The well－known Rushmore National Monument in the United States is built on the Rush Moore Peak，1829 meters above sea level，of the Black Hills in the south－west of South Dakota. It is a group of huge stone statues of four American presidents，George Washington，Thomas Jefferson，Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. President Washington is the founding father of the country；the 3rd President Jefferson drafted the U. S. Declaration of Independence；the 16th President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and the26th President Roosevelt protected the average people’s right to compete fairly with trusts. All 1829 meters above sea level， made outstanding achievements for their country. They were pioneers of U. S. history.
The stone statues of presidents were built at the suggestion of an historian in the State of Dakota，with a view to carrying forward the U. S. pioneering spirit everlastingly.
The statues are 18meters high. They are the highest and greatest realistic stone statues in the world，taller than a 6－storied building and larger than the Great Sphinx of Egypt. The size of each head is 20sq mt，with a 20-meter- long face，a 7-meter -long nose，a 2.6-meter- wide mouth and two 1.5-meter -wide eyes. Though not facing the same direction，they are all lifelike and look ahead gravely in harmony with fixed gazes. On clear days，one can have a sight of the four presidents with their firm and steady expression at a distance of dozens of kilometers.
Since the stone sculpture is unique in style，the Monument is now the U. S. National Art Centre of Popular Education. Groups of people keep streaming everyday to the site for a visit and tourists across the world are also interested in taking a view of this great Monument.
52．Which statement is false according to the first paragraph?
A．The famous Rushmore National Monument is 1829 meters above sea level
B．All the four presidents made great contributions to London.
C．the group of statues are made of huge stones
D．The statues are built to honor the presidents in the U.S
53．Why were those four presidents chosen ?because the four presidents_____.
A．made great contributions to their country   B．were pioneers of US history
C．played an important role in the different periods of the American history
D．all of the above
54．What are the statues like?
A .They look like a 6-storied building   
B．They are like the great Sphinx of Egypt
C．They are like true men standing there
D．They are lifelike , looking ahead with fixed gazes
55．For what groups of people across the world come to visit the Monument? They come___.
A．to learn the U.S pioneering spirit   B．to look back upon the history of the U.S
C．to learn the art of sculpture        D．to enjoy the view of the Monument
56．The proper title of the paragraph may be ____.
A．The stone sculpture  B．the Spirit of the USA
C．A Place of Interest D．Four Presidents of America

Do you know what the White House is? Perhaps some of you do，while others don't.
　　The White House is a house in Washington. The president of the U.S.A. lives in it. It's really white. But do you know why the White House is white? The story happened in 1812. That year England was at war with America. The British army got to Washington and set the president's house on fire. In 1814，in order to hide the marks of the fire，the stone walls of the president's house were painted white and it has been the "White House” ever since.
【小题1】White House is a house for ___________.
A. the American people.
B. the soldiers of U.S.A.
C. the presidents of U.S.A.
D. the patients of U.S.A.
【小题2】England fought with America in ____________.

二、课文填空（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）

根据课文内容补充缺失的词语，每个空填一个词。注意：请把答案写在答题纸上。

Towards the end of the Qing Dynasty, the conditions in Beijing’s hutongs went down as the political situation c_______(91) a dark cloud on China’s economy. Many new hutongs were quickly built to h______(92) the increasing population but these were poorly made. The t______(93) point came when the People’s Republic of China was set up. Conditions improved a great deal and the government u_________(94) the preservation of many of the oldest hutongs.

Hutongs are still an important part of Beijing life and it is not surprising that tourists love the hutongs. They can walk up Sanmiao Street, which dates back 900 years, w________(95) down Rongxian – the longest hutong at 2 km or s__________(96) through Qianshi – the narrowest at only 40 cm wide! They can also stop under a stone arch and watch the hutong world go by while e__________(97) a plate of Beijing’s best “Peking Duck” or s__________(98) their thirst with a cold Tsingtao beer. The hutongs not only l_________(99) Beijing’s streets and communities after all, but also its past and present, showing that Beijing is truly an a__________ (100)yet modern city.

根据课文内容补充缺失的词语，每个空填一个词。注意：请把答案写在答题纸上。

      Towards the end of the Qing Dynasty, the conditions in Beijing’s hutongs went down as the political situation c_______(91) a dark cloud on China’s economy. Many new hutongs were quickly built to h______(92) the increasing population but these were poorly made. The t______(93) point came when the People’s Republic of China was set up. Conditions improved a great deal and the government u_________(94) the preservation of many of the oldest hutongs.

Hutongs are still an important part of Beijing life and it is not surprising that tourists love the hutongs. They can walk up Sanmiao Street, which dates back 900 years, w________(95) down Rongxian – the longest hutong at 2 km or s__________(96) through Qianshi – the narrowest at only 40 cm wide! They can also stop under a stone arch and watch the hutong world go by while e__________(97) a plate of Beijing’s best “Peking Duck” or s__________(98) their thirst with a cold Tsingtao beer. The hutongs not only l_________(99) Beijing’s streets and communities after all, but also its past and present, showing that Beijing is truly an a__________ (100)yet modern city.

Most people know precious gemstones (宝石) by their appearances. An emerald flashes deep green, a ruby seems to hold a red fire inside, and a diamond shines like a star. It’s more difficult to tell where the gem was mined, since a diamond from Australia or Arkansas may appear the same to one from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, recently, a team of scientists has found a way to identify a gemstone’s origin.

Beneath the surface of a gemstone, on the tiny level of atoms and molecules（分子）, lie clues (线索) to its origin. At this year’s meeting of the Geological Society of America in Minneapolis, Catherine McManus reported on a technique that uses lasers (激光) to clarify these clues and identify a stone’s homeland. McManus directs scientific research at Materialytics, in Killeen, Texas. The company is developing the technique. “With enough data, we could identify which country, which mining place, even the individual mine a gemstone comes from,” McManus told Science News.

Some gemstones, including many diamonds, come from war-torn countries. Sales of those “blood minerals” may encourage violent civil wars where innocent people are injured or killed. In an effort to reduce the trade in blood minerals, the U.S. government passed law in July 2010 that requires companies that sell gemstones to determine the origins of their stones.

To figure out where gemstones come from, McManus and her team focus a powerful laser on a small sample of the gemstone. The technique is called laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. Just as heat can turn ice into water or water into steam, energy from the laser changes the state of matter of the stone. The laser changes a miniscule part of the gemstone into plasma, a gas state of matter in which tiny particles（微粒）called electrons separate from atoms.

The plasma, which is superhot, produces a light pattern. (The science of analyzing this kind of light pattern is called spectroscopy.) Different elements（元素）produce different patterns, but McManus and her team say that gemstones from the same area produce similar patterns. Materialytics has already collected patterns from thousands of gemstones, including more than 200 from diamonds. They can compare the light pattern from an unknown gemstone to patterns they do know and look for a match. The light pattern acts like a signature, telling the researchers the origin of the gemstone.

In a small test, the laser technique correctly identified the origins of 95 out of every 100 diamonds. For gemstones like emeralds and rubies, the technique proved successful for 98 out of every 100 stones. The scientists need to collect and analyze more samples, including those from war-torn countries, before the tool is ready for commercial use.

Scientists like Barbara Dutrow, a mineralogist from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, find the technique exciting. “This is a basic new tool that could provide a better fingerprint of a material from a particular locality,” she told Science News.

1.We learn from Paragraph 1 that __________________.

A. an emerald and a ruby are names of diamonds.

B. it’s not difficult to tell where the gem was mined.

C. appearances help to identify the origin of gemstones.?

D. diamonds from different places may appear the same.

2.Why did the U.S. government pass law that requires companies selling gemstones to determine the origins of their stones?

A. To look for more gemstones.?????????????

B. To encourage violent civil wars.

C. To reduce the trade in blood minerals.??????

D. To develop the economy.

3.Which of the following facts most probably helps McManus and her team in identifying the origin of stones?

A. Heat can turn ice into water or water into steam.

B. Gemstones from the same area produce similar light patterns.

C. Laser can changes a miniscule part of the gemstone into plasma.

D. Materialytics has already collected patterns from thousands of gemstones.

4.From the last two paragraphs, what can be inferred about the laser technique?

A. It is ready for commercial use.

B. People can use the new tool to find more gemstones.

C. It can significantly reduce the gemstones trade in blood minerals.

D. It will bring about a revolutionary change in identifying the origin of minerals.

5.The author wrote this passage mainly to ________.

A. tell us how to identify the origin of diamonds.

B. introduce a laser technique in identifying a stone’s origin

C. prove identifying the origin of gemstones are difficult

D. attract our attention to reducing trade in blood minerals