This is a story that happened in Europe in the 17th century. Tulips (郁金香) were introduced into Holland before the 17th century but it did not take long for the flowers to gain popularity among the upper classes. Flowers of such beauty soon became symbols of power and the rich tried their best to lay their hands on some to display them in their gardens. When more people learned of the prices thatthe rich were willing to pay for tulips, they knew they just found a “get-rich-quick” gold mine.

By 1634, the whole country was so attracted by tulips that all other activities almost came to a stop. People were trading in tulips and even buying and selling bulbs (球茎). At that time, one rare bulb cost as much as ten tons of cheese.

Many made a fortune in the beginning. As the prices moved in one direction, they only needed to buy low and sell high, buy high and sell higher. After the gains, confidence rose and many sold away all their property in order to invest more money in tulips, hoping to make more money. The desire was so strong that those who were watching also rushed to the tulip market. Everyone thought that the high demand for tulips would continue forever and prices could only go up because more and more people from all over the world would start to like tulips.

When the prices of tulips was much higher than it should be, few people bought them for planting in their gardens. The real demand for the flowers seemed greater than it really was. Many people were buying them for speculation (投机), not appreciation. In 1637, for some unknown reasons, a group of people suddenly realized the danger. The prices of tulips began to fall and the market crashed. When confidence was destroyed, it could not be recovered and prices kept falling. Soon the nobles and the rich became poor. Cries of suffering were heard everywhere in Holland.

41. Why did the upper classes buy tulips in the beginning?

   A. Because the prices of tulips were low.    

  B. Because they wanted to make a fortune.

C. Because tulips were introduced from abroad.         

D. Because tulips were beautiful and represented power.

42. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

   A. greed was the reason why so many people were mad about tulips

   B. tulips became popular among the upper classes very slowly

   C. people who were mad about tulips bought them for appreciation

   D. when the prices were extremely high, most people planted tulips in their gardens

43. The passage is mainly about ________.

   A. Europe in the 17th century                 B. buying and selling tulips             

C. being mad about tulips                        D. the life of the nobles and the rich 

（共5小题；每小题2分，共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。

The Mississippi

         The Mississippi is a great river whose relationship with man goes way back beyond its discovery in the 16th century. The River Indians used it as a highway and as a source of food, and it was they who gave it its name—“misi”meaning“great”and“sipi”meaning“water”．When the length of its branch, the Missouri, is added to it, the Mississippi becomes greater.  71  . From the source of the Missouri to the tip of the delta (三角洲), it is 2, 480 miles long.

         Great rivers are likely to suffer floods. In 1927 the Mississippi flooded 26 thousand acres, sweeping away farms, towns, everything in its path. In 1938 its floods drowned or killed 200 people and made millions homeless. Today the river has largely been controlled.   72  .

         Industries have spread down some of the waterways of the delta, but otherwise the delta is a remote place, the homeland of a little colony of French Canadians that the British drove out of Nova Scotia in the 18th century. They still speak French, mixed with English, Indian, Spanish and Negro idioms. They keep to themselves, fanning the rich soil of the delta.   73  .

           74  . Pioneers who first reached its banks wondered not only where it went, but what lay beyond. In 1764 the French founded a city on the right bank of the river, and named it after their king, Louis XV. This city, named St. Louis, became the jumping-off place for the adventurous men and women who opened up the Great Plains, and the way to the Far West.

         Some 40 years earlier, at the beginning of the 18th century, the French had founded another city just above the Mississippi delta, New Orleans.   75  . New Orleans is one of the great ports of the world, and one of the greatest terminals for both sea and river traffic.

         A．It was the Mississippi that made the city what it is

         B．Levees, high banks built of earth, hold back the flood waters

         C．Therefore, as we know, it’s the third longest river in the world

         D．It is known that the“Great Water”has also been a frontier river

         E．However, they paddled up and down the Mississippi in their boats to seek their fortune

         F．The“Great Water”always remains a thread, for the streets of the city are below the level  of the river

         G．They call themselves Cajuns, who have actually been leading fairly primitive lives and  preserving their own traditions

Jack had ____feeling of excitement when hearing his article had been published in school magazine．

       A．the；a                              B．a；the                     C．／；the                      D the；／

24．According to a UN report，30 percent of the world population have no______to clean drinking water and health care.

A．means    B．approach    C．channel    D．Access

27．—Our women athletes achieved great success in the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games．

    —Yes No one could perform_________, I think．

A．well                    B．better                  C．best                      D．the best

30.We don’t allow____here,but we can allow you ____in the next room.

A.smoking,smoke   B.smoke,smoking   C.smoking,to smoke  D.smoke,to smoke

34. --- I think I’ll give Bob a ring.

   --- You _______. You haven’t been in touch with him for ages. 

A.will           B. may             C. have to          D. should 

14．It was in the village ____ he once lived ____ he got his junior education.

A. that; where       B. where that       C. which; where      D. where; which

C

Prince Charles yesterday pledged to reduce the royal impact on the environment through sweeping changes to his personal lifestyle and official schedule. The prince will replace carbon-heavy private jets and helicopters with scheduled flights and train services.

The move came as Prince Charles urged business leaders to publish the environmental pact of their activities.

He said, “Few accountants and business decision-makers ask, ‘How much of our critical natural resource is left? How many miles of polar ice cap has our business helped melt this year? By how many inches have we raised sea levels? How many species have we put at risk? How many homes will be flooded, how many people will die of thirst or starvation because of our activities? ’ These are not comfortable questions, but, by God, they need to be asked.”

He added, “At the moment these costs do not appear in anyone’s books… Yet they are real, they are incurred now and in a relatively short time, the damage being caused may be beyond remedy.” He said the world was “running up the biggest global credit card debt in history, but with little or no thought for how the bill will ever be paid”.

Flanked by the prime minister and business and community leaders at St James’s Palace, the prince said his new “accounting for sustainability” project would give consumers the power to choose products that caused less damage to the planet.

Duchy Originals, the prince’s food company, is taking steps to work out how much carbon dioxide and other green-house gas are emitted in growing, processing and distributing its products. The changes to the prince’s travel arrangements announced yesterday are part of a wider review of the carbon footprint associated with activities at all three of his residences. Clarence House in London, Highgrove and Birkhall on the Balmorals estate, as well as the activities of his 21 personal and 105 full-time staff. Measures include a review of electricity use, commuter and other staff travel and are intended to identify further reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. The review will report in June , when Clarence House will announce annual targets to reduce carbon emission.

47. One of the moves Prince Charles will take to reduce the royal impact on the environment is ______.

A. taking private jets that are not carbon-heavy

B. taking helicopters instead of private jets

C. taking trains instead of scheduled flights

D. taking scheduled flights instead of helicopters

48. How does Prince Charles feel about business leaders in terms of environmental protection?

A. Dissatisfied.       B. Disappointed.            C. Doubtful.         D. Impatient.

49. In response to Prince Charles’ calls, Duchy Originals will ______.

A. make as much green food as possible                    B. cut down its cost.

C. figure out its greenhouse gas emission            D. continue its greenhouse gas emission.

50. The underlined phrase “the biggest global credit card debt” in paragraph 3 probably refers to ______.

A. the great amount of waste produced by industry

B. the great damage caused to the environment

C. the great amount of debts of the royal family

D. the high cost of industry in their producing process

51. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Prince Charles Pledges Greener Royal Lifestyle

B. Better Late than Never

C. Prince Charles and His Concern for Environment

D. The Royal Family Has a Role to Play in Environment Protection

第二节：读写任务（共1小题，满分20分）

阅读下面的短文，然后根据要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

The question was once asked of a highly successful businessman，“How have you done so much in your lifetime?” He replied, “I have dreams. I have turned my mind loose to imagine what I wanted to do. Then I have gone to bed and thought about my dreams. In the night I dreamed about my dreams. And when I awoke in the morning ,     I saw the way to make my dreams real. While other people were saying, ‘You can’t do that. It’s  impossible.’ I was well on my way to achieving what I wanted.” As Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the US, said, “We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers.”

They see things in the soft haze of a spring day, or in the red fire on a long winter’s evening. Some of us let these dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nourish them through bad days until they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true.

So please, don’t let anyone steal your dreams, or try to tell you they are impossible.

“Sing your song, dream your dreams, hope your hope and pray your prayer.”

【写作内容】      

1）以约30词概括短文的主旨大意；

2）然后以约120个词就“梦想”这一主题发表看法，包括如下要点：

       a) 请谈谈你是如何理解梦想在人生当中所起的作用的。

b) 列举一个正面或负面的实例支持你的观点，可以是你自己的亲身经历也可以是他人的例子。

【写作要求】

概括要点和使用阅读材料中的实例时，不得直接引用原文中的句子。

【评分标准】

概括准确、语言规范、内容合适，篇章连贯。