The basic flag of the United States is one of the world’s oldest national flags. Only the basic flags of Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzer land are older.
During the discovery and settlement of what is now the United States, the flags of various European nations were flown over the land, as symbols of possession. Later, in the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods, flags representing famous persons, places, and events were flown in the American Colonise.
The first official flag of the United States was created by Congress on June 14, 1777. It consisted of 13 alternate red and white stripes and 13 white stars in a field of blue, representing the 13 colonies that had declared their independence in 1776. Congress adopted a new flag of 15 stars and 15 stripes in 1795, to give representation to the two new states admitted into the Union, Vermont and Kentucky.
By 1817, there were 20 states in the Union, and it became apparent that adding one stripe for each new state would destroy the shape of the flag. As a result, Congress in 1818 restored the original design of 13 stripes and provided that each state was to be represented by one star. In 1921 Preside William H. Taft made the first official provision for the arrangement of the stars. He ordered that there be six even rows of eight stars each. Previously the arrangement of the stars had been left to the flag- maker’s fancy.
The evolution of the stars and stripes reflects the growth of the United States. After the admission of Hawaii into the Union in 1959, the flag was official changed for the 26th time since its creation.
There are many government flags flown in the United States in addition to the national flag. Among them are the president’s and vice- president’s flags and those of the federal departments and some federal agencies. Each state in the Union has an official flag. The United States Navy uses special flags for signaling. The basic flag of the United States is _______.
| A．the oldest national flag in the world |
| B．one of the world’ s oldest flags |
| C．the most beautiful flag in the West |
| D．as old as the basic flags of some European nations |
Before the War of Independence the flags of various European nations flown over the land were symbols of _______.
| A．self- rule | B．occupation |
| C．peace and friendship | D．independence |
The first official flag of the United States was adopted ________.
| A．before the Independence War |
| B．right after the Independence War |
| C．when independence was declared in 1776 |
| D．during the War of Independence which ended in 1783 |
The 13 red and white stripes and 13 white stars represent _______.
| A．13 independent states |
| B．the colonies that declared independence in 1776. |
| C．the U. S. Congress |
| D．13 famous figures in the American colonies |
How many states were represented on the new flag adopted in 1795?
| A．13. | B．15. |
| C．20. | D．2. |
Federal regulators Wednesday approved a plan to create a nationwide emergnecy alert(警报) System using text messages delivered to cell phones.
Text messages have exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among young people, The wireless industry’s trade association, CTIA, estimates(估计)more than 48 billion text messages are sent each month,
The plan comes from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act,a 2006 federal law that requires improvement to the nation’s emergency alert system. The act tasked the Fedral Communications Conmmissino(FCC)with coming up with new ways to alert the public about emergencies ．
“The ability to deliver accurate and timely warnings and alerts through cell phones and other mobile services is an improtant next step in our offorts to help ensure that the American public has the information they need to take action to protect themselves and their families before, and during, disasters and other emergencies.” FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said following approval of the plan,
Participation in the alert system by carriers-telecommunications companies-is voluntary, but it has received solid support from the wireless industry,
The program would be optional for cell phone users, They also may not be charged for receiving alerts.
There would be three different types of messages, according to the rules.
The first would be a national alert from the president ,likely involving a terrorist attack or natural disaster, The second would involve “approaching threats.” Which could include natural disasters like hurricanes or storms or even university shootings, The third would be reserved for child abduction(绑架)emergencies,or so –called Amber Alerts,
The service could be in place by 2010
68．What is the purpose of the approved plan?
A．To warn people of emergencies via messages．
B．To popularize the use of cell phones．
C. To estimate the monthly number of messages．
D. To promote the wireless industry．
69. The improvement to the present system is in the charge of
A.CTIA B．THE Warning Alert and Response Network
C.FCC D．federal regulators，
70．An alert message will NOT be sent if
A. a child loses his way B．a university shooting happens
C. a natural disaster happens D．a terrorist attack occurs
71．Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Cell Phone Alerts Protecting Students
B. Cell Phone Alerts by Wireless Industry
C. Cell Phone Alerts of Natural Disasters
D. Cell Phone Alerts Coming Soon
How can you create a great science fair project？．You can start by asking yourself some
questions．
What is interesting to me?
You can connect ainroot any topic to science, Your topic could be plants, worms,dogs，the sky or something else．If you can not think of a topic，search books or the Internet for ideas .Seek help from your teacher or a librarian．Your parents may have some good thoughts too．
What question do I have about this topic?
A great science project always includes an experiment．Make sure that your question can be
answered through an experiment．Here are some examples of questions：Does the amount of light have an effect on how fast plants grow？How much salt is in different kinds of cookies sold at the store? Why does the sky change color at different times of the day?
How much time do I have before the scienc fair?
A great science project always includes an experiment. Make sure that your question can be answered throuth an experiment, Here some examples of questions,Does the amount of light have an effect on how fast plants grow? How much salt is in different kinds of cookies sold at the store? Why does the sky change color at different times of the day?
How much time do I have before the science fair?
A science fair to be held in two weeks will not give you time for some experiments ,such as growing plants, carefully plan your project so that you allow enough time to perform your experiment accrately.
What do I think is the answer to my question?
Why do I think this? The answer you choose is your hypothesis,You will prove it right or wrong by perfoming an experiment,. If you were to think about the sky question, your hypothesis might be that the color of the sky is related to the position of the sun,
How can I prove my hypothesis?
This is where the experiment comes in．You have to test your hypothesis．If you wanted to find out how light affects plant growth，you could plant seeds in a number of containers．Then you could expose the plants to different amotmts of light and compare the growth rates．
How can I present my results?
You might display your question and hypothesis on poster boards．You might then add pictures and graphs．A great science project also states a conclusion．A conclusion of the plant experiment might be The plants that got the most light grew the fastest．
When you have finished your project，you may have more questions．A great science project makes you want to learn even more．
64．A great science project always includes．
A．plants in pots B．results
C．an experiment D．poster boards
65．A hypothesis is a(n)．
A．question B．idea C．performance D．proof
66．We can learn from the passage that．
A．all science projects take about the same amount of time
B．a science project involves several steps
C．a science project should start with a conclusion
D．a science project raises many questions
67．To find out whether cold water freezes faster than hot water,you would first．
A．make a chart to explain your steps
B．state your conclusion to convince other people，
C．think of an experiment to give an answer
D．display your hypothesis to prove
Bring the Family?
Port Regisis well situated for exploring the beautiful South and West of England and Wales．
The school has excellent hotels and guest houses nearby for parents who are dropping off or collecting their children from the school．
Please note：
All students attending English Country Schools must live in the appointed place．
We do not recommend that parents live locally while their child is at school．Experience suggests that this often upsets the child and disturbs progress．
Howard’s．House Country Hotel ＆Restaurant
About l5 minutes from Port Regis School，Howard's House is set in large gardens hidden in
the quietness of the lovely Nadder Valley．
Plumber Manor
Plumer Manor is a comfortable manor house built of local stones，situated about 20 minutes
from Port Regis School．The 17th century house is mounded by lawns and is set in quiet Dorset
countryside．The stream tuns through the grounds．
Woodville Farm Bed＆ Serf-catering
Woodville Farm is a family-runfarm set in the Dorset countryside about 5 minutes from
Port Regis School．Bed and breakfast accommodation：one double bedroom & one twin bedroom
both with bathrooms，tea & coffee making facilities，color television & hairdrye.There is also a
self-catering 2-bedroom bungalow(平房)nearby．
Stock Hill Country House Hotel ＆ Restaurant
Stock Hill Country House Hotel ＆ Restaurant is a late Victorian building set in eleven
acres of mature，beautifully planned grounds on the borders of Dorset，Somerset and Wiltshire．
About 10 minutes from Port Regis School．
60．The passage is mainly writen for
A．students B．general readers
C．paints D．overseas trayelers
61．Parents are advised not to live locally when children are having classes because．
A．children are not too excited to be with their parents
B．parents stay with their children for too long
C．their visit makes children uneasy about themselves
D．their stay there affects children’s studies
62．If you prefer to live in a stone house，which hotel would you choose?
A．Plumber Manor．
B．Woodville Farm Bed＆Self-catering
C．Heward House Country Hotel & Restaurant．
D．Stock Hill Country House Hotel & Restaurant．
63．Woodville farm is different from other hotels in that．
A it is hidden in a large garden B．guests can cook their own food
C．it dates back to Victorian times D．it has a very beautiful country scenery
The Times(January 8，2008)一A climber was left hanging over a 500 ft cliff for more than seven hours in temperatures below zero as his companions looked on helplessly．
After setting out at dawn to make what they thought was straight forward ascent(垂直攀爬) in the Caimgorrns．one of the three friends suddenly slipped and then was 150 ft backwards into a gully(沟壑)．The only thing that stopped the climberfalling to his death wast he safety line fixed to his friends．
They stayed on an icy rock face at 2，500 ft．All they could see wash is head torch shining in the darkness and they had to shout down in turns to make sure that he was still alive．By the time .they were airlifted off the mountain just after midnight,the temperature had fallen to—20 ℃ and heavy snowstorms were setting in．Surprisingly,none ofthe three was seriously hurt．
The group had left their car at 8：30 am for the expedition which was expected to end with an 800 ft climb called Kiwi Gully in an area known as Hell’s Lure to the west of Lock Avon．Generally,there will be few problems for experienced climbers but it had become very harder after heavy snowfalls．Just before 4 pm the climbers reached a narrow part beneath a steep section of rock．Two of the party made it to the ice．Having got through the steepest section,he slipped when the ice suddenly gave way．He was left hanging and couldn’t climb back up because he had damaged his ankle and was in shock．
At 8 pm a team of ten rescue workers was dropped on a snowy place 300 ft above the climbers．One of the team was lowered to where the climbers were trapped．During a four-hour operation，they were saved．Thirty minutes later snowstorms enveloped the mountain．
56．The climber didn’t climb back up because．
A．the safety line was easy to break B．he was too frightened to climb
C．he was shocked by some animals D．his damaged ankle prevented him climbing
57．Which of the following about the rescue work is TRUE?
A．Ten people were sent to rescue the climbers at dawn．
B．The work lasted about four hours ．
C．It was the workers that lifted the climber up．
D．The three climbers were seriously hurt during the work
58.According to the passage, it was implied that the person hanging over a cliff was．
A．a climbing learner B．a clever climber
C. an experienced climber D．a climbing guide
59．What will be the best title for the passage?
A．Climber Saved After Hanging for 7 Hours
B．An Unforgettable Climbing Experience
C．Time is Life for Climbers
D．Climber Left Hanging over a Cliff
Every year there are hundreds of earthquakes in different parts of the world. In September, 1923, Tokyo and Yokohama were 
both destroyed by an earthquake and the fires that followed it. They had to be completely rebuilt. One of the most serious earthquakes was in 
China’s Shanxi province in 1556. It killed almost one million people.
We measure an earthquake’s strength on the Richter Scale. The Richter Scale was introduced in 1935 in Southern California in the USA. It measures earthquakes on a scale of one to ten. Any earthquake measuring five or more is usually serious.
The Earth’s crust(地壳) is made up of rock called plates. As these plates move, they sometimes crash against each other, causing the crust to quake. In cities such as Tokyo, where small quakes happen quite often, many modern buildings are designed to be flexible so when the Earth moves, they move with it.
Earthquakes can also break up gas and oil pipes. This can cause fires to break out, which can do as much damage as the earthquake itself.
Another effect of earthquakes is tsunamis. These are huge waves created by earthquakes beneath the sea. They can be many meters high and cause great damage to coastal towns and cities, China, Japan, Russia and the USA have the highest occurrence(发生) of earthquakes in the world.The passage is mainly about .
| A．scientists who study earthquakes | B．the way of measuring earthquakes |
| C．a usual natural disaster | D．what people should do in the earthquake |
The earthquake in Shanxi Province , which in NOT true?
| A．happened in 1556 | B．killed one million people |
| C．was the only earthquake in China | D．caused a lot of damage |
Earthquakes
| A．don’t cause much damage | B．are not serious |
| C．most possibly happen in Japan | D．happen all over the world |
According to the passage we know that tsunamis .
| A．can cause earthquakes |
| B．are caused by earthquakes |
| C．only happen on land |
| D．are a way of measuring earthquakes |