Some are very famous national parks. You can hike, sightseeing, and enjoy the lovely view there.The Great Smoky Mountains National ParkIt is named for the smoke-like fog that hangs over the forest peaks. It is very pretty. One unique thing about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is that for about two weeks out of the year, there are millions of synchronous fireflies (同步发光的萤火虫)! People can drive into the park and watch the natural light show the fireflies make! How wonderful!The Palenque National ParkMexico also has many wonderful national parks. The Palenque National Park is one of the most famous. It is a special park because the park has an ancient Maya city! You can hike through the city and see hundreds of beautiful old pyramids. They were built by Mexico’s Mayan Native Americans.The Banff National ParkIf you travel to Canada, you’ll want to visit the Banff National Park. There are many things to do in this big park. Here people hike the famous Rocky Mountains. In the summer, people explore the park on a bicycle! When you get tired of hiking or biking, you can relax in one of the hot springs in the park!The Big Bend National ParkThe Big Bend National Park is located in Southwestern Texas. It has both mountains and deserts. How special! It also shares a border with both the United States and Mexico. The park is called Big Bend because there is a large bend in the Rio Grande River. This beautiful river runs through the park. A fun thing you can do at this park is go on a guided horseback ride and camping trip.1. Where is a good place to see fireflies?

阅读理解 (本题共计4小题,总分30分)

1.(6分)Passage A

The landscapes of North America

There are many beautiful landscapes that you can see in North America. Some are very famous national parks. You can hike, sightseeing, and enjoy the lovely view there.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

It is named for the smoke-like fog that hangs over the forest peaks. It is very pretty. One unique thing about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is that for about two weeks out of the year, there are millions of synchronous fireflies (同步发光的萤火虫)! People can drive into the park and watch the natural light show the fireflies make! How wonderful!

The Palenque National Park

Mexico also has many wonderful national parks. The Palenque National Park is one of the most famous. It is a special park because the park has an ancient Maya city! You can hike through the city and see hundreds of beautiful old pyramids. They were built by Mexico’s Mayan Native Americans.

The Banff National Park

If you travel to Canada, you’ll want to visit the Banff National Park. There are many things to do in this big park. Here people hike the famous Rocky Mountains. In the summer, people explore the park on a bicycle! When you get tired of hiking or biking, you can relax in one of the hot springs in the park!

The Big Bend National Park

The Big Bend National Park is located in Southwestern Texas. It has both mountains and deserts. How special! It also shares a border with both the United States and Mexico. The park is called Big Bend because there is a large bend in the Rio Grande River. This beautiful river runs through the park. A fun thing you can do at this park is go on a guided horseback ride and camping trip.

1. Where is a good place to see fireflies?

A. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. B. The Palenque National Park.

C. The Big Bend National Park. D. The Banff National Park.

2. What is the Palenque National Park famous for?

A. The site of Maya civilization. B. The Rocky Mountains.

C. Natural scenery. D. Hot springs.

3. What was the Big Bend National Park named after?

A. Its border with the USA and Mexico. B. A big turn in the river.

C. A famous mountain. D. Its deserts’ shape.

2.(8分)Passage B

No poem should ever be discussed or “analyzed”, until it has been read aloud by someone, teacher or student. Better still, perhaps, is the practice of reading it twice, once at the beginning of the discussion and once at the end, so the sound of the poem is the last thing one hears.

All discussions of poetry are, in fact, preparations for reading it aloud, and the reading of the poem is, finally, the most telling(生动的)“interpretation” of it, suggesting tone, rhythm, and meaning all at once. Hearing a poet read the work in his or her own voice, on records or on film, is obviously a special reward. But even those aids to teaching can not replace the student and teacher reading it or, best of all, reciting it.

I have come to think, in fact, that time spent reading a poem aloud is much more important than “analyzing” it, if there isn’t time for both. I think one of our goals as teachers of English is to have students love poetry. Poetry is “a criticism of life”, and “a heightening of life”.It also deserves a place in the teaching of language and literature more central than it presently occupies.

I am not saying that every English teacher must teach poetry. Those who don’t like it should not be forced to put that dislike on anyone else. But those who do teach poetry must keep in mind a few things about its essential nature, about its sound as well as its sense, and they must make room in the classroom for hearing poetry as well as thinking about it.

4. To have a better understanding of a poem, one should _____.

A. discuss it with others B. analyze it by oneself

C. practice reading it aloud D. copy it down in a notebook

5. According to the writer, one of the purposes of teaching English is to get students _____.

A. to enjoy poetry B. to understand life

C. to become teacher D. to become poets

6.The underlined word "make room "( in the last paragraph)probably means ____.

A. to build a booth B. to provide equipment

C. to set aside enough space D. to leave a certain amount of time

7. What does the last sentence in the third paragraph imply?

A.Poetry is more important than any other subject.

B.More stress should be laid on the teaching of poetry.

C.One cannot enjoy life fully without an understanding of poetry.

D.Poetry is the foundation of all language and literature courses.

3.(8分)Passage C

For millions of years, animals have communicated in countless ways — from giving off chemical signals, to performing complex dances. Humans, on the other hand, have the ability to communicate using language. However, scientists don't agree on when human language first appeared. Even if it's unclear exactly when it began, human language has developed greatly in the past century, branching off into three different types: natural, artificial, and formal language.

Natural languages, also known as man-made languages, are languages that humans have developed simply out of the need to communicate with each other. Natural languages are the languages people speak, read, write, and listen to every day, such as English, Hindi, and Russian. The vocabulary and rules of these languages have developed naturally, without the influence of an author or creator modeling or changing the languages. In short, natural languages “just happen”.

Artificial languages are also man-made, but they are constructed, or made, by humans who already use a natural language to communicate. The vocabulary and grammar of artificial languages don't develop naturally but are constructed by an author or creator. There're a number of reasons for constructing an artificial language. In some cases, it may be a scientific experiment in language; in other cases, it may be the creation of an artist. An artificial language may also be constructed to make communication easier between people of different nationalities. Perhaps the best example of this is Esperanto, an artificial language created in 1887 by L. L. Zamenhof that was basically meant to simplify communication between Europeans.

Finally, formal languages are languages that communicate something, but they are not spoken languages like natural and artificial languages. However, like artificial languages, they are constructed. Formal languages are meant to be very precise (精确的) in what they communicate. An example of a common formal language is computer code. Computer code has its own set of very strict rules and serves only to “speak” to a computer — people cannot use it to communicate with others.

8. What caused natural languages to develop?

A. The creation of special writers. B. People's hope to record things.

C. The influence of other languages. D. People's need to speak to each other.

9. What do we know about artificial languages?

A. They didn't appear until the 20th century.

B. They are not used in daily communication.

C. They have no vocabulary or grammar rules.

D. They are created for some specific purposes.

10. Why does the author mention Esperanto?

A. To sing the praises of L. L. Zamenhof.

B. To give an example of an artificial language.

C. To suggest that it's still used by many Europeans.

D. To explain how communication can be simplified.

11. How are formal languages different from natural and artificial languages?

A. People do not speak them. B. People cannot understand them.

C. They are constructed by a creator. D. They are only used in computer science.

4.(8分) Passage D

Everyone talks about how social networking sites like Facebook have brought us together and allowed us to connect with friends 24 hours a day. To some people, however, this “connecting” is more complicated than it looks. Sometimes I’ll stare at that blank status (状况) update box for half an hour trying to think of what to type, and usually I just give up without typing anything.

This strikes me as strange, considering that I’m a professional writer. Back in school, the other kids used to beg me for help with their English papers, so why am I suddenly the only one who can’t think of anything to say?

Maybe I’m overthinking this. After all, other people’s status updates aren’t especially impressive or interesting, and nobody seems to mind. Sometimes, they don’t even make sense. “Sitting in Starbucks LOL?” Are you really sitting in a Starbucks, laughing out loud?

It feels like I’m the only one who’s figured out that “social networking” is really just a big competition for attention, with success measured in the number of comments other people leave on your updates. There’s nothing wrong with competition, but some people have such a big advantage in this one that it’s not even fun to play. A pretty girl can type “Bought a new swimsuit today!” and get 35 comments in about six minutes. I’m just as interested in pretty girls’ swimsuits as the next guy, but come on. I didn’t get 35 comments when I announced that my first book was being published.

It’s all so depressing.Being depressed would at least give me something to type, if not for the fact that depressing status updates are looked down upon. Social networking isn’t just about attention. It’s also about making other people think that you’re having more fun than they are. I’m starting to wonder how many status updates are even true. Did that person really just have “the best day ever” or just get back from “the best party ever,” or does he just want everyone to think he did? It would certainly be ironic (讽刺的) if a program designed to help us connect with friends has instead forced us to spend all our time lying to them.

12. What does the author want to show when mentioning his experiences in school?

A. He likes making friends. B. He misses his school days.

C. He is really good at writing. D. He has a likeable personality.

13. What does the author think of people’s status updates such as “Sitting in Starbucks LOL”?

A. Interesting. B. Senseless. C. Successful. D. Depressing.

14. Compared with the pretty girl’s status update, the author’s update _____.

A. received less attention B. was much closer to the truth

C. had a more competitive advantage D. showed he was less humorous than others

15. What’s the author’s main purpose of writing this text?

A. To describe people’s online behavior.

B. To explain how to write a good status update.

C. To stress the importance of social networking.

D. To argue about the way people act on social networking sites.