……

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She is a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election, except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons, because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America: the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the Dust Bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "we shall overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there’s so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves, if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? 

(From Obama’s victory speech, 2008 )

56. What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Ann Nixon Cooper was once a slave.              B. Ann Nixon Cooper is a black woman.

C. Ann Nixon Cooper knows Obama and his family very well.

D. Ann Nixon Cooper contributed much to the changes of America.

57. What does the underlined part“cast her ballot”in the first paragraph probably mean?

A. expressed her happiness                                B. worked for Obama

C. voted in the election                                     D. celebrated the victory

58. What message does this part of Obama’s speech mainly send?

A. Ann Nixon Cooper has experienced the best time and the darkest hours of America in the last century.

B. America has undergone great development in the last century and is looking forward to more great changes.

C. Ann Nixon Cooper has witnessed the development and democracy of America.

D. This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations.

 

完形填空：阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项中选出一个最佳答案。（共20小题，每小题1.5分）

   In the past, man did not have to think about the protection of his environment. There were few people on the earth, and natural resources seemed to be　46　 .                    Today things are　 47　 , the world has become too　 48　 . We are using up our natural resources too quickly, and at the same time we are　 49　 our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we continue to do this, human life on the earth　 50　 survive.

　　Everyone　51　 today that if too many fish are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. Yet, with modern fishing　 52 , more and more fish are caught. We know that if too many trees are cut down, 　53　 will disappear and nothing will grow on the land. Yet, we　 54　 to use bigger and more powerful machines to　 55　 more and more trees.

　　We realize that if rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die.　 56　 , in most countries wastes are　 57　 put into rivers or into the sea, and there are　 58　 laws to stop this. We know, too, that if the　 59　 of the world continues to rise at the present rate, in a few years there will not be enough 60　. What can we do to solve these problems ?

　  If  we eat more vegetables and less　 61　 , there will be more food available for everyone. Land that is used to grow crops　 62　 five times more people than land where animals are kept. Our natural resources will　 63　 longer if we learn to recycle them. The world population will not rise so quickly if people use modern methods of birth 64　 .

　　Finally, if we educate people to think about the problems, we shall have a better and clearer 65　 in the future.

A. beautiful         B. unlimited          C. rare                  D. valuable

A. common         B. the same            C. changeable     D. different

A. crowded         B. small                C. dirty                 D. busy

A. protecting       B. saving            C. polluting           D. fighting

A. may not          B. will not             C. shall not            D. could not

A. wonders         B. realizes             C. consider            D. discovers

A. poles              B. boats                 C. methods            D. ideas

A  mountains     B. the sea                  C. trees                 D. forests

A. continue         B. have                 C. ought                D. go on

A. grow            B. plant                 C. save                  D. cut down

A. Thus       B. However     

C. Generally speaking  D. Therefore

A. still                     B. even                 C. also                  D. certainly

A. too many      B. a few                C. some                 D. few

A. production    B. pollution           C. population      D. revolution

A. houses          B. vegetables      C. food                 D. lives

A. fruit             B. meat                 C. fish                   D. grain

A. feeds            B. increases           C. supplies             D. helps

A. use               B. stay                  C. keep                 D. last

A. control         B. born                 C. plan                  D. reward

A. nature           B. sea                 C. planet            D. forest

 

请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。

以下是旅游景点的信息：

A. Agra Fort

Near the gardens of the Taj Mahal stands the important 16th-century Mughal monument known as the Red Fort of Agra. This powerful fortress of red sandstone encompasses, within its 2.5-km-long enclosure walls, the imperial city of the Mughal rulers. It comprises many fairy-tale palaces, such as the Jahangir Palace and the Khas Mahal, built by Shah Jahan; audience halls, such as the Diwan-i-Khas; and two very beautiful mosques.

 

B. Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world, and some Western historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed. The Taj is the most beautiful monument built by the Mughals, the Muslim rulers of India. Taj Mahal is built entirely of white marble. It was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers. It was completed in 1648 C.E. at a cost of 32 Million Rupees.

C. Keoladeo National Park

This former duck-hunting reserve of the Maharajas is one of the major wintering areas for large numbers of aquatic birds from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China and Siberia. Some 364 species of birds, including the rare Siberian crane, have been recorded in the park.

D. Humayun's Tomb, Delhi

This tomb, built in 1570, is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal. The gardens also contain the red-and-white sandstone and black-and-yellow marble tomb of Humayun’s wife and the tomb of Humayun’s barber.

E. Grand Canyon National Park

The Grand Canyon is perhaps the most awesome sight in the United States--and one of the wonders of the world. Much of the park's beauty is related to its geology and ecology. Schmidt explores the shape of the land, its plants and animals, and its human history. A fascinating book that everyone visiting the Grand Canyon should read. The Skywalk at Grand Canyon West is really exciting.

F.Sundarbans National Park

The Sundarbans covers 10,000 sq. km of land and water (more than half of it in India, the rest in Bangladesh) in the Ganges delta. It contains the world's largest area of mangrove forests. A number of rare or endangered species live in the park, including tigers, aquatic mammals, birds and reptiles.

请阅读以下旅游者的信息，然后匹配旅游者和他/她拟旅游的景点。

56. Carina is fond of art and likes travelling very much. In order to take part in the following exhibition, she wants to take some photos of birds from all over the world, especially the rare Siberian crane. In the meanwhile, she doesn’t want to spend too much money.

57. Daisy’s major is biology. She is interested in studies of tigers in India. Before graduation, she needs to write an essay on the tiger. She hears that it is one of the largest tiger populations of any of India’s parks. And so she wants to go there to do some research.

58. Alexander is a college student of Physics. He learns that this canyon is a gift from past generations that goes beyond what we experience. He is looking forward to going there and experiencing the Skywalk in the park.

59. Sammy majors in history. He will visit it again this summer. He says it’s built entirely of white Marble and is one of the eight wonders of the world. Its beauty is beyond description, particularly at dawn and sunset. It seems to glow in the light of the full moon. On a foggy morning, the visitors experience it as if suspended when viewed from across the Jamuna river.

60. Nancy comes from the history department. Last summer she visited the ancient markets of Agra and this year she wants to visit it again. Not long ago she said: “Arriving at the Delhi airport, we representatives were warmly received. Our tirdness flew in seconds by the traditional welcome that we got at the hotel’s reception.” The next day they visited the famous tomb.

 

 

 

Romanian-born German writer Herta Mueller won the 2009 Nobel Prize in literature yesterday, honored for work that "with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, describes the landscape of the dispossessed(被流放者)," the Swedish Academy said.

   The 56-year-old author, who immigrated to Germany from Romania in 1987, first gained public attention in 1982 with a collection of short stories titled Niederungen, or Lowlands in English, which was promptly censored(审查通过) by her government.

   In 1984 an uncensored version was smuggled to Germany where it was published and her work describing life in a small, German-speaking village in Romania was popular with the readers there. That work was followed by Oppressive Tango in Romania.

  "The Romanian national press was very critical of these works while, outside of Romania, the German press received them very positively," the Academy said. "Because Mueller had publicly criticized the dictatorship(独裁) in Romania, she was prohibited from publishing in her own country.” In 1987 she immigrated to Germany with her husband two years before dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was toppled from power.

   Mueller's parents were members of the German-speaking minority in Romania and father served in the Waffen SS during World War II. After the war ended, many German Romanians were deported(放逐) to the Soviet Union in 1945, including her mother, who spent five years in a work camp in what is now Ukraine.

   Most of her works are in German, but some works have been translated into English, French and Spanish, including The Passport, The Land of Green Plums, Traveling on One Leg and The Appointment.

   Mueller has given guest lectures at universities, colleges and other venues in Paderborn, Warwick, Hamburg, Swansea, Gainsville (Florida), Kassel, Gottingen, Tubingen and Zurich among other places. She lives in Berlin. Since 1995 she has served as a member of Deutsche Akademie fur Sprache und Dichtung, in Darmstadt."

   Mueller is the 12th woman to win the literature prize. Recent female winners include Austria's Elfriede Jelinek in 2004 and British writer Doris Lessing in 2007.

   The award includes a $1.4 million prize and will be handed out on December 10

1．Herta Mueller was awarded Nobel Prize in literature because of____________.

A．her public criticism upon the dictatorship in Romania

B．her works with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose

C．her works describing the life of the dispossessed in Germany 

D．the popularity of her works with the readers in the German-speaking village

2．Which of the following statements is mentioned by the author?

    A．German Romanians were treated unfairly in Germany in the 1940s.

B．Her parents were dispossessed to Ukraine after the World War II.

C．Her first work was published in Germany in the early 1980s.

D．Her works were all translated into versions in different languages.

3．It can be inferred from the fourth paragraph that _____.

    A．people then in Romania had the right to say whatever was true.

    B．Herta Mueller left her home country after the dictatorship was ended.

    C．Herta Mueller immigrated to Germany together with her parents.

    D．Romanian citizens lived a hard life without democracy in the 1980s.

4．According to the passage, which of the following works has an English version? 

    A．Lowlands in English                  B．Oppressive Tango in Romania.  

C．Traveling on One Leg                 D．The Land of Green Plums

5．What is the passage mainly about?

    A．Mueller made great contribution to literature through hard work

B．Mueller won the Nobel Prize for her great literature works.

C．Mueller gained great popularity by describing dictatorship.

D．Mueller was treated badly in Romania and immigrated to Germany.

 

When coal is burned in a boiler, two kinds of ash by-products are produced: a heavy bottom ash and a fine-as-powder fly ash. About 10 to 15 percent of the coal by-product is bottom ash which is used like sand on streets and highways covered with ice, and also on highways as paving material.

It is the fly ash, however, that is receiving much attention. Once considered a waste, fly ash is now regarded as a natural resource in the United States. It can be placed in some lower places, where it is compacted and covered with soil, for the seeds of various grasses and plants to be placed in the soil to make the land productive.

Fly ash may be added to concrete to build roads and other kinds of buildings, taking the place of the cement up to 20 percent. As a by-product of burned coal, fly ash requires no extra energy to be produced, while cement production requires great amounts of energy.

Besides, the technology is able to take out some useful minerals from the fly ash, which is still a very expensive process today. But the time may come when it is cheaper to take out these products from ash than to mine new supplies.

The bottom ash can be put on icy streets________.

       A. in order to rebuild them          B.  in order to make them colourful

       C. so that people can walk on them   D. so that cars can run faster

The fly ash_______ bottom ash.

       A. has the same use as             B.  is more expensive than

       C. has more uses than    D. is much cheaper than

The fly ash can be used to________.

       A. grow various plants   B.  take the place of soil

       C. cover productive land       D. make more productive land

Which of the following is right?

       A. To produce fly ash, some extra coal is to be burned.

       B.  Fly ash is made while producing cement.

       C. It takes less energy to produce fly ash than cement.

       D. Fly ash is a costless by-product.

The word “mine” in the last sentence of the passage means_______.

       A. to buy things from other countries

       B.  to search for useful materials in the mountains

       C. to dig deeply into the ground to get useful materials

       D. to take out certain materials from other things