Among the most popular books being written today are those which are usually classified as science fiction. Hundreds of titles are published every year and are read by all kinds of people. Furthermore, some of the most successful films of recent years have been based on science fiction stories.
It is often thought that science fiction is a fairly new development in literature, but its ancestors can be found in books written hundreds of years ago. These books were often concerned with the presentation of some form of ideal society, a theme which is still often found in modern stories.
Most of the classics of science fiction, however, have been written within the last one hundred years. Books by writers such as Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, to mention just two well-known authors, have been translated in many languages. Modern science fiction writers don't write about men from Mars or space adventure stories. They are more interested in predicting the results of technical developments on society and the human mind, or in imagining future worlds which are a reflection of the world which we live in now. Because of this their writing has obvious political undertones.
In an age where science fact frequently over-takes science fiction, the writers may find it difficult to keep ahead of scientific advances. Those who are sufficiently clear-sighted to see the way we are going, however, may provide a valuable lesson on how to deal with the problems which society will inevitably face as it tries to master its new technology and come to terms with a continually changing view of the world. Most of the classics of science fiction have been written within __________.
| A．the last few hundred years |
| B．the last one hundred years |
| C．the last two hundred years |
| D．the last three hundred years |
Modern science fiction writers are interested in __________
| A．writing about men from Mars |
| B．writing about everything but politics |
| C．forecasting the results of technical develop-ments and imagining the future world |
| D．writing space adventure stories |
Science fiction writers may provide a valuable les-son on how to deal with the problems of __________
| A．conflict used by different political theories |
| B．adopting new technology and adapting quickly to its effects on society |
| C．conflict caused by different religious beliefs |
| D．space adventure |
Mr. Peter Johnson, aged twenty-three, battled for half an hour to escape from his trapped car yesterday when it landed upside down in three feet of water. Mr. Johnson took the only escape route—through the boot(行李箱).
Mr. Johnson’s car had finished up in a ditch(沟渠) at Romney Marsin, Kent after skidding on ice and hitting a bank. “Fortunately, the water began to come in only slowly,” Mr. Johnson said. “I couldn’t force the doors because they were jammed against the walls of the ditch and dared not open the windows because I knew water would come flooding in.”
Mr. Johnson, a sweet salesman of Sitting Home, Kent, first tried to attract the attention of other motorists by sounding the horn and hammering on the roof and boot. Then he began his struggle to escape.
Later he said, “It was really a half penny that saved my life. It was the only coin I had in my pocket and I used it to unscrew the back seat to get into the boot. I hammered desperately with a hammer trying to make someone hear, but no help came.”
It took ten minutes to unscrew the seat, and a further five minutes to clear the sweet samples from the boot. Then Mr. Johnson found a wrench and began to work on the boot lock. Fifteen minutes passed by. “It was the only chance I had. Finally it gave, but as soon as I moved the boot lid, the water and mud poured in. I forced the lid down into the mud and scrambled clear as the car filled up.”
His hands and arms cut and bruised(擦伤), Mr. Johnson got to Beckett Farm nearby, where he was looked after by the farmer’s wife, Mrs. Lucy Bates. Huddled in a blanket, he said, “That thirty minutes seemed like hours.” Only the tips of the car wheels were visible, police said last night. The vehicle had sunk into two feet of mud at the bottom of the ditch. What is the best title for this newspaper article?
| A．The Story of Mr. Johnson, A Sweet Salesman |
| B．Car Boot Can Serve As The Best Escape Route |
| C．Driver Escapes Through Car Boot |
| D．The Driver Survived A Terrible Car Accident |
Which of the following objects is the most important to Mr. Johnson?
| A．The hammer. | B．The coin. |
| C．The screw. | D．The horn. |
Which statement is true according to the passage?
| A．Mr. Johnson’s car stood on its boot as it fell down. |
| B．Mr. Johnson could not escape from the door because it was full of sweet jam. |
| C．Mr. Johnson’s car accident was partly due to the slippery road. |
| D．Mr. Johnson struggled in the pouring mud as he unscrewed the back seat. |
“Finally it gave” (Paragraph 5) means that _______.
| A．Luckily the door was torn away in the end |
| B．At last the wrench went broken |
| C．The lock came open after all his efforts |
| D．The chance was lost at the last minute |
It may be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．the ditch was along a quiet country road |
| B．the accident happened on a clear warm day |
| C．the police helped Mr. Johnson get out of the ditch |
| D．Mr. Johnson had a tender wife and was well attended |
"The world's oceans are slowly getting more acidic,”say scientists. The researchers from California report that the change is taking place in response to higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The lowering of the waters’pH value is not great at the moment but could cause a serious threat to current ocean life if it continues, they warn. Ken Caldeira and Michael Wickett, from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, report their concerns in the journal Nature.
Increasing use of oil fuels means more carbon dioxide is going into the air, and most of it will eventually be absorbed by seawater. Once in the water, it reacts to form carbonic acid. Scientists believe that the oceans have already become slightly more acidic over the last century.
These researchers have tried to predict what will happen in the future by combining what we know about the history of the oceans with computer models of climate change．"This level of acidity will get much more extreme in the future if we continue releasing CO2 into the atmosphere," said Dr Caldeira. "And we predict the amount of future acidity will exceed（超过）anything we have seen over the last several hundred million years, let alone perhaps after rare disastrous events such as asteroid（小行星) impacts．”
However, it is not absolutely clear what that means for ocean life．Most organisms live near the surface, where the greatest pH change would be expected to occur, but deep-ocean life forms may be more sensitive to pH changes．Coral reefs and other organisms whose shells contain calcium carbonate（小行星) may be particularly affected if the water's acidity levels keep going up, the team predict. They could find it much more difficult to build these structures in water with a lower pH.
In recent years some people have suggested storing carbon dioxide from power stations in the deep ocean as a way of dealing with global warming．But Dr Caldeira said that such a strategy should now be re-considered. "Previously, most experts had looked at ocean absorption of carbon dioxide as a good thing-because in releasing CO2 into the atmosphere we warm the planet, and when CO2, is absorbed by the ocean, it reduces the amount of greenhouse warming.”According to Dr Caldeira,__________ .
| A．ocean absorption of carbon dioxide is a good thing |
| B．more oil fuels will be used in the near future |
| C．scientists may predict climate changes with computer models |
| D．the future situation of the amount of acidity is extremely serious |
f the water's acidity level keeps rising,_________ .
| A．ocean life whose structures contain calcium carbonate may be affected |
| B．the waters’pH value will become higher and higher |
| C．organisms living near the surface are more sensitive to pH changes |
| D．some disastrous events will occur more often than before |
Most experts once believed storing carbon dioxide in the ocean would reduce________ .
| A．the CO2 absorbed by the ocean | B．the amount of greenhouse warming |
| C．the acidity of the ocean | D．the gradual release of CO2 |
The purpose of this passage is to_________ .
| A．show people the findings of a research team | B．inform people of how acid the ocean is now |
| C．introduce Dr Caldeira and his team's research | D．warn people of the higher level of CO2 |
There are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece. The one most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama came from ritual (宗教仪式). The argument for this view goes as follows. In the beginning, human beings viewed the natural forces of the world, even the seasonal changes, as unpredictable, and they sought through various means, to control these unknown and feared powers. Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results were then kept and repeated until they hardened into fixed rituals. Eventually stories arose which explained the mysteries of the rites. As time passed some rituals were abandoned, but the stories, later called myths (神话), coutinued to exist and provided material for art and drama.
Those who believe that drama came from ritual also argue that those rites contained the seed of theater because music, dance, masks, and costumes were almost always used. Furthermore, a suitable site had to be provided for performances and when the entire community did not participate, a clear division was usually made between the “acting area” and the “watching area.” In addition, there were performers, and, since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in performing, religious leaders usually undertook that task. Wearing masks and costumes, they often imitated other people, animals, or supernatural beings, and used gestures about the desired effect, success in hunt or battle, the coming rain, the revival (复活) of the Sun. Eventually such dramatic representations were separated from religious activities.
Another theory traces the theater’s origin from the human interest in storytelling. According to this view, tales about the hunt, war, or other feats are gradually added in detail, at first through imitation, action, and dialogue by a narrator and then through the assumption of each of the roles by a different person. A closely-related theory traces theater to those dances that are primarily rhythmical and gymnastic or that are imitations of animal movements and sounds.What does the passage mainly discuss?
| A．The origins of theater. | B．The role of ritual in modern dance. |
| C．The importance of storytelling. | D．The variety of early religious activities. |
What aspect of drama does the author discuss in the first parapraph?
| A．The reason why drama is often unpredictable. | B．The seasons in which dramas were performed. |
| C．The connection between myths and dramatic plots. | D．The importance of costumes in early drama. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a common element of theater and ritual?
| A．Dance. | B．Costumes. | C．Music. | D．Magic. |
According to the passage, what is the main difference between ritual and drama?
| A．Ritual uses music whereas drama does not. | B．Ritual is shorter than drama. |
| C．Ritual requires fewer performers than drama. | D．Ritual has a religious purpose and drama does not. |
One kilogram——that was all it took to crown（给……加冕） the world's strongest man.
German weightlifter Matthias Steiner pulled ahead of Russian rival Evgeny Chigishev to win the Olympic men's +105 kg weightlifting gold medal on Tuesday.
Steiner lifted a total of 461kg, 203kg in the snatch(抓举) and 258kg in the clean and jerk(挺举), to beat Chigishev by a single kilogram. The German won the battle of giants in his last lift, winning his country's first gold medal in the event at this year's Games.
Steiner's winning lift was also the last effort of the sport for this Olympics at which China earned eight of the 15 golds.
Steiner was born in Austria and represented his country of birth at the Athens Olympics four years ago, placing seventh in the lower 105kg category, but had a falling out with Austria's weightlifting federation afterwards.
He applied for German citizenship in 2005 and got married, but his career went into deep freeze（困境）as he could not compete without a passport. He finally obtained the document last January.
The German, who turns 26 on Monday, had come to these Games on a mission to win the title for his wife Susann, who died in a car accident in July last year. The German team said he used the personal tragedy to motivate himself to win the gold medal.
Chigishev was the strongest in the snatch session Tuesday. He kissed his fists after a 210-kg lift that gave him a 7-kg advantage over fourth-placed Steiner going into the second event -- the clean and jerk. He let out a victorious roar after clearing 250 kg in his last lift, but the glory was short-lived as Steiner stunned（使瞠目）everyone with his final, winning clean and jerk effort.
Steiner had finished seventh in the 2004 Olympics in the 105kg weight category, and took the gold in the 2008 European Championship +105kg snatch competition, bronze in the clean and jerk and silver overall, with a total weight of 446kg.
World champion Viktors Scerbatihs of Latvia settled for bronze.Four years ago at the Athens Olympics Steiner represented ______.
| A．Australia | B．Germany | C．Austria | D．Russia |
The following statements are true except ______.
| A．Steiner beat Chigishev by one kilogram |
| B．Chinese weightlifting team won eight of the 15 gold medals at this year’s Games |
| C．Steiner didn’t get the passport until last February |
| D．Steiner got a bronze in the 2008 European Championship +105kg clean and jerk competition |
It can be inferred from the story that _____.
| A．Steiner was inspired by his unfortunate wife to win the gold medal |
| B．Chigishev was also the strongest in the second event |
| C．it is hard to get a German citizenship |
| D．Steiner was determined to win the medal for the German team |
What is the best title of the story?
| A．Narrow Victory | B．Pitiful Failure |
| C．Gold Medal for His Dearest Wife | D．Strongest Man of the World |
The Growing Credit Crisis Forces Many Companies to Seek Government Help
On September fifteenth, Lehman Brothers, a one hundred fifty-eight year-old investment bank, sought legal protection from its creditors. It had failed to find a buyer after months of searching. With over six hundred billion dollars in debt, Lehman’s failure was the largest bankruptcv in United States history At the same time，the nation’s biggest insurance company，American International Group, had gotten into trouble selling credit default swaps These are contracts Similar to insurance that protect the holder against credit risk.
Credit rating agencies downgraded A.I.G because of concerns it could not honor its contracts. Unable to get new loans, A.I.G asked for government help The Federal Reserve agreed to loan A .I.G. eighty-five billion dollars in return for eighty percent of the company but it was not enough. By November, the government had extended a total of about one hundred fiftv billion doliars in aid to A .I.G—the most to any single company during the crisis.
As banks refused to lend, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson proposed a plan to loosen credit markets by buylng risky assets. Congress approved the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of Two. Thousand eight on October third The bill provided seven hundred billion dollars to buy hard to-value securltles from banks. But within weeks, the government changed plans. The Treasury moved to invest two handred fifty billion dollars directly in banks to help them lend money again.
Lack of credit not only hurt banks but manufacturers, too. Falling car sales threatened America’s carmakers The big three automakers—General Motors, Ford and Chrysler—told Congress that they needed loans or they faced bankmptcy. In December, President Bush offered G.M and Chrysler over seventeen billion dollars in loans.
As the year ended, the Federal Reserve tried to support economic growth by lowering its main interest rate to nearly zero for the first time. But there was one more bad surprise New York money manager Bernard Madoff admitted he had cheated investors out of fifty billion dollars. The news only added to the sense that two thousand eight was the worst economic year since the nineteen thirties. Which of the following is NOT the problem in the passage Lehman Brothers was faced with?
| A．lt is an Investment bank with more than one and a half centuries history. |
| B．It didn’t find a buyer after months of searching. |
| C．It has over six hundred billion dollars in debt. |
| D．Its failure was the largest bankruptcy in United States history. |
The reason why A.I.G turned to the U.S government for help was that .
A. A.I.G would give eighty percent of the company in return for the loan
B. A.I.G couldn’t get new loans from credit rating agencies
C. the government extended a total of about one hundred fifty billion dollars in aid to A.I.G
D. the Federal Reserve agreed to loan A.I G eighty-five billion dollarsAccording to the passage, which of the following is probably NOT suffering from the lack of_______ .
| A．Banks． | B．Manufacturers | C．Carmakers | D．Barbers |
The last sentence of this passage indicates that the author’s attitude towards the U.S economy in 2008 is
| A．pessimistic | B．optimistic | C．objective | D．subjective |
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