BTheHarpSealisoneofnature’smos-优题课

On 27th February 2008, something very unusual happened in the UK; there was a rather large earthquake. It was the biggest earthquake in 25 years in the UK. There have been very small tremors in the past but they pale into insignificance compared to this one.
It was felt in a large area across the country too, from as far north as Edinburgh in Scotland to as far south as Plymouth on the south coast of England.
The epicenter of the earthquake was in a small town in Lincolnshire, which is an area about two and a half to three hours north of London by car. A magnitude of 5.2 was registered on the Richter scale.
There were lots of reports in the news from people who felt the earth move. One man said, "We had loads of vibrating and wall shaking and stuff, noise coming off the roof. I came outside – the chimney's on the floor!"
A collapsed chimney was the cause of what was probably the worst injury from the earthquake; a man broke his pelvis when the chimney fell on him.
Another man who spoke to the BBC described the moment the earthquake occurred, "Everything was shaking. As soon as it happened we all went outside and saw everyone else down the street, coming out and just realized it was an earthquake."
The huge rumble, which was felt by a lot of people, surprisingly caused very little structural damage to property.
Most British people would be surprised to learn that there are 200-300 earthquakes in Britain every year, but most of them are so small, they go unnoticed. The magnitude of this earthquake is fairly small in comparison to some other natural disasters that have made international news, but for the people affected, it certainly came as quite a surprise.
60. Before this earthquake _______.
A. there was no signs of any shakings at all.
B. people did not feel anything unusual.
C. many people realized there would be a bigger one to come.
D. some small quakes were only too small to be ignored.
61. From this passage we know ______ is in the south of Great Britain.
A. Lincolnshire B. Edinburgh
C. Plymouth D. Scotland
62. This earthquake _____.
A. hardly caused any damages to the people’s belongings..
B. brought down many buildings in England.
C. scared many people to death.
D. made the world greatly surprised.
63. After reading this passage we can infer_______.
A. people in England faced the earthquake bravely.
B. this earthquake seemed to be felt all over Great Britain.
C. this earthquake is the biggest one in history.
D. the chimneys in Britain are the most poorly built parts of the houses.

IV. 阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
The modern age is an age of electricity. People are so used to electric lights, radio, televisions, and telephones that it is hard to imagine what life would be like without them. When there is a power failure, people grope about in flickering candlelight, cars hesitate in the streets because there are no traffic lights to guide them, and food spoils in silent refrigerators.
Yet, people began to understand how electricity works only a little more than two centuries ago. Nature has apparently been experimenting in this field for million of years. Scientists are discovering more and more that the living world may hold many interesting secrets of electricity that could benefit humanity.
All living cells send out tiny pulses of electricity. As the heart beats, it sends out pulses of record; they form an electrocardiogram, which a doctor can study to determine how well the heart is working. The brain, too, sends our brain waves of electricity, which can be recorded in an electroencephalogram. The electric currents generated by most living cells are extremely small，often so small that sensitive instruments are needed to record them. But in some animals, certain muscle cells have become so specialized as electrical generators that they do not work as muscle cells at all. When large numbers of these cells are linked together, the effects can be astonishing.
The electric eel is an amazing storage battery. It can send a jolt of as much as eight hundred volts of electricity through the water in which it lives. ( An electric house current is only one hundred and twenty volts, but two hundred and twenty volts in China.) As many as four-fifths of all the cells in the electric eel's body are specialized for generating electricity, and the strength of the shock it can deliver corresponds roughly to length of its body
56. Electricity was invented ______.
A. when man had no candles
B. about 200 years ago
C. to be operating computers.
D. by Thomse Edison
57. The following things can send out pulses of electricity except______.
A. electric eels and human hearts.
B. Electrical generators and animal muscle.
C. Stones and dry wood.
D. human brain and living cells.
58. The electric current send out by an eel can be
A. as much as 800 volts. B. about one hundred and twenty volts.
C. as high as the house current in China. D. stored in the water where it lives.
59. From this shot passage we can infer _____.
A. the shorter an eel is, the stronger electricity it produces.
B. we can always feel the electricity produced by living cells.
C. human beings get their knowledge about electricity from nature.
D. people learn about electricity from eels.

Today almost everyone knows computers and the Internet．If I ask you “What is the most important in your life?” maybe you will say “Computers and the Internet．”
The first computer was made in 1946．It was very big but it worked slowly Today computers are getting smaller and smaller．But they work faster and faster．What can computers do? A writer has said, “People can’t live without computers today．”
The Internet came a little later than computers．It is about twenty-five years later than computers．But now it can be found almost everywhere． We can use it to read books, write letters, do shopping, play games or make friends．
Many students like the Internet very much． They often go into the Internet as soon as they are free． They make friends on the Internet and maybe they have never seen these friends．They don’t know their real names, ages, and even sex (性别)．They are so interested in making the “unreal friends” that they can’t put their hearts into study. Many of them can’t catch up with others on many subjects because of that．
We can use computers and the Internet to learn more about the world．But at the same time, we should remember that not all the things can be done by computers and the Internet．
71．The Internet can not be used for ____．
A．studyingB．shopping C．thinking D．playing
72．When the computer was invented, it was ____．
A．large and worked quicklyB．small and worked slowly
C．large but worked slowly D．small but worked quickly
73．The Internet was born in about ____．
A．1960 B．1970 C．1980D．1985
74．Which of the following is true?
A．Few students like going into the Internet．
B．Students use the Internet to make “unreal friends”．
C．These “unreal friends” often meet each other．
D．Students know the friends on the Internet very well．
75．What does the writer think of the Internet?
A．It is wonderful． B．It can make students study harder．
C．It is not good for students． D．It is helpful, but we can’t do everything on it．

Shanghai is different from New York in many ways, but there are many things that are similar.
Shanghai is one of the most populated(人口众多的) cities in Asia, and New York is one of the most populated cities in North America. The weather in summer is very hot in Shanghai, and it is the same in New York. Shanghai is a port and industrial city, and New York is too. Shanghai has a problem with pollution, and New York has a similar problem. They both have serious traffic problems.
The traffic problem in Shanghai is caused by many bicycles. The traffic problem in New York is caused by many cars. Most of the people in Shanghai live in apartments in low buildings, while most of the people in New York live in apartments in high buildings. People eat with chopsticks in Shanghai, but they eat with knives and forks in New York. While there are some differences, the main problems of big cities are almost the same everywhere in the world.
66. New York is in _______ .
A. South Asia B. North Asia C. North America D. South America
67. Shanghai has problems in _______.
A. pollution B. population
C. traffic D. A, B and C
68. People in New York live in _________.
A. small houses in low buildings B. apartment in high buildings
C. apartment in low buildingsD. small houses in high buildings
69. Which of the statements is right?
A. The weather in Shanghai is hot, white the weather in New York isn't.
B. The traffic problem in Shanghai is caused by cars.
C. People in New York eat with knives and forks.
D. Shanghai is an agricultural city.
70. The main problems of big cities are _______.
A. different B. similar C. complete same D. polluted.

Every year, there is an important lottery（彩票）in Newtown. The lottery raises money for the local hospital. Most people buy at least one ticket, because the first prize is a million dollars!
One year, John Smith won the first prize. He immediately gave up his job and started to enjoy himself. He bought the fastest and most expensive car he could find. He bought a motorboat. He traveled twice around the world, eating and drinking at the most expensive restaurants. He went on a safari in Africa. He explored the South Pole. He lived a life of pleasure, luxury and adventure. He put on a lot of weight from eating too much good food.
Two years later, after he had spent all his money, he returned home and asked for his job back. He had only been back at work a few days when one of the girls in the office tried to sell him a lottery ticket.
“You must buy one, John,” she said. “Remember how lucky you were last time?”
“I am not buying any more lottery tickets. ” He said.
“But you must,” the girl argued. “You might win again. ”
“That’s what frightens me,” John said. “If I try to do again all the things I did last year, I will be dead before the end of this year!”
61. Where did the lottery take place?
A. In the local hospital. B. In Newtown. C. In Africa. D. At the South Pole
62. What was the money raised by the lottery used for?
A. To buy fast cars.B. To allow people to travel
C. To help the local hospital. D. To feed hungry people.
63. What did John Smith win?
A. A lottery ticket. B. A car C. Money D. A vacation
64. When John Smith won, what was the first thing he did?
A. He ate a lot. B. He bought a motorboat.
C. He bought another ticket. D. He stopped working.
65. How long did it take John Smith to spend his money?
A. Two years B. One year. C. A few days D. Until the end of the year.