Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy lean? It leans because of a mistake. It has leaned almost since the day the tower was built.
In 1173, the people of Pisa, Italy, wanted to build a bell tower. They wanted the tower to be the most beautiful bell tower in all of Italy. The city also needed a bell tower because the church did not have one.
However, there was a problem. As soon as the first floor of the building was finished, the tower started to lean. Builders tried to make the building straight again as they added more floors, but they couldn’t figure out how to make it stop leaning.
It took almost 180 years to finish the tower. Since then, the tower has leaned by another millimeter every year. Today, the Leaning Tower has eight floors and is 54.5 meters tall. By 1990, it was leaning by about 4 meters to one side. It was also slowly sinking into the ground. Many people became worried that it would soon fall apart.
In 1998, repair works began on the tower, and by the end of 2001, it had been moved back by 45 centimeters. The tower will still lean, however, so it will need to be repaired again---in another 200 years.

1. 1.

   why did the people of  Pisa want to build the tower?

   1. A.
      They needed a new church
   2. B.
      They wanted to build the tallest tower in Tower
   3. C.
      They needed a bell tower.
   4. D.
      They wanted to build a leaning tower.
2. 2.

   When did the tower begin to lean?

   1. A.
      from the first day it was built
   2. B.
      after the first floor was built
   3. C.
      after the last floor was built
   4. D.
      180 years after it was built
3. 3.

   When was the tower finished?

   1. A.
      in 1173
   2. B.
      in 1180
   3. C.
      in 1353
   4. D.
      in 1474
4. 4.

   Before being repaired,, the tower leaned every year by another _______

   1. A.
      1 millimeter
   2. B.
      45 centimeters
   3. C.
      54.5 millimeters
   4. D.
      4 meters
5. 5.

   Which of the following is NOT true about the tower?

   1. A.
      It was sinking into the ground
   2. B.
      People were worried it might fall apart
   3. C.
      It was repaired between 1990 and 1998.
   4. D.
      It will need to be repaired again in 200 years.

Situated in the Northeast region of Vietnam, Halong Bay is made up of 1,969 islands of various sizes, 989 of which have been given names. The concentrated zone of stone islands is famous for its spectacular scenery of caves, and forms the central zone of Halong Bay.
Seen from above, Halong Bay looks like a geographic work of art. While exploring the bay, you feel lost in a wonderful world. There is Man’s Head Island, which resembles a man standing and looking towards the mainland. Dragon Island looks like a dragon winding above the blue water. La Vong Island resembles an old man fishing. There are also the islands of the Sail, the Pair of Roosters, and the Incense Burner, which are all astonishingly like their names.
It has been proven by scientists that Halong Bay was one of the first places of human existence. It is also a region of highly-concentrated biological diversity with many ecosystems of coral reefs, and tropical forests, which are home to thousands of species of animals and rare plants.
The beach located along the coast of Halong Bay has a year-round average temperature of 20℃. Among the palm trees are large hotels. Visitors are seen on white sand and under the green trees are small family-run restaurants. After swimming, tourists can enjoy cold drinks. No wonder the 18h meeting of the Committee of the World Heritages of UNESCO officially recognized Halong Bay as a natural heritage site of worldwide importance.

1. 1.

   What forms the central zone of Halong Bay?

   1. A.
      1,969 islands of various sizes.
   2. B.
      The concentrated zone of stone islands.
   3. C.
      989 islands that have been given names.
   4. D.
      Man’s Head Island.
2. 2.

   We can infer that the names of most islands ______.

   1. A.
      have something to do with theirs shapes.
   2. B.
      were given by the visitors in Halong Bay
   3. C.
      were given by the geologists of Vietnam
   4. D.
      are related to their history
3. 3.

   The author writes the passage mainly to_______.

   1. A.
      tell some information about the history of Vietnam
   2. B.
      introduce the average temperature in Vietnam
   3. C.
      introduce the beach of Vietnam
   4. D.
      tell readers something about Halong Bay

One of the greatest warriors(勇士) of history, Genghis Kahn, came from the Mongolian people. He controlled many countries in Asia and Europe because of his bravery and leadership in battle. This time period was known as the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th and 14th centuries.
Genghis decided to go hunting one day and many of his warriors went with him. Genghis had his favorite hawk on his wrist. The hawk was trained to fly high in the air to look for game like deer, rabbits or wild birds. When his bird flew to the ground, Genghis would follow it and shoot the wild game with his arrows. It was his favorite hobby.
This particular day, game was hard to find. Toward evening, Genghis sent all the men home and decided to go another way by himself. He even let his hawk go, thinking it would fly home as well. He became thirsty so he stopped by some rocks where he noticed water was dripping. He took a cup from his pack and filled it slowly. When he put it to his mouth, he was surprised for his hawk came and spilled (使溅出) all the water in his cup.
He thought this was very unusual so he filled the cup again. The hawk rushed down and knocked the cup free from his hand. Genghis was now thirsty and angry. As he filled the cup a fourth time, he drew his sword to stop the bird interrupting him. As the bird flew down, Genghis killed it but his cup fell deep into the rocks in the scuffle (扭打).
He decided to crawl up the rock of the mountain to find the source of the water. He found a pool and noticed a huge poisonous snake was dead in the water. He realized the hawk had saved his life. His anger had caused him to kill his favorite bird. In his despair (绝望), he promised to make sure of everything before he would become angry again.

1. 1.

   This passage may most probably be found in _____.

   1. A.
      a story book
   2. B.
      a newspaper
   3. C.
      a magazine
   4. D.
      a guide book
2. 2.

   When the hawk tried to stop Genghis, he thought his hawk was trying to ____.

   1. A.
      save him
   2. B.
      bother him
   3. C.
      help him
   4. D.
      comfort him
3. 3.

   Which of the following is not TRUE according to the passage?

   1. A.
      Genghis Kahn took up many countries because he was a brave and great leader.
   2. B.
      The hawk devoted its life in order to save Genghis Kahn from being poisoned.
   3. C.
      The snake was dead because it drank the water of the pool in the mountain.
   4. D.
      Genghis Kahn was so thirsty that he decided to look for the source of the water.
4. 4.

   What conclusion can we draw from the passage?

   1. A.
      One should never act while thinking.
   2. B.
      One had better not act before thinking.
   3. C.
      One must act when thinking.
   4. D.
      One would act without thinking.

London is the capital of the United Kingdom and the largest city in the European Union. It is the world’s largest finacial center and one of the most important cultural centers and its influence on politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, and the arts contributes to its status as a major global city. Central London is the headquarters of more than half of the UK’s top 100 listed companies(the FTSE 100 ) and more than 100 of Europe’s 500 largest companies. The city is a major tourist destination for both domestic and overseas visitors. London hosted the 1908 and 1948 Summer Olympic Games and will host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London, the historic settlement of Greenwich ;the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew; and the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St.Margaret ‘s Church.
 London currently has a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, and more than 300 languages are spoken within the city. On July 2007, it had an official population of 7,556, 900 within the boundaries of Greater London making it the most populous municipality in the European Union. Since the 2001 the Greater London Urban Area has been the second largest in the EU after Paris with a population of 8,278,251, and the metropolitan area is estimated to have a total population of between 12 million and 13 million, the largest population area in the EU. The public transport network, administered by Transport for London, is the most intensive in the world. Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic and the air space is the busiest of any city in the world.

1. 1.

   Which statement is True ?

   1. A.
      Central London has 50 of the UK’s top 100 listed companies.
   2. B.
      By the year of 2015, London will host the Summer Olympic Games.
   3. C.
      Three are 300 languages spoken within the city.
   4. D.
      The metropolitan area of Paris is the largest one in the EU.
2. 2.

   What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 want to express?

   1. A.
      London is a multicultural city.
   2. B.
      London has a large population.
   3. C.
      London has a lot of religions.
   4. D.
      London has many languages.
3. 3.

   What does the underlined word“it “in the second sentence of Paragraph 3 refer to?

   1. A.
      The population
   2. B.
      Urban area
   3. C.
      Paris
   4. D.
      London

“Man is the measure(尺度)of all things．”这一主张的提出者应该是

1. A.
   Thales
2. B.
   Protagoras
3. C.
   Socrates
4. D.
   Aristotle

Was it _____the conference of APEC that made Shanghai the focus of the world then?

A. holding　　　　　 B. to hold　　　　　 C. held　　　　　　 D. having held

“Man is the measure(尺度)of all things．”这一主张的提出者应该是

A．Thales　 B．Protagoras　 C．Socrates　 D．Aristotle

“Man is the measure(尺度)of all things．”这一主张的提出者应该是

A．Thales    B．Protagoras    C．Socrates    D．Aristotle

As the forceful king of Macedonia(马其顿), Alexander the Great overthrew the Persian Empire, becoming a hero that would survive centuries after his death.
Born in 356 B.C., Alexander III was the son of Philip II and Olympias. Alexander’s parents wanted him to receive the finest education, and arranged for him to study under Aristotle, regarded as one of the greatest scholars.
Alexander’s father was a strong leader. Philip II built an impressive army and established the Macedonian kingdom; he was even planning to attack Persia shortly before his death.
In 336, Philip was murdered by one of his guards. Although it was obvious that the guard had a personal hatred, there are clues that other people were related to it.
After Alexander was cleared as a suspect, he succeeded his father without opposition, and killed those said to be responsible for his father’s murder, as well as all rivals. He was then just 20 years old. He then prepared to attack Persia.
In the spring of 334, Alexander led the army made up of nearly 50,000 soldiers into Asia, which is called “the most powerful military expedition ever to leave Greece”, He soundly defeated the Persian army at the Granicus River, sending a strong message to Darius III, leader of the Persian Empire.
In 333, Alexander faced Darius at Issus, a mountain pass. The Macedonian army was greatly outnumbered but able to work the narrow mountain passageway to their advantage. Darius managed to escape. Continuing down the Mediterranean Coast, Alexander took every city in his path.
In 332 Alexander declared Egypt to be part of the Greek Empire and was crowned Pharaoh(法老).
When Alexander left Egypt in 331, he defeated the Persians again and was crowned leader of Asia.
In 323, however, Alexander developed a fever on the way back home and died 10 days later at Babylon. He was just 33 years old.

1. 1.

   What can we know about Philip’s death?

   1. A.
      He was killed by someone intending to take power from him.
   2. B.
      Alexander sent someone who hated Philip to kill him.
   3. C.
      His death was related to his plan of fighting Persia.
   4. D.
      The murder might be organized by a group of people.
2. 2.

   The Macedonian army could defeat the Persians at Issus mainly because _________.

   1. A.
      Darius didn’t command his army in the battlefield
   2. B.
      Macedonian soldiers were more than the Persian soldiers
   3. C.
      Macedonian soldiers could fight better at the mountain pass
   4. D.
      Macedonia was more powerful than the Persian Empire
3. 3.

   In which order did Alexander do the following things?
   a.Totally overthrew the Persian Empire.
   b.Defeated the Persian army at Issus.
   c.Was crowned Pharaoh of Egypt.
   d.Defeated the Persian army at the Granicus River.
   e.Became the leader of Macedonia.

   1. A.
      e, d, b, c, a
   2. B.
      d, e, a, c, b
   3. C.
      e, b, d, c, a
   4. D.
      d, a, c, e, b
4. 4.

   According to the passage, we can infer _________.

   1. A.
      Aristotle taught Alexander how to defeat other nations
   2. B.
      Alexander was happy about his father’s death
   3. C.
      Persia is tougher to defeat than Egypt
   4. D.
      Macedonia soon declined after Alexander died

In the 19^th century, Americans from the eastern states moved out west to settle in the rich new lands along the Pacific Coast. The most difficult part of their trip was crossing “the Great American Desert” in the western part of the United States by horse and wagon.
The western desert can be very dangerous. There is little water and there are few trees. But the desert also has scenery of great beauty. Tall towers of red and yellow stone rise sharply from the flat, sandy valley floor. The scene has been photographed many times and appears in movies and on TV.
In Arizona, man-made dams across the Colorado River have made two large lakes in the middle of the dry desert country. At Lake Powell, the red stone arch of Rainbow Bridge rises high above the blue lake.
There are few roads. Many areas of Lake Powell’s shore can only be reached by boat or on foot. But hikers in this empty desert land sometimes find very old native American pictures, painted on the rocks.
In Death Valley, California, the summer temperature rises to 130°F—165°F. There is less than inches of rain each year. Death Valley is the lowest place in America---925 metres below sea level. In the 1800s, many travelers died when they tried to cross this waterless valley in the terrible heat.
Although the desert is dry and seems empty, there is plenty of life if you look closely. Snakes and rats have learned how to live in the desert heat. They live underground and come out at night, when it is cool. Plants such as cacti need very little water. When it does rain in the desert (sometimes only once or twice a year), plants grow quickly, and flowers open in a single day. For a short time, the desert is covered with brilliant (very bright) colours.

1. 1.

   In the 19^th century, Americans moved from east to west because they            .

   1. A.
      enjoyed the trip
   2. B.
      wanted to make their home there
   3. C.
      wanted to find new grassland there
   4. D.
      had no water to drink
2. 2.

   From this passage. we can conclude that         .

   1. A.
      the western desert is a good place for people to live in
   2. B.
      there is little water but there are many trees in the desert
   3. C.
      the desert is dangerous but it is full of beauty
   4. D.
      till now, people know little about the desert
3. 3.

   In the 1800s, many travelers died in Death Valley because of            .

   1. A.
      illness
   2. B.
      high temperature
   3. C.
      cold weather
   4. D.
      poisonous water
4. 4.

   In the desert, animals will die           .

   1. A.
      if they move about
   2. B.
      if they can’t make holes underground
   3. C.
      if they come out at night
   4. D.
      if they drink much water