Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from the list A-F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.?

E. The Decade of Youth Heroism in Distress

F. The Decade of Great Imbalances

The first decade of the new millennium has come to an end. It’s become a sort of habit to give a representative name to each decade, so, once again, an effort is under way to find a term to fit the years from 2000 to 2009.

80. __________

That shouldn’t be too hard a job for us here in China. First, no country has seen economic growth in the last decade like this. The economy quadrupled, with almost double-digit annual growth, and GDP went from No.6 to No.3. It’s now only slight below that of Japan, and many are saying that it will only be another year or two before we have the world’s second largest economy. In addition, in 2008, China was host to the Olympics, possibly the best organized and hosted Games over, and that impressed the world and boosted Chinese confidence.

81. _________

The economy developed at a breakneck pace, and personal wealth mushroomed--- for many, anyway. Salaries multiplied, stock market investment and real estate were a bubble, then burst, then became a bubble again. China now has one of the largest collections of millionaires and billionaires in the world, and has helped keep the world’s luxury products industry from going under. Meanwhile, the earnings gap has widened in an unprecedented way. Millions are still living near the poverty line and the urban poor has become an obvious problem.

82. _________

Yet, how could we think of the changes without including the Internet? If one thing can be credited with making the most changes in people’s lives, it should be the World Wide Web. We learned to use e-mail, chatrooms, and BBS at the beginning of the decade, and, after witnessing one dotcom burst, it’s time for the second Internet entrepreneurial wave. This time, however, it’s in the form of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Kaixin, as well as video-sites like Youtube and Tudou.

83. __________

Oh, and who could forget the many misfortunes, and the tragedies, that befell China in the last 10 years: mining accidents that killed dozens at a time, a public health crisis like SARS, or the disastrous Wenchuan earthquake that destroyed towns and thousands of family. We seem to have a disproportionate share of tragic things happening here. At the same time, the Chinese, especially  younger ones, have shown an amazing ability to recover from these disasters and be stronger and more unified. Millions of young volunteers poured into Sichuan to offer their help, as they did in other emergencies.

84. ___________

The West has a generally darker view of this past decade. One of The New York Times articles in mid-November said that, in thinking about a name from the American point of view, it seems difficult to find the right expression for so much upheaval, change, and worry: the Y2K millennium bug, which never caused much damage and chaos, the alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which were never found; and so on. The United State launched two wars after 9/11, but never realized that the real threat to American interests lay in its own economy and finances until the sub-prime crisis, erupted in 2007.

Others find it an almost impossible job to name the decade, saying it will take many years to name the 2000s because it will take many years to figure out what we feel that we lost during that period.

   Runners in a relay(接力) race pass a stick in one direction. However, merchants passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road.

The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of citied and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 B, C, to about A, D, 1300, when sea travel offered new routes(路线)　, It was sometimes called the world’s longest highway. However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe.

    The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft(嫁接)　different trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web.

The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathways for learning, diplomacy(外交), and religion (宗教)

1.It’s probable that traders along the Silk Road needed         .

A. to remember the entire trade route       B. to know the making of products

C. to receive certain special training        D. to deal with a lot of difficulties

2.The Silk Road became less important because          .

A. it was made up of different routes        B. silk trading became less popular

C. sea travel provided easier routes         D. people needed fewer foreign goods

3.New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people          .

A. learned from one another               B. shared each other’s beliefs

C. traded goods along the route             D. earned their living by traveling

4.What is the best title for the passage?

   A. The Silk Road ; Past and Present         B. The Silk Road; East Meets West

C. The Silk Road; Routes Full of Dangers    D. The Silk Road; Pathways for Learning

I spent two months with an American family last year when I studied in America.

It is said, “The best house is in America, the best wife is in Japan, and the best food is in China.” So I took pride （自豪）and __21__ to __22__ “the best food” for my American family. Each day, regardless of my poor skill of cooking, I would do something in __23__ way: changing the dishes’ colour, the meat’s type or the soup’s style. （风味）Thus, my American friends could discover the __24__ of eating Chinese food. Because of my “__25__” job, I was often rewarded （奖励） by their __26__ of appreciation （感激）such as “very delicious”, “excellent”, etc.

But the joke was here: Yesterday, I cooked Sichuan style __27__ for dinner. I was __28__ at my achievement.（成就）

When all the family members arrived at the table, they first looked __29__ at the fish, then looked at me. “Why do all the fish have their __30__?” they asked, “It’s terrible!”

Terrible or beautiful? I don’t know. But I __31_ know that fish heads are delicious. The __32__ is the best part of fish; in __33__ only the respectable （受敬重的）guest can have the special honour of __34__ it.

Another __35__ thing is: The American friends often said to me “__36__” as they __37__ fruits or other things. According to Chinese tradition I would simply smile in answer to their kindness __38__ actually helping myself to any of the food. __39__, I said “help yourself” to them whenever I brought home fruits. Dear me, no matter how much or how often I brought home food, as long as it was nice to their taste, they __40__ hesitated （犹豫）to use their hands to “help themselves” until all was finished

There is a scene that is repeated up and down the land during the month of June. Outside a church in some Scottish town or village a small crowd has interrupted its daily affairs to gather on the pavement. Near the west door a dozen or so overdressed people are glancing impatiently at their watches. The men seem a little self-conscious in their hired kilts; the women hold their wind-blown dresses and loudly admire each other’s hats. They are all lively and talkative, yet at the same time strangely reserved. The crowd ignores them, barely noticing when they disappear into the church. Even the arrival of the groom rouses little excitement. These participants are not the main attraction. We are waiting for the bride.

Whatever her age or appearance, everyone will smile and express approval. By convention, all brides are beautiful. Nobody says so, but the spectators feel cheated unless she steps out of a car, dressed in white from head to toe. The nearer she matches their image, the greater their satisfaction. This event is not merely a wedding; it is a tradition, and such occasions are potentially dangerous. Participants must pay strict attention to detail. An untraditional bride destroys the magic.

When the crowd has left, some bystanders will remain to watch the bride walk out of church on the arm of her groom. The guests troop out behind the happy couple and all gather on the pavement with an obvious air of relief. A piper strikes up Mairi’s Wedding and the guests start shouting and jumping everywhere, putting the photographer off his work. Before bride and groom lead their party to the reception, someone is sure to disobey the priest and scatter forbidden confetti (五彩碎纸).

The particulars of this scene are modern; yet three elements are present that have existed since marriage in Scotland began—ancient Roman law redefined in a Christian context, Celtic tradition, and pre-Christian tradition.

51. Why is the scene mentioned in this article often seen all over Scotland in June?

A. It’s hot in June so men can wear kilts and women can put on beautiful dresses.

B. A lot of Scottish people like getting married at that time of the year.

C. In June people can get away from their daily affairs and go to church.

D. June is considered the luckiest month of the year.

52. The underlined word “them” (in Paragraph 1) refers to ________.

   A. the overdressed people     B. the bride and groom

   C. the people on the street     D. the people’s hats

53. Please put the following in correct order.

a. The bride arrives.

b. The couple walks out of the church.

c. A piper plays some music.

d. The groom arrives.

e. The bride and groom lead people to the reception.

f. People wait outside the church.  

A. f, d, a, c, b, e                 B. f, d, a, b, c, e

C. d, f, a, b, e, c                                      D. d, a, f, b, e, c                

54. The underlined part “putting the photographer off his work” (in Paragraph 3) most probably means _____.

A. making the photographer feel relieved

B. giving the photographer a chance to rest

C. disturbing the photographer when he is taking pictures

D. having the photographer taken away from his duty

55. What can we infer from the passage?

A. Women going to a wedding ceremony pay most attention to each other.

B. Spectators of a wedding ceremony are particularly interested in the groom.

C. Confetti is forbidden at the wedding ceremony because it is not all white.

D. If the bride is dressed all in white traditionally, she is considered beautiful.

We supply the bike, panniers, all the support gear, easy to follow maps, cycle routes and either the accommodation or several accommodation suggestions depending on the tour.

All you need to do is bring your cycle gear. Book your accommodation off the detailed list  if required, and you are all set for a cheap, environmentally friendly holiday in New Zealand.

We do all the hard work of sorting routes and where to stay — you just relax and enjoy the riding! Too easy.

There are more tours to come so if you don’t see a tour that suits your needs let us know!

1.

 If you learned how to ride bike only a week ago, you should choose _______.

   A. 2 Day Self Guided Road Tour                            B. 3 Day Self Guided Road Tour

   C. 5 Day Self Guided Road Tour                            D. 8 Day Self Guided Road Tour

2.

Where can we mostly see the passage?

   A. Newspaper             B. TV                                     C. Internet                          D. Magazine

3.

What do you have to do when you want to enjoy your cycle tour?

   A. Bring your cycle gear.                                        

B. Bring your support gear and book your accommodation.

C. Book your accommodation.

D. Bring your bike gear and do some hard work.