A meteorite (陨石) flew fast across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, raining fireballs over a vast area and causing a shock wave that smashed windows, damaged buildings and injured l,200 people.
People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt the shock wave.
According to Russian space agency Roscosmos, the fireball, travelling at a speed of 30km per second, had burnt very brightly across the horizon, leaving a long white trail that could be seen as far as 200km away. Car alarms went off, thousands of windows shattered and mobile phone networks were disrupted.
“I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it were day,” said Viktor Prokofiev, 36, a resident of Yekaterinburg in the Urals Mountains. “I felt like I was blinded by headlights.”
The meteorite, which weighed about 20 tons and may have been made of iron, entered Earth’s atmosphere and broke apart 30-50km above ground, according to Russia’s Academy of Sciences.
The energy released when it entered the Earth’s atmosphere was about several thousand tons, the academy said, the power of a small atomic weapon exploding.
No deaths were reported, but the Emergencies Ministry said 20,000 rescue and clean-up workers were sent to the region after President Vladimir Putin told Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov to ease the disruption and help the victims.
The Interior Ministry said about l,200 people had been injured, at least 200 of them children, and most from broken pieces of glass.“While events this big are rare, an impact that could cause damage and death could happen every century or so. Unfortunately there is absolutely nothing we can do to stop impacts.”When did the meteorite incident happen?
| A．At midnight. |
B．In the early morning. |
| C．In the late morning. |
D．In the evening. |
According to the text, the meteorite explosion caused _________.
| A．some deaths |
B．road accidents |
| C．communication problems |
D．building collapse |
The Russian government’s response to the incident was ________.
| A．a little slow but effective |
B．quick and serious |
| C．cold and slow |
D．quick but ineffective |
It can be inferred that the loss caused by meteorites _________.
| A．is nearly unavoidable |
B．happens every few years |
| C．can be avoided |
D．is hard to estimate |
Mexico City is truly one of the most amazing cities in the world with a mixture of both the old and new world. From the moment your plane starts to land in this vast city, you know that your trip will be quite an adventure.
Once in your taxi and the moment you leave the airport, you are amazed at the large amount of slow traffic. The volume of the traffic can be stressful to some.
The "Paseo de la Reforma (改革大道)", running southwest across the city, is one of the major tourist and business areas in Mexico City with many high quality hotels only walking distance from great restaurants and other tourist attr
actions. The only problem you will have is trying to see all of these sites during your vacation time.
One of the most popular attractions in this area is the National Museum of Anthropology along the northwest part of the street. There are thousands of artifacts on display showing the history of the area and numerous items found from the many Aztec sites in the area. Walking southwest from the museum, you will soon reach the Mexico City Zoo, which is a great place to spend an afternoon.
Across the street from the museum is the Chapultepec Castle, once an important site in the Mexican-American war. It's also a good idea to take the train up the hill to where the castle is located as the hill is steep (陡峭的). It's important to keep in mind that Mexico City is over 7,000 feet above sea level and some feel it difficult to breathe when walking.
You can take a taxi to the Coyoacan market during the evening on a weekend. It's a great place to get some cheap souvenirs （纪念品）to bring back home and to enjoy some traditional Mexican cuisine. However, you must be careful where you eat and that the meat is well cooked. The tourists in Mexico City may not be satisfied with______.
| A．the high speed of the traffic | B．the heavy traffic of the city |
| C．the polluted air in the city | D．their safety in the city |
Which of the following shows the correct positions of the following places?
P =" Paseo" de la ReformaM =" the" National Museum of Anthropology
C =" the" Chapultepec CastleZ =" the" Mexico City Zoo
Which of the following attractions may interest those who want to study the military (of the army) history of Mexico City?
| A．The National Museum of Anthropology. | B．The Coyoacan market. |
| C．The Chapultepec Castle. | D．The Aztec sites. |
My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation i
n Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. My first job was to drive the oxen（牛） that ploughed the cane fields. I would walk behind an ox, guiding him with a broomstick. For $ 1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks.
It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons. Because the plantation 
owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could. I’ve never been late for any job since. I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for. More important, I earned my pay; it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn’t want to work.
I was only six years old, but I was doing a man’s jo
b. Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than $ 18 a week. Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet. Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. This gave me self-esteem(自尊心), one of the most important things a person can have.
When I was seven, I got work at a golf course near our house. My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find them. Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one. Some nights I would lie in bed and dreamt of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle.
The more I dreamed, the more I thought. Why not? I made my first golf club out of guava limb(番石榴树枝) and a piece of pipe. Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball. And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth. I practiced with the same devotion and intensity. I learned working in the field — except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick.The word “tedious” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _______.
| A．difficult | B．boring | C．interesting | D．unusual |
The writer learned that_______ from his first job.
| A．he should work for those who he liked most |
| B．he should work longer than what he was expected |
| C．he should never fail to say hello to his owner |
| D．he should be respectful and faithful to the people he worked for |
_______ gave the writer self-esteem.
| A．Having a family of eight people |
| B．Owning his own golf course |
| C．Bringing money back home to help the family |
| D．Helping his father with the work on the plantation |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．He wanted to be a successful golfer. |
| B．He wanted to run a golf course near his house. |
| C．He was satisfied with the job he got on a plantation. |
D．He wanted to make money by guiding oxen with a brooms tick. |
While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states—at least in getting people off welfare．It's estimated that more than 2 million people have left the list since 1994．
In the past four years, welfare list in Athens County have been cut in half．But 70 percent of the people who left in the past two years took jobs that paid less than $ 6 an hour．The result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent —twice the national average．For advocates（代言人） for the poor, that's an indication that much more needs to be done．
"More people are getting jobs, but it's not making their lives any better," says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington．A center analysis of US Census data （户口普查资料） nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed families were earning money on their own, but that average income for these families actually went down．
But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory．"Welfare was a poison．It was a poisonous substance that was poisoning the family," says Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst．"The reform is changing the moral climate in low-income communities．It's beginning to rebuild the work ethic （道德观）, which is much more important．"
Mr．Rector and others argued that once "the habit of dependency is cracked," then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards．．From the passage, it can be seen that the author ____．
| A．believes the reform has reduced the government's burden |
| B．insists that welfare reform is doing little good for the poor |
| C．is not interested in the success of welfare reform |
| D．considers welfare reform to be fundamentally successful |
．
Why aren't people enjoying better lives when they have jobs?
| A．Because many families end their marriage． |
| B．Because government aid is now rare． |
| C．Because their wages are still low． |
| D．Because the cost of living is rising． |
．From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at____．
A．saving welfare funds B, rebuilding the work ethic
C．providing more jobs D．cutting government expensesAccording to the passage,____ before the welfare reform was carried out．
| A．the poverty rate was lower |
| B．average living standards were higher |
| C．the average worker was paid higher-wages |
| D．the poor used to rely on government aid |
I used to watch her from my kitchen window．She seemed so small as she struggled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground．The school was across the street from our home and I would often watch the kids as they played during break．I remember the first day I saw her playing basketball．I watched in wonder as she ra
n circles a- round the other kids．She
managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net．The boys always tried to stop her but no one could．I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone．
One day I asked her why she practiced so much．Without a moment of hesitation she said, "I want to go to college．The only way I can go is to get a scholarship to save money for our family．I am going to play college basketball．I want to be the best．My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don't count．" Well, I had to give it to her ?she was determined．I watched her through those junior high years and into high school．Every week, she led her school team to victory．
One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head in her arms．I walked up and sat down in the cool grass beside her．Quietly I asked what was wrong． "Oh, nothing," came a soft reply, "I am just too short．" The coach told her that she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team ?much less offered a scholarship —so she should stop dreaming about college．She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment．I asked her if she had talked to Father about it yet．She told me that her father said those coaches were wrong．They just did not understand the power of a dream．He told her that if she truly wanted a scholar-ship, nothing could stop her except one thing —her own attitude．
The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was offered a scholarship and joined the college team．She was going to get the college education that she had dreamed of．.
The author was probably the girl's____．
| A．neighbor | B．friend | C．teacher | D．mother |
.
．Why was the girl's heart broken?
| A．She was considered too short to be a top player． |
| B．Her coach stopped her training because of her height． |
| C．She couldn't be on a college basketball team． |
| D．She wouldn't be admitted by her basketball friends． |
.
We can learn from the passage that ____．
| A．her family wouldn't like to pay her college fee |
| B．her father forced her to play basketball in collage |
| C．being a top basketball player can win a scholarship for college |
| D．she wouldn't like to turn to his father for help when in difficulty |
.
．Which proverb best matches the story?
| A．Practice makes perfect． |
| B．Rome was not built in a day． |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way． |
| D．Pride comes before a fall． |
We can all contribute to a greener world．Just follow these ten golden rules:
●Stop getting junk mail．Billions of junk mail can be sent every year．Half of it is never opened．Get-your name off mailing lists．If 100,000 people stopped getting junk mail today, it would save 150,000 trees a year．
●Stop reading newspapers．All over the world, millions of newspapers are thrown away every day, 44 million newspapers in the USA alone —that's half a million trees a week．Either recycle your newspapers or read the hews online．
●Buy clothes made from organic materials．Conventional cotton farming seriously pollutes the environment, most of which uses ch
emical pesticides （农药） and fertilizers． Organic is better!
●Switch to solar energy．In one day, the sun will provide enough energy to power the planet．Why aren't we using it?
●If you have to drive, share the ride．Most cars in the USA have only one occupant．Also, 25 percent of car rides are less than 1．5 kilometres．Get out and walk!
●Unplug your PC, TV and VCR．Simply turning them off isn't enough．Sets left on standby are still using 25 percent of their power．
●Hold on to your balloons．Helium-filled balloons which fly away usually end up in a lake or river, where they can choke aquatic (水生的) creatures．Sav
e your balloons and use them again．Or better still, don't use them at all．
●Feed the birds．Wild birds need food, especially in v/inter when other sources can be scarce．The greater the range of foodstuffs you put out for them, the more types of birds you will attract．
●Plant a garden at your school．Learn the connection between the land and the table．Plant vegetables to eat, flowers to admire and trees to improve the air．.
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To provide some health advice on how to work． |
| B．To suggest some ways how to make full use of solar energy． |
| C．To advise protecting environment and saving energy． |
| D．To advise on how to recycle waste and save energy． |
.
．The underlined expression "left on standby" in the sixth rule means____．
| A．ready to start and use electricity | B．ready to be turned off |
| C．ready to be repaired | D．ready to be．put away |
.
．Which of the following will NOT protect trees from being cut down to make paper?
| A．Not buying newspapers． | B．Don't accept junk mail． |
| C．Read your newspaper online． | D．Read only one newspaper． |