Tuvalu, north of Fiji, is a tiny country in the Pacific Ocean.

    Storms and huge waves are a constant threat and none of Tuvalu's nine little islands is more than five metres above sea level. Salt water is already entering the country's drinking water supply, as well as damaging plants that produce fruit and vegetable.It fears it will be swallowed up by the sea. Without urgent help, the country's days are numbered.

    But Tuvalu is not the first place to face sinking into the sea. Venice, a historic city in Italy best known for its canals, has sunk about 24cm over the past 100 years. Experts say that it will have sunk another 20-50cm by 2050. A century ago, St. Mark's Square, the lowest point in the city, flooded about nine times a year. Nowadays, it happens more than 100 times.

While Venice is slowly sinking into the mud on which it stands, Tuvalu's rising sea level is caused by global warming.

The average global temperature has increased by almost 0.5 centigrade degree over the past century; scientists expect it to rise by an extra 1-3 degrees over the next 100 years.

Warmer weather makes glaciers melt, adding more water to the ocean. The warmer temperatures also make water expand, so it takes up more space, causing the sea level to rise. The sea level has risen about 10-25cm in the last 100 years.

 People have been increasing the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as CO2, through burning coal, oil and gas. This adds to the power of the greenhouse effect, making the planet even warmer.

Many scientists believe that, if the warming is not stopped, there will be huge climate changes. The sea level could rise by one metre this century.

Should this come true, millions of homes would be swallowed up by the sea and the world will be flooded with "climate refugees" looking for somewhere else to live.

1. We can infer from Paragraph 2 that ______.

    A. Tuvalu is in danger of being swallowed up by the sea

    B. all Tuvalu’s islands are about five meters above the sea level

    C. drinking water in Tuvalu has been destroyed

    D. Tuvalu is often flooded by storms and waves

2.The author uses Tuvalu and Venice as examples in order to explain ______.

    A. they are the first places sinking into the sea

    B. they are both sinking into the mud where they stand

    C. they will disappear in the future

    D. their trouble is caused by global warming

3. What does the underlined word “refugees” mean?

    A. People forced away from their homeland.

    B. Sudden changes caused by world climate.

    C. Animals whose lives are closely connected with weather.

    D. Bad effect of climate changes.

4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?

    A. The main cause of global warming is human pollution.

    B. The average global temperature has risen by 1-3 centigrade degrees over the past 100 years.

    C. The warmer temperature causes the sea level to rise.

    D. There will be huge climate changes unless the warming is stopped.

5.According to the passage, the root cause of global warming is _______.

A. the burning of coal, oil and gas             B. the position change of the solar system  

C. human pollution                          D. carbon dioxide emission

III. Reading Comprehension （35分）

Section A

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

There was a man who played the piano in a small bar. There were not too many ___46___, but because he was a good piano player, some people ___47___ came in every night just to hear him play. But one night, a patron (老顾客) told him he didn’t want to hear him play but to sing a song.

The man said, “I have never done that before in public. I think I’m ___48___ at playing the piano.” But the customer ___49___. He told the waiter, “I’m ___50___ listening to the piano day after day. I want to hear something new and I want that guy to sing.”

The waiter ___51___ across the room, “Hey, buddy! If you want to get ___52___, sing a song. The patrons are asking you to sing!”

So in order no bring some money home that night, the piano player who had never sung in public did so for the very first time. And ___53___ had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung before ___54___ that night by Nat King Cole, and it surprised all, including the ___55___ himself.

He had talent he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar, but ___56___ he had to sing, he went on to become one of the best-known entertainers in America.

You, too, have skills and ___57___. You may not feel as if your “talent” is particularly ___58___, but it may be better than you think! And with persistence, most skills can be ___59___. Besides, you may as well have no ability at all if you sit on whatever talent you possess. The ___60___ is not “What ability do I have that is useful?” It is rather “How will I use whatever ability I have?”

46.   A. waiters         B. players         C. singers         D. customers

47.   A. never            B. still       C. ever     D. only

48.   A. better  B. nicer    C. easier  D. sooner

49.   A. agreed          B. worried        C. insisted       D. charged

50.   A. familiar with         B. fond of C. used to        D. tired of

51.   A. complained B. shouted        C. explained     D. served

52.   A. changed       B. fired              C. paid      D. praised

53.   A. nobody         B. anybody       C. somebody    D. everybody

54.   A. since    B. after    C. until     D. when

55.   A. waiter B. singer  C. patron D. owner

56.   A. unless  B. although      C. because       D. if

57     A. advantages B. characters   C. abilities        D. principles

58.   A. different       B. surprising    C. famous         D. great

59.   A. improved     B. wasted         C. recognized          D. impressed

60     A. decision        B. difficulty       C. question       D. solution

Pop music is the name for different forms of popular, commercial(商业) music. It had its beginning in the USA and spread throughout the whole world during the 1950s and 1960s. It is widely liked by the young people. The best known early form of pop music was “rock’ n’ roll”; another was “blues”. A more recent development is “folk-rock”. Pop music has taken the place of native music in many parts of the world; it has caused the number of people for jazz to become much smaller than it was in the 1950s and earlier, and it has now begun to rule musical stage productions. It’s a big industry. Much pop music is without artistic value, but the work of some pop singers, e.g. the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the groups like Floyd and Crosby, Stills and Nash, is on a higher musical level. And there is still a great interest in it today. Pop music concerts and festivals are held all over the world.

1.All of the following forms belong to pop music EXCEPT __________________.

A. blues                          B. rock’ n ’roll                 C. jazz                  D. folk-rock

2.According to the article, the number of people for jazz in the 1950s and earlier was ___________ it is today.

   A. much greater than   B. much smaller than    C. as great as     D. as small as

3.Which of the following is TRUE?

   A. No pop music is on a high musical level.

   B. Much pop music is very artistic.

   C. Pop music is highly artistic.

   D. Not all pop music is without artistic value.

4.“It is a big industry” means that _______________.

   A. it makes a lot of musical instruments (乐器)

B. it is a big musical and commercial business

C. the pop singers are very hard-working

D. pop music is on a very high musical level

       HANS Christian Andersen put Denmark on the map of the world literature with his stories The Emperor's New Clothes, The Little Mermaid （小美人鱼） and The Ugly Duckling．Now Copenhagen, the country's capital, has become the center of the world political map, with 190 world leaders attending the climate talks there, not to mention thousands of reporters．

Just how much do you know about the Scandinavian country?

Denmark is famous for its design culture．At the heart of “Danish Design” is the idea that, as poet and designer Piet Hein puts it: “There is one art, not more, nor less, [and that is] to do all things with artlessness （朴实）”．

      Danish design places equal emphasis on practicality and quality．From Lego toys to furniture, Danish products are known for their clean lines, simplicity and functionality．“Remove material where it's not needed．Keep things simple and functional and make them carefully,” explained Hans J．Wegner, the first Danish designer to achieve worldwide fame: “The aim is not to create a work of art, but to produce a good chair．”

       “The Danes have done a better job than most in promoting arts in Europe, considering their country's size and population, in the fields of architecture, sculpture and design,” writes Helena Smith, reporter with British newspaper the Guardian．

       The simplicity of Danish design may extend to the quality of life there．Some even claim that the Danes have the highest quality of life of any nation in the world．

       Kate Vial, a 55-year-old American who has lived and worked in Denmark for more than 30 years, explaining why she chooses to live in Denmark rather than the US, told Germany's biggest news weekly Der Spiegel: “I just chose a simpler lifestyle, one where I could ride my bike all over and where I don't have to make a great living to survive．”

1.What’s the writer’s purpose of mentioning Denmark’s literature?

     A．To show the readers that Denmark is best known for its stories．

     B．To arouse readers’ interest in Denmark．

     C．To tell the readers that this passage is related to literature．

     D．To show why Denmark can attract so many political leaders．

2.What is Denmark famous for according to the passage?

     A．Design culture                                  B．Making chairs  

       C．Writing poems                                  D．Climate prediction

3.Which statement is true according to the passage?

     A．Danish design pays more attention to arts than its function．

     B．Danish products don’t need much material．

     C．Danish people like to keep simple life．

     D．Compared with other countries in Europe, Denmark does little in promoting arts．

4.In Piet Hein’s opinion, the characteristic of Danish culture is _____________．

     A．Creative         B．Complicated    C．Impractical          D．Simple

5.What is the best title for the passage?

     A．Danes conquer the world with simple designs．

     B．Denmark—a new political center．

     C．Life in Denmark．

     D．Designer’s idea of Denmark．

From early times, man has been interested in art. People have often worked together to collect and save the world’s art treasures.
Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre (卢浮宫) in Paris, France. The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries.
The Louvre has not always been a museum. The first building was a fort (要塞)with high walls and a round tower. It had a moat (护城河) to keep out the enemies. Over the years, the number of buildings around the fort grew. By 1350,the fort was no longer needed and became a palace home for French kings and queens.
During times of peace, new treasures were brought in. During times of war, many treasures were stolen, and the buildings were damaged(毁损).
When Francis I became King of France in the year of 1515,he brought in artists from many countries, and one of them was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy, whose Mona Lisa is the best-known painting in the museum today.
In 1793, the Louvre became a public museum, just as it is now. It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy.
【小题1】The above passage is about