Many foreigners who have not visited Britain call all the inhabitants(居民) English, for they are used to thinking of the British Isles as England. In fact, the British Isles contain a variety of peoples and only the people of England call themselves English. The others refer to themselves as Welsh, Scottish, or Irish, as the case may be; they are often slightly annoyed(苦恼) at being classified as 'English'.
In Scotland the sound denoted by the letter 'R' is generally a strong sound, and 'R' is often pronounced in words in which it would be silent in southern English. In the Highlands and the Western Isles the ancient Scottish language, Gaelic, is still heard. The Scots are said to be a serious, cautious, thrifty(节约的) people, rather inventive(善于创造的) and somewhat mystical. All the Celtic peoples of Britain (the Welsh, the Irish, the Scots) are often described as being more 'fiery(暴躁的)' than the English. They are often of a race that is quite different from the English.
The Welsh have protected their language to a remarkable extent. The English generally look upon the Welsh as an emotional(易动感情的) people who are, however, somewhat difficult to get to know easily.
Ireland is divided into two parts. The six countries of Northern Ireland are still part of Great Britain, though, in normal circumstances(环境), they have their own Parliament. The Irish are known for their charm and vivacity(活泼), as well as for the beauty of the Irish girls. Irish, often calls Erse, is a form of Gaelic. It was in danger of dying out, but when the territory(地域) of the Republic became independent, Erse was received, and is now the official first language of the Republic, English being the second. The Irish are known for their charm and vivacity, as well as for the beauty of the Irish girls.
【小题1】Why do many foreigners call the inhabitants English?

B
Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy is on a mission to recover ￡46 million of council cash. He has traveled to Iceland for high-level talks with Prime Minister Geir Haarde. Mr. Murphy has vowed to do “whatever it takes” to ensure the return to local authorities of the millions of pounds which are locked in crisis-hit Icelandic banks. He also wants to see the return of money deposited there by a number of Scottish charities.
Mr. Murphy said Scots councils and charities had invested in Icelandic banks in good faith before the country’s banking system was severely hit by the global financial crisis.
He said, “Our relationship with Iceland has traditionally been a very good one. But of course, there are pressures at the moment, particularly because of the international credit crisis and the collapse of the Icelandic banks.”
“There is money from Scottish councils and Scottish charities invested in some of those banks and I’m making efforts to persuade the Icelandic government that money should be returned.”
“We’ve made it very clearly, and we’ll do whatever it takes to support Scottish people to get their money out of the Icelandic banking crisis.”
The Scottish Secretary’s move has been welcomed by the Holyrood Parliament. The UK Government is currently trying to save ￡4 billion in deposits held by customers in the failed Icelandic bank Ice-save, at risk after its parent firm Landsbanki folded. The bank’s collapse caused a diplomatic argument after ministers froze assets of other Icelandic banks.
44. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A. Scots councils and charities had invested in Icelandic banks in bad faith.
B. The relationship with Iceland has traditionally been a very good one, so they don’t worry about it forever.
C. The UK Government and people can’t be satisfied with Iceland’s ministers’ measures.
D. The UK Government supports Scottish people to fight with the Iceland.
45. Jim Murphy will pay a visit to Iceland in order to ______.
A. strengthen their cooperation and promote economic progress between two countries
B. persuade the Icelandic Government to give back the money that are locked in
crisis-hit Icelandic bank
C. traveled to Iceland for high-level talks with Prime Minister Geir Haarde and wanted to break away from the crisis together
D. represent the government to help Iceland to recover economy
46. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Icelandic banking crisis                                B. Murphy’s Icelandic mission
C. The influence of the crisis                             D. A friendly visit

A plane crash in Western Russian killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski and the other 96 political and military officials on board on April 10. The accident has led to huge national mourning in Poland. But it may provide an opportunity for reconciliation (和解) between Poland and Russia, countries that have a troubled relationship.
Many from the political elite were lost in the crash. Beside the president, the dead include the army chief of Staff, the head of National Security Bureau, the national bank president, the deputy foreign minister and other members of parliament.
The Polish delegation was heading to Russia to mark the 70 th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre (屠杀) when the accident occurred. In 1940, about 22,000 Polish soldiers, intellectuals, and officials captured after the Soviet Army invaded Poland in 1939, were killed secretly by Soviet police in the forest of Russia’s Katyn.
The Katyn Massacre had been a sensitive topic between the countries. The former Soviet Union always denied responsibility for the massacre. It was not until 1992 that Russian released archived documents about the killing.
Katyn is merely a short chapter in Poland and Russia’s long and troubled history. In the 18 th century, along with Prussia, (then an important part of Germany) and Austria. Russia participated in three carve – ups of Poland. In 1795, after the third carve – up, the country was erased from the map of Europe. It was in 1918 that Poland regained its independence. But in 1939, at the beginning of the World War II, it was invaded by Germany and the Soviet Union under a secret pact. After the war, Poland became a communist country with close ties to the Soviet Union.
In 1989, Poland switched to capitalism and pursued a pro – West position. The most recent tension between the two countries was in 2008. That year, Poland decided to have a US missile shield (导弹防御系统) on its soil, while neighboring Russia threatened to aim missiles at Poland.
But the plane crash has created a chance for reconciliation, with Russia sharing the sadness of Poland. Russia has declared April 12 a day of mourning for the victims. Flags flew at half – mast in Moscow. And earlier on April 7, Russia Prime Minister Vladimir Putin became the first Russian leader to mark the anniversary of the massacre.
“I think it should improve relations between the two countries, as Russians feel our grief,” said Radek Sikorski, Pland’s foreign minister.
66．Put the following events in order of time.
①The Katyn Massacre
②Poland switched to capitalism.
③Russia divided Poland with Austria and Prussia.
④Poland became a communist country.
⑤Poland was invaded by the Soviet Army.
A．③①④⑤② B．③⑤①④②  C．①③⑤④②  D．①⑤②④③
67．After the accident, which of the following did Russia do to share the sadness of Poland?
A．Flags were lowed to half – mast in the capital city of Russia.
B．Russia threatened to aim missiles at Poland.
C．Russia declared the day when the accident happened a day of mourning for the victims.
D．Vladimir Putin marked the anniversary of the massacre.
68．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．The Katyn Massacre was the very beginning of Poland and Russia’s trouble relationship.
B．In 1939 about 22,000 Polish soldiers, intellectuals, and officials were killed by Soviet police in the forest of Russia’s Katyn.
C．Altogether 96 political and military officials were killed in the accident.
D．The relationship between Poland and Russia has not always been tense since the three carve – ups of Poland in the 18 th century.
69．It can be conclude from the article that        .
A．the relationship between Poland and Russia will be even tenser than before
B．Poland will cancel its plan to mark the anniversary of the Katyn Massacre
C．no Russian leaders have marked the anniversary of the massacre before, though Russia released the truth in 1992.
D．Poland will forgive Russians, for they showed great sympathy after the accident.
70．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．The troubled relationship between Russia and Poland.
B．Poland and Russia united by tragedy.
C．The 70 th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre.
D．A plane crash killing Polish president.

NEWS BRIEF

●Prime Minister Tony Blair new allegations(指控) on Thursday that he misled Parliament and the public in making the case for the war in Iraq after he disclosed his chief legal adviser’s written opinion raising questions about the legality(合法) of the war.

●U.S. Forest Service officials are reminding people to stay off Forest Service roads that are closed. The fine for disobeying the rule of road closures is a maximum of ＄5,000 fine and/ or six months in prison. Those who enter the area and cause road damage may also be required to pay for repairs.

●In a second study presented at the meeting, scientists from the UK and Denmark showed that even a few days of high temperatures can severely reduce production of crops such as wheat,  soybeans, rice and groundnuts, if it occurs when the plants are flowering.

●A bomb exploded in Thailand’s mainly Muslin south on Sunday, killing two policemen and wounding three others, a day after Thailand’s queen condemned those behind a 15-month wave of violence(暴力).

●Mechanicsburg 3, West York 1: Ken Stamper and Rusty Bowman had seven kills each, and Ryan Warfield had six to lead the Wildcats past the Bulldogs, 25-11, 25-15, 15-25, 25-23, in a non-league match.

The news brief covers _____________.     

   A．war, law, violence, culture and agriculture

   B．sports, war, violence, politics and climate

   C．politics, culture, violence, climate and sports

   D．violence, sports, politics, law and agriculture

From the news brief, we can learn that ____________.

A．the Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats by 3-1 in a non-league match

B．Forest Service roads are closed for repairs before they are opened again

C．quite a few violent accidents happened in Tailand before the latest one

D．the British people think the decision made by Blair about the war is of legaliry

According to the U.S. Forest Service officials, those who enter the area and damage the closed roads __________.

A．shall have to pay a $ 5,000 fine for the repairs to them

B．shall be fined or put in prison, and may pay for the repairs

C．shall be fined $ 5,000 and kept in prison for six months

D．shall pay a fine and repair the roads as a punishment

The study of the scientists from the UK and Denmark is about ____________.

A．the importance of climate and the growth of crops

B．the damage caused by high temperatures to some crops

C．the relationship between crops flowering and high temperatures

D．the effect of high temperatures on the production of some crops

Money spent o advertising is money spent as well as any I know of. It serves directly to bring about a rapid sale of goods at reasonable prices, so setting up a firm home market and making it possible to provide for export at good prices is a good investment. By drawing attention to new ideas it helps greatly to raise standards of living. By helping to increase demand it causes an increased need for labour, and is therefore a nice way to fight unemployment. It lowers the costs of many services: without advertisements your daily newspaper would cost four times as much, the price of your television program would need to be doubled, and travel by bus or subway would cost more.

And perhaps most important of all, advertising provides a promise of reasonable value in the products and services you

buy. Besides the fact that twenty-seven Acts of Parliament govern the terms of advertising, no regular advertiser dare produce anything that fails to live up to the promise of his advertisements. He might fool some people for a little while through misleading advertising. He will not do so for long, for the public has the good sense not to buy the poor goods more than once. If you see product frequently advertised, it is the proof I know that the product does what is promised for it, and that it has good value.

Advertising does more for the good of the public than any other force I can think of.

There is one more point I feel I ought to touch on. Recently I heard a well-known television person declare that he was against advertising because it persuades rather than informs. He was telling us the real difference. Of course advertising tries to persuade.

If its message were nothing but information, that would be difficult to get more people to buy, for even the choice of the colour of a shirt is a bit persuasive (有说服力的) -advertising would be so boring that no one would pay any atten-tion. But perhaps that is what the well-known television person wants.

In the passage, which of the following is NOT included in the advantages of advertising?

A. Getting greater fame.  B. Providing more jobs. C. Raising living standards.  D. Reducing newspaper cost.

The writer thinks that the well-known TV person is ________ .

A. quite right in passing his judgment on advertising

B. interested in nothing but the buyers' attention

C. correct in telling the difference between persuasion and information

D. obviously unfair in his views on advertising