Tony Wrench and his wife Faith, wearing the traditional woolly jacket, have set up their home in the shadows of Preseli Mountains.

    They built the house in the winter of 1997 with the dream of living what they call“low-impact lives”. Their dream is to get close to nature, have little pollution and prove they can change the world. But their action was stopped almost a year later by the local government. Eventually, a new rule about environment protection was brought and the government encouraged the couple to carry on their “low-impact lives”.

    The completed house is built around a frame of 200 firs(冷杉木)and made entirely of natural materials, in a style that is part-native American, part-ancient Celt. Mr. Wrench said this house was more like a sort of large basket.  The most expensive part of the building was the rubber (橡胶 ) pond-liner for the roof at £650—all in it cost a grand total of£3, 000, the labor being supplied by the couple and a few good friends. The idea is to try to make the most of the natural resources around them, reducing their impact as much as possible on the environment.

    Electricity is generated from three solar panels on the roof and a small windmill. Food is mostly home-grown (自产的) and they even make their own wine from a vine(藤)on the roof. Drinking water comes from the mountain stream and hot water is more or less on-tap through a back-boiler system fixed up to the back of the fire by the old whisky barrel(桶).

    Waste is dealt with by being rotted, which in turn provides fertilizer for the corns and vegetables etc. . They are by no means tired of life; on the contrary they like it. Mr. Wrench in particular likes nothing better than a nice hot bath. They wait for enough wind to charge the laptop so they can watch a DVD in the evening.

    Their life is not a challenge of existence; they say—just an attempt to keep their footsteps on the planet as light as possible.

55. What can we know from the passage?

A. Mr. Wrench planned to run a wine factory when he was young.

B. Mr. Wrench and Faith love their house and have been in it for twenty years.

C. Mr. Wrench and Faith’s behavior once was forbidden by the local government.

D. Mr. Wrench and Faith can’t watch TV in their house because there’s no electricity.

56. From the text we learn that the couple’s house______.

A. cost them 3, 650 pounds in all

B. is only made of about 200 firs

C. is not strong enough to resist the wind

D. was built by them and some of their friends

57. The food that the couple eat is mostly______.

A. produced by themselves

B. bought from a supermarket

C. offered by the government

D. grown on the roof of their house

58. According to the passage, the waste is______.

A. dealt with to help crops grow better

B. thrown away

C. buried deeply

D. sold to other farmers



Ⅱ   阅读(共两节,满分50分)
第一节:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A couple of years ago,before a trip to China,Nicole Davis and her US women’s volleyball teammates were warned about the prominence (显著、突出) of coach “Jenny” Lang Ping in her native country.
“I was pushed over by Chinese journalists while I was just trying to put my luggage on the bus,”said Davis.
Known as the “Iron Hammer” for her punishing spikes(扣球),Lang made it possible for China to dominate in the sport in the early 1980s.She was a key player on China’s 1984 Olympic gold medal winning team.
When the US team arrived for the Olympics,Lang,48,who is from Beijing,had to take a different route to avoid a crowd of reporters and fans.
Then came the greatest moment to Lang:While the US team was playing in a packed gym,at least 8,000 Chinese fans unfurled an American flag.
“That really says it all,” Davis said.“They look at her as an icon(偶像).I’m sure it’s hard for them to see her coaching another country,but they love her so dearly that her success is their success.”
The loyalty of the Chinese fans was tested on Friday,when China lost a match to the US.
“It’s a pity that China lost the match,but I’m still glad that Lang Ping’s team won,since she is the pride of China’s volleyball,” said Liu Chengli,a spectator.“We also cheered for
Lang’s victory.”
Lang said she just tried to stay professional when the two teams meet.“It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.It’s the same.” Lang said.
Davis said she and her teammates could not have imagined the passion for volleyball among Chinese because the sport was lack of popularity in the US. The reception from Chinese fans has touched the US players,said US volleyball player Lindsey Berg.
“It’s such an honor to be here and play for our coach here in China,”she said.“The amount of support that the Chinese give to her and us has been tremendous.The whole event has been unbelievable.”
1.What’s the passage mainly about?
A.Staying professional.                           B.Cheering for the Iron Hammer.
C.A match between China and the US.      D.Lang Ping’s career as a coach.
2.Lang Ping avoided meeting the reporters and fans probably because she ________.
A.was afraid to be questioned about her strategy
B.didn’t want to be paid much attention to
C.disliked to be with her fans
D.didn’t want to disturb public order
3.What does the underlined word “unfurled” exactly mean?
A.destroyed completely                           B.tore into pieces
C.spread out to the wind                          D.rolled up
4.What does Lang Ping mean by saying “It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.”?
A.American Volleyball Team will beat any team.
B.Chinese Volleyball Team is the same as other teams.
C.She just tried to stay professional.
D.The results of each match will be the same.
5.What impressed the US team players most?
A.The tolerance of Chinese people.
B.The popularity of volleyball in China.
C.Lang Ping’s coaching skills.
D.The loyalty for volleyball of the Chinese.

One sunny day last September, Tim heard some shouting. Looking out to the sea carefully, he saw a couple of kids in a rowboat were being pulled out to sea.

   Two 12-year-old boys, Christian and Jack, rowed out a boat to search for a football. Once they'd rowed beyond the calm waters, a beach umbrella tied to the boat caught the wind and pulled the boat into open water. The pair panicked and tried to row back to shore. But they were no match for it and the boat was out of control.

   Tim knew it would soon be swallowed by the waves. "Everything went quiet in my head," Tim recalls(回忆). "I was trying to figure out how to swim to the boys in a straight line."

   Tim took off his clothes and jumped into the water. Every 500 yards or so, he raised his head to judge his progress. "At one point, I considered turning back," he says. "I wondered if I was putting my life at risk." After 30 minutes of struggling, he was close enough to yell to the boys, "Take down the umbrella!"

    Christian made much effort to take down the umbrella. Then Tim was able to catch up and climb aboard the boat. He took over rowing, but the waves were almost too strong for him.

   "Let's aim for the pier(码头)," Jack said. Tim turned the boat toward it. Soon afterward, waves crashed over the boat, and it began to sink. "Can you guys swim?" he cried. "A little bit," the boys said.

   Once the were in the water, Tim decided it would he safer and faster for him to pull the boys toward the pier. Christian and Jack were wearing life jackets and floated on their backs. Tim swan toward land as water washed over the boys' faces.

   “Are we almost there?" they asked again and again. "Yes," Tim told them each time.

   After 30minutes, they reached the pier.

1.what does “it” in paragraph 2 refer to ?

A. The beach     B. the water        C. the wind        D. the boat

2.why did Tim raise his head regularly?

A. to take in enough fresh air

B. To consider turning back to not.

C. To check his distance from the boys

D. To ask the boys to take down the umbrella

3.How did the two boys finally reach the pier?

A. They swam to the pier all by themselves.

B. They were washed to the pier by the wave.

C. They were carried to the pier by Tim on his back.

D. They were dragged to the pier by Tim.

 

“Tomorrow is another day”---- this line has impressed various people at various times. It's now 70 years after it appeared in the film, but it still seems to hold its power especially during an economic downturn.

The phrase comes from a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's successful 1936 novel Gone With the Wind. It's set in the American South and tells the story of a strong heroine, Scarlett O' Hara, who struggles to find love during the Civil War and, afterwards, of her strength in surviving the war and its hardships.

Love story 

In a moment of despair, Scarlett finally realizes that her love belongs to Rhett Butler. For many audiences, it is the theme of love and struggle that has kept the movie alive. While the burning of Atlanta might seem irrelevant to today's viewers, the timeless theme of love keeps its ability to touch people.

With a promise to her lover still in her mind, Scarlett chooses to stay in the midst of war and take care of Melanie. But her heart is broken when Rhett just walks away, leaving the woman that he once loved with cruel words, "Frankly, dear, I don' t give a damn."

Great epic

The film shows the love-hate relationship of these characters, but also American history, the fall of the Confederacy and the following period of Reconstruction in the South. The background made this film a true classic in the epic genre.

When the film opened after World War II, French viewers loved it, and it reminded them of their fight against the Nazis. In 1940 Shanghai, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, people stood in line for hours to watch this film, and saw the same suffering they were having as well as the hope and possibility of building a new homeland from the ruins.

Each nationality could identify with the story and see it as a victory. In fact, Gone With the Wind never lost its charm and ability to inspire and amaze.

Biggest of all time

The film had five directors, 15-plus screenwriters, and an unexpected $3.9 million budget. The film brought in $ 200 million, which makes it the biggest selling film of all times in North America. It also won 10 Academy awards in 1940.

1.The underlined "it" in the first paragraph refers to _______.

A.the novel Gone with the Wind

B."tomorrow is another day"

C.the movie Gone with the Wind

D.the Academy Award

2.The text is written mainly to _______.

A.celebrate the anniversary of Margaret Mitchell

B.introduce how the film was directed and filmed

C.throw light on the charm of the movie "Gone with the Wind"

D.inspire people to struggle the economic downturn

3.It can be concluded that Scarlett O' Hara is _______.

A.optimistic and lucky

B.childish and realistic

C.caring and stubborn

D.strong-minded and persistent

4.The passage mentions Shanghai in order to _______.

A.prove that the background of the movie touched viewers

B.describe how popular the movie was at that time

C.point out that Shanghai was a center of entertainment

D.tell us that Chinese were suffering the War then.

 

A couple of years ago,before a trip to China,Nicole Davis and her US women’s volleyball teammates were warned about the prominence (显著、突出) of coach “Jenny” Lang Ping in her native country.

“I was pushed over by Chinese journalists while I was just trying to put my luggage on the bus,”said Davis.

Known as the “Iron Hammer” for her punishing spikes(扣球),Lang made it possible for China to dominate in the sport in the early 1980s.She was a key player on China’s 1984 Olympic gold medal winning team.

When the US team arrived for the Olympics,Lang,48,who is from Beijing,had to take a different route to avoid a crowd of reporters and fans.

Then came the greatest moment to Lang:While the US team was playing in a packed gym,at least 8,000 Chinese fans unfurled an American flag.

“That really says it all,” Davis said.“They look at her as an icon(偶像).I’m sure it’s hard for them to see her coaching another country,but they love her so dearly that her success is their success.”

The loyalty of the Chinese fans was tested on Friday,when China lost a match to the US.

“It’s a pity that China lost the match,but I’m still glad that Lang Ping’s team won,since she is the pride of China’s volleyball,” said Liu Chengli,a spectator.“We also cheered for

Lang’s victory.”

Lang said she just tried to stay professional when the two teams meet.“It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.It’s the same.” Lang said.

Davis said she and her teammates could not have imagined the passion for volleyball among Chinese because the sport was lack of popularity in the US. The reception from Chinese fans has touched the US players,said US volleyball player Lindsey Berg.

“It’s such an honor to be here and play for our coach here in China,”she said.“The amount of support that the Chinese give to her and us has been tremendous.The whole event has been unbelievable.”

1.What’s the passage mainly about?

A.Staying professional.                           B.Cheering for the Iron Hammer.

C.A match between China and the US.      D.Lang Ping’s career as a coach.

2.Lang Ping avoided meeting the reporters and fans probably because she ________.

A.was afraid to be questioned about her strategy

B.didn’t want to be paid much attention to

C.disliked to be with her fans

D.didn’t want to disturb public order

3.What does the underlined word “unfurled” exactly mean?

A.destroyed completely                           B.tore into pieces

C.spread out to the wind                          D.rolled up

4.What does Lang Ping mean by saying “It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.”?

A.American Volleyball Team will beat any team.

B.Chinese Volleyball Team is the same as other teams.

C.She just tried to stay professional.

D.The results of each match will be the same.

5.What impressed the US team players most?

A.The tolerance of Chinese people.

B.The popularity of volleyball in China.

C.Lang Ping’s coaching skills.

D.The loyalty for volleyball of the Chinese.

 

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