Spring is a wonderful season to celebrate rebirth and new life. The long, cold winter is over. The weather is warmer and sunnier. The trees again have leaves and the flowers are blooming. The season represents hope, joy and beauty. At this time, many people think of this classical music piece — Spring, which shows happiness. Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi wrote it in the seventeen hundred.
However, not all songs about spring are happy. This song written and sung by K.D. Lang is about dreaming of spring in cold dark places. She recorded I Dream of Spring in 2008.
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote It Might as Well Be Spring for the movie State Fair in 1945. Frank Sinatra sings it. It is a feeling of restlessness or excitement brought on by the coming of spring. Richard Rodgers also wrote Spring Is Here, this time with Lorenz Hart. Ella Fitzgerald sings this song about feeling lonely during this season.
Frank Loesser wrote the sad song, Spring Will be a Little Late This Year. Why has the season been delayed? Because the singer’s lover has left her. Sarah Vaughn released(發(fā)行) her version of the song in 1953.
By now you may be thinking, “Enough with the sad songs, already!” Ok, then how about a cowboy song? Gene Autry was one of America’s most famous singing cowboys. He recorded When It’s Springtime in the Rockies in 1937.
And finally, we’ll leave you with a sunny song called Up Jumped Spring. Freddie Hubbard wrote this jazz song in 1977 and Billy Taylor Trio performs it.
小題1: If you are in a bad mood, you’d better listen to _____.

A．Up Jumped Spring	B．I Dream of Spring
C．Spring Is Here	D．Spring Will be a Little Late This Year

小題2: It Might as Well Be Spring is a song that ______.

A．is also called State Fair	B．is sung by Ella Fitzgerald
C．has a lonely feeling	D．was written by two people

小題3: According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A. Most songs about spring are written by Italian composers.
B. K.D. Lang was good at writing happy songs.
C. Sarah Vaughn sang the song Up Jumped Spring first.
D. Gene Autry was a famous cowboy singer before K.D. Lang.
小題4: Which of the following songs was first written or recorded?

A．Spring.

B．I Dream of Spring.

C．When It’s Springtime in the Rockies.

D．Spring Will be a Little Late This Year.

小題5: What’s the purpose of the author to write the passage?

A．Introduce some songs about spring.

B．Introduce some wonderful music.

C．Introduce some famous singers.

D．Express his/ her love to spring.

The history of modern art begins with Impressionism, a movement started in Paris in the mid-1800’s. At that time many artists painted in a very traditional way that involved spending hours in a studio, painstakingly (辛苦地) creating paintings that were extremely detailed. These paintings were sometimes of people or landscapes or historical events. In 1863, Edouard Manet exhibited his painting “Dejeuner sur l’erbe” at the Salon des Refuses. The painting caused a commotion (騷動(dòng)), thus starting the Impressionist movement. Although Edouard Manet is the declared leader and founder of the group, he was not present at the first group exhibition or any of the other eight collective Impressionist shows. The movement gained more attention in the April of 1874 when Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Jean-Frédéric Bazille formed Society of Artists, Painters, Sculptors, Engravers and began exhibiting outside of the official salon. The same year, the term Impressionism was invented by criticizing (批評(píng)的) journalist Louis Leroy to describe their paintings, who worked for the magazine Le Charivari.
The Impressionists often paint out of doors and want to show how light and shadow fall on objects at particular times of the day. Their works are sometimes described as “captured moments” and are characterized by short quick brushstrokes (筆) of colour which, when viewed up close looks quite messy and unreal. If we step back from the Impressionist paintings, the colours are blended together by our eyes and we are able to see the painters’ subjects which often show colourful landscapes, sunlight on water as well as people busy with outdoor activities.
小題1:Before Impressionism, the works of artists were         .

A．quite abstract	B．very confusing
C．very detailed	D．quite controversial

小題2:Who first started Impressionism? ___________

A．Claude Monet.	B．Edouard Manet.
C．Auguste Renoir.	D．Alfred Sisley.

小題3: The works of the Impressionists are best viewed         .

A．with imagination	B．a(chǎn)t a distance
C．outdoors	D．in a studio

小題4:The second paragraph is mainly about ______.

A．the painting style of the Impressionists

B．how to describe the Impressionist paintings

C．the influences of the Impressionist paintings

D．the subjects of the Impressionist paintings

When Christopher Columbus landed on the then unnamed Costa Rica in 1502, he saw many Indians wearing gold earrings. So he thought the land must be rich in gold. He named the place Costa Rica, which means “rich coast” in Spanish.
Though little gold was found, Costa Rica today is indeed rich with coffee and bananas. Coffee is the most important product in Costa Rica and most of it is exported (出口) to other countries like America and Germany. Bananas are the country’s second most important export.
Costa Ricans also grow many other crops such as fruits, corn and beans for their own use. Costa Ricans love colors and their houses are painted in bright colors.
Education is very important to the Costa Ricans. Almost every village has a school and education is a must for children between seven and fourteen years of age. Boys and girls go to separate (單獨(dú)的) schools. Classes begin in March and end in November. The other three months of the year are harvest time and the children have to help their parents to pick coffee beans.
小題1:    What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．How Columbus found Costa Rica.

B．How Costa Rica got its name.

C．What the Costa Ricans wore.

D．What language the Costa Ricans spoke.

小題2:    The Costa Ricans may NOT paint their houses ______.

A．pink and red	B．grey and black
C．blue and green	D．yellow and orange

小題3:    In Costa Rica, boys and girls between seven and fourteen ______.

A．must go to school

B．study in the same school

C．do not have to go to school at all

D．can choose to stop schooling at any time

小題4:    From December to February, school children in Costa Rica ______.

A．have lessons every day

B．have their examinations

C．help their parents pick coffee beans

D．help their parents decorate their houses

小題5:    This passage is mainly about ______.

A．Christopher Columbus

B．Costa Rica

C．some products from Costa Rica

D．the education of Costa Rica

BELJLNG-Eating at a Beijing restaurant is usually an adventure for foreigners, and particularly when they get the chance to order “chicken without sex life” or “red burned lion head”.
Sometimes excited but mostly confused, embarrassed or even terrified, many foreigners have long complained about mistranslations of Chinese dishes. And their complaints are often valid, but such an experience at Beijing’s restaurants will apparently soon be history.
Foreign visitors will no longer, hopefully, be confused by oddly worded restaurant menus in the capital if the government’s plan to correctly translate 3,000 Chinese dishes is a success and the translations are generally adopted.
The municipal（市政）office of foreign affairs has published a book to recommend English translations of Chinese dishes, which aims to help restaurants avoid bizarre translations. It provides the names of main dishes of famous Chinese cuisines in plain English, “an official with the city’s Foreign Affairs office said .” Restaurants are encouraged to use the proposed translations, but it will not be compulsory .“ It’s the city’s latest effort to bridge the culture gap for foreign travelers in China.
Coming up with precise translations is a daunting task, as some Chinese culinary techniques are untranslatable and many Chinese dishes have no English-language equivalent.The translators, after conducting a study of Chinese restaurants in English-speaking countries, divided the dish names into four categories: ingredients, cooking method, taste and name of a person or a place. For some traditional dishes, pinyin, the Chinese phonetic system, is used, such as mapo tofu(previously often literally translated as “beancurd made by woman with freckles”), baozi(steamed stuffed bun ) and jiaozi (dumplings) to “reflect the Chinese cuisine culture,” according to the book.
“The book is a blessing to tourist guides like me. Having it, I don’t have to rack my brains trying to explain Chinese dishes to foreign travellers,” said Zheng Xiaodong, a 31- year – old employe with a Beijing- based travel agency.
“I will buy the book as I major in English literature and I’d like to introduce Chinese cuisine culture to more foreign friends,” said Han Yang, a postgraduate student at the University of International Business and Economics.
It is not clear if the book will be introduced to other parts of China. But on Tuesday, this was the most discussed topic on weibo. com, China’s most popular microblogging site.
小題1:          What’s the best title of the passage?

A．An adventure for foreigners who eat in Beijing.

B．Confusing mistranslations of Chinese dishes

C．Chinese dishes to have “official” English names

D．The effort to bridge the culture gap

小題2:          “chicken without sex life” or “red burned lion head” are mentioned in the beginning of the passage to show     .

A．some Chinese dishes are not well received

B．some Chinese dishes are hard to translate

C．some Chinese dishes are mistranslated

D．some Chinese dishes are not acceptable

小題3:          What measure has the municipal office taken?

A．Recommending a book on Chinese dishes

B．Advocating using precise translation for Chinese dishes

C．Publishing a book on China’s dietary habits

D．Providing the names of main Chinese dishes

小題4:          What’s the meaning of daunting in paragraph 5?

A．confusing

B．disappointing

C．discouraging

D．worthwhile

小題5:          What’s the attitude of most people to the book according to the passage?

A．not clear

B．excited

C．favorable

D．divided

B
Have you ever considered all the English expressions that include words about clothes? Let’s have a look．
People wear pants to cover the lower part of their bodies．We sometimes say that people who are nervous have ants in their pants．Sometimes，people may get caught with their pants down．They are found doing something they should not be doing．And，in every family，one person takes contro1．Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do．Then we say she wears the pants in the family.
Pants usually have pockets to hold things．Money that is likely to be spent quickly can bum a hole in your pocket．Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants．If you have less money than usual，you may have to tighten your belt.
I always praise people who can save their money and not spend too much. l really take my hat off to them. Yet, when it comes to my own money, I spend it at the drop of a hat, which means I immediately spend it.
Boots are a heavy or strong kind of shoes. People who are too big for their boots think they are more important than they really are. I dislike such people.
My father is an important person. He runs a big company. He wears a suit and tie, and a shirt with sleeves that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him will think he is too serious and never shows his feelings openly. But I know that my father wears his heart on his sleeve.                                                                                                                               
小題1:What is this passage mainly about?  

A．What pants mean in English.

B．Some special English expressions.

C．Some funny English expressions.

D．Some expressions related to clothes.

小題2:Which of the following expressions can show someone is nervous?

A．Get caught with one's pants down.	B．Have ants in one's pants.
C．Wear the pants in the family.	D．Bum a hole in one's pocket.

小題3: If we say someone has to tighten his belt, we probably mean he        

A．has done something wrong	B．used to live a rich life
C．has put on the wrong pants	D．doesn’t have enough money

小題4:Someone who spends his money at the drop of a hat most probably_           

A．doesn’t save money	B．earns much money
C．never wastes his money	D．spends more than he earns

Hundreds of years ago, a Roman army came north from England to make war on Scotland. The Scots, a brave people, love their country. They fought hard to drive the enemy out of Scotland. But there were too many of the Romans. It looked as if the Romans would win.
　　One night, the leader of the Scots marched his soldiers to the top of a hill. “We will rest here tonight, my men,” he said, “Tomorrow we will fight one more battle①. We must win, or we will die.”
　　They were all very tired. So they ate their supper quickly and fell asleep. There were four guards on duty, but they were very tired, too, and one by one, they fell asleep.
　　The Romans were not asleep. Quickly they gathered at the foot of the hill. Slowly they went up the hill. Closer they came to the sleeping Scots. They were almost at the top. A few minutes more the war would be over. Suddenly, one of them put his foot on a thistle (薊). He cried out and his sudden cry woke the Scots. In a minute they were on their feet and ready for a battle. The fighting was hard, but it did not last long. The Scots wiped out the Romans and saved Scotland②.
　　The thistle is not a beautiful plant. It has sharp needles all over it. Few people liked it. But the people of Scotland liked it so much that they made it their national flower.
　小題1: Hundreds of years ago, the Romans ____ .

A．came from the north through England to make war on Scotland

B．came to the north Scotland from England to make war on Scotland

C．came from the north of England to fight the Scots

D．came to the north from the south of Britain to fight the Scots

　小題2:At the shout of a Roman soldier, all the Scots who were asleep at the hill ____ .

A．began to fight the Romans hard

B．stood up without putting on their shoes and began to fight

C．woke and rose immediately, ready to fight

D．put their feet into their shoes at once and were ready to fight

　小題3:The result of the war is that ____ .

A．the Romans killed all the Scots

B．the Scots were defeated

C．the Scots were driven out of Scotland

D．the Scots defeated the Romans

　小題4: The Scots made thistle their national flower because thistle ____ .

A．is lovely, though not beautiful

B．gave them happiness

C．is a kind of useful plant

D．helped the Scots in wiping out the Romans

As is known to all, colors appear in every language to express people’s feeling and thoughts．Then, what is the situation in American English?
Red is a hot color．Americans may say they are red hot about something unfair．They are red hot when they are very angry about something．The small hot-tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hot for their color and their fiery taste．Fast loud music is popular with many people．They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland Jazz．
Pink is a lighter kind of red．People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health．The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century．It comes from the fact that many babies are born with nice pink skin that shows that they are in good health．
The color black is often used in expressions．People describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a black day．People or things on a blacklist are connected with things illegal now．But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations．
The color green is natural for trees and grass．But it is an unnatural color for humans．A person who has a sick feeling in his stomach may say he feels a little green．A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green．
Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has．That person may say he is green with envy．Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks．Dollars are called greenbacks because green is the color of the back side of the paper money．
小題1:Americans use “red hot” to describe the following EXCEPT _______．

A．something unfair

B．small hot-tasting peppers

C．the person who is very angry

D．popular music like Dixieland Jazz

小題2:People use “in the pink” to express they are in good health because _______．

A．the expression has a very long history

B．the color pink makes people feel happy

C．people think the color pink is gentler than red

D．healthy babies are born with nice pink skin

小題3:When we say someone feels a little green, it means he/she _______．

A．enjoys himself in boating	B．is hit by a high wave
C．has a stomachache	D．likes trees and grass

小題4:In the writer’s eyes, what is related to a black day?

A．Being sent a beautiful gift．

B．Passing a very difficult test．

C．Failing in an important interview．

D．Being invited to an exciting party．

As I was leaving to meet Lynne，my roommate told me that I’d better take some money，but I didn’t listen to him. I thought that Lynne would pay because she had invited me.
I arrived at the restaurant exactly on time. I’d been told that Americans expect you to be on time. Lynne and I sat at a table in the corner of the restaurant and a waitress came and took our order. The dinner was a great success. I talked a lot about Saudi Arabia and Lynne told me all about herself. After two hours the waitress finally came and asked if we wanted one check or two. Lynne said two. We went to the cashier and Lynne paid her check. I was embarrassed (尷尬) when the cashier gave me my bill. I had no money to pay for my meal. Then I had an idea. I pretended to look for something in my pockets and said，“Oh！I forgot my money! Can I call my roommate，please？” The cashier showed me where the phone was and I quickly called my roommate.
In a few minutes he arrived with some money，but he couldn’t hide how he felt. He laughed all the way home.
Now，I think it’s funny too. But at the time I was terribly embarrassed. I thought that an invitation to have dinner meant the same thing in the United States as in my country. I guess you have to understand that your customs（習(xí)俗） are only your customs. When you visit a foreign country，you have to learn about their customs，too.
小題1:Customs can be ________in different countries according to this passage.

A．close to each other	B．entirely different
C．quite the same	D．very similar

小題2:The writer’s roommate advised the writer to take some money with him to________.

A．invite Lynne to dinner	B．pay for the table
C．share the cost of the meal	D．pay for the restaurant

小題3:The writer and Lynne________.

A．shared a successful dinner

B．had a talk for three hours

C．traveled to Saudi Arabia together

D．enjoyed their meal without talking

小題4:Why didn’t Lynne pay the check for the writer?

A．Because she thought it was natural for people to pay their own check.

B．Because she didn’t have the meal.

C．Because she wanted to embarrass the writer.

D．Because she didn’t have enough money with her.

小題5:The roommate laughed all the way home because the writer________.

A．was embarrassed when he couldn’t pay his breakfast

B．would not listen to him when he left the house

C．telephoned him to bring some books to him

D．hadn’t told Lynne the truth

Chinese Spring Festival marks the first day of a new year, so the first meal is rather important. People from the North and the South have different   26  about the foods they eat on this  27  day. In Northern China, people   28  eat Jiaozi. The word Jiaozi in Chinese means the   29  and the beginning of time. According to historical  30 , in the past people from the North and the South both ate Jiaozi on Chinese New Year’s Day. Perhaps   31  the areas in Southern China   32  more rice than those in Northern China, southern people slowly  33  to eat many other kinds of food on New Year’s Day.   34  , the most common foods for the first   35  are noodles, New Year Cake and Tangyuan. The noodle  36  long life. The New Year Cake is called Niangao in Chinese, which   37  the hope of improvement in   38  year after year. Tangyuan is a symbol of   39   according to the Chinese.
To  40  a New Year visit to relatives and friends is an important activity during the Spring Festival. People also send cards to   41   a New Year’s greeting. What children love most is to set off firecrackers.   42  , as the pace of life is becoming faster and faster, people have   43  new ways to celebrate the Chinese traditional New Year. For example, many people no longer send out greeting cards.   44  , they use short messages or emails. Also to travel during the New Year holidays has come into   45  .

小題1:	A．word B．habits C．meanings D．stories

小題2:	A．usual B．unforgettable C．common D．special

小題3:	A．seldom B．usually C．a(chǎn)lways D．hardly

小題4:	A．end B．future C．result D．effect

小題5:	A．reasons B．records C．notes D．stories

小題6:	A．a(chǎn)s long as B．though C．when D．because

小題7:	A．caused B．took C．produced D．brought

小題8:	A．understood B．knew C．made D．began

小題9:	A．Besides B．Therefore C．Consequently D．Usually

小題10:

A．subject B．title C．program D．meal

小題11:

A．symbolizes B．reveals C．shows D．indicates

小題12:

A．transports B．represents C．fetches D．takes

小題13:

A．health B．family C．life D．work

小題14:

A．reunion B．luck C．happiness D．harmony

小題15:

A．do B．pay C．get D．carry

小題16:

A．express B．describe C．establish D．define

小題17:

A．Luckily B．Unfortunately C．However D．Besides

小題18:

A．given away B．made out C．got into D．taken up

小題19:

A．Instead B．Fortunately C．Moreover D．Furthermore

小題20:

A．fashion B．effect C．sight D．power

The National Dark-Sky Week (NDSW) is a week during which people all over the United States turn off their lights to enjoy the beauty of the night sky without light pollution. This even was started by Jennifer Barlow of Midlothian, Virginia in 2003, and it is becoming more popular each year. It has been supported by the International Dark-Sky Association, the American Astronomical Society, and the Astronomical League.
This even always occurs in April, during the week of the new moon so that the sky can be as dark as possible for the best viewing conditions.
“It is my wish that people could see the night sky without other light in the sky as our ancestors (祖先) saw it hundreds of years ago,” explains Barlow.
Since it only lasts a week and not everyone in the country will take part in it, how will the National Dark-Sky Week reduce light pollution? The main goal of NDSW is to increase awareness (意識(shí)) of the harmful effects of light pollution. It is not possible for all of the light pollution in this part of the world to disappear. However, it is possible to make a small difference in the quality of the night sky. Another goal of this even is to promote (促進(jìn)) the use of better lighting systems that direct light toward the ground instead of up into the sky.
Jennifer Barlow states, “The night sky is a gift of such beauty that it should not be polluted by wasted light. In this way, our children will not lose touch with the wonder of our universe.”
小題1:This passage is mainly about ______________.

A．better lighting systems	B．the beauty of the night sky
C．the harm of light pollution	D．the National Dark-Sky Week

小題2:Which of the following statements about the National Dark-Sky Week is WRONG?

A．It is becoming more and more popular in America.

B．The event was started in 2003 by Jennifer Barlow.

C．The event takes place in the first week of every April.

D．American people are supposed to turn off their lights during that week.

小題3:What is Jennifer Barlow’s wish?

A．That light would be directed up into the sky.

B．That the sky would always be as dark as possible.

C．That people could see the night sky without light pollution as our ancestors did.

D．That people could spend time enjoying the beauty of the sky every night.

小題4:We can infer from the underlined（劃線的）sentence in Paragraph 4 that ________.

A．many people in America hate this event

B．it may be hard to reduce light pollution

C．the event should last a month every year

D．light will no longer pollute the sky soon

小題5:What is the main goal of the National Dark-Sky Week?

A．To promote the use of better lighting systems.

B．To help people realize the harm of light pollution.

C．To cause all the light pollution in America to disappear.

D．To help young children enjoy the wonder of our universe.