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Close your eyes and picture the city of Paris.Now imagine the city without its most famous landmark:the Eiffel Tower.
The unthinkable almost happened.
When French engineer Gustave Eiffel built this tower for the Paris World’s Fair of 1889,it was controversial.The iron structure contrasted(对比)sharply with the historic stone buildings of Paris.Eiffel’s four-legged iron archway was supposed to last only 20 years.That’s when Eiffel’s permit to operate the building would expire(过期)and the city could choose to tear it down.
Yet from the beginning.Eiffel had a strategy to save his building.If the Tower was linked  to important research,he reasoned,no one would dare to take it down.So he would make it a  grand laboratory for science.
Scientific research began just one day after the Tower opened to the public on May 6,1889.Eiffel installed a weather station on the Tower’s third(and highest)floor.He connected  instruments by wire to the French weather bureau in Paris.With these,he measured wind speed  and air pressure.
In 1903,still worried that his building might be torn down,Eiffel got a clever idea.He  asked the French military to conduct its own research on radio communications at the Tower.He even paid the army’s costs.
French army captain Gustave Ferrié worked from a little wooden house at the base of the  Tower's southern pillar.From there,he made radio contact with forts around Paris.Convinced of the importance of radio communications,the army set up a permanent radio station at the  Tower.In 1910,the city of Paris renewed the structure’s permit for another 70 years.
This year marks the iconic structure’s 125th birthday.Over the years,research conducted  there has brought dramatic and unexpected payoffs.During World War I,for instance,the French army used the Tower as a giant ear to receive radio messages.It even led to the arrest of one of the war's most famous spies.
What does the author mean by“The unthinkable almost happened”?

A.The Eiffel Tower was almost torn down.
B.Gustave Eiffel was more than an engineer.
C.It took great efforts to build the Eiffel Tower.
D.The Eiffel Tower has served important purposes.

The Eiffel Tower was controversial because_____________.

A.it was giant and ugly
B.it would expire too soon
C.some historic buildings had to be removed
D.it didn’t match the historic buildings of Paris

How did Gustave Eiffel save the Eiffel Tower?

A.By asking the army to defend it.
B.By showing its importance for tourism.
C.By making it a base for scientific research.
D.By asking the government to renew its permit.

The arrest of a famous spy is mentioned to show.

A.the Eiffel Tower has lost its initial value
B.the Eiffel Tower has existed long enough
C.research done in the Eiffel Tower had unexpected payoffs
D.the Eiffel Tower was successfully preserved during the war
科目 英语   题型 阅读理解   难度 中等
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It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night.The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently.
My father realised it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him.I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same.I’m so glad I did
On the road to the harbour we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape.After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea.As we got on board, we noticed two big humps(脊背) in the distance.
On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby.We couldn’t believe it —there aren’t any whales along the coast here.The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive.
The little baby whale — actually as big as our boat — was obviously stuck and could not move.The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools(漩涡) and waves.” She’s trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side,” my father said.At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently.With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water.Then it swam up right beside its mum.They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction.We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel.Slowly, they let us lead them, sometimes rising from the water right beside us to breathe — and to give us a trusting look with those huge eyes.Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance.
In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half.That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day, Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea.
The author says “I’m so glad I did.” (in Para.2) because __________.

A.he witnessed the whole process of fishing
B.he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea
C.he experienced the rescue of the whales
D.he spent the weekend with his family

The harbour survived the storm owing to__________.

A.the shape of the harbour B.the arms of the bay
C.the still water in the channel D.the long coast line

The mother whale failed to help her baby because__________.

A.she had stayed in the polluted water for too long
B.the whirlpools she had made were not big enough
C.she had no other whales around to tutu to for help
D.the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction

What is the theme of the story?

A.Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness.
B.Fishing provides excitement for children.
C.It’s necessary to live in harmony with animals.
D.It’s vital to protect the environment.

A beautiful woman took a plane on business. She found her seat and sat down next to a young man. The man was just thinking of making a few dollars on the plane. When he saw the woman, he got an idea.
“Hey! Would you like to play a game?” he asked the woman. “No, thank you. I just want to take a nap (打盹),” the woman answered. “It’s really easy. All you have to do is to answer the questions that I ask you. If you don’t know the answer, you give me five dollars. If I don’t know the answer to your question, then I’ll give you five dollars.” “No,” the woman still refused. “OK. If I don’t know the answer to your question, I’ll give you five hundred dollars. How about that?” the man said. Then the woman became interested and decided to join in the game.
“OK. How many moons does Jupiter (木星) have?” asked the young man. The woman reached into her purse and took out a five-dollar bill. “What goes up the mountain with three legs and comes back with four?” the woman asked. Then the young man took out his computer and searched the Internet for an answer. Minutes later, the young man handed five hundred dollars to the woman.
After a few hours, the young man really wanted to know the answer to the question. So he asked the woman, “What is the answer to your question?” The woman reached into her purse and handed the young man a five-dollar bill.
49. Why did the man ask the woman to play a game?
A. He wanted to show his kindness.
B. He wanted to have a pleasant journey.
C. He wanted to earn some money from it.
D. He wanted to make friends with the woman.
50. How much did the woman get at the end of the story?
A. $ 500. B. $ 5. C. $ 10. D. $ 490.
51. What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. The woman told the man the answer to her question.
B. The woman gave the man’s money back to him.
C. The woman asked the man another question.
D. The woman didn’t know the answer, either.
52. We can learn from the story that the woman is ______.
A. clever B. friendly C. polite D. honest

Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and his family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor café. We talked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?
The next day dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in doing so, I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.
45. Why did the author feel uncomfortable about her father as a young adult?
A. He was silent most of the time. B. He was too proud of himself.
C. He did not love his children. D. He expected too much of her.
46. When the author went out with her father on weekend, she would feel _______.
A. nervous B. sorry C. tired D. safe
47. What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?
A. More critical. B. More talkative
C. Gentle and friendly. D. Strict and hard-working.
48. The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to_____ .
A. the author’s son B. the author’s father
C. the friend of the author’s father D. the café owner


第三部分阅读技能(共三节,满分35分)
第一节阅读理解(共12小题;每小题2分,满分24分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A study of a university in Shanghai had found that many of the students there are using a quote(引语)from the Italian poet Dante as a kind of motto. The study of Fudan University, one of China’s top universities, of 489 students, found that 82 had chosen Dante’s “Follow your own path and don’t worry about what others say” as their motto, out of 278 people who said they had a motto. This was followed by “Believe yourself” and “Self-improvement without stop.”
Students also expressed a common hope for greater understanding and care and said they were always ready to give a hand to those in need. Some researchers think that mottoes can play an important part in children’s growth and they say that a good motto can help children develop a better character.
41. The study shows ________.
A. which university should have mottoes
B. who should have “Follow your own path and don’t worry about what others say” as their motto
C. how many students like the motto “Believe yourself.”
D. many students choose a quote from Dante as their favorite motto
42. Of the students asked, ________ students have mottoes.
A. about 78% B. about 57% C. about 16% D. about 8%
43. The motto “Self-improvement without stop” shares the similar meaning with ________.
A. going on to improve rapidly
B. growing by oneself continuously
C. making oneself better and perfect continuously
D. becoming better without having a break
44. The best title for the passage should be _______.
A. Mottoes and Character Developing B. Students and Poet
C. Mottoes and Learning D. Understanding Care


Astronaut Jim Voss has enjoyed many memorable moments in his career,including three space flights and one space walk. But he recalls with special fondness a decidedly earthbound(为地球引力所束缚的)experience in the summer of 1980 when he participated in the NASA ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. Voss, then a science teacher at West Poin,was assigned to the Marshall Space Flight Center's propulsion(推进) lab in Alabama to analyze why a hydraulic fuel pump seal (液压燃料泵的密封圈)on the space shuttle(航天飞机) was working so well when previous seals had failed. It was a seemingly tiny problem among the vast complexities of running the space program. Yet it was important to NASA because any crack in the seal could have led to destructive results for the astronauts who relied on them.
“I worked a bit with NASA engineers,” says Voss, “but I did it mostly by an analysis. I used a handheld calculator, not a computer, to do a thermodynamic(热力学的) analysis.” At the end of the summer,he,like the other NASA ASEE fellows working at Marshall,summarized his findings in a formal presentation and detailed paper. It was a valuable moment for Voss because the ASEE program gave him added understanding of NASA,deepened his desire to fly in space,and intensified his application for astronaut status.
  It was not an easy process. Voss was actually passed over when he first applied for the astronaut program in 1978. Over the next nine years he reapplied repeatedly,and was finally accepted in 1987. Since then he has participated in three space missions. The 50 year old Army officer,who lives in Houston,is now in training for a four-month mission as a crew member on the International Space Station starting in July 2000.
 Voss says the ASEE program is wonderful for all involved. “It brings in people from the academic world and gives NASA a special property for a particular period of time. It brings some fresh eyes and fresh ideas to NASA,and establishes a link with our colleges and universities,” Voss explains. “There's an exchange of information and an exchange of perspectives that is very important.”
For the academic side,Voss says,the ASEE program also “brings institutions of higher learning more insight into new technology. We give them an opportunity to work on real world problems and take it back to the classroom.”
66. Why was the hydraulic fuel pump seal important for the space shuttle?
A) Because previous seals all failed.
B) Because it was very complex in running the space program.
C) Because great care has to be taken of the hydraulic fuel pump sealing.
D) Because any crack in the seals would cause disastrous results for the astronauts.
67.The great significance of Voss's findings lies in_________ .
A) strengthening his determination to join in space flights
B) furthering his understanding of NASA
C) consolidating his astronaut status in NASA programs
D) Both A and B
68. How many flights will Voss have finished if his four-month mission starting in July 2000 ends up successfully?
A) Three B) Two C) Four D) Five
69. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to what Voss said on the ASEE program?
A) Fresh members from the academic world participate in the program.
B) The program brings new outlooks to NASA space programs.
C) It is important for the space scientists to exchange information and perspectives.
D) American colleges and universities are a special property of NASA.
70. What does Voss want to stress in the last paragraph?
A) The technological significance of the program.
B) The educational significance of the program.
C) The philosophical significance of the program.
D) The historical significance of the program.

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