The devastation of Typhoon Morakot over Taiwan and eastern China is a reminder that the northwest Pacific is the most dangerous region in the world for tropical storms.The worst of these are typhoons, which are the same as hurricanes in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, or cyclones in the Indian Ocean and Australia.They all have winds of more than 118km/h (73mph) spinning around a central core.
These storms start off as a mass of thunderstorms in the tropics outside the Equator.Given the right conditions, they form a bigger and more organised storm and feed off warm seas at more than 26.5C (80F) to get the fuel that they need to become a fully-fledged(羽毛丰满的) typhoon, hurricane or cyclone.Each storm is like a heat engine, extracting heat from the warm, humid air over the sea and turning it into phenomenal amounts of energy — equivalent to about 200 times the entire world’s electrical generating capacity.But warm, moist air is not enough — these storms also need slack winds aloft, because strong high-altitude winds can rip off the top of the storm clouds and send the entire storm tumbling(翻跟头).
The damage from tropical storms often comes from their winds, or the storm surges from the sea as the winds pile up water into a huge battering ram(冲击夯) that floods coastlines.But the devastation from Typhoon Morakot came from its unbelievable rainfall — about a year’s average rain in some places — that set off landslides and mudslides.
1.According to the first paragraph, the common point among typhoons,hurricanes and cyclones is _______.
A.that they all come from the oceans
B.that they all have winds of over 118km/h spinning around a central core
C.that they all cause great damage
D.that they all can generate electricity
2.Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A.Typhoon Morakat devestates Taiwan and eastern China
B.How is the typhoon formed?
C.Typhoon Morakot was how to devestate the areas it travelled
D.How terrible is Typhoon Morakat!
3.The devastation from Typhoon Morakot is mainly from ______.
A.its wind B.its rainfall
C.landslides and mudslides D.the storm
4.It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
A.Taiwan is off the northwest Pacific
B.the damage from tropical storms often comes from their winds
C.tropical storms often happen
D.tropical storms only need warm, moist air
Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another in some way. Different cultures celebrate the beginning of a new year in different ways, and at different times on the calendar.
In Western countries, people usually celebrate New Year at midnight on January 1st. People may go to parties, dress in formal clothes -- like tuxedos (小礼服) and evening gowns, and drink champagne at midnight. During the first minutes of the New Year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead. But some cultures prefer to celebrate the New Year by waking up early to watch the sun rise. They welcome the New Year with the first light of the sunrise.
It is also a common Western custom to make a New Year’s promise, called a resolution. New Year’s resolutions usually include promises to try something new or change a bad habit in the new year.
Many cultures also do special things to get rid of bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes. The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and the new year can start afresh (again). Other common traditions to keep away bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on the first day of the new year.
Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck is to eat grapes on New Year’s Day. The more grapes a person eats , the more good luck the person will have in the year. In France, people eat pancakes for good luck at New Year. In the United States, some people eat black-eyed peas (豇豆) for good luck -- but to get good luck for a whole year you have to eat 365 of them!Which culture celebrates New Year in the morning?
A.The passage doesn’t say. | B.Spain. |
C.France. | D.The United States. |
What is a resolution?
A.Something you say. | B.Something you eat. |
C.Something you burn. | D.Something you wear. |
What is the topic of the fourth paragraph?
A.Bringing good luck. |
B.Remembering the past. |
C.Planning for the next year. |
D.Keeping away from bad luck. |
Which is probably true about eating black-eyed peas on New Year?
A.Black-eyed peas taste bad. |
B.The peas are very difficult to cook. |
C.One pea brings one day of luck. |
D.It is bad luck to eat a lot of black-eyed peas. |
You may have noticed that the world′s population is not evenly distributed(分布) around our planet. There are some countries where people seem to be living nearly on top of each other because conditions are overcrowded. Then there are others where it seems that hardly anybody lives. What influences this unequal distribution of people? There are specific advantages and disadvantages of *diving in a certain area.
The two main factors that influence people`s choice of location are climate and resources. Climate is the usual weather conditions in a region. Areas that have bad weather are generally less deal as places to live in. The north and south poles at the top and bottom of the world may be beautiful in their rugged, natural way, but the disadvantage of the bitterly cold and windy conditions usually keeps people away. When it comes to climate, warm conditions and a normal amount of rainfall are advantages that attract people.
Natural resources are things that we get from nature that help us survive. Each region offers different resources, and therefore attracts different groups of people. People who enjoy the beach can make their living by catching and selling the ocean′s many fish and other sea creatures. Those who prefer farming can take advantage of rich soil(土壤) in valleys near rivers. Some people are willing to accept the disadvantages of the terrible conditions of deserts or mountains in order to take advantage of the resources like oil or woods.The underlined part “on top of ”in the first paragraph most likely means_______.
A.very close to | B.on the highest part of |
C.in control of | D.on the surface of |
What are the main factors that influence the distribution of people?
A.Resources and oceans. | B.Climate and rivers. |
C.Climate and resources. | D.Warm conditions and rainfall. |
The writer thinks many people don′t live near the north or south pole because ________.
A.they can′t get enough food there |
B.they natural sights there don′t attract people |
C.the unpleasant weather keeps them away |
D.the length of nighttime is too short or too long |
Why do people go and live in valleys near rivers?
A.The temperature isn′t too low in winter. |
B.the resources like oil can bring them much money. |
C.People can make their living by catching and selling fish. |
D.It′s easier for people to grow plants or keep animals. |
The purpose of the example in the last paragraph is to tell us _______.
A.people cannot survive in cold conditions |
B.different resources attract different groups of people |
C.People usually prefer living at the seaside to living in mountains |
D.a normal amount of rainfall is necessary for people to live in the desert |
Can you remember the day when you spoke your first word? If you can, you are unusual. Try to imagine what first few months of your life were like. I am sure you just spent most of your time eating, sleeping and crying. As you grow older, you were awake more of the time. It took your parents more time to play with you and talk to you. You watched and listened curiously. You began to know that people made certain sounds to go with certain things.
Then you began to try making the sounds you heard. And step by step you were able to make the right sound for one thing.
On that day you came to understand the secret of language. The secret is that a certain sound means a certain thing. One sound might be as good as another. But it is no good as a word unless everybody agrees on its meaning. Only when a group of people use the same set of sounds of things, can they understand each other. Then, and only then do these people have a LANGUAGE.
After you found the secret of language, you learned words. Some of the words meant things, such as BOOKS, CHAIRS and SHOES. Some words meant doing things, such as GO and SWIM. And other words describe things, such as GOOD and DIRTY. Soon you learned to put words together to express one's idea, such as "1 want to go out and play with my friends." This is language. By means of language people can communicate. So we say languages are means of communication.can remember the day when___________.
A.One; he spoke his first word |
B.No one; he spoke his first word |
C.Most people; they spoke their first words |
D.None; they spoke their first words |
When you were a little baby, you_________.
A.made sounds to let people know that you wanted to eat |
B.spent most of your time playing with your parents |
C.could not hear any sound around you |
D.spent most of your time eating, playing and crying |
The secret of language is that____________.
A.one sound might be as good as another |
B.people can understand each other |
C.a certain sound is for a certain thing |
D.there is a special sound for each person |
You could learn words_____________.
A.before you knew what the language was |
B.after you knew what the language was |
C.if you knew the secret of the language |
D.when you were a baby |
The aim in using language is.
A.to get everything one wants from others |
B.to say what one wants to know |
C.to share ideas, opinions, news, etc with one another |
D.to make oneself understood by others |
The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you'll get your words mixed up (混合) and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can't understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor , you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don't be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It's better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don't understand what you are saying. The most important thing for learning English is: "Don't be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes."The writer thinks that the most important thing for you to learn a language is___________.
A.reading | B.practicing |
C.talking about it | D.listening |
What should you do in learning English?
A.Try to make some mistakes. |
B.Avoid making any mistakes. |
C.Remember as many new words as you can. |
D.Use it as often as you cam |
If people laugh at the mistakes you make, you should ___________.
A.be angry with them | B.be angry with yourself |
C.not care | D.believe you are right |
When you make a mistake, you should___________.
A.never make any mistakes again |
B.tell others not to make the same mistake |
C.punish yourself for making it |
D.keep your sense of humor |
The story tell us:" ___________."
A.It is normal that we make some mistakes in learning English |
B.Everyone must make mistakes |
C.We can avoid making mistakes in learning a language |
D.Laughing can help one learn English well |
Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh and do things with. Surely, there are times when we need to be alone. We don't always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.
No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don't get along well, which doesn't mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away, then we feel very sad. We miss them much, but we can call them and write to them. Maybe we would never see them again, and we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women, if they are friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.
There's more good news for people, if they have friends. These people live longer than those people if those don't have friends. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares, if someone cares about you, you take better care of yourself.The first paragraph tells us __________.
A.none needs friends |
B.we always need friends around us |
C.making friends is the need in people's life |
D.we need to be alone |
Which of the following is what the writer doesn't say in the passage?
A.People are happy when their friends leave them. |
B.People may never see their friends after their friends move away. |
C.People can know their friends in different ways. |
D.People like their friends very much if they get to know them. |
Which of the following is the most probable place people name after friendly people?
A.A house. | B.A room. |
C.A library. | D.A village. |
If people have friends, they would live longer, because __________.
A.they feel happier and healthier |
B.they get a lot of help from their friends |
C.they take better care of themselves |
D.both A and C |
This passage tells us __________.
A.that people are all friends |
B.that people need friends |
C.how to get to know friends |
D.how to name a place |