Krakatau volcano (克拉克托火山) is in a small island in Indonesia. It had been peaceful for about 200 years before it erupted(爆发) in 1883.
The first signs of the activity of the volcano appeared in May 1883, when fire and smoke could be seen at the top of the mountain. Great noise could be heard even in Jakarta a hundred miles away. Later the activity grew much greater. The peak(山顶) was covered with smoke and fire; the smoke at one time was seventeen miles high in the air. The lava—soft and hot rock—shot up into the air and rolled down the sides of the mountain.
The mouth of the volcano was not at the peak of the mountain but on its side, close to the sea. As it grew bigger and bigger with the eruption, the sea water got into it. When the sea water reached the lava inside the volcano, it made the upper part of the lava colder and harder. And this sealed off (封住) the rest of the lava below. As the inside of the lava could not break through the seal, the pressure (压力) built up until the mountain blew up.
The eruption of the volcano was followed by several earthquakes which brought about bad result. About 36000 people were killed and many towns and villages near the sea were completely destroyed by the great waves which the earthquake caused.Give the correct order of the course of volcano eruption.
①The peak was covered with smoke and fire.
②Fire and smoke could be seen at the top of the mountain.
③Great noise could be heard a hundred miles away.
④The lava shot into the air and rolled down the sides of the mountain.
| A．①②③④ | B．①③②④ |
| C．②③①④ | D．④①③② |
What makes volcanoes erupt?
| A．The sea water which goes into the volcano |
| B．The lava. |
| C．The pressure which is bigger and bigger. |
| D．All the above. |
Where is the mouth of a volcano?
| A．At the peak of the mountain. |
| B．On the side of the mountain near the sea. |
| C．At the foot of the mountain. |
| D．In side the mountain. |
The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet (彗星) is heading towards the Earth . Most of it will miss our planet, but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth.
On 17 July , a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere with a massive explosion . About half of the piece is destroyed, but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the sea bed. Huge waves are created and spread outwards from the hole. The wall of water, a kilometer high, rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned.
Before the waves reach South America, the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina. Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Mountains. The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes. Millions of people in the southern half of the earth are already dead, but the north won’t escape for long. Because of the explosions, the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. The sun won’t be seen again for many years. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later, no more than 10 million people remain alive.
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 piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldn’t live through the cold climate that followed and they died out. Will we meet the same end?
1．What is mainly described in the passage?
A．A historic discovery . B．An event of imagination
C．A research on space . D．A scientific adventure.
2．When the first piece hits the South Atlantic, it causes________ .
A．an earthquake B．damages to citiesC．an Earth explosion D．huge waves
3．Why can’t the northern half of the earth escape for long ?
A．Because the land is covered with water
B．Because the light and heat from the sun can not reach the earth .
C．Because people there can not live at the temperature of zero .
D．Because wars break out among countries .
4．By giving the example of dinosaurs , the author tries to prove________ .
A．animals could not live in the cold climate
B．what happened 65 million years ago was an invented story
C．the human beings will die out in 2094
D．the Earth could be hit by other objects in space
第三节：阅读理解（共25小题; 每小题2分, 满分50分）
It was 3:12 a. m. when nine-year-old Glenn Kreamer awoke to the smell of burning. Except for the crackling（爆裂声）of flames somewhere below there was not a sound in the two-storey house at Baldwin, Long Island.
With his father away on night duty at a local factory, Glenn was worried about the safety of his mother, his sister Karen, 14 and his 12-year-old brother Todd. He ran downstairs through the smoke filled house to push and pull at Karen and Todd until they sat up. Then he helped each one through the house to the safety of the garden. There, his sister and brother, taking short and quick breaths and coughing, collapsed on the lawn (草坪).
The nine-year-old raced back into the house and upstairs to his mother’s room. He found it impossible to woke her up. Mrs. Kreamer, a victim of the smoke, was unconscious, and there was nobody to help Glenn carry her to the garden. But the boy remained calm and, as a fireman said later, “acted with all the self-control of a trained adult.”
On the bedroom telephone, luckily still working, Glenn called his father and, leaving Mr. Kreamer to telephone the fire brigade and ambulance service, got on with the task of saving his mother.
First he filled a bucket with water from the bathroom and threw water over his mother and her bed. Then, with a wet cloth around his head he went back to the garden.
He could hear the fire engine coming up, but how would the firemen find his mother in the smoke-filled house where flames had almost swallowed up the ground floor?
Grasping firmly a ball of string from the garage, Glenn raced back into the house and dashed upstairs to his mother’s room. Tying one end of the string to her hand he ran back, laying out the string as he went, through the hall and back out into the garden.
Minutes later he was telling fire chief John Coughlan: “The string will lead you to mother.” Mrs. Kreamer was carried to safety as the flames were breaking through her bedroom floor.
1．Why did Glenn run downstairs first?
A．He wanted to find out what was happening.
B．He was worried about his mother’s safety.
C．He wanted to save his sister and brother.
D．He went to see if his father had come back from work.
2．How did Glenn help the firemen to save his mother?
A．By throwing water all over her and her bed.
B．By carrying her to safety with his brother.
C．By pushing and pulling at her.
D．By tying a string to her hand.
3．Who called the fire brigade and ambulance service?
A．Glenn. B．Glenn’s father. C．Glenn’s sister. D．Glenn’s neighbor.
4．What did Glenn do to protect himself?
A．He put a wet cloth around his head. B．He threw water all over himself.
C．He hid himself in the bathroom. D．He rushed out to the lawn.
5．Glenn saved his family because___________.
A．his father had taught him to do so on the phone
B．he had learned something about first aid
C．he had dealt with the emergency calmly and wisely
D．he had followed his mother’s instruction
“Here, waiter! Look at your soup. What’s this? Is it vegetable soup? No. It’s fly(苍蝇) soup! Look at the bluebottle! Terrible! Pour it onto the face of the cook. Who wants such a wonderful soup?” shouted a middle-aged lady. In less than a second, the customers gathered around her table. A young waiter was already holding the soup plate, searching for the fly with a spoon. The lady was angry. The manager came out to see what the trouble was. “Bring her another bowl of soup” was his order. The lady wanted to show the fly to the manager. As she reached for the spoon, she pointed at something blue in it. “Look, that’s the fly!” she shouted.
The crowd pressed closer and stared at the spoon in the young waiter’s hand. Just before they could see it clearly, the man put the spoon full of soup into his mouth. Biting slightly, after a while, he smiled and nodded, “It’s really a piece of burnt green onion. I firmly believe that is worthy of our fame.” On hearing this, people laughed and walked away. The woman was at a loss and didn’t know if she could drink the soup or leave it there.
The whole incident lasted only a few minutes. Not long after that the waiter who had saved the restaurant form disgrace (不光彩) soon got a rise.
1. The “bluebottle” the lady mentioned means .
A. a kind of soup B. a kind of fly C. the soup plate D. the spoon
2. Seeing what had happened, the manager .
A. knew that the fault would make this restaurant lose face
B. scolded the waiter to smooth down (消除) the lady’s anger
C. said sorry to the woman for the soup
D. sent away the cook who had caused so much trouble
3. Form the passage we can infer that the young waiter ate the fly, just because .
A. it’s really his fault to make the lady angry
B. he didn’t want others to drive the cook out of the restaurant
C. he wanted to show what he ate was nothing but a piece of green onion
D. he was afraid he would be sent away by the manager
4. The young waiter saved the restaurant’s fame by .
A. eating the fly in soup B. telling the truth to everyone
C. saying sorry to the lady D. pointing out what the lady said was wrong
What is language for? Some people seem to think it's for practising grammar rules and learning lists of words—the longer the lists，the better. That's wrong. Language is for the exchange（交流）of ideas and information. It's meaningless knowing all about a language if you can't use it freely. Many students I have met know hundreds of grammar rules, but they can't speak correctly or fluently（流利地）. They are afraid of making mistakes. One shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes when speaking a foreign language. Native speakers make mistakes and break rules, too. Bernard Shaw once wrote, "Foreigners often speak English too correctly. "But the mistakes that native speakers make are different from those that Chinese students make. They're English mistakes in the English language. And if enough native speakers break a rule, it is no longer a rule. What used to be wrong becomes right. People not only make history, they make language. But a people can only make its own language. It can't make another people's language. So Chinese students of English should pay attention to grammar, but they shouldn't overdo（做过头）it. They should put communication（交际）first.
1．Language is used to ________.
A. express oneself B. practice grammar rules
C. talk with foreigners only D. learn lists of words
2．Generally, when an American or an Englishman speaks English, he ________.
A. never makes mistakes B. often makes mistakes
C. can't avoid making mistakes D. always makes mistakes
3．"Foreigners often speak English too correctly. "This sentence means that ________.
A. foreigners speak correct English
B. foreigners speak incorrect English
C. foreigners speak English according to the grammar rules
D. foreigners never make mistakes when they speak English
4．If too many native speakers break a rule, ________.
A. what they use will become right B. they are against the law
C. they should say sorry to others D. they will become heroes
People believe that climbing can do good to health. Where can you learn the skill of climbing then? If you think that you have to go to the mountains to learn how to climb, you are wrong. Many Americans are learning to climb in city gyms(体育馆). Here, people are learning on special climbing walls. The climbing wall goes straight up and small holding places for hands and feet.
How do people climb the wall? To climb, you need special shoes and a harness(保护带) around your chest to hold you. There are ropes tied to your harness. The ropes hold you in place so that you don’t fall. A beginner’s wall is usually about 15 feet high, and you climb straight up. There are small pieces of metal that stick out for you to stand on and hold on to. Sometimes it’s easy to see the next piece of metal. Sometimes, it’s not. The most difficult part is to control your fear. It’s normal for humans to be afraid of falling, so it’s difficult not to feel fear. But when you move away from the wall, the harness and the ropes hold you, and you begin to feel safe. You move slowly until you reach the top.
Climbing attracts people because it’s good exercise for almost everyone. You use your whole body, especially your arms and legs. This sport gives your body a complete workout. When you climb your mind and your body can become stronger.
1. What can we infer from the passage?
A. People are fairly interested in climbing nowadays.
B. It is impossible to build up one’s body by climbing.
C. People can only learn the skill of climbing outdoors.
D. It is always easy to see holding places in climbing.
2. The most difficult thing to do in wall climbing is _________.
A. to tie ropes to your harness B. to control your fear
C. to move away from the wall D. to climb straight up
3. The word “workout” underlined in the last paragraph most probably means _______.
A. settlement B. exercise C. excitement D. tiredness
4. Why does the author write this passage?
A. To tell people where to find gyms. B. To prove the basic need for climbing.
C. To encourage people to climb mountains. D. To introduce the sport of wall climbing.