When Columbus‘sailed the ocean blue in 1492’ he wasn't looking for America, he was searching for a route from Spain to China; America just got in the way.
The Spanish were after the riches of Asia: silk, dates,spices.Until later adventurers discovered how to sail to the Far East, trade with China depended on the Silk Road.The trade between China and Europe brought huge wealth, so the Spanish had a strong desire to find a new way to the East.Eventually a way appeared; as sea traffic developed from the 17th century onwards, the overland route diminished.
Now China is seeking to revive(复兴)the Silk Road and is preparing to invest 4 trillion pounds in new roads, rail links, oil pipelines and other basic facilities.It is hoped that goods can be shipped westwards by land far more quickly and economically than by sea.
But the plan is also to attract more tourists.Actually, China does pretty well for tourists already; it's the world's fourth most visited country.Two cities—Beijing and Shanghai—possess the tourism business, with significant interest in destinations such as Xi'an and Chengdu.While Beijing is modern，cities such as Lanzhou and Dunhuang have one foot planted firmly in old China.
Other places featured include Xi'an，the former capital of China，where you can come face to face with the Terracotta Army built to protect China's first emperor in the afterlife.From Lanzhou tour members take the train to Jiayuguan, China's western gateway and a key location on the Silk Road.
There is also a fourday coach journey along the original Silk Route through the Xinjiang region to Kashgar.Along the way, at Kurla, you can visit the ruins of the Iron Fortress.
1.What does the underlined word“diminished” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. Discovered. B. Disturbed.
C. Disappeared. D. Displayed.
2.What is the purpose of reviving the Silk Road?
A. To make transportation westwards faster and cheaper.
B. To construct new roads and other basic structures.
C. To rebuild the ruins of the Iron Fortress.
D. To draw more inland tourists' attention to the western gateway.
3.What is the best title for the text?
A. The function of the Silk Road. B. The charming of the Silk Road.
C. The origin of the Silk Road. D. The future of the Silk Road.
Sometimes people call each other“scaredcat”. But have you ever thought about this expression? When a cat is frightened, its heart starts beating faster，its muscles get tense and there are changes in the chemicals in its bloodstream.Although the cat doesn't realize this, its body is getting ready for action.If the danger continues, the animal will do one of two things.It will protect itself, or it will run away as fast as it can.
Something like this also happens to people.When we are excited, angry or scared by other feelings，our bodies go through many physical changes.Our hearts beat faster，and our muscles get tense.All of these changes make us more alert and ready to react.We, too, get ready to defend ourselves or run.
Human beings, however, have a problem that animals never face.If we give way to our feelings and let them take over, we can get into trouble.Have you ever said something in anger or hit somebody and regretted it later? Have you ever shouted at a teacher, told somebody you were lonely, or said you were in love, and then wished later you had kept your mouth shut？It isn't always clever to express your feelings freely.
Does this mean that it's smarter to always hide our feelings？No！If you keep feelings of anger, sadness hidden away or bottled up inside, your body stays tense.Physical illness can develop, and you can feel disturbed badly inside.It can actually be bad for your health.It isn't good to keep pleasant feelings inside either; all feelings need to be expressed.
Feelings that you keep all bottled up inside don't just go away.It's as if you bought some bananas and put them in a cupboard.You might not be able to see them, but before long you'd smell them.And if you opened the cupboard, chances are that you'd see little fruit flies flying all over them.They are bad.
You can try to treat feelings as if they were bananas in the cupboard.You can hide them and you can pretend they don't exist, but they'll still be around.And at last you'll have to deal with them, just like those bananas.
1.When people and animals are aroused by fear，________.
A. they may get ready to attack or run away
B. their muscles get neither tense nor relaxed
C. their hearts beat either faster or slower
D. they feel very regretful immediately
2.Why do human beings get into trouble according to the passage?
A. They are usually not as alert as animals.
B. They always do something wrong to other people.
C. They sometimes can't control their feelings.
D. They don't pay attention to their physical changes.
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Feelings will gradually disappear when you hold them in.
B. Bananas stay fresh longer when they are in a cupboard.
C. Holding in your feelings may lead to unpleasant results.
D. It's good for your health to keep pleasant feelings inside.
4.What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To tell us that people's feelings are like bananas in a cupboard.
B. To give us some advice on how to express our feelings.
C. To prove that it isn't always wise to express our feelings freely.
D. To help us deal with feelings in a wise and proper way.
Mark felt that it was time for him to take part in his community, so he went to the neighborhood meeting after work.The area city council(委员会)woman was leading a discussion about how the quality of life was on the decline.The neighborhood faced many problems.Mark looked at the charts taped to the walls.There were charts for parking problems, crime, and for problems in vacant buildings.Mark read from the charts, “Police patrols(巡逻)cut back, illegal parking up 20%.”People were supposed to suggest solutions to the council woman.It was too much for Mark.“The problems are too big,”he thought.He turned to the man next to him and said，“I think this is a waste of my time.Nothing I can do would make a difference here.”
As he neared the bus stop on his way home, Mark saw a woman carrying a grocery bag, and a baby.As Mark got closer, her other child, a little boy, suddenly dashed into the street.The woman tried to reach for him, but as she moved, her bag shifted(滑落), and groceries started to fall out.Mark ran to take the boy's arm and led him back to his mother.“You gotta stay with Mom,”he said.Then he picked up the fallen groceries while the woman smiled in relief.“Thanks,”she said.“You've got great timing.”“Just being neighborly,”Mark said.As he rode home, he glanced at the poster near his seat in the bus.Small acts of kindness add up. Mark smiled and thought，“Maybe that's a good place to start.”
1.Why did Mark go to the neighborhood meeting?
A. To join in the neighborhood patrols.
B. To collect suggestions for the community problems.
C. To voice his complaints to the city council.
D. To do something for his community.
2.What was being discussed when Mark arrived at the neighborhood meeting?
A. The increase of police patrols at night. B. The worsening in the quality of life.
C. The rebuilding of vacant buildings. D. The violation(违反)of community regulations.
3.What did Mark think of the community's problems?
A. They have to be dealt with one by one.
B. They need to be solved with the assistance from the city.
C. They may take a long time to be solved.
D. They are too big for single efforts.
4.Why did Mark smile on his ride home?
A. He had done a small deed of kindness. B. He had read a funny poster near his seat.
C. He had got some groceries at a big discount. D. He had caught the bus just in time.
Soon enough, we will lose some of the most amazing sites on Earth!
The Great Barrier Reef
Rising air temperatures will cause sea temperatures to rise as well.All life supported by the oceans will be affected with this shock to their ecosystem.Coral are some of the most vulnerable marine animals and we are already watching whole reefs disappear.The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is no exception and will continue to shrink as the temperatures rise！These reefs are some of the best in the world for diving, but they will soon disappear!
Venice
Sprawling across(横跨)hundreds of small islands in Northeast Italy，Venice is at extreme risk of sinking into the Adriatic Sea.Rising sea levels are in fact a serious threat to many coastal cities located at sea level.Lucky for us，however，Venice is developing a series of sea walls to protect the city in times of high tide.
Glacier(冰川)National Park
Glacier National Park was once covered by over 150 glaciers, but by 2005 it only had about 27！Located in Montana, Canada, this park is over a million acres and has a huge plant and wildlife population.As temperatures rise, the glaciers and ice melt, which will upset the ecosystems sustaining over a thousand plant species and hundreds of animals.
The Amazon
The cause behind the disappearance of these fantastic places ultimately comes down to humans.Our expansion usually requires cutting down forests for land, fuel and materials，but rarely considers the consequences.These forests are sources of food and medicine for just about everyone on the planet!
What will happen if we lose these valuable places and beautiful destinations？！
1.According to the text，what is causing coral's death?
A. Rising sea levels. B. Rising sea temperatures.
C. Humans' diving activities. D. The shrinkage(缩小)of their habitats.
2.What can we infer from the part of “Venice”？
A. Many places are in the risk of sinking below the sea level.
B. Venice is the only coastal city of Italy.
C. Venice will never sink because of the protection of sea walls.
D. Italy consists of hundreds of small islands in the Adriatic Sea.
3.What can we learn about Glacier National Park from the text?
A. It doesn't support any living thing for its cold. B. It iscovered by over 150 glaciers.
C. Plant species and animals in it have died out. D. It covers a large area in Montana.
4.Which site's shrinking reason differs from the other sites?
A. The Great Barrier Reef. B. Venice.
C. The Amazon. D. Glacier National Park.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What does the Golden Rule ask people to do?
A. Develop personal rules
B. Respect their families and ancestors
C. Treat others as they wish to be treated
2.Which is Confucius’ teaching?
A. Governments should be moral B. Husbands should respect wives
C. People should memorize rules of behavior.
3.How did Confucius teach lessons?
A. Through arguments. B. Through reasoning C. Through personal examples
4.What does the speaker say about Confucius?
A. He used to be even more important.
B. He has influenced many cultures.
C. He has little effect on people today.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Which decorations are on the sofa?
A. The Christmas ones B. The Halloween ones C. The Thanksgiving ones
2.What did the man use to get the box out?
A. A pole B. A chair C. A ladder
3.Where might the conservation take place?
A. In the basement B. In the bedroom C. In the living room
