New archaeological discoveries that between Europe and Asia along the Silk Road not began in some form many centuries man one tought．The findings, coupled with a wit of scientice and historical research, add a new page to the epic of the Silk Road．
The latest and most interesting discovery is pieces of silk found in the hair of an Europe mummy from about 1000 BC, long before regular traffic on the Silk Road and at least one thousand years before silk was previously thought to be used in Egypt．Other research may extend human activity along this route back even further, perhaps a million years to the migration of human ancestors into eastern Asia．
The official origin of East-West commerce along the road is usually placed in the late 2 century BC when an agent of the Chinese Emperor Wu-di returned from a dangerous secret mission(使命)across the western desert into the remote high country of Central Asia．The agent, Zhang Qian, traveled as far as Afghanistan and brought back knowledge of even more distant lands such as Persia, Syria and a place known as Lijien, Perhaps Rome．Historians have called this one of the most important januallys in ancient times．His journey opened the way for what have been thought to be the first indinst contact between the incient world’s two superpowers, China and Rome still first traded to central Asical for wars and to the Parthians of old Persia in exchange for acrobats rich eggs, was soon finding the war though a network of merchants to the luxury markets to Rome．
But the new distract show that Chinese silk was apparently present in the Western before then Han emperor started organized trade over the Silk Road．the research could change thinking about the early history of world trade and provide insights into the mystery of just how and when Europe and the Mediterranean lands first became aware of the glorious culture at other end of Eurasia．
(1)
The word“coupled”in the first paragraph could best be replaced by ________．
[ ]
A．
produced
B．
continued
C．
doubled
D．
combined
(2)
The silk thread found in the hair of an Egyptian mummy suggests that ________
[ ]
A．
Egyptians had probably traveled to China to buy silk
B．
trade along the Silk Road began earth once thought
C．
historical research often achieve fastinating results
D．
new light can now on trading practices
(3)
Until recently most tradiance that trade along the Silk Road ________
[ ]
A．
originated in the century BC
B．
extended human migration into eastern Asia
C．
began a million years ago
D．
primarily benefited the Egyptians
(4)
Historians have always considered Zhang Qian’s mission important because they believe ________
Israeli paintings－Israeli artist Menashe Kadishman will hold a personal show named “Flock of Sheep” from November 26 to December 20 at the China National Art Museum．On show are 550 colorful oil paintings of sheep heads．
His works have been on show in the Metropolitan Museum in New York and Tate Gallery in London over the past 30 years．
Time：9∶00 a. m.－4∶00 p. m., November 26-December 20．
Place：China National Art Museum,1 Wusi Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing．
Tel：6401-2252
Russia Ballet－The Kremlin Ballet from Russia will perform two immortal classical ballets－“Swiss Lake” and “The Nutcracker”－at the Beijing Beizhan Theatre．Set up in 1990, the theatre has a number of first-class ballet dancers with pride．Most of their performances are classical．
Time：7∶15 p. m., December 5 and 6(“Swan Lake”); 7∶15 p. m., December 7(“Nutcracker”)
Folk concert－The Central Conservatory of Music(音乐学院)will hold a folk concert in memory of the late musician Situ Huacheng．
On the programme are many popular folks such as “Moon Night on the Bamboo Tower” “Celebrating Harvest” “Deep and Lasting Friendship” “Golden Snake Dancers Wildly”, and “Children?s Holiday”．
Time：7∶30 p. m., November 25．
Place：Beijing Concert Hall, 1 Beixinhua Street．
Tel：6605-5812
(1)
If a child is very fond of dancing, his parent should take him to ________．
[ ]
A．
China National Art Museum
B．
Beizhan Theatre
C．
Beijing Concert Hall
D．
1 Wusi Street
(2)
Menashe Kadishman is well known for painting ________．
[ ]
A．
deer
B．
birds
C．
sheep
D．
flowers
(3)
Which of the following is TRUE?
[ ]
A．
The folk concert will last three days．
B．
The ballet “The Nutcracker” will be put on once．
C．
The Israeli paintings will be on show for a month．
D．
China National Art Museum lies in Xicheng District．
(4)
If you dial the telephone number 6605-3388 on Dec．8, you can ________．
[ ]
A．
go to the folk concert
B．
visit the Art Museum
C．
watch the ballet
D．
none of the above
阅读理解
ISC(HS)Reference No．S006864 New South Wales
Student Date of Birth：19/08/1988 Department of Education and Training
International Students Centre
Hong Xue 827-839 George Street PO Box 707
60 Waratah Street Broadway NSW 21007
Croydon Park NSW 2133 Phone：(612)9217 4801 1300 302 456
Fax：(612)9212 6721
http：//www.tafensw.edu.au/international/
WARNING LETTER
Dear Hong Xue,
As you are aware, your student visa regulations set out a number of conditions applying to your visa．It has come to our attention that you are failing to meet the following conditions：You must maintain accommodation, support and general welfare arrangements that have been approved by your education provider if you：
●have not turned 18; and
●are not staying in Australia with：
－a parent
－a custodian(监护人); or
－a relative who has been nominated(指定)by your parent or a custodian, is aged at least 21 and is of good character．
Note：You must not change those arrangements without the written approval of your education provider．
You must obey the following rules：
1．During term time you must：
a)remain in your homestay during the school term;
b)come home every night; and
c)inform your guardian at all times of your whereabouts．
2．On weekends you must：
a)have your guardian's permission to stay with friends; and
b)inform your guardian of the name, address and phone numbers of people you are visiting．
3．You must return your guardian's telephone calls．
This will be your only warning．If you continue to breach(违反)your student visa regulations we will report you to the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs．Such action may lead to the cancellation(取消)of your student visa．Please contact me on(612)9217 4801 or fax(612)9212 6721 if you have questions about your enrolment．
Yours sincerely
Tracey Carlon
Student Advisor
International Students Centre
NSW Department of Education and Training
(1)
What's the purpose of writing this letter?
[ ]
A．
To remind the recipient of the conditions for applying for a student visa．
B．
To warn the recipient not to do anything against his student visa regulations again．
C．
To tell the recipient how to contact his student advisor．
D．
To inform the recipient of the student visa regulations．
(2)
What can be learned about the recipient from this letter?
[ ]
A．
He is under 18 and studies in Australia with his parents．
B．
He is required to come home every night according to the rules．
C．
He can stay with his friends on weekends if permitted．
D．
His student Visa has been cancelled．
(3)
To which address should the recipient reply if he feels like answering the letter?
[ ]
A．
Hong Xue at 60 Waratah Street, Croydon Park NSW 2133．
B．
Tracey Carlon at the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs．
C．
Hong Xue at NSW Department of Education and Training．
D．
Tracey Carlon at 827-839 George Street, PO Box 707, Broadway NSW 21007．
阅读理解
Many people like the feeling of the gentle wind in spring．Many like to see the falling leaves dancing in the wind in autumn．But sometimes, when the wind becomes a storm, it can be very destructive(毁灭性的)．
A series of such storms struck the US last month and caused very serious damage and human pain．
Every year, major storms cause many problems around the world．There is nothing people can do to stop these powerful forces of nature．But new techniques are helping scientists to predict(预测)how, when, and where big storms will happen．The more exact scientists' warnings are, the better people can prepare for the storms．
Predictions are improving．“We've gotten better over the years, especially the last few years,”says Phil Klotzback, a scientist at an American university．How is a storm formed? Even if scientists know where a storm will happen, winds can suddenly change, carrying the storm to a new direction．“For a hurricane to happen, conditions have to be just right,”Klotzback says．
First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it evaporates and rises into the air．As it rises, the vapor(水蒸气)cools and turns back into liquid．This process gives off heat．This produces energy like an engine that causes winds to increase．It drives the formation(形成)of a hurricane．
If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a“tropical storm”(热带风暴), and it gets a name．At 75 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane．
Hurricanes that hit the US start when a thunderstorm forms off the coast of Africa．Storms also develop over tropical waters in other parts of the world．
On average, 60 or 70 storms form off Africa every year．About 10 of them get names．There are usually about six hurricanes．Two tend to be very big, with winds of 115 miles per hour or higher．
The hurricane season lasts from June to November．Ninety percent of all hurricanes hit in August, September, and October．
(1)
According to the passage, hurricanes usually ________．
[ ]
A．
form off the coast of Africa and America
B．
travel at 40 miles per hour and get its name
C．
hit parts of the world in summer and autumn
D．
cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea
(2)
The underlined word“evaporates”(in Paragraph 5)probably means“________”．
[ ]
A．
begins to move
B．
changes into a gas
C．
becomes hot
D．
gets lost
(3)
Which of the following about the information of a hurricane is in the correct order?
a．The ocean water evaporates and goes into the air．
b．Heat creates energy and causes winds to increase．
c．The vapor cools．
d．The ocean water is warm enough．
e．The vapor changes back into liquid．
f．This course gives out heat．
[ ]
A．
a, d, e, b, c, f
B．
a, b, c, f, d, e
C．
d, a, b, c, e, f
D．
d, a, c, e, f, b
(4)
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
[ ]
A．
One out of six or seven storms get names．
B．
Every year at least 60 storms form off Africa．
C．
The speed of the biggest two hurricanes reaches 115miles per hour．
D．
About one third of the hurricanes tend to be very big．
阅读理解
So far, scientists have named about 1.8 million living species(物种), and that’s just a small part of what probably exists on Earth．With so many plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms covering the planet, it can be tough to figure out what type of spider is crawling up your leg or what kind of bird just flew by．
A soon-to-be-launched Website might help．An international team of researchers has announced the creation of a Web－based Encyclopedia of Life(EOL)．The project aims to catalogue every species on Earth in a single, easy-to-use reference guide．
To get the encyclopedia started, the creators will use information from scientific databases that already exist．And eventually, in special sections of the site, nonscientists with specialized knowledge will join．Gardeners, for example, will be able to record the dates that their flowers first bloom each year．Bird-watchers will be able to input which birds they’ve seen and where．The technology for this kind of tool has only recently become available．
As the EOL develops, you might find it useful for school projects．The site will have special pages for kids who are studying ecosystems in their neighborhoods．To make sure the encyclopedia is accurate, scientists will review much of the information added to it．People who visit the site will be able to choose to skip pages that haven’t been reviewed．
Another convenient characteristic of the EOL is that you’ll be able to pick the level of detail you see to match your interests, age, and current knowledge．If you wanted to learn about polar bears for a science class report, for example, you could use the“novice”setting to get basic information about the animals．On the“expert”setting, on the other hand．you could get much more detailed information about the history, literature, and exploration of polar bears．
It now takes years for scientists to collect all the data they need to describe and analyze species．The creators of the Encyclopedia of Life hope that their new tool will speed that process．
Keep an eye on www.eol.org．Pages will begin to go up sometime next year, and you might find them useful for your school reports．The EOL team might have the basics for all 1.8 million entries online as early as 2017．Someday, you might add your own notes．
(1)
What is implied in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?
[ ]
A．
No one can become an expert on spiders and birds．
B．
So many spiders have crawled up your leg
C．
There are far more than 1.8 million living species．
D．
Scientists have named a lot of living species
(2)
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
[ ]
A．
You can find information of all living species online in 2017．
B．
Nonscientists will be able to add their own notes to the website．
C．
The kids preparing school reports can not have access to the informat’0 n’
D．
You are not free to choose the amount of detailed information．
(3)
What does the underlined word“novice”probably mean in Paragraph 5?
[ ]
A．
Beginner．
B．
Specialist．
C．
Scientist．
D．
Pupil．
(4)
Who are the intended readers of this passage?
[ ]
A．
Students．
B．
Researchers．
C．
Bird watchers or Gardeners．
D．
People in general
(5)
What is the best title for the passage?
[ ]
A．
Exploring Polar Bears
B．
Visit Our Website Now
C．
How to Do School Projects
D．
E-book of Life．
阅读理解
Watching 3D films such as Avatar could give some viewers headaches, experts have warned．
The success of James Cameron's science-fiction blockbuster(卖座的大片), which has already taken more than ＄1 billion(￡600 million)at the box office, is fuelling a surge in popularity for three-dimensional movies and new 3D television sets．
But prolonged viewing may result in an aching head, according to Dr Michael Rosenberg, an ophthalmology(眼科学)professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago．
He said："There are a lot of people walking around with very minor eye problems, for example a minor muscle imbalance, which under normal circumstances the brain deals with naturally．"
Watching a 3D movie confronts viewers with an entirely new sensory experience．"That translates into greater mental effort, making it easier to get a headache," he said．
Dr Deborah Friedman, a professor of ophthalmology and neurology(神经学)at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, said："If your eyes are a little off to begin with then it's really throwing a whole degree of effort that your brain now needs to exert．This disparity for some people will give them a headache．"
Experts say there are no studies tracking how common it is to get a headache after watching a 3D film．
Rick Heineman, a spokesman for RealD, which provides 3D equipment to cinemas, said headaches and nausea were the main reasons 3D technology never took off before．
But he said new digital technology addresses many of the problems that had previously caused sore heads．
(1)
What can we learn from what Dr Michael Rosenberg said?
[ ]
A．
A lot of people prefer walking around with very minor eye problems to sitting silently watching 3D films．
B．
The brain can deal with very minor eye problems under normal circumstances naturally．
C．
A lot of people haven’t got very minor eye problems when viewing films under normal circumstances．
D．
People come into very minor eye problems and a minor muscle imbalance when watching 3D films．
(2)
What does the underlined word “prolonged” in the 3rd paragraph mean?
[ ]
A．
continuous
B．
constant
C．
regular
D．
long-time
(3)
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
[ ]
A．
It has taken less than ＄1 billion to make the popularity of three-dimensional movies and new 3D television sets．
B．
Watching a 3D movie leaves viewers confronted with an entirely new sensory experience．
C．
There are studies tracking how common it is to get a headache after watching a 3D film．
D．
Rick Heineman said that 3D technology would never take off headaches and nausea in future．
(4)
What’s the main idea of the passage?
[ ]
A．
The expert warns the readers not to watch 3D films because of resulting in an aching head．
B．
New digital technology gives viewers headaches and eye problems．
C．
The experts are studying how to get rid of many of the problems that have previously caused sore heads．
D．
Viewing 3D films may result in some side-effect problems such as headaches．
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