Hurricane Sandy was a hurricane that destroyed parts of the Caribbean and the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States during late October 2012, with minor impacts in the Southeastern and Midwestern states and Eastern Canada. Sandy, classified as the eighteenth named storm and tenth hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, was a Category 2 storm at its peak intensity. While it was a Category 1 storm off the coast of the Northeastern United States, the storm became the largest Atlantic hurricane on record. Previous estimates of losses due to damage and business interruption are estimated at $65.6 billion, which would make it the second-costliest Atlantic hurricane, behind only Hurricane Katrina. At least 253 people were killed along the path of the storm in eight countries.
Sandy developed from a tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on October 22, quickly strengthened, and was upgraded to Tropical Storm six hours later. Sandy moved slowly northward toward the Greater Antilles and gradually becoming stronger. On October 24, Sandy became a hurricane, made landfall near Kingston, Jamaica, a few hours later, entered into the Caribbean Sea again and strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane. On October 25, Sandy hit Cuba, and then weakened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 26, Sandy moved through the Bahamas. On October 27, Sandy briefly weakened to a tropical storm and then restrengthened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 29, Sandy turned from north to northwest and then moved ashore near Atlantic City, New Jersey, as a post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds.
In the United States, Hurricane Sandy affected 24 states, including the entire eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine and west across the Appalachian Mountains to Michigan and Wisconsin, with particularly severe damage in New Jersey and New York. Its storm hit New York City on October 29, flooding streets, tunnels and subway lines and cutting power in and around the city. Damage in the US is estimated at over $63 billion.According to the passage, which of the following wind forms is the strongest?
| A．Tropical wave. | B．Tropical storm. |
| C．Category 1 hurricane. | D．Category 2 hurricane. |
We can learn from the passage that_______.
A. Sandy caused 253 deaths totally in the USA.
B. Sandy reached its strongest in the Caribbean Sea.
C. Sandy resulted in great loss in most states in the USA.
D. Sandy is the second largest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded.Which of the following graph shows the development of Sandy?
A． |
B． |
C． |
D． |
What is the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To tell us how terrible Sandy is. |
| B．To teach us what to do in face of hurricanes. |
| C．To inform readers of Sandy and its damage. |
| D．To warn readers of the dangers caused by hurricanes. |
Nickname: Hawaii’s Island of Adventure Size: 4,028 square miles
Population: 148,677. The most heavily populated areas are Hilo on the east side and Kailua-Kona on the west.
Temperature: Averages between 71°F and 77°F year around (expect the mercury (水银柱) to drop at higher heights).
Beaches: 47 Golf Courses: 20 Highest Peak: Mauna Kea, 13,796 feet.
Agriculture: The bulk (主体) of Hawaii’s farming products are grown and processed on the Big Island, including coffee, macadamia nuts and papaya.
Lodging: 9,655 rooms total; Nightly rates range from$ 35—$ 5,000.
Airports: Hilo International Airport on the east side and Kona International Airport on the west side.
Rental Cars: All of the nationally known rental car companies have locations at Hilo International and Kona International Airports as well as many resorts. In addition, Hilo, Kona and the major resort areas are serviced by taxis.
Resources: Call (800) 648—2441 to order a video, poster, brochures and maps from the Big Island Visitors Bureau. See www.bigisland.org for Updated information.
Shopping: The large shopping centers are in Hilo, Kona, Waimea and the Kohala Coast.
59．The passage is intended to be read by _______.
A．students B．businessmen C．tourists D．immigrants
60．What does the underlined part “expect the mercury to drop at higher heights” mean?
A．Things are easy to lose weight at higher places.
B．Dropping things from higher places is expected.
C．Temperature is expected to be lower at higher places.
D．Temperature is expected to be higher at higher places.
61．Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a traffic means to get around the Big Island?
A．By train. B．By air. C．By rental car. D．By taxi.
62．What can we infer from the passage?
A．You can see www.bigisland.org for updated information.
B．You can call (800) 648 – 2441 to order some food.
C．You can find some counts to play tennis on the island.
D．You may pay a high price for spending one night on the island.
My aunt Edith was a widow of 50, working as a secretary, when doctors discovered what was then thought to be a very serious heart disease.
Aunt Edith doesn’t accept defeat easily .She began studying medical reports in the library and found an article in a magazine about a well-known heart surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBekey, of Houston, Texas.He had saved the life of someone with the same illness .The article said Dr. DeBekey’s fees were very high; Aunt Edith couldn’t possibly pay them .But could he tell her of someone whose fee she could pay?
So Aunt Edith wrote to him .She simply listed her reasons for wanting to live: her three children, who would be on their own in three or four more years, her little - girl dreamt of traveling and seeing the world .There wasn’t a word of self-pity-only warmth and humor and the joy of living .She mailed the letter, not really expecting an answer.
A few days later, my doorbell rang .Aunt Edith didn’t want to come in; she stood in the hall and read aloud. “Your beautiful letter moved me very deeply .If you can come to Houston, there will be no charge for either the hospital or the operation. Signed Michael DeBekey.”
That was seven years ago. Since then, Aunt Edith has been around the world .Her three children are happily married. For her age, she is one of the youngest, most alive people I know – all because of an open heart surgeon who knew how to honor his profession, and how to open his own heart.
56．Aunt Edith wrote a letter to Dr. Debakey to.
A．ask for his advice B．beg him to operate on her
C．ask him to introduce another doctor D．ask for his sympathy
57．The underlined phrase “open heart” in the last paragraph means .
A．open – minded B．kind – hearted C．patient D．skillful
58．What can we conclude from the passage?
A．Dr. DeBakey is willing to operate on anyone free of charge.
B．Dr. DeBakey is expert in getting along with his patients.
C．My aunt Edith is very poor and mean.
D．My aunt Edith is optimistic and strong – minded.
Today both English language and Internet have brought the whole world right in your drawing room. Now you can do whatever you want to without leaving the comfort of your home. So English has become a must. Nothing is imaginable without it. How to solve the problem?
No speech can be imagined without listening. Develop a habit of listening to something in English daily. I mean to say, listen to English songs, short stories, interviews and short and simple conversations regularly. Repeat listening what you have just listened. Not once but many times. How does a child become able to speak? It is simple. He/She is compelled to listen whatever their parents and people around them speak. Gradually they begin to reproduce what they have heard. So enjoy listening. Listening practice will fix correct pronunciation of the words in your mind and you'll be able to utter them as naturally and easily as a native speaker does.
Speak what you have listened, as the more you listen, the more you will be able to speak and the more learning of the language will occur. So go on practicing speaking whatever you have heard. Furthermore speaking practice will train your mouth and ears. The main ideas of what you have listened and spoken will get fixed into your memory. Once the structures of sentences, phrases get fixed in your subconscious you'll never have to fumble for words, phrases or sentences when you converse with your friends or with someone else.
When you have taken these two steps, you will find amazing change. Now you can start to put in a little time in reading and writing skills as reading and writing skills have their own importance and place in a language learning and you can develop them on the strong foundation of listening and speaking skills later.
67. What’s the purpose of the first paragraph in the passage?
A. To tell us that the world is becoming smaller than before.
B. To show us the wide use of internet in today’s world.
C. To indicate the importance of learning English.
D. To suggest that it is convenient to live in today’s world.
68. What the author thinks is the most important step in learning English?
A. Forming the habit of listening B. Practicing speaking
C. Keeping on reading daily D. Improving writing skills
69. A child mentioned in the second paragraph is to_______.
A. explain how he becomes able to speak
B. show he could listen whatever others speak
C. introduce he can speak whatever he hears
D. indicate the importance of listening
70. Which of the following may be the best title of the passage?
A. The Steps of Listening
B. Learn English in Two Easy Steps
C. Listening Comes Before Speaking
D. Four Skills for English Learning
Most young architects ----particularly those in big cities ----can only dream about working in a building of their own. And making that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner, Brain Bell. Their building is a former automobile electrical –parts firm in Atlanta. From the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting (生锈的)walls.
In 2000, Yocum and Bell found this building in the city’s West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been abandoned years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition (拆除), pulling rubbish out through the roof, because it was too dangerous to go inside the building. The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do, and “to treasure what was there—the walls, the rust, the light,” Yocum said. “Every season , more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It’s like an art installation（装置）there---a slow-motion show.”
Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer(缓冲)zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond.
Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less.
63. According to the passage, it is for most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their own.
A. easy B. unnecessary C. unrealistic D. common
64. Yocum bought the old building because .
A. it was a bargain to him B. it was still in good condition
C. it was located in the city center D. it looked attractive from the outside
65. It can be inferred from the passage that Yocum and Bell .
A. benefited a lot from pulling down the roof
B. turned more old buildings into art galleries
C. got inspiration from decorating their old building
D. paid more attention to the outside of the gallery
66. The main idea of the passage is that .
A. people can learn a lot from their failures
B. it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building
C. people should not judge things by their appearance
D. creative people can make the best of what they have
Normally, kids have curiosity(好奇) about everything around them including animals. As a parent you are willing to teach everything to our children because you want to develop their EQ and IQ. But a few people have some troubles in how to introduce animals to their kids. Here I have some advice on how to do that.
1. Visiting a zoo.
This way must be the best choice to choose. If you have free time or maybe on holiday you can take your children to the zoo. Kids usually are excited to see live animals and feed them if possible. It can be an unforgettable moment for your children when they visit so many animals in a place. Parents can describe an animal to their children so they can learn something about that animal.
2. Doing a coloring activity.
If you have not free time or just have a short time, you can choose this. Actually doing animal coloring activity is mostly used by parents and teachers to tell children about an animal. You can download free animal coloring pages through the internet or you can buy your children an animal coloring book.
3. Doing a paper craft.
If it sounds difficult you can skip this method. Just forget it. Generally, the difficulty level depends on your paper craft models. You can find free animal paper crafts on the internet but make sure of the difficulty level. Remember your purpose is not about how beautiful your paper crafts are but to describe an animal to your children.
4. Story telling.
Have you heard about an animal story when you were a child? You still remember it? How about the character of those animals? Yeah! It is still in your mind. You can buy a story book of animals and read it for your children.
There are also many other ways and everything needed here is just the creativity to connect it with the children and make them enjoy and have fun with your activities.
59. What’s the purpose of this passage?
A. To satisfy the curiosity of the kids.
B. To develop children’s EQ and IQ.
C. To give parents and teachers advice on how to introduce animals to kids.
D. To introduce some activities to let parents know more about their kids.
60. In the author’s opinion, which is the best way to let a kid know something about an animal?
A. Visiting a zoo B. Doing a coloring activity
C. Doing a paper craft D. Telling a story
61. If you are busy, which activity can you choose?
A. Download some beautiful paper crafts on the internet.
B. Buy your kid an animal coloring book.
C. Give your kid an unforgettable moment to visit many animals in a place.
D. Buy your kid a story book.
62. According to the author, what matters most in whatever activities you design for your children?
A. fun B. joy C. imagination D. creativity