Everyday, 340 million people speak it. One billion people are learning it and it is said that by 2050, half of the world’s population will be using it. What are we talking about? That global language—English.
The English language started in Britain in the 5th century. It is a mixed language. It was built up when German. Scandinavian and French invaders settled in England and created a common language for communication.
Today it is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Ireland as well as many islands in the Caribbean . Many other countries and regions use it for politics and business, for example, India. Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines. English is also one of the official languages of Hong Kong.
But global advertising and pop music mean that in most countries, you will see or hear some English. Thanks to McDonalds, we all know about "burgers". "fries" and "milkshakes". Songs by Madonna, Britney Spears and Celine Dion are in English. We can sing along, even if we do not understand what we are singing!
English is a messy (雜亂的) language. Every year, dictionaries include new words that talk about popular culture, for example, computer-related words such as "blogging", "download" and "chatroom". Also included are words that teenagers use. Who does not know "cool", "OK" and “hello” ?
Other languages also influence English. Many English words come from French. Words like "cafe" and expressions like "c'est la vie" (that is life) are all part of the English language. On the other hand, the French language includes English words like "le weekend" and "le camping". German words are also part of English. Words like "kindergarten" come from the German language.
Recently, British people have become interested in "yoga". But the word comes from an ancient Hindu language in India.
小題1:The English language has a history of  ______.
A．over 2000 yearsB．over 500 yearsC．over 1500 yearsD．over 1000 years
小題2:The underlined expression “thanks to ” can be replaced by ______.
A．because ofB．thankful toC．not untilD．a(chǎn)s if.
小題3:Which of the following statements is true about the language of English ?
A．It has been changing all the time.
B．It has borrowed words from all the other languages.
C．French words are used by the English because dictionaries have French words.
D．Singers and film stars have the greatest influence on language.
小題4: Many countries and regions use it for politics and business except______.
A．the USAB．NigeriaC．the PhilippinesD．Norway

小題1:C
小題2:A
小題3:A
小題4:D
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

About 12,000 years ago- long before the famous UFO crash make headlines in America—an alien spaceship crashed in China. And their descendants are still living in a faraway Chinese village today! That is the mind-bending claim made in the new book Out of Time and Place, a collection of reports from the files of Fate, a magazine edited by Terry O’Neil.
The story first came to light in 1937 when an expedition led by Chi Pu-Tei came across a group of caves deep in the Bayan-Kara-Ula Mountains. In the caves were found strange-looking skeletons with big heads and small, slender bodies—closely matching typical descriptions of space aliens. The explorers also uncovered 716 mysterious stone discs with strange hieroglyphics(象形文字) on them.
In Qinghai Province, where the mountains lie, ancient stories tell of small, skinny beings with oversize heads who came from the sky long long ago. And to this day, locals live in fear of attack from strange-looking creatures from above.
And there is more. In 1947, British scientist Karyl Robin-Evans led an expedition into the mountains and discovered a group of dwarfs(侏儒) who called themselves the Droza. “They told him that their ancestors came from a planet in the Sirius（天狼星）system and crashed in this mountain area a long time ago,” writes Hausdorf, “Many of them were killed, but survivors adapted to living on this rough planet far from home.”
For decades, Robin-Evans’ claims were dismissed as nonsense. But in 1995, the Associated Press reported that in the region a village named Huilong had been discovered—populated by 120 dwarfs ranging from 3-foot-10 to 2-foot-1tall.Hausdorf asks, “Could these people be the last living descendants of the survivors of the legendary UGO crash—the Chinese Roswell?”
小題1:Which of the following are the findings of Chi Pu-Tei?
a. strange-looking skeletons           b. UFO crash
c. stone discs                       d. dwarfs
e. strange hieroglyphics               f. skinny beings
A．a(chǎn), c, dB．c, e, fC．a(chǎn), c, eD．a(chǎn), b, e
小題2:Paragraph 3 and 4 mainly _____.
A．introduce ancient stories in Qinghai Province
B．show evidence of the existence of aliens in Qinghai Province
C．express fears of attack from aliens
D．describe the spaceship crash in China
小題3:What can be safely concluded from the passage?
A．This passage is a piece of science news recently issued.
B．Chinese are descendants to the survivors of the alien spaceship crash
C．The UFO crash in the Byan-Kara-Ula Mountains has recently been seen
D．Many people are curious about aliens from outer space
小題4:What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
A．Recent research about the Chinese Roswell.
B．News stories about Roswell UFO Crash.
C．Chi Pu-Tei’s discovery in China.
D．Robin-Evans’ claims.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

In the 19th 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.
小題1:In the 19th century, Americans moved from east to west because they            .
A．enjoyed the tripB．wanted to make their home there
C．wanted to find new grassland thereD．had no water to drink
小題2:From this passage. we can conclude that         .
A．the western desert is a good place for people to live in
B．there is little water but there are many trees in the desert
C．the desert is dangerous but it is full of beauty
D．till now, people know little about the desert
小題3:In the 1800s, many travelers died in Death Valley because of            .
A．illnessB．high temperature
C．cold weatherD．poisonous water
小題4:In the desert, animals will die           .
A．if they move aboutB．if they can’t make holes underground
C．if they come out at nightD．if they drink much water

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The largest-ever chariot pit (戰(zhàn)車坑) of relics with carts and horse bones has been discovered in Henan Province. It may lead to the uncovering of chariot pit groups that could be a key to understanding Chinese civilizations that existed more than 2,000 years ago.
Experts said the relics are dated more than 300 years earlier than the famous warriors (武士) in Shaanxi Province. What excited the experts were two other projects that located two huge pits with similar features.
“It is absolutely a miracle. These relics indicate that there could be a tomb group in this area, which is likely to be important for China’s archaeological (考古學的) studies,” said Ma Juncai, a leading relic researcher in the province.
In ancient China, carts, sheep, spoons and so on were buried to ensure that dead people had a happy afterlife. The number and quality of the sacrifices indicated the social status of the dead. The custom was carried into the Qin Dynasty. Emperor Qinshihuang’s tomb, located near Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, is accompanied by thousands of wood or clay figures of warriors and horses. The tomb is probably the most well-known.
The discovered pit measures 10.4 meters long, 8.4 meters wide and 5 meters deep. It holds 20 carts in different sizes. The smallest one is 1.05 meters long and 1.3 meters wide.
Experts think that 40 horses are likely to be found as well. Careful plans need to be made to deal with the demanding uncovering. “The clay is very weak and a small misstep can destroy the whole project. That’s why we need to take every step very carefully to protect these cherished cultural relics,” Ma said.
小題1: What’s the passage mainly about?
A．The dead people’s sacrifices in ancient China.
B．China’s archaeological studies.
C．The discovery of a large chariot pit in Henan.
D．The history of Chinese civilizations.
小題2:According to Ma Juncai, the uncovering of the three pits is a miracle because _______.
A．it shows there may be a tomb group there
B．it’s helpful in discovering Emperor Qinshihuang’s tomb
C．the relics are dated such a long time ago
D．the relics are more than 300 years older than the ones in Shaanxi
小題3:It can be inferred from Paragraph 4 that ______.
A．a(chǎn)ll dead people had sacrifices in ancient China
B．the discovered pit is the most well-known in the world
C．the discovered pit dates back to the Qin Dynasty
D．Emperor Qinshihuang wanted to maintain his power after death
小題4:Careful plans for the uncovering are needed because ______.
A．a(chǎn)nother 40 horses are likely to be found as well
B．the whole uncovering could be destroyed easily
C．experts are too busy to spare time for it
D．the government hasn’t agreed to it
小題5:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A．The discovery has drawn the leading experts’ attention.
B．A lot of cultural relics have been discovered in Henan.
C．40 horses have been discovered together with the chariot pit.
D．The discovered carts in the chariot pit are similar in size.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


IV. Reading(30)
A
Mathematical ability and musical ability may not seem on the surface to be connected, but people who have researched the subject -- and studied the brain—say that they are. Three quarters of the bright but speech-delayed children in the group I studied had a close relative who was an engineer, mathematician or scientist, and four fifths had a close relative who played a musical instrument. The children themselves usually took readily to math and other analytical subjects and to music.
Black, white and Asian children in this group show the same patterns. However, it is clear that blacks have been greatly overrepresented in the development of American popular music and greatly underrepresented in such fields as mathematics, science and engineering.
If the abilities required in analytical fields and in music are so closely related, how can there be this great discrepancy? One reason is that the development of mathematical and other such abilities requires years of formal schooling, while certain musical talents can be developed with little or no formal training, as has happened with a number of well-known black musicians.
It is precisely in those kinds of music where one can acquire great skill without formal training that blacks have excelled popular music rather than classical music, piano rather than violin, blues rather than opera. This is readily understandable, given that most blacks, for most of American history, have not had either the money or the leisure for long years of formal study in music.
Blacks have not merely held their own in American popular music. They have played a large role in the development of jazz, both traditional and modern. A long string of names comes to mind—W.C. Handy, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker…and so on.
None of this presupposes(假設，意味著) any special innate（先天的）ability of blacks in music. On the contrary, it is perfectly consistent with blacks having no more such inborn ability than anyone else, but being limited to being able to express such ability in narrower channels than others who have had the money, the time and the formal education to spread out over a wider range of music, as well as into mathematics, science and engineering.
36. what is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A.    Mathematical ability and musical ability are connected.
B.    Mathematical ability has more to do with the brain than musical ability.
C.    More people are good at music than math.
D.    More research should be done into the relationship between mathematical ability and math ability.
37. The word “discrepancy” (Para. 3) most probably means ____.
A. difference  B. excellence  C. inborn ability     D. inability
(38. What can be inferred about opera?
A.    It requires formal training.
B.    It is often enjoyed by those with strong analytical ability.
C.    It is disliked by blacks.
D.    It is more difficult to learn than classical music.
39. Which of the following statements is true according to the last paragraph?
A.    Blacks have special innate ability in music.
B.    Unlike others, blacks do not have innate ability in music.
C.    Jazz is one of the narrow channels through which blacks express their ability in music.
D.    Those who have money and time choose mathematics over music.
40. which of the following questions does the passage mainly concern?
A.    Are musical ability and mathematical ability connected?
B.    Why have blacks been greatly over represented in the development of American popular misic?
C.    What kinds of music require formal training?
D.    What are the contributions made by black musicians?

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

閱讀下列短文, 從每題所給的選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卷上將該項涂黑。
C
This hotel in the trees is famous in the world. People, who know very little about Kenya, know of Treetops. When King George VI died, Princess Elizabeth was staying on the Treetops, and when she came down from there, “She succeeded him as the queen of the country”. This hotel in the middle of the forest shows the pleasure of Africa. When you visit it, you will be sent into the heart of the forest by hotel buses, and then a guide, with a gun to protect you against big game, will go with you to the Treetops. Before and after dinner, for the whole night if you wish, you can sit on the corridor (走廊), watching animals come to the water pool. The earliest hotel Treetops was built round a large tree on the opposite side of the water, but that was destroyed by fire and the new hotel Treetops, which is built round several trees, is much bigger.
The dining room at Treetops is small, and the waiters cannot walk round to serve guests, a clever “railway service” has been invented. Guests take their food as it passes slowly in front of them, along a line in the center of the table.
There are many animals around the Treetops. When you visit them, you can see:
— Animals and their babies are waiting to greet the guests.
— Animals, enjoying the Treetops pool in the daylight.
— A long bodied, long ring tailed very active cat-like animal is a special one coming out at night.
He hunts and eats anything he can overpower, and his teeth and claws can do you harm.  
— Some other animals that have a thick coating of fur to keep them warm in the cold forest nights.
— Many buffaloes (水牛) coming near to the Treetops for water and salt during the day or night.
小題1: In Paragraph One, “succeeded” means ______.
A．did what she was trying to do B．gained her purpose
C．got a position on the death of the King D．completed a difficult task
小題2: Which of the following description about “the cat-like animal” is NOT true?
A．It comes for food only at night. B．It lives in the trees at Treetops.
C．Its teeth and claws can do people harm. D．It can catch any other animal in the forest.
小題3:According to the passage. Treetops is famous in the world because ______.
A．it can show the pleasure of Americans living in Africa
B．Princess Elizabeth got to the crown when coming down from there
C．they are built round several trees to provide adventures for visitors
D．there are many animals that can be trained and become lovely pets
小題4:We can learn from the passage, that the guests ______.
A．should not play games on the Treetops B．could enjoy their dinner as usual
C．could not sit on the corridor at nightD．should keep off the cat-like animals

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Many famous painters worked in Antwerp during the city’s period of greatest power but Peter Paul Rubens is undoubtedly the most famous one of them. Known as Rubens House, the palace-like residence(大宅) and studio where Rubens worked and lived from 1616 until his death in 1640 is now one of Antwerp’s most visited museums.
Almost all of the works Rubens and his students created in the Rubens House have been dispersed (分散) over major museums across the whole world, but there is still an impressive collection well worth the visit. Besides paintings form the master himself you will find other works of art and furniture of the 17th century as well as paintings from his students, including works by Jacob Jordaens and Anthony Van Dyck.
The Rubens House was not only a studio but also a meeting place for the rich and famous. His clients(委托人) included wealthy merchants, diplomats, and there were also many noblemen who often visited his studio to see how work progressed. The Rubens House even had a special viewing area which allowed visitors to see the artists at work.
Ruben bought the house at the beginning of the 17th century after his eight-year-long stay in Italy. Influenced by Italian architecture, he rebuilt the building into an Italian-styled palace with a beautiful garden and moved in the house in1616.
After his death the building was sold. New owners modified the building greatly and by 1937, when the building was purchased by the city of Antwerp, it hardly resembled the original structure.
The impressive entrance hall, which connected the studio and the residence, is one of the few parts that survived. Other parts have been carefully restored and reconstructed after original plans and paintings of the house.
小題1:As a museum, the Rubens House is popular because _______.
A．it lies in the famous city of Antwerp
B．it holds all the works by Rubens and his students
C．there are many people who enjoy visiting it
D．Rubens, a great artist, lived and worked there
小題2:We can learn from the third paragraph that _______.
A．the Rubens House was popular with upper-class people
B．the Rubens House was the best studio in its time
C．Rubens’s students included noblemen and diplomats
D．people were not allowed to view the artists working
小題3:What can be inferred from the text?
A．Thanks to its great painters, Antwerp became a rich city.
B．Ruben possibly showed strong interest in Italian buildings.
C．Antwerp must be a historical city in Italy.
D．The Rubens House was completely rebuilt before 1937.
小題4:Which of the following is TRUE, according to the text?
A．Rubens created his works by working with his students.
B．A beautiful garden was added to the Rubens House by new owners.
C．The Rubens House is decorated with furniture of the 17th century.
D．Today’s Rubens House looks like its original structure.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Channel Islands tourist guide


Friendly communities, a rough coastline and gentle, untouched scenery make the islands ideal for anyone who wants to ‘get out there’ and explore on foot or by bike.
England tourist guide
England is the largest country in Britain, and home to the largest city in Europe, 600 miles of beautiful coastline, and a population almost three times that of Australia.
Isle of Man tourist guide
A country rich in natural history, beautiful scenery and first-class historical sites with attractions for all age groups and interests.
London tourist guide
London needs little introduction. This lively, multi-cultural capital is a world leading destination city．London is full of history, heritage and culture, yet one of the most fast-moving, cosmopolitan(世界性的) cities on the planet．
Northern Ireland tourist guide
Exciting cities with shopping, nightlife and festivals, outdoor activities, wonderful food and untouched peaceful and private places where you can relax．
Scotland tourist guide
Scotland is everything you imagine – whisky, golf and wealth of castles and historic sites. The Highlands area is one of the last wildernesses in Europe.
Wales tourist guide
Wales is different from other parts of Britain and just 2 hours from Heathrow Airport. With 400 castles, yet only one official motorway, you have to take things at a gentle pace.
小題1:What is special about England?
A．It is the largest country in Europe．
B．It enjoys a beautiful coastline of 600 miles．
C．It is one of the last wildernesses in Europe．
D．It has a large population similar to Australia．
小題2:If you want to visit castles, you are supposed to go to _______．
A．Channel Islands and Isle of Man B．Isle of Man and London
C．Northern Ireland and WalesD．Wales and Scotland
小題3:The passage can be classified as           .
A．a(chǎn)n advertisementB．a(chǎn) geography article
C．a(chǎn) reportD．a(chǎn) diary

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


第三部分：閱讀理解（共20小題；每小題2分，滿分40分）
Before the mid 1860’s, the impact of the railroads in the United States was limited, in the sense that the tracks ended at this Missouri River, approximately the center of the country. At the point the trains turned their freight, mail, and passengers over to steamboats, wagons, and stagecoaches. This meant that wagon freighting, stagecoaching, and steamboating did not come to an end when the first train appeared; rather they became supplements or feeders. Each new “end of track” became a center for animal drawn or waterborne transportation. The major effect of the railroad was to shorten the distance that had to be covered by the older, slower, and more costly means. Wagon freighters continued operating throughout the 1870’s and 1880’s and into the 1890’s. Although over constantly shrinking routes, and coaches and wagons continued to crisscross the West wherever the rails had not yet been laid. The beginning of a major change was foreshadowed in the later 1860’s, when the Union Pacific Railroad at last began to build westward from the Central Plains city of Omaha to meet the Central Pacific Railroad advancing eastward from California through the formidable barrier of the Sierra Nevada. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the original Pacific Railroad bill in 1862 and a revised, financially much more generous version in 1864, little construction was completed until 1865 on the Central Pacific and 1866 on the Union Pacific. The primary reason was skepticism that a Railroad built through so challenging and thinly settled a stretch of desert, mountain, and semiarid plain could pay a profit. In the words of an economist, this was a case of “premature enterprise”, where not only the cost of construction but also the very high risk deterred private investment. In discussing the Pacific Railroad bill, the chair of the congressional committee bluntly stated that without government subsidy no one would undertake so unpromising a venture; yet it was a national necessity to link East and West together. ?
61. The author refers to the impact of railroads before the late 1860’s as “l(fā)imited” because
A. the track did not take the direct route from one city to the next?
B. passengers and freight had to transfer to other modes of transportation to reach western destinations              C. passengers preferred stagecoaches
D. railroad travel was quite expensive
62. What can be inferred about coaches and wagon freighters as the railroad expanded?
A. They developed competing routes.
B. Their drivers refused to work for the railroads.?
C. They began to specialize in private investment.?
D. There were insufficient numbers of trained people to operate them.
63.  Why does the author mention the Sierra Nevada in line 17? ?
A. To argue that a more direct route to the West could have been taken.??
B. To identify a historically significant mountain range in the West.?
C. To point out the location of a serious train accident.?
D. To give an example of an obstacle faced by the central pacific.   
64.  The word “subsidy” in line 27 is closest in meaning to_____.?
A. persuasion             B. financing              C. explanation           D. penalty ?

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