Most Americans have great respect for their flag and every school day begins with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Stars and Stripes. Written in 1892, this pledge is recited in schools before classes begin and it serves as a sign of unity and identity for the various groups of people who have come from so many different lands and cultures.

Students stand at attention with their right hand over their heart, face the flag which is displayed in the classroom before them and begin, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.” Even the immigrants who come from distant lands must recite this pledge to the flag when they become eligible for citizenship.

The American flag is also known as “Old Glory” and over the years has evolved to its present form of fifty stars and thirteen stripes. The stars represent the fifty states and the stripes stand for the original thirteen colonies.

The first version of the flag with its stars and stripes appeared in 1777, but only had thirteen stars. As each new state joined the union, a new star was added. The last star to be added was in 1960 after Hawaii became the fiftieth state. In the future if another state joins the Union, another star will be added to the field of blue. The number of stripes, however, remains consistent and never changes.

The design of the flag may have altered over the years, but the colors, red, white and blue, have remained constant. In 1782 the Congress of the United States proclaimed that red stood for hardiness and courage, white stood for purity and innocence, and blue for justice and perseverance.

It was the flag which inspired the creation of the national anthem: “The Star Spangled Banner” in 1812. President Wilson in 1916 and later President Coolidge in 1927 suggested in proclamations to fellow countrymen that a special day be set aside to honor the flag. In 1949 the American Congress gave official recognition of June 14 as Flag Day.

1.According to the passage which of the following statements is NOT true?

2.What is the purpose of the Pledge of Allegiance?

3.What do the fifty stars on the flag represent?

4.The colors of the American flag ________.

5.The best title of the passage would be ________.

The Mystery of the Flashing Fireflies

During summer nights fireflies flash in the darkness. They look like bright spots of light dancing on the breeze. Catching them in a jar for a few minutes can be fun. Fireflies are not really flies, though. They are winged beetles. Scientists are using these special beetles to learn more about our world.

The reason a firefly flashed its light is to find a mate. There are around two thousand species, or kinds, of fireflies. Fireflies mate only with their own species. Each kind of firefly has its own flash pattern. It is important that fireflies recognize this pattern. That way they can find bugs of their own kind. The male firefly flies around in the sky while the female firefly stays close to the ground.

For many years, how a firefly flashes its light was a mystery. Scientists now know that a firefly’s light is a cold light. It gives off all of its power as light. It does not produce heat. A normal light bulb gives off only ten percent of its power as light. The rest of the power is wasted as heat. That is why a light bulb that has been on for a while is very hot. The firefly’s light does not feel hot like a light bulb.

Scientists have also learned that fireflies have a small built-in lantern. This special lantern is located inside a firefly’s body. To create light, a gas flows through tiny tubes. This causes the firefly to light up. A firefly can also turn its light on and off quickly. This puzzled scientists. They learned that short bursts of this gas make the firefly glow. When the gas fades, the light goes out. This process happens very quickly.

Scientists know that what they learn from fireflies will be important. Medical studies using fireflies are helping scientists fight illnesses in human beings. They have made new medicines from the chemicals used by fireflies to make light. Fireflies have also helped with new discoveries. New flashlights and flares have been made based on fireflies. These new flashlights and flares produce a cold light like a firefly. This way all the power makes the light shine. This little bug may be a pleasure to watch, but it is also an important part of our lives.

1.Why did the author most likely include Paragraph 4?

2.Which of these is the best choice for a heading for Paragraph 5?

3.According to the passage, a firefly’s light is different from a light bulb’s light because the firefly’s light _______.

4.A reader asks this question about the passage: “ How many different kinds of fireflies are there?” Which paragraph from the passage answers the question?

5.The author most likely wrote this passage in order to __.

A metaphor is a poetic device that deals with comparison. It compares similar qualities of two dissimilar objects. With a simple metaphor, one object becomes the other: Love is a rose. Although this does not sound like a particularly rich image, a metaphor can communicate so much about a particular image that poets use them more than any other type of figurative language(修辞). The reason for this is that poets compose their poetry to express what they are experiencing emotionally at that moment. Consequently, what the poet imagines love to be may or may not be love we see it. Therefore, the poet’s job is to enable us to experience it, to feel it the same way as the poet does.

Let’s analyze this remarkably unsophisticated metaphor concerning love and the rose to see what it offers. Because the poet uses a comparison with a rose, first we must examine the characteristics of that flower. A rose is spectacular in its beauty; its petals(花瓣) are nicely soft, and its smell is pleasing. It’s possible to say that a rose is actually a feast to the senses of sight, touch, and smell. The rose’s appearance seems to border on(近似于)perfection, each petal seemingly symmetrical(对称的) in form. Isn’t this the way one’s love should be? A loved one should be a delight to one’s senses and seem perfect. However, there is another dimension added to the comparison by using a rose. Roses have thorns(刺). The poet wants to convey the idea that roses can be tricky(机警的). So can love, the metaphor tells us. When one reaches out with absolute trust to touch the object of his or her affection, ouch, a thorn can cause great harm! “Be careful,” the metaphor warns: Love is a feast to the senses, but it can overwhelm us, and it can also hurt us and cause acute suffering. This is the poet’s perception of love--a warning. What is the point? Just this: It took almost 14 sentences to clarify what a simple metaphor communicates in only four words! That is the artistry and the joy of the simple metaphor.

1.According to the passage, what is a metaphor?

2. The main idea of this passage is that         .

3. It can be inferred from the passage that a metaphor is        .

4. As is meant by the author, thorns of a rose_________.

5. The meaning of the love-is–a-rose metaphor is that____________-

信息匹配(共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分)

阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。

以下是五位专家的建议。请匹配这些建议及对应的生活感想或经验介绍（A、B、C、D、E和F）。选项中有一项是多余选项。

1.You should watch where your weight accumulates．You can use the waist to hip ratio to find if there is too much fat around the middle．Belly fat is especially dangerous because it release free fatty acids directly to the liver, virtually flooding it with fat.

2.If a particular food is important to you, eat it, but work it off．You should try to learn the art of compromise.

3.At the same time．the three-for-one is relatively simple to use．Fat grams and calories are listed on almost all boxed, canned or packaged foods —— you have only to read the label and follow the rule．A five-year-old patient of mine can do this.

4.Drinking water is basic, and drinking enough of it is necessary．Patients are sometimes surprised that basic things work when they do them consistently.

5.Consume antioxidant foods．They protect the cholesterol(胆固醇), from oxidative damage, which helps prevent damage to blood…vessel walls.

E．My ways of keeping healthy are very simple, and they are among our everyday activities：eating healthy food and doing exercise．In addition, I manage to do those basic things, such as drinking water, sleeping well and eating less fat．Sometimes I do some of the other things I used to do in my life like walking for half an hour a day.

F．Although I've put on ten pounds．I'm healthy and in good shape．I eat food that’s good for me…but I work off Susan’s homemade brownies（巧克力蛋糕）, for example．To offset these extra calories, I walk for an hour or more, three times a week…often with Susan．We’re both busy and this is one way we have some quiet time together．Equally important, it permits me to practice dieting fine art of compromise.

单词拼写(共5小题；每题2分；满分10分)

根据相关提示准确拼写出相关单词及其词形变化, 补充完整以下句子；完全正确方可得分。

1. Who do you imagine _________ (改造, 变换) the garage into a recreation room then?

2. Under no __________(情况) will the Chinese allow Taiwan to break away from China.

3. He is only too ready to help others, seldom, if ever, r_________ them when they turn to him.

4. Impressed by the luxurious s____________(环境),he didn’t want to leave.

5. There are a lot of natural           (现象) we can’t understand.

完成句子(共3小题, 每题3分, 满分9分)

根据相关要求准确补充完整以下句子；完全正确方可得分。

1. Rather than take a bus to go downtown, they preferred to go there on foot. (同义句转换)

ð They ________ __________ go downtown on foot ________ take a bus.

2.Although he did his utmost, he failed, which made him so upset about himself that he felt like crying. (同义句转换)

ð ____ ____ ____ all his efforts he failed, which made him so depressed that he felt like crying.

3. The librarian put the ______ (换回来的) books ______ _______ (放回原处).

读写任务(共1小题；满分25分)

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

In the atmosphere, carbon dioxide acts rather like a one-way mirror —— the glass in the roof of a greenhouse which allows the sun’s rays to enter but prevents the heat from escaping.

According to a weather expert’s prediction, the atmosphere will be 3℃ warmer in the year 2050 than it is today, if man continues to burn fuels at the present rate. If this warming up took place, the ice caps in the poles would begin to melt, thus raising sea level several metres and severely flooding coastal cities. Also, the increase in atmospheric temperature would lead to great changes in the climate of the northern hemisphere, possibly resulting in an alteration of earth's chief food-growing zones.

In the past, concern about a man-made warming of the earth has concentrated on the Arctic because the Antarctic is much colder and has a much thicker ice sheet. But the weather experts are now paying more attention to West Antarctic, which may be affected by only a few degrees of warming, in other words, by a warming on the scale that will possibly take place in the next fifty years from the burning of fuels.

Satellite pictures show that large areas of Antarctic ice are already disappearing. The evidence available suggests that a warming has taken place. This fits the theory that carbon dioxide warms the earth.

However, most of the fuel is burnt in the northern hemisphere, where temperatures seem to be falling. Scientists conclude, therefore, that up to now natural influences on the weather have exceeded those caused by man. The question is: Which natural cause has most effect on the weather?

【写作内容】

1.以约30个词概括短文的要点；

2. 然后以约120个词就“Solutions of slowing climate change”为主题写一篇短文，包括如下要点：

(1) 你认为地球会不会持续变暖；

(2) 其原因是什么以及人类在其中的作用；

(3) 谈谈你的建议。

【写作要求】

(1) 你可以使用实例或者其他论述方法支持你的观点，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用阅读材料中的句子。

(2) 字迹清楚，书写工整。

【评分标准】 概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。

语法填空（共15小题，满分15分）

用所给动词的适当形式或适当的连接词完成句子，每空一分。

1. Weather _________ (permit)，we’ll visit the Great Wall.  

2.With him _________ (give) us a lead，our team is sure to win. 

3.___________ (not； receive) a reply，he decided to write a sixth letter. 

4.He will attend the meeting _________ (hold) tomorrow.  

5. The novel is said ____________ (translate) into many languages.  

6. The manager promised to keep me ___________ (inform) of how our business was going on.

7. ______ (give) more encouragement, the boy could have behaved better.

8. After ______(interview) for the job, you will be required to take a language test.

9.The officials discussed the plan that they would like to see _________(carry out) the next month.

10. On ________ (hear) the news of his father’s death, he burst into tears. 

11. The reason ______ she gave for not coming to the party is that her mother wouldn’t allow her to.   

12. We are wondering            our teacher will come to the party or not.

13. The reason        I have to go is that my mother is ill in bed.  

14.This is the place ________ we worked last year.  

There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.

I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.

It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight. Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.

From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.

The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug (拥抱). I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.

I looked forward to the return journey.

1. The author expected the train trip to be________ .

2. What did the author remember most fondly of her train trip?

3. Which of the following words can best take the place of the word "relish" in the second paragraph?

4. Where was the writer going?

5. What can we learn from the story?

How to improve our life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They'll say, "This is my destiny(命运).I cannot change it."

Of course not! You don't have to suffer needlessly. Your life depends on you, not on any other external(外部的)factor.

I know a woman who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, and then goes to sleep. Next day, the same routine cycle follows.

Huh! Is this what she calls "doing her best"? She believes she has tried her best and just accepts it in her heart that this is the life that has been intended for her and that her luck can only change if God wills it. She hasn't realized that we have to do our share of making the effort to live the life of our dreams.

Remember that you harvest what you sow. You have to get off the sofa, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone(unless it contributes to your success),and get your mind and body to work! Don't expect your luck to change, unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don't just regard it as a temporary setback; instead, learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It's not enough to think positively; you also have to act positively.

If someone's life is in trouble, do you just hope and pray that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don't just stand(or sit)there, do something to improve your life.

1.According to the woman mentioned in Para. 3, her life_________________.

2. What does the author think of the woman's life?

3.Which of the following statements is the author's opinion?

4.In Para. 5, the author emphasized the importance of _______________.

5. The text is mainly written to advise you to _________________.