Whoever invented _______wheel is believed to have made ______most useful invention in _______history.

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

Was it ____ it snowed last night ____ he didn’t come?

       A. because, when      B. for, that    C. that, because   D. because, that

    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.

1. 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.

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

A. bought secretly             B. took secretly  

C. carried in advance           D. possessed personally

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳项。

To Whom It May Concern:

My husband and I got married in 1965 and for the first ten years of our marriage I was very happy to stay at home and raise our three children. Then four years ago, our youngest child went to school and I thought I might go back to work.

My husband was very supportive and helped me to make my decision. He emphasized all of the things I can do around the house, and said he thought I could be a great success in business.

After several weeks of job-hunting I found my present job, which is working for a small public relations firm. At first, my husband was very proud of me and would tell his friends, "My clever little wife can run that company she's working for."

But as his joking remark approached reality, my husband stopped talking to me about my job. I have received several promotions and pay increases, and I am now making more money than he is. I can buy my own clothes and a new car. Because of our combined incomes, my husband and I can do many things that we had always dreamed of doing, but we don't do these things because he is very unhappy.

We fight about little things and my husband is very critical of me in front of our friends. For the first time in our marriage, I think there is a possibility that our marriage may come to an end.

I love my husband very much, and I don't want him to feel inferior（自惭形秽）, but I also love my job. I think I can be a good wife and a working woman, but I don't know how. Can you give me some advice? Will I have to choose one or the other or can I keep both my husband and my new career?

Please help. "Distressed"

1. The letter was most probably written ________.

A. in 1975             B. around 1980     C. four years ago    D. in 1965

2. Her husband ________ when she first found her present job.

A. was very critical of her           B. felt disappointed

C. was proud of her                       D. was happy but critical

3. What does the underlined word "promotion" mean?

A. scolding           B. criticism        C. prize       D. advancement

4. As her income increased, ________.

A. she found a gap（分歧）emerged（显露）between her and her husband

B. she bought more clothes and a house

C. she did the many things she and her husband dreamed of

D. she felt very proud of herself

For more than two decades, Oprah Winfrey has been the change-your-life champion who ruled over daytime television much like Johnny Caron once ruled late night.

However, now she’s ready to say goodbye, Wimfrey told viewers Friday that The Oprah Winfrey Show would close in September 2011 after 25 years on the air.

“I love this show. This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it’s time to say goodbye,” Winfrey said, holding back tears.

Winfrey’s show “is one of daytime television’s very foundations,” said Larry Gerbrandt an analyst for the firm Media Valuation Partners in Los Angeles. “Stations build their schedules around her. They gave it the best time period and used it to promote other shows.”

   Winfrey offered no specific plans for the future, except to say that she intended to produce the best possible shows during the final two years.

“I just wanted to say whether you’ve been here with me from the beginning or you joined me last week, I want you all to know that my relationship with you is one that I hold very dear,” she said. “Your trust in me and the sharing of your precious time every day with me have brought me the greatest joy I have ever known.”

The Oprah Winfrey Show’s open atmosphere and frank conversation determined the talk show style and made Winfrey one of the most influential women in the US as well as the wealthiest black woman in the world.

“She has had great effects on today’s society. She’s just part of every one’s life,” said Yasmeen Elhaj, a 19-year-old student from Chicago.

1. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

   A. Winfrey’s Contributions to TV Show

   B. Winfrey’s Show to Close in the Year 2011

   C. Winfiey’s Great Influence in the USA

   D. Winfrey’s Support for Black People

2. Winfrey’s talk show has lasted________.

   A. nearly 25 years                     B. less than 20 years

   C. no more than 20 years                D. more than 25 years

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

    A. Winfred will change her show style in the coming years.

    B. Winfrey will have some other specific plan for the future.

    C. Winfred does promote some other shows after her retirement.

D. Winfrey appreciates every moment she has with her viewers.

4. Which of the following can best describe Oprah Winfred?

   A. Energetic and funny.                 B. Friendly and clever.

   C. Frank and influential.                 D. Active and changeable.

第二节：书面表达（满分25分）

请你根据以下提示，写一篇短文，谈一谈你对高中生假期打工的看法。

 Only when public attitudes towards the disabled advance as far as laws have ________ be able to take the rightful place in society.

   A. will he          B. he will          C. will they         D. they will

I couldn’t help________ the computer because I was not free at that time.

     A. repairing              B. repair                          C. to repairing           D. repaired

第二卷(两部分，共35分)

第四部分 任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

请认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最适当的单词。

注意：每空一词。

Boys do worse in English when there are girls in their class, a research student said. This finding disagrees with the widely held belief that girls always have a good influence on boys in school.

Boys do best with as few girls as possible in English lessons at primary and secondary schools, Steven Proud, a research student at Bristol University, told the Royal Economic Society’s conference.

But when it comes to math and science, both boys and girls at primary schools achieve up to a tenth of a grade higher when there is a greater percentage of girls in the class, Proud found.

Proud kept a record of boys’ and girls’ test results at the ages of 7, 11, and 16 in 16,000 schools in England. He studied the test scores to see whether the percentage of girls made a difference to the results of both boys and girls in math, science and English.

Boys always perform worse when the number of girls they study English with increases, which is especially the case at primary schools. Proud also found that girls are unaffected by the number of boys in their English class.

Proud said boys may do worse in English when there is high proportion of girls in their class because they think that the girls are better than them. It could also be that teachers use teaching styles more appropriate to girls when there more girls than boys in the class.

Proud argues that his results show boys should be taught English in single—sex classes.

However, Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, said, “Boys may be discouraged by how well girls are doing in English, but you can’t say that it means boys and girls should be separated. It has very little practical importance to schools.”