Venice is an attractive city in Italy. Tourists throughout the world love traveling to Venice. But sometimes you’ll have such strange experiences. One moment you walk across the Rialto Bridge, and there’s nothing special. Unfortunately, when you come back to the bridge an hour later, it’s underwater and everyone’s wearing rain boots.
That’s just the way it has always been, which may be considered seriously by Italian government. Before the sea comes to Venice, the government has decided to build the MOSE gates. Actually(实际上), there were many kinds of gates that were built to stop the floods, but all the gates were just built on the ground. Besides, the flooding was becoming worse. Industrial(工业的)factories built nearby on the mainland also made the condition get worse, causing the city to sink about 0.75 feet in the 20th century.
So the Italian government asked some of Italy’s biggest construction and engineering companies to build the MOST project, which was planned to be built under the sea water to stop floods. Now the government are using 3 000 people and expect to spend nearly five billion euros(欧元) on it. The MOSE gates are being built at the inlets(海湾).Each MOST gate is 197 feet long ,28.5 to 37 feel tall, and weight up to 22 tons. It’s nearly the size of a 20-story building. Before the gates are in use, under the sea full of water. When the flood comes, the water in the gates will be poured out, and then the gates will be filled with air. So the gates can go up with the sea water. Once they’re in the right place, they will stop the sea water pouring into Venice. These gates will be able to deal with floods up to 10feet,and as long as the sea level(平面)rises no more than two feet in the next 100 years, the MOSE will work as expected.
The MOSE project is now two-thirds done. The head engineer, Giovanni Cecconi, said, “This is a war. During the war, it’s not important that you win. It’s important that you’re alive. We’ve alive.” Anyway, this project is saving Venice from falling.
根据短文内容选择最佳答案。
【小题1】The underlined word “construction” in the passage means “_______”in Chinese.
A.建筑  B. 农业  C. 交通
【小题2】Before building the MOSE gates, the Italian government _______ to stop the floods.
A. never built gates on the ground
B. built many kinds of gates on the ground
C. built some gates which were under the ground
【小题3】When the flood comes, _______ can describe the working steps of the MOSE gates.

【小题4】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The Italian government ate using 3000 people and expect to spend nearly five billion dollars on the MOSE.
B. The MOSE project is half done now.
C. Each MOSE gate is 197 feet long, 28.5 to 37 feet tall, and weighs up to 22 tons.
【小题5】The best title for this passage should be _______.
A. The Journey to Venice
B. The MOSE Project in Venice
C. Several Kinds of Floods in Venice

On the first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder(肩膀). “Hi, girl! My name is Rose, I’m 87 years old.”
“Why are you in college at such a young age?” I asked jokingly.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!”she replied. Rose became a college symbol(象征) this year and she easily on her from the other students.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football party. I’ll never forget what she taught us.
“We do not stop playing because we are old, we grow old because we stop playing. There are only two secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor(幽默) every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose you dreams, you die!”she said.
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do anything, you will turn 20 years older. If I am 87 years old, and stay in bed for a year, and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. But every minute counts for young men,” she added.
She ended her speech by singing The Song of Rose. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live then out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end, Rose finished the college education she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose did peacefully in her sleep.

1. 1.

   Rose went to college because she         .

   1. A.
      wanted to live longer
   2. B.
      loved to stay with the young
   3. C.
      wanted to realize her dream
   4. D.
      planned to enjoy her life there
2. 2.

   From the story we can see that Rose was    during her stay in college.

   1. A.
      outgoing and popular
   2. B.
      brave and hard-working
   3. C.
      honest and athletic
   4. D.
      calm and creative
3. 3.

   Which of the following is included in Rose’s speech?

   1. A.
      People won’t grow old if they stop playing.
   2. B.
      The more you laugh, the younger you will be.
   3. C.
      People easily become old if they do more things.
   4. D.
      Time is especially important for young people.
4. 4.

   At the end of her speech, Rose asked each of her classmates          .

   1. A.
      to sing along with her
   2. B.
      to sing one’s own song
   3. C.
      to recite the lyrics
   4. D.
      to do as the lyrics said
5. 5.

   Which of the following can best describe the story?

   1. A.
      Live with your dream.
   2. B.
      Find secrets of staying young.
   3. C.
      Learn wherever you are.
   4. D.
      Be happy every day.

Here are four poems written by some students named Owen, Angela, Roger and Kevin.

1.Which of the following is mentioned in both Owen’s and Roger’s poems?

A. Smiles and flowers.? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B. Bees and flowers.?????????????

C. Birds and flowers. ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. Leaves and flowers.

2.Roger enjoys spring by _______ it.

A. smelling????? ????????????? B. playing??????? C. listening ???? D. watching

3.All the poems describe the spring except ______.

A. Owen’s????? ????????????? ????????????? B. Roger’s??????? C. Angela’s????? D. Kevin’s?

Andy was still traveling in Spain when he realized he had to confirm his flight home with the airline company. He was visiting Spain in order to improve his Spanish. When he was speaking to people face to face, he had no difficulty understanding what they said. However, when he was speaking on the phone, he still had a problem. Andy called the airline. And the clerk confirmed that his plane was leaving at nine o'clock three days from that day. She also told Andy to be at the airport two hours earlier in order to check in his luggage and get a seat.

Since he was leaving in three days, Andy didn't lose any time. He visited as many places as he could. He thought that it would probably be a while before he had enough money again. He wished he could come back and spend a year in Spain.

Too quickly, the final day arrived. Andy left early for the airport to arrive two hours before take-off. He hated to rush. He went to the clerk to show his ticket. The clerk looked at the ticket in surprise. "Why, sir, but your flight was at nine o'clock in the morning, and now it is eight in the evening." "But I confirmed my flight," insisted Andy. "Will I have to pay for another ticket?"

"No, Sir. However, the next flight out will be three days from now."

Andy's look of shock turned to pleasure as he realized that now he could continue his vacation.

1.Why was Andy in Spain?

A. He was there on a business trip.             

B. He hoped to learn Spanish better.

C. He liked to visit places of interest in Spain.    

D. He was visiting friends there

2.Andy missed his flight because________

A. he forgot his flight time          

B. the clerk gave him the wrong time of his flight

C. the clerk misunderstood him      

D. he misunderstood the clerk

3.Which word can best describe the feeling of Andy when he came to know that his stay in Spain would be longer?

A. happy        B. shocked       C. upset       D. angry

4.What would Andy do next?

A. He would stay in Spain for another three days.

B. He would go to another country.

C. He would stay at the airport.

D. He would pay for another ticket.

5.What can we know from the passage?

A. Travelers always have to confirm the time of flight with airline companies by phone call

B. It’s more difficult for Andy to understand others in Spanish face to face than on the phone

C. Andy was enjoying himself when visiting places in Spain.

D. Andy would be worried.

“My dear lady,” says Holmes. “You’re shivering. Are you cold? Do you want a cup of hot tea?”

“I’m not cold,” the woman replies, “I fear for my life!”

“We are here to help you. Don’t worry about anything. I don’t know you. But I know many things about you. For example, I know how you travel. You came to London by train. You also ride to the train station on a horse-drawn wagon(马车).”

“Why, yes. You’re right. But how do you know these things?”

“ I see a return ticket in your glove. I see fresh mud on the left arm of your dress. Now tell us your problem.”

“My name is Helen Stoner,” she states, “My mother and father are dead. I am living with my stepfather, Dr Grimesby Roylott. He comes from a rich family. But they are no longer rich. They have nothing except a small piece of land and a huge old house. We are living in the house. Dr Roylott is using my mother’s money for expenses(开支). Part of it was for my sister and me. It was for our marriages.”

Holmes is sitting in his chair. His eyes are closed. He is listening carefully to Helen’s story. He hears every detail.

Helen continues. “My stepfather has no friends. He fights with everyone. He is strong and gets angry quickly. Everyone is afraid of him.”

“He has no friends at all?” asks Holmes.

“No. He talks to no one except the gypsies. They are poor people who travel from place to place. A band of gypsies is staying on our land right now.”

“Are you and your sister afraid of the gypsies?”

“My dear Mr Holmes. You are making me so sad. My sister is dead. That is why I am standing here in this room.”

1.Paragraph 6 beginning with “My name is …” is mostly about_______________.

A. Helen’s dead sister                        B. Helen’s trip to London

C. the house Helen lives in                    D. Helen’s stepfather and the family

2.What is Holmes doing while Helen is telling her story?

A. Walking slowly                           B. Listening carefully

C. standing sadly                            D. Writing quickly

3.Which of the following can best describe the gypsies according to the passage?

A. They are very rich                         B. They are afraid of other people

C. They live on a horse-drawn wagon            D. They move from one place to another

4.The passage is probably from __________.

A. a poem         B. a guide            C. a novel         D. an advertisement