Bamboo (竹子) is one of nature’s most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.

Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist reported one bamboo plant which grew 1.5 meters in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1, 000 kinds of bamboo.

Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimeters wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters across. This plant also comes in different colors, from yellow to black to green.

Bamboo has been used to make many things such as hats and kitchen tools. Because it is strong, bamboo is also used to build buildings.

Many Asian countries have used bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for buildings and supporting new buildings and bridges while they are being built.

In Africa, poor farmers are taught how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap way to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. Bamboo pipes (管子) help poor farmers bring water to their thirsty fields without spending a lot of money.

How is bamboo like grass?

A. It grows quickly.                            B. It’s wood.

C. It is easy to cut.                           D. It is very thin.

Though you can see bamboo everywhere, it doesn’t grow __________.

A. in China                             B. in Europe

C. on mountains                         D. in Africa

Why is bamboo used by African poor farmers?

A. It is cheap.                             B. It has different colors.

C. It is strong.                                D. It has been used by Asians.

In Asia, bamboo has been used for __________.

A. a short time                             B. about 100 years

C. many hundreds of years                       D. many thousands of year

假设你是李华，John是你的英国笔友。他对中国西南五个省发生的持续超过半年的严重旱灾非常关切，发来邮件向你询问此事。请你用英文给他发一封电子邮件，主要内容包括：

注意：  1. 词数100左右，邮件的格式已为你写好。2. 可根据内容要点适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

3. 文中不得提及考生所在学校和本人姓名。

4. 参考词汇：旱灾—drought    庄稼—crops       捐赠—donate vt.  donation n.

Hi, John!

    I’m glad to receive your e-mail. In your e-mail, ___________________________________________

_________                                                                                 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Best wishes!

Li Hua

It is reported that the United States uses ____energy as the whole of Europe.

  A. as twice            B. twice much        C. twice much as           D. twice as much

. — Which _____ will you take in that company, Mr. King?

— The sales manager.

A. work             B. statue                   C. situation            D. position

Trees are good for human being. We can’t plant them __________ many.

  A. so          B. such           C. too           D. enough

– We’ll spend the vacation in Hawaii. Don’t you think it is a wonderful idea? 

-- ___  I have waited for it for a whole year. Now my dream has come true.

A. I don’t think so    B. No, it isn’t.       C. How wonderful!   D. Just so-so

—Can I pay the bill by check?

—Sorry. Sir. But it is the management rules of our hotel that payment       be made in cash.

    A. shall    B. need     C. will     D. can

完形填空 （共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

     阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将其涂黑。

IF and WHEN often had lunch together. Their conversation always  16  on the things they hoped to achieve and they loved to talk about them. 

This particular Saturday when they met for lunch, WHEN  17  IF wasn’t in a great mood（心情）. After they sat at the usual table  18  for them, WHEN asked IF, “You don’t seem your usual  19  self?” IF replied,“Yesterday I saw a course I wanted to take. If only I  20  the time.”

WHEN knew exactly how IF felt and said, “I too saw a   21   and I’ m going to register when I get   22   money.” WHEN then questioned IF, “What about the new job you were going to apply for?” IF answered, “I would have applied, but my  23  broke down. I couldn’t type my resume(简历).”

“Don’t worry. I’ve been thinking about looking for another job also,  24  I’ll wait and when the weather gets  25  I will look then. I hate this awful weather.”

The man sitting nearby heard them talking about when this and if that. When he couldn’t  26  it anymore, he went to them and said, “I think I know  27  you could solve your problems.”

IF smiled and thought that even if he knew the  28  they faced, there was no way he could help!   29  , IF asked the man for advice. The man said, “Your conversation reminds me of an old   30  : IF and WHEN were planted, and nothing   31   .”

IF and WHEN both looked surprised and began to feel   32   of living their life for the “ifs” and “whens”. Finally they came to a(n)   33  : next time they met, there would be no “ifs” or “whens”; they would   34   talk about what they had  35  ! 

Do you like to eat out? Do you like to eat quickly? Do you like inexpensive food? Some people go to fast-food restaurants for these reasons.  In the past, people usually went to diners (小饭馆 )for these reasons, too. In fact, many people in the States still go to diners today for the same reasons.

     A man named Walter Scott had the first "diner" in 1872. It wasn't really a diner. It was only a food cart. People on the street walked up to the cart to buy food. These carts served late- night workers who wanted a cup of coffee and a late-night meal. The meal was a sandwich or boiled eggs. In 1887, Samuel Jones built the first diner big enough to allow the customers to come inside. However, they did not sit down. Later, people built diners with counters and stools, and people sat down while they ate.

     Before long, many diners stayed open around the clock. In other words, people were able to eat in a diner at any time. Diners changed in other way, too. The original menu of sandwiches and coffee became bigger. It included soup, favorite dishes, and a breakfast menu. In addition, diners soon became permanent buildings. They were no longer carts on wheels.

     Diners today look similar to the diners of the early 1900s.  They are usually building with large windows. Inside, the diners have shining counters with stools, booths, tables and chairs. People can eat all three meals in a modern diner.

     Today, many people eat in fast-food restaurants such as Mc Donald's and Burger King. However, the diner remains an American tradition, and thousands of people still enjoy eating there. It was popular a century ago, and it is still popular today.

What kind of meal did the first "diner" serve?

     A. Only breakfast.   B. Only lunch.  C. Only supper.   D. All of the above.

According to Paragraph 3, diners changed in             .    

      A. two ways   B. three ways  C. four ways  D. five ways

Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

     A. Diners existed before fast-food restaurants.

     B. The menu included more food than sandwiches and coffee.

     C. Burger King is a fast-food restaurant.

     D. Sandwiches became bigger.

The main idea of the passage is that              . 

     A. the diner is a traditional, popular place to eat in the United States

     B. Samuel Jones built the first diner big enough to allow the customers to come inside

     C. American diners serve many types of food 24 hours a day to their customers

     D. diners are different from fast food restaurants in many ways.

基础写作 (共1小题，满分15分)

【写作内容】

      中国一家瓷器制造公司“三环集团” 在竞标生产皇室婚礼瓷器的500多家公司中脱颖而出，打败了来自全球制瓷企业的强有力对手，将为威廉王子和准王妃凯特??米德尔顿的皇室婚礼生产官方餐具。请根据以下内容准备一段介绍该公司情况的短文。

【写作要求】

只能用5个句子表达所给的全部内容（开头部分已给出）。

【评分标准】

    句子结构准确，信息内容完整，篇章结构连贯。

 参考词汇： 陶瓷制品 ceramics and porcelain ware

       Fighting off stiff competition from manufacturers around the globe. a Chinese porcelain manufacturing company “Guangxi Sanhuan Group”, has won the order to make the official tableware to be used at the British royal wedding of Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton.

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