Every December in London, the National Cage and Aviary（鸟舍）Bird Show tries to find the best “talking” bird in the world. One bird named Prudle stood out among the “talking birds” by winning this prize every year from 1965 to 1976.

Prudle was taken from his nest in Uganda in 1958. He was sold to Iris Frost, who took care of him at her home in Seaford, England. Before he died in 1994 aged 35, Prudle knew almost 800 words in English. Prudle was also the oldest dird in the world that lived in a cage.

Another intelligent bird, a budgerigar（虎皮鹦鹉） named Puck, was tested in 1993. It turned out that Puck knew even more words than Prudle. Puck knew more than 1700 English words. In the 2003 Guinness Book of World Records, Puck was listed as knowing more words than any other bird in the world.

51. The best title for the text is . A. Interesting Pets B. Intelligent Birds

C. The National Cage and Aviary Bird Show D. The Difficulties in Learning English

52. How many years did Prudle continuously win the speaking contest for birds? A. 35

B. 12

C. 11

D. 5

53. Who was Iris Frost? A. A parrot

B. Puck’s owner C. Prudle’s owner D. A Ugandan woman

B. It spoke faster D. It spoke more clearly

B

Whenever the sun dropped and the blue sky came up, my father and I used to climb the mountain near my house. Walking together, my father and I used to have a lot of conversations through which I learned lessons from his experiences. He always told me, “You should have goals like climbing the mountain.” Without the mountain-climbing that we both enjoyed . We couldn’t have enough time to spend together because my father was very busy. I really got a lot from mountain-climbing. It gave me time to talk with my father and to be in deep thought as well as develop my patience (耐力).

Once we climbed a very high mountain. It was so challenging for me because I was only ten years old. During the first few hours of climbing . I enjoyed the flowers and trees, and the birds’ singing, but as time passed, I got a pain in both of my legs. I wanted to quit climbing. In fact, I hated it at that mountain, but my father said to me, “You can always see a beautiful sky at the top of the mountain, but you can’t see it before you reach the top. Only there at the top, can you see all of the nice things, just like in life.”

At that time, I was too young to understand his words. But later after that, I got to know hope and confidence. I found myself standing at the top of the sky, which was as clear as crystal (水晶). 55. The word “quit” in the passage means “______”. 54. Why was Puck better than Prudle? A. It was a budgerigar C. It knew more words

A. carry on B. put off C. give up D. pick up

56. Which of the following is the closest (最接近的) in meaning to the father’s words in the second

paragraph?

A. You will get all you need at the top of the mountain. B. The sky is always as clear as crystal.

C. You can find life is full of nice things. D. Never give up half-way.

57. We can infer (推断) from the last paragraph that ______. A. the writer was very successful in his life. B. the writer reached the top of the mountain.

C. though the writer was young, he could understand his father. D. the writer used to stop half-way when he climbed the mountain. 58. The best title (题目) for the passage is “______”.

A. Reaching the Top of the Mountain B. Standing at the Top of the Mountain C. Conversations between Father and Son D. How to Get to the Top of the Mountain

C

Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.

Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet ripe or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn referred to (指的是) a young cow or ox whose horns (角) had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was for a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today — a person who is new in a job.

Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.

Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling — jealousy (嫉妒). The green-eyed monster (怪物) is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something that he wants to get. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay rise and he does not. 59. Greenhorn now refers to _______. A. a new solider

B. a person with little experience

C. a young horse

D. a fruit that is not yet ripe B. whose thumbs are in green color D. who is younger than his neighbors C. culture

D. agriculture

60. A person who has a green thumb is a person _______. A. who is good at growing plants C. whose garden is greener than others’ A. colours

B. language

61. The author is actually talking about _______.

62. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? A. In about the 16th century, a greenhorn meant an experienced soldier. B. The Green Revolution has connection with agricultural science. C. We will call a person who is good at gardening a green thumb. D. People use “a green-eyed monster” to describe a jealous person.

D

Have you ever been to the beautiful country of Holland and its capital Amsterdam? Anyone who has traveled to Amsterdam would probably agree on one thing: Amsterdam’s story is a tale of two cities — one during the day and a completely different one at night.

During the day, this largest city in the Netherlands sits quietly on the Amstel River. You can rent a bicycle, visit the Van Gogh or Anne Frank museum, or take a water taxi. But when the sun goes down, the partying begins. In the big clubs and in the coffee shops, tourists gather to talk politics and smoke.

Several areas of the city clearly show the two worlds that rule Amsterdam. And they’re all within a short cab ride of each other. For example, Dam Square attracts daytime sightseers to its festivals, open markets, concerts and other events. Several beautiful and very popular hotels can be found there. And there’s the Royal Palace and the Magna Plaza shopping mall.

But at night party-seekers come to the square. Hip hop or funk music (疯狂音乐) is heard there. So if you come, be ready to dance. The clubs don’t shut down until 4 am.

And while you’re there, check out the various inexpensive ways to tour the city. Don’t worry about getting lost. Although Dutch is the official language, most people in Amsterdam speak English and are happy to help you with directions. And you’ll notice that half the people walking around in the streets are on bicycles they rent.

Amsterdam also has a well-planned canal system. For about 10 dollars, you can use the canal bus or a water taxi to cruise (巡游) the “Venice of the North”.

The city has a historic past. One impressive (印象深刻的) place to visit is the Anne Frank House on Nine Street. It was there that the young Jewish girl wrote her famous diary during World War II. Visitors can view Anne’s original diary and climb behind the bookcase to the room where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years.

63. What means of transport is not available（可用的） to visitors in Amsterdam? A. A carriage.

B. A bicycle.

C. A canal bus. C. only English

D. A water taxi. D. Chinese and English

64. When getting lost, a visitor can ask natives for directions in _______. A. only Dutch B. Dutch or English

65. What can you learn about by visiting the Anne Frank House? A. The wonderful past of Amsterdam. 66. The passage is meant to _______.

A. call up people’s memories of World WarⅡ B. tell readers what A Tale of Two Cities is about C. instruct visitors what to do and see in Holland D. offer readers some information about Amsterdam

E

A train was approaching Cheekyville. On the train was a strange guy with a big suitcase. He was William and he looked very common indeed. What made him unusual was that whenever he needed to express he did it by singing opera. It didn't matter to William whether it was simply a matter of answering a brief greeting，like“good day”. He would clear his voice and respond， “Good day to you，too!”

Almost everyone considered William a massive (巨大的) pain in the neck. No one could get a spoken word out of him. As no one knew how he made his living——he lived quite simply，always wearing his same old suit——they often disrespect him.

They made fond of his singing，calling him“Don No One”，“Poor-Rotti”，and“Lazy Miserables”. One day，a rumor(谣言) spread round the town: William had got a role in an important opera in the capital，and there were posters everywhere advertising the event. Everyone in the capital went to see it，and it was a great success. And to everyone in Cheekyville's surprise-when William was interviewed，he answered their questions by speaking with a clear and pleasant voice.

From that day，William gave up singing at all hours. Now he did it only during his performances sand world tours. Some people suspected（怀疑） why he had changed，but others still didn't know，and continued believing him to be somewhat mad. They wouldn't have thought so if they had seen what William kept in his big suitcase. It was a large stone with a message on it. The message said：“Practice every second， for you never know when your chance will come.”

Little did people realize that he only got the role in the opera because the director had heard William singing while buying a newspaper.

67. People in Cheekyville's general impression to William is . A. that he spoke with strong accents B. that he looked strange in appearance C. the way he dressed himself in public D. the way he communicated with others

68. When people in Cheekyville see William's lifestyle，their attitude to William is . A. positive B. negative C. uncertain D. uninterested

69. Everyone in Cheekyville was surprised when William was interviewed because he should . A. have a clear voice

B. The experience of a beautiful girl survivor. D. The suffering of the Dutch in wars.

C. The life of Jewish during World WarⅡ.