1685 was a very good year for German composers. Within the space of a month, two of the greatest were born: Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.

    Handel’s father was a barber and surgeon, which sounds like a strange combination today, but back then those occupations went hand in hand. Even though Handel was very interested in music, his father didn’t think that was a good way to earn a living, so he wanted his son to be a lawyer. The story goes that Handel smuggled a quiet piano into the house so that he could practice in secret.

    One day, Handel went along when his father went to shave a duke. While his father was working, Handel sat down and played the duke’s organ. The duke was so impressed that he convinced Handel’s father to let his son study music, and Handel finally got to learn how to compose.

Handel soon discovered that what he liked most was opera. In fact, he was so passionate about opera that he even fought a duel (决斗) over it with one of his friends. Since Italy was the place to learn about opera composing, Handel went off to Italy to study. When he got home, he got a job as court composer for a German prince.

    Having landed such a wonderful job, Handel immediately asked his boss for time off. He wanted to go to England, where he’d heard that there weren’t nearly enough composers to satisfy the British taste for Italian opera.

    After great success writing opera in London, Handel came back to Germany. Then fate played a funny trick on Handel and his boss. The Queen of England died, and it just so happened that the prince Handel worked for was next in line to the British throne ( 王位 ). When he arrived in London as King George, followed Handel, his court composer in Germany.

    In addition to serving the King, Handel became one of the most successful opera composers of his time. And he also produced them and traveled all over Europe to hire the best singers. There are stories of battles with rival ( 对手 )opera producers and of fights between rival singers. Handel apparently had quite a temper.

    If you ever go to London, look for Handel’s grave in Westminster Abbey, where there’s a wonderful monument to him.

66. How did Handel begin to learn to compose?

A. His father was sure of his future success.

B. His performance impressed a duke.

C. He begged his father to send him to Italy.

D. He practiced hard and taught himself music.

67. What does the underlined word “smuggled” mean in the passage?

A. bought secretly                B. took secretly  

C. carried in advance           D. possessed personally

68. Why did Handel later settle down in Britain instead of Germany?

A. Because he could find better jobs in London.

B. Because he enjoyed greater fame in London.

C. Because his boss became King of Britain and brought him along.

D. Because London was a wonderful place to learn about opera.

69. Which of the following words can NOT be used to describe Handel, as 

    shown in the passage?

A. bad-tempered    B. talented     C. enthusiastic   D. optimistic

70. Which of the following statements is WRONG according to the passage?

A. Handel was born in the same year with Bach.

B. Many people worked both as a barber and surgeon.

C. Handel quit his job to learn about opera in Italy.

D. Handel was buried in London and was built a monument.

-- I’d like to invite you to a concert this evening.

-- Thank you, but _______ I’ll be free I’m not sure at the moment.      

A. while         B. if                 C. whether       D. when

The mother said, “ Be friendly to others.”  The mother ____ friendly to others.

A. asked her son be            B. told her son to be 

C. ordered her son be          D. told her son be

---- Waiter! My wife takes great interest in most of the food on the menu.

---- Thanks. _________.

---- Salad, fried fish, fried chicken and orange juice, please.

A. What can I do for you?                    B. At your service

C. Shall I take your order?                    D. Oh, what?

Only when you have finished your homework ______ go home.

   A. can you    B. would you      C. you will           D. you can

 ______they are most interested in is _____they can produce more and better cars .

   A That ;how  B What ; how  C What ;what  D That ; that

The drink is _____sugar and water .

A almost  B most  C mostly  D nearly

Do you like to watch the advertisements on TV if _________?

  A. so        B. no           C. any            D. ones

With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone(克隆) the animal and save the endangered species. That’s a move similar to what Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking(承担) for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.

Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen(氮). If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.

It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.

This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant(植入) the embryo into a host animal.

The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.

“The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes. “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A& M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.

“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.”

64. The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to _______.

A. make efforts to clone the endangered pandas 

B. save endangered animals from dying out

C. collect DNA of endangered animals to study

D. transfer the nuclear of one animal to another

65. According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of _______.

A. available panda eggs                     B. host animals

C. qualified researchers                     D. enough money

66. The best title for the passage may be _______.

A. China’s Success in Pandas Cloning                       

B. The First Cloned Panda in the World

C. Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas  

D. China —the Native Place of Pandas Forever

67. From the passage we know that _______.

A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog

B. scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit

C. Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches

D. about two thousand of species will probably die out in a century

第四部分：写作（共两节，满分35分）

第一节：对话填空（共10空，每空1分，满分10分）

    阅读下列对话，掌握其大意，并根据首字母的提示，写出一个英语单词的完整，正确形式，使对话通畅。

A: Hello! This is Li Ping. May I s__76__ to Wu Dong?

B: Yes. Speaking.

A: Hi! Thank you for the m__77___ about the meeting. But I’m sorry I won’t be there next Week, because I will be away then. Can somebody e__78_ go to the meeting for me?

B: Yes, I think so. Please make s__79__ one of your office workers will be p__80____ at the meeting.

A: OK. But I don’t know what the meeting is about. Could you tell me something about it?

B: Certainly. It’s about how to i___81____ our service.

A: When and where will the meeting be h___82__?

B: The meeting will begin in Room 304 at two o’clock next W___83___ afternoon.

A: How l_84_will it last?

B: For about an hour.

A: Who will conduct the meeting?

B: The m___85___ of our company.