People from Great Britain brought the English language to North America in the 16th and 17th centuries. And in the __36__ 300 years, there were so many___37__ in both places that now people can easily___38__ an English person from an American in the___39__ he or she talks.

Many old words___40__ in England but were kept in America．For example,300 years ago people in Great Britain got their water from something they__41__either a“faucet”,“spigot”,or a“tap”.All these words are___42__ heard in different parts of America, but only “tap”is still___43_ in England．Americans often make___44__ new words or change old ones. “Corn”is one kind of plant in America and__45__ in England．

Also, over the last three centuries the English language has___46__ thousands of new words for things that weren’t___47__ before. And often, American and English people used two__48__ names for them. A tin can is called“tin”for short in English, but a “can”in America．The word “radio”is__49__all over the world, including America．But many English people call it a “wireless”.And almost anything___50__ something to do with cars, railroads, etc．has different___51__ in British and American English.

But now American and British English may be___52__ closer together. One thing is that__ 53_ people can hear a large amount of American speech daily in___54__, on television, or from travelers. Because of this, Americans___55__ to be influencing the British more and more. So some day, English may even be the same on both sides of the Atlantic．

A. past                    B．recent              C．oldest              D．latest

A. citizens                  B．inventions        C．changes           D．advances

A. pick                   B．tell                  C．take                 D．judge

A. voice                     B．place               C．language          D．way

A. disappeared            B．stayed              C．returned           D．formed

A. said                    B. talked               C．spoke              D．called

A. then                B．hardly             C．clearly             D．still

A. necessary            B．native              C．common          D．lively

A. of                      B．into                 C．up                   D．out

A. another             B．the other          C．none                D．something

A. discovered            B．added              C. improved          D．learned

A. accepted                  B．known             C．introduced              D．understood

A. new                     B．short               C．different          D．surprising

A. produced             B．made               C．developed        D．used

A. having              B．bringing          C．getting             D．making

A. types                   B．names              C．degrees            D．parts

A. putting             B．staying            C．living              D．growing

A. British              B．American         C．educated          D．ordinary

A. families            B．buses               C．movies            D．newspapers

A. need                    B．expect             C．seem               D．happen

Fading beauty

She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last for ever. But, at nearly 500 years of age, time is catching up with the Mona Lisa.  

The health of the famous picture, painted by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1505, is getting worse by the year, according to the Louvre Museum (卢浮宫博物馆) where it is housed.   

“The thin, wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since experts checked it two years ago,” the museum said. Visitors have noticed changes but repairing the world’s most famous painting is not easy. Experts are not sure about the materials the Italian artist used and their current chemical state (化学状态).  

Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year, many attracted by the mystery of her smile. “It is very interesting that when you’re not looking at her, she seems to be smiling, and then you look at her and she stops,” said Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University. “It’s because direct vision (视觉) is excellent at picking up detail, but less suited to looking at shadows. Da Vinci painted the smile in shadows.”

However, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as mysterious as the smile. Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always carried it with him, until it was eventually sold to France’s King Francis I in 1519.  

In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louvre by a former employee, who took it out of the museum hidden under his coat. He said he planned to return it to Italy. The painting was sent back to France two years later.  

During World War II, French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.   

Like many old ladies, the Mona Lisa has some interesting stories to tell.

What does the writer mean by “time is catching up with the Mona Lisa”?

A. The painted woman is not so beautiful any more.

B. Ageing is something that affects us all.

C. The painting needs repairing.   

D. At such an old age, she is no longer popular.

What makes the repair work difficult?

A. The wooden panel is thin and old and has also changed shape.

B. The health of the painting is suffering

C. Experts can’t agree on how the painting might respond to treatment.

D. No one knows exactly what materials were used to create the painting.

What makes her smile so mysterious according to Professor Livingston?

A. The materials the Italian artist used.   B. The way Da Vinci painted the smile.

C. The way she smiles.      D. It plays a trick upon the human eye.

Which of the following is in the right order?

①The painting was stolen from the Louvre.

②The painting was sent back to France.

③It was sold to France’s King Francis I  

④Da Vinci carried the painting with him.

⑤French hid the painting to keep it out of the hands of German forces.

A. ④→③→①→②→⑤   B. ④→①→③→②→⑤

C. ①→④→③→②→⑤   D. ①→③→④→②→⑤

第二节 读写任务（共1小题，满分25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。
It is reported that two 66-year-old men graduated this summer from Sun Yat-sen University, a well-known university in Guangzhou.
Li Yiquan, a Chinese-Singaporean, earned a postgraduate(研究生) degree in software engineering, while Ang Toon Aun, a Chinese-Malaysian, earned a bachelor's degree with a major in Chinese as a foreign language.
Li, a retired engineer, now lives in Hong Kong. His daughter also received a postgraduate degree this year, but from a British university. So she participated in his graduation ceremony in Guangzhou. Li said he had a special feeling for Sun Yat-sen University because his parents and brother graduated from there.
It wasn't easy for Li to return to school while in his 60s, he said. He failed math exams several times after beginning classes, even though he had a good foundation in math; he graduated from Hong Kong Baptist University majoring in physics 40 years ago and worked as an engineer before retiring.
Ang Toon Aun, 66, was tired of his business career, so he decided to study Chinese at the university and passed level 9, the highest level of the Chinese Test.
"There's nothing in the world that makes me happier than study," said Aun. Many old people in Malaysia were encouraged to keep studying after retirement, but few of them chose to study on campus for a degree as he did.
[写作内容]
你班英语老师给你推荐了这篇报道，读后你很受启发，想给学校板报的英语专栏写一篇英语文章，谈谈自己对上大学的看法。
1. 以约30个词概括两位老人上大学的理由；
2. 然后以约120个词就以“上大学”这个话题进行讨论，内容包括:
（1）你对这两位老人克服困难读完大学的感受；
（2）你对上大学深造的看法；
（3）你对中学毕业后的打算。
[写作要求]
1. 在作文中可以使用自己亲身的经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
[评分标准]
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。

III. Cloze test 完形填空 1’ * 20 = 20’
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从26－45各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中选出能填入相应空白处的最佳选项。
People from Great Britain brought the English language to North America in the 16th and 17th centuries. And in the  36  300 years, there were  37  many changes in  38  places that now people can  39  tell an English person  40  an American in the way he or she talks.
Many old words  41  in England but were kept in America. For example, 300 years ago people in Great Britain got their water from something they called either a
“faucet”, a “spigot”, or a “tap”. All these words are  42  heard in different parts of America, but only “tap” is still common in  43 . Americans often made up new words or changed old  44 . “Corn” is one kind of plant in America and  45  in England.
Also, over the last three centuries the English language  46  thousands of new words for things that weren’t known  47 . And often, American and English people used two  48  names for them. A tin can (洋铁罐头) is called “tin” for short in England, but a “can” in America. The word “radio” is  49  all over the world, including America. But many English people call it a “wireless”. And almost anything having something to do  50  cars, railroads, etc.  51  different names in British and American English．
But now American and British English may be growing closer together. One  52  is the large amount (数量) of American speech that British people hear daily in movies, on television, or  53  travelers.  54  this, Americans seem to be influencing (影响) the British more and more. So some day, English may even be  55  on both sides of the Atlantic (大西洋).  
36．A. following     B. recent       C. oldest        D. last
37．A. such              B. too                C. so                 D. great
38．A. either            B. both               C. neither          D. two
39．A. hardly            B. difficulty        C. clearly          D. easily
40．A. with              B. from                C. to               D. and
41．A. disappeared   B. were disappeared   C. spoke   D. were spoken
42．A. not                B. hardly              C. yet             D. still
43．A. America         B. the two countries   C. England     D. British
44．A. word              B. forms              C. ones             D. ways
45．A. another           B. also planted     C. a plant        D. a kind of food
46．A. added          B. has added            C. discovered     D. has discovered
47．A. anywhere    B. in some countries  C. before     D. for centuries
48．A. new              B. short                 C. different      D. surprising
49．A. produced       B. made                 C. developed      D. used
50．A. to                B. away                 C. with             D. from
51．A. has              B. have                 C. has given       D. was given
52．A. thing           B. cause                C. reason           D. expression
53．A. from            B. through             C. on                D. by
54．A. For              B. Because             C. Besides         D. Because of
55．A. different         B. more different   C. the same         D. more useful