第二节 (共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分)

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

There was once a lonely girl who wanted love very much. One day while she was walking in the woods she found two birds. 　　　16　　 　She took care of them with love and the birds grew strong. Every morning they greeted her with a beautiful song. The girl felt great love for the birds. She wanted their singing to last forever.

　　 17　　 　The larger and stronger of the two birds flew out of the cage. The girl watched worriedly as he flew above her. She was so frightened that he would fly away and she would never see him. So as he flew close, she caught him quickly. She felt very happy. 　　　18　　 　Her love had killed him.

She noticed the other bird standing at the door of the cage. She could feel his great need for freedom and his need to fly into the clear, blue sky. 　　　19　　 　The bird flew around her once, twice, three times. The girl looked happily at the bird’s enjoyment. Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss (损失). 　　　20　　 　Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her hand. It sang the sweetest song she had ever heard.

The fastest way to lose love is to hold on too tight; the best way to keep love is to give it wings!

D

The English language changed a lot during the past years and is still changing. This is because Britain has been influenced by many cultures and invaded (侵略) by many countries, too.

We had the first big change in our language when the Vikings came and conquered England. They brought words from their language into everyday use: house, ocean, boat. What were these called before? Perhaps nobody knows.

Later on the Romans invaded, and they brought another set of words: judicial, centenarian, legion, villa, vineyard and many, many more. In fact, for a time Latin became the main language of educated people. Poor people spoke in their own local dialect, which separated educated people from ordinary people.

After 1066, French was spoken in government offices and became widely used because the rulers were from the French court (宫廷).

Other rulers from Spain came, and Spanish words came into our language. With time, many of these words changed and became “English” words, but most of the words we use — from delicate, sofa, bed, garden, in fact most words you can think of — came from one of the other European countries.

The history of English is still being written. More words are becoming used daily, largely because of the development of science and technology. Words like byte, download and hyper drive are now in the dictionary. Other colloquial (口头的) words like bro, phit, yo’ are also appearing in the dictionary.

12. What’s the passage mainly about?

　　 A. The development of the English language.

　　 B. The countries that invaded Britain.

　　 C. Different kinds of English.

　　 D. The history of Britain.

13. What happened after the Romans invaded England?

　　 A. The English language began to form.

　　 B. Latin was spoken by all the people.

　　 C. Different classes began to appear in Britain.

　　 D. Different classes spoke different languages.

14. What influenced English a lot in the old days?

　　 A. The countries that invaded Britain.

　　 B. The dialects spoken by ordinary people.

　　 C. The main language of educated people.

　　 D. The other European countries.

15. We can infer from the last paragraph that 　　　.

　　 A. some English words changed a lot

　　 B. the history of English is very long

　　 C. the English language is still changing nowadays

　　 D. the English language has a big influence in the world

C

The people of Churchill, Manitoba, known as the “Polar Bear Capital of the World”, live among some of the world’s most dangerous animals for several months each year, but they can’t imagine living any other way.

The town is small — you can walk from one end to the other in 15 minutes. But people in Churchill say their daily lives can be a bit of a culture shock for visitors. Things that are considered normal in Churchill aren’t necessarily normal elsewhere. For example, the meat from one hunt can fill a family’s refrigerator for the winter.

But the most different in Churchill is the bears. If you live in Churchill, you don’t walk the streets at night during bear season. You keep your car doors unlocked — if a bear shows up, you’ll need protection fast.

A lot of tourists come to Churchill each year, and during high season, more than 12,000 visitors pass through the town in six weeks. Tourists don’t know the dangers. They’ll see a nice coastline (海岸线) and want to go for a walk. Bears like to sleep there, and you can’t see them till it’s too late. Manitoba Conservation holds school talks and puts up warning (警告) signs in the whole area, but living among dangerous animals is new for visitors.

Though living and working among some of the earth’s most deadly animals is dangerous, the people of Churchill are just as concerned about the bears’ safety as their own. “If I’m not careful around the bear, what will end up happening could be injury (受伤) for me, but it will mean death to the bear,” a person living in Churchill said. “I always keep that in mind.”

8. Daily lives in Churchill can be a bit of a culture shock for visitors because 　　　.

　　 A. they can see many polar bears

　　 B. people here live a different life

　　 C. the town is quite small

　　 D. people there hunt for a living

9. If you live in Churchill, you should 　　　.

　　 A. stay at home at night

　　 B. not go out alone at night

　　 C. drive a car at night

　　 D. not stay in your car at night

10. According to the 4th paragraph, visitors to Churchill 　　　.

　　 A. should avoid the high season　

　　 B. should not go for a walk alone

　　 C. had better keep away from the coastline

　　 D. have a higher chance of meeting a bear

11. We can infer from the last paragraph that people in Churchill 　　　.

　　 A. often kill the bears when they meet them

　　 B. are not concerned about their own safety

　　 C. care a lot about polar bears

　　 D. aren’t afraid of polar bears

B

Andres Chaparral

A person who is kind to me is Andres Chaparral. He lives in the Philippines. He is so kind to other people and me. When someone asks him if he can help him/her, he always does it. He always gives poor children food and clothes. One time when his father gave him money for shopping, he didn’t spend it. He bought some food, shoes, clothes and toys, and then we rode a bus and went to an orphanage and gave the children all the things he bought. He is the kindest person I know.

Roseville Santos

Another person who is kind to me is my aunt. When I just came here she helped me with my homework. I did not speak English. She always takes me to new places to meet new friends. But the thing I like most about her is when she told me, “Do not give up on whatever you’re doing.”

Joseph Sue

The person who is kind to me is my uncle. He helped my mom to take care of me when she went to work in New Jersey. He was also like my father. He is really a nice uncle. He also buys me clothes. And when I am sick, he takes care of me although he has to go to work.

Carlos Carranza

I write this paragraph about my grandfather because I think he is kind. He likes to help others, too. He likes me because when I stay with him he gives me money and helps me with my homework. He also asks me to help others when they need help and to respect the old.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

4. What’s the writer’s purpose in writing the passage?

　　 A. To tell us who have helped him.

　　 B. To introduce his family members to us.

　　 C. To show us his happy memories of his childhood.

　　 D. To tell us who have set a good example to him.

5. What touched the writer deeply is Andres Chaparral’s 　　　.

　　 A. courage　 　　　　　　 B. politeness 　　　 C. wisdom 　　　　 D. kindness

6. What can we learn about the writer’s aunt from the passage?

　　 A. She worked as a teacher in the past.

　　 B. She is fond of travelling everywhere alone.

　　 C. She always encourages the writer.

　　 D. She has few friends to talk to.

7. The word “orphanage” in Paragraph 1 probably refers to 　　　.

　　 A. a center that gives food to the poor　

　　 B. a place for children without parents

　　 C. a store which sells all kinds of clothes

　　 D. a station where passengers wait for buses

A

I sat in my seat as my new classmates found theirs. At the front of the class our new math teacher stood watching us. The bell rang.

“Welcome to a new school year. I’m Mr. Stevens and I’m sure I’ll learn all your names in no time.” He walked around the class handing out math books. When he was done, he returned to the front of the class and looked at us. “What are you waiting for? Get started?” he said.

We looked at him. Wasn’t he going to teach us?

“Is there something wrong with your ears? You’re not all deaf, are you?”

A brave boy at the back of the class asked what we all wanted to know. “Mr. Stevens, aren’t you going to teach us?”

Mr. Stevens said, “You’re smart kids. Open your books and get to it. If you have any trouble or any questions, raise your hand, and I’ll help you.”

We opened our books. Mr. Stevens helped anyone who had questions. We worked like dogs and finished two and one half math books the first year. It was a turning point in my life. Mr. Stevens made me realize I was good at math and also able to reach the top of any class I attended.

Monty Python’s Flying Circus was a popular television show back then. The actors brought the best British humour (幽默) into our Canadian lives. Mr. Stevens would often act out one of their funny scenes (场景) in front of the class. Some thought he was strange, and I guess he was, but he knew how to make a math lesson interesting.

1. Why did the writer say being taught by Mr. Stevens was a turning point in his life?

　　 A. He could learn things more quickly than before.

　　 B. He realized he could be a good student in class.

　　 C. He liked going to school from then on.

　　 D. He changed his attitude towards life.

2. What was special about Mr. Stevens according to the writer?

　　 A. He was strict with the students.

　　 B. He treated each student equally.

　　 C. He taught the students to learn on their own.

　　 D. He brought English humor into math classes.

3. Mr. Stevens would often act out one of the scenes in Flying Circus to 　　　.

　　 A. let students taste British humour 　　　

　　 B. make his classes interesting

　　 C. teach his students British culture

　　 D. make more students like him

六． 书面表达

One possible version：

Dear Mr. Smith　　　

　　 I’m so excited to know that our school is organizing an activity to help the kids in a school. I hope I can join in it. I think I have the abilities to help them. First I’ll get on well with the kids there. I can do it because I always communicate well with others. And I have a few hobbies, such as playing basketball, ping-pong and singing songs. So I’m going to help organize after-class activities. Also, I speak good English. I can help the kids with their English. I’ll read English loud with them and teach them English songs. It’s really fun.

　　 I’ll be thankful if you give me the chance!

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Yours

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Gao Shan

53.ordered　　 　 54.poured　　 55.watching　 56. to ask　　 57.been　　 58.turn

48. second/2nd 　49. Hopefully　 50. proud　 51. visitors’　　 52. clapping