Valcamonica has one of the largest collections of rock drawings in the world. There have been about 200,000 figures and symbols carved into the rocks over a time period of approximately 8,000 years. Valcamonica's pictures show various scenes and are connected through common themes like magic, war, navigation and agriculture.
The rock drawings discovered in Valcamonica were the first prehistoric symbols of their kind recognized anywhere in the world. UNESCO first recognized the drawings in 1979 when about 140,000 were discovered, however, since then many more have been uncovered.
These drawings are spread all across the valley. The carvings began to taper off during the Iron Age and fewer appeared after that. The last period has been attributed to (归功于……) the Camunni people. Still there are drawings that have been identified as being from the 19th century. Many of these were created using the technique of engraving (雕刻).
Some of the figures discovered in Valcamonica have been superimposed (叠印) without any order, but in most cases they appear in logical orders and also explain the relationship between each picture or symbol to tell a story.
The first known modern report of the rock carvings was in 1909 when Walther Laeng happened upon two decorated rocks in Capo di Ponte. Scholars only took interest in the drawings in the 1920s. More rocks with engravings were soon found in the areas nearby and research into their history began. In the 1930s comprehensive study campaigns were undertaken.
It was after the Second World War that the cataloging and mapping of the engravings began. This task was taken up by various teams of experts from Italy and other countries that were led by Laeng. In 1955 preservation work on the rocks began.
In 1968, a large series of conferences were held where scholars from all over the world met to discuss the rock drawings, which give us some idea of what various societies of the past might have been like.
1.What do we know about Valcamonica's pictures?
A. They tell a long whole story.
B. They are interrelated in some ways.
C. They were carved 8,000 years ago.
D. They were first discovered in 1979.
2.The underlined part “taper off” in Paragraph 3 can best be replaced by “_____”.
A. turn up B. go up C. die out D. stand out
3.What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?
A. The history of the rock drawings.
B. The features of the rock drawings.
C. The discovery of the rock drawings.
D. The formation of the rock drawings.
4.Studies of the rock drawings _____.
A. show us the development of art
B. started after the Second World War
C. were conducted by scholars from UNESCO
D. help us know something about societies of the past
Meet Ben Saunders: adventurer, athlete, motivational speaker. Ben, at the age of 23, was the youngest man to ski solo (单人滑雪) to the North Pole. He dragged a 180-kilogramme sledge (雪橇) over 1,420 miles through the worst Arctic conditions. This year, as well as planning a return to the Arctic, Ben plans to ski solo from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole and back in the autumn, carrying all his supplies on his sledge.
Ben Saunders was fired after persuading the firm to support his disorganized first adventure. “Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. We were attacked by a bear. We started running out of food. It was just desperate. And we didn't get to the Pole; we didn't get there, so we had no media interest. No one heard about it: no book deal, and no speaking. I was so unhappy.”
People said it was impossible for me to get to the Pole. I said, “No, I can get there,” and I did. Self-belief, I see it as being a bit like a muscle — it's my belief that the more you stretch (伸展) yourself the stronger it gets. If you never do anything that's uncomfortable or risky then your self-belief gets weaker. So that's one of the lessons I've figured out along the way. The thing that I've stretched and tested is my self-belief.
“My Antarctic adventure is just practicable and that's what is exciting to me. If I knew it was possible, if I knew I could do it without too much bother, I wouldn't be interested.” Why? “Personally I'm attracted by the human performance element to it. Not that long ago, running a marathon was seen as the top point of human attempt, and now I wouldn't be that surprised if my mum said she was going to run one next year.”
People's horizons (见识) are changing. “I'm not particularly gifted, and I'm absolutely average. I've just chosen this one goal to achieve and I've been working hard to realize it. That's it. And that's the thing that attracts me: with enough training and enough determination, enough focus and preparation, how far can we go? And I don't think I've found out yet.”
1.What do we know about Ben Saunders' first adventure?
A. There was no press coverage.
B. It was supported by his company.
C. It was well planned and organized.
D. He actually reached the North Pole.
2.According to Ben Saunders, if you want to stretch your self-belief, you should _____.
A. often test your confidence B. try something adventurous
C. aim to reach the North Pole D. always stretch your muscles
3.Ben Saunders was excited about his Antarctic adventure because _____.
A. he liked running a marathon
B. he wanted to exercise his body
C. he knew it might be achievable
D. he was sure he could do it easily
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. We have to change our views about adventure.
B. We can never know our possibilities and energies.
C. We should have a reason for going on an adventure.
D. We have to be especially talented to have an adventure.
Lindha was a student at Kansas State University. She is here to tell us about her time in Kansas in the city of Manhattan.
What were the best things about it?
Manhattan has a great university feel to it. I loved going to the football games. We would spend the whole day tailgating (开车尾派对) outside the stadium, drinking beer and having a big barbecue.
What do you think of the people there?
People from Kansas are so friendly. However, I'd say that many Kansans are very sheltered and don't pay much attention to life outside the US. But as the grandma of my Kansan friend might say, “We're still sweet as pie.”
What were the worst things about being there?
It's very difficult to get around Kansas without a car. Everything's so spread out and there isn't really a public transportation system.
What was the funniest thing that happened while you were there?
I remember one trip I took with my friend to her grandparents' house. They had horses and asked me if I wanted to go for a ride. I had never ridden a horse before but I decided to have a try. I hopped (跳上) on and everything was fine for a minute. But then the horse went crazy. It started bucking (猛然弯背跃起) and making these crazy noises. I thought I was going to die. My friend eventually calmed the horse down but not before I had destroyed an entire section of the fence. I thought they would be mad but they were just in shock — they couldn't believe I had stayed on the horse for that long.
Did you have any other problems?
I'm Swedish, but my English is pretty good because my dad's English. But it took a little while to get used to the accent. The people from the cities don't have a strong accent, but the people from the country are hard to understand sometimes. You also have to be careful with the weather. In the winter it was absolutely freezing, and during the summer it was so hot I thought I might die. Of course, they have heating and air conditioning everywhere.
1.What's Lindha's impression about people in Kansas?
A. They are kind but unhappy.
B. They are nice but isolated.
C. They are patient and amusing.
D. They are honest and generous.
2.What do we know about Lindha's horse riding experience?
A. She fell off the horse's back.
B. She finally got the horse under control.
C. She was brave but destroyed part of a fence.
D. She had a wonderful and unforgettable experience.
3.We learn from the text that Lindha _____.
A. doesn't like the weather in Kansas
B. speaks English with a Swedish accent
C. speaks highly of the transportation system in Kansas
D. doesn't like the school life in Kansas State University
假定你是某中学英文报编辑李华，学校将举行一次50周年校庆作品展示（exhibition），请你用英文写一则作品征集启事。要点如下：
1．作品主题：反映校园生活，表达祝福；
2．作品形式：诗词、照片、画作等；
3．截止日期：9月1日。
注意：
1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
With the 50th anniversary of our school approaching___________________ ____________________________
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假定你是李华。你是学生会主席。你校将于5月25—30日在广州沙面举行龙舟赛 (Dragon Boat Race)。请根据以下内容给姐妹学校剑桥中学（Cambridge High School)写一封邀请信。
(1)写信目的
(2)活动时间、地点和意义
(3)回复时间：2017年4月15日前
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯；
3.开头语已为你写好。
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线( \ )划掉。
修改：在错词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Getting rid of the bad habit of procrastination (拖延症) is now my goal in life. My first step was to set small targets what can be reached realistically. For example, I plan to set a timetable for my study. So after school, I will put finishing homework in the last place. Additionally, I will make a list of my important task including their due dates but follow my schedule strictly. I will avoid find excuses for putting them off. At same time, I will ask for my friends and parents to help me. By achieving this small targets, I have confident that I will overcome procrastination.
