Bedfordshire had its fair share of royal visits from the early stages of the 10th Century onwards and the importance that the county placed on this is evident in the monuments, country houses, churches and any number of other structures that are still present there to this day. Bedford Castle is one of those structures and, although it is nowhere near its former glory today, it is an essential attraction to visit if you really want to grasp what its heritage means to the county!

Bedford Castle was built initially as a fortress to help protect Bedfordshire on the south of the River Ouse after the people in the local towns and villages had already been subdued. It was erected in 919 on the orders of King Edward the Elder, although it was destroyed by a Danish invasion years later. This was when it was rebuilt as the castle, of which the ruins exist today!

There is a long history behind the castle that involves several kings as a result of the Duke of Bedford being an ardent royalist. Bedford Castle repeatedly offered the kings of England refuge against various storms in the form of onslaughts from abroad and various domestic threats against them, and this is where much of its fame lies, even though the castle itself is no longer there. There are various tours of the ruins that you can take when you visit though and all of the guides are extremely knowledgeable. They will happily tell you tales of the mound and the castle that preceded it.

The mound is open to the public all year round and is a proud part of the area’s heritage. It is recommended by the majority of people that visit Bedfordshire because it tells you much about why the county is currently how it is. You can view the river from the mound and the surrounding settlements as well as the remains of the castle, and every moment spent there is worth it so enjoy the history and the very nature of the county itself!

1.What do we know from the first paragraph?

A．The royals pay regular visits to Bedfordshire

B．Bedford Castle represents the heritage of the county

C．Most of the ancient buildings are in use today

D．Bedfordshire had its fair share of royal visits

2.The underlined word “initially” in Paragraph 2 probably means _______.

A．at first                                B．since the beginning

C．for one particular purpose                D．for a short time

3.The kings of England came to Bedford Castle ______.

A．to escape from the bad weather            B．to visit the Duke of Bedford

C．to enjoy the beauty of nature              D．to seek temporary protection

4.Why are visitors recommended to visit Bedfordshire? ______

A．It reflects the history of the country

B．It is the major heritage in that region

C．The ancient castle is well worth visiting

D．The castle is still in good condition

5.The purpose of writing the text is _______.

A．to attract tourists to Bedfordshire           B．to tell the history of Bedfordshire

C．to introduce Bedford Castle               D．to show where the kings used to go

“ Dining out”, or “ eating out ”,is a phrase people use in Britain when they eat in a restaurant or a pub. Eating out is more popular in Britain today than ever before.

However, eating out can be expensive. Restaurants are normally more expensive than pubs, though many pubs serve very good ，simple food. As British people don’t dine out every night of the week ,eating in a restaurant is often seen as a special occasion. When going for the first date， or if celebrating an anniversary or a birthday, many people like to go to a restaurant. People often eat in a restaurant before going to the cinema or the theatre.

As in all cultures, there are many rules of etiquette (礼节)surrounding food and eating, and nowhere is this more pronounced than when eating in a smart restaurant. People are almost always expected to eat with a knife and fork and these should be held in the correct hand and used in the correct way. It is also impolite to have your elbows on the dining table when you are eating.

There’re many such “unspoken” rules — they are normally only important when eating in a very elegant and expensive restaurant, and vary slightly from restaurant to restaurant and place to place. A recent nationwide survey showed that there was a divide in manners between the north and south of Britain ---the “worst” manners were in Scotland and the northeast, and the “best” in Wales and the southeast! However, this survey was almost certainly conducted by someone in the southeast, so it may not be entirely fair.

Naturally, restaurants vary greatly in quality and price. However, almost all British cities have a vast range of food and cooking styles to choose from as well as traditional British food, from the very cheap to the very expensive — French, Italian, Indian, Greek, Thai, Japanese and many more. In fact, when asked what their favorite food is, many British people say an Indian curry (咖喱菜)rather than any other dish!

As well as dining in a restaurant ，when people are too tired to cook after work they often get a “takeaway”. This means they order from a takeaway or takeout restaurant by phone, then go to collect it and take it home to eat. Many takeout restaurants also deliver to your house. While you can normally find a takeout restaurant for almost any cuisine, the most popular are Italian, Indian and Chinese — and all you have to do is to open the door, pay and eat!

1. What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?

A.      The British spend more eating out than cooking at home.

B.      The British pay great attention to eating in a restaurant.

C.      The British often dine out when celebrating festivals.

D.      People tend to eat in a restaurant after watching a movie.

2. The underlined word “pronounced" in Paragraph 3 probably means “_____

A.      polite        B. expensive     C. strange D. obvious

3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A.      There exist great differences of rules in different restaurants.

B.      People from Wales and southeast Britain are the most polite.

C.      Your order in a takeout restaurant can be sent to your home.

D.      Traditional British food is seldom served in British restaurants.

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. Restaurant culture in Britain.        

B. Table manners in Britain.

C. Different restaurants in Britain.

D. Traditional and foreign foods in Britain.

Directions: The following people are expressing their thoughts (1--4) to show their concern for food, environment and so on. After that are pieces of related information (A--E). Now decide which piece of information would be most suitable for the thought and idea mentioned in questions1---4 and mark your answer letter (A---E) on your answer sheet. There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.
______【小题1】 How I was struck by the clear water and fresh air in my childhood! But everything has changed, that is, the clear water and fresh air are nowhere to be found again as they were. Above all, a great deal of waste hardly rots away.
_____【小题2】More and more people are beginning to have a good knowledge of the importance of a safer and cleaner environment, which in turn forces the business to be cleaned up.
____【小题3】 I’m very much fond of growing some vegetables of my own in my small garden, for many vegetables on sale in markets are actually becoming more and more dangerous as a result of widespread pesticides.
____【小题4】 Nowadays it is very convenient for consumers to find and buy green food in supermarkets as they are clearly marked.

As you climb into the hill country, the roads get dustier and rougher, and fewer cars can be seen. Phonxay is one of the poorest districts of Laos, and many of its villages are only accessible by footpath. Our destination this hot morning is a concrete water tank that can be found just off the road. A UK organization helped to build it six years ago, and in the nearby village of Thapho, where clean drinking water is scarce, it has made a big difference. The tank feeds six taps which in turn give water to over 800 people---it has improved things for almost every family, from schoolchildren to grannies.

        But lately, we were told, the clean water supply has come under pressure from new arrivals, people who have come down from the hill areas, and there are concerns that there will not be enough clean water to go round.

There are also serious worries about resources in Laos. The Chinese are building a 400km railway link, which could transform the landlocked country. About 150,000 Chinese workers will be involved. What will this do to local clean water supplies? How will the workers be fed?

The vast majority of Laotians live on farms. But with foreign investors wanting to buy up land, local people will have to be moved to make room for them. Heavily dependent on both foreign aid and foreign investment, Laos still falls well behind its neighbours, although its economy has grown at about 6% a year in the last decade. Its biggest economic problem is the lack of locally trained skilled workforce.

But there are reasons to be hopeful for the future. Laos is beautiful, and foreign tourism continues to grow: fortunately so far the fast-food chains and coffee bars common elsewhere are nowhere to be seen. Although all local media are government-run, the Internet is not controlled and the BBC and CNN are available to those with satellite dishes.

The government has also achieved impressive results in rural development, with communities benefiting not just from cleaner water but the construction of new schools and regular visits from medical teams. Poverty will not be history in Laos within the next decade, but with small steps forward and a bit of outside help, the country could find itself out of the UN’s least-developed category by 2020.

1.What is putting pressure on the local supply of clean water?

A. Dust from the road is making the water dirtier.

B. There are too many taps accessing the water.

C. The population of the area is growing fast.

D. The coming summer will dry up rivers and lakes.

2.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a reason for Laos to be hopeful?

A. There are no fast-food restaurants in the country.

B. Laos has a variety of tourist attractions.

C. Information on the Internet is freely accessible.

D. The government owns all local media.

3.What is the most serious limitation on Laos’ economic growth?

A. The lack of local skilled workers.

B. A poor transportation system.

C. Too much foreign aid.

D. Too many foreign workers.

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A. Laos: slow-developing nations

B. Laos: small steps forward

C. Laos: least-developed land

D. Laos: landlocked country

The following people are expressing their thoughts (1--5) to show their concern for food, environment and so on. After that are pieces of related information (A--F). Now decide which piece of information would be most suitable for the thought and idea mentioned in questions61---65 and mark your answer letter (A---F) on your answer sheet. There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

______ 1.How I was struck by the clear water and fresh air in my childhood! But everything has changed, that is, the clear water and fresh air are nowhere to be found again as they were. Above all, a great deal of waste hardly rots away.

______ 2.More and more people are beginning to have a good knowledge of the importance of a safer and cleaner environment, which in turn forces the business to be cleaned up.

______ 3. Organic products are getting more and more popular among people, but we should know the fact that organic products might also have something to do with pesticides (农药).

______ 4.I’m very much fond of growing some vegetables of my own in my small garden, for many vegetables on sale in markets are actually becoming more and more dangerous as a result of widespread pesticides.

______ 5. Nowadays it is very convenient for consumers to find and buy green food in supermarkets as they are clearly marked.

A. “Organic produce is always better,” Gold said. “The food is free of pesticides, and you are generally supporting family farms instead of large farms. And more often than not it is locally grown and seasonal, so it is more tasty.” Gold is one of a growing number of shoppers buying into the organic trend, and supermarkets across Britain are counting on more like him as they grow their organic food business.

B. Market research shows that Gold and others who buy organic food can generally give clear reasons for their preferences - but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete. For example, small amounts of pesticides can be used on organic products. And about three quarters of organic food in Britain is not local but imported to meet growing demand. “The demand for organic food is increasing by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market,” said Sue Flock, a specialist in this line of business.

C. Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Careless methods of production and lack of consumer demand for environment-friendly products have contributed to the pollution problem. One result is that millions of tons of glass, paper, plastic, and metal containers are produced, and these are difficult to get rid of.

D. However, today, more and more consumers are choosing “green” and demanding that the products they buy should be safe for the environment. Before they buy a product, they ask questions like these: “Will this shampoo damage the environment?” “Can this metal container be reused or can it only be used once?”

E. Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds. Some supermarket products carry labels (标签) to show that the product is green. Some companies have made the manufacturing (制造) of clean and safe products their main selling point and emphasize it in their advertising.

F. The concern for a safer and cleaner environment is making companies rethink how they do business. No longer will the public accept the old attitude of “Buy it, use it, throw it away, and forget it.” The public pressure is on, and gradually business is cleaning up its act.