The peoples of the Scandinavian countries share a lot in common for geographical reasons. But there are more of differences than similarities between them in all ways，including their drinking customs.

A superficial① observer might think that no one in Norway drinks wine. Meals eaten in restaurants or at home are usually washed down with tea, coffee or milk. Occasionally however，pale or dark ale② is drunk. It can be ordered only in restaurants, where it is served only with food.

Excellent quality beers are made in Jutland and consumption is high. After beer, brandy is the favorite drink. Aalborg schnapps made from corn and potatoes, is famous for its high alcoholic content. For the Danes, brandy is also an aperitif③ and is often drunk before meals. For a foreigner, the practice of surrounding toasts here can be uncomfortable. If he accepts one toast then he will have to accept all others, and it is difficult to drink six or seven glasses of brandy unless one is used to it. Ladies are fortunately excluded from these rounds and they drink only a grape juice with almost no alcoholic content.

It is milk instead of liquor that is the principal④ Finnish table drink. More milk is drunk by the Finnish people than in any other nation. In Finland the sale of alcohol is a state behavior and a check is kept on consumption by recording purchases on special card issued to all customers.

As there is a difference between Swedish cooking in the south and that in the north because of the difference in soil and climate, their drinking habits are also different. In the north alcoholic beverages⑤ are considered a necessity because they keep out the cold. While in the south people have milder drinks. But generally speaking, too much drinking is rare in Sweden, partly because it is against the law.

Sale of spirits is controlled, the Swedes drink much coffee and tea. Many people still prefer the old-fashioned coffee served in large cups with cakes. Tea is so popular in Sweden that it has been called the Swedish national drink.

Notes:

① superficial  adj.  表面上的

② ale  n.  麦牙酒

③ aperitif  n.  开胃酒

④ principal  adj.  最重要的；主要的

⑤ alcoholic beverage   n.  烈酒

1. The passage mentions the following subjects EXCEPT ______.

  A. drinking habits      B. table manners     C. sales of spirits     D. drinking time

2. According to the passage, which of the following is the Swedish national drink?

  A. Tea.       B. Brandy.       C. Aperitif.      D. Grape juice.

3. Which of the following people like milk more than other drinks?

  A. The German people.              B. The American people.

C. The Finish people.                D. The French people.

4. It can be inferred that if a foreigner isn’t good at drinking brandy, he ______.

  A. would like to invite ladies to have a party

  B. is unwilling to have a surrounding toast

  C. would like to accept others’ toasts

  D. will often drink milk instead of brandy

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast^① fortune, largely to the cause of global health, during the course of his lifetime. With an estimated^②worth of more than $ 40 billion, according to Forbes, the project will be no small feat^③for Gates. Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $ 24 billion to address global health issues, Gates said that eventually his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids.”
So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest? Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity” in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world. Improving the health of the populations, he says, has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially^④ successful. “National borders allow inequalities,” said Gates, “We all need to take a more global view, rather than just saying my country is doing well. We have to step up these health issues, knowing how few resources are going into them.”
Gates said that both his parents set good examples to him as a child. His father, William H. Gates, was the head of the local Planned Parenthood, and his mother, Mary, volunteered for the United Way. As he gathered his fortune, Gates knew he would eventually want to give back as well, but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole-heartedly to one project until he was about 60.
However, Gates, 47, began to question his ability to wait that long. “It seemed there was a real time urgency,” Gates said, “I started to think, how many lives could I save before then?”
Notes:
①    vast  adj. 巨额的
②    estimate  v. 估计，估价
③    feat  n. 功绩，壮举
④    financially  adv. 财政上，金融上
Choose the best answers according to the above:

1. 1.

   Why will Bill Gates give away his vast fortune?

   1. A.
      to improve the health of population in America alone
   2. B.
      to improve the health of population all over the world
   3. C.
      to avoid leaving his children too much money
   4. D.
      to spare the American government the burden of health care
2. 2.

   According to the passage, which of the following is right?

   1. A.
      Americans should care about people in other countries
   2. B.
      Americans should treat fellow citizens well
   3. C.
      Americans should devote themselves to certain projects
   4. D.
      Americans can be world-famous by giving away vast fortune
3. 3.

   Bill Gates gave away his vast fortune earlier than he had expected because of       __.

   1. A.
      his weakening health condition
   2. B.
      his parents’ suggestions
   3. C.
      his great success in business
   4. D.
      his concerns for suffering people
4. 4.

   According to the passage, which word can be used to describe Bill Gates?

   1. A.
      brave
   2. B.
      kind-hearted
   3. C.
      strong-minded
   4. D.
      confident

The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children. On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special.

However, the idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon① in 1909. Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices② and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a selfless and loving man. Sonora’s father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spikane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge declared the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.

When children can’t visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card. Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental③. Most greeting cards are too special so fathers laugh when they open them. Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child needed Dad.

Notes:

① sermon  v.  布道

② sacrifices  n.  牺牲

③ sentimental  adj.  感伤的

1. The United States is special in Father’s Day because ______.

  A. many people celebrate the day                B. only America celebrates the day

  C. America makes it an official day              D. all men are honored in America

2. At first, Father’s Day was fixed on June 19th because ______.

  A. Sonora honored her father on her father’s birthday

  B. Sonora’s birthday was June 19

  C. it was decided by the president at that time

  D. her mother died on June 19

3. How many years has passed before Father’s Day became an official day since the father’s day was celebrated?

  A. 4     B. 10      C. 14     D. 24

4. According to the passage, on Father’s Day,  ______.

  A. people will wear the same flowers to honor their fathers

  B. only daughters wear red flowers to honor their fathers

  C. children must go home to honor their fathers

  D. fathers are often honored in different ways

5. According to the passage, we can infer that Henry Jackson Smart ______.

  A. was very kind to anyone

  B. did a lot for his daughter

  C. was the first father honored in 1924

  D. always help others by giving money

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast^① fortune, largely to the cause of global health, during the course of his lifetime. With an estimated^② worth of more than $ 40 billion, according to Forbes, the project will be no small feat^③ for Gates. Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $ 24 billion to address global health issues, Gates said that eventually his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids.”

So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest? Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity” in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world. Improving the health of the populations, he says, has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially^④ successful. “National borders allow inequalities,” said Gates, “We all need to take a more global view, rather than just saying my country is doing well. We have to step up these health issues, knowing how few resources are going into them.”

Gates said that both his parents set good examples to him as a child. His father, William H. Gates, was the head of the local Planned Parenthood, and his mother, Mary, volunteered for the United Way. As he gathered his fortune, Gates knew he would eventually want to give back as well, but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole-heartedly to one project until he was about 60.

However, Gates, 47, began to question his ability to wait that long. “It seemed there was a real time urgency,” Gates said, “I started to think, how many lives could I save before then?”

Notes:

vast  adj. 巨额的

estimate  v. 估计，估价

feat  n. 功绩，壮举

financially  adv. 财政上，金融上

Choose the best answers according to the above:

Why will Bill Gates give away his vast fortune?

A. to improve the health of population in America alone

B. to improve the health of population all over the world

C. to avoid leaving his children too much money

D. to spare the American government the burden of health care

According to the passage, which of the following is right?

A. Americans should care about people in other countries

B. Americans should treat fellow citizens well

C. Americans should devote themselves to certain projects

D. Americans can be world-famous by giving away vast fortune

Bill Gates gave away his vast fortune earlier than he had expected because of       __.

A. his weakening health condition

B. his parents’ suggestions

C. his great success in business

D. his concerns for suffering people

According to the passage, which word can be used to describe Bill Gates?

A. brave   B. kind-hearted   C. strong-minded   D. confident

第二节：读写任务（共1小题，满分15分）

阅读下面的短文，然后按要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

A 71-year-old man, surnamed Wang, in Northwest China Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous (adj. 自治的) Region who won a lottery jackpot(彩票奖金) of 5 million yuan has donated all of the money to charity. On November 21 when Wang arrived at the lottery complex in Urumqi to receive his prize, he donated the first batch of 500,000 yuan to a charity project. It aims to finance schooling of students in poverty.

“ I donated the money because I want to help others and I am very happy to do something for our society, ” he said. “Too much money means nothing to me. But this money will be very helpful for those in need.”

The old man was a retired worker with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in Changji. His pension was only 600 yuan per month, but he said the income from his pension was enough for him.

Wang came to Xinjiang in 1956 from North China’s Henan Province. He had been engaged in farming before retirement. His wife has passed away. Wang revealed he did not tell his only daughter, who lived outside Changji, he had won the prize.

“ My daughter lives in a good condition,” he said. “ I will not leave a single penny to her. Those people that urgently need help deserve the prize.”

Although his pension was merely 600 yuan per month, Wang claimed he never said no to others who wanted to borrow money from him if he could afford it. He began to buy welfare lottery tickets in 2003 when he learned that lottery jackpot would help those in need.

【写作内容】

1 请用大约30个字，转述上文中老人所说的话；

2根据上面的短文，谈谈你的感想，内容包括如下内容，该部分大约120字：

1）对老人及其言行的评价；

2）任何人都需要钱，其实老人的生活并不富裕，他完全可以把钱花在自己需要          的地方；

3）假如你是老人的孙子，谈谈你如何看待老人的决定。

【写作要求】      可以使用实例或论述方法支持你的观点，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不能抄袭阅读材料中的句子。题目自拟。