Passage 15 (2013 廣州，B)

        Lu Xun is one of the greatest Chinese writers of the 20th century. Besides his famous stories,he also wrote many influential articles about the living conditions of Chinese people.

        Born in 1881 to a wealthy family,Lu Xun had a happy childhood. In 1893,however,his grandfather,a senior government official, was put into prison for taking money.At the same time,his father became seriously ill. From that time on,his family were no longer accepted by their relatives and friends. These early experiences greatly influenced his writing.

        By the time Lu Xun arrived in Nanjing to study at university in 1899,he already believed that Chinese society had to change and become modern. In 1902 he went to study in Japan. There,he began writing articles for several Chinese student magazines. He showed a gift for writing and translating and he even wrote several books,although none was popular. He returned to China in 1909 because he was in need of money.

        After working for several years as a teacher in Beijing,Lu Xun again returned to writing.In 1918,he wrote his famous short story Diary of a Madman. It was the first Chinese novel published using the everyday language that people spoke,which helped make it a great success. This,together with his novel The True Story of Ah Q(1921) , made Lu Xun a leading Chinese writer.

       Although successful,Lu Xun still worried greatly about China’s future.In 1926,he moved to Shanghai and gave up writing stories in order to devote himself to what he called 44pen warfarev .He now only wrote articles which called on the people to fight against the government. For this,the government stopped him from publishing any more books. He was forced to write his articles using false names.

       Since his death in 1936,Lu Xuri’s importance and influence have grown.Today,many of his writings are included in school textbooks and his works are read by millions around the world.

1. Which of the following greatly influenced Lu Xun^ writing according to the passage?

   A. The people he met in Japan.

   B. The experiences in his early life.

   C. Working as a teacher in Beijing.

   D. His father’s being put into prison.

2. According to the passage,why was Lu Xun’s story Diary of a Madman so popular?

   A. It was based on Lu Xun’s diary.

   B. It was the first novel to use everyday language.

   C. Its story took place in modem times.

   D. It was written using a western style.

3. The underlined word “This” (Paragraph 4) refers to       .

   A. the success of Diary of a Madman

   B. the use of everyday language

   C. the first Chinese novel

   D. The True Story of Ah Q

4. After moving to Shanghai,Lu Xun mainly wrote       .

    A .funny stories

   B. articles about himself

   C. articles against the government

   D. stories about government officials

5. In what order did these events take place in Lu Xun’s life?

    a. The government stopped him from publishing books.

    c. His father became ill.

    d. He moved to Shanghai.

    e. His writings were put into textbooks.

   A. c - a-b-d-e     B. c-b-d-a-e

   C. a-c-d-b-e      D. a-d-b-c-e

Passage 14(2014 訕尾,B)

       When I was seven years old,my family made me an ant farm. First,we put clean sand in a thin glass box.Then we waited for the ants to arrive. After the ants were in the glass farm,they started to make tunnels (洞穴) .1 was very surprised that each had its own job.

       On the fifth day a tragedy (悲劇) happened. I put my face so close to the glass farm that I knocked it over. All the tunnels fell down,and the ants began to die one by one.I was scared as I watched them give up building their tunnels to carry bodies to a corner of the farm. My mother said that the ants were dying of sadness.They could not understand why their tunnels were gone.

       Although much time has passed,I still think of that ant farm which taught me much.

       Over the years,I came to realize the importance of teamwork. Working together,the ants were able to make an amazing world for themselves.I also learned that they should be admired (欽佩) for their hard work.

       Recently I also knew:Adversity (逆境) is a natural part of life,and must be accepted.Unlike the ants,we cannot give up when we are sad.If a tunnel is gone,we can build another.Giving up,I say,is not a good choice.

1. What did the writers family do for him when he was seven?

   A. They built a farm of ants.

   B. They bought a few ants.

   C. They caught a lot of ants.

   D. They found an ant city.

2. Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?

   A. The writer broke the glass box because it made his face dirty.

   B. The ants died one by one because the tunnels were destroyed.

   C. Unlike people,teamwork is not important for the ants.

   D. Giving up is a good way when we meet trouble.

3. Which is the correct order of the following?

a. All the tunnels fell down.

b. The ants died one by one.

c. The ants got into the glass box.

d. The ants began making tunnels.

   A. a-b-c-d   B. a-c-d-b   C. c-d-a-b   D. c-a-d-b

4. What did the writer come to realize a few years later?

   A. Working together is useless.

   B. Teamwork is important.

   C. Hecan’tacceptadversity.

   D. Working alone is amazing.

5. What is the best title (標(biāo)題) for the passage?

   A. Ants Fear Adversity   B. My Family and Ants

   C. Giving up in Adversity   D. A Good Lesson from Ants 

Passage 11(2014 廣州，B) 

      In early November of 1503,during Christopher Columhus 5        fourth and final trip to America,his ship was seriously damaged in a storm. Columbus and his men had to live on a small island for several months while they tried to repair their ship and return to Spain.

      At first,the local people on the island were very kind to the Eu- ropean visitors,giving them all the food and clothes they needed to survive. However,as the months passed,the local people became more and more unhappy with their guests,who were tricking and stealing from them. Finally the locals decided to stop helping. Without food or any way to leave the island,Columbus,group was soon in serious trouble.

      Luckily for Columbus,he had a book about the stars and planets on his ship.It described the movements of all the objects in the night sky.The book,written by a wellknown German scientist,said there would be a total lunar eclipse (月食) on the evening of February 29       ,1504 and how long it would last.

      Columbus worked out the difference in time between Germany and North America. He then had a meeting with the local leaders just before the eclipse would take place. In this meeting,Columbus told them his god was angry because the local people were no longer giving food.So his god would take away the moon to punish them. At the moment Columbus finished talking,just as he had planned,the moon began disappearing.

      The local leaders grew frightened and quickly agreed to provide Columbus with food and anything else he wanted .But first’Columbus’ god had to return the moon. Columbus told them he would have to discuss the idea with his god on his ship. Knowing the moon would stay completely hidden for about 48 minutes,Columbus returned just before the moon began to reappear.From that day on,until they finally left,Columbus and his men no longer had any trouble getting the food they needed.

1. At first,the local people helped Columbus and his men by       .

   A. giving them food   B. building a house for them

   C. repairing their ship   D. providing them with a book

2. The local people became angry because the Europeans       .

   A. looked very different   B. had nothing to trade

   C. were cheats and thieves   D. wanted to take their land

3. Where did Columbus learn about the lunar eclipse?

   A. From a book. B. From the moon.

   C. From his group. D. From the locals.

4. What did Columbus do after returning to his ship on the night of the meeting?

   A. He discussed the problem with his god.

   B. He waited for the eclipse to finish.

   C. He read about the stars and planets.

   D. He told his men what happened.

5. What can we learn about the Europeans from the passage?

   A. They all believed in god.

   B. They never returned to Spain.

   C. They admired the local people.

   D. They caused their own problems.

Passage 9

1.           2.           3.          4.          5.        

                        OUR BUSES CAN

                                 MAKE YOUR HOLIDAYS 

      East Bus—maybe the best choice on your visit to the famous places of interest in Beijing.

      Sit back,relax and see all there is to see,with no need to worry about driving,finding a parking place or leaving your car with no one to watch it.

      We have lots of buses taking you to visit Tian* anmen ^

Square,the Forbidden City,the Summer Palace,the Temple 二、 of Heaven Park,the Olympic Center and the Great Wall.The whole tour will take you three days.

     Chinese & English speaking guides.

     Booking by phone four days in advance (預(yù)先).

     Tour price:lf580.00 per person ( half price for under 1.2m tall ) ,including the ticket price,breakfast and lunch.

     For more information,please phone Yong* an Tourism Company at 01023368688/23368689.

     Add:356 Chaoyang Road,Beijing 

     Open 7days a week.8:00—16:00

1. When they visit the places of interest on an East Bus,the visitors      .

   A. need to watch their cars

   B. have to worry about the driving

   C. have to find places to park the bus

   D. can sit back and relax themselves

2. From the advertisement,we can see that East Bus is a kind of      .

   A. tourist bus   B. village bus   C. airport bus   D. school bus

3.       on an East bus can speak two languages.

   A. The guide   B. The driver   C. The visitors   D. The children

4. Children under 1. 2m tall need to pay       for the trip.

   A. 230 yuan   B. 290 yuan   C. 320 yuan   D. 460 yuan

5. Which of the following is NOT true?

   A. The tour price includes six meals.

   B. Visitors can see six places within three days.

   C. Visitors must go to the company to book the tickets.

   D. The office hour of the company is eight hours a day.

Passage 8(2014 廣東，B) 

     To us,it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But in fact the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain.Its first use was as a shade ( jSK) against the sun.

     Nobody knows who first invented it,but the umbrella was used in very ancient times.Probably the first to use it were the Chinese,back in the eleventh century BC.

     We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor and power (權(quán)力) .In the Far East in ancient times,the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office or by royal people such as the kings or queens.

     In Europe,the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade.The umbrella was in common use in ancient Greece,but it is believed that the first people in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans. During the middle ages in Europe,the use of the umbrella almost disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it became a symbol of power.

     Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time,though they have become much lighter in weight.lt wasn’t until the twentieth century that the umbrellas for women began to be made in all kinds of colors.

1. Ancient people first used umbrellas as       .

   A. a symbol of honor   B. protection against the sun

   C. a symbol of power   D. protection against the rain

2. According to the passage,the umbrella was probably first used in ancient       .

   A. Egypt   B. Babylon   C. Rome   D. China

3. The underlined word royal might mean       in Chinese.

   A. 皇室的   B. 富裕的   C. 中產(chǎn)的   D. 平民的

4. According to the passage,which of the following is NOT true?

   A. The ancient Greeks used the umbrella in their daily life.

   B. Europeans hardly used the umbrella during the middle ages.

   C. The umbrellas for women were made colorful in ancient times.

   D. The style of the umbrella hasn^ changed a lot since it was invented.

5. This passage is mainly about       .

   A. the sales of the umbrella

   B. the differences among umbrellas

   C. the invention of the umbrella

   D. the history and the use of the umbrella

Passage 7(2014 廣東，A)

1. The Spring Cleanup Day in Rockland is held       .

   A. once a month   B. twice a month

   C. once a year     D. twice a year

2. People in Rockland can help to       on the afternoon of April 20 th.

   A. clean up the town        B. take care of the kids

   C. plant trees in the park   D. paint the park greener

3. People joining in the Cleanup Day will NOT       .

   A. get lunches and T-shirts for free

   B. be provided with cleaning tools

   C. work in teams to do the cleaning

   D. take young trees home to plant

4. According to the poster,the activities are a great chance to teach the kids to       .

   A. protect the environment     B. get free drinks and candies

   C. pick up the most rubbish   D. do cleaning and plant trees

5. Which of the following is TRUE?

   A. You can call 5862397 to sign up any time you like.

   B. People can visit www.springcleanup.com to sign up.

   C. The town hall is at the corner of Palace Street and North Street.

   D. People can meet for the activities only at the gate of Rockland Park.

Passage5(2015 廣東廣州，D）

1.“ Dolphin Intelligence” is probably a story about dolphins’      .

 A.eating habits          B.living places  

 C.learning activities     D.communication methods

2.What is true about New York according to the website?

 A.People are now afraid to visit.

 B.Millions of tourists go there.

 C.It has some new activities.

 D.It offers many big apples.

3.A person going to the page 44 The Magic of Night Markets，T would expect to find      .

 A.a long article about night markets

 B.an interview with night market sellers

 C.many photographs of newly-arrived clothes

 D.many pictures of night market foods and food shops

4.From which page can a reader get some useful advice on photography?

 A.Video          B.Visions of Earth

 C. Your Shot       D.Photo of the Day

5.What has been the most popular story on the website this week?

 A.Top Danger for Lions：Hunting

 B.Controlling the Mekong

 C.A Day in New York

 D.Amazing Amazon

Passage 6 (2015 廣東廣州，C)

    On March 3, 1887, the lives of two amazing women were changed forever when Anne Sullivan, a poor university graduate, arrived at the home of the wealthy Keller family to teach their six-year-old daughter Helen.lt was a difficult job as Helen was unable to see, hear or speak because of illness.

    Anne had been suggested to the Kellers by her university professor^ close friend of Mr. Keller. Before she arrived, Anne expected her new pupil to be a quiet, weak child. But Helen was nothing like that.When Anne first walked through the Kellers’ door,the energetic Helen nearly knocked her over in her hurry to feel Anne^ face,clothing and bag. 

    Helen was used to visitors bringing her sweets,and angrily tried to force open Anne’s case to take her candy. But Anne calmed her down by allowing Helen to play with her watch.So began one of the most successful student-teacher relationships in history.

    Anne Sullivan was only twenty years old when she began teaching Helen. She had to not only teach the child all the usual school subjects,but also control Helen’s sometimes wild behaviour.

    Her well-meaning parents allowed Helen to do as she liked at home. Realizing that such an environment was unsuitable for learning, Anne requested that she and Helen live in a small house nearby.

    As soon as Helen began learning, it became clear she was especially intelligent. She quickly learned to read and write, and by the age of ten she could also speak.

    In 1900, Helen started studying at Radcliffe University, and graduated first in her class in 1904. She was the very first blind and deaf person to get a university degree.How did she do it? Anne Sullivan read all of Helen^ books and then signed the information into her hand. Anne remained at Helen’s side until her death in 1936. Helen became a world-famous writer,and fought for disabled people’s rights until her death on June 1,1968.

1.How did Anne come to work at the Kellers* home?

 A.She replied to a job advertisement.

 B.She was introduced by her family friend.

 C.She was recommended by her university professor.

 D.She met Mr. Keller while studying at university.

2.What surprised Anne most about Helen when they first met?

 A.How intelligent Helen was.

 B.Helen giving Anne a gift.

 C.The way Helen^ parents treated her.

 D.How forceful Helen was.

3.According to the passage,Helen’s parents       .

 A.allowed her to do as she wished

 B.gave her too many gifts and sweets

 C.did not spend much time with her

 D.cared little about her education

4.Which of the following is NOT true about Helen^ university studies?

 A.She was greatly helped by Anne.

 B.She was the best student in her class.

 C.She was able to graduate in three years.

 D.She was the first deaf and blind university graduate.

5.According to the passage,both Anne and Helen      .

 A.died in their 60s          B.were well educated

 C.came from rich families      D.fought for human rights

Passage 4( 2015 廣東廣州，B) 

     Most of us could probably live without vegetables,but a world without chocolate? Now that would be hard!According to chocolate makers it could happen if we don't act soon.

     There are two main causes of the chocolate shortage—— chocolate’s growing popularity and less production of cocoa,the plant from which chocolate is made. With more and more people in India and China loving chocolate,not much can be done about the first cause.

     Therefore,the only thing we can do is to increase cocoa production. However,new plant diseases and little rain in Ivory Coast and Ghana,the world’s largest producers,have reduced cocoa production by 40 percent in the past 10 years.What’s worse,many cocoa farmers in Africa and other cocoaproducing countries like Indonesia and Venezuela are changing to easier-to-grow crops such as corn or rubber.This way,the farmers can make more money.

     To prevent more farmers from changing,researchers at the newly opened International Cocoa Control Centre,in the UK,are trying to create new ccx;oa plants that are stronger and faster growing. But first they must Passage 5 (2015 廣東廣州，D) make sure the new plants are safe to grow.TTiis takes a long time.

     First,each new plant is stored at the Control Centre for six months to make sure it is healthy.lt is then planted in the Centre’s fields,studied and tested for another two years. Only after scientists are certain that they’re diseasefree,will the plants be sent to farmers in West Africa or wherever else they are needed.

     To create new stronger types of cocoa,scientists at the Centre are combining the best parts from different cocoa plants. Though the world is facing a serious chocolate shortage,there is now hope!

1. The first paragraph tells us that       .

   A. chocolate is healthier than vegetables

   B. the world could soon be without chocolate

   C. people love vegetables more than chocolate

   D. it’s not necessary to eat so much chocolate

2. In which countries has chocolate become more popular in recent years?

   A. Venezuela and Indonesia. B. Ivory Coast and Ghana.

   C. Indonesia and China. D. China and India.

3. Cocoa farmers are choosing to grow rubber and corn because these crops      .

   A. can make them more money

   B. need less rain to grow

   C. can be planted more times each year

   D. are not damaged by plant diseases

4. How long does it take scientists at the Centre to make sure a cocoa plant is safe to grow?

   A. 6 months. B. 12 months. C. 24 months. D. 30 months.

5. What is one of the purposes of the Cocoa Control Centre?

   A. To introduce cocoa production to more countries.

   B. To provide more chocolate for British people.

   C. To produce stronger types of cocoa plants.

   D. To make sure that cocoa is healthy to eat.