Each year, road accidents kill a million people and injure millions more . The economic costs are greatest for developing countries . Earlier this year , the United Nations called for a campaign to improve road safety .
One way to avoid accidents is better driving . Another is better roads and bridges . Engineers in the Unites States have designed ten new concrete mixtures that they think could make bridges last longer .
Professor Paul Tikalsky leads the experiments by a team at Pennsylvania State University . He says bridges made of concrete now last about twenty-five to thirty-five years . But he says the new mixtures might extend that to seventy –five or even one-hundred years .
Concrete is made of stone , sand , water and cement(水泥). The materials in the cement hold the concrete together . Ancient Romans built with concrete . Yet strengthened concrete bridges did not appear until the late 1800s . People keep looking for new ways to improve concrete . Professor Tikalsky says it is one of the most complex of all chemical systems .
The new mixtures designed by his team contain industrial waste products . He says these make the concrete better able to resist damage from water and salt over time . One of the products is fly ash . This is released into the air as pollution when coal is burned .
Professor Tikalsky says particles (颗粒)of fly ash are almost exactly the same size and chemical structure as Portland cement . This is the most costly material in concrete . So using fly ash to replace some of it would save money .
The federal government is paying for part of the research . Engineers anywhere can use the technology . Professor Tikalsky says some of the ideas have already been put to use in China , the Philippines and other countries .Why did the United Nations launch the campaign ?
| A．Because the United Nations wanted to reduce road accidents and economic costs |
| B．Because two million people were killed in the accidents . |
| C．Because engineers wanted to design ten new concrete mixtures . |
| D．Because the United Nations made bridges of the new mixtures which could last for about 20 to 35 |
years .What does the underlined word “ this ” in the sixth paragraph refer to ?
| A．Fly ash | B．Portland cement | C．Sand | D．Chemical |
Which of the following statements is TRUE ?
| A．Ten new concrete bridges have already been built in the United States . |
| B．A new concrete bridge could last 50 more years than an ordinary concrete one . |
| C．People didn’t know how to build with cement until the late 1800s . |
| D．Water and salt won’t do any damage to bridges over time . |
What does the passage mainly tell us ?
| A．The causes of road accidents . | B．The advantages of fly ash |
| C．The measures of avoiding road accidents | D．Latest information about long-life concrete bridges |
It was Thanksgiving morning and in the crowded kitchen of my small home I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags(破旧衣服) huddling together inside the storm door on the top step.
"Any old papers, lady? " asked one of them.
I was busy. I wanted to say "no" until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals(凉鞋), wet with heavy snow.
“Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”
They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I served them cocoa and bread with jam to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started again on my household budget.
The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, "Lady, are you rich? "
"Am I rich? no!"
I looked at my shabby slipcovers(旧家具套). The girl put her cup back in its saucer (茶托;浅碟)carefully and said, "Your cups match your saucers." Her voice was hungry with a need that no amount of food could supply. They left after that, holding their bundles of papers against the wind. They hadn't said "Thank you." They didn't need to. They had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful.
Plain blue china(瓷的) cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.
I tasted the potatoes and stirred the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a good steady job--these matched, too.
I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy prints of small sandals were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how rich I am.
1. Why did the writer let the children in?
A. She showed great pity on them.
B. She wanted to sell old papers.
C. She knew them and wanted to make them a cup of cocoa.
D. She wanted to invite them to her Thanksgiving party.
2. The girl thought the writer was rich perhaps because_________
A. she saw that the lady's room was comfortable
B. she saw the cups matched the saucers
C. the writer's slipcovers were very new
D. the woman had expensive clothes
3.What was the weather probably like when the story happened?
A. cloudy B. sunny C. windy D. snowy
4. From the passage, we can infer that whether you are rich depends on_______
A. how much money you have had B. how you feel about your life
C. how you have helped others D. what job you are doing
An Experiment
Materials: Newspaper, ‘ACE’ hardware ruler (1/8 “think”), a flat table.
Purposes: We’ll show that there is air pressure pushing on us, from every direction while we’re on this Earth.
|
Procedure:
First put a thin ruler on a flat table with a littleA lonely and sad pug (哈巴狗) was photographed as he waited for his owner by the side of the road has been considered as the world’s saddest dog. Pictures of the pet taken by a passer-by have become an internet foucus after being posted on the photo-sharing website Flickr. The dog which is nicknamed Mr Newman looks terribly upset as he sits on the pavement tied to a lamp-post with a rope.
The photograph was taken outside a café in the Californian city of San Francisco, which may go some way to explaining why he is dressed in a stylish grey and purple sweater.
"He was hanging around looking for somebody to love him. I tried to cheer him up – he seemed happy to see me," said the photographer Chris Michael.
One of the four photos of the pug on Flickr is titled "Tough day for Mr Newman" and with some other words as follows: "Despite his cool clothes, the girls just aren't interested in him any more."
Dozens of people on the site said they had been touched by the dog's pitiful expressions gaze. "I come back to see this photo every now and then because it's too cute, so does my daughter. In fact, my family all are touched," wrote one of the pedestrians who had seen the photo. Another viewer said that she had been moved as to buy a pug of her own after seeing the photos.
Mr Newman may have won the hearts of internet users but he is unlikely to be more famous than a cat competitor Keyboard Cat, the musical pet who has become a star on YouTube.
1．The little pug waited by the road probably because .
A．it was abandoned by its owner B．it was left behind by his owner
C．it was trapped by a passer – by D．it couldn’t find the way home
2．We can infer from the passage that the photographer Chris Michael .
A．knew much about the owner of the dog
B．helped to find the owner of the pug
C．took great interest in its colorful sweater
D．tried to amuse the pug in some ways
3．The writer used the underlined sentence from the website to .
A．add some humor to the passage
B．describe the pug’s loveliness
C．help the god owner recognize it
D．inform girls to adopt the dog
4．What would be discussed next according to the text? .
A．Description of another dog
B．The pug’s recent situation
C．Some details about the keyboard cat
D．Pet owners’ responsibility
四、阅读理解（2分×15=30分）阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项。
Talk about a real-life hero! Ten-year-old Larry Champagne from St. Louis，Missouri, hit the brake (刹车) on a runaway school bus. He saved himself and 20 other kids on board from disaster.
It all happened in one terrible accident. On the way to school, the bus driver, Ernestine Blackman, suddenly fell ill. Seeing the car was running away, the other kids started to scream, but Larry ran to the front and stopped the bus.
“At first I thought, ‘We’re going to die,’” says Larry, “but after I pressed the brake, I felt safe.”
Larry’s speedy reaction made news all over the country. He appeared on TV shows as a hero. The bus company gave Larry a big gift. His school hung a medal of honor around his neck.
“My grandmother always tells me to do what’s right,” says Larry. He thanked his brother, Jerrick, 9, who “helped me get the bus driver up” during the emergency（紧急情况）. How did he know how to stop the bus? Larry is something of a mechanic（机械师）. He helps his grandfather work on his old truck. “He gets his hands dirty,” says his grandfather. One thing is for certain: Larry knows where to find the brakes.
1. What did Larry do to save the runaway bus?
A. He parked it for the sleeping bus driver.
B. He helped all the kids climb out through the windows.
C. He dialed 911. D. he pressed the brake.
2. When did Larry finally feel safe?
A. When the kids finally stopped screaming. B. When the police officers arrived.
C. Once he pressed the brake, and the bus stopped. D. When the bus driver started driving again.
3. Larry got the following as praise for his hero action Except .
A. appearing on TV shows B. a scholarship from his school
C. a big gift from the bus company D. a medal of honor
4. Larry thanked his brother Jerrick for .
A. helping him get the bus driver up B. helping him work on his old truck
C. teaching him how to find the brake D. teaching him how to stop the bus
5. The underlined sentence“Larry is something of a mechanic” tells us that .
A. Larry’s job is a mechanic B. Larry knows something about machines
C. Larry is a robot D. Larry knows nothing about machines
Blue Collar
Graduates from China's " blue-collar " vocational schools have an employment rate of 95. 6 percent, but many lose their jobs because of unrealistic expectations, according to a senior official with the Ministry of Education(MOE).
MOE figures show a total of 3. 64 million students graduated from vocational schools last year, of whom 3. 48 million found jobs. The employment rate for these students was 95. 6 percent.
"The employment rate for blue-collar workers has stayed high since 1999 and above 90 percent since 2002," Wang Jiping, the MOE's deputy head of vocational education section, said on Wednesday. "However, the figure is not the cause for optimism because it only indicates that people get employed. "
He said many students find jobs, but are unable to stay in the posts for reasons such as overly high expectations for salaries or poor performance.
Wang said vocational school graduates needed more guidance to find jobs that could use their skills and meet "rational" demands for wages (工资), so that they can stay in the posts.
"The government is to set up a national information platform to better show market demand for blue collar talents", he said.
MOE figures show 73. 23 percent of the 3. 64 million graduates from vocational middle schools found jobs in companies and factories, 10 percent started their own businesses, and 16. 37 percent went on to further study.
Wang said the demand for highly skilled workers boosted the development of vocational education. _____________ , the MOE called for vocational schools to set up more market-oriented training courses with which students could easily find jobs.
55. Many vocational school graduates lose their jobs for the following reasons EXCEPT _________according to the text.
A. their high expectations for salaries B. their poor performance
C. their lack of working experience D. their unrealistic expectations
56. The underlined word boosted in the last paragraph can be replaced by _______.
A. improved B. prevented C. ended D. started
57. Among the vocational school graduates last year about ________took up their own business.
A.540,000 B360,000 C.150,000 D.70,000
58. Which of the following is the best sentence to be put into the blank of the last paragraph?
A. To develop vocational education B. To build up graduates' own business
C. To offer graduates more jobs D. To meet the demand
Special trees that grow faster, fight pollution, produce better wood, and even sense chemical attacks are being planted by scientists in the US．
When 40 per cent of Hawaii's US$14 million-a-year papaya （木瓜）industry was destroyed by a virus five years ago, work began on creating genetically engineered（转基因的）trees．
Researchers successfully introduced seeds that were designed to resist the virus．Since then, more and more people have been testing genetically engineered trees．Some researchers put special bacteria into trees to help them grow faster and produce better wood．Others are trying to create trees that can clean polluted soil．Meanwhile fruit farmers are looking for trees that are strong enough to resist worms, and paper companies want trees that produce more wood and therefore more paper．
The Pentagon （五角大楼） even gave the researchers US$500,000 this year after they developed a pine tree that changes its colours if it senses a chemical attack．So far, the poplar, eucalyptus （杨树与桉树）, apple and coffee trees are among those being engineered．All this can be done today because we have a better understanding of tree genomes （基因组）．
However, some people fear that the genetically engineered trees will cause dangerous results．They are worried that the new trees will breed with natural species and change the balance of the forest environment．
“It could be destructive,” said Jim Diamond, an environmentalist. “Trees are what is left of our natural environment and home to many endangered species.”
But researchers insist that science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers．They hope to answer the critics by stopping the new trees from breeding, so their effect on the environment can be controlled．
63．Which kind of tree is not the ones that scientists are planting in the US?
A．Trees that worms can't hurt．
B．Genetically engineered trees．
C．Trees that can resist wind better．
D．Trees that can protect themselves at a chemical attack．
64．What caused the American scientists to work on special trees?
A．Tree genomes are mapped out so scientists know how to improve trees．
B．Great numbers of trees have been lost due to attacks by viruses．
C．Researchers successfully introduced seeds designed to resist the virus．
D．They think science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers．
65．Which of the following was probably the first kind of trees being engineered?
A．Papaya． B．Pine． C．Apple． D．Poplar．
66．Why did critics think engineered trees dangerous? Because ________．
A．these trees can destroy the balance of nature
B．everything except trees has been genetically engineered
C．trees are home to many endangered species
D．these trees may affect normal trees
D
We all know what it is like to be unable to turn your head because of a cold in the muscles of your neck, or because an unexpected twist has made your neck ache and stiff. Your whole body feels tight. The slightest move makes you jump with pain. Nothing could be worse than a pain in the neck.
That is why we use phrase to describe some people who give you the same feeling. We have all met such people.
One is the man who always seems to be clapping his hands—often at the wrong time—during a performance in the theater. He keeps you from hearing the actors.
Even worse are those who can never arrive before the curtain goes up and play begins. They come hurrying down to your row of seats. You are comfortably settled down, with your hat and heavy coat in your lap. You must stand up to ;et them pass. You are proud of your self—control after they have settled into their seats…Well, what now…Good God, one of them is up again. He forgot to go to the men’s room, and once more you have to stand up, hanging on to your hat and coat to let him pass. Now, that is “a pain in the neck.”
Another, well—known to us all, is the person sitting behind you in the movies. His mouth is full of popcorn; he is chewing loudly, or talking between bites to friends next to him. None of them remain still. Up and down, back and forth, they go—for another bag of popcorn, or something to drink.
Then, there is the main sitting next to you at a lunch counter smoking a smelly cigar. He wants you to enjoy it too, and blows smoke across you food into your mouth.
We must not forget the man who comes into a bus or subway car and sits down next to you, just as close as you will let him. You are reading the newspaper and he leans over and stretches his rock so that he can read the paper with you. He may even turn the paper to the next page before you are ready for it.
We also call such a person a “rubber neck,” always stretching his neck to where it does not belong, like neighbors who watch all your visitors. They enjoy invading your privacy. People have a strong dislike for rubbernecks. They hate being spied upon.
68．Where can you find this passage?
A．Medicine dictionaries. B．Social science books,
C．Kids’ comic books. D．Science text books.
69．How do you feel when late comers walk back and forth in front of you in a cinema?
A．Ignored. B．Bored. C．Disturbed D．Relaxed.
70．A “rubber neck” often .
A．says bad words behind people.
B．quarrels face to face with neighbors.
C．bargains the price with sales women
D．asks about other people’s business
71．Which of the follow is a “pain on the neck”?
A．Someone who helps you find your seat in a movie theatre.
B．Someone who smokes in a smoking section on a train.
C．Someone who throws trash out of his car window on the highway.
D．Someone who goes to the doctor for his severe pain on the neck.
（二）
A
How Do Animals Catch Their ZZZ’s?
Different creatures have developed some pretty creative ways to get their rest and stay safe. The lizard（蜥蝎）likes to sleep at the far end of small branches hanging out over a pond or lake in the rain forest. If a snake tries to slither up the branch to eat it ,it will shake the branch and knock the lizard off ,and the lizard will fall safely into the water. Chameleons can change color to match their surroundings in order to hide even while sleeping.
Corillas（大猩猩）like to sleep high in the trees. They build a new bed every night, sometimes taking up to half an hour to pile branches ,twigs ,and leaves into a comfortable bed .Birds also find it safe to sleep in the trees, but unless they have eggs or young chicks ,they don’t use a nest .They just lock their feet around a branch and hang on .A special tendon（腱）in their legs in automatically tight when they are at rest ,so they won’t let go and fall.
Dolphins live underwater ,but must come to the surface to breather .Scientists now believe that dolphins may sleep with only half their brain, while the other half stays awake to keep them safe and breathing. Seals also do this ,lying on their sides on the surface of the water with one flipper underwater paddling to keep their noses above the surface. Some ducks may also have this ability, and actually sleep with one eye closed and one eye open.
56．How many animals are mentioned in this passage?
A．6. B．7. C．8. D．9.
57．How does a chameleon protect itself while sleeping?
A．By changing its body colors. B．By hinging out over a pond.
C．By sleeping with half their brain. D．By making beds with branches.
58．Why will not birds fall when they are at rest?
A．They build nests and sleep in them. B．They fall asleep automatically.
C．They have a loose tendon in their legs. D．They lock their feet around a branch.
59．What does the writer intend to tell us?
A．The cleverest animal is the gorilla because it can make beds.
B．Differences in habitat could lead to different living habits.
C．The ways animals catch their ZZZ’s are pretty much he same .
D．In order to protect themselves most animals choose not to sleep.
The way people hold to the belief that a fun - filled, pain free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably(不可避免的)brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment (义务), self - improvement.
Ask a bachelor(单身汉)why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three - day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children. But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild.
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations. It liberates（解放） time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.
1. According to the author, a bachelor resists marriage chiefly because _______ .
A. he finds more fun in dating than in marriage
B. he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single
C. he is reluctant to take on family responsibilities
D. he fears it will put an end to all his fun adventure and excitement
2. Raising children, in the author’s opinion is ________ .
A. a rewarding task B. a thankless job
C. a moral duty D. a source of inevitable pain
3. From the last paragraph, we learn that envy sometimes stems from(由…造成)________ .
A. hatred B. ignorance C. prejudice(偏见) D. misunderstanding
4. To understand what true happiness is one must ________ .
A. have as much fun as possible during one’s lifetime
B. be able to distinguish happiness from fun
C. put up with pain under all circumstances
D. make every effort to liberate oneself from pain
5. What is the author trying to tell us?
A. It is important to make commitments B. One must know how to attain happiness.
C. Happiness often goes hand in hand with pain. D. It is pain that leads to happiness.
（十）
The first breath-taking pictures of the Earth taken from space showed it as a solid ball covered by brown land masses and blue-green oceans. We had never seen the Earth from that distance before. To us, it appeared as though the Earth had always looked that way and always would. Scientists now know, however, that the surface of the Earth is not as permanent as we had thought.
Scientists explain that the surface of our planet is always moving. Continents moves about the Earth like huge ships at sea. They float on pieces of the Earth’s outer skin. New outer skin is created as melted rock pushed up from below the ocean floor. Old outer skin is destroyed as it rolls down into the hot area and melts again.
Only since the 1960s have scientists really began to understand that the planet Earth is a great living machine. Some experts have said this new understanding is one of the most important revolutions in scientific thought. The revolution is based on the work of scientists who study the movement of the continents—a science called plate tectonics.
The modern story of plate tectonics begins with the German scientist Alfred Wegener. Before World War One, Wegener argued that the continents had moved and were still moving. He said the idea first occurred to him when he observed that the coastlines of South America and Africa could fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. He proposed that the two continents might have been one and then split apart.
Wegener was not the first person to wonder about the shape of the continents. About 500 years ago, explorers thought about it when they made the first maps of Americas. The explorers noted the east coast of North America and South America would fit almost exactly into the west coast of Europe and South Africa. What the explorers did not do, but Wegener did, was to investigate the idea that the continents move.
1. What does the writer mainly tell us in the passage?
A. The first breath-taking pictures of the Earth taken from space.
B. Human’s recognition of the earth’s surface.
C. The German scientist Alfred Wegener.
D. The early explorers’ discovery.
2. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. We didn’t see the Earth from far away until we saw the picture taken in the space.
B. Our ancient thought that the surface of the earth is still.
C. Alfred Wegener was not the first person to investigate the idea that the continents move.
D. The coastline of India and Africa fit together.
3. The last word of the third paragraph “tectonics” mean “________”.
A. study of construction
B. study of architecture
C. earth surface
D. structural geology
4. What did the explorers find?
A. The coastlines of South America and Africa could fit together.
B. The coastlines of North America and Africa could fit together.
C. The east coastlines of North America and the west coast of Europe could fit together.
D.The coastlines of North America and India could fit together.
This weekly four-day physical activity schedule will get your kids excited about being active.
Tuesday
When the kids get home from school, don’t let them go straight to the TV and get settled in. Encourage them to get moving and get off the couch(长椅) by giving them a pedometer(计步器). Pedometers are the most fun when parents also use one because that turns stepping, walking and running into a game to see who can get the most steps.
Thursday
The kids have done a great job so far this week, but now they are aching for （渴望） a little more TV time. Instead of turning on cartoons, let them watch fitness movies made just for kids. These movies encourage watchers to get up and dance along to kid-friendly music.
Saturday
Get the whole family out of the house together and over to a park. Bring lots of sports equipment, pack a healthy picnic and have a family competitive sports day. Kids and adults get into groups and play against each other in tennis, basketball or soccer. After everyone has played hard for a couple of hours, stop for a picnic and then if your family isn’t too tired, go back and play some more.
Sunday
Every child loves to play video games and there is no better time to allow kids to play them than on Sunday when no homework is due（应交的）.But don’t let them play a game that forces them to sit down for hours. Dance games with a floor mat(垫子) to help kids follow the dance moves are popular to kids.
56.What can be the best title for this text?
A.How to make children like activities.
B.A weekly four-day physical activity plan for kids.
C.Physical activities are important to kids.
D.A plan that will do much good to kids.
57.Parents are advised to use a pedometer together with their kids because _______.
A.they can give their kids some advice about walking
B.it can prevent them from watching TV too much
C.this will allow them and their kids to have a fun competition
D.their kids will not use it if they don’t
58.On Thursday when a kid wants to watch TV, his parents should ______.
A.let him watch it for a short time
B.watch cartoons with him
C.take him out for a walk instead
D.show fitness movies to him
59.The author advises a family to have a meal on Saturday ______.
A. in a park B. in a mountain C. in a restaurant D. at home
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