Alice's Adventures in Wondertand is one of the most loved children's books of all time, and many adults
enjoy it as well. It tells the story of a young girl named Alice, who follows a rabbit entering a magical world
called Wonderland: she has many experiences which seem to change the rules of reasoning or common
sense. The popularity of the book comes from its imagination, interesting story, and art work.
     The writer of the book is Lewis Carroll-In fact, Lewis Carroll was not the writer's real name. His real
name was Charles Dodgson. One day, he took a boat ride down the Thames River to have a picnic with
three little girls who were friends of the family. To keep them entertained on the ride, he told them a story
in which Alice, the middle child, was the main character. They enjoyed the story very much.
     Charles later wrote the story down under the name Alice's Adventures Under Ground and gave it to Alice
as a Christmas present. Later, he gave a copy to his friend George MacDnald George read it to his children
and they loved it. George suggested to Charles that he make a book from his story. Charles then wrote more
parts to the story until it was around 35 000 words. It was first printed in 1866, with art work by John
Tenniel, under the name Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The book was an immediate success.
     One of its first fans was Queen Victoria. She imrnediately requested a collection of all of Lewis Carroll's
works. She was surprised to find that they included many works on math. In fact, Charles Dodgson was a
highly respected mathematician.This can be seen in nmny puzzles and plays on reasoning that appear in his
books and poems.
     Since the story was first printed, it has kept selling up to the present day. It has been translated into over
fifty languages and has had several rnovies based on it. The story is even mentioned in the popular 1999 film
The Matrix by the character Morpheus.

1. The passage is mainly about _____.

A. Charles' family life
B. a girl's adventurous experience
C. a magical world called wonderland
D. the birth of a book and its lasting influences

2. Which of the followiIlg statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The writer published his works under his real name.
B. The character Alice originated from George's child.
C. John contributed partly to the popularity of the book.
D. Charles offered a copy to George for advice.

3. We can learn from the passage that _____.

A. Queen Victoria asked for a few of Charles' writings
B. Charles had a gift for reasoning and writing
C. Charles had an his works translated into fifty languages
D. The Matrix was based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

4. Which of the following is the right order of the passage?
    a. Charles gave his story to Alice as a Christmas present.
    b. Charles had a picnic with three little girls on the Thames. 
    c. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was first printed in l866.
    d. More parts were added to the story by Charles. 
    e. The book won a large number of fans.

A. c-b-a-d-e
B. c-a-b-e-d
C. b-a-d-c-e
D. b-a-c-e-d

     Americans wear black for mourning while Chinese wear white. Westerners think of dragons as monsters
while Chinese honor them as symbols of God. Chinese civilization has often shown such polarities (极性)
with the West, as though each stands at extreme ends of a global string. Now in the University of California,
Berkeley, a psychologist has discovered deeper polarities between Chinese and American cultures-polarities
that go to the heart of how we reason and discover truth.
     His findings go far toward explaining why American cultures seem to be contentious and Chinese cultures
so passive, when compared to each other. More importantly, the research opens the way for the peoples of
the East and the West to learn from each other in fundamental ways. The Chinese could leam much from
Western methods for determining scientific truth, said Kaiping Peng, a former Beijing scholar, who is now
a UC Berkeley assistant professor of psychology. And Americans could profit enormously from the Chinese
tolerance for accepting contradictions in social and personal life, he said.
     "Americans have a terrible need to find out who is right in an argument," said Peng. "The problem is that
at the interpersonal level you really don't need to find the truth, or maybe there isn't any." Chinese people, said
Peng, are far more content to think that both sides have flaws and virtues, because they have a holistic (整体
的) awareness that life is full of contradictions. They do far less blaming of the individual than Americans do,
he added.
     In studies of interpersonal argument, for example, when subjects were asked to deal with contradictory
information stemming from conflict between a mother and a daughter or a student and a school, Peng found
that Americans were "non-compromising, blaming one side-usually the mother-for the causes of the problems,
demanding changes from one side to attain a solution and offering no compromise" in dealing with the conflict.
Compared to this angry, blaming American stance, the Chinese were paragons (模范) of compromise, finding
fault on both sides and looking for solutions that moved both sides to the middle.

1. In Paragraph l, the author sets examples in order to _____.

A. expose the contradiction between Chinese and Americans
B. show the differences between Chinese culture and American culture
C. find the reason for the differences
D. generalize the main idea of the passage

2. The underlined word "contentious" in Paragraph 2 probably means _____.

A. conservative
B. aggressive
C. objective
D. optimistic

3. Compared with Americans, Chinese are _____.

A. likely to find the truth in life
B. reluctant to admit their own failure
C. reluctant to have a general idea of things
D. likely to know advantages and disadvantages of things

4. The studies show that _____.

A. an American treats his or her mother badly
B. ideas of treating the aged are different
C. personalities of Chinese and American are different
D. conflicts of Americans and Chinese are different

5. The main idea of the passage is _____.

A. polarities between American and Chinese culture
B. priorities of American culture to Chinese
C. different attitudes towards the aged
D. different manners m social occasions

     The Pitcairn Islands, a group of four volcanic islands, are a British overseas territory (殖民地). The names
of the islands are Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno; Only Pitcairn Island, the second largest, is inhabited
(有人居住的).
     Henderson Island is a coral (珊瑚) island raised above the South Pacific Ocean, covering about 67% of the
territory's total land area. It has an area of 37.3 square kilometres, measuring 9.6 kilometres long and 5.1
kilometres wide. In 1988, it became a World Heritage Site (世界遗产保护区) because of its bird life.
     All the four kinds of special land bird (Henderson Crake, Henderson Fruit Dove, Henderson Lorikeet and
Henderson Reed-warbler) can only be seen on Henderson Island. There are also fifteen non-local seabirds.
Other local things include nine kinds of plants, four kinds of land snails, and one butterfly (the only kind on
the island).
     Although no people live on Henderson Island, evidence suggests that a small Polynesian group lived here
between the 12th and 15th centuries until it disappeared. The reasons for the disappearance are unknown,
but are probably related to the similar disappearance of the Poly-nesians on Pitcairn Island, on whom the
Hendersonians would have depended for many of the basics of the life.
     On January 29, 1606. Henderson island was discovered by Portuguese sailor Pedro Queiros, who named
it San Joao Baptista. On January 17, 1819 the island was rediscovered by British Captain Henderson of the
British East India Company ship Hercules, and named Henderson Island. On March 2, 1819, Captain Henry
King, sailing aboard the Elizabeth, landed on the island to find the king's flag already flying. He scratched
the name of their ship on a tree, and for some years the island's name was Elizabeth or Henderson.
     In the early 1980s, American Arthur Ratliff expressed interest.in buying Henderson island and establishing
a small settlement. But the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office refused it at last, after environmentalist
groups persuaded them to protect the natural ecology and environment of the island which was later named
a World Heritage Site.
     Pitcairners have made regular trips to Henderson to harvest the wood of trees. Usually they make
adventures to Henderson only once per year, but may make up to three trips if the weather is fine enough.

1. Henderson Island was called a World Heritage Site mainly because _____.

A. there are no people living on it
B. some of the birds can't be found in other places
C. it is the largest island of four volcanic islands
D. It is a coral island above the South Pacific Ocean

2. When did the island get its present name?

A. On January 29, 1606.
B. On January 17, 1819. 
C. On March 2, 1819.
D. In the early 1980s.

3. Ratliff's request to buy the island was refused because _____.

A. it was a World Heritage Site
B. Ratliff offered a very low price
C. it is very dangerous to live there
D. the environment there can't be destroyed

4. It can be inferred from the text that _____.

A. Polynesians first came to Henderson Island
B. Pitcairners can get to Henderson Island easily now
C. volcano eruption caused the Hendersonians to disappear
D. most Pitcairners used to live in Henderson Island

     MAY 14 marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel. Many Israelis, however, are
not in the mood to celebrate.
     Looking at the damage to her neighbor's home from a Palestinian rocket, Batia Katar, a 17-year-old Israeli
girl, was in tears. "We can't celebrate (Israel's) independence when things like this are happening," she said.
     What is clear is that Israel is not a normal country. The country has a dramatic (戏剧性) history and
ancient culture but has only officially existed for 60 years. Within hours after it was established in 1948, Israel
was at war with its Arab neighbors for land. It won that time, and in 1956, 1967 and 1973, acquiring the West
Bank, the Golan Heights, Gaza and east Jerusalem For good or ill, Israelis can take pride in victories with so
many countries. However, it occupied much more land than the United Nations agreed, which left local
Palestinians homeless.
     Different from all its neighbors in religion, Israel is also far more successful economically than its neighbors.
Though, it gets a great amount of support from America and other Western countries. The country is now a
world leader in many industries, such as IT and modern agriculture.
     However, conflict exists, just like 60 years ago. And the signal of peace is as weak as ever. Palestinian
militants (武装人员) have fired more than 7 000 missiles from Gaza, mainly at Sedro, killing 13 people. In the
same period hundreds of Palestinian civilians in Gaza have died in Israeli military action.
     In order to create peace, the world community hopes both sides accept and follow the Middle East peace
plan. Optimists believe through Israeli-Palestinian negotiations there will finally be peace.
     Both Israelis and Palestinians want to live in peace without explosions that remind them that they are living
in a special but dangerous place.

1. Why are many Israelis not in the mood to celebrate the both anniversary of the founding of the state of
     Israel? Because _____.

A. the government didn't organize it
B. they are too busy to attend it
C. it is dangerous to celebrate it
D. conflicts and fights still exist

2. The underlined word established in the fourth paragraph means _____.

A. defeated
B. founded
C. attacked
D. accepted

3. Israel is not a normal country because _____.

A. the country has a dramatic history and ancient culture but has only officially existed for 60 years
B. within hours after its establishment, Israel was at war with its Arab neighbors for land
C. it occupied much more land than the UN agreed, which left local Palestinians homeless
D. all of the above

4. Which statement about Israel is NOT true according to the passage?

A. It became a country in 1948.
B. It is different from all its neighbors in religion.
C. It is now a world leader in many industries, such as IT and modern agriculture.
D. No country has supported it since it was founded.

5. It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

A. it is still a question mark whether Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace
B. Israel was created as a homeland for homeless Jews
C. for good or ill, Israelis can take pride in victories with so many countries
D. Israel is far more successful economically than its neighbors

     You can love them or hate them, but no matter which tourist destination you visit, chances are you'll
see someone with their head buried in a Lonely Planet guidebook.
     Lonely Planet is one of the world's largest travel guide brands, publishing more than 500 different
guides in eight languages. The popular brand also produces television shows, websites and podcasts (播客)
all devoted to travel.
     Some people praise Lonely Planet books because they make traveling easy and affordable. They also save
time and make sure you don't miss the best things.
     They also provide the reviews of hostels (旅店), hotels, restaurants and ticket information about your
destination.
     This can be great if you're a nervous traveler, or if you haven't traveled hy yourself before. If you're in
a country where you don't speak the language, sometimes there's nothing better than getting into a taxi and
opening up a guidebook. You simply point to a map that directs the taxi driver to a hostel that's cheap and
clean, with friendly staff and cold beer.
     But others criticize Lonely Planet and other travel guide publishers like them. They say guidebooks take
the fun and spontaneity (自发性) out of traveling, and that part of the enjoyment of travel comes from the
fact that anything can happen. They also regret that if you follow a guidebook, you'll end up doing the same
thing and having the same experience as everyone else. You might end up seeing the same group of people
over and over, because everyone is reading the same book and following the same route.
     Another criticism of travel guides is that they have a large impact on local communities. For cxample,
some locals devote their lives to behaving in ways that attract tourists. They pretend to live a traditional
lifestyle, wear traditional clothes and live in traditional houses in order to attract the tourist dollar.

1. The Lonely Planet guidebook can bring you the following advantages EXCEPT that _____.

A. you can speak a foreign language when opening a guidebook
B. you can easily find a nice place to stay in a strange city
C. it provides lots of useful information about your destination
D. it can help you save time and money when traveling

2. People criticize the guidebook because _____.

A. it is not as useful as most travelers expect
B. tourist destinations will be crowded if everyone follows the same route
C. travelers may not get the chance to have unexpected adventures
D. local people keep modern lifestyles under its influence

3. What do we know about the Lonely Planet guidebook from the text?

A. It's a world-famous brand only producing guidebooks for travelers.
B. It's very useful to a person who's nervous about touring an unfamiliar place.
C. It's very u.seful to a tourist who likes to repeat others' experiences.
D. It is loved by all travelers because of the convenience it brings to travelers.

4. Which of the following best shows the structure of the text? (①-⑦ stand for Paragraph l- Paragraph 7)

A.  B.
C.  D.

     The Tiger is one of the most beautiful creatures in nature and is admired in many (1)A_____ cultures such
as China and India. The Chinese New Year 2010, which falls (2)_____ the fourteenth day of (3)_____, is the
Year of Tiger. It is the third one in the (4)_____ (十二) animal signs. It is a sign of power and courage. People
(5)b_____ in the Tiger Year have a lovely character. They enjoy life full of (6)_____ (挑战), like meeting
interesting people and (7)_____ (滑雪) down steep hills. They are urgent and (8)_____ (精力旺盛) people and
always in a hurry to get things (9)d_____ without delay. That is (10)_____ they usually choose to operate alone.

     Not all awards are as noble as the Nobel Prize. Even though most countries have a system for recognizing,
honoring and rewarding people who have done something good in their countries, there are now hundreds of
awards and awards ceremonies for all kinds of things.
     The Oscars are probably the most famous, a time for the (mostly) American film industry to tell itself how
good it is, an annual opportunity for lots of big stars to give each other awards and make tearful speeches. But
it's not only films-now there are also Grammies, Brits, the Mercury Prize and the MTV and Q awards for music.
In Britain, a writer who wins the Booker prize can expect to see their difficult, literary novel hit the bestseller lists
and compete with the "Da Vinci Code" for popularity. The Turner Prize is an award for a British contemporary
artist-each year it causes controversy (争论) by apparently giving lots of money to artists who do things like
display their beds, put animals in glass cases or-this year-build a garden shed.
     Shakespeare never won a prize, nor did Leonardo da Vinci or Adam Smith or Charles Dickens. It would be
possible to say, however, that in the past, scientists and artists could win "patronage" from rich people-a king
or a lord would give the artist or scientist money to have them paint their palaces or help them develop new
ways of making money. With the change in social systems across the world, this no longer happens. A lot of
scientific research is now either funded by the state or by private companies. Perhaps awards ceremonies are
just the most recent face of this process. However, there is more to it than that. When a film wins an Oscar,
many more people will go and see it, or buy the DVD. When a writer wins the Nobel Prize, many more people
buy their books. When a group wins the MTV awards, the ceremony is seen by hundreds of thousands of
people across the world. The group sells lots more records.
     Most awards ceremonies are now sponsored by big organizations or companies. This means that it is not
only the person who wins the award who benefits-but also the sponsors. The MTV awards, for example, are
great for publicizing not only music, but also MTV itself! On the surface, it seems to be a "win-win" situation,
with everyone being happy, but let me ask you a question-how far do you think that publicity and marketing are
winning here, and how much sincere recognition of achievement is taking place?

1. Which of the following awards often confuses the public by giving a prize to people who do unusual things?

A. The Turner Prize.
B. The Booker Prize.
C. The Mercury Prize.
D. The Oscars.

2. From the context of the paragraph we can infer that "patronage" was perhaps _____.

A an official position in the government
B the works of ancient scientists and artists
C. the professional qualification for a post
D. an old-fashioned form of prize-giving

3. Which of the following questions does the third paragraph mainly give the answer to?

A. How does the social system in history develop across the world?
B. Why can someone win a prize and why not for someone else?
C. Why have all these awards and awards ceremorues appeared recently?
D. Why did Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci, Adam Smith and Charles Dickens never wm prizes?

4. At the end of the text: the writer shows concern about whether _____.

A. people are really being given credit for what they have done
B. people are happy to do something good for their countries
C. it is worthwhile to launch.so many awards
D. so many awards will continue to be given around the world

5. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?

A. The Oscars are given to (usually) American film stars and directors.
B. The Booker Prize can help someone who is not usually successful become successful.
C. When people win awards, they usually become richer and more famous.
D. The MTV awards publicize the people who win them more than the people who are giving them.

     What killed King Tut? Historians and scientists have long believed that ancient Egypt's most famous king
was probably murdered. But a recent scientific study claims to have found a different solution to this more
than 3 300-year-old mystery.
     Tut's full name was Tutankhamen. He was just 9 years old when he became ruler of Egypt in 1348 B.C.
His treasure-packed tomb was revealed (展现) to the world almost a century ago. Tut's tomb was filled with
royal riches, including a solid-gold coffin, a gold mask, and piles of jewelry. It made him one of the best-
known Egyptian kings of all time.
     But Tut did not have much time to enjoy his vast wealth. His reign (执政) was cut short at the age of 19.
Many experts have thought that Tut was killed by one of his advisers, named Ay, who wanted the throne for
himself. Thanks to a major modern science project, it seems that Ay is off the hook.
     Researchers set out to solve the mystery of King Tut's death by using the tools of science. They began
their investigation of Tut's well-preserved mummy by conducting an autopsy (尸体解剖), which is an in-depth
medical examination to determine how someone died. The king's autopsy included DNA tests and electronic
scans of his remains.
     Scientist Carsten Pusch conducted the tests on Tut for the new study. A scan of Tut's mummy showed
an unhealed fracture (骨折) in his leg bone. He thinks a broken leg contributed to the young king's death. The
DNA also indicates that the ruler had an illness that causes bones to go bad. More than 100 walking sticks
were found in King Tut's tomb. This supports the autopsy findings. Many of the sticks were well-worn,
showing regular use. But how could a person die from a simple broken leg? Pusch also found DNA evidence
in Tut's remains that indicates he had malaria, a disease carried by mosquitoes. Malaria severely weakens the
immune system. Finally, the young ruler was just too weak to heal.

1. King Tut is famous because _____.

A. his tomb was packed with treasures
B. he was probably murdered by his adviser
C. his death was a mystery in history
D. he brought much wealth to his people during his reign

2. The underlined phrase"off the hook probably means "_____".

A. buried together with the dead 
B. hanged on a metal hook
C. no longer in such a position
D. the right subject for scientific tests

3. We can know from the text that _____.

A. King Tut died from a weak body and a careless play
B. a jealous adviser named Ay is likely the real killer in King Tut's death
C. King Tut fell to death because of his leg problem
D. the malaria and the bone disease together caused King Tut's death

4. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. King Tut died at the age of 19 and his reign was short.
B. Scientists now know what killed King Tut by performing a scientific investigation.
C. Scientists guessed that Tut used canes (手杖) because they found many canes in his tomb.
D. Tut's broken leg would not heal because no doctors could be found in his time.

5. The writer of the passage mainly wants to tell us that _____.

A. King Tut was the greatest king in Egyptian history
B. King Tut's mummy murder mystery has been solved
C. historical mysteries should be solved by science
D. history never put the blame on a good man without solid evidence

     Since it was published in 1818, Frankenstein, a classic horror story, has been in print in many languages.
The monster from the novel by Mary Shelley is the result of man's uncontrolled desire to create and apply his
knowledge.
     The novel features Victor Frankenstein, a student who explores the secrets of life in his laboratory. Fearing
that he has created a monster, Victor Frankenstein wants to stop but too late. The monster kills Victor
Frankenstein's young brother and causes the murder to be blamed on an innocent girl. Victor and the monster
meet in the frozen mountains. The monster asks Victor to create a female monster, promising to afterwards
leave with her for the wilds. Victor begins the work and discovers the monster has followed him to watch the
work. Victor regrets his decision to create a second monster and worries that together they will begin a species
of monster. Victor destroys the monster's bride. The monster soon takes revenge (复仇) on Victor by killing
his best friend, his father and finally, his bride, Elizabeth. Victor pursues (追赶) the monster across many places.
On the point of death, Victor meets a ship and tells his story to the captain whose letters and diaries are then
to form this novel. Victor Frankenstein's last words are, "Farewell, Walton! Avoid ambition, even if it is only
the obviously innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries."
     Frankenstein's conflicted ambition is with us always. And the Monster stands at our window, reminding us
to take care of our creations against experimenting with things we don't understand.

1. The passage was written to _____.

A. tell us the story from Frankenstein
B. encourage us to explore the secret of life
C. entertain us with the monster
D. show pity on Victor Frankenstein

2. According to the passage, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is made up of _____.

A. poems
B. plays
C. fairy tales
D. letters and diaries

3. The correct order of the following events is _____.
    a. The monster follows Frankenstein to watch his work.
    b. Frankenstein runs after the monster across many places.
    c. The monster kills Frankenstein's bride.
    d. Frankenstein kills the monster's bride.
    e. Frankenstein creates a monster in experiments.

A. e,b,a,c,d 
B. e,d,c,b,a
C. e,a,c,d,b
D. e,a,d,c,b

4. In the last paragraph, the writer of the passage points that _____.

A. the monster is still disturbing people
B. man's ambition in creations should never be allowed
C. man's risky experiments have created many monsters
D. creations in science should be carefully dealt with