The flag, the most common symbol（象征）of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning. the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.

The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive（原始的）artifact. It is , rather, the product of thousands of years’ development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.

Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.

Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection

of the flag with heavenly power was  therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems(图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.

These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked: The king of China around 1000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routs through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe, where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag.

71．The best title for the passage would be             .

       A．Development of the National Flag.

       B．Power of the National Flag.

       C．Types of  Flags

       D．Uses of Flags

72．The underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 means              .

       A．impossible to make sure of

       B．likely to be protected

       C．easy to damage

       D．difficult to find

73．The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because              .

       A．they could tell wind direction

       B．they could bring good luck to fighters

       C．they were handed down by the ancestors

       D．they were believed to stand for natural forces

74．What does the author know of the first national flag?

       A．He knows when it was sent to Europe.

       B．He believes it was made in Egypt.

       C．He thinks it came from China.

       D．He doubts where it started.

75．What will the author most probably talk about next?

       A．The role of China in the spread of the national flag.

       B．The second ancestor of the national flag

       C．The use of modern flags in Europe.

       D．The importance of modern flags.

Nations plan next steps to end global warming

On December 3，more than 10,000 scientists, environmental activists and government officials from 187 countries met in Bali, Indonesia, which is the largest global warming conference ever held.

One of the main goals of the two-week meeting is to develop a replacement for the international treaty called the Kyoto Protocol, which has been signed by 174, countries, calling for limits on the emission of greenhouse gases.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, nations were legally bound to reduce greenhouse gases, but since it was signed in 2005, they have continued to increase worldwide. Of the largest greenhouse gas emitters, only Russia and Japan have agreed to follow me rules. China and India－second and sixth on the list－are making efforts to make cuts.

The U.S signed the treaty in 1997 but has not yet agreed to follow the strict rules, which require that greenhouse gas release be reduced by 10% by 2012. U.S. officials are opposed to these mandatory（强制性的），or required, cuts in emissions. "We’re worrying that it would be too costly and would hurt the U.S. economy. But we're not here to be a roadblock," said Harlan L. Watson, a top U.S. climate official.

Even if greenhouse gases are reduced, scientists say it will take decades or longer to stop the global warming that is already underway. To help poor countries deal with rising temperatures and climate changes, the UN has developed the "Adaptation Fund" to help them improve farming techniques and water systems.

But so far, it has only raised $67 million.

"The money should come from the countries most responsible and most capable," said Kate Raworth, a senior research official from the Oxfam International aid group. She listed the U.S., European Union, Japan, Australia and Canada.

1. The underlined word "they" in Paragraph 3 refers to“_____”.

2. By saying "But we’re not here to be a roadblock", Harlan L. Watson wants to say that_____．

3.According to Kate Raworth, the "Adaptation Fund" should come from all the following EXCEPT______．

4.Why did U.S officials not agree to make effort to reduce greenhouse gases?

5.We can learn from the passage that_____.

Driving to a friend’s house on a recent evening, I was struck by the sight of the full moon rising just above my friend’s rooftops, huge and round, yellow through the dust and smoke of the city. I stopped to watch it for a few moments, thinking what a pity it was that most city livers---myself included---usually miss sights like this because we spend most of our lives indoors.

My friend had also seen it. He grew up living in a forest in Europe, and the moon meant a lot to him then. It had touched much of his life.

I know the feeling. Last December I took my seven-year-old daughter to the mountainous jungle of northern India with some friends. We stayed in a forest rest house with no electricity or hot water. Our group had campfires outside every night, and indoors when it was too cold outside. The moon grew to its fullest during our trip. Between me and the high mountains lay three or four valleys. Not a light shone in them and not a sound could be heard. It was one of the quietest places I have ever known, a bottomless well of silence. And above me was the full moon.

Today our lives are connected with glass, metal, plastic and fiber-glass. We eat and breathe things our bodies were not designed to process. We have televisions, cell phones, pagers, electricity, heaters, air-conditioners, cars and computers. White noise and pollution is in the air. Radio waves and strange lights are constantly disturbing our minds and bodies.

Struggling through traffic that evening at the end of a tiring day, most of it spent indoors, I saw the moon and remembered these things. And I thought: before long, I would like to live in a small cottage. There I will grow vegetables and read books and walk in the mountains and perhaps write. I may grow old there. But I will be able to walk outside on a cold silent night and touch the moon.

1.What was the author’s pity in this passage?

A. Most people living in the city failed to see the beautiful moon.

B. There was too much pollution in the city.

C. There were too many modern inventions.

D. There was too much traffic on the road.

2.What attracted the author most according to the passage?

A. The mountainous jungle of India.                  B. The fullest moon.

C. The high mountains in India.                          D. All kinds of modern inventions.

3.The author longs for ________.

A. Camping outside at night                            B. Returning to the nature

C. Writing books                                                 D. Watching the moon

4.The main idea of this passage probably is “________”.

A. Disadvantage of Living in Cities

B. The Pleasure of Being out at Night

C. Touched by the Moon                   

D. Pollution Caused by Modern Technology

The US first lady Michlle Obama is among the world’s 100 most powerful women in a list topped by German premier Angela Merkel for four years in a row, according to a Forbes ranking released on 19 August.

    Michelle Obama debuted at No.40, coming in ahead of Talk Show host Oprah Winfrey at 41 and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth at 42.

   Sheila Bair, chair of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, which insures bank deposits, remained No.2 after debuting on the Forbes list last year. She has gained increased fame as the US recession lasts.

   The list is based on factors such as politics and economic impact ,media reach and career accomplishments.

   The chief executives of Dupont and Sunoco are new to the top 10, replacing the Xerox Cop. Chair, who dropped to No. 15, and the former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who fell off the list after leaving office in January.

   Rice’s successor, Hillary Clinton, came in at No.36,dropping from No.28 last year when her presidential bid made her the woman with the highest public profile on the list.

   Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, retained No.35.

   “Woman in power are rising to leadership positions in business, government and philanthropy(慈善)by making daring and unconventional moves,” Forbes said. “Gone are the days of women feeling they have to stick with one employer and patiently wait for promotions.”

    “Highly ambitious women are moving across companies and industries, making big leaps with each change, and repositioning themselves for opportunities that allow them to gain a breadth of experience.” The business magazine said.

    Merkel , 55, became the first female premier of Germany in 2005 and was successful in retaining power in a federal election on September 27.

   Michelle Obama, 45,has won the support of fans for her down-to-earth personality, her views of healthy eating and the arts, and her fashion sense that has seen her grace several best-dressed lists.

41. What does the underlined word “debuted” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. Go on stage for the first time .              

B. Make the first public appearance.

C. Appear on the list for the first time.

D. Introduce a film to the public for the first time.

42. Condoleezza Rice was not included in the list probably because ________.

A. she exercised  less influence              

B. she kept her new job a secret

C. she is no longer a public figure            

D. she was silent after resignation

43. Hillary Clinton ranked 28 last year because __________.

A. she was the former first lady                 

B. she was running for president

C. she frequently appeared in public           

D. she got support from her husband

44. We learn from the text that powerful women today ______.

A. change their jobs more frequently          

B. are better political leaders than men

C. are not content with being housewives    

D. have changed their traditional concept

45. What is the author’s attitude towards Angela Merkel?

A. Admiring.       B. Neutral.     C. Objective.      D. Extreme.

Thanks to a combination of young businessmen, large numbers of university students and revitalization (新生) efforts by the local and national governments, today’s Nanjing has an       36    of youthful exuberance (繁茂) that would have been    37   only a few decades ago.   38   , the city, a booming city of 6.5 million on the banks of the Yangtze River some 185 miles west of Shanghai, bears    39    resemblance to the former capital of China that suffered the worst cruelty and violence of World War II.

40    Nanjing has shown a remarkable capacity for reinvention during its 2,500-year history. And in recent years, the city has moved    41    its tragic past to become a vital engine of China’s economic growth, thanks    42    to its position in the middle of China’s prosperous eastern seaboard. Growth has also    43    thanks to improved ground transportation: A new bullet train linking Nanjing and Shanghai started service last year,    44    travel time between the cities from several hours to just 75 minutes, and a Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line is    45   to open later this year, with a stop in Nanjing. Within the city, two metro lines were built in the last few years; 15 more are planned to begin service by 2030.

Signs of Nanjing’s    46    wealth and optimism can be seen everywhere. In the heart of the downtown Xinjiekou district, a bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen,    47    the father of modern China, looks    48    over a busy    49    area.

There is perhaps no more    50    symbol of the city’s transformation than the Zifeng Tower, a 1,480-foot skyscraper that opened its doors last May.    51    offices, restaurants and an InterContinental hotel, the tower is the second-tallest building in China and billed as the seventh-tallest in the world.

Underlying all this development is a large Chinese and    52   student population — there are several major universities, plus a branch of Johns Hopkins’s international studies school. In fact, art and music    53    in all sorts of places.

On a larger    54   , local government officials and private investors are pushing the city as a rising center for contemporary art and architecture, hoping to attract    55    from the neon-bathed streets of its neighbor Shanghai.

1.A. advance    B. affection            C. air          D. ability

2. A. unforgettable B. unthinkable  C. unbearable       D. unnecessary

3. A. Actually  B. Regretfully          C. Hopefully  D. Consequently

4.A. close      B. slight               C. much         D. little

5. A. Because           B. But              C. As       D. Since

6. A. beyond        B. on               C. off              D. out

7. A. in addition       B. in all   C. in part              D. in fact

8. A. started           B. enlarged         C. existed  D. accelerated

9. A. removing      B. cutting              C. dividing     D. lowering

10. A. scheduled    B. invented         C. desired          D. meant

11.A. attractive     B. well-received    C. newfound     D. discovered

12. A. thought          B. treated      C. considered       D. elected

13.A. out               B. at                   C. about        D. for

14. A. remote           B. regional         C. rural        D. commercial

15. A. universal    B. visible          C. traditional  D. political

16. A. Keeping      B. Consisting       C. Opening      D. Housing

17. A. British          B. western      C. American         D. foreign

18. A. spring up     B. stand up         C. set up           D. keep up

19. A. extent           B. degree           C. scale            D. level

20. A. businessmen      B. students         C. tourists     D. painters