The USA is a land of immigrants. Between 1815 and 1914, the world witnessed the greatest peaceful migration in its history: 35 million people, mostly Europeans, left their homelands to start new lives in America. Why did these people risk everything by leaving their homes and families?

First, what forced emigrants to make the decision to leave? One major cause for European farmers to leave was the rise in population which in turn led to land hunger. Another was politics. There was an increased taxation（税收） and the growth of armies, and many young men fled eastern Europe to avoid being forced to join the army.

Physical hunger provided another pressing reason. Following the collapse （衰退）of the economy of southern Italy in the 1860s, hundreds of thousands decided to start a new life in America. Religion also encouraged millions to leave the Old World.

In short, people chose to leave their homes for social, economic and religious reasons. As a result, by 1890 among a total population of 63 million, there were more than nine million foreign-born Americans.

But what were the attractions? First of all, there was the promise of land which was so scarce in Europe. Next, factories were calling for workers, and pay conditions were much better than back home. Men were needed to open up the West and build the long railroads, and new towns needed settlers to live in and to develop business. There was the space for religious people to practice their faith in peace.

This immigration meant that by around the 1850s Americans of non-English had started to be more than those of English. As we know, there were losers. To start with, there were those unwilling immigrants, the slaves who had been used as a source of cheap labour. Nor should we forget the equally unlucky American Indians. By 1860 there were 27 million free whites, four million slaves and a mere 488,000 free blacks.

Nowadays, the USA is still seen by millions as the Promised Land. As always, it remains an attractive place to those who think it will offer them a second chance.

31. What is not the cause for people to leave their homeland?

A. The search for religious freedom.

B. The search for adventure.

C. Unwillingness to join the army.                    

D. Economics.

32. Why was life of the 19th Century European farmers difficult?

A. There was no land.

B. There was no peace.

C. The population had gone down.

D. There were too many of them.

33. Which of the following was not an attraction of the USA?

A. Employment                                              B. A healthy life  

C. freedom of religion                                     D. Business opportunities

34. What is the topic of this passage?

A. The USA is still seen by millions as the Promised Land.

B. The USA is a land of immigrants.

C. Religion encouraged millions to leave the Old World.

D. About one-eighth of non-native born Americans live in the USA in 1890.

35. The American Indians __________.

A. were as fortunate as the slaves

B. were more unfortunate than the slaves

C. were the most unfortunate      

D. were as unfortunate as the slaves

Some scientists say that animals in the oceans are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings.

The noise that affects sea creatures comes from a number of human activities. It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines. Such noises are added to natural sounds. These sounds include the breaking of ice fields, underwater earthquakes, and sounds made by animals themselves.

Decibels (分贝) measured in water are different from those measured on land. A noise of one hundred and twenty decibels on land causes pain to human ears. In water, a decibel level of one hundred and ninety－five would have the same effect.

Some scientists have suggested setting a noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels in the oceans. They have observed that noises at that level can frighten and confuse whales（鲸鱼）.

A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that louder noises can seriously injure some animals.

The research team found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing. This seriously affected the whales' ability to exchange information and find their way. Some of the whales even died. The explosions had caused their ears to bleed and become infected(被感染的).

Many researchers whose work depends on ocean sounds are against a limit of one hundred and twenty decibels. They say such a limit would mean an end to important industrial and scientific research.

Scientists do not know how much and what kinds of noises are harmful to ocean animals. However, many scientists don’t think that noise is a greater danger than they believed. They want to prevent noises from harming creatures in the ocean.

26. According to the passage, which of the following is increasingly dangerous to sea creatures?

A. The sound of cars.

B. The sound of voices.

C. Man-made noise pollution.

D. The sound of steps.

27. According to the passage, natural sounds include all of the following EXCEPT________.

A. sounds made by animals themselves               B. ocean drilling

C. underwater earthquakes                                D. the breaking of ice fields

28. Which of the following is discussed in the third paragraph?

A. The same noise level produces a different effect on land and in the ocean.

B. Different places may have different types of noises.

C. The decibel is not a right unit (单位) for measuring underwater noise.

D. Different ocean animals may have different reactions to noises.

29. Which of the following is true of whales?                   

A. They won't be confused by noises.

B. They are deaf to noises.

C. Their ability to reproduce will be lowered by high-level noises.

D. Their hearing will be damaged by high-level noises.

30. According to the passage, what will scientists most probably do in the future?

A. They will work hard to reduce ocean noise pollution.

B. They will protect animals from harmful noises.

C. They will try to set a limit of 120 decibels.

D. They will study the effect of ocean noise pollution.

阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡标号为16～25的相应位置上。

Once, a rich man was near death. He was very upset because he had worked so hard for his money   16    he hoped he could take it with him to heaven. So he prayed to God he might be able to take some money with him.

   17    angel heard his pray and appeared. “Sorry,   18    you can’t take your wealth with you.” The man begged the angel to speak to God to see    19    he might break the rules. The angel reappeared and said that God could allow him to take one suitcase. Excitedly, the man gathered his suitcase and filled it    20    pure gold bars.

Afterward, he died and showed up in heaven to greet St. Peter.    21   (see) the suitcase, St. Peter said, “Hold on, you can’t bring that here!” The man explained that he had God’s    22    (permit). St. Peter checked it out, came back and said, “You are right. You are allowed one carry-on bag, but I’m supposed to check its contents (内容)    23    letting it through.”

St. Peter opened the suitcase to inspect the things    24    the man found too precious to leave behind and exclaimed (感叹), “You brought pavement? As you can see, the great street of the city of heaven   25   (make) of pure gold!”

The rain was coming down heavily and I was going to be late for an important conference. Dressing up quickly, I called for a taxi, 　 1 　 that it would be faster than the subway.

It wasn't.

After a long wait, I finally got one, but the traffic was heavy. I looked at my 　 2　 from time to time. Just as the traffic started moving, the driver 　 3 　 a man up ahead in a wheelchair.

“Wouldn't he be cold sitting right there!” the driver cried and began to 　 4　 .

I could see there would be another 20 minutes' 　 5　 — 　 6　 him into the cab, folding up his chair and putting it into the taxi's small 　 7 , then dropping him off who knows where.

“What are you doing?” I shouted to the driver.

As the 　 8　 came out, I wanted to take them back. The wrongness of my 　 9　 to the driver shocked me. Why did I let out the shout?

The driver 　10　 me and we continued the journey. Eventually I got out of the taxi and

11　 to the office. As I ran, I understood that, though it wasn't my duty to take the time to help others, I shouldn't have 　 12　 the driver's stopping. I should have been able to see beyond my impatience to notice what was most inerrant (不会错的). Whenever I think of this incident, this is my 　13 : I am not a 　14　 self-centered person, but I still feel 　 15

of being self-centered. Living a busy life in a fast-paced big city, do we still need to stop to help those who are in need of help?

1. A. reminding　　　　 B. expecting　　　　　 C. realizing 　　　 D. attempting

2. A. computer 　　　　 B. document　 　 C. message 　　　 D. watch

3. A. witnessed 　　　　 B. picked 　　　　　 C. spotted 　　　　 D. observed

4. A. pull over 　　　　　 B. take off 　　　　 C. pass by 　　　　 D. run away

5. A. complaining 　　　 B. suffering 　　　 C. waiting 　　　　 D. struggling

6. A. indicating 　　　　 B. recommending　 C. lifting 　　　　　 D. urging

7. A. trunk　　 　　　　　　 B. box 　　　　　　　 C. window 　　　　 D. carriage

8. A. anxieties 　　　　　 B. words 　　　　　 C. results 　　　　　 D. comments

9. A. reaction 　　　　　　 B. request 　 　　　 C. comment 　　　 　　　 D. suggestion

10. A. comforted 　　　 　　　 B. prevented　 　　 C. encouraged 　 D. ignored

11. A. escaped 　　　　　 B. fled 　　　　　　　 C. settled 　　　　　 D. flooded

12. A. excited at　　　　　 B. thought about　　 C. made fun of　　　 　　　 D. complained about

13. A. feeling 　　　　　　 B. motto 　　　　　 C. dream 　　　　　 D. determination

14. A. skillfully 　　　　 B. strangely 　　　 C. particularly 　　 D. hopefully

15. A. proud 　　　　　　 B. aware　 　　　　 C. ashamed 　　　 D. confident

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

Dear David,

    I am writing you this email because you're so busy every day with your studies and after-school activities that we seldom have chances to talk face-to-face. There is something that I am very worried about.

    You have always been an active boy, willing to help others and always looking for an opportunity to try something new or learn something different. I think these are wonderful qualities but I am concerned that they may be affecting your studies. In the past three months alone you have joined at least four different student clubs. I see these activities taking up more and more of your time. You're always discussing something with your classmates or surfing online. You're also devoting less time to homework and even your teachers say you are looking very sleepy in class.

    I know that these kinds of activities are fun and can help your development, but I think they have started to damage your performance at school. Please remember the most important thing at this stage of your life is your studies. Right now you should do your best in your examinations as it will give you more choices is your future. I beg you to focus on your main goal and not to throw away all your years of hard work

                                                                    Your loving mother

【写作内容】

    假设你是信中的David，请用英语给你妈妈写回信。以下是回信的内容（信的开头和结尾已经为你写好）：

1. 以约30词概括书信的主要内容。

2. 以约120词谈谈你对参加学校社团或俱乐部活动的看法，内容包括：

  （1） 你读信后的感受；

  （2） 你是否赞成你妈妈的观点，并陈述理由；

  （3） 你对你妈妈的承诺。

【写作要求】

    1. 作文中可以使用亲身经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接

       引用原文中的句子。

    2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

【评分标准】

    概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯。

你是你校校报的小记者，最近对一位在华的外国志愿者进行了一次采访。以下是这次采访的情况：

[写作内容]

时间：上周末

对象：在中国农村教书的志愿者卢安克(Eckart Loewe)

主题：他的志愿者之路

基本情况：1968年出生在德国汉堡(Hamburg)；1990年夏天，短短3个月的中国之旅，让他深深地爱上了广西的乡村。

从教过程：（1）1999年，在广西的一个乡村成为一名志愿者教师；

           （2）发现中国家长重视成绩却忽视孩子孩子的天性和兴趣。

教育理念：如果一个人只是为了别人的理念而生存，他就永远找不到自我的方向和力量。

[写作要求]只能使用5个句子表达全部内容；

[评分标准]句子结构准确，信息内容完整，篇章结构连贯。

There was once a small boy who would never get dressed when his parents told him to,   51   would he wear what they wanted him to. He preferred unusual clothes, but above all, he liked taking his time. His parents were always in a rush, and wanted him to be much    52   (quick), but the boy didn't like this,      53    he would slow down even more.

One day, his parents got so angry when he refused to dress, that they told him to go out without any clothes at all.   54   (amuse), the boy followed his parents out of the door. He held a belief      55     nobody could do anything to him.

As the boy stood outside his house with nothing on, waiting for his parents’ car, along came the local pig farmer. The farmer,   56    was almost deaf, had very poor eyesight. Not only that, but also he     57     (forget) his glasses that day. When he saw the boy’s pink skin, he thought it was one of his pigs. Shouting and pushing, the farmer forced   58     into a pig cage.

The boy begged him to stop but the deaf farmer couldn’t hear.

When found by his parents, the terrified boy never again wanted to be mistaken   59    anything other than a human being. Now he’s the first  60    (get) dressed, and always looks neat.

 There is an old Chinese tale about a woman whose only son died. She went to the wise man and said, "What magical prayers do you have    41    (bring) my son back to life?"

The holy man said to her, "Fetch me a mustard（芥菜） seed from  a home that has never known sorrow. We will use__42___to drive the sorrow out of your life." The woman went off immediately in search of that magical mustard seed.

She came first to a splendid house,___43   (knock) at the door and said, “I am looking for a home___44____ had never known sorrow. Is this such ___45___place?”But she didn’t get what she wanted, even ___46___ a single word of comfort. They told her that she had come to the wrong place and began to describe all the tragic things that recently had happened to them.

The woman said to  ___47____  , "Who is better able to help these poor, ____48___ (fortune) people than I, who have had misfortune of my own?" She stayed to comfort them, and then went on in search of a home where none have ever known sorrow. But___49___ she turned up, in palaces or huts, she found one tale after ___50___ of sadness and misfortune. She became so involved in ministering to other people's grief that finally she forgot about her own sorrow.

请阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。(如选E请涂AB，如选F请涂CD)

下面是美国著名游记作家Bill Bryson的几本作品，首先请阅读它们的封面信息：

下面是对这几本书的简要介绍，请把它们对应的封面信息找出来：

36. In this collection, Bill Bryson is writing from home. We find he assesses life both in New England and in the contemporary United States. With the telescopic perspective(远望视角) of one who has stepped out of the American mainstream and come back after 20 years, Bryson holds the mirror up to U.S. culture and feel strange to his motherland.

37. This book is a guide to the world’s unspoilt sights and experiences. It presents one thousand fresh and fascinating alternatives to hundreds of well-known tourist destinations and sights, including alternatives to the Carnival in Rio and the beaches of Thailand, the most-visited national parks, over-rated restaurants and holiday sites.

38. Returning to the U.S. after 20 years in England, Bill Bryson decided to reconnect with his mother country by hiking the length of the 2100-mile Appalachian Trail. Awed by merely the camping section of his local sporting goods store, he still goes into the wilderness and learns hard lessons about self-reliance.

39. A travelogue by Bill Bryson is as close to a sure thing as funny books get. This book is no exception. Following an urge to rediscover his youth, the author leaves his native Des Moines, Iowa, in a journey that takes him to across 38 states in the country, which is like a small town in his opinion.

40. Born in Iowa, Bryson backpacked through Europe as a young man. While living in England some 20 years later, he revisited many of the same places from arctic Norway’s northern lights to romantic Capri in Italy. Here he jumps back and forth between old memories and new experiences.

Robots have proved to be valuable tools for soldiers, surgeons and homeowners hoping to keep the carpet clean. But in each case, they are designed and built specifically for the job. Now there is a movement under way to build multipurpose machines-robots that can move about in changing environments such as offices or living rooms and work with their hands.

All-purpose robots are not, of course, a new idea. “It’s been five or 10 years from happening for about 50 years,” says Eric Berger, co–director of the Personal Robotics Program at Willow Garage, a Silicon Valley organization. The delay is in part because even simple tasks require a huge set of capabilities. For a robot to fetch a mug, for example, it needs to make sense of data gathered by a variety of sensors–laser scanners identifying potential blocking objects, cameras searching for the target, force feedback in the fingers that grasp the mug, and more. Yet Berger and other experts are confident that real progress could be made in the next decade.

The problem, according to Willow Garage, is the lack of a common platform for all that computational effort. Instead of enlarging the capabilities of a single machine, everyone is designing robots and the software to control them, from the ground up. To help change this, Willow Garage is currently producing 25 copies of its model PR2 (for “Personal Robot 2”), a two–armed, wheeled machine that can switch off the electricity, open doors and move through a room. Ten of the robots will stay in–house, but 10 more will go to outside research groups, and everyone will share their advances. This way, Berger says, if you want to build the robotic equivalent (等同物) of a Twitter (推特网站), you won’t start by constructing a computer. “you build the thing that’s new.”

31．The robots are mentioned to do some specific jobs EXCEPT in          .

       A．battle fields      B．operation room      C．people’s houses       D．wild fields

32．The multipurpose robot may be identified as a machine that            .

       A．can move about in changing environments and work with their hands

       B．can make sense of data gathered by a variety of sensors

       C．has a huge set of abilities to finish all the simple tasks

       D．has identifying laser scanners, searching cameras and force feedback

33．According to Willow Garage, we will make real progress in building all-purpose robots if ___________ .

       A．everyone is designing robots and the software to control them

       B．they can produce 25 copies of its model PR2

       C．people can enlarge the capabilities of a single machine

       D．people can start by constructing a computer

34．Willow Garage is currently producing 25 copies of its model PR2 so as to _________ .

       A．design robots and the software to control them

       B．change the way of new robot construction research

       C．open doors and go to outside research groups

       D．go through the room and stay in-house

35．Which of the following is true according to the passage?

       A．To build all-purpose robots is an absolutely new movement under way.

       B．Building all-purpose robots was delayed because of its complexity.

       C．The idea to build all-purpose robots appeared about 50 years ago.

       D．Everyone will share their advances for they are all-purpose robots.