When you take a walk in any of the cities in the West, you often see a lot of people walking dogs.    48    is still true that a dog is the    49    useful and faithful animal in the world,    50    the reason why people keep a dog has changed. In the old days people used to train dogs to protect themselves against animal attacks. And later they came to realize that a dog was not    51     useful for protection but willing to obey his master. But now people in the city need not protect themselves against attacks of animals.    52  

do they keep dogs, then? Some people keep dogs to protect themselves from robbery. But the most important reason is    53    companionship. A dog is his best friend for

   54    child when he has no friends to play with. For young couples, a dog is their child when they have    55    children. For old couples, a dog is also their child when their real children have grown up.

Prague is an ancient European city, featuring one of the most magnificent Old Towns in Europe, along with delicious food, inexpensive shopping and friendly people. Prague is also famous as being home to one of the most famous 20th century writers, Franz Kafka. The famous Czech beer is also one of the reasons to visit Prague.

The narrow streets of the older parts of the town are appealing the visitors to take nice long walk and settle in some of the many restaurants, which offer top-quality foods at a low price. The buildings there are mostly tower-shaped，and so Prague is called “city of a hundred spires.”

Mauritius

Also known as the Paradise on Earth, Mauritius lies about 560 miles (900 km) east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It is a place of magnificent natural beauty coupled with excellent customer service, which makes for an unforgettable romantic experience at the edge of the world’s warmest ocean.

There are lots to see and do in Mauritius: the coral reefs (珊瑚礁) surrounding the island offer stunning beauty and great underwater adventures to those who want to dive into the precious waters. The nature of Mauritius mostly resembles that of Paradise, allowing every couple visiting this island to feel like Adam and Eve. That is an experience nobody would want to miss!

Cyprus

The very name Cyprus, it has been said, glitters with an age-old myth. Today, history and hedonism (快乐论) are comfortably mixed on the island. Some five-star resorts within walking distance of well-preserved Greek and Roman ruins offer the convenience the modern traveler has come to expect.

Cyprus features a romantic history, as it was Anthony’s gift to his beloved Cleopatra during the glorious days of the Roman Empire. Maybe that is why you feel always a little special once you set foot on Cyprus.

For more information about many other most romantic places in the world, just log on at http://www.jurgita.com.

1.The underlined word “spires” in Paragraph 2 means         .

   A. narrow streets                                                              B. inexpensive restaurants

   C. top-quality foods                                                           D. tower-shaped buildings      

2.We learn from the text that Mauritius         .

   A. is part of Madagascar                                                 B. is an ideal destination for couples

   C. is in central Indian Ocean                                           D. is most famous for its good service

3.What makes Cyprus different from the other two places?

   A. It is located on an island.                                            B. It offers charming resorts.

   C. It was given as a present.                                          D. It has a very long history.

4.A common feature of Mauritius and Cyprus is that they are         .

   A. old                                                                            B. romantic

   C. rich                                                                                    D. mysterious

5.What is the main purpose of the author?

A. To attract more visitors.                                             B. To tell traveling experiences.

C. To sell information on line.                                        D. To introduce historical places.

I believe that it is important to be brought up with a firm belief in the good. I was fortunate in this respect. My parents not only gave me a happy home, but they had me study half a dozen foreign languages and made it possible for me to travel in other countries. This made me more tolerant and helped me to bridge many difficulties in later life.

Soon after I got married, my husband and I left our native Czechoslovakia and went to live in Shanghai, China. Here was a really international city. People of all races and beliefs lived and worked together.

In Shanghai, in 1941, when I was only twenty years old, the doctors discovered that I had diabetes. It was a terrible shock, because diabetes is incurable. But it can be controlled by insulin (胰岛素). Although this drug was not manufactured in China, there were enough stocks of imported insulin available. This enabled me to continue a normal, happy life.

    Then bombs fell on Pearl Harbor and the Japanese occupied Shanghai. The import of insulin was cut off. Before long, there was not enough for the diabetics. I was on a starvation diet to keep my insulin requirements as low as possible. Many diabetics had already died, and the situation became desperate. In spite of all this, I never stopped believing that with the help of my husband’s love and care, I would survive.

    I continued to teach in Chinese schools. My faith and my husband’s never-ending efforts to get the manufacture of insulin started gave me courage. In his small laboratory the production of insulin was attempted. I served as the human guinea pig（实验品）on which it was tested. I’ll never forget the day when my husband gave me the first injection of the new insulin, which had worked on rabbits. It helped! Can you imagine our happiness and relief?

I received the greatest strength from the deep love and complete understanding between my husband and me. And next to that was the kindness and help of many, many friends of many nationalities. To me, the experience of living in Shanghai during the special times was unforgettable.

After the Second World War, my husband and I sailed to the Untied States, which is also known as a melt pot. Wherever we live, I believe, with faith and love, love between families and friends from different nationalities, we can make it our cherished home.

1.What can we know about the author?

A. She visited China before twenty.

B. She was given an unhappy home.

C. She got married in Czechoslovakia.

D. She could hardly tolerate her parents.

2.As a diabetic, the author could still live normally in 1941 because         .

A. she was able to buy enough insulin                

B. she received good medical treatment

C. she was looked after by her husband

D. she was helped by people of different races

3.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refers to         .

A. a small rabbit                                                                           B. an ever lasting effort

C. the new insulin                                                                        D. the human guinea pig

4.How does the author feel about her stay in China?

A. Unbearable.                                                                             B. Unbelievable.

C. Unfortunate.                                                                            D. Unforgettable.

5.We can infer from the text that the author’s husband was         .

A. a doctor                                                                                     B. a researcher

C. a teacher                                                                                   D. a sailor        

At dawn on Friday, May 19, 1780, farmers in New England stopped to wonder at the pink color of the sun. By noon the sky had darkened to midnight blackness, causing Americans, still in the painful struggle of a prolonged war of independence, to light candles and tremble at thoughts of the Last Judgment. As the birds quieted and no storm accompanied the darkness, men and women crowded into churches, where one minister commented that “The people were very attentive.” John Greenleaf Whittier later wrote that “Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp . . .”

A recent study of researchers, led by Richard Guyette from the University of Missouri’s Tree Ring Laboratory, has shown that vast forest fires in the Algonquin Highlands of southern Ontario and elsewhere in Canada brought this event upon New England. The scientists have discovered “fire scars” on the rings for that year, left when the heat of a wildfire has killed a part of a tree’s cambium (形成层). Evidence collected also points to a drought that year. An easterly wind and low barometric pressure (低气压) helped force smoke into the upper atmosphere. “The record fits pretty close,” says Guyette. “We had the right fuel, the drought. The conditions were all there.”

Lacking the ability to communicate quickly over long distances, Americans in 1780 remained in the dark about the event, which had disappeared by the next day. Over the next several months, the papers carried heated debates about what brought the darkness. Some were the voices of angry prediction, such as one Massachusetts farmer who wrote, “Oh! Backsliding New-England, attend now to the things which belong to your peace before they are forever hid from your eyes.” Others gave different answers. One stated that a “flaming star” had passed between the earth and the sun. Ash, argued another commentator. The debate, carried on throughout New England, where there were no scientific journals or academies yet, reflected an unfolding culture of scientific enquiry already sweeping the Western world, a revolution nearly as influential as the war for independence from the English.

New Englanders would not soon forget that dark day; it lived on in folklore, poems, and sermons for generations.

1.New Englanders crowded into churches because they were frightened by         .

A. the pink color of the sun

   B. the darkened sky at daytime

   C. the Last Judgment on Friday

   D. the American War of Independence

2.What can we infer about the event in New England on May 19, 1780?

   A. Prayers remained silent and attentive.

   B. Night birds no longer came out to sing.

   C. People’s ears became sharper than usual.

   D. Midday meals were served by candlelight.

3.According to the researchers, the origin of the event was         .

   A. an east wind

   B. a severe drought

C. some burning fuel

D. low barometric pressure

4.What can we know about the debates after the dark day?

A. They focused on causes of the event.

   B. They swept throughout the Western world.

C. They were organized by scientific institutions.

D. They improved Americans’ ability to communicate.

5.What can be the best title for the text?

   A. New England’s dark day.

   B. Voices of angry prediction.

C. There is no smoke without fire.

D. Tree rings and scientific discovery.

Directions: Read the following passage. Complete the diagram by using the information from the passage.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Rest is critical to life and work and a positive attitude towards rest needs to be maintained, for enough rest is significant to our body and mind while a lack of adequate rest, as well as misleading attitudes to rest, will do great harm to our health.

    Rest is vital to our ability to function at our best. Recent news stories report that scientists are learning surprising things about the importance of sleep. There is enough evidence suggesting that rest will refresh us, enabling our body and mind to work efficiently. Besides, rest is important for more than that; it is helpful in setting appropriate goals and deciding what goals to attain first. Those who are caught up in extremely busy lives lack the time to think about what they are doing and to make objective decisions, which blocks the maximization of their potential.  

On the contrary, lack of adequate rest damages brain function, so much so that sleep experts have been able to measure drops in IQ in patients who are short of sleep. Other studies have presented a negative effect on body movements in sleep-wanting subjects. It should not, therefore, be a surprise that the California Highway Patrol has stated that sleep-wanting drivers are as great a threat to road safety as are drunk drivers.

    However, rest is widely misunderstood by some people. Instead of sleep, they go to pubs and clubs and claim that this kind of entertaining is rest. For example, what they call social drinking or having a smoke with friends. Nowadays, the economy forces people to drink and gamble for the sake of the circles one moves in. This is what fools claim thoughtlessly that it’s restful. The truth is that rest means not using our labor both physically and mentally, even spiritually.

    We need to rest correctly and sufficiently; otherwise, tiredness and illness will occur. Without sufficient rest, good work is impossible. Rest is critical; it is not an end in itself.

Directions: Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage and required words limit. Write your answers on your answer sheet.

Marti Sementelli has been a baseball player since preschool, throwing plastic balls and swinging a tiny wood bat from the time she was 3 years old. She was a solid player at every youth level, and sometimes a star. In 2007, Nike even featured the young Californian in a TV commercial.

Despite her experience, Sementelli, now 16, had a hard time finding a high school that would allow her to try out for the boys’ baseball team.

Two parochial schools (教会学校) near her family’s home in North Hollywood said no, and several public schools were lukewarm (冷淡的) to the idea. Finally, she found Burbank High School, where she’s now a sophomore and a member of the JV baseball team.

Sementelli’s story is not unique. Across the country, girls devoted to baseball--and with as many seasons of youth ball under their belts as their male teammates--are finding it isn’t easy to stay in the sport when they reach high school.

Biology does play a role in the situation: Boys, especially older ones, often have an edge over girls in size and strength, allowing them to throw harder and swing with greater force. But girls say that the toughest battles are not about capabilities, but against the traditional attitude that baseball is for boys.

“Most people just are incapable of seeing beyond what’s easy,” says Jennifer Ring, the author of Stolen Bases: Why American Girls Don’t Play Baseball, and a professor at the University of Nevada-Reno. “It is much neater if we say boys play baseball and girls play other sports.”

In at least one state, Massachusetts, girls are barred from trying out for boys’ baseball in high schools that also offer softball. Nebraska dropped its ban last year, and in January, Indiana removed its ban after being sued (控告) by the parents of Logan Young, a 15-year-old aspiring catcher and freshman at Bloomington South High School.

1.When did Sementelli begin to play baseball? (no more than 6 words)

2.Where did Sementelli stay in a baseball team? (no more than 6 words)

3.What does the author think about girls’ capabilities in baseball? (no more than 10 words)

4.In which states are girls allowed to play baseball? (no more than 4 words)

Directions: Write an English composition according to the instructions given below in Chinese.

假设你是李华，昨天参加了美国朋友David的生日聚会，请写封感谢信，表达你对聚会的喜爱和对David的祝福。

注意：

1．适当展开想象，语意连贯，结构完整。词数不少于120。

2．不能写成诗歌形式；不能使用真实姓名和学校名称。

You don’t seem very             about the suggestion and why not give us some other advice?

If David        his legs in the last training, he would join in the coming World Cup, which he has been longing to compete in.

The two international companies reached an agreement, which was based on their             talks.