Hundreds of years ago, Native-American tribes lived in Mexico. The Aztecs built beautiful cities. They had a calendar (历法) and a written language. However, the Spanish destroyed the Aztecs in l521. For the next 300 years, Spain ruled over Mexico. That’s why Mexicans speak Spanish.

　 Every September l6 the Mexican people hold a celebration in Mexico City, their country’s capital. It is their Independence Day. On that date in 1821 they told Spain they would no longer be ruled. Breaking free from Spain caused a war. When it was over, the Mexicans had their own government. They made their own laws.

　 Today America and Mexico are friends, but it wasn’t always that way. President James Polk wanted America to reach from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. He tried to buy what is now the American southwest from Mexico. Mexico would not sell. So from l846 to 1848 Mexico and America fought a war to ascertain where their borders would be. When the war ended, Mexico had lost a lot of land. Now the Rio Grande River forms the border between the two nations. America is on the north side of the river. Mexico is on the south side.

　 Mexico has mountains and a hot, dry climate. Crops can grow on only a small part of the land. Still, Mexicans grow much of the coffee, oranges, and sugar used in the US. Mexicans have influenced building styles in southwestern US and added words such as patio and canton to American English. Americans also enjoy eating many Mexican foods like burritos, tacos, tortillas, and tamales.

1. According to the passage, what happened second on historical timeline?

　 A. Mexicans declared their independence from Spain.

　 B. The Spanish ruled Mexico.

C. The Aztecs lived in Mexico.

D. Americans fought a war with Mexico.

2. The passage says that President Polk wanted ______.

　 A. the US to expand its borders to the Pacific Ocean

　 B. Mexico to change its Independence Day to July 4th

　 C. Mexico to become one of the states of the Union

　 D. Americans to adopt the Mexican language

3. Another word for the underlined word “ascertain” is ______.

　 A. inspect　 B. cover　 　 　C. change　　 D. determine

4. Mexicans have the following influences on America EXCEPT ______.

　 A. building styles 　 B. vocabulary　 C. clothes 　　　 D. food

5. Before the Aztecs were conquered(征服), these Native Americans probably ______.

A. didn’t speak Spanish　 B. couldn’t read or write any language

　 C. didn’t have tools　 　　 D. didn’t understand the concept of tim

The experiment turned out to be 　　　, which wasn’t ______ they wanted.

　 A. a completely failing ; as 　 B. a complete failure ; what

　 C. completely failure ; that 　 D. failed ; 不填

The experiment turned out to be a complete failure , ____ wasn’t ______they wanted

　 A．it ; what B．as ; that C．which ; what　 D．that ; what

　 A well-dressed man entered a famous jewelry shop. He explained that he wished to buy a pearl for his wife’ s birthday. The price didn’t matter, since business had been very good for him that year. After examining a nice black one that costs $5, 000, he paid for the pearl in cash, shook hands with the jeweler, and left.

　 A few days later the man returned and said that his wife liked the pearl so much that she wanted another one just like it. It had to be exactly the same size and quality as she wanted a pair of earrings made. "Can you give me any advice on how to get such a pearl?" said the man. The jeweler regretfully replied, "I would say it’s exactly impossible to find one exactly like that pearl."

　 The rich man insisted that the jeweler advertise in the newspapers, offering $25,000 for the matching pearl. Many people answered the advertisement but nobody had a pearl that was just right.

　 Just when the jeweler had given up hope, a little old lady came into his store. To his great surprise, she pulled the perfect pearl from her purse." I don’t like to part with it." she said sadly, I got it from my mother, and ,my mother got it from hers. But I really need the money.

　 The jeweler was quickly to pay her before she changed her mind .Then he called the rich man’s hotel to tell him the good news .The man, however, was nowhere to be found.

56. The man said he wanted to buy a pearl for _____.

　 A. his wife　　 B. his mother-in-law　 C. his own mother　　 D. no one

57. Many people answer the advertisement because they wanted______.

　 A. to see the perfect pearl　　　　　　 B. to buy some beautiful pearl too

　 C. to get in touch with the rich man　　 D. to sell their own pearl at a high price

58. The jeweler couldn’t find the man anywhere because ______.

　 A. he died suddenly　　　　　　　　　

B. he happened to be out

　 C. he got $20,000 by cheating and had run away with the money

D. he wouldn’t show up until the jeweler called him a second time

How to Be a Winner

Sir Steven Redgrave  

Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals  

“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes （糖尿病） . Believing my career （职业生涯）was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it----the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”  

Karen Pickering  

Swimming World Champion  

“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success―you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. “Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”  

Kirsten Best  

Poet ＆ Writer  

“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological （心理的） tool.”  

 　　60. What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?

　　A. Difficulties influenced his career.

　　B. Specialists offered him medical advice.

　　C. Training helped him defeat his disease.

　　D. He overcame the shadow of illness to win.

　　61. What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?

　　A. Her training schedule.

　　B. Her daily happenings.

　　C. Her achievements.

　　D. Her sports career.

　　62.What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to？

　　A. Ways that help one to focus.

　　B. Words that help one to feel less tense.

　　C. Activities that turn one's attention away.

　　D. Habits that make it hard for one to relax.

　　63. According to the passage ,what do the three people have in common?

　　A. Courage.

　　B. Devotion.

　　C. Hard work.

　　D. Self-confidence.