题目内容

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

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Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?

Some people give their children names that mean good things. Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”.

The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names. A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near brook(小溪);Someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road. The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.

Other early surnames came from people’s occupations. The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals. In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village. Some other occupational names are: Carter — a person who owned or drove a cart; Potter —a person who made pots and pans.

The ancestors(祖先) of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village. The Carpenter’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture.

Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities. When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with the gray hair probably became John Gray. Or the John was very tall could call himself John Tallman. John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer.

Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name. English-speaking people added –s or –son. The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was Robert. Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O. Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the McDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell.

1.Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?

A.Places where people lived.

B.People’s occupations.

C.Talents that people possessed.

D.People’s characters.

2.According to the passage, the ancestors of the Potter family most probably _______.

A.owned or drove a cart

B.made things with metals

C.built houses and furniture

D.made kitchen tools or contains

3.Suppose an English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to become a world leader, the baby might be named _______.

A.Donald Greenwood                      B.Leonard Carter

C.George Longstreet                      D.Beatrice Smith

4.The underlined word “descendants” in the last paragraph means a person’s _______.

A.later sponsors                          B.later generations

C.friends and relatives                     D.colleagues and partners

 

Today, we complete our story about the influential English writer William Shakespeare. He wrote plays and poems during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, which remain very popular today.

During earlier times, people would probably have learned several ancient Roman and Greek plays. It was not unusual for writers to produce more current versions of these works. For example, in Shakespeare's play "The Comedy of Errors" Shakespeare borrowed certain details from the ancient Roman writer Plautus. For his play "Macbeth", Shakespeare most likely used a work on Scottish history by Raphael Holinshed for information. Shakespeare might have borrowed from other writers, but the intensity(强度)of his imagination and language made the plays his own. While many plays by other writers of his time have been forgotten, Shakespeare and his art live on.

Shakespeare was also influenced by the world around him. He described the sights and sounds of London in his plays. His works include observations about political struggles, the fear of diseases, and the popular language of the city’s tradesmen. Shakespeare's knowledge of the English countryside is also clear. His works include descriptions of deep forests, local flowers, and the ancient popular traditions of rural people.

It would be impossible to list all of the ways in which Shakespeare’s works have influenced the world culture. But the first and greatest example would be his great influence on the English language. During his time, the English language was changing. Many new words from other languages were being added. Shakespeare used his sharp mind and poetic inventiveness to create hundreds of new words and rework old ones. For example, he created the noun forms of "critic", "mountaineer” and "eyeball". Many common expressions in English come from his plays, including "pomp and circumstance(装腔作势)"from "Othello", "full circle(绕圈子地)" from "King Lear", etc. The list of cultural creations influenced by Shakespeare is almost endless. From paintings to television to music and dance, Shakespeare was well represented. Shakespeare's plays have been translated into every major language in the world.

Shakespeare became a well­known writer during a golden age of theater. His years of hard work paid off.

1.What can we infer from the passage?

    A.Many of Shakespeare's works were influenced by earlier writings.

    B.Shakespeare was hard­working when he was a student.

    C.The experience of living in London helped a lot with Shakespeare's works.

    D.Shakespeare became rich later because of the popularity of his works.

2.Shakespeare might have learnt some information from ancient Roman works in    .

    A."King Lear"     B."The Comedy of Errors"   C. "Macbeth"    D."Othello"

3.Why could Shakespeare's works survive his time?

    A.Because there were so few people writing plays in his time.

    B.Because he produced too many works that nobody else could do.

    C.Because he was a rich and influential person of his time.

    D.Because his works were rich in imagination and language.

4.Shakespeare's greatest influence should be on    .

    A.the English language  B.paintings       C.television    D.music and dance

5.The passage is mainly about     .

    A.an introduction to Shakespeare’s life and his works

    B.the main features and styles of Shakespeare's plays

    C.how culture influenced Shakespeare and he influenced culture.

    D.Shakespeare’s greatest influence on the world culture.

 

 

 

第三部分:阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)

请认真阅读下列短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer. But there is one question that has millions of current answers. That question is “What’s your name?” Everyone gives a different answer, but everyone is correct.

Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?

People’s first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents. Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used. Some parents choose the name of a well-known person. A boy could be named George Washington Smith; a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones.

Some people give their children names that mean good things. Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”.

The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names. A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near brook(小溪);someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road. The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.

Other early surnames came from people’s occupations. The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals. In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village. Some other occupational names are: Carter — a person who owned or drove a cart; Potter  —a person who made pots and pans.

The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village. The Carpenter’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture.

Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities. When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with the gray hair probably became John Gray. Or the John was very tall could call himself John Tallman. John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer.

Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name. English-speaking people added –s or –son. The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was Robert. Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O. Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the McDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell.

1. Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?

A. Places where people lived.      B. People’s characters.

C. Talents that people possessed.   D. People’s occupations.

2. According to the passage, the ancestors of the Potter family most probably _______.

A. owned or drove a cart          B. made things with metals

C. made kitchen tools or contains   D. built houses and furniture

3. Suppose and English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to become a world leader, the baby might be named _______.

A. Beatrice Smith          B. Leonard Carter

C. George Longstreet       D. Donald Greenwood

4. The underlined word “descendants” in the last paragraph means a person’s _____

A. later generations          B. friends and relatives

C. colleagues and partners     D. later sponsors

 

It’s really true what people say about English politeness: it’s everywhere. When squeezing past someone in a narrow aisle, people say “sorry”. When getting off a bus, English passengers say “thank you” rather than the driver. In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things. After all, squeezing past others sometimes can’t be avoided, and the bus driver is merely doing his job. I used to think the same way, without questioning it, until I started travelling to the British Isles and came to appreciate some more polite ways of communicating with people.

People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time. When people buy something in a shop, customer and retail assistant in most cases thank each other twice or more. In Germany, it would be exceptional to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation. British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room. English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs, as opposed to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.

Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize others. Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me, my employers stressed several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism. It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable. This also is shown in other ways. British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men. However, I do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men! Yes, the latter are a bit tightfisted.

1.What is the author’s attitude towards English politeness?

A. He thinks it is artificial                B. He gives no personal opinion

C. He appreciates it                   D. He thinks it goes too far.

2.What can we learn about customers and retail assistants in Germany?

     A. A customer never says thank you to a retail assistant.

     B. It’s always a retail assistant who says thank you.

     C. They may say thank you only once.

     D. they always say thank you to each other.

3.We can learn from the last paragraph that Scottish men ___________.

     A. are more likely to be involved in a fighting.   

B. are more polite than English men.

     C. treat women in a polite way.         

D. are not so willing to spend money for women.

4.The author develops the text through the method of ____________.

   A. making comparisons            B. telling stories

   C. giving comments               D. giving reasons

 

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