The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place. Now it is an ecological（生态的） disaster area. Nauru’s heartbreaking story could have one good consequence — other countries might learn from its mistakes.
For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization. The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798. He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship. He called the island Pleasant Island.
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first. The whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol. These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island. A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.
Nauru’s real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate (磷酸盐)on the island. In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which a very important fertilizer for farming. The company began mining the phosphate.
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine（带状矿）. When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer（层） of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon.
In 1968, Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world. Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate.
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem — their phosphate was running out. Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing. By 2000, Nauru was financially ruined. Experts say that it would take approximately $433,600,000 and more than 20 years to repair the island. This will probably never happen. What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?
| A．To seek help for Nauru’s problems. | B．To give a warning to other countries. |
| C．To show the importance of money. | D．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war. |
What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?
| A．Rich and powerful. | B．Modern and open. |
| C．Peaceful and attractive. | D．Greedy and aggressive. |
The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from .
| A．soil pollution | B．phosphate over mining |
| C．farming activity | D．whale hunting |
Which of the following was a cause of Nauru’s financial problem?
| A．Its leaders misused the money. | B．It spent too much repairing the island. |
| C．Its phosphate mining cost much money. | D．It lost millions of dollars in the civil war. |
What can we learn about Nauru from the last paragraph?
| A．The phosphate mines were destroyed. | B．The leaders will take the experts’ words seriously. |
| C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans. | D．The ecological damage is difficult to repair. |
San Francisco's Chinatown is the biggest and oldest in the country. It's the third most visited tourist destination in the city. It's also the city's most densely populated neighbor- hood. So why are. businesses in Chinatown struggling?
In this week's paper, I outline some of the reasons for why Chinatown's crowded streets and busy shops might be declining. Underneath the surface, Chinatown is falling. And the city, local organizations and businesses are trying to figure out what they can do to turn things around.
While numbers of people visit Chinatown, they don't stay long and they don't spend a lot of money. And beyond annual festivals,1ike Chinese New Years, this month's Moon Festival and last month's Sunday Streets - which drew about 15,000 t0 20.000 people – the neighborhood has a hard time attracting locals.
Can you remember the last. time you went to Chinatown ?If you can't, You're not alone. Locals told me that Chinatown doesn't have much to offer them - that the stores are all the same. There are some good eating joints, people said, but they don't know how to find them. Some people even told me that they sometimes go to extreme measures to avoid the neighborhood altogether. But when asked if the-v would like to see Chinatown gone, the answer was always a strong no.
Locals are hopeful that things will get better and traffic will increase when the Central Subway is complete. But chat's not for another five years. at least. And if' new shops or restaurants don't make their way into Chinatown. the same problem of attracting locals will exist.
Not that Chinatown's going to die. The dragon still has some fire in its belly. And many people are rooting for positive change. The question is, how does Chinatown change without losing the very importance of what makes it unique?Which can we know about Chinatown according to the passage?
| A．Businesses in Chinatown are going well. |
| B．Local people like going shopping there. |
| C．A great number of people visit it every year. |
| D．No period has seen a more prosperous Chinatown. |
According to the locals we can know that _______.
| A．Chinatown doesn't love to offer them assistance |
| B．shops in Chinatown lack their own characteristics |
| C．it is hard to buy quality goods at proper prices |
| D．they feel annoyed to see so many familiar faces |
What is the author's attitude towards Chinatown?
| A．Negative. | B．Sympathy. | C．Hopeful. | D．Indifferent. |
It can be inferred from the passage ______.
| A．the Central Subway is under construction |
| B．Chinatown has to make way for subway |
| C．many restaurants have been closed down |
| D．the locals hope Chinatown will be extinct |
The biggest danger facing airlines nowadays may not be a terrorist with a gun, but the man with portable computer in business class. In the last 16 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic interference (电磁干扰). The source of this interference remains not proved, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic devices such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones.
RTC.A. an organization which advises the aviation (航空 )industry, has suggested that all airlines ban such devices from being used during "critical" stages of flight particularly take- off and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights .Cur- rently , rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines. And although some air- lines prevent passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing, most are un- willing to carry out a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flight.
The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft's computers. Experts know that portable devices send out radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication. But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory. they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be. dangerous or not.
The fact that aircraft may be fragile to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio systems in order to damage navigation equipment. As worrying, though, is the passenger who can 't hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music's too loud.What is said about the over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 16 years?
| A．They may have been caused by the damage to-the radio systems. |
| B．They may have taken place during take-off and landing. |
| C．They were proved to have been caused by the passengers portable computers. |
| D．They were suspected to have resulted from electromagnetic interference. |
Why is it difficult to predict the possible effects of electromagnetic fields on an airplane 's computers?
| A．Because it is extremely dangerous to conduct such research on an airplane. |
| B．Because it remains a mystery what wavelengths are liable to be interfered with. |
| C．Because research scientists have not been able to produce the same effects in labs. |
| D．Because experts lack adequate equipment to do such research. |
Few airlines want to perform a total ban on their passengers using electronic devices because_______
| A．they don't believe there is such a danger as radio interference |
| B．the harmful effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved |
| C．most passengers refused to take a plane ,which bans the use of radio and cassette players |
| D．they have other effective safety measures to fall back on |
The passage is mainly about_________.
| A．a new rule for all airlines |
| B．the disadvantages of electronic devices |
| C．a possible cause of aircraft incidents |
| D．effective safety measures for air flight |
The connection shared by grandparents and grandchildren is something very special and despite the changing family situation, it still remains strong across generations. For most of us, our grandparents were our first best friends, the ones with whom we shared our secrets and our pain.
In majority of the cases, grandparents would have babysat their grandchildren while parents were busy working and didn't have much time for their children. Even as a kid grows up, the love and affection for grandparents never dies, and for many teens, visiting grandparents or living with them in the same house is a pleasure. Kedar Patwary, a mass communication student, says, "I often end up having long conversations with my grandfather about the evolution of Indian society and I really admire him for the patience with which he answers all my questions. "
Many teenagers feel that their parents treat them as grown-ups, while their grandparents give them much freedom.
Leela Narayanan, a grandmother. says that she loves to pamper her grandchildren and cook favorite dishes for them. She further adds that her eldest granddaughter, who is now 19, was brought up by her till she was four and the closeness they shared remains the same even now。
At times, the gap m generations plays a negative role, when grandparents find it difficult adjusting to the modern lifestyle. Technology is what works against this relationship. Youngsters' eing crazy about with gadgets leaves them with no time for their loved ones.
Maria Kutty, is a grandmother t0 12 kids. Her face lights up every time her grandchildren are mentioned. But she has one complaint. "All my children stay close to me but when they come to visit and I want to spend time with them, I can't find them anywhere. They only have time for clickety-clackety things in their hands. Sometimes they listen to loud music and talk about things I don't understand. I feel very sad when I think of all those times," she says.The author uses Kedar Patwary as an example ______.
| A．to show Indian society is full of perfect harmony |
| B．to stress all the children admire their grandparents |
| C．to show grandparents get on well with grandchildren |
| D．to indicate grandparents are all good babysitters |
What does the underlined word "pamper" mean in the passage?
| A．Spoil. | B．Raise. | C．Manage. | D．Educate. |
The gap generation sometimes is negative because_______.
| A．grandchildren can 't fit in with modern lifestyle |
| B．grandparents are eager to know more technology |
| C．grandchildren are addicted to their digital products |
| D．grandparents spared no time with their grandchildren |
How does the author develop the passage?
| A．By giving example. |
| B．By following the order of time. |
| C．By making comparisons. |
| D．By his personal experience. |
Almost anywhere in the world, you can probably see graffiti (涂鸦画). Although it’s usually more common in big cities, it can be found in almost any community, big or small.
The problem with graffiti art is the question of whether it’s really art. This isn’t always an easy question to answer, simply because there are so many different types of graffiti. While some simply consists of collections of letters, known as tags, with little artistic value, such examples are easy to find, especially on larger spaces such as walls.
If it weren’t for the fact that most graffiti is placed on private property without permission, it might be more commonly recognized as a legal form of art. Most graffiti, however, annoys the property owner, who is more likely to paint over it or remove it than accept it as art.
Many ways of removing graffiti have been developed, such as paints that dissolve graffiti paint, or make it easy to remove. Community groups and government departments often organize graffiti-removal teams.
It hardly makes sense to encourage artists to deface (丑化) private or public property; but perhaps there are ways to work with them rather than just oppose them. Graffiti artists can, for example, create murals (壁画) for property owners, and get paid for them.
Maybe we need to start at a very basic level, and find a way to encourage the creation of graffiti art on paper or canvas rather than on walls. After all, who would remember Monet or Picasso if they’d created their masterpieces on walls, only to have them painted over the next day? Finding a solution to such a complex problem is never going to be easy, but with more and more graffiti art being recognized in galleries around the world, we do need to try.What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．How to Be a Good Graffiti Artist. |
| B．Stop Removing Graffiti! |
| C．Do You Like Graffiti? |
| D．Is Graffiti Art? |
The reason why people remove graffiti is that it ______.
| A．makes buildings ugly | B．has no artistic value at all |
| C．robs private property | D．takes up too much space |
In Paragraph 4, the underlined word "dissolve" is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．change | B．flow | C．remove | D．freeze |
The example of Monet and Picasso are mentioned in the passage to indicate that ______.
| A．they are world-famous artists |
| B．they are good at graffiti |
| C．walls are right places to keep their masterpieces |
| D．their works, if painted on the wall, might not be kept long |
The writer’s attitude toward graffiti is that graffiti ______.
| A．should be removed by more countries |
| B．should be saved on larger spaces |
| C．should be created only on paper or canvas |
| D．may be accepted as art |
Like most Oregonians, Stephanie McRae was used to driving in bad weather. Although rain still beat the window of her car, the worst of the day’s storm seemed to have passed as she drove her 11-year-old daughter, Maggie, home from a church at 8:30 p.m. Two little children sat into their car seats in back.
When crossing over Fawcett Creek (小河), McRae found the road just ahead had been washed away. The storm had turned Fawcett Creek into a 100-feet-wide river. Water began to go into the car and the four of them had to climb onto the car’s roof. The car was floating about and was being swept toward the Tillamook River only a few miles ahead. Suddenly it stopped when hitting a logjam (浮木阻塞).The water swept over them, rising higher and higher. Stephanie screamed into the rainy night, almost crying.
“Mom, I have to go and get help,” her 11-year-old daughter Maggie cried.
Stephanie realized if she went by herself, Maggie couldn’t hold on to the other two babies. But Maggie was still recovering from foot surgery. How could she manage? Finally she shouted, “I’m proud of you. Be careful!”
As Maggie McRae struggled to reach the shore, she was all wet. The sixth grader started running to the nearest house. Inside, the neighbors immediately called 911 and were told that firefighters were making their way toward another trapped car. Maggie joined the neighbors, and helped the rescue team point out where her mother was. Thefirefighters saved McRae and her children by using a 35-foot-long ladder.
When Stephanie reached land in safety, Maggie raced into her mother’s arms. “She hugged me for five minutes,” Maggie remembers. Maggie accepted an award for her heroism, but she’s happier to get back to her sports team and her family.What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Without the logjam, McRae’s car would have been swept into the Tillamook River. |
| B．The rain became heavier when McRae drove home. |
| C．McRae’s car was the only vehicle that was blocked in the Fawcett Creek that night. |
| D．Most of the time the weather in Oregon is quite good. |
Stephanie McRae’s screaming on the car’s roof suggested that she felt ______.
| A．surprised | B．helpless | C．disappointed | D．careless |
According to the passage, we can infer that Maggie ______.
| A．was strong enough to hold the two children in the water |
| B．tried to swim to the bank in order to get help |
| C．stopped her sports activities due to her foot injury |
| D．rescued her family using a ladder |
Which of the following is in the correct order of events?
①Firefighters rescued McRae and her children from the river.
②Firefighters were sent to the broken road.
③The neighbors Maggie found called 911.
④The rescue team had got informed of the trouble at Fawcett Creek.
⑤Another trapped car was found in the river by the firefighters.
| A．④②③⑤① | B．④③②①⑤ | C．③④②①⑤ | D．③④②⑤① |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A heavy storm that damaged a road and killed lots of drivers. |
| B．A brave young girl who helped save her family from flood. |
| C．Firefighters who rescued a family late at night from flood. |
| D．Great neighbors who saved people swept away into a river. |