Generally speaking, a British is widely regarded as a quiet, shy and conservative person who is (1) only among those with whom he is acquainted. When a stranger is at present, he often seems nervous, (2) embarrassed. You have to take a commuter train any morning or evening to (3) the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or dozing in a corner; hardly anybody talks, since to do so would be considered quite offensive. (4) , there is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, (5) broken, makes the offender immediately the object of (6) .
It has been known as a fact that a British has a (7) for the discussion of their weather and that, if given a chance, he will talk about it (8) . Some people argue that it is because the British weather seldom (9) forecast and hence becomes a source of interest and (10) to everyone. This may be so. (11) a British cannot have much (12) in the weathermen, who, after promising fine, sunny weather for the following day, are often proved wrong (13) a cloud over the Atlantic brings rainy weather to all districts! The man in the street seems to be as accurate — or as inaccurate — as the weathermen in his (14) .
Foreigners may be surprised at the number of references (15) weather that the British make to each other in the course of a single day. Very often conversational greetings are (16) by comments on the weather. "Nice day, isn’t it" "Beautiful!" may well be heard instead of "Good morning, how are you" (17) the foreigner may consider this exaggerated and comic, it is worthwhile pointing out that it could be used to his advantage. (18) he wants to start a conversation with a British but is (19) to know where to begin, he could do well to mention the state of the weather. It is a safe subject which will (20) an answer from even the most reserved of the British.

Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C, and D on ANSWER SHEET 1.18（）

A:Even if B:Because C:If D:For

Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who is fully (1) only among people he knows well.
In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems inhibited, (2) embarrassed. You have only to (3) a com muter train any morning or evening to see the truth of this.
Serious - looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or dozing in a corner; no one speaks. In fact, to do so would seem most usual. (4) , there is here an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, (5) broken, makes the person immediately the object of (6) .
It is a well - known fact that the English have a (7) for the discussion of their weather and that, given half a chance, they will talk about it (8) . Some people argue that it is because English weather (9) forecast and hence is a source of interest and (10) to everyone.
This may be so. (11) Englishmen cannot have much (12) in the weathermen, who, after promising fine, sunny weather for the following day, are often proved wrong (13) a cloud over the Atlantic brings rainy weather m all districts! The man in the street seems to be as accurate--or as inaccurate--as the weathermen in his (14) . The overseas visitors may be excused for showing surprise at the number of references (15) weather that the English make to each other in the course of a single day. Very often conversational greetings are (16) by comments on the weather. "Nice day, isn’ t it" "Beautiful! "may well be heard instead of "Good morning, how are you". (17) the foreigner may consider this exaggerated and comic, it is worthwhile pointing out that it could be used to his advantage. (18) he wants to start a conversation With an Englishman but is (19) to know where to begin, he could do well to mention the state of the weather. It is a safe subject which will (20) an answer from even the most reserved of Englishmen.

Read the following text. Choose the best word (s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1.7（）

A:Even if B:Because C:If D:For

Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who is fully (1) only among people he knows well.
In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems inhibited, (2) embarrassed. You have only to (3) a com muter train any morning or evening to see the truth of this.
Serious - looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or dozing in a corner; no one speaks. In fact, to do so would seem most usual. (4) , there is here an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, (5) broken, makes the person immediately the object of (6) .
It is a well - known fact that the English have a (7) for the discussion of their weather and that, given half a chance, they will talk about it (8) . Some people argue that it is because English weather (9) forecast and hence is a source of interest and (10) to everyone.
This may be so. (11) Englishmen cannot have much (12) in the weathermen, who, after promising fine, sunny weather for the following day, are often proved wrong (13) a cloud over the Atlantic brings rainy weather m all districts! The man in the street seems to be as accurate--or as inaccurate--as the weathermen in his (14) . The overseas visitors may be excused for showing surprise at the number of references (15) weather that the English make to each other in the course of a single day. Very often conversational greetings are (16) by comments on the weather. "Nice day, isn’ t it" "Beautiful! "may well be heard instead of "Good morning, how are you". (17) the foreigner may consider this exaggerated and comic, it is worthwhile pointing out that it could be used to his advantage. (18) he wants to start a conversation With an Englishman but is (19) to know where to begin, he could do well to mention the state of the weather. It is a safe subject which will (20) an answer from even the most reserved of Englishmen.

13（）

A:Even if B:Because C:If D:For

Generally speaking, a British is widely regarded as a quiet, shy and conservative person who is (1) only among those with whom he is acquainted. When a stranger is at present, he often seems nervous, (2) embarrassed. You have to take a commuter train any morning or evening to (3) the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or dozing in a corner; hardly anybody talks, since to do so would be considered quite offensive. (4) , there is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, (5) broken, makes the offender immediately the object of (6) .
It has been known as a fact that a British has a (7) for the discussion of their weather and that, if given a chance, he will talk about it (8) . Some people argue that it is because the British weather seldom (9) forecast and hence becomes a source of interest and (10) to everyone. This may be so. (11) a British cannot have much (12) in the weathermen, who, after promising fine, sunny weather for the following day, are often proved wrong (13) a cloud over the Atlantic brings rainy weather to all districts! The man in the street seems to be as accurate — or as inaccurate — as the weathermen in his (14) .
Foreigners may be surprised at the number of references (15) weather that the British make to each other in the course of a single day. Very often conversational greetings are (16) by comments on the weather. "Nice day, isn’t it" "Beautiful!" may well be heard instead of "Good morning, how are you" (17) the foreigner may consider this exaggerated and comic, it is worthwhile pointing out that it could be used to his advantage. (18) he wants to start a conversation with a British but is (19) to know where to begin, he could do well to mention the state of the weather. It is a safe subject which will (20) an answer from even the most reserved of the British.

Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C, and D on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)18（）

A:Even if B:Because C:If D:For

Directions:
Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C, and D on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

A:Even if B:Because C:If D:For

Generally speaking, a British is widely regarded as a quiet, shy and conservative person who is (1) only among those with whom he is acquainted. When a stranger is at present, he often seems nervous, (2) embarrassed. You have to take a commuter train any morning or evening to (3) the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or dozing in a corner; hardly anybody talks, since to do so would be considered quite offensive. (4) , there is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, (5) broken, makes the offender immediately the object of (6) .
It has been known as a fact that a British has a (7) for the discussion of their weather and that, if given a chance, he will talk about it (8) . Some people argue that it is because the British weather seldom (9) forecast and hence becomes a source of interest and (10) to everyone. This may be so. (11) a British cannot have much (12) in the weathermen, who, after promising fine, sunny weather for the following day, are often proved wrong (13) a cloud over the Atlantic brings rainy weather to all districts! The man in the street seems to be as accurate — or as inaccurate — as the weathermen in his (14) .
Foreigners may be surprised at the number of references (15) weather that the British make to each other in the course of a single day. Very often conversational greetings are (16) by comments on the weather. "Nice day, isn’t it" "Beautiful!" may well be heard instead of "Good morning, how are you" (17) the foreigner may consider this exaggerated and comic, it is worthwhile pointing out that it could be used to his advantage. (18) he wants to start a conversation with a British but is (19) to know where to begin, he could do well to mention the state of the weather. It is a safe subject which will (20) an answer from even the most reserved of the British.

18（）

A:Even if B:Because C:If D:For

Even ancient Egypt’s mighty pyramid builders were powerless in the face of the famine that helped bring down their civilization around 2180 BC. Now evidence gleaned from mud deposited by the River Nile suggests that a shift in climate thousands of kilometers to the south was ultimately to blame-and the same or worse could happen today.
The ancient Egyptians depended on the Nile’s annual floods to irrigate their crops. But any change in climate that pushed the African monsoons southwards out of Ethiopia would have been diminished these floods.
Dwindling rains in the Ethiopian highlands would have meant fewer plants to stablise the soil. When rain did fall it would have washed large amounts of soil into the Blue Nile and into Egypt, along with sediment from the White Nile.
The Blue Nile mud has a different isotope signature from that of the White Nile. So by analyzing isotope differences in mud deposited in the Nile Delta, Michael Krom of Leeds University worked out what proportion of sediment came from each branch of the river.
Krom reasons that during periods of drought, the amount of the Blue Nile mud in the river would be relatively high. He found that one of these periods, from 4500 to 4200 years ago, immediately predates the fall of the Egypt’s Old Kingdom.
The weakened waters would have been catastrophic for the Egyptians. "Changes that affect food supply don’t have to be very large to have a ripple effect in societies, " says Bill Ryan of the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory in New York.
Similar events today could be even more devastating, says team member Daniel Stanley, a geoarchaeologist from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. "anything humans do to shift the climate belts would have an even worse effect along the Nile system today because the populations have increased dramatically. /

Why does the author mention "pyramid builders"（　）

A:Because they once worked miracles. B:Because they were well-built. C:Because they were actually very weak. D:Because even they were unable to rescue their civilization.

Egypt Felled by Famine
Even ancient Egypt’s mighty pyramid builders were powerless in the face of the famine that helped bring down their civilisation around 2180 BC. Now evidence gleaned from mud deposited by the River Nile suggests that a shift in climate thousands of kilometres to the south was ultimately to blame -- and the same or worse could happen today.
The ancient Egyptians depended on the Nile’s annual floods to irrigate their crops. But any change in climate that pushed the African monsoons southwards out of Ethiopia would have diminished these floods.
Dwindling rains in the Ethiopian highlands would have meant fewer plants to stablise the soil. When rain did fall it would have washed large amounts of soil into the Blue Nile and into Egypt, along with sediment from the White Nile4.
The Blue Nile mud has a different isotope signature from that of the White Nile. So by analysing isotope differences in mud deposited in the Nile Delta, Michael Krom of Leeds University worked out what proportion of sediment came from each branch of the river.
Krom reasons that during periods of drought, the amount of the Blue Nile mud in the river’ would be relatively high. He found that one of these periods, from 4,500 to 4,200 years ago, immediately predates the fall of the Egypt’s Old Kingdom.
The weakened waters would have been catastrophic for the Egyptians. "Changes that affect food supply don’t have to be very large to have a ripple effect in societies," says Bill Ryan of the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory in New York.
Similar events today could be even more devastating, says team member Daniel Stanley, a geoarchaeologist from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. "Anything humans do to shift the climate belts would have an even worse effect along the Nile system today because the populations have increased dramatically./
Why does the author mention "pyramid builders"

A:Because they once worked miracles. B:Because they were well-built. C:Because they were actually very weak. D:Because even they were unable to rescue their civilisation.

{{B}}第三篇{{/B}}

Why does the author mention "Egypt’s mighty pyramid builders"?

A:Because they once worked miracles. B:Because they were well-built. C:Because they were actually very weak. D:Because even they were unable to rescue their civilization.