In the last 500 years, nothing about people---not their clothes, ideas, or languages—has changed as much as what they eat. The original chocolate drink was made from the seeds of the cocoa tree（可可树）by South American Indians. The Spanish introduced it to the rest of the world during the 1500‟s. And although it was very expensive, it quickly became fashionable. In London, shops where chocolate drinks were served became important meeting places. Some still exist today. The potato is also from the New World. Around 1600, the Spanish brought it from Peru to Europe, where it soon was widely grown. Ireland became so dependent on it that thousands of Irish people starved when the crop failed during the “Potato Famine(饥荒)”of 1845—1846, and thousands more were forced to leave their homeland and move to America.
There are many other foods that have traveled from South America to the Old World. But some others went in the opposite direction. Brazil is now the world‟s largest grower of coffee, and coffee is an important crop in Colombia and other South American countries. But it is native to Ethiopia, a country in Africa. It was first made into a drink by Arabs during the 1400‟s.
According to an Arabic legend, coffee was discovered when a person named Kaldi noticed that his goats were attracted to the red berries on a coffee bush. He tried one and experienced the “wide-awake” feeling that one-third of the world‟s population now starts the day with.
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31 According to the passage, which of the following has changed the most in the last 500 years?
A Food B Clothing C Ideology D Language 32 “some” in the last sentence of the first paragraph refers to A some cocoa trees B some chocolate drinks. C some shops D some South American Indians
33 Thousands of Irish people starved during the “Potato Famine” because A they were so dependent on potatoes that they refused to eat anything else B they were forced to leave their homeland and move to America C the weather conditions in Ireland were not suitable for growing potatoes D the potato harvest was bad
34 Which country is the largest coffee producer? A Brazil B Colombia C Ethiopia E Egypt
35 Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the passage? A. One third of the world‟s population drinks coffee. B. Coffee is native to Colombia
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C. Coffee can keep one awake.
D. Coffee drinks were first made by Arabs. 第二篇 Teaching poetry
No poem should ever be discussed or “analyzed”, until it has been read aloud by someone, teacher or student. Better still, perhaps, is the practice of reading it twice, once at the beginning of the discussion and once at the end, so the sound of the poem is the last thing one hears of it.
All discussions of poetry are, in fact, preparations for reading it aloud, and the reading of the poem is, finally, the most telling “interpretation” of it, suggesting tone, rhythm, and meaning all at once. Hearing a poet read the work in his or her own voice, on records or on film, is obviously a special reward. But even those aids to teaching can not replace the student and teacher reading it or, best of all, reciting(背诵) it.
I have come to think, in fact, that time spent reading a poem aloud is much more important than “analyzing” it, if there isn‟t time for both. I think one of our goals as teachers of English is to have students love poetry. Poetry is “ a criticism of life”, and “ a heightening(提升) of life”. It is “an approach to the truth of feeling”, and it “ can save your life”. It also deserves a place in the teaching of language and literature more central than it presently occupies.
I am not saying that every English teacher must teach poetry. Those who don‟t like it
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should not be forced to put that dislike on anyone else. But those who do teach poetry must keep in mind a few thing s about its essential nature, about its sound as well as its sense, and they must make room in the classroom for hearing poetry as well as thinking about it.
36 To have a better understanding of a poem, one should A discuss it with others. B analyze it by oneself. C copy it down in a notebook D practise reading it aloud 37 Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a function of poetry? A Extending your life. B Saving your life. C Criticizing life. D Heightening life.
38 According to the writer, one of the purposes of teaching English is to get students
A to understand life. B to enjoy poetry. C to become teachers. D to become poets
39 What does the last sentence in the third paragraph imply? A More stress should be laid on the teaching of poetry. B Poetry is more important than any other subject.
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C One cannot enjoy life fully without an understanding of poetry D Poetry is the foundation of all language and literature courses 40 The phrase “make room” in the last paragraph could be best replaced by A “build a booth” B “provide equipment”.
C “leave a certain amount of time”. D “set aside enough space”. 第三篇“ Salty” Rice Plant Boosts Harvests
British scientists are breeding a new generation of rice plants that will be able to grow in soil containing salt water. Their work may enable abandoned farms to become productive once more.
Tim Flowers and Tony Yeo, from Sussex University‟s School of Biological Sciences, have spent several years researching how crops, such as rice, could be made to grow in water that has become salty.
The pair have recently begun a three-year programme, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, to establish which genes enable some plants to survive salty conditions. The aim is to breed this capability into crops, starting with rice.
It is estimated that each year more than 10m hectares（公顷） of agricultural land are lost because salt gets into the soil and stunts（妨碍生长）plants. The problem is caused by several factors. In the tropics， mangroves（红树林） that create swamps
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（沼泽） and traditionally formed barriers to sea water have been cut down. In the Mediterranean， a series of droughts have caused the water table to drop， allowing sea water to seep（渗透）in. in Latin America， irrigation often causes problems when water is evaporated（蒸发） by the heat， leaving salt deposits behind.
Excess salt then enters the plants and prevents them functioning normally. Heavy concentrations of minerals in the plants stop them drawing up the water they need to survive.
To overcome these problems， Flowers and Yeo decided to breed rice plants that take in very little slat and store what they do absorb in cells that do not affect the plants„ growth. They have started to breed these characteristics into a new rice crop， but it will take about eight harvests before the resulting seeds are ready to be considered for commercial use.
Once the characteristics for surviving salty soil are known， Flowers and Yeo will try to breed the appropriate genes into all manners of crops and plants. Land that has been abandoned to nature will then be able to bloom again， providing much needed food in the poorer countries of the world.
41 Which of the following statements about Flowers and Yeo is true？ A They are students at Sussex University. B They are rice breeders. C They are husband and wife.
D They are colleagues at an institution of higher learning.
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42 Flowers and Yeo have started a programme A to find ways to prevent water pollution.
B to identify genes that promote growth in salty soil. C to breed rice plants that taste salty.
D to find ways to remove excessive salt from soil.
43 Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of the problem discussed in the passage？
A Natural barriers to sea water have been destroyed. B the water table has gone down after droughts. C Sea level has been continuously rising. D Evaporation of water leaves salt behind
44 The word “affect” in Paragraph 6 could be best replaced by A “influence” B “effect” C “stop” D “present” 45 The attitude of the author towards the research project is A positive B negative. C suspicious D indifferent.
31A 32C 33D 34A 35B 36D 37A 38B 39A 40C 41D 42B 43C 44A 45A
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A Debate on the English Language
A measure declaring English the national language is under intense debate in the United States.The US Senate passed two declarations last week.One calls English the nation's official language and the other says it is the \"common and unifying（统一的）\"tongue.But Americans found themselves divided on the issue.
Since people worldwide know that most Americans speak only English,many can't understand why the issue is so controversial（有争议的）.
\"The discussion is related to fears of immigration issues,\"says Dick Tucker,a social scientist at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University.\"It's related to a worry about the changing demography（人口统计）of the US.It's a worry about who will continue to have political and economic influence.\"
In fact,the notion of protecting the language has been kicked around almost since the nation's founding.John Adams lobbied（游说）in 1780 for the creation of a national academy to correct and improve the English language.But his proposal died,since lawmakers saw it as a royalist（保皇主义者）attempt to define personal behavior.
Since then,the country hasn't had a national language,but the idea of recognizing the special status of English lived on.
The emotions surrounding language resurface（再次浮现）not because people feel comfortable with English.It is more about the discomfort many Americans feel
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with the new languages,says Walt Wolfram,a professor at North Carolina State University.
\"Language is never about language,\"he says.
According to the 2000 US Census Bureau report,of 209 million Americans over 18 years old,172 million speak only English at home.About 37 million speak languages other than English.Among them,6.5 million speak poor English and 3.1 million don't speak English at all.
31.What are the two declarations concerned with? A.The status of the English language. B.The protection of new languages. C.The rights to speak one's mother tongue. D.The improvement of the English language.
32.Who suggested in the 18th century that English should be protected? A.Walt Wolfram. B.John Adams. C.Royalists. D.Dick Tucker.
33.Which of the following is the current debate NOT related to? A.The immigration issues. B.The changing demography. C.The worry about the new languages.
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D.The US's military strength.
34.Which statement is true according to the 2000 US Census Bureau report? A.172 million Americans speak only English in their work places. B.37 million Americans speak English.
C.209 million Americans are above the age of 18. D.6.5 million Americans speak good English.
35.The phrase\"kicked around\"（paragraph 4）could be best replaced by A.\"invented\". B.\"formed\". C.\"shaped\". D.\"discussed\". 第二篇
Kobe Bryant
After 10 seasons wearing the No 8 on his back,Kobe Bryant will become No 24 next season.The reason for the surprising decision by the Los Angeles Lakers super guard last week has become a hot topic for debate.
Bryant wore No 24 when he was in early high school,but he changed to No 33 in his senior year.He switched to No 8 when he was selected by the Lakers in 1996,and has not been changed since.
Bryant has refused to explain the decision until the end of the play-offs（季后
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赛）.So guessing Bryant's motive has become a popular game among NBA fans and newspaper columnists（专栏作家）.
There are all kinds of speculations.Many say that Bryant wants to leave the past behind and have a fresh start.He has often been criticized for playing to benefit himself and not the team as a whole.Others say that he may be trying to compare himself to Michael Jordan.Jordan was famous for his No 23 jersey（运动衫）.Some,such as NBC Sport columnist Michael Ventre,argue that it is\"all about money\".Bryant will make more money by selling new jerseys to his fans.
Some speculations are more about fun.For example,there is an opinion that Kobe is actually just a diehard（非常执著的）fan of the popular TV drama \"24\". All this talk has turned the number change into a major issue.It seems that there is a lot of fuss（大惊小怪）over something that should be pretty simple.
Jersey numbers have their own special significance in American sports,especially basketball.Players choose their number when they join a team and they usually stick with that number for the rest of their career.When a great player retires,his team will honor him by retiring his number.
To some extent,the jersey is the player,and the player is the jersey.Thus,when you see the famous No 23 for the Chicago Bulls,you immediately think about Michael Jordan.A No 32 Miami Heats jersey recalls the image of Shaquille O'Neal,and the Houston Rockets' No 11 belongs only to Yao Ming.
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Lots of stories are behind players' jersey number selections.Jordan said that he chose No 23 because it was roughly half of 45.Jordan's elder brother wore the No 45 in college.Yao Ming once revealed that the No 11 stands for two people in love-meaning him and his girlfriend Ye Li. 36.Which team has Bryant played for? A.The Los Angeles Lakers. B.The Houston Rockets. C.The Chicago Bulls. D.The Miami Heats.
37.How long has Bryant been wearing No 8? A.Since he started to play basketball. B.For ten seasons.
C.Since he entered high school. D.Since he left the Lakers.
38.Which of the following is NOT a speculation about Bryant's motive to change his number,according to this passage?
A.He wants to leave his past behind and have a fresh start. B.He wants to compare himself to Jordan. C.He wants to earn more money.
D.He wants to show that he is a man of great importance. 39.Why did Jordan choose No 23?
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A.Because that number would make him famous. B.Because that number would make his fans miss him.
C.Because that number was related to the number his brother once wore. D.Because that number was easy to remember. 40.What does the number Yao Ming chose stand for? A.Two long legs. B.Two strong arms. C.Two people in love. D.Two big countries. 第三篇
Trying to Find a Parther
One of the most striking findings of a recent poll in the UK is that of the people inbterviewed,one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with.
Why are many finding it increasingly difficult to start and sustain intimate relationships?Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love?Or are we making it harder for ourselves?
It is certainly the case today that contemporary couples benefit in different ways from relationships.Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status.A man doesn't expect his spouse to be in sole charge of running his
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household and raising his children.
But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence. In theory,finding a partner should be much simpler these days.Only a few generations ago,your choice of soulmate （心上人） was constrained（限制） by geography,social convention and family tradition.Although it was never explicit,many marriages were essentially arranged.
Now those barriers have been broken down.You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening.When the world is your oyster （牡蛎）,you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl.
But it seems that the old conventions have been replaced by an even tighter constraint:the tyranny of choice.
The expectations of partners are inflated（提高） to an unmanageable degree:good looks,impressive salary,kind to grandmother,and right socks.There is no room for error in the first impression.
We think that a relationship can be perfect.If it isn't,it is disposable.We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and don't put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship.Of course,this is complicated by realities.The cost of housing and child-rearing creates pressure to have a stable income and career before a life partnership.
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41.What does the recent poll show?
A.It is getting more difficult for a woman to find her husband. B.It is getting increasingly difficult to start a familyl. C.It is getting more difficult for a man to find his wife.
D.It is getting increasingly difficult to develop an intimate relationship with your spouse.
42.Which of the following is NOT true about a contemporary married couple? A.The wife doesn't have to raise the children all by herself. B.The husband doesn't have to support the family all by himself. C.The wife is no longer the only person to manage the household. D.They will receive a large sum of money from the govemment.
43.Which of the following was NOT a constraint on one's choice of soulmate in the old days?
A.The health condition of his or her grandmother. B.The geographical environment. C.The social convention. D.The family tradition.
44.Which of the following is NOT expected of a partner according to this passage?
A.Good looks. B.An impressive career. C.A high salary.
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D.A fine sense of humor.
45.The word\"sustain\"（paragraph 2）could be best replaced by A.\"reduce\". B.\"shake\". C.\"maintain\". D.\"weaken\".
31.A 32.B 33.D 34.C 35.D 36.A 37.B 38.D 39.C 40.C 41.B 42.D 43.A 44.D 45.C
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