The 9．2一magnitude(震级)earthquake which caused the tsunami in
the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day last year occurred at 7:58 a.m.，95 miles off the west coast of Aceh, Indonesia．
Eighteen minutes later．10-metre high waves crashed the ashore along a 500——mile-long stretch of Aceh．
Two hours later the tsunami hit Thailand and Malaysia and then Burma, Bangladesh, India，the Maldives，Sri Lanka，Kenya and Somalia．The final death toll is thought to be about 280，000，with tens of thousands more listed as missing．More than l.8 million people lost their homes．
●What Is Tsunami?
A tsunami is a chain of fast moving waves caused by a sudden strong quake in the ocean．They can be caused by earthquakes，volcanic eruptions(爆发)，or even the collision of meteorites(陨星)．Tsunamis are also incorrectly known as tidal waves，but unlike tidal waves they are not caused by changes in the tides．
They are also most common around the edge of the Pacific，where more than half of the world’s volcanoes are found．These fast moving waves can attack coastlines，often with little or no warning．Rocks weighing as much as 20 metric tonnes have been pulled from sea walls and carried l 80m inland．
●Wave Power
Atsunami can have a wavelength in excess of(超过)1 00km and there may be an hour between them．They travel at great speeds across an ocean with hardly any energy losses and are barely noticeable out at sea．
Over the deep Pacific Ocean，a tsunami travels at about 800kph．If an earthquake happened in Los Angeles．a tsunami could hit Tokyo quicker than you could fly between the cities by jet．
●Strange Animal Behaviors
Ten days before giant waves slammed into Sri Lanka and India coastlines，wild and domestic(家养的) animals seemed to know what was about to happen and fled(逃跑)to safety．
Elephants screamed and ran for higher ground．
Dogs refused to go outdoors．
Zoo animals rushed into their shelters and could not be enticed(引诱)to come back out．.．What does the first part of the passage mainly tell us?
| A．The great speed of a tsunami． |
| B．The number of deaths caused by a tsunami． |
| C．The countries which were struck by a tsunami． |
| D．The serious destruction caused by the great power of a tsunaml． |
.．All the following can cause a tsunami except
| A．changes of the tides | B．volcanic eruptions |
| C．collision of meteorites | D．earthquakes |
.．Which of the following is a characteristic of a tsunami?
| A．Having a lot of small waves linked together． |
| B．The waves of a tsunami travel extremely fast． |
| C．The waves of a tsunami can be found in the distance． |
| D．The power of the waves becomes stronger and stronger as a tsunami travels． |
One day, Mr. Arnold was teaching a lesson, and things were going as normally as ever. He was explaining the story of mankind to his pupils. He told them that, in the beginning, men were nomads; they never stayed in the same place for very long. Instead, they would travel about, here and there, in search of food, wherever it was to be found. And when the food ran out, they would move off somewhere else.
He taught them about the invention of farming and keeping animals. This was an important discovery, because by learning to cultivate(耕作)the land, and care for animals, mankind would always have food steadily available. It also meant that people could remain living in one place, and this made it easier to set about tasks that would take a long while to complete, like building towns, cities, and all that were in them. All the children were listening attracted by this story, until Lucy jumped up:
“And if that was so important and improved everything so much, why are we nomads all over again, Mr. Arnold?”
Mr. Arnold didn’t know what to say. Lucy was a very intelligent girl. He knew that she lived with her parents in a house, so she must know that her family were not nomads; so what did she mean?
“We have all become nomads again,” continued Lucy, “The other day, outside the city, they were cutting the forest down. A while ago a fisherman told me how they fish. It’s the same with everyone: when there’s no more forest left the foresters go elsewhere, and when the fish run out the fishermen move on. That’s what the nomads did, isn’t it ?
The teacher nodded, thoughtfully. Really, Lucy was right Mankind had turned into nomads. Instead of looking after the land in a way that we could be sure it would keep supplying our needs, we kept developing it until the land was bare. And then off we would go to the next place! The class spent the rest of the afternoon talking about what they could do to show how to be more civilized.
The next day everyone attended class wearing a green T-shirt, with a message that said “I am not a nomad!”
And , from then on, they set about showing that indeed they were not. Every time they knew they needed something, they made sure that they would get it using care and control. If they needed wood or paper, they would make sure that they got the recycled kind. They ordered their fish from fish farms, making sure that the fish they received were not too young and too small. They only used animals that were well cared for, and brought up on farms.
And so, from their little town, those children managed to give up being nomads again, just as prehistoric men had done, so many thousands of years ago.From Paragraph 2, we can know that______ .
| A．people got tired of living in the same place |
| B．people gradually got used to living in cities |
| C．people tended to settle down after learning farming |
| D．people spent a long time in learning to keep animals |
In the teacher’s opinion, Lucy’s argument was______
| A．shocking | B．ridiculous | C．puzzling | D．reasonable |
Which of the following agrees with the message “I am not a nomad” (Paragraph 7)?
| A．People eat young fish for its delicious taste. |
| B．Foresters leave the place where wood is not available. |
| C．Fishermen move elsewhere when there is no fish left. |
| D．People use recycled materials as much as possible. |
The writer tries to make us believe that ______.
| A．mankind has been progressing mainly through traveling about |
| B．it’s unwise for mankind to use the land in an uncontrolled way |
| C．it’s quite good for students to learn more about the history of mankind |
| D．in the beginning men were nomads. |
We do some strange things when we don’t like the way our life is going．Too often we blame(责怪)someone else．‘‘I wish my parents were more understanding．”
“I have such a bad Chemistry teacher!”
“My friends are so boring and self-centered．They make my life worse and worse．’’
Blame! Blame! Blame!
It seems natural to sing this self-pitying song，but the truth is，if you don’t like your life，you should do something about it．No one else knows exactly how you feel or what you need．No one can read your mind correctly．You are the only one with the power to cheek your life，and if you want it to be different，you can change what you’re doing．
When you’re in trouble，don’t give away your power to decide how you feel about yourself. Choose how you want to think and act．Other people can’t make you unhappy or angry．They only act in their own way and then it’s up to you to decide how you will respond(回应)．For example，your friends go out to lunch without you and you feel very angry．How are you going to act? You may blame your friends，“They are not kind．Who needs them anyway?” Or you may tell your friends how you feel，listen to their explanation，and let them know you’d like to be invited next time．
When you decide everything in your own way，you’re getting hold of your own life and shaping(塑造)it according to your tastes and feelings．You can choose to be happy，to make friends and to build an interesting life．When you blame others for what is or isn’t happening in your life，you have stopped growing or learning．
One of the most important rules is that you can never change another person by your direct action．The only person you have the right to change is yourself．Once you change，the other person has something different to respond to and change is possible．If you want change in your life，begin with yourself．What should we do if we don’t like our life?
| A．Change what we’re doing． | B．Read our minds correctly． |
| C．Sing that self-pitying song． | D．Tell others what we want． |
If the writer’s friends have dinner together without him，he may _________.
| A．ask somebody else to talk to them |
| B．do the same thing to them in return |
| C．talk to them and try to find out why |
| D．forget it and be still friendly with them |
What’s the writer’s idea about how to change others?
| A．He thinks it’s impossible to change others． |
| B．He believes our love can change everything． |
| C．He chooses to talk with others directly． |
| D．He prefers to change ourselves first instead． |
At the beginning of the passage three examples are given __________.
| A．to support the idea that people often blame others |
| B．to suggest that there are various problems in people’s life |
| C．to show that not all chemistry teachers are fit for their job |
| D．to explain the reason why some people’s life is worse and worse |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Blame! Blame! Blame! | B．Who Controls My Life? |
| C．Change! Change! Change! | D．What Makes Me Unhappy? |
Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy. After all, you probably sing when you are happy. Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However, they sing most of the time for a very different reason. Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.
Do you know what a “territory” is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims (声称) as its own. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species are welcome. Your house is your territory where only your family and friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away. If so, you have actually frightened the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting (筑巢) season. So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird’s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.Some scientists believe that most of the time bird’s singing is actually ________.
A.an expression of happiness B. a way of warning
B.an expression of anger D. a way of greetingWhat is a bird’s “territory”?
| A．A place where families of other species are not accepted. |
| B．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice. |
| C．An area for which birds fight against each other. |
| D．An area which a bird considers to be its own. |
Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?
| A．Because they want to invite more friends. |
| B．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away. |
| C．Because they want to find outsiders around. |
| D．Because their singing helps get rid of their fears. |
How does the writer explain birds’ singing?
| A．By comparing birds with human beings. | B．By reporting experiment results. |
| C．By describing birds’ daily life. | D．By telling a bird’s story. |
What does the underline word “screaming” in paragraph 4 mean?
| A．哭喊声 | B．令人惊愕的 | C．尖叫声 | D．尖叫的 |
Helen Keller was born in America in June, 1880. Everything was all right when she was born. But when she was 19 months old, an attack of fever left her blind and deaf for the rest of her life. She was so young when she became blind that as she grew older she did not remember being able to see; and she became deaf before she had any idea of the importance of human speech. She lived in darkness and silence.
As she grew older, she, too, wanted to express her ideas and feelings. But she realized she was cut off from others. Her parents were greatly worried. How could anyone make touch with Helen’s mind and intelligence in darkness and silence without speech? Helen was nearly seven before a teacher was found. Her name was Miss Sullivan.
Miss Sullivan had a lot of difficulties in teaching Helen Keller. As the child could neither see nor hear, she had to use manual alphabet. But Helen’s energy and intelligence and strong spirit as well as Miss Sullivan’s skill and patience, overcame all the difficulties. As Helen grew up, she became an able student, passed examination and finally took a university degree in English literature. She then devoted all herself to helping the blind and the deaf. Her personal success, together with the work she had done for others, made her one of the greatest women in modern times. She wrote many books and “The Story of My Life”is a wonderful one.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Helen Keller was born blind and deaf. |
| B．She first became blind and then deaf. |
| C．She became blind and deaf in 1880. |
| D．She became blind and deaf sometime about January 1882. |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
| A．Helen became blind and deaf because she suffered from a high fever. |
| B．Helen became blind before she could see anything. |
| C．Helen became deaf before she realized how important it was to be able to hear and speak. |
| D．Helen, too, wanted to touch with others with speech. |
Helen was finally successful mainly because of______.
| A．her parents’ help |
| B．the manual alphabet Miss Sullivan used in teaching her |
| C．the help she got when she was studying for a university degree |
| D．her hard work, cleverness and will-power as well as Sullivan’s great efforts |
Helen Keller finally became______.
| A．an able student |
| B．a writer |
| C．the greatest woman in modern times |
| D．a student who took a university degree in English literature |
Helen Keller’s parents were greatly worried because___.
| A．She was growing older |
| B．She was cut off from others |
| C．she, too, wanted to express her ideas and feelings but she could not |
| D．she was almost seven years old and yet they were not sure whether they could find a suitable teacher for her |
LONDON (Reuters) — Children are dying for lack of drugs tailored to their needs, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which launched a global campaign on Thursday to promote more research into child medicine.
More than half of the drugs currently used to treat children in the industrialized world have not been specifically tested on youngsters.
The problem is even worse in developing countries where price remains a major barrier and 6 million children die each year from treatable conditions.
In the case of HIV/AIDS, the few existing pediatric therapies（儿科的疗法）developed for children generally cost three times more than adult ones.
As a result, clinicians lack clear guidelines on the best drug to use and often have to guess at the correct dose.
Fortunately, the WHO has drawn up the first international List of Essential Medicines for Children, containing 206 products considered safe for children.
“But a lot remains to be done. There are priority medicines that have not been adapted for children’s use or are not available when needed,” said Dr Hans, the U.N. agency’s director of medicines policy and standards.
Medicines that need to be adapted to children’s needs include many antibiotics, pain drugs as well as combination pills for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
The agency is building an Internet entrance linking to clinical trials carried out in children and will launch a Web site with the information early next year.
Testing medicines on children has always been a controversial issue, since good ethical（伦理的）practice requires informed agreement from people participating in clinical trials, which is difficult to obtain in the case of children.
As a result, research-based drug companies have been wary of developing child-friendly medicines and general companies have been slow to produce them at lower cost.
In an attempt to deal with the issue, both Europe and the United States now have special rules offering extended patent protection for drugs that have been tested on children. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．A Global Campaign to Promote Research into AIDS Medicine |
| B．WHO Says Children are Dying for Lack of Child-sized Drugs |
| C．Many People are Concerned about Children’s Drugs |
| D．Measures Taken to Develop Child-friendly Medicine Quickly |
Which of the following medicine is not needed to be adapted to children’s need according to the passage?
| A．Pain killers. | B．Tuberculosis | C．AID pills. | D．Flu pills. |
Why has testing medicines on children always been a controversial issue?
| A．It is against good ethical practice |
| B．Children shouldn’t take part in clinical trials. |
| C．It is hard to get informed agreement from children tested. |
| D．Parents don’t allow their children to be tested on medicine. |
The underlined word “wary” in the last but one paragraph means _________.
| A．fast | B．fond | C．cautious | D．uninterested |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．There is still a long way to go on children’s medicine. |
| B．An Internet entrance is being built to link to clinical trials carried out in children. |
| C．Both Europe and the United States now have special rules offering extended patent protection for children’s drugs. |
| D．Less than half of the drugs currently used to treat children in the industrialized world have not been specifically tested on youngsters |