The Winter Palace was built between 1754 and 1762 for Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. Unfortunately, Elizabeth died before the palace was completed and only Catherine the Great and her successors were able to enjoy the great interior (内部) of Elizabeth’s home. Many parts of the palace’s impressive interior have been remodeled since then, particularly after 1837, when a huge fire destroyed most of the building. Today the Winter Palace, together with four more buildings arranged side by side along the river embankment, houses the extensive collections of the Hermitage. The Hermitage Museum is the largest art gallery in Russia and is among the largest and most respected art museums in the world.
The museum was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great bought a collection of 255 paintings from the German city of Berlin. Today, the Hermitage boasts over 2.7 million exhibits and displays, a diverse range of art and artifacts (手工艺品) from all over the world and throughout history (from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century Europe). The Hermitage’s collections include works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, a collection of Rembrandts and Rubens, many French Impressionist works by Renoir, Cezanne, Monet and Pissarro, and several works by Rodin. The collection is really worth a stop for all those interested in art and history. The experts say that if you were to spend a minute looking at each exhibit on show in the Hermitage, you would need 11 years before you’d seen them all. However, we suggest you choose a guided tour instead!
Location: Dvortsovaia Naberezhnaia, 32-38.
Open: 10:30 am to 5:30 pm, Sunday till 5 pm.
Closed: Mondays. Ticket-office closes 1 hour before closing time.
【小题1】 According to the passage, the Winter Palace was built for ______.

A．Catherine the Great.	B．Empress Elizabeth
C．Peter the Great.	D．Empress Elizabeth’s successors

【小题2】 What’s the main reason why many parts of the palace’s impressive interior were remodeled?

A．Catherine the Great and her successors didn’t like the design.

B．Empress Elizabeth wanted to remodel the palace.

C．A huge fire destroyed most of the building in 1837.

D．The building became old itself.

【小题3】 According to the passage, which of the following is CORRECT?

A．The Winter Palace was built between 1753 and 1761.

B．The Hermitage’s collections don’t include works by Monet.

C．The Hermitage Museum is the largest art gallery in Russia.

D．The Hermitage Museum was founded in 1764 when Empress Elizabeth bought a collection of 255 paintings from Berlin.

【小题4】If you want to visit the museum, when can you go?

A．At 10:30 am on Monday.	B．At 10:00 am on Tuesday.
C．At 11:00 am on Sunday.	D．None of the above.

Harry’s father bought a magazine which gave its readers information about all kinds of products and helped them make the best choice while buying.
Harry borrowed his father’s magazine when he needed a new computer. “I’ll read it and choose the best one.” He said.
The magazine described these computers.

The DGT PC450	The BNK 975XF: AT $3,200	The CGP 8PT
This computer comes with lots of good software. However it does not have much memory and is rather slow. At $2,850 it’s not very good value for money.	This is the most expensive computer we tested. However it is also the most reliable (可靠的). It is very fast and has lots of memory. It is worth the extra money if you can afford it.	At only $1,900. It has lots of memory and is quite fast. However it broke down twice while we were testing it and we cannot recommend (建议) it for reliability.

     Harry chose the BNK 975XF. “I know it’s expensive,” he said, “but it will be with me for a long time and do everything I want it to do.”
【小题1】 Harry wants to buy a computer, so he borrowed ___________ from his father.

A．a magazine about all kinds of products	B．a computer magazine
C．a shopping book	D．a book about all kinds of computers

【小题2】 ____________ doesn’t have much memory and is rather slow.

A．The BNK 975XF	B．The DGT PC450
C．The CGP 8PT	D．Harry’s computer

【小题3】 The CGP 8PT is _____________ among the three kinds of computers.

A．the fastest

B．the most expensive

C．the cheapest

D．the slowest

【小题4】Harry chose the BNK 975XF because _________.

A．it is the most expensive	B．it has lots of good software
C．it has much memory	D．it would work for him for a long time

Have fun with Stamp collecting..．Join the Collectors Club today!?? If you enjoy learning all about stamps, then the Royal Mail’s Collectors Club is for you．Join the club and discover the fascinating world of stamps．There are over 70,000 members and it is one of the biggest clubs of its kind in the country. Become a member today and you will receive lots of wonderful stamp collecting goodies...? ●?A Starter pack...?? And every two months...? ●?Collectors Club magazine?? ●?Collectors Corner supplement And every year...? ●?A new Stamp Calendar?? ●?A set of Album Pages?? Join today!? It won’t cost you much to experience the fun of stamp collecting. Collectors Club Starter Pack? 1.100 used stamps and hinges.?? 2.The Collectors Club Guide to Collecting.? 3.The latest Collectors Club magazine (packed with news and views about stamps, quizzes and competitions, all in colour)? 4.Album pages? 5.Badge and stickers? 6.Membership card? 7.Royal Mail Stamp Calendar.?? **********? Already Registered?? Sign In Here!? Learn More? View a Flash presentation  about our club (3.51MB)

Which of the following is NOT included in a starter pack??

      A．One hundred used stamps and hinges and album pages.?

      B．The Collectors Club Guide to Collecting and badge and stickers.?

      C．The latest Collectors Club magazine and membership card.?

      D．Royal Mail Stamp Calendar and Collectors Corner supplement.

This advertisement is written for people who want to_______.?

    A．make money through collecting stamps? 

      B．develop stamp collection as a hobby

    C．get something free from the club?    

      D．find out where the club is located

From the advertisement we can learn_____.?

      A．Collectors Club is among the biggest clubs in this country?

      B．how much you must pay to become a member of the club?

      C．today is the last day for stamp collectors to join the club?

      D．members may receive a set of album pages every month?

Where is this advertisement most probably found??

      A．In a newspaper.           B．On a web page.?

       C．In a magazine.         D．On a TV program.?

Anne and Joseph are talking about an interesting question. Why do some people change their names? There can be many reasons. Hanna changed her name to Anne because she thought it would be easier for people to remember. On the other hand, Joseph is thinking about changing his name to an unusual name because he wants to be different.

People have a lot of reasons for changing their names. Film stars, singers, sportsmen and some other famous people often change their names because they want names that are not ordinary, or that have special sound. They chose the “new name” for themselves instead of the name their parents gave them when they were born.

Some people have another reason for changing their names. They have moved to a new country and want to use a name that is usual there. For example, Li Kaiming changed his name to Ken Lee when he moved to the United States. He uses the name Ken at his job and at school. But with his family and Chinese friends, he uses Li Kaiming. For some people, using different names makes life easier in their new country.

In many countries, a woman changes her family name to her husband’s after she gets married. But today, many women are keeping their own family name and not using their husband’s. Sometimes, women use their own name in some situations（情况）and their husband’s in other situations. And some use both their own name and their husband’s.

1.Hanna changes her name to Anne because “Anne” is           for people to remember.

A．louder

B．easier

C．prettier

D．harder

2.Famous people want their new names to          .

A．have special sound	B．be ordinary
C．have no meaning	D．be unknown

3.Mr. Li uses his new name when he          .

A．stays with his family	B．is at his job
C．is among Chinese friends	D．comes back to China

4.Which of the following statement is TRUE?

A．Women have to change their names when they get married.

B．Women can’t use their husband’s name without permission.

C．If a singer becomes famous, he or she has to change his or her name.

D．Some people changed their names in order to get much more attentions.

5.What is the best title（标题）of this passage ?

A．Family Names	B．Women’s Names
C．Changing Names	D．Special Names

 

 

 

PART THREE READING COMPREHENSION

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or un­finished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked with A、B、C and D, Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.

For new countries joining the European Union, and older ones getting used to their dark red passport, becoming “Europeans” is a bit like marrying a large and strange family.

Europeans have a lot in common but it is their differences, not their similarities, that attract the attention of sociologies and market researchers, and are more interesting

   35% of Germans live alone, but only 9% of Spaniards. Perhaps this explains why Spaniards lead Europe in the habit of going out for a drink.

  The British attend more adult evening classes than anyone else in Europe, and the Belgians least. So it can’t just be the dark evenings. There are no figures on how many Britons go for a drink afterwards. If there were, they might be up at the top with Spain.

  The British think black cats are lucky. Every other European country regards them unlucky.

  The French are the most athletic Europeans. Next come the Dutch. But the Belgians, just over the border, play fewest sports.

  The Germans spend twice as much on heating as the Spaniards. Well, of course they do, it’s colder.

  Dutch husbands do the household shopping a lot more often than Italians or Spaniards.

  The French are the champion public transport commuters(经常往返者)of Europe. If you hate commuting, go and live in the Netherlands, where journeys to work are shorter than anywhere else.

  The amount of direct eye-contact between strangers is three times greater among Spaniards than it is among the British or Swedes. So, sharing a lift is a torture for both the British and the Swedish.

There are exceptions to all these rules. Deal with them in the spirit of my 8-year-old daughter. “If you don’t understand each other’s language, just laugh a lot and eat and point at things.”

1.We can know from this passage that______________.

A.sociologist are most interested in the idea of European Union

B.most European countries are not willing to join the European Union

C.Europeans have more differences than similarities

D.trade opportunities exit in the cultural differences in the European Union

2.If you work and live in Belgium, you will______________.

A. have to change your living places often B. not get used to its cold weather

C. seldom sees people playing sports     D. be invited to go for a drink frequently

3. The underlined sentence means that the British and Swedish _________________.

A. care about their safety most                  B. like to appear gentle and smart

C. hate to look at each other face to face          D. enjoy a richer life than others

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE about Spain?

A.Spaniards hate direct eye-contact between strangers.

B.Spaniards like to go for a drink after dark.

C.Spaniards spend twice as much on heating as the Germans.

D.In Spain, husbands do more household shopping than those in Italy.

5.In the last paragraph, the author wants to express his idea that ______________.

A.his daughter knows well how to understand foreigners in unfamiliar situations

B.Europeans actually share the same culture even if they have different languages

C.being a European, you will have no living trouble at all in the European Union

D.there are differences between European countries, but don’t take them too seriously