Zheng He (1371-1435), or Cheng Ho, is arguably（可论证地） China’s most famous navigator. Starting from the beginning of the 15th Century, he traveled to the West seven times. In 28 years, he traveled more than 50,000km and visited over 30 countries, including Singapore. Zheng He died in the tenth year of the reign（统治） of the Ming emperor Xuande (1435) and was buried in the southern suburbs of Bull’s Head Hill (Niushou) in Nanjing.

In 1985, during the 580th anniversary（周年纪念） of Zheng He’s voyage, his tomb（坟墓） was rebuilt. The new tomb was built on the site of the original tomb in Nanjing and reconstructed according to the customs of Islamic teachings, as Zheng He was a Muslim.

At the entrance to the tomb is a Ming-style building, which was a memorial hall. Inside are paintings of the man himself and his navigation maps. To get to the tomb, there are newly laid stone platforms and steps. The stairway consists of 28 stone steps that are divided into four sections with each section having seven steps. This represents Zheng He’s seven journeys to the West. The Arabic words which mean “Allah (God) is great” are written on top of the tomb.

Zheng He built many wooden ships, some of which are the largest in history, in Nanjing. Three of the shipyards still exist today.

56. Zheng He’s tomb was rebuilt ________.

A. because he was a Muslim           B. following the Islamic customs

C. to celebrate Zheng’s 580th birthday   D. beside the original one

57. You can see _____ at Zheng He’s tomb.

A. a Ming-style hall in the tomb            B. ZhengHe’s portraits and his maps for his voyage

C. Arabic-style buildings and materials      D. four flights of 28 stone steps

58. The passage mainly tells us ______.

A. how ZhengHe built his ships             B. something about his tomb

C. that ZhengHe was a Muslim navigator      D. about ZhengHe, his voyages and his tomb

阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡标号为31－40的相应位置上。

Rivers are one of our most important natural resources. Many of the world’s great ________ are located on rivers, and almost _______ country has at least one river flowing through it that plays ________ important part in the lives of its people.

   Since the beginning of history, people __________ (use) rivers for transportation. The longest one in the United States is the Mississippi, and the lifeline of Egypt is the Nile. __________ transportation, rivers give water to drink, water for crops, and chances for fun and recreation for the people ______ live along their banks.

   However, large cities and industries that are located on rivers often make problems. As the cities grow ______ size and industries increase in number, the water in the rivers becomes _________ (pollute) with chemicals and other materials. People are learning the ________ (important) of doing more to keep their rivers clean ________ they want to enjoy the benefits of this natural resource.

Every year, it costs British students more and more to attend university. Students are graduating with larger and larger debts. So is a college degree really worth it?

    In 2006, the UK government started to allow universities in England and Wales to charge British students tuition fees. As a result, more than 80 percent of students in England and Wales now take out a student loan in order to go to university.

    They use the loan to pay for tuition fees and living expenses. Although the interest on student loans is quite low, it begins as soon as the student receives the loan.

    The average student in England and Wales now graduates from university with a debt of around ￡12,000 (122,952 yuan). It means graduates have to struggle to pay rent on a flat, because they have to start paying back the student loan when they reach April after graduating. If you start to earn over ￡15,000 (153,630 yuan) a year, the government takes repayments directly from your monthly salary.

    You might think that a person with a degree would find it easy to get a well-paid job. However, most people in “white collar jobs” seem to have a degree, so there is a lot of competition. Also, British companies tend to value work experience over a piece of paper.

    All of the above is beginning to make British people question whether a university degree is really worth the money. Even before the credit crisis started, the BBC stated: “The number of British students at UK universities has fallen for the first time in recent history, from 1.97 million in 2007 to 1.96 million last year.”

    Meanwhile, the British universities offer more and more of the available places to richer international students rather than poorer British students. What does the future hold for British higher education?

What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A. Universities’ charging students fees is quite common all over the world.

B. It’s unfair to charge college students fees in England and Wales.

C. Before 2006 the UK universities didn’t charge students tuition fees in England and Wales.

D. The UK universities are unwilling to carry out the government’s policy.

What might be the reason that the number of British students at UK universities falls?

A. It’s harder and harder for them to get a degree.

B. The credit crisis has great influnce on their families’ income.

C. College education costs them too much.

D. The competition to become a “white collar” is too fiece.

What does the underlined words “a piece of paper” refer to?

A. A written document from the bank.         B. A letter of recommendation.

C. A filled application form.                       D. A diploma.

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

  A. More Profits for the Banks                        B. College Life in the UK

C. Welcome! International Students                    D. UK Universities Students Become Poorer

In the late nineteenth century, ^5,000 pianos were sold in the United States each year and, with over half a million youths learning to play the instrument, there was a huge demand for sheet music （活页乐谱）．Indeed the demand was so huge that publishers rushed to enter the profitable market．During the last fifteen years of the century, many publishers began to set up shops in New York, the center for the production of the musical arts

       By the turn of the nineteenth century many important publishers had their offices on 28^th Street between Broadway and 5th Avenue, and this Is the area that became known as Tin Pan Alley．It was here that publishers adopted new, aggressive business practices and marketing techniques to achieve great sales．

       How it became to be known by that name is unclear, but the general opinion is that it is down to a visiting journalist by the name of Monroe Rosenfeld．He described the area as being drowned in the noise coming from the producers' offices, sounding as though hundreds of people were hitting tin pans（锡锅）．He used it several times in his newspaper articles in the early twentieth century and the term stuck．With time this name was popularly embraced and many years later it came to describe the U．S．music publishing industry in general．

       The start of Tin Pan Alley is usually dated to about 1885,．but the end of Tin Pan Alley is less clear-cut ．Some date it to the start of the Great．Depression in the 1930s when the phonograph（留声机） and radio replaced sheet music, as the driving force of American popular music, while others consider Tin Pan Alley to have continued into thel950s when earlier styles of American popular music were upstaged （抢风头） by the rise of rock & roll．

       There's a plaque（纪念匾牌）on the sidewalk on 28th Street in honor of the influence of Tin Pan Alley on American popular culture, but the buildings that were home to the legendary Tin Pan Alley publishers and songwriters are up for sale and may be torn down to make room for modern high-rise buildings．

What．is the passage mainly about ?                     

       A．American popular music．

       B．Tin Pan Alley's future。 

       C．American music Industry．

       D．The history of Tin Pan Alley．

In the early 20th century．Tin Pan Alley was used to refer to ____．

       A．the American popular culture．    B．the American printing media

       C．the American rock-music center              D．the American music publishing industry．

In the nineteenth century, the driving force of American popular music was:____．

       A．rock & roll                         B．sheet music

       C．country music                        D．phonographs and radios

When visiting Tin Pan Alley , Rosenfeld probably felt it was ____．

       A．very noisy      B．very quiet           C．wide           D．narrow

We can learn from the passage that ______．

       A．the term " Tin Pan Alley" was perhaps first used by Rosenfeld．

       B．the old shops of Tin Pan Alley will be well protected．

       C．Tin Pan Alley got its name in the early nineteenth century．

       D．there were once some factories in Tin Pan Alley