertoire which combines his 'trademark' originals with classics and pop standards. In fact, despite his natural shyness and reserve, he is completely in his element on stage; a Richard Clayderman concert is a real 'Spectacular'. Place: The Great Hall of the People Time: 8:00 – 10:00 pm, January 7 Price: 180 – 1680 yuan Tel: 7310-5266

C．Live Music: Audiences in the city will be able to make a date with one of the most famous German Orchestras on the evening of Jan. 27 at Century Center. Conducted by Florian Stubenvoll, the orchestra will perform 11 classics including Beethoven's "Fledermaus Ouverture," Mozart's "Symphony No. 40," and four pieces by Johann Strauss. Place: Century Theatre Time: 8:00 – 10:30 pm, January 10 Price: 120 – 680 yuan Tel: 7988-7311

D．Jazz Night: Enjoy real American jazz from Herbie Brown, the famous trumpet player. He’s coming with his new 7–piece band, Herbie’s Heroes. Herbie is known to play well into the early hours, so don’t expect to get much sleep. This is Herbie’s third visit to China. The first two have been sold out, so get your tickets quickly.

Place: The Jazz Club
Time: 10:00 pm till late! January 7, 9, 11
Price: 100 – 200 yuan,
Tel: 7599-7862
E. Scottish Dancing: Want to get your body some exercise while enjoying live music? Take your partner here and get ready to dance till you drop. Scottish dancing is fun and easy to learn. There will be instructors demonstrating the dances. The live band is also excellent.
Place: Jack Stein’s
Time: 7:30 – 10:00 pm, January 5 – 7
Price: 70 yuan including one drink
Tel: 7832-1788
F. Beijing Rocks: “The Night of Chinese Rock” is set to bring rock fans special performance. Eight Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert, including older generation bands, middle generation and some recent arrivals. The audience can even decide what songs they want to hear, which is sure to bring a storm.
Time: January 8, 9
Place: Worker’s Stadium
Time: 8:00 – 11:30 pm, January 4
Tel: 7633-0640
Price: 90 – 680 yuan
请阅读以下观众的信息，然后匹配与其适合的音乐会。
56. Mike and his girlfriend are both university students. The coming Sunday (January 6) is his girlfriend’s birthday. As both of them are music fans, Mike would like to take his girlfriend to enjoy some live music and learn something new.
57. Joey and his friends always enjoy their weekend by attending late night activities. However, he hasn’t joined them for a long time because he has been working for a couple of weeks. This weekend he wants to have some fun and excitement with his friends, who are interested in western music.
58. Alice is a college student who studies music, and playing the piano is her favorite. Her parents approve of her attending concerts and pay for the tickets. As a result, she doesn’t care much about how much the ticket might cost.
59. Tracy is interested in a variety of music. Like most of the other university students, she has a part-time job. She would like to amuse herself by attending concerts. Since she does not earn much, she can only afford a ticket that costs no more than 100 yuan.
60. Sally enjoys listening to foreign music in her spare time. She would like to attend concerts performed by foreign bands or orchestras whenever it’s possible. But according to the school rules, she has to return to her dormitory before 11:00 pm.

The hottest show this summer-the “Voice" just finished on Sunday at the Shanghai Stadium．But the show that had a good start didn't end to everyone's satisfaction．The two and a half hour show dragged on for more than four hours because of the huge amount of advertising, which the audience and residents living nearby could hardly bear．
This summer, something hotter than the weather came to Shanghai．That is the Voice of China．The show soon became a cash cow for the organizer as the advertisement prices reached 1．16 million yuan for 15 seconds．And the show has earned more than 100 million yuan up to now in ad income only, But the organizers' bliss was audiences' melancholy．
In the final live show on Sunday, about 14 rounds of advertisements were aired, each of which came at a crucial result-announcing moment．
Frequently interrupted by advertisements, some live audience members complained that the show wasn't worth its ticket prices of 180 to 1680 yuan．
The planned two and a half hour show went two hours overtime because of the advertising．This annoyed audience members, and touched the nerves of residents living near the site．
Someone called the police, and the show is now facing punishment for going over-time and disturbing residents late at night．
【小题1】Why didn't "the Voice" make audience satisfied?

A．It failed to attract audience attention in the end．

B．It failed to make audience satisfied．

C．It increased by one and a half hours and audience could bear it．

D．It was full of so many advertisements that audience can't tolerate them．

【小题2】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The show lasted for over two and a half hours．

B．Someone called the police because they can't bear the noises late at night．

C．The show was worth its ticket prices because the audience watched many advertisements．

D．The show has earned more than 100 million yuan up to now totally．

【小题3】Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

A．The Voice of China-the most popular TV show of last summer．

B．The Voice of China-hard to say I love you．

C．The Voice of China-I want you．

D．The Voice of China-the noises of China．

【小题4】This passage is organized in the pattern of___．

A．time and event	B．comparison and contrast
C．cause and effect	D．definition and classification(分类)

The hottest show this summer-the “Voice” just finished on Sunday at the Shanghai Stadium．But the show that had a good start didn't end to everyone's satisfaction．The two and a half hour show dragged on for more than four hours because of the huge amount of advertising, which the audience and residents（居民） living nearby could hardly bear．

This summer, something hotter than the weather came to Shanghai. That is the Voice of China．The show soon became a cash cow for the organizer as the advertisement prices reached 1.16 million yuan for 15 seconds. And the show has earned more than 100 million yuan up to now in ad income only. But the organizers’ bliss（快乐） was audiences’ melancholy（悲哀）．

In the final live show on Sunday, about 14 rounds of advertisements were aired, each of which came at a crucial result-announcing moment.

Frequently interrupted by advertisements, some audience complained that the show wasn’t worth its ticket prices of 180 to 1680 yuan.

The planned two and a half hour show went two hours overtime because of the advertising. This annoyed audience members, and touched the nerves(神经) of residents living near the site.

Someone called the police, and the show is now facing punishment for going over-time and disturbing residents late at night.

1.Why didn’t “the Voice” make audience satisfied?

A. It failed to attract audience attention in the end．

B. It failed to make audience satisfied．

C. It increased by one and a half hours and audience couldn’t bear it．

D. It was full of so many advertisements that audience can’t tolerate them．

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The show lasted for two and a half hours.

B. Someone called the police because they can’t bear the noises late at night.

C. The show was worth its ticket prices because the audience watched many advertisements.

D. The show has earned more than 100 million yuan up to now totally.

3.Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

A. The Voice of China—the most popular TV show of last summer.

B. The Voice of China—I want you.

C. The Voice of China—hard to say I love you.

D. The Voice of China—the noises of China.

4.This passage is organized in the pattern of____.

A. time and event                          B. comparison and contrast

C. cause and effect                 D. definition and classification