It is widely known that any English conversation begins with The Weather.Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr.Johnson’s famous comment that“When two English meet，their first talk is of weather.”Though Johnson’s observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago，most commentators fail to come up with a convincing explanation for this English weather­speak.
Bill Bryson，for example，concludes that，as the English weather is not at all exciting，the obsession with it can hardly be understood.He argues that“To an outsider，the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it.” Simply，the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost unknown in the British Isles.
Jeremy Paxman，however，disagrees with Bryson，arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive.Bryson is wrong，he says，because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena.“The interest is less in the phenomena themselves，but in uncertainty.”According to him，the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it attracts the English as well as the outsider.
Bryson and Paxman stand for common misconceptions about the weather­speak among the English.Both commentators，somehow，are missing the point.The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all.English weather­speak is a system of signs，which is developed to help the speakers overcome the natural reserve and actually talk to each other.Everyone knows conversations starting with weather­speak are not requests for weather data.Rather，they are routine greetings，conversation starters or the blank “fillers”．In other words，English weather­speak is a means of social bonding.
【小題1】The author mentions Dr.Johnson’s comment to show that________.

A．most commentators agree with Dr.Johnson

B．Dr.Johnson is famous for his weather observation

C．the comment was accurate two hundred years ago

D．English conversations usually start with the weather

【小題2】What does the underlined word “obsession” most probably refer to?

A．A social trend.

B．An emotional state.

C．A historical concept.

D．An unknown phenomenon.

【小題3】According to the passage，Jeremy Paxman believes that________.

A．Bill Bryson has little knowledge of the weather

B．there is nothing special about the English weather

C．the English weather attracts people to the British Isles

D．English people talk about the weather for its uncertainty

【小題4】What is the author’s main purpose of writing the passage?

A．To explain what English weather­speak is about.

B．To analyse misconceptions about the English weather.

C．To find fault with both Bill Bryson and Jeremy Paxman.

D．To convince people that the English weather is changeable.

According to sociologists(社會(huì)學(xué)家)，every modern industrial society has some form of social stratification(階層)．Class，power and status are important in deciding people’s rank in society.
Class means a person’s economic position in society.A commonly used classification is lower class，middle class and upper class.While sociologists disagree on how these terms should be exactly defined，they do describe societies like the United States quite well.One study shows that 53% of Americans belong to the lower class,46% the middle class，and 1% the upper class.Interestingly，a surgeon earning $500,000 a year and a bus driver earning $50,000 a year both regard themselves as the middle class!
Power refers to the amount of control a person has over other people.Obviously，people in positions of great power (such as governors) exercise(行使)big power，but people who take orders from others have less power.Power and class do not always go hand in hand，however.For example，the governor of a state has great power，but he or she may not belong to a corresponding (相應(yīng)的)economic class.Generally，however，there is a relationship between power and class.To our knowledge，there aren’t too many people who aren’t millionaires in the U．S.Senate!
Status is the honor or respect attached to a person’s position in society.It can also be affected by power and class，but not necessarily so.For example，a university professor may have a high status but not belong to a high social class or have a lot of power over others.
【小題1】What can we learn about“the middle class”from Paragraph 2?

A．People earning $50,000 a year belong to the middle class.

B．Nearly half Americans belong to the middle class.

C．People generally consider bus drivers as the middle class.

D．Sociologists have a clear definition of the middle class.

【小題2】According to the text，we know that________.

A．power and class do not always correspond with each other

B．status refers to a person’s economic position in society

C．people with high status have a lot of control over others

D．class is less important in deciding a person’s social rank

【小題3】．Which of the following shows the structure of the whole text?

Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs.
AVOID BIG EVENTS　Big sporting events，concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room.A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival (19 Oct.) cost￡169.15 at Booking.com.A week later，the same room cost￡118.15.
If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid－or you’re looking for a big event to pass your time－check out sites such as Whatsonwhen.com，which allow you to search for events in the UK by city，date and category.
STAY AWAY FROM THE STATION　If traveling to your destination by train，you may want to find a good base close to the station，but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday.
Don’t be too choosy about the part of town you stay in.Booking two months in advance，the cheapest room at Travelodge’s Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was￡95.95.A room just a tube journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was￡75.75.And at Farringdon，a double room cost just￡62.95.
LOOK AFTER YOURSELF　Really central hotels in cities such as London，Edinburgh and Cardiff can cost a fortune，especially at weekends and during big events.As an alternative consider checking into a self­catering flat with its own kitchen.Often these flats are hidden away on the top floors of city centre buildings.A great example is the historic O’Neill Flat on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile，available for￡420 for five days in late September，with room for four adults.
GET ON A BIKE　London’s ‘Boris bikes’ have attracted the most attention，but other cities also have similar programmes that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace，saving you on public transport or car parking costs.
Among the smaller cities with their own programmes are Newcastle (casual members pay around￡1.50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes，or￡5 per day)．
【小題1】The Brighton Comedy Festival is mentioned mainly to show big events may________.

A．help travelers pass time

B．a(chǎn)ttract lots of travelers to the UK

C．a(chǎn)llow travelers to make flexible plans

D．cause travelers to pay more for accommodation

【小題2】“Farringdon”in Paragraph 5 is most probably________.

A．a(chǎn) hotel away from the train station

B．the tube line to Covent Garden

C．a(chǎn)n ideal holiday destination

D．the name of a travel agency

【小題3】The passage shows that the O’Neill Flat________.

A．lies on the ground floor

B．is located in central London

C．provides cooking facilities for tourists

D．costs over￡100 on average per day in late September

【小題4】Cardiff’s program allows a free bike for a maximum period of________.

A．half an hour

B．one hour

C．one hour and a half

D．two hours

【小題5】The main purpose of the passage is________.

A．to tell visitors how to book in advance

B．to supply visitors with hotel information

C．to show visitors the importance of self­help

D．to offer visitors some money­saving tips

(2013·高考遼寧卷，D)“Indeed，”George Washington wrote in his diary in 1785，“some kind of fly，or bug，had begun to eat the leaves before I left home.”But the father of America was not the father of bug.When Washington wrote that，Englishmen had been referring to insects as bugs for more than a century，and Americans had already created lightning­bug(螢火蟲(chóng))．But the English were soon to stop using the bugs in their language，leaving it to the Americans to call a bug a bug in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The American bug could also be a person，referring to someone who was crazy about a particular activity.Although fan became the usual term，sports fans used to be called racing bugs，baseball bugs，and the like.
Or the bug could be a small machine or object，for example，a bug­shaped car.The bug could also be a burglar alarm，from which comes the expression to bug，that is，“to install (安裝) an alarm”．Now it means a small piece of equipment that people use for listening secretly to others’ conversations.Since the 1840s，to bug has long meant“to cheat”，and since the 1940s it has been annoying.
We also know the bug as a flaw in a computer program or other design.That meaning dates back to the time of Thomas Edison.In 1878 he explained bugs as“l(fā)ittle problems and difficulties”that required months of study and labor to overcome in developing a successful product.In 1889 it was recorded that Edison“had been up the two previous nights discovering ‘a(chǎn) bug’ in his invented record player.”
【小題1】We learn from Paragraph 1 that ________.

A．Americans had difficulty in learning to use the word bug

B．George Washington was the first person to call an insect a bug

C．the word bug was still popularly used in England in the nineteenth century

D．both Englishmen and Americans used the word bug in the eighteenth century

【小題2】What does the word“flaw”in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Explanation.	B．Finding.
C．Origin.	D．Fault.

【小題3】The passage is mainly concerned with________.

A．the misunderstanding of the word bug

B．the development of the word bug

C．the public views of the word bug

D．the special characteristics of the word bug

(2013·高考新課標(biāo)全國(guó)卷Ⅱ，B)In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music，dance and theatre in Edinburgh.The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
It quickly attracted famous names such as Alec Guinness，Richard Burton，Dame Margot Fonteyn and Marlene Dietrich as well as the big symphony orchestras(交響樂(lè)團(tuán))．It became a fixed event every August and now attracts 400,000 people yearly.
At the same time，the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge to the official festival.Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947，in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform，and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon，groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University，and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge，Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little­known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the“Fringe”，once less recognized，has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre，music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts.And yet as early as 1959，with only 19 theatre groups performing，some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971，and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself.In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries.More than 1.25 million tickets were sold.
【小題1】What was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at the beginning?

A．To bring Europe together again.

B．To honor heroes of World War Ⅱ.

C．To introduce young theatre groups.

D．To attract great artists from Europe.

【小題2】Why did some uninvited theatre groups come to Edinburgh in 1947?

A．They owned a public house there.

B．They came to take up a challenge.

C．They thought they were also famous.

D．They wanted to take part in the festival.

【小題3】Who joined the“Fringe”after it appeared?

A．Popular writers.

B．University students.

C．Artists from around the world.

D．Performers of music and dance.

【小題4】We may learn from the text that Edinburgh Festival________.

A．has become a non­official event

B．has gone beyond an art festival

C．gives shows all year round

D．keeps growing rapidly

Did you know that the first documented use of OMG(oh my god)was in 1917, or that LOL was once a common term meaning little old ladies in 1960? That's what the world learned when OMG, LOL, and FYI (for your information) were added to the Oxford English Dictionary last week. This dictionary is considered by many to be the reference book that defines the English language.
Words added to the Oxford English Dictionary are truly considered new members of the language. People invent new words all the time, but only a few become popular enough to get defined in dictionaries.
Typed online or in text messages, LOL, FYI, and OMG are initialisms,_which can be said aloud letter by letter, like LOL, which now stands for Laugh Out Loud.Faster to type than the full phrases, initialisms like these have been used online since the 1990s. But these three online terms are now spoken outside the Internet too, making them different from other online lingo( 行話). Dictionary editors decided the words are used so commonly that they had to be defined this year.
Another important addition to the dictionary this year was ?， as in “I ? NY.” This is the first graphic (圖形的 ) symbol ever defined in the Oxford English Dictionary.The editors added ? as a verb under the definition of “heart”， meaning “to love”．
Some slang words — informal language used more commonly in speech than in writing — were also added, like wassup, a shortened way to say “What's up”. Even words that have been in use for many years like biker and happy camper were finally added to the dictionary.
The Oxford English Dictionary now defines more than 600,000 words.That adds up to more than 21,730 pages! Guinness World Records calls it the longest dictionary in the world.The Oxford English Dictionary is known for recording words of all kinds—popular, outdated, and even foreign words used by English speakers throughout the language's long history.
【小題1】The text is mainly about that ________.

A．expressions like LOL and FYI have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary

B．English words change their meaning as time goes by

C．English language is becoming more and more difficult to learn

D．the Oxford English Dictionary breaks the Guinness World Record

【小題2】Which of the following is NOT included in the facts that the Oxford English Dictionary has been updated?

A．Some online terms are added to it.

B．A graphic symbol is first introduced into it.

C．Some slang words are collected in it.

D．Some old words are left out.

【小題3】What does the underlined word “initialisms” refer to?

A．Words having foreign origins.

B．Words made from the first letters of several words in a phrase.

C．Uncommon words frequently appearing on the Internet.

D．Official words used in formal documents with capital letters.

【小題4】Before any new word is added to the Oxford English Dictionary, it must be ________.

A．spread widely across the Internet

B．used commonly by the dictionary editors

C．used commonly in either spoken or written language

D．a(chǎn) short word

Grant Wood’s American Gothic caused a stir （轟動(dòng)）in 1930 when it was exhibited for the first time at the Art Institute of Chicago and awarded a prize of 300 dollars. Newspapers across the country carried the story, and the painting of a farmer and a younger woman posed before a white house brought the artist instant fame.
In 1930, Grant Wood, an American painter with European training, noticed a small white house built in the small southern Iowa town of Eldon. Wood was so fascinated by it that he decided to paint the house along with the kind of people he thought should live in that house. In the painting, the farmer is modeled on his dentist. Dr. Byron McKeeby. His younger sister Nan served as a model for the woman （imagined to be the farmer’s wife or daughter）. Wood wanted to give a description of the traditional roles of men and women as the man is holding a pitchfork symbolizing hard labor. Each element was painted separately; the models sat separately and never stood in front of the house. The Gothic style of the house inspired the painting’s title.
American Gothic remains one of the most famous paintings in the history of American art. The painting has become part of American popular culture. Some believe that Wood used it to satirize（諷刺） the narrow-mindedness that has been said to characterize Midwestern culture. The painting may also be read as a praise of the moral virtue or rural America or even as a mixture of praise and satire. American Gothic is one of the few images to reach the status of cultural symbol, along with Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
【小題1】Which of the following is true about American Gothic?

A．It won a prize of ￡ 300.

B．The two characters in it posed before the White House.

C．It was the first painting by Grant Wood.

D．It was on show at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1930.

【小題2】From the passage we can infer Iowa is in __________.

A．the southern town of Eldon	B．the Midwest of the United States
C．a(chǎn) European country	D．the city of Chicago

【小題3】Grant Wood chose the two models __________.

A．to describe traditional roles of men and women

B．to praise the moral virtue of rural America

C．to make his dentist and his sister famous

D．to carry the story across the country

【小題4】The title of the painting is based on __________.

A．the name of a small town	B．the man and the woman
C．the Gothic style of the house	D．the pitchfork symbolizing hard labor

Breathe, wave and smile. Along with more than 300 other seniors, I marched into the stadium on the afternoon of May 10. The audience burst into deafening cheers. The huge stadium shook with all the whistling and clapping.
It was as if a Hollywood superstar had walked on stage. And indeed, every single senior that day was a star of the moment. Each deserved it. The seniors had been preparing for four years for this once-in-a-lifetime moment—the commencement (graduation ceremony).
Seated, I waited anxiously for the opening address. As a foreign exchange student, I was not able to receive a diploma. However, I still had the wonderful feeling of being part of things. Like the other graduates, I was dressed in marron cap and gown.
Our principal, Mr. Glover, delivered a short, warm greeting. The US national anthem followed and then, hands on chests, a solemn Pledge of Allegiance(美國(guó)的愛(ài)國(guó)誓言).
Students who had excelled academically gave farewell speeches. The tears in some eyes convinced me that many had deep feelings about the occasion. It was as the class motto says, “Life brings us tears, smiles and memories. The tears dry; the smiles fade; but the memories last forever.”
Then came the core (the most important part) of the commencement. Hundreds of names were announced. Each graduate walked across the stage to receive his or her diploma from the principal. From the different cheers each graduate got, we had the funny sense that it was a kind of competition of who could cheer the loudest.
To be honest, the presentation of diplomas got boring. A girl sitting next to me even started yawning. But it wasn’t boring for those receiving the diploma: they would treasure the moment the principal placed the sacred brown document in their hands for the rest of their lives.
A new page in the book of that person’s life had turned. They were glimpsing their futures: futures of challenge, hardship, perhaps loneliness too, which would take all of their courage.
【小題1】What’s the article mainly about?

A．An American high school’s graduation ceremony.

B．The opening ceremony of a sports meeting.

C．A presentation of college diplomas.

D．A US college’s farewell party.

【小題2】Which of the following statements about the author is FALSE?

A．She was one of the graduates.

B．She was a foreign exchange student.

C．She was excited to receive her diploma.

D．She felt it great to be at the ceremony.

【小題3】The right order of the following events is______.
a. Diplomas were presented to graduates.    
b. Students gave farewell speeches.
c. The US national anthem was played.     
d. The principal gave a short, warm speech.
e. Seniors went into the stadium.

A．b,c,a,d,e

B．c,d,b,e,a

C．d,b,e,a,c

D．e,d,c,b,a

【小題4】From the text, we can conclude that_______.

A．a(chǎn) diploma ensures a good job

B．a(chǎn) diploma guarantees a bright future

C．the commencement symbolizes the beginning of a new stage in life

D．everyone felt excited at the presentation of the diploma

【小題5】According to the passage, which of the following statement is true?

A．Hollywood superstars went to attend the commencement.

B．Every single senior became a superstar on the commencement day.

C．All graduates would treasure the diploma for the rest of their lives.

D．When each graduate got his or her diploma, there were loud cheers.

When you go to St. Petersburg, the number of attractions can seem large. If you are short of time, or just want to make sure to hit the highlights, these are the top must-see sights in St．Petersburg．
●The Hermitage Museum
The Hermitage Museum is one of the most important sights to see for any visitor to St．Petersburg．There are lots of different paintings by the old masters in the Hermitage．Prepare to come face-to-face with classic Western artists．
●Kizhi Island
Kizhi Island is an open-air museum of wooden architecture from the Karelia Region of Russia．These impressive structures are made entirely without nails - the wood fits together with joints and grooves（溝槽）．
●Peterhof
Peterhof is as beautiful as it is fun．You’ll be charged for admission, but go to Petethof when the fountains are working—during the day in the summer．They are shut off in winter evenings．
●The Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood
Love it or hate it, the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood in St．Petersburg is an enthralling must-see sight．The beautiful look may make y our eyes brighten, and the painting inside the church will make you say “Wow!”
●The Bronze Horseman Statue
The so-called Bronze Horseman is a part of Russian culture and a symbol of St．Petersburg．Made famous by Alexander Pushkin, this statue of Peter the Great sitting on his horse can truly show Peter the Great’s influence on the Russian idea of greatness．
【小題1】If you are interested in paintings, you’d better go to        ．

A．Peterhof and Kizhi Island

B．the Hernatage Museum and Peterhof

C．Kizhi Island and the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood

D．the hermitage Museum and the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood

【小題2】We can learn from the passage that           ．

A．visitors can visit Peterhof for free

B．the buildings of Kizhi Island are made of wood

C．the fountains in Peterhof can be seen all year round

D．the largest collection of Russian arts is in the Hermitage Museum

【小題3】The main purpose of the passage is to        ．

A．show the wonderful history of Russia

B．persuade artists to study St．Petersburg

C．recommend the famous buildings in Russia

D．introduce the must-see sights in St．Petersburg

【小題4】The underlined phrase （in Para 1） “hit the highlights” means        ．

A．to save more time	B．to learn more knowledge
C．to go to the high buildings	D．to visit the most interesting sights

For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.
That’s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信貸緊縮) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm. Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market. British pubs now offer something for everyone. A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men's Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all.
【小題1】The passage mainly tells us something about       

A．the past and present of British pubs

B．the decline of British pubs

C．the long history of British pubs

D．the importance of British pubs

【小題2】Which may not be the cause of the decline of British pubs?

A．The credit crunch.

B．The ban of smoking.

C．The present closing time

D．Having no spare money.

【小題3】We can infer from the passage that       

A．British people used to like drinking slowly

B．closing the pubs early will reduce social problems

C．binge drinking means drinking less beer

D．British government aims to discourage people from binge drinking

【小題4】We can see from the last paragraph that the author ________

A．is against the admission of too many women to the pubs

B．holds an optimistic attitude towards the British pubs

C．thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems

D．thinks that British pubs should offer everything you need