C
The Tower of London, not a single tower but a large group, was built to guard London.
Besides William and Henry VIII, the tower’s history has other famous names in British history. In 1389 a clerk of works (现场监工员) named Geoffrey Chaucer — author of The Canterbury Tales — oversaw (监督) the building of the Tower Wharf. In 1671 Colonel Blood tried to steal the crown jewels after overpowering the elderly Jewel House keeper. (Blood was caught but later pardoned.) Today the jewels remain in the tower as they have since Blood’s day.
For six centuries this place was also home to a group of animals from elephants to big cats. It stopped being used as an animals’ home in 1835 and its animals were moved to the London Zoo.
Today visitors can walk the walls, visit guard towers and see the crown jewels. Guards at the tower, popularly known as beefeaters, not only guard the tower but also give interesting tours that are among the most popular parts of any visit. How to Get There
Trains and the Dockland Light Railway stop near the tower. Buses 15, 42, 78 and 100 reach the tower, and riverboats stop at Tower Pier. Taxis, bicycles, and foot power are also good ways to reach the tower. Driving is a less attractive choice because of the expensive parking. When to Go
The tower is open all year round, except during the Christmas holidays (December 24 to 26) and January 1. School holidays and summertime are the busiest times. How to Visit
As expected at a place that has seen so much history, there is enough of interest at the Tower of London to keep visitors busy for days. Stop at the Welcome Center for visitor information on everything from the crown jewels to family fun activities. 23. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 shows _____. A. the tower was built by famous people B. some famous people caused trouble there
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C. there were many famous people in British history
D. there were many interesting stories connected to the tower 24. Beefeaters at the tower _____.
A. have two roles B. like to eat beef C. seem very serious D. often joke with visitors 25. According to the text, the Tower of London is _____.
A. easy to reach B. full of parked cars
C. busy all year round D. a perfect place for a one-day tour
D
Quite a few years ago, as I celebrated my 25th birthday with a party, I was surprised to receive an unusual present. The gift-giver smiled widely and said loudly, “It’s a nice, strong plant, so even you can’t kill it.”
I was well known in my circle of friends as an “anti-gardener” — how was I going to care for this piece of greenery?
For four years the plant received little care. I felt guilty (内疚的) just looking at it!
As a non-gardener, my offers to look after friends’ houses were met with laughter: “We appreciate (感激) the offer but, really, we don’t want to come home to a dead garden!” It didn’t occur to (想到) them that I just had no interest in having a garden. It was a choice, not a failing.
Some time later my husband accepted a job in Belgium. Because I couldn’t throw away a gift, I decided to ask my neighbor to care for my plant.
Our lovely house in Belgium had a beautiful garden. Slowly gardening became a part of my daily life, teaching me to slow down and to be happy in the silence of the garden. It was with regret that I left that garden to return to Sydney some months later.
Back home life soon went back to normal. Then one day, it occurred to me that I could start my own little garden. So, I went to collect my unwanted plant from my neighbor. I took the plant home, watered it and watched as its leaves turned from
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a lifeless yellow to a rich green within weeks. Many years on, I still don’t know the name of my first plant, but I do know that as it grows, so do I. It symbolises a change in me when I stopped listening to the voices around me and started to believe in myself.
26. When the author received a plant as a birthday gift, she felt _____. A. funny B. guilty C. excited D. displeased 27. What did the author’s friends think of her?
A. Her anti-gardening was a weakness. B. She was bored with gardening. C. She was a good housekeeper. D. Her dead garden was ugly. 28. How did the author deal with the plant before moving away? A. She threw it away. B. She asked for help.
C. She left it in the house. D. She gave it to a neighbor as a gift. 29. The author’s stay in Belgium made her _____.
A. miss her days back in Sydney B. feel sorry for her first plant C. fall in love with gardening D. become strangely silent 30. What does the author want to tell us from her experience?
A. We should try to be perfect. B. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes.
C. We should learn to make clear choices. D. Don’t refuse something you’ve never tried.
第二节（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
How to unlock your talent
Search
To find your hidden talent (才能), you’ll have to search for it! We all know people who are great at drawing or good at sports, don’t we? They’re the lucky ones
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who have a natural talent for what they love doing. 31 It’s just that we might have to look a little bit harder, that’s all! Try
32 Developing a new talent takes time and lots of effort, so don’t worry if you haven’t discovered yours by the end of the day, the week or even the month. You will get your light-bulb (灵感) moment finally! Ask
Ask for help to get you started. Do you have an aunt who can help you start a blog or a sporty mom who’ll get active with you? 33 Sometimes we don’t need to look further than our own families to see what skills can be passed down to us! 34
Find out what excites you! The more enthusiastic (热情的) you are about a hobby, the more you’ll want to keep doing it. And, you’ve guessed it, the more you keep doing it, the better you’ll get! New ideas
Be open to new ideas. There’s no point saying that you can’t write a book or take amazing photos if you’ve never really tried. 35 A. Get excited B. Don’t give up
C. It won’t happen overnight.
D. Is your grandma great at making cakes? E. Make today your day to try something new. F. Have you ever doubted what you’re doing now?
G. But that doesn’t mean we can’t all find something we’re good at.
第三部分： 语言知识运用 （共两节，满分45分）
第一节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
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