Brighton is in the county of East Sussex, on the South coast of England. Situated between the English Channel and the South Downs, Brighton is 90 km from London. Brighton's nearby neighbor, Hove, is seen by some as a more desirable location than Brighton and it is often referred to by locals as "Hove, actually".

Brighton is a small city but there's probably as much going on here as anywhere in the country except London. Brighton has numerous entertainment facilities, which additionally serve a considerable business conference industry. There's a huge range of entertainment venues, including comedy at the Brighton Komedia, world music, opera and ballet at the Brighton Dome, jazz at the Joogleberry, top stars at the Brighton Centre and pre-West End shows at the Theatre Royal. The live music scene is also alive and well with several bands originating from the Brighton area going on to have commercial success in recent years.

Every year in May, Brighton hosts the "Brighton Festival" ------ the largest arts festival in England. Brighton's theatres, concert halls, streets and some of the city's most extraordinary venues host an array of art, entertainment and extravaganza (盛大表演). The earliest feature of the festival, "Open Houses" ------ homes of artists and crafts people, opened up to the public as galleries and usually sell the works of the inhabitants and their friends.

Students at the two universities in the area give the city a youthful vitality (活力), and in the summer, thousands of young students from all over Europe gather in the city to attend language courses. In addition to the usual coastal attractions, vacationers are drawn to the city's Georgian architecture, trendy shops, and fine restaurants. Points of interest also include the Edwardian Preston Manor, the ornate Royal Pavilion, the engaging Sea Life Center, and a  variety of museums and art galleries.

1.What's the author’s purpose of writing the passage?

A. To introduce Brighton to the readers.

B. To attract foreign students to study in Brighton.

C. To show his admiration for the city of Brighton.

D. To list entertainments in Brighton.

2. What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?

A. The term of "Hove"               B. The situation of Brighton.

C. The county of East Sussex.           D. The distance between Brighton and London.

3.According to the passage，where can you go if you enjoy watching opera?

   A. Brighton Komedia.         B. Joogleberry.

   C. Theatre Royal.            D. Brighton Dome.

4. Why do people in Brighton have a good time in May every year?

A. Because they can enjoy all kinds of music played by top artists.

B. Because top stars from the world will go to Perform there.

C. Because the largest arts festival in England is held there.

D. Because the local people can appreciate works in the Open Houses.

5.How many of the followings that attract people to Brighton are mentioned?

a. two universities            b. the summer language courses

c. the coastal attractions       d. the city's Georgian architecture

e. the fine restaurants

A. 2           B. 3           C. 4             D. 5

After inventing dynamites(炸药), Swedish-born Alfred Nobel became a very rich man. However, he foresaw its universally destructive powers too late. Nobel preferred not to be remembered as the inventor of dynamite, so in 1895, just two weeks before his death, he created a fund to be used for awarding prizes to people who had made worthwhile contributions to mankind. Originally there were five awards: literature, physics, chemistry, medicine, and peace. Economics was added in 1968, just sixty-seven years after the first awards ceremony.

Nobel’s original legacy of nine million dollars was invested, and the interest on this sum is used for the awards which vary from $ 30,000 to $125,000.

Every year on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death, the awards (gold medal, illuminated diploma, and money) are presented to the winners. Sometimes politics plays an important role in the judges’ decision. Americans have won numerous science awards, but relatively few literature prizes.

No awards were presented from 1940 to 1942 at the beginning of World War II. Some people have won two prizes, but this is rare; others have shared their prizes.

1. What did the first award ceremony take place?

A. 1895.           B. 1901.             C. 1962.                 D. 1968.

2. The Nobel prize was established to ________.

A. honor the inventor of dynamite       B. recognize worthwhile contributions to humanity

C. resolve political differences         D. spend money

3. In which area have Americans received the most awards?

A. Literature.         B. Economics.          C. Peace.             D. Science.

4. Which of the following statement is NOT true?

A. Awards vary in money value.

B. Ceremonies are held on December 10 to commemorate Nobel’s invention.

C. Politics can be of importance in selecting the winners.

D. A few individuals have won two awards.

Another food which is closely associated with Americans is apple pie．Apple pie is often served hot with a spoon of ice cream or a slice of cheese at the end of the biggest meal of the day—dinner, and it is a favorite dessert throughout the nation, if a person is typical of Americans, we can say, "He is as American as apple pie．"

It is true that the apple and apple pie do not originate in America, but the expression "as American as apple pie" is not the product of a pure imagination．As early as 1625, the English colonists, having brought orchards （果园） on this new land and in most of the colonial times, the apple was a main material of both plain and fancy cooking．The first Massachusetts governor, William Endicott, was one of many keen apple planters who helped to lay the foundations for today' s apple-growing industry in America．

A major attraction of the apple for the colonists was that it could be made into cider （苹果酒）. Like most Europeans, English colonists held a strong suspicion （怀疑） of drinking water, and since grapegrowing was hindered by plant peats, cider became an alternative to wine．Cheap and easy to produce, it was the American drink of first choice well into the nineteenth century． Whether it was dried, raw or cooked, the apple also found its way into numerous colonial dishes, including apple sauces, pudding, stuffings and many desserts．Therefore, the conclusion to be drawn here is obvious．The apple pie became known as American, not because it was invented on this land （since it was proved that Europeans had been eating apple pies for centuries）, but because, thanks to the huge orchards in the states of Washington and New York, America became the world's largest apple-producing nation．

1.If a person is said to be as American as apple pie, it means that _______．

2.The apple can be used to make into all of the following except _______．

3.The underlined word hindered in Paragraph 3 means．________．

4.It can be concluded from the passage that_______．

According to the United States government, people are classified as homeless if they have no place to stay and no expectation of finding a place for the next thirty days．Although technically accurate, that is an impersonal assessment of an enormous and very human problem．

       The homeless population represents all of us Americans．It includes men and women, the elderly, children, and infants．Its members are from all ethnic groups．What they have in common is poverty．

       Currently in the U．S．, thirty-nine million people live in poverty．When money is really tight, paying the rent or buying food often becomes a choice．Government assistance in the form of food stamps does help but, as one homeless man explains, you can’t pay the rent with food stamps．

       With no money for rent, the streets and homeless shelters become the alternative．

       Although men constitute the largest group within the homeless population, homeless women with children are rapidly joining them．In fact, one quarter of the homeless people in the U．S．are teenagers and young children．

       People may become homeless for numerous reasons．However, there are certain factors that many of these individuals have in common．They include a lack of adequate education and job skills．A majority of the teenagers and adults have not completed high school．

       The abuse of alcohol and drugs is also a common factor．One third of the adult homeless population abuses alcohol．While one quarter of the same group uses drugs．

       Some members of this population suffer mental health problems．Within the past several years many institutions for the mentally ill have been closed and their patients sent “home”．Unfortunately, a number of those people have no home to go to and they are unable to adequately look after themselves．

       Job loss in today’s economy has also become a real factor in the loss of people’s homes．The breakup of families through abandonment and divorce are also contributing factors, particularly when there are children involved．The parent who is left to care for the kids with inadequate income may be forced to depend on the homeless shelters to put a roof over their heads．

1.The writer thinks that the U．S．government’s definition for the homeless reveals ________．

       A．an insincere attitude toward the homeless

       B．an unbearable attitude toward the homeless

       C．an uncivilized attitude toward the homeless

       D．an unsympathetic attitude toward the homeless

2.The U．S．government helps the homeless by ___________．

       A．giving them homeless allowance

       B．giving them food stamps

       C．finding jobs for them

       D．finding residence for them

3.People become homeless for all the following reasons E  XCEPT __________．

       A．the lack of adequate education

       B．the abuse of alcohol and drugs

       C．the closure of institutions for the mentally ill

       D．the poor performance of economy

4.The breakup of families is likely to lead to homelessness because a parent with kids may_____．

       A．lose his or her job in today’s economy

       B．be unable to look after the kids

       C．not have enough income

       D．find residence at a homeless shelter

Coal mine accidents are frequently headline makers in China, offering a plentiful supply of long lists of the dead．Before this, five major coal mine accidents since January have already claimed lives of 287 coal miners.
Once an accident happens, the safety measures are scrutinized, officials and owners responsible are punished or warned or fined．But the accidents keep happening time and again.
The background of this endless disaster is a country thirsty for energy to satisfy the appetite of its economic engine.
With the rich reserve（储存）of coal and relatively limited petroleum（石油）reserve, the former makes up 67.12 percent of energy consumption．By contrast, petroleum and natural gas take about 60 percent of the energy consumption in other countries.
Such a situation is unlikely to change within a foreseeable future because the country still counts heavily on coal for more and more energy．If no measures with great effects are taken to improve the safety in the mines, the accidents will remain a long-term headache for China.
Digging coal underground is, by its nature, a dangerous job．No equipment can guarantee 100 percent safety for the miners working underground because numerous uncertainties exist.
Most of China’s coal mines are far from being mechanized．The average output of coal for each Chinese coal miner every day is 1 ton, while the number in the US coal mines, where the production is highly mechanized, is 40 tons.
Mechanized production in coal mines can cut down the number of miners who have to work on the dangerous coal face．It can also enhance the capability of the mines to detect potential danger．In this way mine accidents will be decreased.
Admittedly, the mechanized production demands financial support.
But what is the price of a life, or a dozen, a score – a hundred? Compare these awful figures with the misery they bring, heavy investment is worthy.
53．The writer’s attitude towards dealing with coal mine accidents is ________．         
A．critical    B．positive         C．unclear         D．doubtful
54．The underlined word “scrutinized” most probably means ________．               
A．made     B．examined       C．criticized        D．discussed
55．According to the writer, the best way to stop coal mine accidents is to ________.
A．perfect safety measures           B．use more natural gas
C．cut down the number of miners    D．improve mechanized production
56．The writer implies in the article that ________.
A．by improving mechanized production, we can stop coal mine accidents
B．it’s improper to depend too much on coal for energy consumption
C．officials and coal mine owners didn’t take safety measures seriously
D．losing lives costs much more than improving mechanized production