--- How can you be late for such an important conference?

--- Sorry! But my flight was ______ by fog.

A. taken over                      B. held up             C. turned down             D. handed out

The student will be suspended from school _____ he apologizes to his desk-mate before the class.

A. even                 B. when                C. unless              D. once

If English ______ included in the examinations, few students would choose it.

A. weren’t             B. isn’t           C. hasn’t been             D. hadn’t been

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.   1   man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon. His bed was next to the room's only   2  . The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

They talked for hours   3  . Every afternoon when the man by the window could sit up, he   4   pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The other man felt his world would be   5   and enlivened by all the wonderful world outside.

The window overlooked a   6   with a lovely lake. Ducks played on the water while children   7   their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm in flowers. A fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the   8  .

As the man by the window described all this in delicate   9  , the other man would close his eyes and   10   the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade   11  .   12   the other man couldn't hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window pictured it with   13   words.     

Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the nurse arrived,   14   to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and had the body taken away.

The other man asked to be   15  next to the window. Painfully, he sat up to take his first look at the world outside.   16 , he would have the joy of seeing it for himself.

He slowly turn to look out the window. It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have   17   his roommate to describe such wonderful things outside. The nurse   18   that the man was blind. "Perhaps he just wanted to   19   you."

Shared grief is half the sorrow,   20   happiness when shared, is doubled.

1. A. The one                             B. One                         C. Another                   D. This

2. A. entrance                      B. exit                         C. passage                   D. window

3. A. on end                        B. in vain                      C. at ease                     D. after all

4. A. would                         B. should                     C. might                      D. could

5. A. shortened                   B. deepened                 C. broadened                D. sharpened

6. A. courtyard                    B. market                            C. wood                             D. park

7. A. flew                           B. designed                  C. sailed                             D. swapped 

8. A. distance                             B. way                        C. process                   D. course

9. A. effect                          B. particular                  C. detail                       D. relief

10. A. expose                     B. imagine                    C. realize                      D. spot

11. A. passing away             B. passing by                      C. passing down           D. passing out

12. A. Because                    B. As                        C. Once                       D. Although

13. A. descriptive                 B. productive               C. sensitive                  D. tentative

14. A. strangely                   B. surprisingly              C. sceptically                      D. only

15. A. substituted                 B. offered                    C. switched                 D. organized

16. A. Willingly                    B. Finally                     C. Generously              D. Occasionally

17. A. sacrificed                  B. referred                   C. motivated                D. intended

18. A. responded                 B. respected                 C. requested                 D. resisted

19. A. recover                     B. defend                     C. observe                   D. encourage

20. A. or                             B. but                          C. so                           D. and

A university math tutor has discovered the science behind “singledom”, finding that our chances of finding the perfect partner are just 1 in 285,000. Peter Backus, a tutor at the University of Warwick, published his “Why I Don’t Have a Girlfriend” paper after a three-year love drought.

His unconventional study uses a famous math formula called The Drake Equation(德雷克等式), which was first used to estimate the existence of extra-terrestrial(地球以外) life.

The results don't look promising for British singles. 30-year-old Mr. Backus found that out of the 30 million women in the UK, only 26 would be suitable girlfriends for him.

The dull equation takes into account the number of women aged 24 to 34, living in his home city of London, and who are single, meaning his chances of meeting his dream woman on a night out are slim.

The economics expert said: “There are 26 women in London with whom I might have a wonderful relationship. So, on a given night out in London there is a 0.0000034% chance of meeting one of these special people. That’s a 1 in 285,000 chance, so it’s not great.”

The puzzling Drake equation reads: N = R* x Fp x Ne x Fi x Fc x L, and helped pioneering scientist Professor Drake to predict that there could be 10,000 civilizations in our galaxy.

Mr. Backus simply replaced the original equation with his own criteria for a dream date, which included the percentage of women likely to find him attractive, and the number of girls aged 24-34 in London. He said: “The research may sound depressing to people looking for love, but the good news for singles is, it’s probably not your fault!”

1. Mr. Backus’ discovery in this passage is mainly concerned about ______.

A. whether there exists life out of our planet

B. the possibility of his being able to find love

C. how to get rid of singledom

D. what math can do to serve our daily life

2. What does Mr. Backus think of the result of his research?

A. Optimistic.           B. Depressing.          C. Unrealistic.           D. Exciting.

3. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A. Mr. Backus’ major research field is “singledom”.

B. Mr. Backus found a girlfriend three years ago.

C. Mr. Backus’ new thesis will surely be well received.

D. Mr. Backus has been searching for love for long.

4. By “the good news for singles” in the last sentence, Mr. Backus probably mean _____.

A. you don’t have to blame yourself for remaining single

B. maybe the discovery is not reliable at all

C. the result was based on his own criteria

D. there might be more dream date out of London

5. Which of the following statements is true?

A. This passage could be published in a scientific magazine.

B. The passage intends to prove there are other civilizations.

C. The passage writer doesn’t really understand the Drake equation.

D. Most women in London are not suitable for university teachers.

The year was 1985. Ronald Reagan was president. Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the USSR. Back to the Future was boffo at the box office. “Born in the USA” was climbing the charts. Philanthropy(慈善业) and pop culture combined with LiveAid and “We Are the World.” And “.com”, which few people outside of the military or universities knew, came into this world.

 Looking back, few could have predicted “.com” would become one of the biggest cultural touchstones of the century. In March 1985, the Information Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California assigned the first .com domain address to symbolics.com. That seemingly nominal（象征性的）event set into motion forces that would change our world forever.

 .com wasn’t the birth of the Internet, but it was the budding computer network’s coming-out party. It made it pretty and inviting. It did away with the need to have complex “maps” that were the equivalent of writing a phone number on your hand, and opened it up for a mainstream audience.

 After 1985, all it takes is a simple .com name to get into business. “.com” became part of our daily lexicon and drove its own economic boom and depression. It helped create a whole new family of industries, facilitated global commerce and connected people around the world in ways never before possible.

 It’s now 2010. Barack Obama is president, thanks in part to his smart use of the Internet. There is no USSR. A computer-generated Avatar has set new box office records. “TiK ToK” tops the charts. We’re sending robots to find water on Mars. And that once-obscure computer communications system is one of our civilization’s most prominent features.

1. This passage was written to mark _____.

   A. the change of American presidency

   B. the development of entertainment

   C. the 25th anniversary of .com

   D. the anniversary of the internet

2. What does the underlined word “boffo” probably mean?

   A. Successful.                   B. Changeable.          C. Tough.               D. Novel.

3. Which of the following can be the main contribution of “.com”?

   A. It gave birth to the Internet.

   B. It combined politics, entertainment and space science.

   C. It made the Internet accessible to ordinary people.

   D. It helped produce more domain addresses.

4. We can infer that before 1985, getting on-line was _____.

   A. impossible              B. complex               C. expensive             D. popular

5. The first and last paragraphs were intended to _______.

   A. make comparison                                 B. provide details

   C. list arguments                                    D. stimulate readers’ interest

The World Trade Organization came into existence in the 1990s. It operates a system of trade rules. It serves as a place for nations to settle disagreements and negotiate agreements to reduce trade barriers. The newest of its 150 members, Vietnam, joined in January.

But the roots of the W.T.O. date back to World War Two and the years that followed. In 1944,   the International Monetary(货币的) Conference agreed to create the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. But they could not agree on an organization to deal with international trade.

Three years later, in 1947, twenty-three nations approved the General Agreement on Tariffs (关税)and Trade, or GATT. It was meant to be temporary. Trade negotiations under GATT were carried out in a series of talks called rounds. The first round lowered import taxes on one-fifth of world trade. Later rounds produced additional cuts, and negotiators added more issues.

The sixth round began in 1963. It was called the Kennedy Round after the murder of President John F. Kennedy. The results included an agreement against trade dumping. This is when one country sells a product in another country at an unfairly low price.

The eighth round of talks began in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in 1986. The Uruguay Round lasted almost twice as long as planned. In all, 123 nations took part in seven-and-a-half years of work. They set time limits for future negotiations. They also agreed to create a permanent system to settle trade disagreements.

In April of 1994, most of those 123 nations signed an agreement. It replaced GATT with the World Trade Organization.

The W.T.O. launched a new round on development issues in Doha, Qatar, in November of 2001. These talks were supposed to end by January of 2005. But negotiators could not agree on issues involving agricultural protections. The current round has been suspended since last July.

1. The WTO got this name in the year _____.

   A. 1947                       B. 1963                     C. 1986                     D. 1994

2. Which of the following statements about GATT is NOT true?

    A. It was set up after World War II.

    B. It was first approved by less than 30 countries.

    C. It was a branch of the World Bank.

    D. It was meant to improve international trade.

3. What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph mean?

 A. The founders wanted GATT to bring in money.

   B. The founders didn’t expect GATT to last long.

   C. GATT was ready to change its name at the very beginning.

   D. GATT was open for more member countries.

4. What is one of the results of the Uruguay Round?

   A. A permanent system was agreed on.

   B. It lasted almost eight years.

   C. More countries took part in it.

   D. More disagreements than expected were settled.

5. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

   A. Why the WTO was Called GATT?

   B. WTO Talk Rounds Last Longer

   C. A Brief Introduction to the WTO

   D. GATT or WTO? A Real Question

The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The term is most commonly used to refer to those eight schools considered as a group. The term is also connected with academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, and social elitism(精英主义).

The term became official, especially in sports terminology, after the formation of the NCAA Division I athletic conference in 1954, when much of the nation polarized around favorite college teams. “IV” was used because originally the league consisted only of four members. The use of the phrase is no longer limited to athletics, and now represents an educational philosophy inherent to the nation's oldest schools. In addition, Ivy League schools are often viewed by the public as some of the most prestigious universities worldwide and are often ranked amongst the best universities in the United States and worldwide. The eight institutions are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.

All of the Ivy League's institutions place near the top in the U.S. News & World Report college and university rankings and rank within the top one percent of the world's academic institutions in terms of financial endowment(捐助). Seven of the eight schools were founded during America's colonial period; the exception is Cornell, which was founded in 1865. Ivy League institutions, therefore, account for seven of the nine Colonial Colleges chartered before the American Revolution. The Ivies are all in the Northeast geographic region of the United States. All eight schools receive millions of dollars in research grants and other subsidies from federal and state government.

Undergraduate enrollments among the Ivy League schools range from about 4,000 to 14,000, making them larger than those of a typical private liberal arts college and smaller than a typical public state university. Ivy League university financial endowments range from Brown's $2.01 billion to Harvard's $26 billion, the largest financial endowment of any academic institution in the world.

1. From the passage, we know the word “Ivy” in “the Ivy League” was first chosen to refer to _______.

    A. a plant                B. a number                    C. a sport                 D. a spirit

2. What is special about Cornell University in the League?

    A. It is the oldest one.                             B. It was founded by colonists.

    C. It has the smallest endowment.                    D. It is the youngest one.

3. Which meaning can the term “the Ivy League” convey today?

    A. The largest enrollment.                           B. The strongest government support.

    C. The most expensive schools.                       D. First-class education.

4. Which of the following statements is true?

    A. There is no longer sports competition in the Ivy League.

    B. Seven colleges were set up before the USA was founded.

    C. Brown University has the smallest number of students.

    D. Typical public state universities are larger than the Ivies.

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

   A. The ABC of “The Ivy League”

   B. Best Universities in the USA

   C. The Financial Income of American Universities

   D. How to Apply to an Ivy League University

阅读下面短文, 请根据短文后的要求进行答题。（请注意问题后的字数要求）

  [1]World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated annually by consumer organizations worldwide. It commemorates the historic declaration on March 15, 1962 by John F. Kennedy, the former U.S. President, of the basic Rights of consumers, which include: "the right to safety", "the right to be informed", "the right to choose", and "the right to be heard".  

[2]This declaration has led to international recognition by governments and the United Nations that all citizens, regardless of their incomes or social standing, have certain basic Rights as consumers. Officially, World Consumer Rights Day was first observed on March 15，1983 and has since become an important occasion for mobilizing citizen action, with recognition of consumer rights taking off around the world. On April 9，1985, the United Nations Assembly General Assembly adopted the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection that provide a framework for strengthening national consumer protection policies around the world.  

[3]The guidelines included Kennedy's four basic consumer rights plus another four: the right to satisfaction of basic needs; the right to redress(赔偿); the right to education; and the right to a healthy environment. Currently, the fundamental consumer rights are recognized globally.

[4]World Consumer Rights Day normally has a theme associated with an activity or development that is relevant to consumers. Whatever their objectives, they share the same underlying aim of bringing about important and needed benefits for consumers.  

   [5]In recent years, progress has been made for recognition and protection of consumer rights in developing countries. At least, March 15 is a day when consumers are filled with pride and satisfaction. However, there are many reports on violation of consumer rights by unethical marketing practices.

1. What is the main idea of the passage? (Please answer within 10 words.)

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. What was John F. Kennedy mentioned in the first paragraph? (Please answer within 15 words.)

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. Which of the sentence in the passage can be replaced by the given one?

  Presently, countries around the world acknowledge the basic consumer rights.

____________________________________________________________________________

4. Please translate the underlined sentence in the second paragraph into Chinese.

_____________________________________________________________________________

5. What do you think will follow the passage? (Please answer within 20 words.)

____________________________________________________________________________

近几年，某些旅行社组织中学生在寒暑假期间赴著名大学旅游，人们对此褒贬不一。请用英语写一篇论说文，

1.介绍问题； 2.讨论利弊；   3.表明自己的观点。

字数：120-150。

参考词汇：旅行社 travel agency     校园  campus

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