VII.阅读理解(20分)

A

Fifty-three years ago Barbie Millicent Roberts first appeared in the world of toys. Since then, Barbie doll, as everyone called her, has become the most successful toy doll in history. Her parent, the Mattel Company, said that 90% of all American girls between 3 and 10 have at least one Barbie at home.

However, Barbie is facing some trouble at present(现在). There are many similar dolls on the market in competition with her. Another doll named Bratz, for example, came to life thirteen years ago. She looks more like today’s pop stars with heavy makeup(浓妆) and miniskirts. And her company offers more kinds of clothes too.

It seems that Barbie has lost her magic among older girls. “For younger girls, playing with a Barbie is much fun. But when you get older, you want something smarter and more modern,” says Vera Shepherd, a shop assistant in a New York toy store.

It is good news that on the international market, Barbie is still No.1. Although Mattel is selling fewer Barbies in the United States these years, sales in other countries are still going up. In January 2009, Mattel opened its first Barbie store in Shanghai, where girls can shop, eat, drink or even become fashion designers for their own Barbies.

Mattel is planning big celebrations for Barbie’s 53rd birthday. Fashion designers from all over the world have been called to make new dresses for Barbie. How long will Barbie stay popular in the world of toy dolls? It is hard to say, but 53 is surely not the age to retire(退休).

41. Barbie’s family name is _______.

A. Roberts B. Millicent C. Shepherd D. Bratz

42. Barbie’s trouble is that _______.

A. it wears heavy makeup and miniskirts

B. other dolls are more popular with little girls

C. other dolls are trying to beat her in the market

D. it has become less popular in the international market

43. Girls can do the following in the first Barbie shop in Shanghai except _______.

A. going shopping B. having food C. drinking juice D. taking photos

44. What’s the meaning of the underlined words “fashion designers” in the passage?

A.珠宝设计师 B.发型设计师 C.舞台设计师 D.服装设计师

45. What is the best title of the passage?

A. First Barbie Shop in Shanghai B. Barbie’s Past and Present

C. Barbie’s 53rd Birthday Party D. Barbie Lost Her Magic

B

Every morning my father buys a newspaper on his way to work. Every evening my mother looks through magazines at home. And every night, I look at the posters with photos of David Beckham and Yao Ming on my bedroom wall before I go to sleep. Can we imagine life without paper or print?

Paper was first created about 2,000 years ago, and has been made from silk, cotton, bamboo, and, since the 19th century, from wood. People learned to write words on paper to make a book. But in those days, books could only be produced one at a time by hand. As a result, they were expensive and rare. And because there weren’t many books, few people learned to read.

Then printing was invented in China. When printing was developed greatly at the beginning of the 11th century, books could be produced more quickly and cheaply. As a result, more people learned to read. After that, knowledge and ideas spread quickly.

Today information can be received online, downloaded from the Internet rather than found in books, and information can be kept on CD-ROMs or machines such as MP3 players.

Computers are already used in classrooms, and newspapers and magazines can already be read online. So will books be replaced by computers one day? No, I don’t think the Yao Ming poster on my bedroom wall will ever be replaced by a two-metre-high computer!

46. What does the writer do before he goes to sleep?

A. He reads books. B. He reads newspapers.

C. He looks through magazines. D. He looks at the posters on the wall.

47. When was paper first created?

A. About 2,000 years ago. B. In the 19th century.

C. About 1,000 years ago. D. In the 11th century.

48. Why were books expensive and rare before the invention of printing?

A. Because people could not read.

B. Because people could not write words on paper.

C. Because people could not find silk, cotton or bamboo.

D. Because people could only produce books one at a time by hand.

49. What happened after books became cheaper?

A. People didn’t want to buy books. B. Printing was invented in China.

C. Knowledge and ideas spread quickly. D. The Internet was introduced to people soon.

50. What is the writer’s opinion about books and computers?

A. People won’t need books any more. B. Books won’t be replaced by computers.

C. People prefer to find information in books. D. Computers have already replaced books.

VIII.句型转换(10分)

51. Chen Ping can make beautiful paper cuttings. (改为否定句)

Chen Ping _______ _______ beautiful paper cuttings.

52. Peter often helps in the house at the weekend. (改为一般疑问句)

_______ Peter often _______ in the house at the weekend?

53. Kate usually cleans her bedroom every two days. (就画线部分提问)

_______ _______ does Kate usually clean her bedroom?

54. My sister usually walks to school every morning. (改为同义句)

My sister usually goes to school _______ _______ every morning.

55. More and more people speak Chinese in the world. (改为被动语态)

Chinese _______ _______ by more and more people in the world.