More than a hundred adults and kids gather for the Star Party on a cold evening, chattering excitedly as they stand in the dark on a Virginia hillside. The odd thing is, no one has turned on a flashlight, and no streetlights or house lights wink(閃爍) on around them.
These people have traveled to the countryside more than an hour from Washington, D. C., to get away from the glow of city lights.  That's because they are attending a star party. Star parties are gatherings where professional and amateur astronomers set up their telescopes and invite people to come learn about the night sky. Getting away from light pollution, or artificial skylight from buildings for example,  helps stargazers (看星星的人) see objects in the sky much better.
At this star party, Sean O'Brien of the National Air and Space Museum’s Einstein Planetarium starts off by asking the crowd to simply look up and take in all they can see. He points out plenty of things that can be seen without special equipment. Stars, satellites, and even the Andromeda galaxy(仙女座) can be found if you know where to look.
After that, several dozen astronomers offer close-up views. Each has focused their telescope on a different part of the sky. As kids take a look, the owner gives a mini-lesson.
O’Brien says you can have your own star party at home and learn a lot just by paying attention to what's happening up above. "Watch the sky as the seasons pass, and you will see that it changes," he says. "Or start with the moon. Notice when and where you are seeing it—maybe even in the early morning while you wait for the school bus. "

1. 1.

   What was it special about the Star Party ?

   1. A.
      It was organized by the local authority.
   2. B.
      It was carried out without any lights.
   3. C.
      It was so cold that people chatted to cheer up.
   4. D.
      It was held in the town center of Virginia
2. 2.

   According to the passage, who were involved in the activity ?
   a. some invited guests
   b. some government officials
   c. some experts in astronomy
   d. those who were interested in astronomy
   e. students who were major in agriculture

   1. A.
      a, c, d
   2. B.
      a, d, e
   3. C.
      b, d, e
   4. D.
      c, d, e
3. 3.

   From the passage, we can infer that if you want to see the objects in the sky            .

   1. A.
      you'd better escape from pollution and sunlight
   2. B.
      you'd better follow Sean O'Brien's guidance
   3. C.
      you'd better buy some advanced equipment
   4. D.
      you'd better make use of your imagination
4. 4.

   Which of the following can be best describe what O'Brien says about discovering the stars'?

   1. A.
      Roman is not built in a day.
   2. B.
      No pains, no gains.
   3. C.
      All roads lead to Roman.
   4. D.
      Time and tide wait for no man.

For the most part, you are probably only exposed to the music that is played on your favorite radio stations and TV shows, music Web sites, or the music that your friends and family members enjoy. While you probably know a lot about your favorite type of music, it can be a rewarding experience to enlarge your horizons（眼界）, discovering artists and types of music that you’re not familiar with. Who knows, you might discover you like certain types of music you never even considered.
Have you ever wondered about the history and influences of your favorite types of music ? For example, did you know that rock ‘n’ roll originated（起源）from the blues, and that the blues began as a form of musical expression for African Americans during slavery（奴隸制度）？Did you know that most hip-hop is heavily influenced by early rhythm blues and jazz ?
There are many fun ways to learn about different musical styles and their historical roots. For example, if you like hip-hop, listen to some of your favorite CDs and take note of the samples the performers used to create the songs. There is a possibility that the artist used parts of older songs to create the music. You can go to the library or online to learn more about the artists and listen to more of their music by checking out CDs from the library or downloading songs online for a small fee.
You can learn so much about culture and history just by paying attention to different types of music and what is being expressed in the songs. There are so many different styles of music to learn about, and you owe（欠）it to yourself to make an effort to listen to and learn about them.

1. 1.

   The main topic of this passage is _____.

   1. A.
      creating music
   2. B.
      performing music
   3. C.
      enjoying your favorite music
   4. D.
      learning about music
2. 2.

   What music did African Americans use to express their feelings of being slaves ?

   1. A.
      Rock ‘n’ roll.
   2. B.
      The blues.
   3. C.
      Hip-hop.
   4. D.
      Jazz.
3. 3.

   How can you learn about culture and history through music ?

   1. A.
      By writing down the names of the music.
   2. B.
      By creating music from older songs yourself.
   3. C.
      By caring about what is being expressed in music.
   4. D.
      By keeping a record of fees after downloading songs online.
4. 4.

   By saying the underlined sentence in the last paragraph, the author probably means that _____.

   1. A.
      you should try harder to learn about music
   2. B.
      you should return something to music
   3. C.
      you should borrow music CDs from others
   4. D.
      you should buy music CDs yourself

We arrived in Spain for the first time a few weeks ago.I decided to   21    a car because we had sold the one we had in England before  22    home.Yesterday the sales office rang us to say the car was  23  .I had tried out a model like it before,but as I was not yet  24    driving in this city,my wife did not want me to collect it   25    so we went together to   26    it.We paid for the car and   27    the papers.They told us that there was   28    petrol(汽油) to take us to a garage,where we could fill up.The   29    garage to the office was about 100 yards away and we got there   30   .But when I turned into the main road I suddenly saw a lot of cars racing  31   me.I got out of   32    as fast as I could by backing into the garage  33    and the man behind   34    me.

“It’s such a problem to   35    to drive on the right side,isn’t it?”my wife said.“Yes,if only I had had a few lessons for   36   ,”I replied.“You had better go   37    on the way home,”my wife said.“You’d be sorry if you had   38    on the first day,wouldn’t you?”While we were talking,the man behind got out of his car and said in good English,“Would you mind telling me   39    you are thinking of leaving?   40    are you going to sit in your car all day?”

A.borrow           B.drive             C.buy               D.choose

A.leaving          B.making                C.returning         D.getting

A.right            B.ready             C.fixed             D.sold

A.sure of      B.satisfied with   C.interested in      D.used to

A.on my own        B.right away            C.in a hurry            D.on the way

A.receive          B.bring             C.order             D.fetch

A.accepted         B.wrote             C.signed                D.copied

A.little           B.enough                C.much              D.no

A.best             B.nearest           C.quickest          D.cleanest

A.lately          B.directly              C.safely                D.slowly

A.after           B.with              C.around                D.towards

A.their way           B.the garage            C.their sight           D.the car

A.at last         B.once more         C.as usual          D.as well

A.caught          B.cheered           C.shouted at            D.chatted with

A.prepare         B.continue          C.choose                D.remember

A.discussion      B.adventure         C.experiment            D.practice

A.carefully           B.smoothly          C.quickly               D.differently

A.an error        B.a problem     C.an accident       D.a headache

A.when            B.why               C.how               D.what

A.For             B.Or                    C.But               D.So

The lower East Side is neither rich nor beautiful, but it can be a good place to shop.

On Sundays, its streets are crowded with visitors and shoppers like these. They are trying to find a coat or a pair of shoes at a good price.

Most people prefer to shop in the big department stores like Macy’s, Gimbel’s, or Bloomingdale’s because there they can find clothing, furniture, toys, and food in one store.

Some people like the smaller stores of Greenwich Village or other areas when they are looking for an unusual present.

Some streets have only one kind of stores. Bracelets (手鐲) and rings shine in the windows of Canal Street, and wedding dresses fill the stores of Grant Street. There are streets for furs(皮大衣), and, in one.comarea, there are 600 shops for antiques (古玩)! Fifth Avenue is the most famous place to shop, and it is usually the most expensive. There you can find the latest styles from Paris, Italy, or New York. You can spend thousands of dollars on Fifth Avenue, or you can just window shop and admire the sights for free.

1. How many kinds of shops or stores on the lower East Side are mentioned in the passage?

  A. Four.         B. Five.     C. Six.          D. Seven.

2. If you want to buy something fashionable to wear, you’d better go to       .

  A. Grant Street      B. the big department stores

  C. Fifth Avenue     D. the smaller stores of Greenwich Village

3. Why does the writer say that the lower East Side can be a good place to shop?

  A. Because its streets are crowded with visitors.

  B. Because there are latest style from Paris, Italy, or New York.

  C. Because there are different goods in different stores they can meet the needs of the visitors and shoppers.

  D. Because women want very much to go there and buy bracelets and rings.

4. The underlined words window shop in the sentence means “      ”.

A. put all one’s goods in the shop-window

B. look at goods displayed in shop-windows

C. not only look at goods displayed in shop-window but also want to buy something

D. take much interest in the goods and have the idea of buying something

5. The last five words “admire the sights for free” of the passage means “      ”.

  A. get pleasure from the sight at no cost

  B. buy and sell goods freely

  C. look at the sights as much as you like

  D. look at the sight with pleasure and buy something as you like

People always say that the earlier one learns a language, the ___1___ it is to do so, in theory it is that, ___2___, in my opinion, that refers to spoken language. Capability(能力) to practice some essential(基本的) ___3___ of a language and read between the lines can only be trained through proper reading ways and hard work ___4___. So spending money to help ___5___ learn English may ___6___ with disappointment. It is likely that the more you ___7___, the more you are let down. 

The daughter of one of my friends ___8___ English in primary school, ___9___ her foreign teacher’s blindness ___10___ psychology(心理學(xué)). She did not want to go on ___11___ English until middle school, ___12___ a college student studying in English slowly ___13___ her interest in the language.

It is better to have the child learn Chinese, than to have some difficulty ___14___ learning English for several years. Having been engaged in English education, ___15___ find that despite(不管) their excellent ___16___, many students have ___17___ command(掌握) of English words and phrases. So I suggest that children ___18___ classical Chinese prose(散文), rather than ___19___ them to learn English hurriedly. Otherwise, they may ___20___ the best time to improve the language ability of their mother tongue.

1. A. easy                 B. difficult        C. easier              D. more difficult

2. A. but            B. however       C. though             D. yet

3. A. opinions       B. regards         C. requests           D. expressions

4. A. directly        B. orally           C. properly          D. indirectly

5. A. people          B. girls                 C. children           D. boys

6. A. begin           B. start                 C. finish              D. end

7. A. pay           B. get            C. buy              D. take

8. A. loved           B. liked            C. disliked           D. learned

9. A. because of     B. because         C. instead of            D. instead

10. A. of           B. at              C. in                 D. to

11. A. learning             B. to learn         C. with learning       D. for learning

12. A. while          B. where           C. when               D. as

13. A. introduced     B. practiced       C. explained            D. developed

14. A. in            B. to              C. at                 D. of

15. A. He                 B.I                C. She              D. They

16. A. pronunciation  B. phrase         C. language          D. writing

17. A. few            B. less           C. little                D. fewer

18. A. write          B. do             C. remember           D. memorize

19. A. have           B. let             C. cause               D. make

20. A. get back         B. let go           C. bring in           D. go away