12．The Chinese put up with a lot living in the world's most populous country：standing on over-crowded trains for 40hours； sleeping outside hospitals to secure a doctor's appointment； waiting more than a year to earn a driver's license．
Add getting a U．S．entry visa to the list．Applicants here have waited as long as 60days to secure an appointment at one of five U．S．consular locations（領(lǐng)事館）in China that process visas．There，they're often greeted by long lines，followed by a face-to-face interview that can end badly in a matter of seconds．
Now there are only about 100 U．S．visa officers in China，facing considerable challenges during the summer when tourists and students travel the most．"It's not easy work，"Charles Bennett，minister-counselor for Consular Affairs at the U．S．Embassy in Beijing，said to his staff．"You're making，in some cases，life-changing decisions many times a day，and that can cause great tiredness．"
To adapt，US consular services expanded their hours，took on about a dozen additional staff and hope to have another 20officers by spring．More facilities are also being expanded．
Despite the shocking numbers，the embassy remains  dogged by charges that it rejects applicants unreasonably and that the process is unfairly burdensome．"I'm fed up，"said Wendy Liu，24．The single woman from Beijing said she was recently refused a visa and told to re-apply when her personal life and finances were more stable．"I'll go anywhere but the U．S．now，"she said．"I thought America was supposed to be a country of freedom．"
To visit the US，Chinese nationals must prove that they have enough money and family or business ties that make it likely they'll return to China．The Department of Homeland Security said it did not keep records on how many Chinese overstay their visas．
Student visas can be refused on grounds of national security．Beijing native Tan Ge，25，believes he was not accepted after he stated his interests in infrared（紅外線的）technology and nanoelectronics（納米電子學(xué)）on his application．He now studies in Canada after being forced to abandon a full scholarship to Arizona State University．
By its very nature，the on-the-spot process at the U．S．Embassy can feel unbearable to Chinese applicants，who are asked to take their bank statements，property deeds（房產(chǎn)證），marriage licenses and HUKOU，a Chinese household ID．
"It made me feel very uncomfortable，"said Xu Yong，28，a journalist who needed a business visa last month to cover a conference in New York．"They made me feel like someone from a Third World country up to no good．"
After giving his fingerprints，Xu waited to be called for his interview，sitting in an area that was as quiet as a library．Each passing minute seemed to be as long as a century．
After an hour，Xu was called with three other people to a window for their interview．Two were rejected before his turn．Then the American officer，speaking fluent Chinese，reached for Xu's paperwork，asked some simple questions and said，"Congratulations．"
"I was so nervous．The first thing I did when I got out was to call my mom and tell her I passed，"Xu said．"She was the one who warned me it wasn't going to be easy．"

50．We can learn from Paragraph 2 that in ChinaA．
A．you may quickly be rejected for a U．S．visa after a long wait
B．getting a U．S．visa is not as hard as getting a driver's license
C．a(chǎn)n applicant has to wait two months to get a visa for the U．S．
D．there are more than five US consular locations stamping visas
51．What makes it tiring work to be a U．S．visa officer？D
A．Overcrowded workplaces．
B．Expanded working hours．
C．Poorly-equipped offices．
D．Over-loaded responsibilities．
52．The underlined word"dogged"in Paragraph 5 means"A"．
A．troubled        B．pardoned
C．submitted       D．a(chǎn)bandoned
53．Beijing native Tan Ge was refused a U．S．visa probably because heB．
A．had no stable income
B．was supposed to be unsafe for the U．S．
C．had too wide interests
D．had got a full scholarship in the U．S．
54．Why does the author give a detailed description of Xu Yong's experience？C
A．To show how lucky Xu is to make it to New York．
B．To reflect the problems in processing a U．S．entry visa．
C．To stress what a hard-won success it is to get a U．S．visa．
D．To persuade readers out of working or studying abroad．

11．It is named a kind of wooden Eiffel Tower，because of the fact that there was a large wooden platform far out in the lake on which stood an improbably high diving board．It was，I'm sure，the county's tallest wooden structure and no one had ever been known to jump from it．
So it was quite a shock when our teacher，Mr．David，announced that he would dive off the high board that very afternoon．
Word of his questionable plan was already spreading through town as Mr．David swam out to the platform．He was just a tiny，stick figure when he got there but even from such a distance the high board seemed almost to touch the clouds．Once at the top，he paced the enormously long board，then took some deep breaths and finally stood at edge．He was going to do it．
Several hundred people had gathered at the shore to watch．Mr．David stood for quite a long time，then he raised his arms，took one massive bounce and launched himself into a perfect dive．It was beautiful．He fell with perfect style for what seemed minutes．The crowd fell silent．The only sound to be heard was the faint whistle of his body tearing through the air toward the water far，far below．
But about three quarters of the way down he seemed to have second thoughts and began suddenly to panic，waving his arms and legs like someone having a bad dream．When he was perhaps thirty feet above the water，he gave up on waving and spread his arms and legs wide，apparently hoping that it would somehow slow his fall．
It didn't．
He hit the water at over six hundred miles an hour．The impact was so loud that it made birds fly out of their trees three miles away．I don't think he entered the water at all．He just bounced off it，about fifteen feet back into the air．After that，he lay still on the surface，spinning like an autumn leaf．
He was brought to shore by two passing fishermen in a rowboat and placed on an old blanket where he spent the rest of the afternoon．Occasionally he accepted small sips of water，but otherwise was too shocked to speak．From head to toe，he was covered with deep red bruises．
…
It was the best day of my life．
24．How did the writer find Mr．David's plan to jump from the diving board？C
A．Heroic．
B．Disappointing．
C．Crazy．
D．Confused．
25．In Paragraph 3，Mr David is described as"a tiny，stick figure"because he wasA．
A．very far away                      
B．very small and thin
C．tired after swimming                
D．sure to be broken
26．Why did Mr．David suddenly start swinging his arms and legs during the dive？D
A．He thought it was the best way to slow his fall．
B．He wanted to show his courage．
C．He was signalling the crowd for help．
D．He lost his confidence and started to panic，
27．Which of the following sentences from the passage is an example of a fact？B
A．He hit the water at over six hundred miles an hour．
B．He was brought to shore by two passing fishermen in a rowboat．
C．He just bounced off it，about fifteen feet back into the air．
D．The impact was so loud that it made birds fly out of trees up to three miles away．

10．People feel differently about advertising．People who are against it often argue that it is immoral．They say ads are full of tricks．They also contain mistakes in grammar．Other people say advertisers have a right to speak freely．This is guaranteed by law．They point out that people do not have to view the ads．
Weasel words Advertisers often use special words or phrases．Thesewordsor phrases are often misleading．These words are called"weasel words"．Advertisers are free to use them as long as they stick to the rules．The government decides what these rules are．Examples of weasel words are"helps"，"virtual"，"new and improved"，and"like"．
"Helps"People often think"help"means stop．Advertisers use it so  that  they can say things that aren't necessarily true．Legally，help means to aid or assist．For example，a product can"help"cure indigestion．In fact，the product down'tcure indigestion．Can you think of some ads that use"help"？
"virtually"To  advisers，"virtually"means"not really"or"not in fact"．If you see an ad that says this cold medicine  relieves virtually all symptoms，the ad〔ould  really mean it doesn't relieve any symptoms．Can you think of some ads that use"virtually"？
"New and Improved"A product can only be considered new for six months．Any small change in a product will make it new．Often，this change does not make a product better．Yet，the change often makes it more expensive．New is often used with"improved"．Can you think of some ads that use"new"and"improved"？
"Like""Like"can mean"not in fact"．Some products claim they work"like magic"．Like often  takes  the audience's  attention off the product．Think of"like magic．"If  things  are  like magic，they are not magic．Can you think of some ads that use"like"or"like magic"？

25．Advertisers are fond of using"weasel words"A
A．so that they might mislead consumers   
B．so that they are able to show their wisdom
C．because the government allows them to   
D．because they have the freedom of speech
26．By using the word"help"，advertisers intend toD
A．mean what they say                
B．show they are honest
C．tell the consumer the truth           
D．trick consumers into trusting their products
27．The author seems to believe that an"improved"product is oftenC．
A．better           B．newer            C．dearer             D．less expensive．

9．Have you ever heard of homecoming？It's a tradition celebrated every year in the US．At homecoming，a school or university welcomes back former students or alumni（校友）．（36）BIt means，"coming home．"
This is a time when everyone can get together．（37）CThere are events that encourage school spirit all throughout homecoming week，which leads to the big day on Friday．
A major activity that most students will take part in is choosing the homecoming king and queen．（38）FThis is a group of boys and girls who represent （代表） school spirit．At the end of the week，students vote for a boy and a girl to be the king and the queen．
Then it's time for the football game，the main event of homecoming week!（39）DAlmost everyone from school goes to the game：students，parents，teachers，and alumni visitors．If they win，everyone is very happy．（40）AStudents dress up，and some might even bring a date to go with them．After the dance，homecoming is officially over，and everyone can't wait for next year!

A．The last event is the homecoming dance．
B．That is where the name comes from．
C．Homecoming usually lasts a week and happens in the fall．
D．The football team faces a lot of pressure to do well for the big crowd．
E．The tradition began more than 100 years ago in the United States．
F．Students get to pick who will be on homecoming court early in the week．
G．Homecoming week was not just about fun，but also a chance to try out new things．

8．Land Art，sometimes referred to as Earth Art or Earthworks，is a form of art which involves using physical landscapes to create art，taking art out of the museum and into the outside world．Modern Land Art movement really got going in the 1960s，when American artists began creating Land Art on a large scale．Today，works of modern Land Art can be seen all over the world，sometimes right alongside much older pieces of Land Art created by people who lived thousands of years ago．
    Land Art，which is not necessarily unchangeable，can take a number of forms．For example，in 1970 Robert Smithson created the Spiral Jetty （螺旋狀防波堤），made of a collection of stones and mud，in the Great Salt Lake．The American artist made a large jetty in a spiral shape which sticks out into the waters of the lake．
    Reshaping the landscape is a common characteristic of Land Art，which can be created by moving parts around．People can also add things to the environment to create Land Art，like salt，which is added to the Spiral Jetty．It is possible to use plants．In all cases，Land Art is immovable．
    Land Art is designed to gradually form，change，and eventually decay（衰落）．That's one of the biggest differences between Land Art and most of the art one sees in the museums．Some works of art can exist only for a few hours or days．Others are exposed to rain and wind so that they develop and decay over time，which is part of the attractiveness in the eyes of the artists．
28．What can be learned from the first paragraph？D
A．Land Art was the most popular art in the 1960s．
B．Land Art aims to get people interested in nature．
C．American artists were the first to create Land Art．
D．People have been creating Land Art for thousands of years．
29．What do we know about Robert Smithson？A
A．He is a great creative artist．
B．He lives near the Great Salt Lake．
C．He made the most famous Land Art．
D．He was a pioneer in creating Land Art．
30．One of the unique characteristics of Land Art lies inB．
A．it shows the extreme beauty of nature
B．it develops and decays gradually over time
C．it combines the landscapes around completely
D．it offers the artists a chance to get close to nature
31．What is the passage mainly about？D
A．Works of Land Art．
B．History of Land Art．
C．Changes of Land Art．
D．Introduction of Land Art．

7．My uncle _________ in Taiwan for 20 years．Now he has settled down in mainland．（　　）

A．

was living

B．

had lived

C．

has lived

D．

lived

6．The national Education Department says school safety has set off alarm bells with frequent serious accidents        students got injured or even killed．（　�。�

A．

that

B．

in which

C．

by which

D．

When

5．refuse（　�。�

A．

increase

B．

pulse

C．

raise

D．

mouse

4．character（　�。�

A．

sandwich

B．

church

C．

stomach

D．

machine

3．exist（　�。�

A．

experiment

B．

example

C．

exhibition

D．

extra