In 2007, the first solar electric boat crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Now a Swiss group wants to cover that distance and keep going, circling the globe on nothing but the sun’s power for the first time.
The team of engineers and scientists has started the building of its 98-foot long boat, named Planet Solar, in Kiel Germany. The boat’s power will come from the 5,000 square feet of solar panels（电池板）, about the size of two tennis courts, covering its broad deck. When the sun is shining bright above, they will turn 23 percent of the sun’s rays to energy — six percent more than average solar panels.
Even though batteries aboard Planet Solar can store enough energy to power it through up to three days of cloudy weather, the sailors will try to avoid clouds: constant communication with the French meteorological institute, Meteo France, will help the sailors stay with the sunny course.
The $11.5 million project, which is led by Raphael Domjan, should be ready for its first voyage next summer. The solar electric boat will warm up in European waters, and attempt to deal with traveling around the globe in spring 2011. At a maximum speed of 16 mph, Planet Solar will be the fastest solar electric boat. The team expects to finish the first leg of its journey across the Atlantic in about two weeks, compared to the six months the solar boat took back in 2007.
If sailing by sun becomes practical, it would be a return to the green boating methods of the days of Christopher Columbus. Those long-ago voyages relied only on a different type of renewable energy: wind. And, if wind-powered sails could be combined with solar panels, we might really pick up the boating speed.
57. Which of the following is NOT true about Planet Solar?
A. Its deck is covered by solar panels.
B. It will be the fastest solar electric boat.
C. It is 98-foot long and is to be made in Germany.
D. It can turn 17 percent of the sun’s rays into energy.
58. Planet Solar will be likely to __________ in continuous rainy weather.
A. continue traveling forward
B. ask the local weather station for help
C. stop to wait for the weather to clear up
D. turn to Meteo France for help to choose the sunny course
59. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Sailing by solar energy has not been widely used in today’s green boating.
B. Planet Solar will be the first boat to circle the globe using solar energy in 2011.
C. The solar panels in Planet Solar can turn more sunlight to energy than average ones.
D. Batteries aboard Planet Solar can be consumed for at most three days of cloudy weather.
60. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Planet Solar uses solar energy all over the world.
B. Planet Solar aims to be the first to circle the globe.
C. Planet Solar collects a different kind of renewable energy.
D. Planet Solar combines traditional methods with modern technology.
A doctor had a son who qualified(获得….资格) as a doctor himself. One day his father decided to have a holiday and he asked his son to look after all his patients. When he returned form his holiday he asked his son if anything had happened.
“Well, yes, Dad ,” the son said, feeling very proud of himself. “You remember Mrs. Jones, the lady whose back pains you’ve been treating for twenty years. Well, I’ve cured them.”
“I see, ” replied his father, not very pleased. “Mrs. Jones’ back pains paid for your university fees. I was hoping they’d pay for your new car as well.”
1. While away from home, the father was ______
A certain that his son was able to take up his job.
B wondering if his son could do a good job
C sure that something had happened
D worried about Mrs. Jones’ back pains
2. Seeing his father back, the son was ______.
A certain that his father would praise him
B afraid that his father would scold him
C wondering what his father would think of his job
D was hoping that his father would let him take up the job
3. Which of the following is not true?
A The father was clever at making money out of his patients.
B The father’s medical skill was not so good as his son’s.
C The doctor was selfish.
D The doctor was a dishonest man but a loving father.
4. What does the writer intend to tell us by this story? He intends to _____.
A disclose(揭发) the secrets of some doctors
B criticize (批评) some doctors for their dishonesty
C prove that sons will be better than their fathers
D tell us something funny.
四、阅读理解（共两节，每小题２分，计40分）
第一节（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
Mr White came out of the airport. He asked every taxi-driver’s name. Then he took the third taxi. It cost $5 from the airport to the hotel,“ How much does it cost for the whole day? ”he asked.
“$100,” said the taxi-driver. This was very expensive but Mr White agreed.
The taxt-driver took Mr White everywhere. He showed the driver $100 and said, “what about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? It’s another $100 tomorrow.”
“Ok,” said Mr White, “If that’s the price, see you tomorrow!” The driver was very pleased.
The next day they traveled to several places. And in the second evening they went to the hotel again. Mr. White and above all, $100 a day is good money. So he asked Mr White, “Where do you come from?”
“I come from New York.” Mr White answered.
“New York!” said the driver, “I have a sister in New York. Her name is Susannan. Do you know her?”
“Of course I know her. She gave me $200 for you.”
1. Mr White got to another place _______.
by train B. by air C. in plane D. by ship
2. The price of $ 100 a day was _____ in this city.
A. expensive B. cheap C. nice D. fair
3. Why was the taxi-driver pleased? Becaude _____.
his sister brought so much money to him
his sister knew Mr White
he got $100 a day
he became a guide of Mr White
4. We can learn that ____ from this story.
Mr White didn’t know the taxi-driver’s sister
the driver knew Mr White was his sister’s friend
Mr White was given back $ 200
Mr White knew the taxi-driver’s sister
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Willapark Manor Hotel. Peaceful situation in 14 acres of separated gardens and woodland, overlooking picturesque bay. Close to coastal path and beach. Excellent cuisine. Our excellent service brings our guests back year after year. Children (reductions) and pets welcome. 01840 770782
The Country Garden Hotel. Delightful hotel set in lovely gardens; calm Island of Wight near Tennyson Downs, Great food! Garden, sea view and ground floor rooms. Please call for brochure (服务指南) and sample menu. Adults only and pets welcome. 0800 980 1943
Boscastle. Romantic 17th Century farmer's cottage in countryside with splendid coastal views. Well equipped. Sleeps 5. Regret no pets/smoking. Garden with furniture. Brochure: 01633 450417
Godshill. 4 star self-served units. Non smoking. Sleeps 2 -4. Open all year. Good walks. Close to pubs. Peaceful. Cosy. No pets. Brochure (服务指南): 01983 840371
The Blakeney Hotel. Overlooking harbour, traditional privately owned friendly hotel with 60 bedrooms, lift, heated indoor pool, spa bath and saunas. Relax, walk, sail, play golf, explore the Norfolk villages, countryside and coast. Special seasonal midweek price for aged citizens. 01263 740797
S W France. Rural setting near Cordes. Two beautifully repainted old houses sleep 4/5 and 6. Gardens, woodland, pool, views, excellent walks. Available all year round. Outstanding. 01962 776967
1. All of the following hotels are close to the sea EXCEPT __________.
A. S W France B. The Blakeney Hotel
C. Willapark Manor Hotel D. The Country Garden Hotel
2. If you want to take your children and your dog with you on holiday, you can choose ______.
A. The Country Garden Hotel B. Willapark Manor Hotel
C. The Bay Hotel D. Boscastle
3. One of the hotels offers special price for __________.
A. young people B. elderly people C. foreign guests D. students
4. The purpose of the passage is to ______________.
A. warnB. adviseC. describeD. advertise
In 1837, the historian Carlyle made the first recorded use of the word "queue" (排队). He spoke of the French and their "habit of standing in a queue". Forty years later Paris was the best place to wait in line.
However, queuing became popular in Britain too. The Second World War was the golden age of queuing, and people joined any line in the hope that it was a queue for something to buy. This was the source of many Second World War jokes:
Shopkeeper to customer: Excuse me, miss, are you pregnant (怀孕的) ?
Customer: Well, I wasn't when I joined the queue.
Today, according to research in America, we (in Britain) can spend up to 5 years of our lives确queuing- as compared to twelve months looking for things we have lost. But things may be changing. Many people no longer have the patience to stand in a queue. The law of the jungle (丛林) has begun to operate at bus stops, with people using their arms to push others out of the way.
One way to make life easier is to introduce "queue management". Customers at supermarket cheese counters can now take a ticket with a number which appears on a screen when it is their turn. And while they wait for their number, they can do a bit of shopping.
In some booking offices there is also a system telling customers how long they may have to wait before they are served.
One of the latest technical progress is the use of an electronic scanner (电子识别器) which can read all the contents of your shopping basket or trolley in just a few seconds. If these become popular, queuing in supermarkets may become a thing of the past.
But some people just like queuing. One man queued all night for Harrods famous January sale, and then returned home for breakfast at nine o' clock the next morning without going into the shop.
1 The joke in Paragraph 2 implies （暗示）that the young woman ______.
A. has been waiting in the queue for a long time
B. doesn't need to stand in the queue
C. enjoys standing in the queue
D. has stood in the wrong line
2. According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A. The British spend more time queuing than looking for lost things.
B. The Americans criticized the British for their way of queuing.
C. The British are always patient when they wait in line.
D. People queue only when they want to buy something.
3. The British try to solve the problem of queuing by all the following EXCEPT _____.
A. making a law to prevent queuing
B. telling the customers the waiting time
C. using numbered tickets to put the customers in order
D. checking the price of the goods customers buy with a scanner
4. We can infer （推论）from the passage that ______.
A. queue management doesn’t work well
B. there is still queuing in England
C. we don't see much queuing in Paris
D. the French like queuing more than the British
"Have you ever been out on a boat and felt it lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the rush of energy as waves came over you?" asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh. "There is certainly a lot of energy in waves," he said.
Scientists are working to use that energy to make electricity. Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean. "The wind starts out by making little ripples (涟漪), but if they keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves," Taylor said. "Waves are one of nature's ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey."
When waves come toward the shore, people can set up darns to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine (涡轮机). The turbine can then power an electrical generator to produce electricity.
"The resource is huge," said Janet Swain of the World-watch Institute. "We will never run out of wave power." Besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil or coal. Oceans cover three-quarters of the Earth's surface - that would make wave power seem ideal for creating energy throughout the world, though there are some weak points yet to overcome.
Swain said that wave power still costs too much money. She also said that its effects on sea animals are still unknown. What is more, wave power could affect fishing and boat traffic.
Traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may someday run out. "Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is rising rapidly throughout the world," Swain said. In the future when you turn on a light, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!
1. The writer uses the two questions at the beginning of the passage to ______.
A. test the readers' knowledge about waves B. draw the readers' attention to the topic
C. show Jamie Taylor's importance D. invite the readers to answer them
2. The underlined phrase "picking up" (Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to ______.
A. starting again B. speeding up C. gathering D. improving
3. We can make better use of wave energy if we ______.
A. shorten its journey to thousands of homes
B. build more small power stations on the oceans
C. reduce the cost of turning it into electric power
D. quicken the steps of producing electricity
4. It can be inferred（推论） that some day we might not worry about ______.
A. air pollution B. our boat traffic C. our power supply D. our supply of sea fish