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Everyone has heard of the San Andreas fault (断层), which constantly threatens California and the West Coast with earthquakes. But how many people know about the equally serious New Madrid fault in Missouri?
Between December of 1811 and February of 1812, three major earthquakes occurred, all centered around the town of New Madrid, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. Property damage was severe. Buildings in the area were almost destroyed. Whole forests fell at once, and huge cracks opened in the ground, allowing smell of sulfur （硫磺）to filter upward.
The Mississippi River itself completely changed character, developing sudden rapids and whirlpools. Several times it changed its course, and once, according to some observers, it actually appeared to run backwards. Few people were killed in the New Madrid earthquakes, probably simply because few people lived in the area in 1811; but the severity of the earthquakes are shown by the fact that the shock waves rang bells in church towers in Charleston, South Carolina, on the coast. Buildings shook in New York City, and clocks were stopped in Washington, D.C.
Scientists now know that America’s two major faults are essentially different. The San Andreas is a horizontal boundary between two major land masses that are slowly moving in opposite directions. California earthquakes result when the movement of these two masses suddenly lurches (倾斜) forward.
The New Madrid fault, on the other hand, is a vertical fault; a some point, possibly hundreds of millions of years ago, rock was pushed up toward the surface, probably by volcanoes under the surface. Suddenly, the volcanoes cooled and the rock collapsed, leaving huge cracks. Even now, the rock continues to settle downwards, and sudden sinking motions trigger (触发) earthquakes in the region. The fault itself, a large crack in this layer of rock, with dozens of other cracks that split off from it, extends from northeast Arkansas through Missouri and into southern lllinois.
Scientists who have studied the New Madrid fault say there have been numerous smaller quakes in the area since 1811; these smaller quakes indicate that larger ones are probably coming, but the scientists say have no method of predicting when a large earthquake will occur.
72. This passage is mainly about__________.
A. the New Madrid fault in Missouri
B. the San Andreas and the New Madrid faults
C. the causes of faults
D. current scientific knowledge about faults
73. The New Madrid fault is__________.
A. a horizontal fault
B. a vertical fault
C. a more serious fault than the San Andreas fault
D. responsible for forming the Mississippi River
74. We may conclude from the passage that__________.
A. it is probably as dangerous to live in Missouri as in California
B. the New Madrid fault will eventually develop a mountain range in Missouri
C. California will become an island in future
D. A big earthquake will occur to California soon
75. This passage implies that__________.
A. horizontal faults are more dangerous than vertical faults.
B. Vertical faults are more dangerous than horizontal faults
C. Earthquakes occur only around fault areas
D. California will break into pieces by an eventual earthquake
It is commonly known that Japan went from a 19th century national economy to a 20th century global economy in a time span of 30 years between 1945 and 1975. What is less known is that Japan, understanding that fast, efficient transport was the key to a global economy, was the first country in the world to introduce the “Bullet Train”. Kawasaki Heavy Industries was duly appointed the manufacturer and the first high speed train went “on line” in 1964. The Shinkansen, as is known in Japan, made its first journey between her capital and Osaka, a distance of 301 miles, at a speed of 132 mph.
The next country to introduce high speed trains was France. SNGF, the public rail system in France, was losing passengers to other forms of transport and introduced the “TGV” (Train à Grande Vitesse) to counteract the trend in 1981. As a result of Opec controlling the oil market in 1974, the train was designed to be powered by gas turbines. It ran on a specially built track between Lyon and Paris. Eight years later another TGV was introduced, this time between the coast and Paris. Soon, France became the most rail efficient country in the world with high speed train connections to Belgium, London, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the Netherlands.
k sThere was another positive element that resulted from the introduction of high speed trains. Between 1964 and 1991, Japan’s Shinkansen had transported in excess of three billion passengers without there being a single fatal accident and eleven years after France introduced the TGV, it still had a 100% safety record. This statistic has never been equaled by the traditional slow moving trains in any country.
China has become the fourth country to produce such trains, after France, Germany and Japan. China's first domestically produced bullet train with a maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour has rolled off the production line. Equipped with highly-efficient power system, the currently fastest train in China is also energy efficient. When the train is running, it can transfer kinetic energy into electricity, so that it can ensure its electricity supply even when it is cut off from the power grids. In all, such trains are expected to be in commercial operation by the end of 2010. France introduced high speed trains to _____________.
| A．increase the number of passengers | B．fight against Opec |
| C．develop the finance of France | D．connect other cities |
Which of the following advantage(s) belongs to bullet train?
| A．Speedy and energy-wasting. | B．Slow but secure. |
| C．Fast and safe. | D．Crowded and expensive. |
What is the feature of the China’s currently fastest train?
| A．It is the most advanced train in the world. |
| B．It can run faster than any other trains throughout the world. |
| C．It can produce electricity by energy transformation. |
| D．It can go into commercial operation. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Bullet trains are the most convenient means of transportation compared with others. |
| B．Bullet trains are the only key to developing the economy of a country. |
| C．Bullet trains can save time and energy for people. |
| D．Bullet trains have many advantages and are accepted by more and more countries. |
When we’re little, our mother is the center of our attention, and we are the center of hers. So our mother’s characteristics leave an indelible(持久的)impression, and we are forever attracted to people with her facial features, body type, personality, even sense of humor. If our mother is warm and giving, as adults we tend to be attracted to people who are warm and giving. If our mother is strong and even-tempered, we are going to be attracted to a fair-minded strength in our mates.
The mother has an additional influence on her sons: she not only gives them clues to what they will find attractive in a mate, but also affects how they feel about women in general. So if she is warm and nice, her sons are going to think that’s the way women are. They will probably grow up to be warm and responsive lovers and also be cooperative around the house.
Conversely, a mother who has a depressive personality, and is sometimes friendly but then suddenly turns cold and rejecting, may raise a man who becomes a “dance-away lover”. Because he’s been so scared about love from his mother, he’s afraid of commitment and may pull away from a girlfriend for this reason.
While the mother determines in large part what qualities attract us in a mate, it’s the father—the first male in our lives—who influences how we relate to the opposite sex. Fathers have an enormous effect on their children’s personalities and chances of marital happiness.
Just as mothers influence their son’s general feelings toward women, fathers influence their daughter’s general feelings about men. If a father lavishes praise on his daughter and demonstrates that she is a worthwhile person, she’ll feel very good about herself in relation to men. But if the father is cold, critical or absent, the daughter will tend to feel she’s not very lovable or attractive.
In addition, most of us grow up with people of similar social circumstances. We hang around with people in the same town; our friends have about the same educational backgrounds and career goals. We tend to be most comfortable with these people, and therefore we tend to link up with others whose families are often much like our own.Why do our mother’s characteristics leave us an indelible impression?
| A．Because we are likely to be attracted to people with her characteristics. |
| B．Because the mother and her child are the centers of each other when her child is very young. |
| C．Because our mother is better than our dad. |
| D．Because our mother is a woman who is kind to us. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．If our mother is warm and giving, we love to be together with warm and generous people. |
| B．If our mother is strong and well-controlled, we are going to be attracted to a fair-minded strength in our mates. |
| C．Mother not only gives her children clues to what they will find attractive in a mate, but also affects how they feel about women in general. |
| D．Fathers influence their daughter’s general feelings about men. |
What does the underlined word “lavishes” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
| A．Uses much. | B．Uses little. | C．Never uses. | D．Seldom uses. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Mothers’ influence on their sons. |
| B．Parents’ influence on their children. |
| C．Parents’ impression on their children. |
| D．Fathers’ influence on their daughters. |
All penguins (企鹅) swim in cold waters and so need a good layer of insulation (隔离), some species come ashore in hot places.Humboldt penguins,for example,nest in arid hot - 40°C, deserts on the west coast of South America, while others survive the lowest temperatures of any animals.Male Emperor penguins,as we know, spend the Antarctic winters incubating eggs in temperatures that can fall below -70°C. The insulation is provided in layers, under the skin is a thick layer of fat, then there is a layer of downy feathers that trap air, and finally another layer of waterproof feathers that keep the cold water away from the skin. With all this insulation penguins have no problem keeping warm at temperatures down to about -10°C - although they have special adaptations of the circulatory system to keep their feet from freezing and to prevent much heat loss through the feet that are on the ice. At lower temperatures penguins have to huddle (蜷缩) together to keep warm. In such huddles the penguins gradually move from the hot interior to the cold outside so that every penguin has his turn in the middle and on the outside.
In hot climates, penguins suffer greatly from overheating. They use several strategies to lose heat. They puff up their feathers so that air can circulate to their skin; they hold their flippers（脚蹼）out from their bodies and pump hot blood to them so that they can act as radiators; they open their mouths and breathe to lose heat from their hot breath; and those species that live in hot climates also have several bare patches of skin around the eyes and feet, they send blood to these bare patches when they are hot - you can recognize a hot penguin since it will have pink eye patches and pink patches on its feet.
77. Which of the following are the ways for penguins to keep warm?
a. staying together in good social order
b. several layers as radiators
c. a special circulatory system d. waterproof feathers
e. sending blood to bare patches
f. always staying in the middle
A. a, b, c B. a, c, d C. b, c, e D. c, d, f
78. The insulation consists of _______ layers.
A. two B. three C. four D. five
79. The underlined "puff up" in the second paragraph can be replaced by ______.
A. breathe deeply B. blow up C. hold tight D. spread out
80. The passage mainly tells us ______.
A. how penguins stay warm in cold places B. that penguins are a clever animal
C. how penguins keep their temperature D. why penguins can live a safe life
Come prepared: When you arrive at a race, your bike should be in race-ready condition.
Chain Management: Chain damage is still the number one problem with mountain bikes. Keeping your chain clean and well-oiled will help, as will frequent chain replacement. Periodic inspection of your chain for wear, stretch and damage may save you a long walk home.
Packing Tape: This can be used for rims trips, boots for fractured tires and a dozen more makeshift repairs. If you've flown to the race, it also saves you from having to borrow tape to close up your bike box for the flight home. Other musts: safety pins and plastic zip ties.
Pre-race: Visual inspections before any serious off-road ride, carefully examine the area where the tire hooks onto the rim and remove any foreign objects which could cause premature（比预期早的）tire wear.
Tire Pressure: Check tire pressure before race start. The recommended pressure is noted on the tire sidewall, usually 40 lbs., many racers run 50 lbs., or more for less rolling resistance.
Be Self-Contained: Make sure you are self-contained. Bring your own drinking water, food and first aid kit. Also have tools, spare parts, tubes, quick fills and a chain tool. Never suppose you can just borrow these items from a friend.
Post-race Visual Inspections: Inspect your bike after completing each event, especially before competing in a downhill event. Re-inspect before packing your bike for the trip home.
Have Fun!
73. This passage is written for those who _______.
A. go in for outdoor activities B. love cycling in other places
C. will join in mountain bike races D. are preparing for a marathon
74. The writer seems to advise the racers ________.
A. not to replace chain frequently B. not to take an extra chain
C. to bring less while racing D. to have higher tire pressure
75 The passage is organized in order of _______.
A. importance B. time C. readers' interest D. place
76. From the passage we can safely say that _______.
A. a foreign tire is a guarantee for the cyclist to win the race
B. the biggest trouble for the race is that nobody will help you
C. a downhill event causes more damage to the bike than an uphill one
D. regular inspection is a must before, during, and even after the race
Less than one year after France imposed(强加于)a nationwide ban on smoking in most public places, it will, from Jan. 1, 2008, extend the ban to bars, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs - and the most cherished of all: caf†s.
Ireland and Italy show that countries with longstanding smoking traditions may introduce bans fairly smoothly, as they did in 2004 and 2005. In Germany, where regulations vary locally, Berlin will join France on Jan 1. But fierce critics of the new law in France say it all but destroys the caf†'s basic function: to serve as the socioeconomic glue of society.
C†cile Perez, owner of La Fronde, a typical Parisian neighborhood caf† said: "In the morning, street cleaners in bright green uniforms sip coffee next to well-dressed businessmen; at lunch hour, working-class types rub shoulders with those of the latest fashion at the bar, while couples of all ages rub noses over salads; during the after-work rush, there is a steady soundtrack of clinking glasses combined with conversation; the constant, no matter what time of day, is the smoke that drifts through the air in curls and clouds, seemingly unnoticed."
"Our motto in France is: liberty, equality, fraternity," Olivier Seconda, a regular at the caf†, said.
"The caf† is the place that represents that. You're free to smoke, everyone pays the same price for a beer and different kinds of people talk with one another. This new law goes against that."
Seconda expects the ban to be felt even more strongly in small villages far from Paris, where the caf† is often the only means of social activity. "People already miss the space that allows people of all walks of life to share something-even if it is sometimes no more than a few words and the smoke floating between them."
69. In Germany, ______.
A. caf† smoking will be forbidden from Jan,1, 2008
B. the tradition of caf† smoking is and will be well-kept
C. local customs are well respected in terms of smoking
D. there are different regulation on smoking
70. C†cile Perez mentions the curls and clouds of smoke drifting through the air to ______
A. describe a friendly atmosphere B. show the beauty of his own caf†
C. support the ban on smoking D. remind us of something unnoticed
71. Olivier Seconda implies that ______.
A. the caf† provides people with enough liberty, equality, and fraternity
B. people, regardless of their social class, enjoy equal rights in a caf†
C. the new ban on caf† smoking should be put in effect only in villages
D. people would not find fun in a caf† without smoking a cigarette
72. The passage is written to _______.
A. show the writer's personal opinion against a new law
B. provide information for law-makers to pass a new law
C. tell why some people are unhappy about smoking ban in caf†s
D. compare attitudes to a law, held by people from different countries