The Erie Canal was the first important national waterway built in the US. It crossed New York from Buffalo on Lake Erie Troy to Albany on the Hudson River. It joined the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The canal served as a route over which industrial goods could flow into the west, and materials could pour into the east. The Erie Canal helped New York develop into the nation’s largest city.

The building of the canal was paid for entirely by the state of New York. It cost $ 7 143 789, but it soon gained its price many times over. Between 1825, when the canal was opened, and 1882, when toll charges(过运河费) were stopped, the state collected $121 461 891.

For a hundred years before the Erie was built, people had been talking about a canal which could join the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. The man who planned the Erie Canal and carried the plan through was De Witt Clinton. Those who were against the canal laughingly called it “Clinton’s Ditch(沟)”. Clinton talked and wrote about the canal and drew up plans for it. He and Governor Morris went to Washington in 1812 to ask for help for the canal, but they were unsuccessful.

Clinton became governor of New York in 1817, and shortly afterwards, on July 4, 1817, broke ground for the canal in Rome, N.Y. The first part of the canal was completed in 1820. As the canal grew, towns along its course developed fast. The length of the canal is 363 miles.

1. We can see that the Erie Canal ________.

A. joined the Great Lakes together

B. crossed New York from north to south

C. played an important part in developing New York City

D. was the first waterway built in the US

2. It can be inferred that ________ into the Atlantic Ocean.

A. the Great Lakes flow        B. the Hudson River flows

C. Lake Erie flows          D. the Erie Canal flows

3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. The Erie Canal brought profits of over $114, 000, 000.

B. It’s 363 miles from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

C. The West was more advanced than the East when the canal was built.

D. Many other states helped New York built the canal.

4. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Clinton broke ground for the canal at both ends.

B. Clinton started building the canal before he became governor.

C. All parts of the canal were completed at the same time.

D. Construction of the canal took eight years.

第二卷(非选择题  满分35分)

       第四部分 写作(共两节,满分35分)

       第一节  对话填空(共10小题;每小题1分,满分10分)

       请认真阅读下面对话,并根据各题所给首字母的提示,在答题卡上标有题号的横线上,写出一个英语单词的完整、正确形式、使对话通顺。

       M=Mum

       S=Sara

       P=Peter

       (When Sara came home from work, she found her mother in an anxious state.)

       S:What’s wrong, Mum? You seem upset.

       M:It’s your (76) y         sister Jill. She should have been here an hour ago.

       S:Don’(77) w     ,Mum!It’s not all that late and she has probably not(78)r    how late it is. I think she’ll

be here soon.

       (Just then Sara’s brother Peter came into the kitchen.)

       P:What’s up?Mum’s on the phone and she seems as though she’s going to cry.

       S:It’s Jill.She should have(79) r    home by now and Mum’s getting anxious.

       P:You needn’ fecl so anxious 。Mum!You know what tecnage girls are like. (80)         she’s all right.

       M;I can’t help but be concerned.I’ve just rung Lucy and she said Jill her our the cinema ages ago to get the

bus.

       P:Well,the bus service isn’t very frequent in the evenings.Perhaps she(81)m        one and is wairting for

another.Have you tried(82)p     her on her mobile?

       M:Yes, but there’s no reply.That made me even more worried.I think(83)s      must have happened to Jill.

      Do you think we should call the (84)p__________.

       S:Calm down,Mum! You’ll make yourself ill.Perhaps she switched her mobile(85)o    in the cinema and

forgot to switch it back on again.Or it may need to be charged.

In order to separate loving parents from their freshman sons, Morehouse College in Atlanta has held a/an __36___"Parting Ceremony."
When University of Minnesota freshmen __37___ at the end of this month, parental separation will be a little trickier: mothers and fathers will be ___38__ to a reception elsewhere ___39__ students can meet their roommates and talk about dorm room space -- __40__ adult breaking in.
In the latest wave in which superinvolved parents __41___ their children to college, universities are __42__  activities ___43__ to speed the separation. In the age of MSN and twice-daily texts home, ___44__ colleges are urging "sticky parents" to leave sooner so students can __45__ independence.
Grinnell College here, like others, has found it __46__ to make it clear when parents __47__ say goodbye. After computer printers and bags had been carried to dorm rooms, everyone gathered in the gymnasium, students on one side, __48__  on the other.
Shortly __49__, mothers and fathers were urged to leave campus.
Moving their students in usually takes a few hours. Moving on? Most deans can tell __50__ of parents who hang around campus for days. At Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y. "We recognize it's a __51__ day for families," Beverly Low, the dean (院长) of first-year students said. Still, during various parent meetings on Colgate's move-in day, Ms. Low and other officials __52__ tell the parents __53__ that "activities for the class of freshmen begin at 4 on time, so parents should leave before 4." she said.
Formal departure ceremonies are unusual __54__ growing in popularity, said Joyce Holl, head of the National Orientation Directors Association. A more common method is for colleges to limit the hour for last hugs.__55___, the parents of Princeton freshmen learn from the move-in schedule, "the rest events are intended for students only."
【小题1】A  formal                 B  informal                 C  casual              D  grand  
【小题2】A  move out              B  move in                  C  move around    D  graduate
【小题3】A  sent                     B  driven                    C  invited             D  called on
【小题4】A  so                        B  but                         C  still                 D  yet
【小题5】A  with                     B  as                           C  where              D  without 
【小题6】A  rescue                  B  deliver                    C  travel                 D  release
【小题7】A  running out          B  taking out        C  carrying out     D  picking out
【小题8】A  wanted                 B  meant                     C  devoted       D  prepared
【小题9】A  in which           B  which                     C  how                D  where  
【小题10】A  form                    B  create                     C  increase           D  develop
【小题11】A  necessary              B  unimportant            C  useless             D  difficult  
【小题12】A  will                            B  need                   C  must            D  would  
【小题13】A  teachers            B  police                     C  professors     D  parents
【小题14】A  before                  B  after                       C  later                D  passed
【小题15】A  news                    B  comments           C  stories             D  shadows
【小题16】A  little                    B  huge                   C  long                D  large  
【小题17】A  plan to                 B  take to                    C  ask to          D  carry to
【小题18】A  rudely                  B  directly                   C  conveniently   D  hardly   
【小题19】A  and                  B  but                         C  however      D  so
【小题20】A  For the time being B  For a long time       C  For example     D  For a change

Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons (神经元)in our brains.
Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate (模仿)it,whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further: mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions y they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to (for example: “The hand took hold of the ball”), the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with ever more information concerning how humans behave and interact(互动).Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent (相等物)for neuroscience of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does---well, perhaps you'll understand why.
【小题1】Mirror neurons can explain         .

A. why we cry when we are hurt
B.why we cough when we suffer from a cold
C. why we smile when we see someone else smile
D. why we yawn when we see someone else stay up late
【小题2】The underlined word "triggered" in the third paragraph probably means “  ’’
A.set offB.cut offC.built upD.broken up
【小题3】We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons  ________.
A. relate to human behavior and interaction
B.control human physical actions and feelings
C. result in bad behavior and social disorders
D. determine our knowledge and language abilities
【小题4】What is the passage mainly about?
A. Ways to find mirror neurons.
B.Problems of mirror neurons.
C.Existence of mirror neurons.
D. Functions of mirror neurons.

A few months ago as I wandered through my parents’ house, the same house I grew up in, I had a sudden, scary realization. When my parents bought the house, in 1982, they were only two years older than I am now. I tried to imagine myself in two years, ready to settle down and buy the house I’d still be living in almost 30 years later.

It seemed ridiculous. On a practical level, there’s no way I could afford to buy a house anytime soon. More importantly, I wouldn’t want to. I’m not sure where I’ll be living in two years, or what kind of job I’ll have. And I don’t think I’ll be ready to settle down and stay in one place.

So this is probably the generation gap that divides my friends and me from our parents. When our parents were our age, they’d gotten their education, chosen a career, and were starting to settle into responsible adult lives.

My friends and I – “Generation Y” – still aren’t sure what we want to do with our lives. Whatever we end up doing, we want to make sure we’re happy doing it. We’d rather take risks first, try out different jobs, and move from one city to another until we find our favorite place. We’d rather spend our money on travel than put it in a savings account.

This casual attitude toward responsibility has caused some critics to call my generation “arrogant”, “impatient”, and “overprotected”. Some of these complaints have a point. As children we were encouraged to succeed in school, but also to have fun. We grew up in a world full of technological innovation: cellphones, the Internet, instant messaging, and video games.

Our parents looked to rise vertically(垂直的)--starting at the bottom of the ladder and slowly making their way to the top, on the same track, often for the same company. That doesn’t apply to my generation.

Because of that, it may take us longer than our parents to arrive at responsible, stable adulthood. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In our desire to find satisfaction, we will work harder, strive for ways to keep life interesting, and gain a broader set of experiences and knowledge than our parents’ generation did.

1.When the author walked through her parents’ house, she _______.

A.was frightened that she had no idea what she wanted from life

B.started to think about her own life

C.realized I should buy a house.

D.wondered why her parents had settled down early

2.What is the main “generation gap” between the author and her friends and their                      parents according to the article?

A.Their attitude toward high technology.

B.Their ways of making their way to the top.

C.Their attitude towards responsibility.

D.Their ways of gaining experience.

3.Which of the following might the author agree with?

A.It’s all right to try more before settling down.

B.It’s better to take adult responsibility earlier.

C.It involves too much effort to rise vertically.

D.It’s ridiculous to call her generation “arrogant”.

4.What can we conclude from the article?

A.The author is envious of her parents enjoying a big house at her age.

B.Growing up in a hi-tech world makes “Generation Y” feel insecure about relationships.

C.“Generation Y” people don’t want to grow up and love to be taken care of by their parents.

D.The author wrote this article so that others would be able to understand her generation better.

5.What is the main theme of the article?

A.The sudden realization of growing up.

B.A comparison between lifestyles of generations.

C.Criticisms of the young generation.

D.The factors that have changed the young generation.

 

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