Coffee has a history dating back to at least the 9th century and has been a catalyst for social interaction across cultures and eras. Originally discovered in Ethiopia, coffee beans were brought into the Middle East by Arab traders, spreading to Egypt, Yemen, Persia, Turkey, and North Africa by the 15th century. Muslim merchants eventually brought the beans to the thriving port city of Venice, where they sold them to wealthy Italian buyers. Soon, the Dutch began importing and growing coffee in places like Java and Ceylon (largely through slave labor), and the British East India Trading Company was popularizing the beverage in England. Coffee spread across Europe and even reached America.

Where there has been coffee, there has been the coffeehouse. From the 15th century Middle Eastern establishments where men gathered to listen to music, play chess, and hear recitations from works of literature, to Paris' Cafe le Procope where luminaries of the French Enlightenment such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot came to enjoy a hot cup of joe, coffeehouses have traditionally served as centers of social interaction, places where people can come to relax, chat, and exchange ideas.

The modern coffee shop is modeled on the espresso and pastry-centered Italian coffeehouses that arose with the establishment of Italian-American immigrant communities in major US cities such as New York City's Little Italy and Greenwich Village, Boston's North End, and San Francisco's North Beach. New York coffee shops were often frequented by the Beats in the 1950's. It wasn't long before Seattle and other parts of the Pacific Northwest were developing coffee shops as part of a thriving counterculture scene. The Seattle-based Starbucks took this model and brought it into mainstream culture.

Although coffeehouses today continue to serve their traditional purpose as lively social hubs in many communities, they have noticeably adapted to the times. Rediscovering their purpose as centers of information exchange and communication, many coffee shops now provide their customers with internet access and newspapers. It has become extremely common to see someone sitting at a Starbucks listening to music or surfing the web on his or her laptop. Coffee stores today also maintain a fairly identifiable, yet unique aesthetic: wooden furniture and plush couches, paintings and murals drawn on walls, and soft-lighting combine to give coffee shops the cozy feeling of a home away from home.

Today, big business retail coffee shops are expanding quickly all over the world. Starbucks alone has stores in over 40 countries and plans to add more. Despite its popularity, Starbucks has been criticized and labeled by many as a blood-sucking corporate machine, driving smaller coffee shops out of business through unfair practices. This has even spawned an anti-corporate coffee counterculture, with those subscribing to this culture boycotting big business coffee chains. Increasingly popular coffee stores such as The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf are also giving Starbucks some stiff competition. In any case, it seems pretty clear that coffee has weaved itself into the fabric of our consumer-oriented culture.

1.

 Which of the following is the correct order of coffee spreading in history?

   ①Egypt    ②America    ③the Middle East    ④Netherlands    ⑤Venice

   A. ①③④②⑤       B. ③①⑤④②              C. ①⑤④③②             D. ③②⑤④①

2.

We can infer from the passage ________.

   A. Starbucks has beaten all the competitors  

B. there are no changes in the development of coffee culture

C. the taste of coffee has changed a lot

D. Starbucks has some effect on the development of coffee culture

3.

The famous coffeehouse “Starbucks” originally come from _______.

   A. Seattle                     B. Ethiopia                          C. Java                                 D. France

4.

Nowadays, if you come to a coffeehouse, you can _______.

   A. play chess with other customers                   

B. enjoy delicious dishes from South America

   C. surf the internet                                                 

D. watch a TV play

A towering South American plant that is believed to kill animals with its spikes(尖刺) and use their rotting bodies as fertilizer is about to bloom(开花) in England. A rare Puya chilensis was planted at a greenhouse in Surrey, a county in the southeast of England about 15 years ago. However, despite its frightening description, the tall, spiked plant is considered a threatened species.

The Royal Horticultural Society has been feeding the plant a diet of liquid fertilizer. “In its natural habitat in the Andes it uses its razor sharp spikes to snare and trap sheep and other animals, which slowly starve to death and rot at the base of the plant, providing it with a bag of fertilizer,” reads a description on the RHS website, which adds that the plant gives off a “gruesome scent.”

But does the plant actually trap and eat sheep? Other sources have simply said it is “believed” that the plant traps small animals with its spikes. After the animals die of starvation, the plant is "believed" to then use their rotting bodies as fertilizer to feed itself.

"I'm really pleased that we've finally persuaded our Puya chilensis into producing flower," horticulturalist Cara Smith said in a press release on the RHS site. Regardless of whether it actually traps sheep, the plant does have sharp spikes that can grow up to 12 feet high and 5 feet wide. However, it’s not all death and danger for this plant. Its flowery blooms reportedly provide nectar(花蜜) for bees and birds.

The Puya chilensis blooms annually in its native land of Chile, but this is the first time it has done so after more than a decade of cultivation efforts from the RHS. "We keep it well fed with liquid fertilizer as feeding it on its natural diet might prove a bit problematic,” Smith said. "It's growing in the dry section of our glasshouse with its deadly spines well out of reach of both children and sheep alike."

1.From the passage we learn that in England the Puya chilensis _____.

A. feeds on man-made liquid fertilizer

B. often kills sheep and other animals

C. has once bloomed 15 years before

D. uses animals' rotting bodies as fertilizer

2.The underlined word “snare” in the second paragraph probably means“_________”.

A. catch                      B. stop                        C. fight                        D. kill

3.We can infer from the passage that _____.

A. it's dangerous to feed the plant

B. it's certain that the plant kills sheep

C. it's difficult for the plant to bloom in England

D. it's rare for the plant to bloom in South American

4.What does the writer mainly tell us?

A. A new plant is discovered in Chile.

B. How a rare plant is fed in England.

C.  A rare plant is going to bloom in England.

D. How a plant traps animals in South America.

The insanely popular song from South Korean recording artist PSY has just become the most watched video on YouTube ever, gaining more than 808 million views on the popular media site.

The record was previously held by another pop heavyweight, Justin Bieber, whose song“Baby”had a little more than 804 million views at press time. PSY made the announcement early today.

Since its release，the song has outshone such other popular videos as Jennifer Lopez’s“On the Floor.”and Eminem’s“Love the Way You Lie”.

And in September，“Gangnam Style”also became the most liked video on YouTube，now with nearly 5.4 million thumbs up．

At the time of the announcement, the Guinness Book of World Records released a statement saying: “In years past it was unthinkable that something would be viewed a hundred million times, and now Gangnam Style has achieved more than twice this figure in just three months on YouTube. PSY，your certificate is waiting here at our office，come and pick it up any time!”

Despite its massive popularity, the video shows no signs of slowing down, and it even has a shot at becoming the first video to get more than one billion views.

If it maintains its current rate of around six million new views per day, “Gangnam Style”would be in line to break that record by the end of the year.

It has found its way to the tops of music charts in more than 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Canada, while providing material for thousands of parody videos.

It became a staple in the 2012 presidential elections with the now ramous “Mitt Romney Style” video and was even used by the North Korean government in propaganda(宣传)films promoting their supreme leader. Meanwhile, such influential figures as President Obama, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt have all made mention of the hit song.

1.Which of the following ranks second in views on YouTube?

A．Gangnam Style．                       B．Baby．

C．On the Floor．                         D．Love the Way You Lie．

2.Which statement about Gangnam Style on YouTube is wrong?

A．It has become the most watched video．

B．It has become the most liked video．

C．It has won more than 5.4 million thumbs down．

D．It has more than two hundred million views in three months．

3.What does the statement made by the Guinness Book of World Records suggest?

A．Some video gained more views than Gangnam Style．

B．It is impossible that Gangnam Style should have 100 million views．

C．Guinness Book of World Records has recognized Gangnam Style’s achievements．

D．Guinness Book of World Records won’t believe Gangnam Style’s achievements．

4. Gangnam Style is to _______ if it keeps its current rate．

A．get more than one billion views

B．get more than two billion views

C．get more than 808 million Views

D．get one hundred million views

5.What can we learn about Gangnam Style from the last paragraph?

A．It is especially popular in developing countries.

B．It has played a part in the US presidential elections.

C．Few influential figures know it.

D．The supreme leader of North Korea has ever performed it.

The route from north to south is a general picture of Norwegian nature: thundering waterfalls, rushing mountain streams and roads that run along glaciers, after having gone through thick pine forests and coastal lakes and fiords(峡湾)．

The inner part of the country is very rugged and almost one third of it is covered with trees. Despite its northern latitude, the Norwegian weather is in fact maritime(海洋性的) and damp, because it is affected by the mitigating (调节)action of the warm Gulf Stream, coming from the Gulf of Mexico, which flows up the coast preventing the formation of sea ice.

Bergen, a port lying in the southeast of the country, is crowded with brightly colored houses, which belonged to German traders of the powerful Hanseatic League. Despite several fires, the area keeps the atmosphere of the “old port” and Commercial City from the Middle Ages. UNESCO (联合国教科文组织) recently declared it a World Heritage Site and included it in the list of monuments that are to be preserved.

There is a large park in the center of Bergen which is taken up almost completely by a large lake, around which, lie some of the main museums in the city.

The Hakonshallen, the most beautiful monument in the city, lies within the walls of Bergen's fortress. The great 13th century Gothic hall was built for the parties and the receptions in the days of the city's control over trade in the North Sea.

You get the best view over Bergen, the fiords and the surrounding pine－covered mountains from the belvedere(观景台). It's easy to admire Norwegians for their unique(独特的) way of respecting the nature!

From north to south, from Lapland to Oslo and Bergen, Norwegian people has proved, with time, that human beings, as the most advanced yet most vulnerable (脆弱的) in the great family of nature, can live in harmony (和谐) with all its other members.

6. The purpose of the passage is to ________.

A. introduce the whole natural scenery of Norway

B. show people the fact that human beings can live in harmony with nature through respecting nature

C. tell people Norway's natural environment is so beautiful and attracts more tourists

D. inform people that Bergen has been declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO

7. In Norwegian winter, there is no sea ice because ________.

A. Norway lies in Northern Europe with high latitude

B. one third of Norway is covered with thick pine trees

C. the Gulf Stream from the Gulf of Mexico keeps the Norwegian coast warm all year round

D. the weather depends upon the mountainous areas in Norway

8. The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to ________.

A. the warm Gulf stream  B. the Norwegian weather

C. the northern latitude  D. the Gulf of Mexico

9. Which of the following statements about Bergen is NOT true?

A. Bergen is a port with a large park in its center.

B. The Hakonshallen, the most beautiful monument in Bergen was once controlled by German merchants in the 13th century.

C. The Hakonshallen was meant for the commercial needs at that time.

D. UNESCO has decided to preserve Bergen because of its real atmosphere of the “old port” and Commercial City from the Middle Ages.

10. It can be inferred from this passage that ________.

A. Norway is a neighbor of Mexico

B. Germans play an important part in the Norwegian economy

C. the south of Norway is covered with thick forest

D. the Hanseatic League is a commercial organization

The popular song ‘Gangnam Style’ from South Korean recording artist PSY has just become the most watched video on YouTube ever, getting more than 808 million views on the popular media site.

The distinction was previously held by another pop heavyweight, Justin Bieber, whose song ‘Baby’ had a little more than 804 million views at press time. PSY made the announcement on his Twitter page earlier today.

Since its release, the song has defeated such other popular videos as Jennifer Lopez’s ‘On the Floor’ and Eminem's ‘Love the Way You Lie’. And in September, 'Gangnam Style' also became the most liked video on YouTube, now with nearly 5.4 million thumbs up.

At the time of the announcement, the Guinness Book of World Records released a statement saying: “In years past it was unthinkable that something would be viewed a hundred million times, and now Gangnam Style has achieved more than twice this figure in just three months on YouTube. PSY, your certificate is waiting here at our office, come pick it up any time!”

Despite its massive popularity, the video shows no signs of slowing down, and it even has a shot at becoming the first video to get more than one billion views.

If it maintains its current rate of around six million new views per day, ‘Gangnam Style’ would be in line to break that record by the end of the year.

The YouTube honors are just the latest in a long list that shows just how popular the song has become. Since it was released in July, the song has seen a meteoric rise through the music industry.

It has found its way to the tops of music charts in more than 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Canada, while providing material for thousands of parody（恶搞）videos.

It became part of the 2012 presidential elections with the now famous ‘Mitt Romney Style’ video and was even used by the North Korean government in propaganda films promoting their supreme leader.

Meanwhile, such influential figures as President Obama, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt have all made mention of the hit song.

1.This passage mainly talks about a world famous________.

A. music chart                         B. video website

C. music video                         C. Korean pop singer

2.Which of the following about “Gangnam Style” is NOT true according to the passage?

A．“Gangnam Style” has defeated Justin Bieber’s “Baby” on You Tube’s views.

B．“Gangnam Style” has been the favorite to at least 5.4 million people.

C．“Gangnam Style” has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.

D．“Gangnam Style” has been the first to get more than 1 billion views.

3.What can we infer from this passage?

A．The influence of “Gangnam Style” has spread far and wide

B．Obama won the presidential election partly because of the ‘Mitt Romney Style’ video.

C．Despite its massive popularity, the fever of “Gangnam Style” has decreased.

D．PSY will become one of the greatest musicians due to the popularity of “Gangnam Style”.