55. We can infer from the passage that ________.

A. living in a straw house, one has to keep several cats

B. the walls of a straw house help keep heat inside in cold climates

C. it is best to build a straw house at harvest time

D. we need 900 straw bales to build one straw house

Key: 51-55 　C　 D　 A　 D　 B　

(D)

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon!

Before I introduce our cultural programs, I want to tell you one thing first about 2008. You're going to have a great time in Beijing.　 　　 Many people are fascinated by China’s Sport legends(传奇)in history. For example, back to Song Dynasty, which was the 11th century, people in our country started to play a game called Cuju, which is regarded as the origin of ancient football. The game was so popular that women were also participating. So now, you probably will understand why our women football team does so well today.

…

With a concept inspired by the famed Silk Road, our Torch Relay will break new ground, traveling from Olympia through some of the oldest civilizations known to man-----Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Byzantine, Mesopotamian, Persian, Arabian, Indian and Chinese. Carrying the message "Share the Peace, Share the Olympics," the eternal flame will reach new heights as it crosses the Himalayas over the world's highest summit - Mount Qomolangma, which is known to many of you as Mt. Everest. In China, the torch will pass through Tibet, cross the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, travel the Great Wall and visit Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and the 56 ethnic communities who make up our society. On its journey, the flame will be seen by and inspire more human beings than any previous relay. 　 　I am afraid I can not give the whole picture of our cultural programs within such a short period of time. Before I end, let me share with you one story. Seven hundred years ago, amazed by his incredible descriptions of a faraway land of great beauty, people asked Marco Polo whether his stories about China were true. And Marco answered: What I have told you was not even half of what I saw. Actually, what we have shown you here today is only a fraction of Beijing that awaits you. 　 Ladies and gentlemen, I believe that Beijing will prove to be a land of wonders to all of you to athletes, spectators(观众) and the worldwide television audience alike. Come and join us. 　 Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you all.

54. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

　　　 A. Straw is a waste of material as animal bedding.

　　　 B. Furbish built his home and an elementary school with only bales of straw.

　　　 C. Building straw houses requires no energy at all.

　　　 D. The roof of a straw house can be supported by a wooden frame.

53. The writer mentions the wolf at the beginning and the end of this passage to suggest ________.

A. straw houses are in fact nice and strong

B. the big bad wolf can never blow the straw houses down

C. the big bad wolf is very unlucky

D. people in straw houses needn’t worry about wolves

52. What do we learn about straw houses from the passage?

A. It costs little to make such special houses.

B. The outsides of the houses are green.

C. They are mostly built in the desert.

D. Plaster and stucco help make the houses strong.

51. The author wrote the passage in order to ________.

A. prove that the tale of the three pigs and the wolf is wrong

B. teach readers how to build straw houses

C. introduce an environmentally-friendly building material

D. advertise Furbish’s special houses

45. This passage mainly discusses ________.

A. film production in Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s

B. the similarities between the Mogul Empire and Hollywood

C. the true life of Hollywood stars in the 1930s and 1940s

D. why Hollywood could enjoy the fame as it did

Key: 41– 45 BBDAC

(C)

In the story of the three little pigs, the one who built his house of straw did not do well; the big bad wolf blew it down. But builder Michael Furbish, who made his own home from bales (捆) of straw, and an elementary school from the same material, says that in reality straw houses are not only strong, but also good for the environment. Straw-the stalks (杆，茎) of plants like wheat, oats, and barley-is considered a waste material and is commonly used on farms as animal bedding.　But more and more people are discovering that straw baled into rectangular blocks is an excellent and inexpensive building material.

There are two ways to make a straw-bale structure. You can build load-bearing walls with them, which means the walls support the roof. Or you can build a post-and-beam wooden frame that supports the roof and fill in the walls with the bales. Either way, the walls are there to stay. And they provide great insulation(绝缘), helping keep straw houses in cold climates warm in winter and those built in hot places like the desert cool in summer. Straw is considered a "green" building material because it is a renewable resource: a whole new crop can be grown and harvested every year, easily "renewing" the supply. Also, planting and harvesting straw uses relatively little energy. "Most other building materials require a lot of energy to be produced," explains Furbish. 　"With straw-bale construction, you are getting a building product without using much energy at all."

Furbish used about 900 straw bales in his family's two-story, three-bedroom house. His company also provided straw-bale walls for the Friends Community School of College Park in Maryland. That project used about 4,000 bales. When asked if there are any problems with living in a straw house, like mice nibbling (咬，啃) on the walls, Furbish points out that the straw is completely covered with plaster and stucco (灰泥). Besides, he has a couple of cats on mouse watch, just in case. "It would be hard to find a wall system that will wear better than straw," he says. The big bad wolf is just out of luck.

44. Why were the film stars the "property" of the studios?

A. Because they were controlled to earn money, power, fame for the studio.

B. Because they were bought and sold as slaves.

C. Because they made Hollywood famous.

D. Because they were interested in doing business in Hollywood.

43. The speaker gave the example of Clark Gable and Elizabeth Taylor to illustrate _______.

A. Hollywood stars were very well paid

B. Hollywood stars were given attention by their producers

C. Hollywood stars had no insurance of income

D. How the Hollywood controlling system could have worked as it did

42. It can be inferred from the passage that Hollywood stars in the 1930s and 1940s _______.

A. lived an extraordinarily excited and carefree life

B. didn't live as fascinating a life as the public believed

C. were the idols of every American

D. made sure they lived an independent life.

41. The writer compares the Hollywood of the 1930s and 1940s to the Mogul Empire

because the head of each _______.

A. enjoyed almost as much power as the other one in the whole world

B. enjoyed almost as much power, wealth and even fame as the other one

C. had as many slaves as the other one

D. was loved and respected by its members