The Japanese have a genius for dreaming up small, useful and fun machines. You must have used or at least heard of Sony’s walkman, Nintendo or Sega’s video games, and Bandai’s Tamagotchi. And how about karaoke, invented by Daisuke Inoue?
Daisuke, who? Not many people have heard of him, and he never made much money from his invention. But anyone who has ever experienced the thrill of singing karaoke in front of a crowd has Mr.Inoue to thank…
Daisuke Inoue is an easygoing man with a quick smile. He was born in the suburbs of Osaka in 1940. At Osaka Technical High School he took up the drums, because he says, “All you have to do is hit them.” Before long he was making money as a drummer in a Hawaiian band that played in the old dance-halls left behind by American soldiers.
By 1970, he and six partners were playing in the clubs of nearby Kobe, accompanying middle-aged businessmen who wanted to sing traditional Japanese country and even army songs. His friends, Inous says, could all read music and so they could pick up the latest tunes (曲調(diào)). He, on the other hand, had to rely on memory and play by following the lips of the singer as they moved. “Out of 108 club musicians in Kobe,” he says. “I was the worst! And the clients (顧客) in my club were the worst singers!”
One client, president of a small steel company, was especially fond of Inoue’s slow, follow-along style. It made the president’s bad, out-of–time singing sound much better. One evening he wanted Inoue to play for him on a trip to a hot spring resort (勝地). The boss wanted to sing Frank Nagai’s Leaving Haneda Airport on a 7:50 Flight for his friends. But Inoue was unable to leave his job.
To help out his most loyal client, he decided to provide him with a tape. Inoue wouldn’t be there, but the singer would still have his accompaniment. Karaoke was born. 
1. Daisuke Inoue took up the drums at high school because _______.
A. they were his favorite musical instruments
B. he knew they would help him make money
C. he thought they were easy to learn
D. it was easy for a drummer to find a job
2. What does the underlined word “they” stand for?
A. His partner      B. His friends    C. The latest tunes    D. The singer’s lips
3. From this passage we know Daisuke Inoue was ______.
A. an outstanding musician            B. not quite good at music
C. a good singer and dancer           D. good at inventing things
4. Why did the president like Inoue’s playing so much?
A. Because Inoue followed his singing.
B. Because Inoue played very well.
C. Because he had got used to Inoue’s fast, exciting style.
D. Because Inoue was an easy-going man with a quick smile.

Terry Herbert, 55, of Staffordshire, the UK, has used a metal detector (探測器)for the past 18 years to look for treasure. He’d never found anything especially valuable. But on July 5, he made a very important discovery, which also changed the way the British look at history. In a field near his home, Herbert found a huge number of ancient artifacts. The finding was announced on September 24.
Archaeologists(考古學家) are surprised by the size of the discovery. There are more than 1,300 pieces. The discovery is much bigger than any other from the Anglo-saxon era(盎格魯撒克遜時代)，said Roger Bland of the British Museum. Bland said some experts think treasures of this kind must have belonged to a king but they couldn’t be certain.
The artifacts are thought to date from between AD 675 and AD 725, a time that is sometimes called the Dark Ages. The time was marked by frequent fighting. The gold in the collection weighs 5 kilograms. It suggests that England at the time was richer than historians thought.
Why were the gold and silver treasures buried? Archaeologists believe it could have been to hide them from enemies, a common practice at the time.
The findings could become one of Britain’s top archaeological finds. So far, experts have looked at 1,345 pieces and there are still more to come. It may take a year to look at the whole finding.
Herbert found the treasure while he was searching in a friend’s field over five days in July. He said his discovery was more fun than winning the lottery. “This is what treasure hunters dream of, finding stuff like this. The great amount there is just unbelievable,” he said.
1、Terry Herbert used a metal detector to search for treasure because     .
A、he had researched the area and was sure there was treasure there.
B、he was very interested in British history.
C、he wanted to be an archeologist
D、he enjoyed searching for treasure
2、Herbert’s discovery is very important because     .
A、the treasure he found belongs to an ancient English king.
B、the treasure has changed people’s understanding of early English history.
C、the treasure is proving a big help to the British economy.
D、it is the find that many British treasure hunters have been hoping for years.
3、On the basis of the article, which of the following is TRUE?
A、It might take three years for scientists to look through all of the treasure.
B、Ancient English people buried treasure in the fields for future use.
C、At the time England was a more violent and religious land than historians thought.
D、Herbert prefers the fun of treasure hunting over the money he will earn for his discovery.
4、Which of the following headlines best sums up the article?
A、British treasure hunter makes big find.        B、Scientists find out about the dark ages.
C、How to find treasures using a metal detector.  D、Archeologists win big lottery prize.

Buster Brown was a thief — and a good one, too, he thought. He’d never been caught by the police because he was always prepared for any unforeseen event or emergency.
Confidently, he stood outside the house of his intended victim and read the sign on the front gate of the house. “Don’t worry about the dog –be aware of the owner!” it said. Buster smiled and found his ways in.
The house looked quite normal outside, but inside it was very unusual with fascinating objects on display. As he began putting them into his bag, a dog came into the room. It stopped when it saw Buster, then wagged its tail madly and went over to him, licking his outstretched hand. “Good boy,” Buster whispered. “What a great guard dog you are –trying to lick me to death.”
Satisfied he’d made friends with the dog, Buster began to wander round the house, choosing items to put in his bag. His skilled eye picked out only the best antiques（古董）---a pair of silver candleholders, a silver tea and coffee service, etc. His new friend, the dog, sat and watched, as if wondering what was happening.
“Well, boy,” Buster whispered finally. “That might do any more and I won’t be able to carry it!” He swung the heavy bag onto his shoulders, just then the lights came on, nearly blinding him. He protected his eyes with his hand.
“You’re a very silly person,” the figure in the doorway said, his voice dry as dust. As the man came closer, Buster could see he was well dressed. His face seemed familiar, but Buster couldn’t quite sure where he had seen him before.
“______________________________ the sign outside,” the man shouted angrily. “I knew about this attempted robbery last week and I also know you will be put behind bars. Imagine trying to rob the house of the world’s greatest fortune –teller!”
76. What would the best title of the story be? （Please answer within 10 words）
___________________________________________________________________
77. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one？
I was given the information about this robbery last week and I know you will be in prison.
___________________________________________________________________
78. Please fill in the blank in the last paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the
sentence. (Please answer within 10 words)
___________________________________________________________________
79. What do you think of the owner of the house? Give your reasons. (Please answer within 30
words)  ________________________________________________
80. Translate the underlined sentence in the third paragraph into Chinese
__________________________________________________________________

C
On May 7, 2001, Ronnie Biggs arrived in Britain for the first time in about thirty-five years. His return was the end of one of Britain's most famous crime stories, The Great Train Robbery. In 1963 Biggs was in a gang that stole ￡2.6 million from a train traveling between London and Glasgow. The gang was caught quickly, and Biggs was sentenced to thirty years in jail. Many people thought that the sentence was too harsh（嚴厲的）. Biggs also thought it was too harsh, so he decided to escape.
Biggs was sent to Wandsworth Prison, a maximum security jail. It had one very high wall to keep the prisoners in, and some guards to watch them. One afternoon in July 1965, Biggs was in the prison yard. He had been in jail for just fifteen months. A tall van（貨車） stopped outside the jail, and a ladder was placed against the wall. Then a rope ladder was thrown over the wall into the prison yard. Biggs climbed up the rope ladder, jumped down into the van and escaped!
From that time on, Biggs lived on the run. After hiding in France, Spain and Australia, he finally settled in Brazil in 1970. He was a celebrity（名人） criminal. He appeared in rock videos and movies, and he sold souvenirs to tourists who came to see him. But he missed his home in Britain and, at the age of seventy-one, decided to go home. He was met at the airport by family, friends—and police.
61. Ronnie Biggs was sentenced to thirty years in jail because ________.
62. What kind of prison was Ronnie Biggs in?
63. The main idea of Paragraph 2 is ________.
64. How many countries had Ronnie Biggs been to after he escaped from Britain?
65. When was Ronnie Biggs born?

第二部分 閱讀（共兩節(jié)，滿分80分）
第一節(jié)：閱讀理解（共35小題；每小題2分，滿分70分）
閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從21~55各題所給的四個選項（A、B、C、D）中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
It has long been known the ancient Egyptian rulers, or pharaohs, were buried with great ceremony and lavish treasures that were to be used in the other world.
Unfortunately, until 1922 no remains of any of the pharaohs or their treasures had ever been found. In that year, however, an archaeologist named Howard Carter and his sponsor, Lord Carnavon, were at last successful. They found the tomb of King Tutankhamen, who was buried 3,200 years ago. King Tut’s tomb was the first fully preserved burial site to be uncovered in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. The two men found the tomb to contain wonderful treasures. Gold figures and magnificent furniture decorated with gold were found in the myriad of secret rooms and tunnels within the pyramid.
The only disappointment for Howard Carter came when he found that King Tut’s body was nothing but dust. Apparently a mistake had been made when the king’s remains were mummified (使成木乃伊). Carter did, however, find 143 pieces of jewelry within the mummy case, mostly made of gold and precious stones.
Actually, despite all the publicity about the remarkable finds in his tomb, Tutankhamen’s reign (統(tǒng)治時期) as pharaoh was short and relatively uneventful. He died when he was just 18 years old.
There is an interesting story that goes along with King Tut’s tomb. According to legend, a powerful curse was placed in it. This curse was to descend on anyone uncovering Tutankhamen’s burial place. Not very long after the discovery, Lord Carnavon, along with several of the workmen, died suddenly.
1．The subject of this passage is              .
A．the Valley of the Kings    B．the discovery of King Tut’s tomb
C．King Tut’s accomplishments   D．Howard Carter, archaeologist
2．Which statement is true according to this article?
A．Not until King Tut’s tomb was found did people realize that Egyptian pharaohs
were buried with great ceremony and lavish treasures.
B．The first grand burial site of the ancient Egyptian rulers was built 3,200 years ago.
C．Historically, Tutankhamen’s reign was not very much important.
D．The writer feels it a pity that Lord Carnavon and several of the workmen died
because of the curse.
3．It seems clear that King Tut        .
A．was a great military leader      B．thought a great deal of himself
C．was afraid of dying  D．was killed by his enemies
4．If you have a myriad of something, you have          .
A．many       B．some C．few   D．several
5．Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A．King Tut’s Tomb     B．The Egyptian Tombs and Treasures
C．King Tut’s body      D．The First Pharaoh’s Treasures

Five Olympic mascots were announced exactly 1000 days before the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony. The long--anticipated mascots represent four of China's most popular animals — the fish, the panda, the Tibetan antelope and the swallow .The fifth mascot is the brightly burning Olympic flame.
Each of the mascots has a repeated two-syllable name. This type of name is a traditional way of showing affection for children in China. BeiBei is the fish, JingJing is the panda, HuanHuan is the Olympic flame, YingYing is the Tibetan antelope and NiNi is the swallow. The first characters of their two-syllable names read “Beijing Huanying Ni,” or, in English, “Welcome to Beijing.” 
The five elements of nature, including the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky are found in the mascot's origins and headpieces. These special headpieces also display the folk and culture of China. Each mascot also symbolizes a different blessing ---prosperity, happiness, passion, health and good luck.
It is the first time more than three mascots will share the important duty of representing their host country. Han Meilin, chief of the mascot design team explained that, “China has such a rich culture that no single mascot could possibly represent it! That is why we chose to produce five mascots instead of one.”
Called the “Five Friendlies,” the figures embody（體現(xiàn)） the Chinese people’s hope for peace and friendship in the world and the spirit of the Olympics, representing not only multi-ethnic(多民族的) cultures of China, but also the traditional Chinese philosophy of harmony between humans and nature.
In order to help Beijing 2008 spread its theme of One World, One Dream to every continent, the Five Friendlies reflect the deep desire of the Chinese people to reach out to the world in friendship through the Games — and to invite every man, woman and child to take part in the great celebration of human union in 2008. 
1. What’s the theme of Beijing 2008 Olympics?
A.Welcome to Beijing.
B.Prosperity, Happiness, Passion, Health and Good luck.
C.New Beijing, New Olympics.
D.One World, One Dream.
2. What did Han Meilin, chief of the mascot design team, think of the five mascots?
A.He thought highly of the five mascots.
B.No single mascot could represent China.
C.The five mascots represented the culture of China.
D.They would reflect the desire of Chinese people.
3. Which of the following statements is not true?
A.It’s for the first time that five mascots are chosen to represent their host country in the Olympic history.
B.One of the five mascots YingYing stands for the Olympic flame.
C.Beijing announced its five 2008 Olympic mascots just 1000 days before the big event.
D.The five mascots express affection for Chinese children by two-syllable names.
4. Which of the following best reflects the main idea of the passage?
A.The 29th Olympic Games will be held in Beijing in 2008.
B.The theme of 2008 Beijing Olympics — One World, One Dream.
C.The significance of five 2008 Olympic mascots — the Five Friendlies.
D.How the Five Fantastic Mascots came into being.
5. What do the five mascots — the Five Friendlies represent?
A.“Beijing Huanying Ni,” or, in English, “Welcome to Beijing.” 
B.Chinese multi-ethnic cultures, philosophy of harmony between humans and nature and five elements of nature.
C.Chinese people’s hope for peace and friendship in the world and the spirit of the Olympics.
D.The deep desire of the Chinese people to reach out to the world in friendship through the Olympics.

Archaeology as a profession faces two major problems. It is the poorest of the poor. Only small sums are available for excavating(挖掘)and even less is available
for publishing the results and preserving the sites once excavated. Yet archaeologists deal with priceless objects every day. Besides, there is the problem of unlawful excavation, resulting in museum-quality pieces being sold to businessmen at the highest price..
I would like to make a suggestion that would at once provide money for archaeology and reduce the amount of diggings against law. You might say that professionals excavate to get knowledge, not money. Moreover, ancient artifacts(古器
物) are part of our global cultural heritage(遺產(chǎn)), which should be there for all to appreciate, not sold at the highest price. I agree. Sell nothing that has scientific value. But, you might reply, everything that comes out of the ground has scientific value. Here,
we disagree. In theory, you may be correct in saying that every artifact has hidden scientific value.
People can not help appreciate every unearthed treasure but there is not enough money even to put the finds in good order; as a result, they cannot be found again and become as inaccessible as if they had never been discovered. Indeed, with the help of the Internet, sold artifacts could be more reachable than are the pieces stored in museum basements. Before sale, each could be photographed and the list of the purchasers could be maintained on the computer. A purchaser could even be required to agree to return the piece if it should become needed for scientific purposes.
小題1:What’s the problems that archaeology as a profession has to face?

A．Money and unlawful excavation	B．Effectively duplicates.
C．Scientific purposes.	D．Excavation law.

小題2:To let most people enjoy ancient artifacts, the practical way could be_______.

A．putting them in the museum	B．having sold artifacts returned
C．making use of the Internet	D．solving the money problem

小題3:Which of the following four suggestions about archaeology is from the author?

A．No selling of any unearthed ancient artifacts.

B．Some money should be raised for the purpose.

C．Selling some unearthed ancient artifacts and having them returned when needed.

D．Ancient artifacts, our global cultural heritage, should be evenly shared by us all.

The Parthenon in Athens is a building with a long and complex history. Built nearly 2,500 years ago as a temple celebrating the Greek goddess Athena, it was for thousands of years the church of the Virgin Mary of the Athenians, then a mosque (清真寺), and finally a ruin. The building was changed and the sculptures much damaged over the centuries. By 1800 only about half of the original sculptural decoration remained.
Between 1801 and 1805, Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, which controlled Athens, acting with the full knowledge and permission of the Ottoman authorities, removed about half of the remaining sculptures from the fallen ruins and from the building itself. Lord Elgin loved Greek history and transported the sculptures back to Britain. The arrival of the sculptures in London had a huge effect on the European public, greatly increasing interest in ancient Greek culture and influencing contemporary artistic trends. These sculptures were acquired from Lord Elgin by the British Museum in 1816 and since then they have all been on display to the public, free of charge.
Since the early 1980s, however, the Greek government has argued for the permanent removal to Athens of all the Parthenon sculptures in the British Museum. They have also challenged the British Museum Board of Trustees' legal title to the sculptures.
The British Museum, however, insists that it exists to tell the story of cultural achievement throughout the world, from the dawn of human history over two million years ago until the present day. The museum considers itself an important resource for the world: the breadth and depth of its collection allows the world public to re-examine cultural identities and explore the complex network of interconnected world cultures.
It also says that, within the context of this unparalleled collection, the Parthenon sculptures are an important representation of ancient Athenian civilization. Each year millions of visitors admire the artistry of the sculptures and gain insights on how ancient Greece influenced - and was influenced by - the other civilizations that it encountered.
51. For most of its history people went to the Parthenon to ______.
A. admire the goddess Athena             B. pray to their god
C. search for sculptures                             D. learn about its complex history
52. The underlined "it" (in Paragraph 4) refers to "_________".
A. the British Museum                B. the Greek government
C. the Parthenon                         D. the British Museum Board of Trustees
53. What can we infer from the passage?
A. The sculptures introduced ancient Greek culture to the west.
B. Ancient Greek culture has greatly influenced world culture.
C. The British Museum has made much money from the Parthenon sculptures.
D. The British Museum is the place most capable of preserving these sculptures.
54. What can we learn about Lord Elgin from the passage?
A. He is greatly admired in Greece.
B. He worked for the Ottoman Empire.
C. He saved the Parthenon sculptures from being destroyed.
D. He had a deep interest in Greek culture.
55. The author's main intention in writing this passage is to tell _____.
A. the history of the Parthenon and its sculptures
B. what people can see in the British Museum
C. why the British Museum refuses to return the sculptures
D. the influence of Greece on British culture

The first bullet "train designed and manufactured in China with a speed of 300 kilometers per hour roiled off the production line on Saturday morning. The train was the latest model in the country' s China Railway High-speed (CRH) Series. This marks that China has joined a leading world club after Japan, France and Germany to become the fourth country capable of turning out such high speed trains. Previously, China' s fastest selfdeveloped trains ran at a service speed of up to 250 km per hour.
Those trains, which presented to public on April 18, served the Beijing-Harbin, Beijing-Shanghai and Beijing-Guangzhou routes. The new streamlined train was made of aluminum alloy(鋁合金). The train body was the lightest of its kind in the world; Such a design was for the sake of energy economization. The train' s power was 12.7 kilowatts, lower than other high-speed trains, which was normally about 15 kilowatts.
The new train, which features a bar in the dining car and double-faced LCD TV screens in the first-class cars, was equipped with shock absorbers between carriages. As the train is running at a high speed, the shock absorbers are used to reduce shocking force and rocking of the train body. A train with eight carriages could seat about 600 passengers. They were expected to run on the 115-km Beijing-Tianjin route starting from August before the Beijing Olympic Games. It would reduce the journey time from the current 80 minutes to around 30 minutes.
77. From the 1st paragraph we learn that_______.
A. The latest model of CRH Series ran at a service speed of up to 250 km per hour
B. China became the fourth country in the world able to produce bullet trains
C. The first self-developed bullet train roiled off the production line at a speed of 300 km per hour
D. China has joined a leading world club consisting of Japan ; France and Germany
78. The new bullet train_______.
A. has been put into use in China                    B. has double-faced LCD TV sets in first carriage
C. is slower than high-speed trains                  D. is made of the lightest material in the world
79. "It" in the last paragraph refers to_______.
A. a train with eight carriages                    B. the speed of 115 km per hour
C. the Ministry of Railways                       D. the use of the new train
80. What is mainly talked about in this passage.'?
A. The bullet trains designed and made in China have been put into operation.
B. The bullet trains serve many of the main routes between big cities in China.
C. The new bullet trains are equipped with some advanced facilities.
D. The new bullet trains are expected to run for the Beijing Olympic Games.

The Parthenon is an ancient Greek temple built in Athens about 438 B. C. Many people think that the Parthenon is one of the world' s most beautiful buildings. It has a grace and balance that have pleased the eyes of man for centuries.
Architects who have studied the Parthenon know that the Parthenon is a giant optical illusion. An optical illusion is a trick our eyes play on us. All the seemingly straight lines of the Parthenon are actually curves(rounded bends). These curves did not happen by accident. The ancient Greeks,who were fine engineers as well as excellent artists, knew that straight lines can sometimes appear to be curved ! So they designed their columns (stone poles) to look straight.
Try drawing two long parallel(平行)lines on paper. Do they seem to look closer together in the middle than at the ends? A tall column is likely to look narrow halfway up, too. The columns of the Parthenon look as if they stand perfectly straight. Actually, they are slightly bigger in size in the middle and go inward a little at the top. If lines were drawn up along opposite sides of the columns, these lines would meet about one mile above the building.
A platform of three steps forms the base on which the Parthenon rests.These steps have strong horizontal(水平)lines that balance the vertical(豎直)lines of the columns.But the steps are not really level and flat!They curve up in the middle because if they were absolutely straight,,they would appear to curve down.The line of the top step,if continued at both ends,would form a circle with a radius of 3. 5 miles.
When is a curved line not a curved line? When our eyes tell us it is straight!
73.The passage mainly tells us_______.      
A. what two parallel lines look like on paper
B. why a curved line can appear to be straight
C. where the secret of the Parthenon Temple lies
D. when the columns of the Parthenon look curved
74.Which of the following is close in shape with the steps of the platform?
A.                B.           C.       D.
75.What can we infer from the passage?
A. The Parthenon is a famous historic building.
B. The Greeks knew a lot about optical illusions.
C. The ancient Greeks were people of intelligence.
D. Curved lines can meet somewhere above a building.