Hearst Castle is in California, America. A person called William Randolph Hearst built it between 1922 and 1939, at a cost of more than $30 million. Last year, I had a trip to that castle.
I spent the whole day looking around. But there was much to see, and a day wasn’t enough. Hearst Castle has four houses. The main house, “Casa Grande”, is the biggest one. Visitors can live in the other three ones. Many of them are Hollywood film stars, and they often come to the parties there.
At Hearst Castle, there are also beautiful gardens and two swimming pools, one inside and a larger one outside. I loved the one outside, the “Neptune Pool”. It was a pity that we couldn’t go swimming there!
The guide told us that Mr. Hearst travelled around Europe with his mother at the age of ten and looked at paintings and castles. He never forgot that tour and wanted his house to look like a castle. When Mr Hearst died in 1951, his family gave Hearst Castle to the people of California. Now it’s a museum.

1. 1.

   The underlined word “Castle” in the first paragraph means _____.

   1. A.
      城堡
   2. B.
      胜地
   3. C.
      城垛
   4. D.
      楼阁
2. 2.

   “Casa Grande” is _____ the other three ones at Hearst Castle.

   1. A.
      younger than
   2. B.
      bigger than
   3. C.
      older than
   4. D.
      smaller than
3. 3.

    There are _____ at Hearst Castle.

   1. A.
      beautiful gardens
   2. B.
      one swimming pool inside
   3. C.
      one swimming pool outside
   4. D.
      all the above
4. 4.

    _____ made Mr. Hearst build this wonderful castle.

   1. A.
      A tour around Europe
   2. B.
      The paintings and castles in Europe
   3. C.
      His mother
   4. D.
      His dream
5. 5.

    Which of the following sentences is TRUE?

   1. A.
      Hearst Castle in California was cheap to build.
   2. B.
      Hearst Castle is on a mountain near the sea.
   3. C.
      Many Hollywood film stars come to Hearst’s parties.
   4. D.
      After Mr. Hearst died, his family lived at Hearst Castle.

阅读短文，回答问题 （共5小题，每题2分，满分10分）

阅读下面短文，按要求完成相关任务。

World Book Day falls on April 23 every year. It was set up by the UNESCO(联合国教科文组织) in 1995 to encourage people, especially teenagers, to discover the pleasure of reading. It is also the day to honor great writer, for example, William Shakespeare, born or dead on that day.

Many countries celebrate World Book Day. Take UK as an example. On that day, millions of school children can buy books of special price, a much lower price than usual, in any bookstore. It has been done every year since 1998. World Book Day is also celebrated in China. Premier Wen Jiabao does lots of reading every day. Wen has called on people to do more reading. He suggested that young people should spend more time reading. “Book cannot change the world, but people can change the world by changing themselves through reading,” he said.

Why do people like reading? One big advantage is that reading helps us become more knowledgeable and more intelligent. Also, reading helps us to follow the latest developments of science and technology. Besides, reading gives us information about other cultures and places of the world. When we read, we may find many things that are unfamiliar to us. We would have to use our brain to think about them or do more reading to find out the answers. The more we read, the more we know. What’s more, reading is also one of the most important ways to learn a foreign language like English.

“Reading makes a full man”. Books, magazines, newspapers and other kinds of materials can help us to know more about the outside world and perfect us. So it is necessary for us to spend time on reading every day.

1.When is World Book Day?

2.In UK, what can school children do on World Book Day?

3.What did Premier Wen Jiabao suggest young people do?

4.How many advantages of reading are mentioned in the passage?

5.What does the passage mainly talk about?

The centerpiece of curling(冰壶)is the curling stone. Kays of Scotland has been making curling stones since 1851, when William Kay and his sons Andrew and Thomas set up a workshop in Mauchline, Ayrshire, in southwest Scotland. Kays is still owned by the relatives of the founder, and today it is the only curling stone maker left in Scotland.
Used in a highly competitive sport, the curling stones are made to exact standards. First, stones are sliced and then into round “cheeses”. Finally, the cheeses are shaped and polished into curling stones in a series of steps.
Each stone must weigh 44 pounds. Each must have a maximum diameter (直径) of 36 inches. Polishing is done by hand on a wheel using water, diamond-talcum power, and felt. Finishing the stone’s “running edge” is done entirely by hand with a special kind of paper and a digital measure and magnifying glass (放大镜). Lastly, a handle(把手) is fitted into holes on the top of the stone. Stones are computer-matched into pairs. Sixteen stones----8 pairs----are needed for a game, and since curling game field usually have 6 lanes, each game field needs 96 matched stones!
Kays is a small company, employing less than ten skilled workers. Master craftsman and co-owner James Wyllie is skilled at all phases of curling stone making and is also an enthusiastic curler, as well as active member of Mauchline’s Burns Club, which meets regularly to honor well-known Mauchline residents.
【小题1】What is true about Kays?

In the UK, there are two different types of school. One is free for every child in the country;   41   kind makes you pay for your education.

The free schools are known as “state schools” and the schools that   42   are known as “public schools”.

The UK has many famous public schools, such as Eton (伊顿公学), Harrow (哈罗中学) and Winchester (温彻斯特中学). Children from around the world come to the UK to study at these schools. Prince William studied at Eton.

  43   most kids go to state schools. Only about one in 10 goes to a public school. Fees (学费) at public schools can be very   44  . It can cost around 200,000 yuan for one year.

There are differences between state and public schools. Public schools generally attract better   45  , because they offer higher salaries（薪水）.

Because public schools have   46   money to spend than state schools, they also have nicer facilities (设施). Some have football fields, gyms and swimming pools for their students to use.

Facilities in state schools are not usually as good. They often have to   47   with other nearby schools.

Despite (尽管) these differences, kids learn the same things, whichever type of school they go to.   48   schools must follow the National Curriculum, which is set by the government. It   49   teachers what they must teach their students.

This means that whether you are rich or poor, you will still receive a basic level of  50  .

1. A. other                B. others              C. another           D. the other 

2. A. cost                 B. pay                C. spend             D. take

3. A. And                     B. But                C. Although           D. Besides

4. A. high         B. low                C. expensive            D. cheap

5. A. students       B. teachers             C. professors            D. visitors

6. A. less        B. little                C. much            D. more

7. A. share        B. talk       C. play              D. help

8. A. Every        B. Some               C. Most             D. All

9. A. says         B. asks                C. tells                   D. allows

10. A. living       B. work      C. education           D. study

阅读理解

Hearst Castle is in California, America. A person called William Randolph Hearst built it between 1922 and 1939, at a cost of more than $30 million. Last year, I had a trip to that castle.

I spent the whole day looking around. But there was much to see, and a day wasn’t enough. Hearst Castle has four houses. The main house, “Casa Grande”, is the biggest one. Visitors can live in the other three ones. Many of them are Hollywood film stars, and they often come to the parties there.

At Hearst Castle, there are also beautiful gardens and two swimming pools, one inside and a larger one outside. I loved the one outside, the “Neptune Pool”. It was a pity that we couldn’t go swimming there!

The guide told us that Mr. Hearst travelled around Europe with his mother at the age of ten and looked at paintings and castles. He never forgot that tour and wanted his house to look like a castle. When Mr Hearst died in 1951, his family gave Hearst Castle to the people of California. Now it’s a museum.

1.The underlined word “Castle” in the first paragraph means _____.

2. “Casa Grande” is _____ the other three ones at Hearst Castle.

3. There are _____ at Hearst Castle.

4. _____ made Mr. Hearst build this wonderful castle.

5. Which of the following sentences is TRUE?