In the second half of each year, many powerful storms are born in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean seas. Of these, only about a half a dozen generate the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that give them hurricane status, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people.
The great storms that hit the coast start as innocent circling disturbances (气旋) hundreds — even thousands — of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun, they are carried westward by the trade winds. When conditions are just right, warm, moist (潮湿的) air flows in at the bottom of such a disturbance, moves upward through it and comes out at the top. In the process, the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat that is switched to energy in the form of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to turn around in a counter-clockwise motion (反时针方向).
The average life of a hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost more power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat released (释放) by a hurricane’s rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months.
Water, rather than wind, is the main source of death and destroying in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6-to-12-inch downpours resulting in sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea — the mountains of water moving toward the low-pressure hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore.An ordinary tropical storm is called a hurricane when ______.
| A．it occurs in the Caribbean seas |
| B．its winds reach 75 miles per hour |
| C．it makes its way to the coastline |
| D．its winds begin to circle on the sea |
What is the worst thing about hurricane?
| A．The rough water. | B．The violent winds. |
| C．The heat it gives out. | D．The length of its life. |
What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．The hurricane is extraordinarily powerful. |
| B．The hurricane is used to generate electricity. |
| C．The hurricane can otherwise offer an unusual sight. |
| D．The hurricane can give people an unforgettable experience. |
The counter-clockwise movement of the hurricane is caused by ______.
| A．the low-pressure area in the center of the storm |
| B．the force of waves of water |
| C．the increasing heat |
| D．the trade winds |
D
Seeing a volcano erupt (喷发) is a wonderful experience, and you can really feel the beat by climbing to the summit(山顶) of Pacaya for a close-up view. There are guided tours every day up this highly active volcano from Antigua. Giving travelers a chance to see Mother Nature at her most powerful.
Pacaya is an easy drive from Antigua, a beautiful city with many colorful houses along its old streets that are turned into art-works during its Holy Week festival. No matter when you come to Antigua, you won’t miss the Pacaya-tour companies.
But climbing Pacaya is no easy job: it is 2560 metres high, and reaching the summit takes two to three hours of seemingly one-step-forward and two-step-back movements. As you climb, you hear the dull sounds of eruptions high above. Steaming. Hot remains from recent eruptions begin to line the path as you near the active summit; the McKenney Cone(火山锥). Just as though you were going to walk over to the edge of the cone, the road turns to the left and up to the relative safety of the old, inactive summit.
Many tours are timed so that you arrive at the cone of the volcano is plenty of time for sunset and the full contrast between the erupting red lava(熔岩) and the darkening sky. On a good day the view from the summit is extremely exciting. The active mouth boils, sending red lava over its sides, and once in a while shoots hot streams up to 100 metres into the air. There is a strong bad smell in the air even if you take care to be upwind of the cone. As evening turns deeper into the night. the burning lava quietly falls down tae side of the volcano. For you, too, it is time to get down .
What is the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To attract tourists to Pacaya. | B．To describe the beauty of Pacaya. |
| C．To introduce guided tours to Pacaya. | D．To explain the power of nature at Pacaya. |
Antigua is a city .
| A．where people can enjoy cultural festivals | B．where the daring Pacaya tour starts |
| C．that gives a close-up view of Paraya | D．that is famous for its tour companies |
Climbing to the McKenney Cone, people will .
| A．walk directly to the active summit | B．hear the continuous loud noise from above |
| C．make greater efforts than to other summits | |
| D．see a path lined with remains of earlier eruptions |
Many tours are timed for people to .
| A．get down the mountain in time when night falls |
| B．avoid the smell from the upwind direction of the cone |
| C．enjoy the fantastic eruption against the darkening sky |
| D．appreciate the scenery of the 2560-metre-high mountain |
C
Being able to multitask—doing several things at the same time—is considered a welcome skill by most people. But if we consider the situation of the young people aged from eight to eighteen, we should think again.
What we often see nowadays is that young people juggle an ever larger number of electronic devices(电子产品)as they study. While working, they also surf on the Internet, send out emails, answer the telephone and listen to music on their iPods. In a sense, they are spending a significant amount of time in fruitless efforts as they multitask.
Multitasking is even changing the relationship between family members. As young people around them. They can no longer greet family members when they enter the house, nor can they cat at the family table.
Multitasking also affects young people’s performance at university and in the workplace. When asked about their opinion of the effect of modern gadgets(器具)on their performance of tasks, many young people gave a positive response(反应). However, the response from the worlds of education and business was not quite as positive. Educators feel that multitasking by children has a serious effect on later development of study skills. They believe that many college students now need help to improve their study skills. Similarly, employers feel that young people entering the job market need to be taught all over again, as modern gadgets have made it unnecessary for them to learn special skills to do their work.
What does the underlined word “juggle” in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?
| A．Want to buy | B．Take the place of. |
| C．Use at the same time | D．Seek for information from. |
In Paragraph 3, the author points out that .
| A．family members do not cat at the family table |
| B．family member do not greet each other |
| C．young people live happily in their families |
| D．young people seldom talk with their family members |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Multitasking is harmful to young people’s development. |
| B．Young people benefit a lot from modern gadgets |
| C．Multitasking is an important skill to young people. |
| D．Young people must learn skills for future jobs. |
The author develops the passage mainly by .
| A．providing typical examples | B．following the natural time order |
| C．comparing opinions from different fields | |
| D．presenting a cause and analyzing its effects |
While all my classmates seen to be crazy about a one-way ticket to Mars(火星), I’d rather say Mars is totally unsuitable for human existence. People won’t have enough food supplies there, and the terrible environment would make it impossible for them to live a long life. Besides, the journey won’t be safe. Can anybody explain to me just why people would go to Mars, never to return?
Steve Minear, UK
Here are the things you can think of: the desire to explore a foreign and unique environment, the excitement of being the first humans to open up a new world, the expectation of fame and glory…For scientists there is another reason. Their observations and research will probably lead to great scientific achievements.
Donal Trollop, Canada
There are already too many people on the Earth. I think that sometime before the end of the century, there will be a human colony(殖民地)on Mars. It will happen when people finally realize that tow-way trips to the red planet Mars are unnecessary. Most of the danger of space Flight is in the launches(发射) and landings. Cutting the trip home would therefore reduce the danger of accidents, save a lot of money, and open the way to building an everlasting human settlement on another world.
Enough supplies can be sent on ahead. And every two years more supplies and more people will needs, and Mars is far more pleasant than the other planets in the outer space.
Paul Davies. USA
The main purpose of Steve Minear’s writing is .
| A．to report his classmates’ discussion | B．to invite an answer to his question |
| C．to explain the natural state of Mars | D．to show his agreement on going to Mars |
Which of the following best states Donal Trollop’s idea?
| A．There is a plan to send humans to Mars. |
| B．There are many reasons for going to Mars. |
| C．Scientists become famous by doing research on Mars. |
| D．It is possible to build an Earth-like environment on Mars. |
Paul Davies points out that .
| A．humans need only a one-way ticket to Mars. |
| B．two-way trips to Mars will be made safe soon |
| C．it is easy to reduce the danger and cost of flights to Mars |
| D．it is cheap to build an everlasting human settlement on Mars |
What does Paul Davies think of human existence on Mars?
| A．Humans will have to bring all they need from the Earth. |
| B．Humans will find Mars totally unsuitable for living. |
| C．Humans can produce everything they need. |
| D．Humans can live longer in the colony on Mars |
I arrived at my mother’s home for our Monday family dinner. The smells of food flew over from the kitchen. Mother was pulling out quilt(被子)after quilt from the boxes, proudly showing me their beauties. She was preparing for a quilt show at the Elmhurst Church. When we began to fold and put them back into the boxes, I noticed something at the bottom of one box. I pulled it out. “What is this?” I asked.
“Oh?” Mom said, “That’s Mama’s quilt.”
I spread the quilt. It looked at if a group of school children had pieced it together; irregular designs, childish pictures, a crooked line on the right.
“Grandmother made this?” I said, surprised. My grandmother was a master at making quilts. This certainly didn’t look like any of the quilts she had made.
“Yes, right before she died. I brought it home with me last year and made some changes,” she said. “I’m still working on it. See, this is what I’ve done so far.”
I looked at it more closely. She had made straight a crooked line. At the center of the quilt, she had stitched(缝) a piece of cloth with these words: “My mother made many quilts. She didn’t get all lines straight. But I think this is beautiful. I want to see it finished. Her last quilt.”
“Ooh, this is so nice, Mom,” I said. It occurred to me that by completing my grandmother’s quilt, my mother was honoring her own mother. I realized, too, that I held in my hands a family treasure. It started with the loving hands of one woman, and continued with the loving hands of another.
Why did the author go to mother’s home?
| A．To see her mother’s quilts. | B．To help prepare for a show. |
| C．To get together for the family dinner. | D．To discuss her grandmother’s life. |
The author was surprised because .
| A．the quilt looked very strange. | B．her grandmother liked the quilt. |
| C．the quilt was the best she had seen. | D．her mother had made some changes |
The underlined wood “crooked” in the passage most probably means .
| A．unfinished | B．broken | C．bent | D．unusual |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Quilt Show | B．Mother’s Home | C．A Monday Dinner | D．Grandmother’s Quilt |
In ancient times the most important examinations were spoken, not written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome, testing usually was made up of saying poetry aloud and giving speeches.
In the European universities of the Middle Ages, students who were working for advanced degrees had to discuss questions in their field of study with people who had made a special study of the subject. This custom exists today as part of the process of testing candidates (应试者) for the doctor’s degree.
Generally, however, modem examinations are written. The written examination, where all students are tested on the same questions, was probably not known until the nineteenth century. Perhaps it came into existence with the great increase in population and the development of modem industry. A room full of candidates for a state examination timed exactly by electric clocks and carefully watched over by managers, looks like a group of workers at an automobile factory. Certainly, during examinations teachers and students are expected to act like machines.
One type of test is sometimes called an “objective” test. It is intended to deal with facts, not personal opinions. To make up an objective test, the teacher writes a series (一系列)of questions, each of which has only one correct answer. Along with each question the teacher writes the correct answer and also three statements that look like answers to students who have not learned the material properly.
4. The main idea of Paragraph Three is that ________.
A. workers now take examinations B. the population has grown
C. there are only written exams today D. examinations are now written and timed
5. The kind of exams where students must select answers are
A. objective B. personal
C. spoken D. written
6. Modem industry must have developed ________.
A. around the 19th century B. before the Middle Ages
C. in Greece or Rome D. machines to take tests
7. It may be concluded that testing ________.
A. should test only opinions B. should always be written
C. is given only in factories D. has changed since the Middle Ages
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