Most musicians agree that the best violins were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins. But they aren’t the same. Why are these old Italian violins so special? Many people think they have an answer.
Some people think it is the age of the violins. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only those from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer.
Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. The wood of the violin is very important. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremona knew something special about wood for violins.
But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully. It has to be the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this is the secret of the Italians.
Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists make new violins that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old one. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish（清漆）, which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. Since no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish, no one can make the same varnish today.
There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. And there are not many of the old violins left. So these old violins are becoming more and more precious

1. 1.

   What would be the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      The Secrets of Cremona Violins
   2. B.
      The History of Italian Violins
   3. C.
      Special Musical Instruments
   4. D.
      How to Make the Best Violins
2. 2.

   The main purpose of the first paragraph is to_______________

   1. A.
      list some facts
   2. B.
      raise a question
   3. C.
      give an opinion
   4. D.
      offer an answer
3. 3.

   What is still unclear about Cremona violins according to the writer?

   1. A.
      The shape．
   2. B.
      The size．
   3. C.
      The wood．
   4. D.
      The varnish．
4. 4.

   Which of the following words can best describe Cremona violins?

   1. A.
      Light．
   2. B.
      Shining．
   3. C.
      Valuable．
   4. D.
      Modern
5. 5.

   What can we learn from this passage?

   1. A.
      Modem things are always better than ancient ones
   2. B.
      Ancient things are always better than modem ones
   3. C.
      Once a cultural relic is lost．it Can never be recovered
   4. D.
      Varnish for violins will become more and more precious

Most musicians agree that the best violins were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins. But they aren’t the same. Why are these old Italian violins so special? Many people think they have an answer.

Some people think it is the age of the violins. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only those from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer.

Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. The wood of the violin is very important. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremona knew something special about wood for violins.

But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully. It has to be the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this is the secret of the Italians.

Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists make new violins that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old one. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish（清漆）, which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. Since no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish, no one can make the same varnish today.

There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. And there are not many of the old violins left. So these old violins are becoming more and more precious.

71. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. The Secrets of Cremona Violins          B. The History of Italian Violins

C. Special Musical Instruments           D. How to Make the Best Violins

72. The main purpose of the first paragraph is to_______________．

A. list some facts                             B. raise a question

C. give an opinion                           D. offer an answer

73．What is still unclear about Cremona violins according to the writer?

A. The shape．    B. The size．    C. The wood．       D. The varnish．

74. Which of the following words can best describe Cremona violins?

A. Light．        B. Shining．    C. Valuable．    D. Modern．

75．What can we learn from this passage?

A. Modern things are always better than ancient ones．

B. Ancient things are always better than modern ones．

C. Once a cultural relic is lost, it can never be recovered． 

D. Varnish for violins will become more and more precious．

第二卷（共35分）

In recent years many countries of the world have been faced with the problem of how to make their workers more productive . Some experts claim the answer is to make jobs more varied. But do more various jobs lead to greater productivity ?There is evidence to suggest that while variety certainly makes the worker's life more enjoyable ,it does not actually make him work harder . As far as increasing productivity is concerned, then variety is not an important factor.

Other experts feel that giving the worker freedom to do his job in his own way is important ,and there is no doubt that this is true. The problem is that this kind of freedom cannot easily be given in the modern factory with its complicated machinery which must be used in a fixed way .Thus while freedom of choice may be important ,there is usually very little that can be done to create it .

Another very important consideration is how each worker contributes to the product he is making .In most factories the worker sees only one part of the product .Some car factories are now experimenting with having many small production lines rather than one large one ,so that each worker contributes more to the production of the cars on his line .It would seem that not only is degree of the worker contribution an important factor, therefore ,but it is also one we can do something about .

To what extent does more money lead to greater productivity ?The workers themselves certainly think this is important. Maybe they want more money only because the work they do is boring. Money just lets them enjoy their spare time more. A similar argument may explain demands for shorter working hours. Perhaps if we succeed in making their jobs more interesting ,they will neither want more money ,nor will shorter working hours be so important to them.

Which of the following is the best way to make workers work harder according to the author?

       A．Increasing their pay.

       B．Giving them more spare time.

       C．Making the work itself meaningful.

       D．Replacing large production lines with small ones .

The reason why a worker cannot have freedom in doing the job in his own way is that       .

       A．the machinery is so badly needed that more of it should be bought

       B．there are production lines in factories

       C．the bosses can create very little freedom of choices

       D．the machines must be operated strictly according to instructions and rules

Besides money, what may make workers work more actively?

       A．Extra free hours.            B．More comfort of life.

       C．Interesting jobs.              D．Better working conditions.

The best title for this passage may be             .

       A．Problems of Modern Workers       B．Making Jobs More Interesting

       C．Pushing Workers to Produce More        D．How to Improve Labor Productivity．

Every country has its traditional festivals． The Chinese New Year is now known as the Spring Festival because it starts from the beginning of spring． Though there are some sayings about its origin, all agree that the word Nian, which in modern Chinese means “year”, was originally the name of a beast that started to eat people the night before the beginning of a new year．

One story goes that the beast Nian had a very big mouth that would take in a great many people at one time． People were very afraid． One day, an old man came to their help and said he would stop all this． He said to Nian, “I hear that you are very strong, but can you eat up all the beasts on earth instead of people who are too weak to be your enemies?” “Yes,” Nian agreed with him and went to kill many of the beasts on earth． People were very happy because those beasts also did bad things to people and killed their farm animals from time to time．

After that, the old man, who was a god, rode on the beast Nian and left． Nian was gone, and other beasts also went into forests; people began to enjoy their happy life． Before the old man left, he had told people to put up red paper-cuts on their windows and doors at each year’s end to drive Nian away, because red is the color the beast felt most afraid of．

From then on, every year at the beginning of spring, people prepare to “Guo Nian”． The word “Guo Nian” means “go through the Nian safely”． Putting up red paper-cuts to drive Nian away and making dumplings for a better new year are still an every-year doing by the Chinese people． However, people today have long forgotten why they are doing all this, they just feel the color and the food make the New Year very enjoyable．

60． How did the old man stop Nian from eating people?

       A． By putting red paper-cuts on windows．    

       B． By eating up beasts．

       C． By talking to him．                     

       D． By riding on him．

61． Why did people put on red paper-cuts instead of those of any other color?

       A． Because Nian liked the color red．     

       B． Because the color red could kill Nian．

       C． Because the old man like the color red． 

       D． Because Nian was afraid of the color red．

62． The best title of this passage is “__________”．

       A． The Origin of the Chinese New Year      

       B． The Old Man and the Beast Nian

       C． How to Go Through the Nian safely       

       D． What Nian Was Like

63． Which of the following statement is TRUE?

       A． Nian can eat up all the beasts on earth at one time．

       B． Nian is a tall beast that likes to eat farm animals．

       C． Nian is afraid of red paper-cuts．     

       D． Nian doesn’t like to use his own mind．

For the past many centuries, people had been enjoying the benefits of green tea for the body. Many people would prefer drinking green tea than white tea and black tea, simply because of its distinct aroma(香味) not found in other types of tea. Nowadays, keeping the natural greenish color of tea leaves remained just like before. This is done by preparing the green tea just like the way it was prepared before—by washing the leaves right after pulling off them from the bush, then boiling them.
There have been many healthful claims saying that drinking green tea-based products help a lot in improving the general health of their body. For a long time, there has been many beliefs saying that green tea can help, cure beriberi disease(脚气病), treat wounds, and even prevent tiredness. Now modern technology determines that there are even added healthful benefits that include reducing the possibility of having a heart disease and helping people to lose more weight easily.
Besides, studies have found out that green tea has Polyphenols(多酚类), a type of flaonoid(类黄酮) that greatly reduces the amount of time of cell maturation. The flavonoid found in green tea is called EGCg- a stronger matter than Vitamin C and E. It is believed to be 20 times stronger than these mentioned vitamins.
Having two cups of green tea daily is a good routine for your body. However, most doctors would suggest drinking at least 4 cups a day is the best. You can slowly increase the amount of drinking it to allow your body to get used to it. There is nothing to lose but everything to gain in drinking green tea.
【小题1】Which of the following shows the right order according to the passage? _______.
a. making the leaves clean  
b. pulling off them from the bush.  
c. boiling the leaves.

A．drinking green tea has a history of thousands of years.

B．flavooid, a special vitamin, is made up of EGCg.

C．Vitamin C and E is 20 times stronger than EGCg.

D．drinking green tea has no bad effect but benefits.