In Chicago, a computerized system has been developed that controls(管理)traffic on the city’s 235 miles of seven expressways. Now one—a controller—can follow the movement of Chicago’s traffic by looking at a set of lights. The system uses electric sensors(感应器) that are built into each expressway, every half a mile. Several times a second, the computer receives information from each sensor and translates it into green, yellow or red lights on a map in the control room. A green light means traffic is moving forty-five miles an hour, yellow means thirty to forty-five miles an hour, and red means heavy traffic—cars standing still or moving less than thirty miles an hour.
“See that red light near Austin Avenue?”the controller asked a visitor.“That’s a repair truck fixing the road, and the traffic has to go around it.”At the Roosevelt Road entrance to the expressway, the light kept changing from green to red and back to green again.“A lot of trucks get on the expressway there,”the controller explained.“They can’t speed up as fast as cars.”The sensors show immediately where an accident or a stopped car is blocking the tr
affic, and a truck is sent by radio to clear the road. The system has lowered the number of accidents by 18 percent. There are now 1.4 deaths on Chicago’s expressway for each one hundred million miles traveled, while in other parts of the county there are 2.6.
Traffic experts say that the Chicago system is the “coming thing”.Systems like Chicago’s are already in use on some expressways in Los Angeles and Houston.“Chicago has taken the lead,”said New York City’s traffic director and he added,“Chicago’s a good example.”
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案，并在答题卡上按要求作答。The passage is mainly about ________ on expressways in Chicago.
| A．the traffic control system | B．the movement of the traffic |
| C．the electric sensors | D．the traffic lights |
When the cars move under 30 miles an hour, ________ on the map in the control room.
| A．the red light appears | B．the red light turns yellow |
| C．the yellow light appears | D．the green light turns red |
According to the passage, we may learn __________.
| A．some visitors are traveling on the expressway |
| B．there is no heavy traffic on Chicago’s expressways |
| C．the traffic on Chicago’s expressways is well managed |
| D．the number of accidents in the US has dropped by 18% |
In Paragraph 2 the underlined word “it” refers to ___________.
| A．the red light | B．the truck that needs repairing |
| C．the traffic | D．the truck that is fixing the road |
The writer writes the article mainly by _________.
| A．giving reasons and results | B．giving examples and explaining them |
| C．describing what he thinks | D．asking and answering questions |
It is December 25th, 2050. The people in the city are all celebrating Christmas. I’m the mayor of our city. My citizens* and I are holding a big party under the sea, though you wouldn’t believe it. But please do not feel excited, you should feel sad because we have to live under the sea. Because of the pollution, the earth has been completely destroyed, from top to bottom. The atmosphere* has no oxygen* and moisture*. As a result, the plants are burned by the strong sunlight with a great number of harmful rays. Of course, none of them are still alive. Not only no green, but also the temperature reaches about 121℃ all day even in winter because there is too much CO2 circling the earth.
On the land, there is no life. Luckily, the sea is not destroyed by human. So, we have to move into the sea. At the bottom of the water, people have built many new cities. There is a lot of advanced* equipment* in each city. Computers are used to control all the machines, even the people’s life. We can also make the seawater into fresh water. There are two machines making oxygen. If they stop working for only one minute, more than 10 million people will die.
The population of our city is over 30 million and, of course, it is quite crowded. We have lots of high buildings and bridges. The roads are wide, too. Our cars are miniature* UFOs, don’t be surprised, it is true. At the bottom of the sea you can’t see anything, because there is no light all day. However, we have advanced lighting equipment so that we can see the “sun” under the sea. Of course, the advanced lighting equipment is very expensive. And if it doesn’t work, we can see nothing under the sea. What should we do then?Where are they holding a big Christmas party?
| A．On the land | B．Under the sea | C．In high buildings | D．On the road |
What controls people’s life under the sea?
| A．Machines | B．Computers | C．Advanced equipment | D．Human beings |
Why do people have to live under the sea in 2050 according to the passage?
| A．It is interesting to build cities and live under the sea. |
| B．We have advanced lighting equipment so that we can see the “sun” under the sea. |
| C．There is no oxygen and moisture around the earth as it is destroyed. |
| D．We can make oxygen under the sea with the high technology. |
What can we learn from this article ?
| A．The plants are burned by the strong sunlight with a great number of useful rays. |
| B．There will be no lives in the world in 2050. |
| C．People prefer to live under the sea in 2050. |
| D．We should protect our environment instead of destroying it. |
What might the best title for this passage be .
| A．A Christmas In The Future | B．A City Under The Sea |
| C．The Underwater Life | D．The Future Life Under The Water |
It's the end of class. When the bell rings, students of Luohu Foreign Languages School in Shenzhen quickly take out their cell phones. They want to log on* to their micro blogs to check the interesting things that have happened in the last hour.
Since last year, the trend* of micro blogging has swept the country. Recent surveys shows that most students in middle schools have a micro blog and some even update* their blogs over five times per day.
"We learn many fresh and interesting things on micro blogs and they have become popular topics in class," said Andy Liang, 14. "If you do not know about them, you are out of the loop."
It is also a great place for students to let out stress. "My parents always ask me to study all the time, and encourage me before exams, but it really adds pressure," said Simon Zhang, 15. "When I share these feelings on my micro blog, I get many replies from friends in the same situation, which makes me feel better."
But parents are worried that micro blogging could be a waste of time. Some misleading messages may even cause danger to kids, they said.
Mr. Shen, a professor at the China Education Association, suggests parents not worry too much as long as kids are not crazy about micro blogging. Maybe it can become a window for parents to understand their children. "If parents can read their children's micro blogs, they'll know their thoughts, thus leading to better communication and solutions to problems," he said. He also gives some tips for kids.
---Don't micro blog for more than one hour a day.
---Never micro blog in class.
---Try to talk face to face with people from time to time.
---Be critical*. Don't trust all the messages on a micro blog.The underlined part "out of the loop" in the passage probably means .
| A．not popular | B．not excited | C．unhealthy | D．unlucky |
Micro blog made Simon when he shared his feelings and got replies on his micro biog.
| A．feel sad | B．let out stress | C．add pressure | D．make friends |
We can know from Mr. Shen that micro blogging can.
| A．make kids crazy while logging on to it |
| B．bring a lot of misleading messages |
| C．become a window to understand young kids |
| D．lead to worse communication |
Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．It's good for kids to micro blog for more than one hour a day. |
| B．Kids should trust all the messages on a micro blog because they are useful. |
| C．The trend of micro blogging has swept the country since five years ago. |
| D．Kids should try to talk face to face with people, not just micro blogging. |
If you are going to Europe, you might consider taking some time to visit Provence. Whether you are interested in beautiful places, ancient history, good food, or music and theater, Provence has something to offer to you.
Provence once was a Roman province and is in the southeast of France now. You will be attracted by its green hills, olive* trees, and old towns with pretty houses. Visitors can find forests, colorful flowers, horses, and people with smiles there. Provence is also “the city of dream in Europe.” Some people say it is Provence that makes France so romantic. The palace should play an important part in the romantic stories.
The Flowers: Provence is the hometown of lavenders* and sunflowers. Lavender means “waiting for love”. It also means beautiful. The mountains of Lubero is the most beautiful area across France. And there are also many kinds of lavenders. Compared with the fantastic flowers Lavender, sunflower is a lot warmer. Under the sunlight, thousands of yellow sunflowers are smiling at the sun.
The Food: The people there are well-known for keeping their traditional lifestyles. And in the restaurant, you will have the experience of eating the food that has the too much use of olive oil. The food is fresh and healthy. All the things make Provence become the heaven to those who like delicious food.
The other activities: Provence is the Kingdom of city. They hold many parties, dance, and festivals. You can even see a bullfight* in the towns of Arles and Nimes, or enjoy great shows with the famous stars.
May to July are the best tourist months. Not only the red sky, the sweet smell of olive, but also the wonderful lavenders, make Provence send out the breath of romantic.The Provence lies ___________.
| A．in the southeast of France |
| B．in the northeast of France |
| C．in the southwest of France |
| D．in the northwest of France |
We can do following things EXCEPT____________ in Provence
| A．watching a bullfight |
| B．enjoying great shows with the famous stars. |
| C．seeing beautiful sights |
| D．eating the food that has the too much use of fish oil |
According to the passage, which following statement is RIGHT?
| A．Provence has green hills, olive trees, and new towns with pretty houses. |
| B．Lavender is warmer than sunflower. |
| C．If a person likes food, Provence is a wonderful place for him. |
| D．June is not a good time to visit Provence. |
| HOT MOVIES IN THEATERS |
|
 Flying swords of Dragon Gate |
It’s a great action movie with a lot of stars like Jet Li and Zhou Xun. It’s based on the story of 1992’s New Dragon Gate Inn, a work by Tsui Hark. Ticket: ￥60 （Student Ticket: ￥30） |
 The Flowers of War |
Do you like Zhang Yimou? He likes to play big. His new movie The Flowers of War is China’s most expensive film yet.The film is also aimed to take the international market. It will be on in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco on December 23.The story begins in the rubble* of Nanjing after the fall of the city to the Japanese on December 13, 1937. Ticket: ￥90 （Student Ticket: ￥45） |
What kind of movies is Flying swords of Dragon Gate？
| A．A documentary. | B．An action movie. | C．A thriller. | D．A comedy |
Where does the story of the movie The Flowers of War happen?
| A．New York | B．Los Angeles | C．San Francisco | D．Nanjing |
Lindy is a middle school student. She wants to see The Flowers of War with her father.
How much do they need to pay?
| A．￥90 | B．￥45 | C．￥180 | D．￥135 |
Did you ever wonder how some of your favorite foods, products or toys came about? Believe it or not, they may have been an accident, or a failure of some other intention. Below, we found three mistakes we’re thankful for turned out to be what they are.
1. Most historians hold that the Chinese invented fireworks in the 9th century when they discovered how to make gunpowder. Story has it that a Chinese cook accidentally mixed together what were then considered common kitchen items and noticed they burnt. When put tightly in a bamboo tube and lit, it blew up.
2. In May of 1886, a law led John Pemberton, a pharmacist(药剂师), to rewrite the formula(配方) for “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca”, his popular headache treatment. Containing sugar instead of wine as a sweetener, the outcome became something for Coke, which was later mixed with carbonated(碳酸) water. His bookkeeper suggested the name Coca-Cola because he thought the two C’s would look good together, which is how what we call Coca-Cola, a world-wide drink came into being.
3. During World WarⅡ, scientists at the University of Birmingham invented the magnetron(磁控管)—an important heat-producing part of the microwave oven. While working for Raytheon Corporation after the war, the American engineer Percy Spencer was testing the magnetron when a chocolate bar in his pocket melted. He went on to test other foods including popcorn kernels(仁), and found it to be a much more efficient way to cook. In 1947 Raytheon came out with the first restaurant microwave oven, which was six feet tall and weighed 750 lbs.The right time order of the three inventions should be ________.
| A．fireworks, the microwave and Coca-Cola |
| B．fireworks, Coca-Cola and the microwave |
| C．Coca-Cola, fireworks and the microwave |
| D．the microwave, Coca-Cola and fireworks |
Percy Spencer found the microwave efficient in cooking when he was ________.
| A．looking for a way to melt his chocolate |
| B．trying to know how a magnetron could cook |
| C．working to know how the magnetron works |
| D．asked to invent a restaurant microwave oven |
The underlined phrase “ blew up” might mean _______ in Chinese.
| A．爆炸 | B．膨胀 | C．升华 | D．蒸发 |
What can we learn from the above invention stories?
| A．Experiments make great inventors of our time. |
| B．Nothing is impossible if one tries each day. |
| C．Inventors come out of hard work at any time. |
| D．A small incident may lead to a great invention. |