阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A.B.C.和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并标在答题卷的相应位置。
Ready to give up long showers, water parks, and unlimited water gushing（喷涌）out of your taps? A new study says more than three-hundred-thirty-five-million people are faced with water ________ now. The oceans are full, of course. But the liquid—fresh, clean water for drinking and watering crops is in short _________ in many parts of the world. Rivers are running low, lakes are shrinking, streams have stopped _________, and groundwater is being pumped(抽) dry. However, the _________ for water keeps increasing. So there comes ________ the water crisis!
What is causing the crisis? Experts say it is a complex ________ of climate change and rapid population growth. On the one hand, global climate change threatens to reduce water supplies due to ________ rainfall. On the other hand, population growth is driving _______ demand for water, prompting(促使) rivers in thirsty countries to be tapped for nearly every drop and ________ governments to pump out so-called fossil water.
Lack of water may result in several ________. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking waters are not _________. Lack of water may also result in more international _________. Countries may have to compete for water in the future. Some countries now _________ sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. And lack of water would _________ the ability of developing to improve their _________. This is because new industries often need a large amount of _______ when they are beginning.
One partial _________ to the world water shortage, at least for countries near the sea, is to _________ more desalination(去盐作用) plants that change _________into fresh water. Another suggested solution is for water-rich countries, such as Canada, to sell water to countries which are _________ in water.
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Nuclear weapons（核武器）were first developed in the United States during the Second World War to be used against Germany．However, by the time the first bombs were ready for use, the war with Germany had ended and, as a result, the decision was made to use the weapons against Japan instead．Hiroshima and Nagasaki have suffered the consequences of the decision to the present day.
The real reasons why bombs were dropped on two heavily populated cities are not altogether clear．A number of people in 1944 and early 1945 argued that the use of nuclear weapons would be unnecessary, since American Intelligence was aware that some of the most powerful and influential people in Japan had already realised that the war was lost, and wanted to discuss a Japanese surrender （投降）．It was also argued that, since Japan has few natural resources, a blockade （封锁） by the American navy would force it to surrender within a few Weeks, and the use of nuclear weapons would prove unnecessary．If a demonstration of force was required to end the war, a bomb could be dropped over an unpopulated area like a desert, in front of Japanese observers, or over an area of low population inside Japan, such as a forest．Choosing this course of action might decrease the loss of further lives on all sides, while the power of nuclear weapons would still be adequately demonstrated（展示）．
All of these arguments were turned down, however, and the general agreement was that the quickest way to end the fighting would be to use nuclear weapons against the centres of population inside Japan．In fact, two of the more likely reasons why the decision was reached seem quite shocking to us now．The meaning of the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 is that .
| A．the two cities were badly damaged after they were bombed |
| B．the two cities suffered because Japan would not agree to end the war |
| C．the terrible effects of dropping nuclear weapons on these cities can still be felt |
| D．the end of the war with Germany meant Hiroshima and Nagasaki, would suffer |
According to Paragraph 2, a blockade would have been successful because
| A．Japan had to import most of its natural resources |
| B．Japan would not be powerful enough to beat a blockade |
| C．an attack would probably destroy Japanese resources within a few weeks |
| D．the Americans could defeat Japan's navy since it was short of resources |
The last paragraph tells that .
| A．the writer probably expects us hot to argue with his opinion |
| B．the nuclear bombs must have been dropped on Tokyo, too |
| C．the real reasons for' the decision may never have been made clear |
| D．the writer has not done much research on this subject to establish the facts |
What would probably be discussed in the paragraphs that follow?
| A．The reasons why Japan chose to surrender． |
| B．The writer's attitudes towards the Japan's surrender. |
| C．People's different opinions about dropping nuclear weapons onto the cities． |
| D．Some of the possible reasons for dropping nuclear weapons onto the cities． |
Money is all surrounding us．Every day, we see it, use it, and it is on the tip of our tongue．Did you ever stop to take into consideration where the money that you carry around every day comes from?
Making new money is a very unique job and no easy task．It has up to 65 steps When the money in circulation（流通） gets dirty and worn out, it is replaced with new money The old money is taken from banks and brought to places where it is destroyed Usually, the old money is burned．The burned money is replaced by new paper money
If old money is being replaced, then new money is printed in a place called a mint（造币厂）．Large sheets 01 paper are printed with many pictures of some currency （流通货币）．These large sheets are cut into individual bills．The individual bills are then put together in big stacks and then sent to banks．
Sometimes the mint will make a new bill with a new picture （portraits of statesman and places of interest are favoured） or a new colour. It is not easy for the government to make a new bill. It takes a long time, and there are many steps to go through before a new bill can be sent to banks, first, people m the government decide that a new kind of bill is needed Then, they ask and artist to design the new bill．A different artist cuts the new picture into a soft piece of metal called a die．The dies are made and put onto large printing machines．Then, very special paper is used, which no one but the mint can have．Along with this special paper, the mint also prints currency using special colours．After the dies print the new currency onto the paper, the bills are cut, stacked, and sent off to the banks．From the passage we know that
| A．banks make new money |
| B．it takes 65 procedures to make new money |
| C．mints decide what kind of bill is needed |
| D．old money that is not used is forever stored in a special place |
We can infer from the passage that a die is ____
| A．something for dead people |
| B．a special machine that prints the money |
| C．a special piece of paper that the money is made from |
| D．a piece of metal that puts the picture on the money |
'Which of the following shows the right order of dealing with new money?
①New money is printed in a mint．
②Bills are cut from large sheets of special paper．
③New money is sent in large amounts to banks．
④The government decides to make new money．
| A．①②③④ | B．④③②① | C．④①③② | D．④①②③ |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．The reason for making new money． |
| B．The processes of making a new bill． |
| C．The amount of new money needed． |
| D．Things used．to make new money or a new bill． |
Drinking Water: Bottled or From the Tap（水龙头）?
In America, people will include a case or two of bottled water when buying the week's groceries（日用杂货）．When they are going to a soccer game or activity, it's common for them to grab a cold bottle of water out of the fridge with them．In fact, Americans buy more bottled water than any other nation in the world, about 29 billion bottles a year．
But all these plastic bottles use a lot of fossil fuels and pollute the environment．In order to make all the 29 billion bottles, producers use 17 million barrels of crude oil, which is enough to keep a million cars going for 12 months．
So why don't people drink water straight from the tap? Some people have a strong belief that bottled water is better than water out of the tap, but that's not necessarily true．In the US, the local governments make sure water from the tap is safe．There is also growing concern that chemicals in the bottles themselves may go into the water．
People love the convenience of bottled water．But maybe if they realized the problems it causes, they would try drinking from a glass at home or carrying water in a reusable steel container instead of plastic．
Some argue that plastic bottle recycling can help．Recycled bottles can be turned into items like carpeting or clothing．Unfortunately, only one in six bottles is recycled．The rest make it to landfills（垃圾填坦场） or end as trash in other places．Plastic bottles take hundreds of years for them to disintegrate．
Water is important for you, so keep drinking it．But think about how often you use water bottles, and see if you can make a change．
And yes, you can make a difference．Remember this: Recycling one plastic bottle can save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for six hours．How many cars can be kept going for a year by the crude oil used to make 29 billion bottles?
| A．100． | B．I,000． | C．100,000． | D．I,000,000． |
Why do Americans prefer bottled water?
| A．Bottled water is better than water from the tap． |
| B．Bottled water is cheaper than water from the tap． |
| C．Bottled water contains beneficial chemicals in it． |
| D．Bottled water is more convenient than water from the tap． |
What does the underlined word "disintegrate" in the fifth paragraph probably mean^
| A．Be well recycled． | B．Become less poisonous． |
| C．Break into small pieces． | D．Go down below a surface． |
The author's intention of writing this passage is to recommend Americans
| A．drink more water from the tap |
| B．send plastic bottles to landfills. |
| C．use water bottles to power light bulbs |
| D．buy bottles filled with water from the tap |
When middle-aged Alex quit his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadowland （虚幻世界） of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year．" $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a writer ?full time．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly, "I'm going to stick it out and write．"
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"
Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence （坚毅） it takes to stay the course （持续到底） in the shadowland．Why did Alex give up his job?
| A．Because he didn't like the working conditions． |
| B．Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living． |
| C．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer． |
| D．Because he felt he had no potential in his job． |
What did Alex express when he answered the call?
| A．He refused the job offer． |
| B．He was willing to give them a hand． |
| C．He expected them to pay him more money． |
| D．He would write in his spare time． |
What kind of person is Alex?
| A．Determined． | B．Modest． |
| C．Shy． | D．Brave． |
Which of the following can summarize the passage best?
| A．Look before you leap． |
| B．Two heads are better, than one． |
| C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true． |
| D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush． |
No matter how long your life is, you will, at best, be able to read only a few books of all that have been written, and the few you do read should include the best. You can be pleased with the fact that the number of such is relatively small.
It is to be expected that the selections will change over time. Yet there is a surprising uniformity (一致性) in the lists which represent the best choices of any period. In every age, the list makers include both ancient and modern books in their selections, and they always wonder whether the moderns are up to the great books of the past.
What are the signs by which we may recognize a great book? The four I will mention may not be all there are, but they are the ones I’ve found most useful in explaining my choices over the years.
Great books are probably the most widely read. They are enduring best sellers. Gone with the Wind has had relatively few readers compared to the plays of Shakespeare or Don Quixote. It would be reasonable to estimate that Homer Iliad has been read by at least 25,000,000 people in the last 3000 years.
Great books are popular, not pedantic. They are not written by specialists about specialties for specialists. Whether they are philosophy or science, or history or poetry, they treat of human, not academic problems. They are written for men, not professors. To read a textbook for advanced students, you have to read an elementary textbook first. But the great books can be considered elementary in the sense that they treat the elements of any subject matter. They are not related to one another as a series of textbooks, graded in difficulty or in the technicality of the problems with which they deal.
Great books are always contemporary, the most readable and instructive.
Great books deal with the continuously unsolved problems of human life. There are mysteries in the world that mark the limits of human knowing and thinking. Inquiry not begins with wonder, but usually ends with it also. Great minds acknowledge mysteries only honestly. Wisdom is encouraged, not destroyed, by understanding its limitations.Which is not the criterion in the following when considering a great book?
| A．Although not a best seller, it must be the most widely read． |
| B．A great book can be read without any effort． |
| C．Great books are never out of date． |
| D．Great books will not disappoint you if you try to read them well． |
According to the author, Gone with the Wind is .
| A．a best seller | B．disliked by readers who like Shakespeare |
| C．read more often than Don Quixote | D．a great book |
In the passage the underlined word “pedantic” means ．
| A．showing the feelings, esp., those of kindness, which people are supposed to have |
| B．serving as practical examples |
| C．being elementary |
| D．paying too much attention to details in books |
The best title for this passage is .
| A．Great Books in Your Life | B．Great Books in Your Specialty |
| C．How to Find a Great Book? | D．What Is a Great Book? |
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