A city without cars would be very strange, right? But Venice is such a city.

Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It wasn't built on land, like Beijing or Shanghai, but on more than 110 islands.  Seawater is everywhere around the city.

Even so, travel isn't difficult. The waterways have always been the best way to get around. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that can guide you where you want to go. People in Venice move from place to place by boat. They like to enjoy the scenery and cool summer nights while taking boat trips.  They can talk to other people as they go along.

Venice grew out of small islands in saltwater lakes when some Italians escaped from a war more than 1,500 years ago, and built homes there.

Water makes the city special, but it is also a big problem.

Once, people used too much underground water. This made the city get lower little by little. Now the city has gone down by 23 centimeters. Another problem is the rising seawater. The temperature has risen over the years.  This has made the ice of the Arctic Ocean (北冰洋) rnelt( 融化).

Every year, high waters hit the city in autumn and winter. When a lot of water comes, more than half of the city is underwater.

Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from getting even lower.

46. According to the passage, which picture shows the right place of Venice?

47. Which is the most impossible way for people in Venice to get around in the passage?

A. On foot.        B. By boat.        C. By car.        D. By bike.

48. Why is Venice still getting lower and lower?

A. Because too many people live there.

B. Because the rising temperature has made the ice melt.

C. Because lots of bridges have been built.

D. Because the underground water is rising.

49. What seasons are dangerous for Venice because of high waters?

A. Summer and autumn.         B. Autumn and winter.

C. Summer and winter.          D. Spring and winter.

50. The passage is mainly about        .

A. the waterways of Venice      B. the history of Venice

C. the scenery of Venice         D. the problem of Venice

A superstar is someone who is usually famous in sports, or films, or popular music, someone like the singer Michael Jackson. In the nineteen eighties, Michael Jackson made a record album called “Thriller”. It quickly became the most popular recording in the history of music and it made Michael Jackson a superstar.

The word “super” means more than usual or very wonderful. And of course, a star is a person who is very famous. So people who are famous and skillful in sports, films or music are called superstars, such as Li Ning.

One of the most famous sports superstars in the United States is the boxer（拳击手） Muhammad Ali. After he won a gold medal in the Olympics and became the heavyweight boxing champion, he was known as one of the greatest and most famous boxers in the sports history. At that time Muhammad Ali was even better known than the president of the United States. He was a true superstar, nearly everyone knew his name.

But like the stars in the sky, a superstar may fade away（褪色） as the years go by. These days people know little about Muhammad Ali.

Superstars, loved by millions of people today, and may be forgotten tomorrow.

34. According to the author which of the person is NOT a superstar?

A. Michael Jackson　　　 　 B. Abraham Lincoln

C. Muhammad Ali 　 D. Li Ning

35. According to the passage, what would happen to superstars at last?

A. They will be remembered by millions of people.

B. They will become the most important people in history.

C. They will be loved only by young people.

D. They will be little known as time passes by.

36. Today few teenagers know about Muhammad Ali, because______.

A. he isn’t as famous as other superstars

B. he had already disappeared in the world

C. he is like a star fade away quickly

D. he isn’t skillful enough in boxing

37.Millions of people today love superstars because ______.

A. superstars are very beautiful and cool in appearance

B. the superstars are greater than anyone else in all the fields

C. they will be known little by the world in the future

D. they are very famous and skillful in some special field

A superstar is someone who is usually famous in sports, or films, or popular music, someone like the singer Michael Jackson. In the nineteen eighties, Michael Jackson made a record album called “Thriller”. It quickly became the most popular recording in the history of music and it made Michael Jackson a superstar.

The word “super” means more than usual or very wonderful. And of course, a star is a person who is very famous. So people who are famous and skillful in sports, films or music are called superstars, such as Li Ning.

One of the most famous sports superstars in the United States is the boxer（拳击手） Muhammad Ali. After he won a gold medal in the Olympics and became the heavyweight boxing champion, he was known as one of the greatest and most famous boxers in the sports history. At that time Muhammad Ali was even better known than the president of the United States. He was a true superstar, nearly everyone knew his name.

But like the stars in the sky, a superstar may fade away（褪色） as the years go by. These days people know little about Muhammad Ali.

Superstars, loved by millions of people today, and may be forgotten tomorrow.

34. According to the author which of the person is NOT a superstar?

A. Michael Jackson　　　 　 B. Abraham Lincoln

C. Muhammad Ali 　 D. Li Ning

35. According to the passage, what would happen to superstars at last?

A. They will be remembered by millions of people.

B. They will become the most important people in history.

C. They will be loved only by young people.

D. They will be little known as time passes by.

36. Today few teenagers know about Muhammad Ali, because______.

A. he isn’t as famous as other superstars

B. he had already disappeared in the world21世纪教育网

C. he is like a star fade away quickly

D. he isn’t skillful enough in boxing

37.Millions of people today love superstars because ______.

A. superstars are very beautiful and cool in appearance

B. the superstars are greater than anyone else in all the fields

C. they will be known little by the world in the future

D. they are very famous and skillful in some special field

Bicycles, a long-forgotten vehicle that seems to belong to the last century, are returning to the streets of Guangzhou, as the city starts to ban the running of motorcycle in urban Guangzhou.
“Business has never been so good for my shop,” said Chen Yongwu, a bicycle shop owner at the city’s Donghua West Road, “I have to work 12 hours a day to meet the demand of my customers. ”
“Even my wife and brother-in-law have to give me a hand lately. ”
Chen originally ran a motorcycle repair shop.  He grasped the opportunity of the motorcycle ban, and started his bicycle business soon after hearing about the banning.
“I sold 23 bicycles on January 2 alone. ” Said Chen.
Bicycle is more convenient and healthier
“My home is one kilometer from the metro station,” said a middle-aged man who is waiting for his bicycle at Chen’s shop, “it is too tiresome to walk to the station, but taking a bus for such a short distance is a waste of money. ”
“So I decided to buy a bicycle. ”
The bicycle costs around 600 yuan, which is equal to the bus fare of half a year.
“Besides, riding a bicycle to work is much healthier than riding a bus. ”
The bicycle buyers can be categorized into two groups.  One group of buyers buy the bicycles for the transportation of small commodities; the other ride the bicycles to work.
Arising problems
Riding a bicycle to work may be healthy, but it is not without problems.
The lack of bicycle lanes has posed a big threat to the safety of the bicycle riders in Guangzhou.
“I was riding my bicycle on Huifu West Road on day,” said Mr.  Zhang, “then suddenly the bus pulled over besides me near the bus station. ”
“I was so frightened at the time, because the bus nearly hit me. ”
The sideways in Guangzhou are usually crowded with foot passengers, so citizens also could not use the sideways.
“It is worse than walking. ”
Besides, finding a place a park the bicycles could be very difficult, much more difficult then finding a place to park your car.
【小题1】What is the min topic of the passage?

Take a look at teenagers around, dressed in baggy-pants (宽松裤), drinking soft drinks such as coke, reading Japanese cartoons. Whether you are in Beijing, Wuhan or Hong Kong, you will get the same impression. But should we copy others or should we maintain (保留) our differences?

It sounds convenient that people around the world speak the same language, dress in the same style, eat the same food and play the same games. If the world was like this, you won’t feel strange in any corner of world. But just imagine living in such a strange world. How dull and colorless it would be!

Different kinds of food that people can taste, the colorful and fashionable clothes that we dress in and different languages we speak are all part of the different cultures that our ancestors left us. These differences represent their creativity (创造力) and talent. And we all enjoy different cultures in our daily lives. When you travel to other places, you want to see different things. When you talk to foreigners you expect to listen to interesting stories. These differences in culture are what make life colorful.

But the whole world is shrinking into a small village as globalization (全球化) takes effect and many different cultures are disappearing. In most big cities around the world people wear the same clothes. Fast food stores are everywhere. Hollywood movies are kicking traditional performing arts out of our lives. The colors of our life are disappearing.

There is joke that even the panda and zebra want to live a colorful life. So let’s take action to protect our colorful culture before it becomes as simple as black and white.

It’s not difficult. Learning some folk songs, trying on a traditional clothing and even eating local food instead of going to KFC can help. And we’re sure you will enjoy it.

1.The passage is written to _______.

A．explain cultural differences               B．convince readers to maintain cultural differences

C．predict the future of globalization           D．show some cultural phenomena(现象)

2.The author thinks that cultural differences _______.

A．make the world colorful                  B．make communication difficult

C．only exist in food and clothing              D．will never fade away

3.The author starts the argument by ________.

A．mentioning certain cultural phenomena

B．mentioning his view at the very beginning

C．mentioning the opposite view at the very beginning

D．giving examples of cultural differences

4.The underlined word “shrink” probably means “_______”.

A．expand           B．disappear         C．become smaller     D．grow in number

5.The author talks of all the following cultural phenomena except _______.

A．food             B．clothing           C．language          D．architecture