In the office of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, there is a picture of Catherine the Great, the legendary Russian Empress. When asked why she has the picture, Merkel says, “She was a strong woman”. Many say the same of Merkel.
The most powerful woman in the world, according to US Forbes magazine, was in China last week. She came to discuss trade and environmental issues with China’s top leaders. Germany’s first woman leader is known as a brave and practical statesman(政治家). Even since her time at school, she had the habit of getting everything in order. Every day before doing her homework she would clean the desk and think about what to do next. “I prefer a long time for full preparations to make my decision. But once I decide, I will stand up for what I believe,” Merkel said.
Perhaps it was good habits that helped her do well in her studies. At 32, she got a doctorate (博士学位) in physics and then she worked as a researcher.
However, the life of a scholar couldn’t put off her love of politics. While working in labs, Merkel took time off to read political books and at last joined a political party. “Her calmness helped her stand out in the party. She could always find a way out while others felt hopeless,” said one of her old friends.
In her first big political job as Minister for the Environment in 1994, her scientific background proved very useful. In 2005 she became Germany’s youngest chancellor since the second World War.
Now half way through her four-year term, the 53-year-old woman has made a name for herself both in Germany and abroad. At the EU summit in 2005 when France quarreled with Britain over the EU budget(预算), some people believed the EU was close to breaking down. But Merkel didn’t give up. She shuttled(穿梭) between the heads of the two powers and had them reached an agreement.
“Strength comes from composure(镇定) and courage. Many people say I am a strong woman. But I would rather say I have perseverance,” said Merkel. Why does Merkel put a picture of Catherine the Great on the wall of her office?
| A．Because Catherine the Great is beautiful. |
| B．Because Merkel wants to be a strong woman too. |
| C．Because Merkel likes the drawing skill of it. |
| D．Because it is very expensive. |
What is the correct order of the following events?
a. became the German Chancellor
b. got a doctorate in physics and then she worked as a researcher
c. join a political party
d. visit China
e. take part in the EU summit
f. as Minister for the Environment
| A．bcafde | B．cbfdae | C．bcfaed | D．cbfaed |
Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Merkel usually is hurry to make a decision when facing difficulties. |
| B．At the EU summit in 2005, the relationship between French and Britain was in tension. |
| C．Merkel is a well-known leader all over the world. |
| D．She is outstanding because of her calmness. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．An excellent lecturer | B．Germany’s iron lady |
| C．The change of a scholar | D．The youngest chancellor |
My Uncle Dave posed an interesting question to my wife and me when he came to visit us the other day. He asked: “What do you think the world will be like in 50 or 100 years, in terms of technology and society and so on?”
He says he asks many of the people he meets this question to see what their thoughts are. His point is that no one really knows. I mean, in 1945, could people have even imagined surfing the net or sending e-mails as we do? No way. And the pace of technological innovation(创新) is incredible (难以置信的). We’re on a more different curve than we used to be.
One thing I’m looking forward to is real software agents. There is so much information out there, but I want something that can help me find what I really want. For instance, in about ten years, I think, there will be no longer recorded music, and there will be some big databases from which you can download music onto your hard drive or whatever. At that point, there will be so much music to choose from and you’ll be able to sample things before you buy them. But the question will be how I find what I’m looking for and how I do find the music that might interest me. Or more generally, how do I find information that I want without spending all the time myself surfing the net? How do I find people who are like-minded (具有相似目的), with whom I might really want to communicate? I want to find those people but it’s hard to do. In the future I think that one will be able to build a community of like-minded people who live all over the globe. It’s going to be very interesting, I think.No one really knows what the future will be like because _____.
| A．there is too much information for us to choose from |
| B．technological development is too fast |
| C．people live in different countries |
| D．no one is intelligent enough to answer such a question |
The function of the first paragraph is to _____.
| A．explain the question given in this paragraph |
| B．put forward the topic in this passage |
| C．show Dave is a foolish man to ask such a question |
| D．describe a picture about what the future will be like |
The writer is looking forward to some real software agents so as to _____.
| A．earn a lot of money |
| B．communicate with some like-minded people |
| C．help find the correct information needed |
| D．spare some time for surfing the Internet |
The best title of this passage should be _____.
| A．What the Future Will Be Like |
| B．Listen to Music Through the Internet |
| C．Music and Software Development |
| D．How to Live a Happy Life in the Future |
Environmental health is defined as the control of the factors (因素) in the environment that may have harmful effects on people’s physical, mental, or social well-being (安乐). Because natural disasters expose people to danger by bringing up or threatening their immediate environment, effective management of environmental health after a natural disaster is of great importance.
The environmental health measures that must be considered after a natural disaster include the supply of appropriate shelter for individuals or groups of people left homeless, the distribution (分配) of safe and accessible water, and the protection and distribution of safe food products and so on.
To effectively manage environmental health during and after a disaster, it is important that a state of preparation is in effect before the event actually occurs. During an emergency, success largely depends on making good, rapid judgment and appropriate response measures. High-level decision makers, therefore, must be familiar with sound measures beforehand and should be given an accurate judgment of the disaster’s specific effects as quickly as possible.
This book is intended to serve as a guide for those who may be called upon to make emergency decisions after disaster strikes. The recommended environmental health measures have been listed in the order of priority in which they should be taken during an emergency. However, each natural disaster is unique in the degree or type of emergency. In response to any given disaster, decision makers may find it necessary to change the priority assigned to any particular measure. The first paragraph is mainly to _____.
| A．tell the reader how to understand environmental health |
| B．express why environmental health after a natural disaster is important |
| C．describe the terrible scene that is caused by the natural disasters |
| D．give advice on how to deal with the management of environmental health |
In order to effectively cope with the emergency, the most important is that _____.
| A．we should have enough shelters and tools |
| B．everyone should be familiar with the situation |
| C．we should be well prepared for it in advance |
| D．we can deal with it just as we did before |
We can’t do just as the recommended environmental health measures because _____.
| A．some of the measures have not been taken before |
| B．they are not the same according to different degrees or types of emergency |
| C．they are probably made up by someone without experience |
| D．they can’t be changed once they are taken by the experts |
The best title of this passage should be _____.
| A．Environmental Health Management after Natural Disasters |
| B．The Bad Influence of the Natural Disasters |
| C．Useful Measures to Avoid the Natural Disasters |
| D．The Importance of the Environmental Health Management |
On April 10, 1815, Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted with great force. Fifty cubic kilometers of magma (岩浆) flew from its peak (山顶) and a blanket of ash as thick as one centimeter fell over more than 500,000 square kilometers of Indonesia and the Java Sea. The eruption destroyed Tambora’s peak and formed a hole six by seven kilometers wide. The eruption and resulting tsunamis killed 10,000 people. The agricultural loss and disease brought about by the thick ash caused the deaths of 82,000 more.
Indonesia was rocked again in 1883. On August 26, a small volcano on an uninhabited island between Sumatra and Java, erupted. The eruption produced an ash cloud 80 kilometers high and was heard in Australia—4,800 kilometers away. The eruption also caused a tsunami, which pounded (击打) the shores of Java and Sumatra—killing 36,000 people.
In 1902, St. Pierre was a thriving (兴盛的) community and the largest town on the French colony of Martinique in the Caribbean Sea. Mont Pelee cast a shadow over the town from where it stood, eight kilometers to the north. The townspeople were used to the light continuous sounds of the mountain, but in May, 1902 Pelee started to get really unstable. Clouds of steam and ash poured from the volcano and on May 8, Pelee erupted. Superheated gas and steaming volcanic ash flew out, pouring down the mountain at high speed. Within seconds, the deadly gas cloud had destroyed the town of St. Pierre and incinerated everyone in it — except one prisoner in a basement cell. It was the worst volcano disaster of the 20th century. How many people died because of the eruption on April 10, 1815 ?
| A．About 10,000. | B．More than 82,000. |
| C．About 36,000. | D．More than 92,000. |
The underlined word “incinerated” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “_____”.
| A．brought up | B．burned up | C．woke up | D．shut up |
Only one prisoner survived the volcano eruption of Mont Pelee on May 8 because _____.
| A．he was on a ship then |
| B．he was kept underground |
| C．he stayed in the water |
| D．he was hidden in a well |
We can know from this article that _____.
| A．no measures can be taken to protect people from a volcano eruption |
| B．volcanoes usually caused a series of earthquakes |
| C．sometimes a volcano can completely destroy a city |
| D．volcanoes are much more violent than the earthquakes |
In the Middle Ages in Europe, theater was an important part of civic, economic and religious life. During this period after the fall of Roman civilization, many cities were destroyed. Southern and Western Europe, famous for its agriculture, became increasingly more agricultural. After several hundred years, many towns appeared again. The Roman Catholic Church took over religion, education and politics. What remained of theater was mostly on the Greek and Roman performing arts.
Theater was reborn as liturgical(礼拜式的) dramas. It was written in Latin and dealing with biblical(圣经) stories which would be performed by church members. Then there came local dramas spoken in common language not Latin. They were more wonderful one-act dramas taking place in town squares or other parts of the city. There were three types of local dramas. Mystery or cycle plays were short dramas based on biblical stories organized into historical cycles. Miracle plays dealt with the lives of the great. Morality(道德的) plays taught a lesson through characters standing for good or bad qualities. Secular plays in this period existed, but religious drama in the Middle Ages is mostly remembered today. As the Middle Ages ended, the number of religious theatres became small as the church weakened and more secular qualities won over religious theaters.The underlined sentence in the first paragraph means that _____.
| A．people got away from the cities |
| B．people liked to live in the country |
| C．agriculture was more developed at that time |
| D．people thought less of city life |
According to the passage, what does "secular plays"mean here?
| A．Plays that deal with the lives of the great. |
| B．Plays that taught a lesson. |
| C．Plays based on biblical stories. |
| D．Plays that are not connected with thechurch. |
Why did religious theatres become less important as the Middle Ages came to an end?
| A．People were not interested in them any longer. |
| B．The church was not as important as what it had been. |
| C．People liked new plays. |
| D．The stories of religious theatres were outdated. |
According to the passage, why did religious theatres take over in the Middle Ages?
| A．People preferred religious theatres to other ones. |
| B．There were no other types of theatres. |
| C．The church played an important part in people’s life. |
| D．The quality of religious theatres was better than that of other theatres. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．European dramas |
| B．Religious dramas |
| C．Religious theatres in the Middle Ages |
| D．Secular dramas in the Middle Ages |
Health and climate scientists have mapped how climate change affects different parts of the world in different ways. The scientists point to the fact that changes in the past thirty years may, have been affecting human health. Possible effects include more deaths from extreme(极度的) heat or cold, more storms and more crop failures in dry periods.
The health and climate scientists recently estimated(估计) that climate changes caused by human activity lead to more than one hundred and fifty thousand deaths each year. Cases of sickness are estimated at five million. And the W.H.O. says the numbers could rise quickly by the year of 2003.
Jonathan Patz of an environmental institute led the study. Professor Patz points out that climate scientists connected global warming with the heat that killed thousands in Europe in August, 2003. But he says poor countries least responsible(对……负责) for the warming are most in danger from the health effects of higher temperatures.
Professor Patz says areas in greatest danger include southern and eastern Africa and coastlines along the Pacific and Indian oceans. Also, large cities experience what scientists call a "heat island"effect that can make conditions worse.
Representatives(代表) from about two hundred countries hold a meeting in Canada, to discuss climate change. The ten-day meeting ends on December 9th. It is the first such United Nations meeting since the Kyoto Protocol(京都议定书) took effect earlier this year. The agreement aims to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) and other heat-trapping(吸热的) gases sent off into the air.Who is Jonathan Patz?
| A．A scientist responsible for the climate change. |
| B．A scientist in charge of the study of the climate change. |
| C．A professor interested in the climate change. |
| D．A professor who is a representative from an African country. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Climate changes affect different parts of the world in the same way. |
| B．The ten-day meeting is the first United Nations meeting on climate change. |
| C．The Kyoto Protocol aims to make smaller the amount of heat-trapping gases into the air. |
| D．Poor countries are responsible for the global warming. |
Possible effects from the climate changes include the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．crop failures | B．storms | C．more deaths from overheat | D．air pollution |
According to the health and climate scientists, climate changes have been caused by ______.
| A．dry weather | B．cold weather | C．human activities | D．storms |
We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．climate changes are having a bad effect on human’s health |
| B．Professor Patz leads the study of climate changes |
| C．a "heat island"effect large cities experience makes the matter worse |
| D．rich countries are most responsible for climate changes |