For a 400-year-old art form, operas had a bad fame: overweight actresses singing the words which are hard to understand in one of those romance languages you were supposed to learn in high school. And with tickets costing as much as $ 145 a performance, opera goers also have a certain appearance in people’s mind: rich, well-dressed and old.
But now opera companies around the country are loosening their ties and kicking off their shoes in an attempt to bring the opera to the audience. It needs to keep it alive, the young and not-so-rich.
Opera producers have found that to attract this crowd, they need to make the opera closer to common people. That means no formal suits, old-styled theatre or band-breaking ticket prices. And because young people don’t or won’t come to the opera, companies are bringing the opera to them, giving performances in such unusual places as parks, libraries and public schools.
The Houston Grand Opera’s choice is the public library, where it performs “mobile operas”, shortened versions (剧本) of child-friendly operas. This summer’s production is Hansel & Gretel. By performing smaller versions of large productions, producers are able to make people interested while keeping costs at a reasonable level. The San Francisco Opera, which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, is staging Cinderella free of charge, keeping costs down by employing students from its Young Artists’ Training Program.
1.Which of the following is the main idea of this passage?
A．Opera is famous for is history.
B．Opera is only for rich people.
C．Opera companies are trying to keep opera alive.
D．Young people are not interested in opera.
2.The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means .
A．breaking up the old rules B．changing the dresses
C．making the audience at ease D．advertising themselves
3.Opera companies prefer to perform smaller versions because .
A．they can be performed in public libraries
B．short versions are easy to perform
C．it is hard to find long versions
D．they can make people interested
4.The San Francisco Opera employs young students in order to .
A．attract young people B．reduce the cost
C．celebrate its 75th anniversary D．make Cinderella popular
5.What can you infer from the passage?
A．The tickets for opera are very expensive at present.
B．Opera is performed in a language difficult to understand.
C．Opera is not so popular an art form today.
D．Students enjoy performing operas very much.
He was just 12 years old when he died. But he brought courage and hope to people around the world.
Nkosi Johnson, who died last June, is remembered today as an AIDS fighter. This young boy challenged his government’s AIDS policies and millions of South Africans in the fight against the disease.
Johnson was the longest survivor born HIV positive（艾滋病病毒携带者）.He survived with this deadly disease for 12 years before it claimed his life.
At first, Johnson was expected to live for nine months when his foster mother, Gail Johnson took him in at the age of two. She now runs Nkosi’s Haven across town from her house in Melville. The Haven is home to 20 children living with HIV or AIDS, and 11 of their mothers.
Johnson attracted the world’s attention and stole the hearts of thousands of people across the world at the 13th International AIDS Conference in Durban in July 2000. He stood in front of a large audience including South African President Thabo Mbeki. He told them that he wanted AZT, a drug used to treat AIDS patients, to be given to HIV-positive pregnant（怀孕的） women to prevent the disease being passed on to their unborn babies. He received a loud cheer at the end of his speech.
Johnson’s speech was broadcast live across the world. With views beyond his age and even a sense of humor, Johnson soon became an international sign of the fight against AIDS and HIV.
1.The underlined words “claimed his life” (Paragraph 3) means _______.
A．did harm to Johnson’s life B．helped Johnson to survive
C．caused the death of Johnson D．made Johnson weak
2.The main idea in paragraphs 5 and 6 is ________.
A Johnson attracted the world’s attention
B．Johnson stood in front of South African President Thabo Mbeki
C．Johnson wanted AZT to treat AIDS pregnant women
D．Johnson helped prevent the disease being passed on to an unborn baby
3.The AIDS child gave the speech in order to _________.
A．steal the hearts of thousands of people
B．be an AIDS fighter
C．get more help from the world
D．fight against the government
4.From the passage we can infer that _______.
A．the government’s AIDS policies have to be improved
B．the government did nothing to help those with HIV positive
C．the boy’s speech changed the government’s policies
D．no one lived longer than the boy
5.The best title for this passage is .
A．The Sad Story of an AIDS Child. B．The Courage of an AIDS Child
C．AIDS, a Deadly Disease D．A Hero in South Africa
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连续的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卷标号为的相应位置上。
Roadside bomb explosions in southern Afghanistan have killed at least five civilians and five policemen. The attack came as NATO’s new Secretary General visited Kabul 1. (discuss) with Afghan officials and candidates ahead of the August 20 2. (president) election.
Afghan officials in southern Helmans province said a group of civilians 3. (travel) to a wedding party when 4. big vehicle, which was being pulled by a tractor, hit a roadside bomb.
Officials have blamed Taliban insurgents（叛乱分子）as part of efforts to discourage voters 5. taking part in the coming election.
Five policemen were also killed in a separate roadside bomb burst in Helmand, 6.region is a known Taliban stronghold（据点） 7. thousands of US Marines and British soldiers are engaged 8. major anti-insurgency operations to improve security 9. Afghans go to vote.
The security situation deteriorating（恶化）in southern parts of the country has been a cause of concern for both Afghan election officials and international observers since the 10. (remove) of the Taliban from power in 2001.
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1—15各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
In every cultivated language there are two greet classes of words which, taken together, comprise the whole vocabulary. First, there are those words 1 which we become acquainted in daily conversation, which we 2 ,that is to say, from the 3 of our own family and from our familiar associates, and 4 we should know and use we could not read or write. They 5 the common things of life, and are the stock in trade of all who 6 the language. Such words may be called “popular”, since they belong to the people 7 and are not the exclusive of a limited class. On the other hand, our language 9 a multitude of words which are comparatively used in ordinary conversation. Their meanings are known to every educated person, but there is little 10 to use them at home or in the market-place. Our 11 acquaintance with them comes not from our mother's or from the talk of our school-mates, from books that we read, lectures that we 12 ,or the more 13 conversation of highly educated speakers who are discussing some particular 14 in a style appropriately elevated above the habitual of everyday life. Such words are called “learned”, and the 15 between them and the “popular” words is of great importance to a right understanding of linguistic process.
1.A．at B．with C．by D．through
2.A．study B．imitate C．stimulate D．learn
3.A．mates B．relatives C．members D．fellows
4.A．which B．that C．those D．ones
5.A．mind B．concern C．care D．involve
6.A．hire B．apply C．adopt D．use
7.A．in public B．at most C．at large D．at best
8.A．consists B．comprises C．constitutes D． composes
9.A．seldom B．much C．never D．often
10.A．prospect B．way C．reason D． necessity
11.A．primary B．first C．principal D．prior
12.A．hear of B．attend C．hear from D．listen
13.A．former B．formula C．formal D． formative
14.A．theme B．topic C．idea D．point
15.A．diversionB．distinctionC．diversity D．similarity
阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
A little boy is telling his Grandma how "everything" is going wrong. School, family problems,
severe health problems, etc.
Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake. She asks her grandson if he would like a cake, which,
of course, he does.
"Here, have some cooking oil."
"Terrible!" says the boy.
"How about a couple of raw eggs?"
" Terrible! Grandma!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"
"Grandma, those are all awful!"
To which Grandma replies: “Yes, all those things seem bad by themselves, but when they are
put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!”
“Life works the same way. Many times we wonder why it would let us go through such bad
and difficult times. But life knows that when it puts these things all in its order, they always work
for good!
“The trials （考验） of life serve a meaningful purpose in making us stronger. Do not lose heart if life is not easy for you right now, but encourage yourself and know you will be much stronger mentally and physically because of the trials of life. ”
[写作内容]
1．以约30个词概括这段短文的内容；
2．然后以约120个词以“Facing the Trials of Life”为题进行议论，内容包括：
(1) 你阅读短文后的感受；
(2) 简述你经历过的一次困难或考验；
(3) 你认为应当如何看待生活中的考验。
[写作要求]
1．在作文中可以使用自己亲身的经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2．作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
[评分标准]
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。
假设你是学校学生会的一员，为了保护我们的地球家园，你发出了低碳生活的倡议，并制作了如下图的海报。
请根据海报内容及一下要点写一份倡议书。
[写作内容]
1．低碳生活在节约资源，保护环境中起着越来越重要的作用。
2．我们可以养成这些低碳生活习惯。
3. 提出呼吁。
[写作要求]
只能使用5个句子表达全部内容。文章的开头和结尾已经给出。
[评分标准]
句子结构准确，信息内容完整，篇章结构连贯。
