The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare’s time is estimated(估计) to have been about five million. Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the standard varieties of English found in these areas, there are a great many regional and social varieties of the language as well as various levels of usage that are employed both in its spoken and written forms.

In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate(足够的) working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages. The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.

The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its present-day importance as a world language. Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers. It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations. It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies. Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West.

1.What would be the best title for this passage?

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

3.According to the passage, what is the main reason for the widespread use of English?

4.What forms an adequate working knowledge of English?

5.What type of developing countries would be most likely to use English?

6.C。细节题。根据文章最后一段倒数第2句可推知此题

There seems never to have been a civilization(文明) without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do.

In the ancient world, as is today, most boys play with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are strictly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is true because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.

What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. It is the universality of toys about their development in all parts of the world and their continuing to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.

Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to (服从于) technological progress that characterizes inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of advancement. The progress from a rattle (拨浪鼓) used by a baby in 3,000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of materials then ready for use. (words: 285 ; time : 5ms)

1. The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that ________ .

A. their social roles are strictly determined

B. most boys would like to follow their fathers' jobs

C. boys like to play with their fathers while girls with their mothers

D. they like challenging activities.

2. "The universality of toys" lies in the fact that ________ .

A. technological advances have greatly improved the making of toys

B. the improvement of techniques in making toys depends on the efforts of universities

C. the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys

D. the basic characteristics of toys are the same all over the world

3. Regarded as a kind of art form, toys ________.

A. follow a direct line of development

B. also greatly interest adults

C. are not characterized by progress in technology

D. show the pace of social progress

（C）篇

1. A。由原文第二段第二句可知。

2. D。根据文章第三段第一句和第三句可知,玩具的基本的特征变化不大。

3. C。由文章最后一段第一句可知,玩具作为一种艺术形式,不因科技变化而变化。

Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening. 

One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own. 

Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature. 

Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night. 

1.Which of the following statements is NOT true? 

2.One can use the same money for ________ to buy a little house with a garden in the country.

3.When the flowers and vegetables in the garden come up, those _______ have the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature. 

4.People who think happiness lies in the town would feel that _______ if they had to live it outside London. 

5.The underlined word rest in the last paragraph refers to ________.

6.C。推断题。根据其上文：这些人偶尔去公园散散步后去海边度两周假；本句接着说：其余的就留给那些每天晚上喜欢离开伦敦的人，那么，“其余的”显然指“其余的乡村”。从而可推知题

第二部分：阅读理解 (共20小题；每小题2分,满分40分)  
第一节：阅读下列文章,根据文章内容,从文后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。
Last year my wife and I spent a most interesting month in Turkey. Before we left, we were reminded of the difficulties of driving in Turkey. We certainly did not find this to be the case and, except for a few places in faraway mountain areas, the roads were wide, and well-paved (铺). We drove for 12 days along the Western Coast of Turkey and had no problems at all. We found the Turkish drivers most polite and well educated. We also found that eating lunch in the smaller towns was difficult so we picnicked almost every day.
The following day after our arrival was Turkey’s Children’s Day, started by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Ataturk loved children and he often said, “Children are a new beginning of tomorrow”. He even dedicated the day 23rd of April to the children. Today, it is celebrated as Children’s Day as well as the date when the Republic of Turkey was founded.
On that day certain children are picked to take over the places of the government, and a lucky kid will be the president of Turkey for a whole day. He can decide what’s going to happen and whether or not he is going to have the president sit next to him. There are a very large number of things you can do but some shops aren’t open because they are celebrating as well.
All in all, it was a more enjoyable trip. I would recommend a trip to Turkey to anyone with an adventurous spirit! 
36. Before the author and his wife went on a trip to Turkey, they were told that
_____.
A. it was difficult to travel in Turkey
B. it was not easy to drive in Turkey
C. the streets in Turkey were dangerous
D. there were many mountainous roads
37. Which of the following is TRUE, according to the first paragraph?
A. Places in mountain areas were difficult to reach.
B. The couple drove for 12 days during their journey.
C. The Turkish drivers had good manners.
D. It was difficult to eat meals in Turkey.
38. The underlined word “he” in the third paragraph refers to ______.
A. every one of us               B. the government
C. the president of Turkey     D. the lucky child
39. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The couple had no difficulty making their way in Turkey.
B. Turkey’s National Day was the 22nd of April.
C. The author joined in celebrating Children’s Day.
D. On Turkey’s Children’s Day everyone had a holiday.