三.閱讀理解(40分)
Americans have contributed to many art forms, but jazz, a type of music, is the only art form that was created in the United States. Jazz was created by black Americans. Many blacks were brought from Africa to America as slaves. The black slaves sang and played the music of their homeland.
Jazz is a mixture of many different kinds of music. It is a combination (合并) of the music of west Africa, the work songs the slaves sang, and religious music. Improvisation(即興創(chuàng)作)is an important jazz. This means that the musicians make the music up as they go along, or create the music on the spot. This is why a jazz song might sound a little different each time it is played.
Jazz bands formed in the late nineteenth century. They played in bars and clubs in many towns and cities of the South, especially in New Orleans.
New Orleans is an imitational seaport, and people from all over the world come to New Orleans to hear jazz.
Jazz became more and more popular. By the 1920s, jazz was popular all over the United States. By the 1940s, you could hear jazz not only in clubs and bars, but in concert halls as well. Today, people from all over the world play jazz. Jazz musicians from the United States, Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe meet and share their music at festivals on every continent. In this way, jazz continues to grow and change.
1．From the passage we know that_____________created jazz.
A．white American     B．black Americans
C．West Africans       D．Indian Americans
2．What is the main idea of this passage?
A．It mainly tell about the contributions made by Americans to music.
B．It is mainly about different kinds of music.
C．It is about how jazz bands formed.
D．It is mainly about the history of jazz.
3．It can be known from the passage that jazz bands have a history of_________.
A．a(chǎn)bout 100 years       B．a(chǎn)round 200 years
C．a(chǎn)bout 150 years       D．a(chǎn)round 250 years
4．What kind of characteristics does jazz have?
A．It is always changing.
B．It is only played in the United States.
C．It is completely different from other music.
D．It is played in bars, clubs and concert halls.

第三節(jié) 完形填空(每空1分，共20分)
閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中選出一個(gè)最佳答案。
After the war between Britain and France which lasted 7 years, James Cook got married and   21   down in London. For several years, Captain Cook   22   to the east of America   23   he made a map of its  24  ．In 1768 came Cook's   25   for a major expedition. The navy was   26   a plan for an expedition   27   the South Pacific Ocean in   28   of watching a very unusual   29 ， that is the planet Venus   30　　between the earth and the sun in 1769. His   31   hope was to find a new land   32   was thought to be   33   in the Indian and Pacific Ocean.   34   Captain Cook was to be there in charge of this expedition   35   Captain of the ship   36  "Endeavour". It was an old merchant ship just like   37   on which Cook had learnt his seamanship. It was strongly built and had a lot of space   38   for storage. Cook understood there would be a lot of hardship for them, so he got everything   39   it. In this expedition, he had sailed around   40   and up the east coast of Australia, charting(繪制) over 8,000 miles of coastline that had been unknown before.
21. A. set         B. sailed     C. sent      D. settled
22. A. went      B. flew       C. sailed    D. came
23. A. which     B. where     C. that       D. when
24. A. countries    B. coasts     C. cities     D. seas
25. A. chance          B. hope      C. ship      D. expedition
26. A. finding      B. learning     C. doing    D. making
27. A. in              B. to              C. for        D. at
28. A. the hope     B. a view     C. an idea   D. plan
29. A. accident     B. incident      C. matter    D. event
30. A. existing      B. setting     C. passing   D. appearing
31. A. first       B. second          C. third      D. last
32. A. which     B. where     C. what      D. on which
33. A. passing      B. going     C. existing      D. sailing
34. A. but        B. as          C. and        D. for
35. A. of          B. for         C. like       D. as
36. A. which called      B. called  C. call       D. calling
37. A. one        B. it         C. the one       D. what
38. A. down     B. off         C. up         D. away
39. A. full prepared for           B. fully prepared for
C. fully preparing        D. full preparation
40. A. Endland         B. Australia   C. New Zealand      D. Tasmania

The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet (彗星) is heading towards the Earth . Most of it will miss our planet, but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth.
On 17 July , a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere with a massive explosion . About half of the piece is destroyed, but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the sea bed. Huge waves are created and spread outwards from the hole. The wall of water, a kilometer high, rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned.
Before the waves reach South America, the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina. Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Mountains. The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes. Millions of people in the southern half of the earth are already dead, but the north won’t escape for long. Because of the explosions, the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. The sun won’t be seen again for many years. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later, no more than 10 million people remain alive.
Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldn’t live through the cold climate that followed and they died out. Will we meet the same end?
1．What is mainly described in the passage?
A．A historic discovery .    B．An event of imagination
C．A research on space .    D．A scientific adventure.
2．When the first piece hits the South Atlantic, it causes  ________  .
A．a(chǎn)n earthquake   B．damages to cities   C．a(chǎn)n Earth explosion   D．huge waves
3．Why can’t the northern half of the earth escape for long ?
A．Because the land is covered with water
B．Because the light and heat from the sun can not reach the earth .
C．Because people there can not live at the temperature of zero .
D．Because wars break out among countries .
4．By giving the example of dinosaurs , the author tries to prove ________ .
A．a(chǎn)nimals could not live in the cold climate
B．what happened 65 million years ago was an invented story
C．the human beings will die out in 2094
D．the Earth could be hit by other objects in space

Mail was usually carried west on ships that sailed around the bottom of South America and then north to California．That could take several months.  
So, in eighteen fifty-seven, D.C．Lawmakers in Congress（國會） in Washington wanted to make it possible to send mail all the way across the United States by land．Congress offered to help any company that would try to deliver mail overland to the West Coast. A man named John Butterfield accepted this offer. He developed plans for a company that would carry the mail—and passengers, too.
Congress gave John Butterfield six hundred thousand dollars to start his company. In return, he had to promise that the mail would travel from Saint Louis, Missouri, to San Francisco, California, in twenty-five days or less.
It was not possible to travel straight through because of the Rocky Mountains and the deep snow that fell in winter. So the stagecoach（馬車） would travel south from Saint Louis to El Paso, Texas, then over to southern California, then north to San Francisco. The distance was about four thousand five hundred kilometers.
Two hundred of these stations were built, each about thirty-two kilometers apart. The workers were to quickly change the horses or mules whenever a stagecoach reached the station. There could be no delay. Each stagecoach was to travel nearly two hundred kilometers a day.
One hundred stagecoaches were built and painted red or dark green. They were the most modern coaches that money could buy. They were designed to hold as many as nine passengers and twelve thousand pieces of mail. The seats inside could be folded down to make beds. Passengers either slept on them or on the bags of mail.
The cost would be one hundred fifty dollars to travel from Saint Louis to San Francisco. If a passenger was not going all the way, the cost was about ten cents a kilometer. The passengers had to buy their own food at the stations. The stagecoach would stop for forty minutes, two times a day.
The company warned passengers about the possible dangers. A poster said: “You will be traveling through Indian country and the safety of your person cannot by granted by anyone but God.”
1．What is the passage mainly about?
A．Different ways of sending mail in the United States.
B．The difficulty in sending mails across the USA by land.
C．The first stagecoaches that carried both passengers and mail.
D．The history of the first stagecoaches carrying mail to the American West.
2．The reason why Lawmakers wanted to send mail by land was that ________.
A．mail was usually carried west on ships  
B．it was safer to travel to send mail by land
C．it would take less time to send mail by land
D．stagecoaches could carry passengers and mail
3．As is described in the passage, the stagecoach ________.
A．could only stop once a day           
B．was modern with seats ,beds and cooking equipment
C．was a closed wagon operated only by skillful drivers.
D．had different horses or mules pulled all the way
4．What can we learn from the passage?
A．John Buttterfield got thousands of dollars for delivering mail in stagecoaches.
B．John Buttterfield kept his promise to deliver mail straight to the West Coast.
C．Passengers might be robbed by Indians when traveling through the West.
D．Passengers needed to pay one hundred dollars for their journey. 

Rules
Students are asked to submit essays of 500 to 700 words of their own work. Any essay containing material plagiarized(剽竊) from another source will be disqualified.
Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced, with the student’s name, address, and grade level on a separate sheet of paper.
Essays must be turned in by 4:00 p.m. on November 30. They can be brought to Mrs. Elton in Room 104 or to Mr. Markham in the school library.
Essay-Writing Tips
Catch your readers’ interests--- Your opening should immediately pull your readers into your essay. Asking a question or starting with an anecdote, quotation, or surprising statement is a good way to do this.
Create a picture--- Use active words that show your readers what is happening. Instead of telling your readers vaguely that “the room was disordered”, paint a picture using active verbs and lively adjectives.
Have a purpose--- Well-written essays do more than just describe an incident or express a viewpoint, and they also communicate a message.
Check for mistakes--- Read your paper over to check for mistakes. Ask another student to read your paper and make suggestions. Another pair of eyes will often spot a mistake you’ve overlooked.
Format your essay--- Neatly type your essay on white paper. Choose an attractive cover for submission. The computer lab will be open after school from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. each day this month so that students can use the computers.
Prizes
Winning essays will be published in the Centerville Times. Every contestant (選手) will also receive a free pass to enter one school activity or athletic game this year.
First Prize:            $150
Second Prize:         Dictionary and thesaurus
Third Prize:           Pen set and journal
Special thanks to the Centerville Writers’ Association for the prizes to help encourage our aspiring authors. Good luck to all contestants.
1. The first writing tip given is mostly about________.
A. the use of quotations and anecdotes in an essay
B. using active verbs and lively adjectives
C. How a student should begin an essay
D. how to submit your essays
2. The prize section of the poster is included in order to _________.
A. show organizations how to donate prizes
B. inform teachers of the prizes available
C. persuade students to enter the essay contest
D. convince students to buy the local newspapers
3. Thanks are given to the Centerville Writers Association because it has_________.
A. offered to judge the contest       B. prepared the essay-writing tips
C. organized the essay contest        D. donated prizes for the contest
4. What do we know by inference from the passage?
A. The computer lab usually closes at 4:15 p.m. each day.
B. Winning essays will be published in the Centerville Times.
C. Every contestant will benefit from the essay contest.
D. The essay contest is held annually at Centerville High School.

Today when a man steps onto the moon, or something new and important happens, the world learns about it immediately. What did the newspapers say about that first flight in 1903? Strangely enough, they said hardly anything about it at all. There were only a few reports about it in the papers. These reports said very little. Some of the things they said were not even correct. In 1904 the Rights built a second machine. They called it “Flyer No. Two”. They invited some reporters to a field near Dayton to watch them fly. Unfortunately there was some mechanical trouble with the plane and it did not fly at all that day. The newspapermen went away. They were disappointed and did not come back. The Rights went on with their work. In 1905 they built an even better machine, “Flyer No. Three”. They were able to stay up in the air for half an hour and more in this machine. They were ale to turn and climb in the air. Farmers, travelers on the roads around Dayton often saw them flying. But when these people told newspapermen about it, they refused to believe them.
The Rights offered “Flyer No.Three” to the United States Government. The Government was not interested. They seemed to think the Rights wanted money in order to build an airplane. They did not understand the Rights had already done this, and flown it as well. Experts were still saying that mechanical flight was impossible. At the end of 1905, the two brothers took their plane to pieces. The parts were put into a huge wooden case. It seemed nobody was interested.
1. What does the beginning sentence of the passage suggest?
A. The speed of information spreading today makes it possible to learn the world quickly.
B. People of today are only concerned with space exploration.
C. Reporters of today cover important events in a different way.
D. People in the past didn’t care about the outside world.
2. What can we know about “Flyer No.Three”?
A. The Rights had such a successful flight that it aroused the government’s interest.
B. The Rights were able to fly it for half an hour and even turn and climb in the air.
C. There was something wrong with the craft and it did not fly at all that day.
D. The Rights took the plane to pieces and put it into a wooden case immediately after the flight.
3. When the Rights offered “Flyer No.Three” to the United States Government, the Government_______.
A. decided to build an airport for the brothers
B. showed great interest in the machine
C. didn’t believe in the possibility of the flight
D. asked the brothers to put the machine in a wooden case
4. Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage?
A. There were only a few reports about the first successful flight in the papers.
B. Some reporters were invited to watch the second flight experiment.
C. Many people witnessed the successful flight but the newspapermen refused to believe them/
D. Before 1903 no one had ever stepped on the moon.

三．閱讀理解（共20小題；每小題2分，滿分40分）
閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
Japanese couples, too busy for a normal social life, are increasingly turning to actors to play their friends on the most important days of their lives．
Several agencies have sprung up(涌現(xiàn))offering actors to attend weddings or even funerals．The
first guest-for-hire company was established about nine years ago and around 10 now send out dozens of pretend friends to family events．
Agencies such as Hagemashi Tai-which means “I want to cheer you up” -charge around £100 for each “guest”．Other services such as giving a speech in praise of a bride or the groom cost extra．
The appearance of the small fake friends industry has been linked to social and economic changes in Japan．With lifetime employment (終身雇傭制)a thing of the past, couples feel uncomfortable about inviting work colleagues to their wedding．Increasingly busy and put upon, many Japanese surround themselves with only a very small circle of friends．
When they marry, however, they are under pressure to match the number of their new partner’s wedding guests．
Office Agents, the largest provider of pretend friends, makes sure that its employees have done their homework and know all about the bride or groom before the wedding．
Hiroshi Mizutani, the company’s founder, said the fake friends he provides must look happy, be well dressed and look like people with good jobs．
1．Why did fake friends industry come into being in Japan?
A．Because of social and economic changes       B．Because of lifetime employment
C．Because of normal social life                       D．Because of work pressure
2．Pretend friends will be present at the following occasions except ________．
A．weddings                B．funerals               C．work                     D．family gathering
3．The agents make sure that ________．
A．fake friends have done their housework
B．fake friends have good jobs
C．fake friends must look happy and be well dressed
D．fake friends feel uncomfortable
4．What is the best title of this passage?
A．Japanese couples are under pressure to get married
B．The first guest-for-hire company in Japan
C．Japanese couples’ social life
D．Japanese couples rely on fake friends

A team from Krakow, in Poland, used functional magnetic resonance imaging （機(jī)能性核共振成像）（FMRI）to assess brain activity when 40 volunteers were shown various images．Men showed activity in areas which dealt with what action they should take in order to avoid or face up to danger．But the study found more activity in the emotional centers of women's brains．The researchers, from another university, carried out scans on 21 men and 19 women．Brain activity was monitored while the volunteers were shown images of objects and images from ordinary life designed to remind different emotional states．
The images were displayed in two runs．For the first run, only negative pictures were shown．For the second run, only positive pictures were shown．
While viewing the negative images, women showed stronger and broader activity in the left thalamus（神經(jīng)床）．This is an area which passes sense information to the pain and pleasure centres of the brain．Men showed more activity in an area of the brain called the left insula（腦島）, which plays a key role in controlling natural functions, including breath, heart rate and digestion．Generally, activity in this area tells the body to either run away from danger, or meet it head on - the so-called "fight or flight response"．
While viewing positive images, women showed stronger activity in an area of the brain associated with memory．With men, the stronger activity was recorded in an area associated with visual processing．Dr Urbanik believes these differences suggest women may analyze positive stimuli（刺激）in a broader social context and associate positive images with a particular memory．
For instance, viewing a picture of a smiling child might remind memories of a woman's own child at this age．On the contrary, male responses tend to be less emotional．
1．The research shows that men response differently to__________compared with women．
A．different images    B．ordinary life 
C．different activities        D．medical scan
2．According to the passage, when faced with danger, ____________．
A．women react more slowly than men       B．women usually try to avoid it 
C．men usually have no reaction         D．men react to it more directly
3．What is discussed in the 4 th paragraph?         ．
A．Men and women’s different memories   B．The different responses to the children
C．Different reactions to positive stimuli    D．Negative results of the visual processing
3．The passage mainly develops______．
A．by inferring                   B．by comparing  
C．by listing examples       D．by giving explanations

Many of the most damaging types of weather begin quickly, strike suddenly, and disappear rapidly, destroying small areas while leaving neighboring areas untouched．Such event as a tornado struck the northeastern part of Edmonton, Alberta, in July 1987．Total damages from the tornado went beyond $250 million, the highest ever for any Canadian storm．
Traditional computer models of the atmosphere have limited value in predicting short-lived local storms like the Edmonton tornado, because the available weather data are generally not detailed enough to allow computers to study carefully the slight atmospheric changes that come before these storms．In most nations, for example, weather-balloon observations are taken just once every twelve hours at places separated by hundreds of miles．With such limited data, traditional forecasting models do a much better job predicting general weather conditions over large areas than they do forecasting specific local events．
Until recently, the observation intensive method needed for exact, very short-range forecasts, or “Nowcasts,” was not possible．The cost of equipping and operating many thousands of conventional weather stations was extremely high, and the difficulties concerned in rapidly collecting and processing the weather data from such a network were hard to overcome．
Fortunately, scientific and technological advances have overcome most of these problems．Radar systems and satellites are all able to make detailed, nearly continuous observation over large areas at a lower cost．Communications satellites can send out data around the world cheaply and immediately, and modern computers can quickly collect and analyze this large amount of weather information．
Meteorologists（氣象學(xué)者）and computer scientists now work together to design computer programs and video equipment able to change weather data into words and graphic displays that forecasters can understand easily and quickly．As meteorologists have begun using these new technologies in weather forecasting offices, Nowcasting is becoming a reality．
1．Why can’t traditional computer models predict short-lived local storms?
A．The weather data people collect are often wrong．
B．Detailed weather data in some small areas are not available．
C．The computers are not advanced enough to predict them．D．The computers are not used to forecast specific local events．
2．The word “Nowcast” in Paragraph 3 means ________．
A．a(chǎn) network to collect storm data?     
B．a(chǎn) way of collecting weather data
C．a(chǎn) more advanced system of weather observation
D．a(chǎn) forecast which can predict weather in the small area
3．What can make “Nowcasts” a reality according to the passage?
A．Scientific and technological advances． B．Advanced computer programs．
C．Computer scientists．?              D．Meteorologists．
4．What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．The advantages of “Nowcasts”．        B．A tornado in Edmonton, Alberta．
C．The difficulty in predicting tornado．  D．A great development in weather forecast．

“Migrant workers”（外來務(wù)工人員）is a familiar term for 17 -year- old Shi Jian. Her father and uncle often talk about the problems surrounding this group of people. However, Shi cares more about the children of these migrant workers.
Last year Shi’s housekeeper’s daughter had to give up her schooling in Beijing because she would not be allowed to sit the national college entrance exam. She was forced to continue her high school education in her hometown in Sichuan Province.
Shi thinks the current law is unfair for migrant workers’ children, as it prevents them from studying at public schools, unless their parents pay huge sums. So, Shi decided to do a survey of migrant workers so that she could find some solutions to help solve the problem.
In the last six months Shi has spoken to 186 migrant workers in Beijing. Her interviewees include babysitters, guards, keepers, supermarket clerks, house cleaners and construction site workers. Shi found out that 55 of them were parents. Among this group, only eight have children who attend schools in Beijing. The other 47 had to leave children with relatives in the countryside. However, 40 of the 47 would like to enroll（使入學(xué)）their children in city schools.
From her interviews, Shi found that the workers’ lowest income was 400 yuan each month. Over one - third earn a monthly wage of or below 1000 yuan. “Even schools for migrant workers’ children charge more than public schools. Moreover, parents constantly worry about these schools closing or relocating,” she explained.
Shi has recently completed a report about her survey, in which she makes a series of recommendations. “The government can set up public schools for migrants’ children equal to schools for city children. Second, to offset（彌補(bǔ)）migrant workers’ very low pay, public schools should offer them special rates so they can afford their children’s tuition（學(xué)費(fèi)）.
1. What drove Shi to do the survey of migrant workers?
A. She wanted to draw people’s attention and become famous.
B. Her housekeeper’s daughter was forced to move to her hometown to continue studying.
C. She was asked to do a survey of migrant workers as part of a school project.
D. Her curiosity about migrant workers’lives.
2. According to Shi’s survey, most migrant workers’kids ________.
A. have to help their parents support the family
B. attend schools near their parents’ working places
C. don’t live together with their parents
D. always do better in schools than children from the city
3. All of the following prevent migrant workers’ kids from attending schools in cities EXCEPT ________.
A. their parents’ low income
B. that schools for migrant workers’ children may close or relocate
C. schools’ high tuitions
D. their lack of confidence to face the fierce competitions in city schools
4. Shi suggested in her survey that ________.
A. children’s tuition should be reduced
B. more money should be collected for migrants’ children
C. more private schools for migrants’ children should be built
D. students from the city and the countryside should be encouraged to communicate more