The heart of Mexico is a high, oval valley surrounded by mountains. Once, forests covered the mountainsides, and broad, shining lakes covered nearly all the valley floor. Now, the mountains are bare and scarred with erosion（侵蚀）, and much of the valley floor is dry and dusty.

Cortez and his Spanish soldiers were the first Europeans to enter this valley. They saw the thriving Aztec city of Tenochtitlan rising from an island in one of the lakes. Surrounding it were green floating gardens. The Spaniards said it was as beautiful as a dream. Then the conquest  began. 

By 1521, when the Spaniards had conquered the fierce Aztecs, the island city was in ruins. Cortez decided to rebuild it after the pattern of European cities. Using the conquered Aztecs as slave laborers, Cortez built the new city, now Mexico City, in just four years.

“But a generation had scarcely passed after the conquest before a sad change came over these scenes so beautiful,” writes one historian. The broad, shining lakes began to dry up.

Modern historians believe that Cortez began the destruction of the valley’s lakes when be ordered the city rebuilt. A great deal of charcoal was needed to burn the limestone (石灰石) from which cement (水泥) and mortar were made. Wood was needed to finish the interiors of the buildings.

The mountainside forests were destroyed to provide the charcoal and wood. Once the sloped were bare, rainfall o longer seeped (渗漏) slowly into the earth to feed the springs that filled the valley’s lakes. Instead, rainfall poured off the mountainsides the city from floods, later rulers made a cut through the mountains so that the water drained away into another valley. Mexico City, once an island, had become a city of a dry plain.

The underlined word “thriving” in the second paragraph means _______.

A. developing successfully          B. increasing

C. failing                         D. growing little

Which statement does this article lead you to believe?

Keeping nature’s balance is not important any more.

Men thought nature’s resources would last forever.

New forests always automatically replace old ones.

The Aztecs didn’t begin to flourish until Cortez came.

Why did later rulers cut through the mountains ?

They wanted to fill the city with rainwater.

They wanted the valleys to flood regularly.

They wanted to plant more trees.

They wanted to protect the city from floods.

One the whole, the article tells about ______.

Mexico as it looked when it was a European city

Modern historians who write about Mexico City

Mexico city before and after the Spaniards came

The beautiful scenery in Mexico

What is the author’s purpose of writing this article?

A .To tell the beauty and ugliness of Mexico City

B. To introduce the terrible change of Mexico City

C. To explain how Mexico City changed

D. To make people aware of the importance of nature balance

II. 阅读理解（Reading comprehension）（共20小题；选择题5小题，每小题1分；非选择题15小题，每小题2分，计35分）

A) 选择题：阅读下面的短文，根据文意从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C 和D）中，选出能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳选项。(Read the following passage which is followed by five questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the passage.)

Mexic Past and Present

Hundreds of years ago, Native-American tribes lived in Mexico. The Aztecs built beautiful cities. They had a calendar (历法) and a written  language. However, the Spanish destroyed the Aztecs in 1521. For the next 300 years, Spain ruled over Mexico. That's why Mexicans speak Spanish.

Every September 16 the Mexican people hold a celebration in Mexico City, their country's capital. It is their Independence Day. On that date in 1821 they told Spain they would no longer be ruled.

Breaking free from Spain caused a war. When it was over, the Mexicans had their own government. They made their own laws.

Today America and Mexico are friends, but it wasn't always that way. President James Polk wanted America to reach from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. He tried to buy what is now the American southwest from Mexico. Mexico would not sell. So from 1846 to 1848 Mexico and America fought a war to ascertain where their borders would be. When the war ended, Mexico had lost a lot of land. Now the Rio Grande River forms the border between the two nations. America is on the north side of the river. Mexico is on the south side.

Mexico has mountains and a hot, dry climate. Crops can grow on only a small part of the land. Still, Mexicans grow much of the coffee, oranges, and sugar used in the US. Mexicans have influenced building styles in southwestern US and added words such as patio and canton to American English. Americans also enjoy eating many Mexican foods like burritos, tacos, tortillas, and tamales.

46. According to the passage, what happened second on a historical timeline?

A. Mexicans declared their independence from Spain.

B. The Spanish ruled Mexico.

C. The Aztecs lived in Mexico.

D. Americans fought a war with Mexico.

47. The passage says that President Polk wanted ________.

A. the US to expand its borders to the Pacific Ocean

B. Mexico to change its Independence Day to July 4th

C. Mexico to become one of the states of the Union

D. Americans to adopt the Mexican language

48. Another word for the underlined word “ascertain” is ________.

A. inspect      B. discover     C. change      D. determine

49. Mexicans have the following influences on America EXCEPT ________.

A. building styles         B. vocabulary

C. clothes                 D. food

50. Before the Aztecs were conquered, these Native Americans probably ________.

A. didn't speak Spanish     

B. couldn't read or write any language

C. didn't have tools          

D. didn't understand the concept of time

第一节

听下面5段对话，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项．每段对话仅读一遍．

1．What time does this dialogue come about?

[　　]

A．At 4:30.　　B．At 5:30.　　C．At 5:00.

2．Where could the dialogue perhaps be taking place?

[　　]

A．In a bookstore.　　B．In a park.　　C．At home.

3．What can we learn from the dialogue?

[　　]

A．Rose has bought a bike.

B．The boy has sold his bike.

C．The boy wants to borrow the girl's bike.

4．What is the woman going to do?

[　　]

A．Mail an invitation to the Smiths.

B．Invite Alan to the party.

C．Visit the Smiths.

5．What does the woman mean?

[　　]

A．They can work together tomorrow.

B．She didn't hear the question.

C．She will go to a concert tomorrow.

第二节

听下面5段对话或独白，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项．每段对话或独白读两遍．

听第6段材料，回答6至7题．

6．Why did Tony call Mary?

[　　]

A．To invite her to his party.

B．To tell her that he can't go to the party.

C．To tell her that one of his legs was injured.

7．How did Tony injure his leg?

[　　]

A．He fell off the bike.

B．He fell from a tree.

C．He ran into a tree.

听第7段材料，回答8至10题．

8．Where is the telegram sent to?

[　　]

A．Australia.　　B．Canada.　　C．California.

9．What is the man's address?

[　　]

A．5121 Cummings Street, Room 606, Berkeley, Australia.

B．1521 Cummings Street, Room 112, Berkeley, California.

C．1521 Cummings Street, Room 606, Berkeley, California.

10．According to the message, when is the man arriving in Australia?

[　　]

A．June 15th.　　B．July 13th.　　C．June 16th.

听第8段材料，回答11至13题．

11．What are the two speakers talking about?

[　　]

A．A film and a war.

B．Tim and his grandfather.

C．Tom and his grandfather.

12．What did the grandfather use to be?

[　　]

A．A famous actor.

B．An army officer.

C．A filmmaker.

13．What can we learn from the conversation?

[　　]

A．The grandfather has been dead for many years.

B．The grandfather wants to return to his homeland.

C．The grandfather makes a living by selling newspapers.

听第9段材料，回答14至16题．

14．What decision do Hill and Rose both make for the coming new year?

[　　]

A．They both decide to save some money.

B．They both decide to work harder.

C．They both decide to lose weight.

15．What was Hill's promise last year?

[　　]

A．Joining a health club.

B．Stopping smoking.

C．Getting a good job.

16．Who wants to have a nice vacation?

[　　]

A．Jeff.　　B．Rose.　　C．Hill.

听第10段材料，回答17至20题．

17．When did the husband reach into his pocket?

[　　]

A．When he wanted to read the menus.

B．When they finished the lunch.

C．When he left the restaurant.

18．When did they go to the zoo?

[　　]

A．Last Saturday afternoon.

B．Before they came to a restaurant.

C．Early in the morning before breakfast.

19．When did the glasses fall out of the husband's pocket?

[　　]

A．When the husband was taken off the train by Joe.

B．When the husband hurried into the restaurant.

C．When Joe was taken off the train near the elephants by the husband.

20．How did the husband feel when Joe told him that the glasses were at the zoo?

[　　]

A．He felt excited.

B．He felt angry.

C．He felt happy.

Hundreds of years ago, Native-American tribes (部落) lived in Mexico. The Aztecs built beautiful cities. They had a calendar (历法) and a written  language. However, the Spanish destroyed the Aztecs in 1521. For the next 300 years, Spain ruled over Mexico. That's why Mexicans speak Spanish.

Every September 16 the Mexican people hold a celebration in Mexico City, their country's capital. It is their Independence Day. On that date in 1821 they told Spain they would no longer be ruled.

Breaking free from Spain caused a war. When it was over, the Mexicans had their own government. They made their own laws.

Today America and Mexico are friends, but it wasn't always that way. President James Polk wanted America to reach from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. He tried to buy what is now the American southwest from Mexico. Mexico would not sell. So from 1846 to 1848 Mexico and America fought a war to ascertain where their borders (边界) would be. When the war ended, Mexico lost a lot of land. Now the Rio Grande River forms the border between the two nations. America is on the north side of the river. Mexico is on the south side. 

Mexico has mountains and a hot, dry climate. Crops can grow on only a small part of the land. Still, Mexicans grow much of the coffee, oranges, and sugar used in the US. Mexicans have influenced building styles in southwestern US and added words such as patio and canton to American English. Americans also enjoy eating many Mexican foods like burritos, tacos, tortillas, and tamales.

54. Before the Aztecs were destroyed, these Native Americans probably ________.

A. didn't speak Spanish                     B. couldn't read or write any language

C. didn't have tools                          D. didn't understand the concept of time

55. The passage says that President Polk wanted ________.

A. the US to expand its borders to the Pacific Ocean

B. Mexico to change its Independence Day to July 4th

C. Mexico to become one of the states of the Union

D. Americans to adopt the Mexican language

56. Another word for the underlined word “ascertain” is ________.

A. inspect                     B. discover                 C. change                  D. determine

57. Mexicans have the following influences on America EXCEPT ________.

A. building styles          B. vocabulary                     C. clothes            D. food