Death Valley is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, covering a wide area with its alkali sand. Almost 20 percent of this area is well below sea level, and Badwater, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the United States.
Long ago the Panamint Indians called this place “Tomesha”— the land of fire. Death Valley’s present name dates back to 1849, when a group of miners coming across from Nevada became lost in its unpleasantness and hugeness and their adventure turned out to be a sad story. Today Death Valley has been declared a National Monument(纪念碑) and is crossed by several well-marked roads where good services can be found easily. Luckily the change created by human settlement has hardly ruined the special beauty of this place.
Here nature created a lot of surprising, almost like the sights on the moon, ever-changing as the frequent wind moves the sand about, showing the most unusual colors. One of the most astonishing and variable parts of Death Valley is the Devil’ s Golf Course, where it seems hard for one to tell reality from terrible dreams. Sand sculptures(沙雕) stand on a frightening ground, as evening shadows move and lengthen.
1. _______ is the lowest place in the desert.
A. Tomesha B. Death Valley
C. Nevada D. Badwater
2. The name of the valley comes from _______.
A. an Indian name B. the death of the miners
C. the local people D. a National Movement
3. From the passage we can learn that _______.
A. no one had ever known the desert before the miners
B. it’s still not easy to travel across the desert
C. people can find gas-stations, cafes and hotels in the desert
D. people have changed the natural sight of the desert
4. Devil Golf Course is famous for _______.
A. the frequent wind B. the colors of the sand
C. dream-like sights D. the sand sculptures
5. From the passage we can see that the writer _______ the Death Valley.
A. appreciates B. is fearful of
C. dislikes D. is tired of
Machines in the home have a short history. Sewing machines, washing machines and tumble dries are common enough today, but a hundred years ago few people could even imagine such things. However, inventors have designed and built a wide range of household machines since then. In most cases the inventor tried to patent（申请专利）his machine, to stop anyone copying it. Then he tried to produce a lot of them. If the machine became popular, the inventor could make a lot of money.
In 1790 the first sewing machine was patented. The inventor was an Englishman called Thomas Saint. There was nothing to match his machine for forty years, and then someone built a similar device. He was a Frenchman, Bartelemy Thimonier. Neither of these early machines worked very well, however. It wasn’t until 1846 that an inventor came up with a really efficient（高效的）sewing machine. He was an American, Elias Howe and his machine was good enough to beat five skilled sewing women. He didn’t make much money from it, however. The first commercially（商业的）successful sewing machine was patented by Isaac Singer five years later.
Today, we take washing machines for granted, but there was none before 1869. The revolving drum（旋转桶）of that first machine set a pattern for the future, but it was crude by today’s standards. The drum was turned by hand, and needed a lot of effort. Eight years passed before someone produced an electric washing machine. The world had to wait even longer for a machine to dry clothes. The first spin-drier was another American invention, patented in 1924; but it was 20 years before such machines were widely used.
It was yet another American, called Bissell, who introduced the carpet sweeper. He patented the original machine back in 1876. It didn’t pick up dirt very well, but it was quicker than a dustpan and brush. Thirty-six years later, even the carpet sweeper was old-fashioned: modern homes now have a vacuum cleaner（吸尘器）with an electric motor to suck the dust.
57. Inventors patent the inventions so as to __________ .
A. produce more machines B. avoid being copied by others
C. make the inventions more popular D. make more money
58. Whose sewing machine could do far more than the work that was done by five skilled sewing women?
A. Thomas Saint’s. B. Bartelemy Thimonier’s.
C. Elias Howe’s. D. Isaac Singer’s.
According to the article, modern inventors __________ .
A. follow the pattern of the first revolving drum but improve it much
B. only imitate the first washing machine
C. power the first ever-made washing machine by electricity
D. have to wait for the first spin-drier for a long time
60. The underlined word “crude” in the sentence “but it was crude by today’s
standards”probably means __________ .
A. useless B. ugly-looking C. rough D. not skillfully made
We know that many animals do not stay in one place. Birds, fish and other animals move from one place to another at a certain time. They move for different reasons most of them move to find food more easily, but others move to get away from places that are too crowded. When cold weather comes, many birds move to warmer places to find food. Some fishes give birth in warm water and move to cold water to feed. The most famous migration（迁移）is probably the migration of the fish, which is called “salmon”. This fish is born in fresh water but it travels many miles to salt water. There it spends its life. When it is old, it returns to its birthplace in fresh water. Then it gives birth and dies there. In northern Europe, there is a kind of mice. They leave their mountain homes when they become too crowded. They move down to the low land. Sometimes they move all the way to the seaside, and many of them are killed when they fall into the sea.
Recently, scientists have studied the migration of a kind of lobsters（龙虾）. Every year, when the season of bad weather arrives, the lobsters get into a long line and start to walk across the floor of the ocean. Nobody knows why they do this, and nobody knows where they go. So, sometimes we know why humans and animals move from one place to another, but at other times we don’t. Maybe living things just like to travel.
Most animals move from one place to another at a certain time to __________ .
A. give birth B. enjoy warmer weather
C. find food more easily D. find beautiful places
54. The mice in northern Europe move when __________ .
A. they give birth B. the weather is bad
C. the place gets too crowdedD. they haven’t enough food
55. The lobsters move __________ .
A. to the fresh water B. to the sea floor
C. to find more food D. at a certain time
56. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Animals move in order to find food more easily.
B. The migration of the fish called “salmon” is the most famous migration.
C. Living things move from one place to another because they like to travel.
D. Sometimes we know why and how living things move from one place to another but we don’t sometimes.
When Johnson called again, the manager received him very politely. “That is a most remarkable oil you brought us, Mr Johnson,” he said. Johnson nodded his smooth, dark head. That was something he knew very well.“I've never seen anything like it,” the manager admitted. Johnson nodded again.“No?” he said politely. Then he added, “But I think you will, sir. A very great deal of it.” He appeared to think for a moment. “I think you will find it will be on sale seven, perhaps, eight years from now.” He smiled.
The manager thought that was uncertain. He said, “It is better than our fish oils. I admit that.”“So I am told, sir,” agreed Johnson.
“Have you any plans to produce it yourself, Mr Johnson?” Johnson smiled again.
“Would I be showing it to you if I had?”
“We might add some chemicals to one of our own fish oils,” said the manager.“It would be expensive to do that, even if you could,” Johnson said gently.“Besides,” he added,“I am told that this oil will be much cheaper than your best fish oils. Cheaper than any vegetalbe oil, in fact.”
“Perhaps,” said the manage.“Well, I suppose you want to make an arrangement, Mr Johnson. Shall we discuss it?”
“Of course,” said Johnson. “There are two ways of dealing with a situation of this sort. The usual one is to prevent it altogether or at least to delay it as long as possible. That is, of course, the best way.” The manager nodded. He knew plenty about all that.
“But I am so sorry for you, because, you see, that is not possible this time.” The manager had his doubts, but all he said was an inquiring(asking), “Oh?”
“The other way,” continued Johnson,“is to produce yourself before the trouble starts.”
49.The manager thought of adding chemicals to the fish oil to make it ______.
A.cheaper than the new oil B.more quickly
C.more expensive D.as good as the new oil
50.Johnson's new oil would be ______.
A.more expensive than fish oil, but betterB.less expensive, and better
C.less expensive, but not goodD.more expensive, and not so good
51.Johnson expressed his regret that the manager ______.
A.could not stop the new oil being made B.would never know how to make it
C.had spent a lot of money on it D.didn't know enough about it
52.Johnson showed his new oil to the manager because he wanted ______.
A.to produce it himself B.to prevent it being produced
C.to be paid not to produce it D.the manager to produce it
Archaeology as a profession faces two major problems. It is the poorest of the poor. Only small sums are available for excavating(挖掘)and even less is available
for publishing the results and preserving the sites once excavated. Yet archaeologists deal with priceless objects every day. Besides, there is the problem of unlawful excavation, resulting in museum-quality pieces being sold to businessmen at the highest price..
I would like to make a suggestion that would at once provide money for archaeology and reduce the amount of diggings against law. You might say that professionals excavate to get knowledge, not money. Moreover, ancient artifacts(古器
物) are part of our global cultural heritage(遗产), which should be there for all to appreciate, not sold at the highest price. I agree. Sell nothing that has scientific value. But, you might reply, everything that comes out of the ground has scientific value. Here,
we disagree. In theory, you may be correct in saying that every artifact has hidden scientific value..
People can not help appreciate every unearthed treasure but there is not enough money even to put the finds in good order; as a result, they cannot be found again and become as inaccessible as if they had never been discovered. Indeed, with the help of the Internet, sold artifacts could be more reachable than are the pieces stored in museum basements. Before sale, each could be photographed and the list of the purchasers could be maintained on the computer. A purchaser could even be required to agree to return the piece if it should become needed for scientific purposes.
53.What’s the problems that archaeology as a profession has to face?
A. Money and unlawful excavation . B. Effectively duplicates.
C. Scientific purposes. D. Excavation law.
54.To let most people enjoy ancient artifacts, the practical way could be_______.
A. putting them in the museumB. having sold artifacts returned
C. making use of the Internet D. solving the money problem
55.Which of the following four suggestions about archaeology is from the author?
A. No selling of any unearthed ancient artifacts.
B. Some money should be raised for the purpose.
C. Selling some unearthed ancient artifacts and having them returned when needed.
D. Ancient artifacts, our global cultural heritage, should be evenly shared by us all.
New York Times---( DINITIA SMITH )Tomorrow is the 433d anniversary of Shakespeare's birth. A recent survey shows that more people are watching him, reading him and studying him than ever before.
Consider the recent yearly conference of the Shakespeare Association of America in Washington, where more than 600 people who study or admire Shakespeare from 18 countries took in topics like ''Whither Attribution Studies,'' ''Unpopular Shakespeare'' and ''Sex Me Here,'' a talk on breast-feeding and Lady Macbeth.
''The national media is saying that fewer students' taking Shakespeare,'' Barbara Mowat, the editor of The Shakespeare Quarterly, observed in a speech at the conference. ''But Shakespeare is thriving.'' The association's membership has increased by a third since 1990.
The Shakespeare business is so good these days that W. W. Norton is introducing a huge new collections of the plays into the already crowded field just in time for tomorrow's birthday anniversary. Priced at $44.95, ''The Norton Shakespeare: Based on the Oxford Edition'' runs for 3,420 pages, offering introductions, illustrations and notes and three versions(版本) of ''King Lear.''
Today, movies and videos have made the plays even more accessible. Last year, ''William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet'' was No. 1 at the box office when it opened, and it grossed nearly $50 million. In New York in January, crowds lined up in the freezing cold to see Kenneth Branagh's four-hour ''Hamlet.'' The students select a scene and then have a violent discussion about it.'' Influenced by films, professors are increasingly teaching students by having them perform the plays.
49.Why people from 18 countries came to Washington this year?
A. To celebrate Shakespeare’s 433d birth day only.
B. To watch some plays by Shakespeare as planned.
C. To celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday and study his works.
D. To discuss how to teach students using Shakespeare’s plays.
50. What does the underlined word “ field” in the fourth paragraph refer to?
A. Washington D.C.B. Shakespeare Association.
C. The birthday anniversary. D. The Shakespeare business.
51.Which of the many plays by Shakespeare was most popular the year before?
A. King Lear. B. Hamlet. C. Macbeth. D. Romeo and Juliet.
52.What does the author want to prove by using so many examples about Shakespeare?
A. More and more people are becoming interested in Shakespeare.
B. Shakespeare business is being run well in America nowadays.
C. Plays by Shakespeare can be used at school for more studies.
D. Shakespeare belongs not only to Britain but also to the USA.