The Hawaiian Islands are in the Pacific Ocean almost 4,000, kilometres west of California. Tourism is very important to Hawaii. The tropical weather and beaches bring people from all over the world. But Hawaii is also experiencing problems from the downturn(经济衰退).

Last year was the first year since 2004 that Hawaii has had fewer than seven million visitors. The state had 6,800,000 arrivals in 2008. That was a decrease of 10% from the year before. State officials expect a decrease this year of another 2%. And they expect no growth in the economy through most of the year.

The Hawaiian Islands were formed millions of years ago by hot liquid rock flowing from undersea volcanoes. Visitors can still watch the process take place on the largest island, which like the state is named Hawaii. People usually just call it the Big Island.

Experts say Polynesian people first sailed to Hawaii about 2,000 years ago. A king ruled the islands when the 18th century British explorer James Cook arrived. At first, Hawaiians treated Captain Cook like a god. But in the end, he was killed on the Big Island in 1779.

Britain gave the islands their independence in 1843. Then, fifty years later, a group of American businessmen ousted the ruler and founded the Republic of Hawaii. It became an American territory in 1900.

That was three years after the United States set up a naval base at Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, which served as the command base for American operations in the Pacific during World War Two.

After the war, most Hawaiians required that Hawaii should be an independent state. In Congress(国会), though, there was resistance from southern states because of Hawaii’s non-white native population. But Congress passed the Hawaii Statehood Bill in 1959. Hawaiians accepted it, and on August 21st, President Eisenhower declared Hawaii the fiftieth state.

1..The number of visitors to Hawaii in 2009 is expected to be about _________.

A. 5,984,000           B. 6,664,000       C. 6,800,000       D. 6,936,000

2..When did the US set up a naval base at Pearl Harbor?

A. In 1893.            B. In 1897.        C. In 1900.        D. In 1959.

3..What does the underlined word “ousted” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A. Forced out.         B. Picked out.     C. Elected.        D. Became.

4..Which of the following is the correct order in the history of Hawaii?

  a. It was ruled by a Polynesian king.   b. It became an American territory.

  c. The Republic of Hawaii was founded.  d. It was under the rule of the British.

  e. It became independent in 1843.       f. It joined the United States.

  A. a, b, d, c, e, f  B. a, e, d, c, b, f   C. a, d, e, c, b, f            D. a, e, e, d, b, f

 

Do you like to eat out? Do you like to eat quickly? Do you like inexpensive food? Some people go to fast-food restaurants for these reasons.  In the past, people usually went to diners (小饭馆 )for these reasons, too. In fact, many people in the States still go to diners today for the same reasons.

     A man named Walter Scott had the first "diner" in 1872. It wasn't really a diner. It was only a food cart. People on the street walked up to the cart to buy food. These carts served late- night workers who wanted a cup of coffee and a late-night meal. The meal was a sandwich or boiled eggs. In 1887, Samuel Jones built the first diner big enough to allow the customers to come inside. However, they did not sit down. Later, people built diners with counters and stools, and people sat down while they ate.

     Before long, many diners stayed open around the clock. In other words, people were able to eat in a diner at any time. Diners changed in other way, too. The original menu of sandwiches and coffee became bigger. It included soup, favorite dishes, and a breakfast menu. In addition, diners soon became permanent buildings. They were no longer carts on wheels.

     Diners today look similar to the diners of the early 1900s.  They are usually building with large windows. Inside, the diners have shining counters with stools, booths, tables and chairs. People can eat all three meals in a modern diner.

     Today, many people eat in fast-food restaurants such as Mc Donald's and Burger King. However, the diner remains an American tradition, and thousands of people still enjoy eating there. It was popular a century ago, and it is still popular today.

What kind of meal did the first "diner" serve?

     A. Only breakfast.   B. Only lunch.  C. Only supper.   D. All of the above.

According to Paragraph 3, diners changed in             .    

      A. two ways   B. three ways  C. four ways  D. five ways

Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

     A. Diners existed before fast-food restaurants.

     B. The menu included more food than sandwiches and coffee.

     C. Burger King is a fast-food restaurant.

     D. Sandwiches became bigger.

The main idea of the passage is that              . 

     A. the diner is a traditional, popular place to eat in the United States

     B. Samuel Jones built the first diner big enough to allow the customers to come inside

     C. American diners serve many types of food 24 hours a day to their customers

     D. diners are different from fast food restaurants in many ways.

A holiday is any day when people lay aside their ordinary duties and cares. The word came from Old English. At first, holidays honored some holy events or persons. People in Great Britain and other countries speak of holidays as Americans speak of vacations.

Every nation has its special holidays. China observes New Year’s Day (January 1), May Day and National Day as legal (法定的)holidays , as it was on Oct.1,1949 that the People’s Republic of China was founded. The Chinese have long celebrated the Chinese lunar year. In the United States, congress has declared several days as legal holidays such as New Year’s Day (January 1), Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, Washington’s birthday, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day and so on. Some holidays celebrated special events in the development of a country, such as Greece’s Independence Day, Italy’s Liberation Day and India’s Independence Day.

In the United States, banks and schools usually close on a legal holiday. When such a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday is usually observed. Schools and organizations often observe days known as traditional holidays, although schools and business do not close then. Those holidays include Valentine’s Day and Halloween.

1.From the passage we know that China’s National Day is _______

A．January1                              B．May 1

C．October1                             D．December25

2.In the sentence “China observes New Year’s Day (January 1)’’, observe means ______

A．praises           B．spends            C．celebrates         D．cares

3.From the passage we can infer that _______

A．Chinese will no longer observe the Spring Festival

B．students don’t have to go to school on any holiday

C．Chinese and Americans share at least one holiday

D．Americans can easily draw money from banks on legal days.

4.Which of the following holidays has nothing to do with a country’s development?

A．China’s National Day                    B．Valentine’s Day

C．Italy’s liberation Day                    D．Independence Day

5.If a legal holiday falls on Sunday in the USA, people usually celebrate on ______.

A．Sunday                               B．the following

C．the following Monday                    D．the following Tuesday.

 

IV.阅读理解（共16小题；每小题2分，满分32分）

阅读下列短文，然后从所给四个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。  

A holiday is any day when people lay aside their ordinary duties and cares. The word comes from Old English. At first, holidays honored some holy(神的) events or persons. People in Great Britain and other countries speak of holidays as Americans speak of vacations.

Every nation has its special holidays. China observes New Year’s Day(January 1), May Day and National Day as legal(法定的) holidays, as it was on Oct. 1, 1949 that People’s Republic of China was founded. The Chinese have long celebrated the Chinese lunar year. In the United States, congress（国会） has declared(宣告) several as legal days such as New Year's Day (January1), Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day and so on. Some holidays celebrate special events in the development of a country, such as Greece’s Independence Day, Italy’s Liberation Day and India’s Independence Day.

In the United States, banks and schools usually close on a legal holiday. When such a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday is often observed. Schools and organizations often observe days known as traditional holidays, although schools and businesses do not close then. Those holidays include Valentine's Day and Halloween.

1. Which of the following holidays has nothing to do with a country’s development?

A. China’s National Day            B. Valentine’s Day

C. Italy’s Liberation Day            D. America’s Independence Day

2. From the passage we can infer that _________.

A. Chinese will no longer observe the Spring Festival

B. students don’t have to go to school on any holiday

C. Chinese and Americans share at least one holiday      

D. Americans can easily draw money from banks on legal days

3. In the sentence “China observes New Year’s Day(January 1)”, “observes” means_____.

A. praises         B. spends         C. celebrates        D. cares

4. If a legal holiday falls on Sunday, people usually celebrate on_________.

A. Sunday                   B. the following Sunday

C. the following Monday       D. the following Tuesday

 

As a palace, the Tower of London．was a great place to live．As a prison, it, wasn't so nice ——especially since so many prisoners lost their heads．Today tourists can explore 5the Tower in the

United Kingdom．Here are some reasons why the Tower was and still is a cool place．

Ravens（渡鸦） are like superheroes．

Well, sort of．Legend says if the ravens that live on the Tower grounds ever leave, the Tower will fall apart．No one knows when the ravens first showed up, but Charles II took the legend so seriously that in the 1670s he gave an official order that six ravens be kept there all the time．Today

there are still always six．

You might have lived at a zoo．

In 1204, King John kept a collection of animals, including lions and elephants．About 50 years later, King Henry III received a polar bear．the bear was kept on a piece of rope so it could fish from the Thames River that flows by the Tower．

       If you lived at the Tower today, your mom or dad might be in charge．

The 35 Yeoman Warders（伦敦塔卫士）and their families are among the few still allowed to live at the Tower．Established in 1509 a;? bodyguards! for the king, today they give tours and  manage the day-to-day details of the Tower．They're called "beefeaters," possibly because their job once allowed them to eat beef from the king's; table．

       You need a secret password at night．

Called the "Word," the password changes every 24 hours and is a must-have to enter the Tower

after hours．It's written on a piece of paper and delivered to the Yeoman on duty for, the night．

You could find buried gold．

       In 1662, a goldsmith（金匠） named John Barfcstead supposedly hid more than $40,000 worth of stolen gold somewhere on．the Tower grounds．Many have searched for the gold, but it has never

been found．

Charles II decided to keep six ravens in the Tower probably because ____,．         ;

       A．he loved animals a lot                 

       B．he believed ravens helped protect the Tower

       C．he wanted to train the ravens to watch the prisoners  

       D．he thought the Tower was a cool place for the ravens to live                        

According to the passage, the Yeoman Warders ______． 

       A．have to part from their families to work at the Tower            

       B．are  currently working as bodyguards for the king                                

       C．sometimes serve as tour guides          

       D．are fond of eating beef                            

Which of the following is TRUE about the Tower of London?   

       A．King Henry III kept lions and elephants in it．   

       B．It stands on the bank of the Thames River．

       C．Nobody is allowed to enter it at night．         

       D．It is also used as a prison nowadays．