Spanish explorers called them Las Encantadas, the Enchanted Isles, and Charles Darwin used his studies of the islands as the foundation for his theory of natural selection. The Galapagos are among the world's most important scientific treasures, a group of volcanic islands surrounded by deserted beaches and inhabited by unique varieties of giant tortoise, lizards, and birds.

Yet life on this United Nations world heritage site has turned sour. Battles have broken out between fishermen and conservationists. Ecuador, which owns the islands, has sent a naval patrol (海军巡逻队) to put down disturbances.

The controversial director of the Galapagos National Park—which controls 97 percent of Galapagos land and the reserve extending to 40 miles offshore—has been fired, while an air of uneasy tension hangs over the islands, as the islanders prepare for election when they pick their representatives in Ecuador’s national assembly.

“It’s a very tense situation,” said Leonor Stjepic, director of the London-based Galapagos Conservation Trust, which raises money to help projects on the islands. “We are watching it with concern.”

The violence has been triggered by an alarming growth in the islands’ population. Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz island, housed just 45 inhabitants in the 50s. Today there are more than 10,000, while the islands' total population is more than 19,000 and growing by 6 percent a year, despite recently introduced a law to limit waves of immigrants fleeing the poor areas of Ecuador for a life “in paradise (天堂)”. On top of this, more than 100,000 tourists visit the islands every year.

Such numbers have put the islands, special ecology under intense pressure. Conservationists backed by the Ecuador government, have replied by exercising strict controls to protect the islands* iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and giant tortoises.

These moves have angered many local people, however. They want to exploit (开发利用) the islands’ waters and catch its protected species of sharks, lobsters and sea cucumbers, which can fetch high prices in Japan and South Korea.

Angry fishermen surrounded the Charles Darwin research station on Santa Cruz last February, threatened to kill Lonesome George—the last surviving member of the Pinta Island species of the Galapagos giant tortoise.

The situation got improved after the Ecuador government made concessions (让步) by increasing fishing quotas (配额), which angered conservationists. “It is tragic, the short-term gain of a few fishermen versus the long-term survival of the Galapagos,” said John McCosker of the California Academy of Sciences. “They are killing the golden goose.”

Then, the Ecuador government appointed Fausto Cepeda as the national park's new director, a post that has become a political football for the mainland government. There have been nine directors in the past 18 months.

This appointment was particularly controversial, however. Cepeda was known to have close ties with the fishing industry, and the rangers (管理员),who run the national park and reserve, rebelled.

More than 300 staged a sit-in at the park’s headquarters and prevented Cepeda from taking up his post. A battle broke out, and at least two people suffered serious injuries. Eventually, Cepeda—with the fishermen’s help- entered the park. “I am in office, i am in control. And I am trying to lower the tension,” he announced.

The Ecuador government took no chances, and sent a patrol boat to maintain the peace. A few days later, Ecuador Environment Minister Fabian Valdivicso met representatives of rangers. After discussions, he told newspapers that he had decided to remove Cepeda from the post.

However, as the population continues to rise, the long-term pressures on the islands are serious and will not disappear that easily.

“We have to balance its special environment with the needs of local people. In that sense, it is a microcosm (缩影) for all the other threatened parts of the world. So getting it right here is going to be a very, very important trick to pull off,” said Stjepic.

1.What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A. The island’s swelling population.

B. The law to limit waves of immigrants.

C. A life in paradise.

D. The tourists’ visiting the islands every year.

2.How significant were the islands for Charles Darwin?

A. He based his theory on his studies there.

B. He built the Charles Darwin research center there.

C. He advocated the balance between ecology and people there.

D. He found the last surviving giant tortoise there.

3.What is the primary contributing factor to the conflict between conservationists and fishermen?

A. The dismissal of the previous director of the Galapagos National Park.

B. The exploitation of the islands.

C. The government's support of Galapagos Conservation Trust.

D. Cepeda’s close tie with the fishing industry.

4.We can learn from the passage that _______.

A. the projects of Galapagos Conservation Trust on the islands are profitable

B. conservationists get angry when fishermen are killing a goose

C. politicians from the mainland government play football on the islands

D. the government is trying to ease the tension

5.In Paragraph 13, what does the author mean by “The Ecuador government took no chances”?

A. The government did not seize opportunities.

B. The government made no compromises.

C. The government did not run risks.

D. The government shrank from responsibilities.

Most Americans have a city they like best. Over the years, American songwriters have described these feelings in music. More songs have been written about America's biggest city, New York, than about any other city. Many others dream about leaving their small towns to go there. They want to become rich and famous. Frank Sinatra sings about this dream in the most popular song written about New York. 

    Almost three-million people live in the middle western city of Chicago, Illinois. It is now America's third largest city. It used to be the second largest city. So, of course, it needed its own song. Judy Garland sings the song, "Chicago, Chicago. "

     One of America's most exciting cities is Las Vegas, Nevada. In nineteen-sixty-four, Elvis Presley starred in a movie called "Viva Las Vegas." Here is the song from that movie. It is sung by the group Z-Z Top.

As we all know, one of the most beautiful cities in America is San Francisco, California. The most popular song about the city is called "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Tony Bennett recorded it in nineteen-sixty-two. It sold more than three-million records.

Many people love Los Angeles, California. It is now America's second largest city. Los Angeles is popular because the weather is warm and the sun shines almost all the time. Randy Newman sings about his feelings for the city in the song, "I Love L.A." Not everyone, however, loves Los Angeles. Some people do not like all the big roads around the city. They like living in a smaller place. A place like San Jose, California. Dionne Warwick sings about going back to this city. The song is, "Do You Know The Way To San Jose."

Songs about American Cities

States       

1.__________    Features                       Songs                              Songwriters/ Band

         New York  America's biggest city        A song about New York     

2.____________

Illinois       Chicago,   

3. America's ____________ city        "Chicago, Chicago"             Judy Garland

4.________     

5._________      America's second largest city                              6._________            Randy Newman

San Francisco   

7.___________        "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."    

8.____________

9.________     

small          "Do You Know The Way To San Jose  

Dionne Warwick

Nevada    

Las Vegas 

exciting    A song from "Viva Las Vegas."   

10. the group ___________

第二卷（共35 分）

第四部分：书面表达（共两节，满分35分）

填空（共10小题： 每小题1分，满分10分）

阅读短文，根据所读内容在表中的空格处填上适当的单词或短语， 每空不超过3个单词。

Most Americans have a city they like best. Over the years, American songwriters have described these feelings in music. More songs have been written about America's biggest city, New York, than about any other city. Many others dream about leaving their small towns to go there. They want to become rich and famous. Frank Sinatra sings about this dream in the most popular song written about New York. 

  Almost three-million people live in the middle western city of Chicago, Illinois. It is now America's third largest city. It used to be the second largest city. So, of course, it needed its own song. Judy Garland sings the song, "Chicago, Chicago. "

   One of America's most exciting cities is Las Vegas, Nevada. In nineteen-sixty-four, Elvis Presley starred in a movie called "Viva Las Vegas." Here is the song from that movie. It is sung by the group Z-Z Top.

As we all know, one of the most beautiful cities in America is San Francisco, California. The most popular song about the city is called "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Tony Bennett recorded it in nineteen-sixty-two. It sold more than three-million records.

Many people love Los Angeles, California. It is now America's second largest city. Los Angeles is popular because the weather is warm and the sun shines almost all the time. Randy Newman sings about his feelings for the city in the song, "I Love L.A." Not everyone, however, loves Los Angeles. Some people do not like all the big roads around the city. They like living in a smaller place. A place like San Jose, California. Dionne Warwick sings about going back to this city. The song is, "Do You Know The Way To San Jose."

Songs about American Cities

Besides news reports that tend to focus on war or election, Americans generally don’t hear much about people in other countries. One reason may be that very little foreign-language literature is translated into English. In the United States, just a few of the titles, mainly translations of foreign novels, short stories, or poetry, make it into English. However, a number of efforts have taken root to try to bring more global literature to US audiences.

The online magazine of international literature, Words Without Borders, was founded by Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. The nonprofit site, now in its fifth year, offers modern writing from places such as Argentina, China and Italy, often for the first time in English. It gets about 200,000 page views per month and counts roughly 8,000 subscribers (订阅者) , more than one-quarter of whom live in the US.

“There’s a wave of interest right now,” says Jill Schoolman, publisher of Archipelago Books, a small nonprofit press in Brooklyn, N.Y., opened in 2003 to publish world literature in translation only. “People are hungry for ideas from other countries.”

Rainmaker Translations — a Las Vegas-based nonprofit — was formed two years ago to support the publication of more top-quality global writing here in the US. They put out their first three titles, translated from Arabic, Chinese, and Russian, in the spring of 2006 and plan to aid up to four more in the coming year.

In March, the Center for the Art of Translation, a nonprofit started in 1994 in San Francisco, will publish Two Lines World Library, focused on writing from some particular areas published over the last several decades.

Dalkey Archive Press, a century-old nonprofit publisher in Champaign, Illinois, has upped the number of translations on its publication list since 2003, from 25 percent to nearly 80 percent.

       In recent years, more nonprofits have applied to the National Endowment for the Arts for help to publish literary translations. The agency is also trying to increase the availability of translated prose (散文) and poetry in the US, such as publishing partnerships with foreign governments.

1．The main purpose in founding the magazine Words Without Borders is __________.

       A．to compete for page views and subscribers online

       B．to get American literature better known to the world

       C．to help advance nonprofit world literature translation

       D．to introduce more world literature to readers in the US

2．What do the publishers mentioned in the passage have in common?

       A．They mainly publish top-quality world literature in translation.

       B．They don’t aim at making money by publishing global writing.

       C．They provide their translation and publication services online.

       D．They have published a number of literary works in translation.

3．Which of the following shows the proper order of the founding of the presses (出版社)?

DAP = Dalkey Archive Press                      CAT = Center for the Art of Translation

       RT = Rainmaker Translations                      AB = Archipelago Books

A．DAP→CAT→RT→AB                         B．DAP→CAT→AB→RT

C．CAT→DAP→AB→RT                         D．CAT→DAP→RT→AB

4．Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．World literature: Shared by the world    

B．World literature: Loved by Americans

       C．World literature: Founded in translation  

D．World literature: Developed in styles

从上海、北京2003年高考试卷上阅读理解题，可发现一大特色，就是阅读篇章在加大，词汇量在增多，因而平时一定要加强泛读的练习，不断提高阅读水平和阅读技巧.

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳答案.

　　 A lot of tourists visit Las Vegas every day Millions of people all over the world look forward to just getting a look at what Las Vegas is like. But one particular question always cross people's mind: Why is Las Vegas always on the top of every vacation resort list? Why is La s Vegas the first thing that crosses every single person's mind when the word “vacation” approaches?

    Las Vegas is the legendary dreamland for moneymakers, as well as the most perfect vacation spot ever to be open and available to vacationers throughout the whole world! Equip with 12 of the largest hotels ever to be built, casinos make your brain spin, and sights you could never finish seeing I guess the most important and popular thing that attracts so many tourists, is the money magnet that only Las Vegas possesses This craving desire for money that lives within ourselves always tends to lead to Las Vegas, which is why 30 million people hear for the golden town of gambling each and every year.

　　Now, many great famous movie stars as well as singers, and all the tops in show biz, are coming to this little town just out of nowhere to perform and entertain the many sightseers of Las Vegas. It truly brings me in awe when I note the fact that the most successful town in the whole broad world could be located in such a deserted town in which many years ago were nothing more than a giant mass of sand and mountains suffering in the tremendous desert heat. To think the human race could establish such a growing and changing treasure is so much of an abandoned, really unites the fact that if we especially work hard, and put enough effort into anything, there isn't anything we can't accomplish!

(1)Las Vegas is in ________.

[　　]

(2)The very thing for Las Vegas to attract so many tourists is the ________.

[　　]

A．wonderful sightseeing

B．dreamland

C．gambling

D．money magnet

(3)________ is always on the top of every vacation resort list.

[　　]

(4)________ like to go to Las Vegas, too.

[　　]

(5)Las Vegas comes up from ________.

[　　]

A．a wonderful place

B．a deserted place

C．a rich place

D．a small town