E
It is difficult in the modern world to do anything other than a basic job without  being able to read. Reading as a skill is the key to an educated workforce, which in turn is the bedrock of economic advancement, particularly in the present technological age. Studies have shown that by increasing the literacy skill of primary school children in the UK, the benefit to economy generally is in billions of pounds. The skill of reading is now no mere just an intellectual (知识的) or leisure activity, but rather a completely developed economic force.     
Part of the problem with reading is that it is a skill which is not appreciated in most developed societies. This is an attitude that has forced a large number of the population in most Western nations to illiteracy (文盲). It might surprise people in countries outside the West to learn that in the United Kingdom, and indeed in some other European countries, the literacy rate has fallen to below that of so-called less developed countries.
There are also forces against reading in our modern society. It is not seen as cool among a younger generation more at home with computer screens or e-libraries.
And reading is not very appealing. Students at school, college or university, who read a lot are called bookworms. The term indicates the contempt (轻蔑) in which reading and learning are held in certain circles or subcultures. It is a criticism, like all such attacks, driven by the insecurity of those who are not literate or are semiliterate. Criticism is also a means, like all bullying, of keeping peers(同辈) in place so that they do not step out of line. Peer pressure among young people is so powerful that it often kills any attempts to change attitudes towards habits like reading.
But the negative senses apart, is modern Western society standing Canute-like (自以为是地) against an uncontrollable drop? I think not.
57.What is the main idea of Paragraph 1?
A.Reading plays an important role in education.
B.People can't find a job without being able to read.
C.The skill of reading has become an economic power.
D.More intellectual activities are needed in the technological age.
58.What problem exists in most Western nations?
A. Younger generations are addicted to modern technology.
B.The literacy skills have weakened their financial benefit.
C.Literacy rate has decreased because of people' s attitude.
D.School children spend more money on leisure activities.
59.What does the underlined sentence probably mean?
A.Criticism may help the young make reading a habit.
B.The contempt makes peers refuse to change their reading habit.
C.Peer pressure stops bully boy from stepping out of line.
D.Criticism strongly influences the young' s behavior towards reading.
60.What is the author' s purpose in writing this passage?
A.To explain his own attitudes.
B.To describe the decrease in reading.
C.To draw people' s attention to reading.
D.To criticize negative attitudes towards reading

There are many travel destinations across the globe. What confuses a person most is which travel destination to choose. When choosing a destination for a vacation or a trip, you need to decide what that destination has to offer to you. Meanwhile, you should also take many factors into consideration, so that the decision-making will get easy.
The amount of money you want to spend is an important factor and plays an important role in deciding a destination. For example, cities like London, New York, Vegas etc are expensive. On the other hand when you travel to Asia, the cost is generally lower and you don’t need to spend much on traveling, lodging or shopping. Therefore, it is important to estimate your budget before selecting a destination.
When you plan your vacation, another important thing to plan is the number of the days you want to spend. There are many travel destinations in the world that can be covered in a week’s time. Some destinations like Africa, or Maldives beaches can be planned in a week’s time. Some other destinations like New York, Thailand may require more than a few weeks to enjoy completely.
Vacations are also planned according to the company you have. For example, if you travel with your family, then you’ll need a place where you can enjoy with your family members. Similarly, if you are going with friends, a city full of amusement parks, museums, shopping centers will be an ideal(理想的) destination. Therefore you need to consider whom you are going with, before deciding a destination.
【小题1】Who are the intended readers of the text?

A.Students majoring in tourismB.Foreign travelers
C.travel agenciesD.Travel planners
【小题2】Compared to a journey to Thailand, a journey to New York _______.
A.is more suitable for a group of peopleB.will take you a longer time
C.will cost you more moneyD.gives you more fun
【小题3】What is the main factor to be considered mentioned in the last paragraph?
A.Services providedB.Your partners in traveling
C.Activities involved in travelingD.Your budget for a travel

Tourism wasn’t as important as it is today. In the past, only people with a good deal of money could travel on holidays to other countries. More people travel today than in the past because there is a growing middle class in many parts of the world; that is to say, people now have more money for travel. Special plane fares(费用) for tourists make travel less expensive and more attractive than ever before. One person doesn’t travel for the same reason as another. But most people enjoy seeing countries that are different from their own. They also like to meet new people and to taste new food.
Tourism causes many changes in a country and in people’s lives. People build new hotels and restaurants and train native men and women as guides to show visitors interesting places. There’re new nightclubs and other amusements. International tourism is clearly a big business.
【小题1】More people travel today than in the past because______________.

A.people have become interested in traveling
B.traveling today is easier than in the past
C.people now have spare money for travel
D.great changes have taken place in the world
【小题2】What makes travel more attractive than before?
A.Travel by air to other countries is much cheaper today.
B.More guides are being trained to show beautiful spots.
C.Modern telegraph lines make travel less expensive.
D.New hotels and restaurants have been built.
【小题3】Which of the following statements is true according to the article?
A.Tourism won’t bring any changes in people’s minds.
B.People have some trouble in making journey.
C.With the development of tourism, great changes have taken place in many parts in the world.
D.Tourism causes only some changes in clothing.
【小题4】What is the best title of the passage?
A.The Change of TourismB.Tourism
C.The Importance of TourismD.The Cause of Tourism Change


III. 阅读理解
William Shakespeare is the most famous playwright (剧作家). Although he died in 1616, people still go to see his plays. Among the most popular are RomeoandJuliet, AMidsummerNight’sDream and Hamlet — the story of a prince who struggles to respond to the crimes around him.
Shakespeare, who was born in 1564, was an actor as well as a writer. Most of his ideas for plays were taken from history, people’s conversation, ancient stories, and also from other writers. He wrote not only about kings and queens and princes, but also about friends and ordinary people. He wrote about the cruelty of war and the bravery of heroes, as well as about jealousy, joy, hate, ambition and love. His stories live on. The tragedy RomeoandJuliet was reborn as the musical WestSideStory and more recently as the movie RomeoandJuliet with the wonderful performance of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.
He invented a number of great characters: powerful magicians, thrilling witches, smart women and both wise and wicked men. He also invented some great phrases. If you’ve ever said, “Oh, for goodness sake!” you can thank Shakespeare for that. Other examples of common phrases adapted from Shakespeare: “as luck would have it”, “your own flesh and blood”, “too much of a good thing”, “good riddance”, “in one fell swoop”, and “in the twinkling of an eye”. “To be, or not to be: that is the question,” Hamlet says. “Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it is morrow,” says Juliet to her Romeo.
Don’t be surprised if you don’t understand everything when reading Shakespeare or watching one of his plays because the meanings of many words have changed over the years. And Shakespeare’s characters speak in poetry, so their speeches can be complicated.
It does help to find out a little bit about the story before reading a Shakespeare play. It’s worth the effort. As Shakespeare wrote, “All the world is a stage.” And in his plays you’ll find that an entire world is waiting for you.
1. Shakespeare created the following characters EXCEPT ________.
A. Juliet         B. Hamlet     C. Claire Danes    D. Romeo
2. From Paragraph 3 we can learn that ________.
A. most of the characters created by Shakespeare were negative ones
B. most of the phrases used today were invented by Shakespeare
C. “Oh, for goodness sake!” is what Juliet says to Romeo
D. Shakespeare contributed greatly to the development of English
3. Which of the following is a reason why it’s difficult to understand some of Shakespeare’s plays?
A. There are many new words in his plays.
B. He wrote his plays using uncommon words.
C. The characters in his plays speak in poetry.
D. Most of the words in his plays are outdated.
4. We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. most of Shakespeare’s plays have been made into films
B. language changes with the development of society
C. Shakespeare made lots of money from his works
D. it is more useful to read Shakespeare’s works than to watch them

When Callie Rogers won almost 1.9 million pounds on the lottery(彩票) at 16, she hoped it would help her put her troubles behind her. The teenager came from a broken home, had dropped out of school and was living in local authority care.
Rogers, from Cumbria, England, won the National Lottery in 2003. Then she began spending her money wildlly, buying four homes for her family, flash cars and designer clothes, partying and having some cosmetic (整容的) surgery. Two weeks after her win, she married and had two children. But then she spent 250, 000 pounds on cocaine (可卡因) and suffered depression. Earlier this year she lost the right to take care of her children because of her mental state.
She became addicted to drugs and attempted suicide three times as her life unraveled. She says the money brought her only misery. Now she is down to her last 100 000 pounds, but she has never been happier.
Now 22, she said:“Just a few months ago I was taking too many drugs and hated myself. I simply did not want to live any more. But now I have a new man and am finally becoming the woman I want to be. And it's only after I've spent most of my fortune that this has finally happened.”
“I need to get my act together and make my kids proud, and for the first time I really do think that's possible.” She credits her new boyfriend with giving her the stable home life she has always longed for and she now hopes to go to college and eventually become a counselor. “After all I've experienced, I think I have a lot of advice to offer,” she said.
【小题1】Why was Rogers not allowed to look after her children?

A.She was in a bad mental state.B.She was addicted to using drugs.
C.She was not responsible for them. D.She was too poor to support them.
【小题2】What can we learn about Rogers from Paragraph 3?
A.Being addicted to drugs cost her everything.
B.Money didn't bring her happiness as expected.
C.Rogers felt much happier with her money gone.
D.Too much money allowed her to do what she wanted.
【小题3】What caused Rogers to change and start a new life?
A.The loss of money.B.Her bitter past.
C.Her husband and children.D.Her new boyfriend.
【小题4】Why does Rogers hope to go to college?
A.She intends to find a good job.B.She expects to become a professor.
C.She longs to improve her situation.D.She wants to offer advice for others.

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