In July 1994 Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, was struck by 21 pieces of a comet (彗星). When the fragments (碎片) landed in the southern part of the giant planet, the explosions(爆炸) were watched by scientists here on the earth. But what if our own planet was hit by a comet?
The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two fragments will probably hit the southern part of the Earth. The news has caused panic.
On 17 July, a fragment, four kilometers wide, enters the Earth's atmosphere with a huge explosion. About half of the fragment is destroyed. But the major part survives and hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and an enormous(巨大的) wave is created and spreads. The wall of water rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometres an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned. The wave moves into the Indian Ocean and heads towards Asia.
Millions of people are already dead in the southern part of the Earth, but the north won't escape for long. Tons of broken pieces are thrown into the atmosphere by the explosions. As the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later civilization has collapsed(崩溃). No more than 10 million people have survived.
Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a space fragment. The dinosaurs couldn't survive in the cold climate that followed and they became extinct. Will we meet the same end?Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the author's description of the disaster in 2094?
| A．The whole world becomes extremely cold |
| B．All the coastal cities in Africa are destroyed |
| C．The visit of the comet results in wars |
| D．The whole mankind becomes extinct |
Why does the author mention dinosaurs at the end of the passage?
| A．Because they could only live in the warm climate |
| B．Because their extinction indicates future disasters |
| C．Because they once dominated(控制) the earth |
| D．Because dinosaurs and humans never live in the same age |
In writing the passage, the author intends to ______.
| A．give an accurate description of the possible disaster in the future |
| B．prove that humans will sooner or later be destroyed |
| C．warn of a possible disaster in the future |
| D．tell the historical development of the Earth |
It can be concluded that the passage is most probably part of a(n) ______.
| A．article of popular science | B．news report |
| C．research paper | D．horror story |
Societies all over the world name places in similar ways. Quite often there is no official naming ceremony but places tend to be called names as points of reference by people. Then an organized body steps in and gives the place a name. Frequently it happens that a place has two names: One is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habitsdied hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.
Many roads and places in Singapore(新加坡) are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries ---- in both the West and the East.
Another way of naming places is naming them after other places. Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were originally from the places that the roads were named after. The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases. If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus ----obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel.
Sine places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places. Bras Basah Road is an interesting example, “Base Basah” means “wet rice” in Malay(马来语). Now why would anyone want to name a road “Wet Rice Road”? The reason is simple. During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road.
A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes. There is “Circular Road” for one. Other roads may have part of their names to describe their shapes, like “Paya Lebar Crescent”. This road is called a crescent(月牙) because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again.We learn from Paragraph 1 that _____.
| A．the government is usually the first to name a place |
| B．many places tend to have more than one name |
| C．a ceremony will be held when a place is named |
| D．people prefer the place names given by the government |
What does the underlined phrase “die hard” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．Change suddenly. | B．Change significantly. |
| C．Disappear mysteriously. | D．Disappear very slowly. |
Which of the following places is named after a person?
| A．Raffles Place. | B．Selector Airbase. |
| C．Piccadilly Circus. | D．Paya Lebar Crescent. |
Bras Basah Road is named _______.
| A．after a person | B．after a place | C．after an activity | D．by its shape |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Some place names in Singapore are the same as in Britain. |
| B．Some places in Singapore are named for military purposes. |
| C．The way Singaporeans name their places is unique. |
| D．Young Singaporeans have forgotten the pioneers. |
Every night for a year, Neil Simmons quietly went out of his house. He wanted to “talk” to an owl settling for the night at the end of his garden. He made owl cries like a real wild owl (猫头鹰)and was happy to hear the bird “hooting (大声叫嚣)” back to him.
Last year Fred Cornes moved in next door. He heard an owl hooting and answered back. For 12 months the neighbors got into the back gardens of their homes, thinking they were talking with nature. Mr. Simmons kept a diary of all his talks with his bird friend. They would both be out again tonight if it wasn’t for a chance talk between their wives.
Mr. Simmons said. “My wife Kim was telling Fred’s wife Wendy about my owl watching and described how I got the birds to boot back. She said, ‘That’s funny — that’s just what Fred has been doing.’ Then the penny dropped, I felt such a fool when I found out. The trouble is that owl calls aren’t exactly the same and it’s easy to make a mistake.”
Mr. Cornes said, “I’m really flattered (过奖). I didn’t know I sounded so real. I love nature and I couldn’t resist hooting at the owls. I was very excited when they hooted back. I’m sorry that I was fooling my neighbor who was fooling me.”
45．After the talk between the wives, the two men would probably _________ .
A．stop observing owls B．not stay up hooting again
C．not enter the back garden again D．make no mistakes about wild owl cries
46．“Then the penny dropped.” most probably means “Then __________.”
A．I understood B．everybody knew about it
C．I heard the noise D．no money was paid
47．Mr. Simmons felt upset about the whole thing because __________.
A．all his efforts seemed to be meaningless
B．his wife let out his secret by chance
C．garden owls hooted so differently
D．Fred had been doing the same
48．The text suggests that __________.
A．Nail seldom heard natural owl calls
B．the owl never hooted back to Neil
C．Fred was always good at pleasing owls
D．owl watching is no longer interesting to Fred
“The pen is more powerful than the sword(剑).” There have been many writers who used their pens to fight things that were wrong. Mrs Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of them. She was born in the U.S.A. in 1811.One of her books not only made her famous but has been described as one that excited the world, and was helpful in causing a civil war and freeing the enslaved race. The civil war was the American Civil War of 1861,in which the Northern States fought the Southern States and finally won.
This book that shook the world was called Uncle Tom’s Cabin. There was a time when every English-speaking man, woman, and child has read this novel that did so much to stop slavery. Not many people read it today, but it is still very interesting. The book has shown us how a warm-hearted writer can arouse(唤起) people’s sympathies. The author herself had neither been to the Southern States nor been a slave. The Southern Americans were very angry at the book, which they said did not at all represent true state of affairs, but the Northern Americans were wildly excited over it and were so inspired by it that they were ready to go to war to set the slaves free.
41．Accordingtothepassage______.
A．everyEnglish-speakingpersonhasreadUncleTom'sCabin
B．UncleTom'sCabinwasnotveryinteresting
C．thosewhodon'tspeakEnglishcannothavereadUncleTom'sCabin
D．thebookUncleTom'sCabindidagreatdealintheAmericanCivilWar
42．HowoldwasMrsHarrietBeecherStowewhenherworldfamousbookwaspublished?
A．Aboutsixtyyearsold. B．Overfiftyyearsold.
C．Inherforties. D．Aroundtwentyyearsold. 43.WhatdoyoulearnaboutMrsHarrietBeecherStowefromthepassage?
A．ShehadbeenlivinginthenorthofAmericabeforetheAmericanCivilWar
brokeout.
B．SheherselfencouragedtheNorthernAmericanstogotowartosettheslavesfree.
C．Shewasbetteraswritingasswinging(挥舞)asword.
D．Shehadoncebeenaslave.
44．What can we learn from the passage?
A．We needn’t use weapons to fight things that are wrong.
B．A writer is more helpful in a war than a soldier.
C．We must understand the importance of literature and art.
D．No war can be won without such a book as UncleTom'sCabin.
“The pen is more powerful than the sword(剑).” There have been many writers who used their pens to fight things that were wrong. Mrs Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of them. She was born in the U.S.A. in 1811.One of her books not only made her famous but has been described as one that excited the world, and was helpful in causing a civil war and freeing the enslaved race. The civil war was the American Civil War of 1861,in which the Northern States fought the Southern States and finally won.
This book that shook the world was called Uncle Tom’s Cabin. There was a time when every English-speaking man, woman, and child has read this novel that did so much to stop slavery. Not many people read it today, but it is still very interesting. The book has shown us how a warm-hearted writer can arouse(唤起) people’s sympathies. The author herself had neither been to the Southern States nor been a slave. The Southern Americans were very angry at the book, which they said did not at all represent true state of affairs, but the Northern Americans were wildly excited over it and were so inspired by it that they were ready to go to war to set the slaves free.
41．Accordingtothepassage______.
A．everyEnglish-speakingpersonhasreadUncleTom'sCabin
B．UncleTom'sCabinwasnotveryinteresting
C．thosewhodon'tspeakEnglishcannothavereadUncleTom'sCabin
D．thebookUncleTom'sCabindidagreatdealintheAmericanCivilWar
42．HowoldwasMrsHarrietBeecherStowewhenherworldfamousbookwaspublished?
A．Aboutsixtyyearsold. B．Overfiftyyearsold.
C．Inherforties. D．Aroundtwentyyearsold. 43.WhatdoyoulearnaboutMrsHarrietBeecherStowefromthepassage?
A．ShehadbeenlivinginthenorthofAmericabeforetheAmericanCivilWar
brokeout.
B．SheherselfencouragedtheNorthernAmericanstogotowartosettheslavesfree.
C．Shewasbetteraswritingasswinging(挥舞)asword.
D．Shehadoncebeenaslave.
44．What can we learn from the passage?
A．We needn’t use weapons to fight things that are wrong.
B．A writer is more helpful in a war than a soldier.
C．We must understand the importance of literature and art.
D．No war can be won without such a book as UncleTom'sCabin.
A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below l6℃．Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate．Without the forest cover，these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere，warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns，potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world．
In the past hundred years，humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources(资源): land for crops，wood for paper and other products，land for raising farm animals．This action affects the environment as a whole．For example，a lot of carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) in the air comes from burning the rainforests．People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.
There are two main reasons for this．Firstly，when people cut down trees，generally they can only use the land for a year or two．Secondly，cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now，but in the long run it actually reduces the world’s wood supply．
Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store．More than 25％ of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests．However，fewer than l％of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value．It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests．Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they ．
| A．reflect more heat into the atmosphere |
| B．bring about high rainfall throughout the world |
| C．rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than l6℃ |
| D．reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth |
What does the word “this” underlined in the third paragraph refer to?
| A．We will lose much more than we can gain． |
| B．Humans have begun destroying rainforests． |
| C．People have a strong desire for resources． |
| D．Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests． |
It can be inferred from the text that .
| A．we can get enough resources without rainforests |
| B．there is great medicine potential in rainforests |
| C．we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land |
| D．the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns |
What might be the best title for the text?
| A．How to Save Rainforests | B．How to Protect Nature |
| C．Rainforests and the Environment | D．Rainforests and Medical Development |