Although in 1947 we were still very new to the atomic age, we knew about mushroom clouds． A huge crack spread across the library wall upstairs, sending teachers and students screaming down the hall．
Had a new world war started? Pale-faced, our young science teacher quickly organized us for a fire drill． We huddled in little groups on the beach side of the school grounds and watched the spreading cloud darken the bright spring sky．
Rumors flew every which way, although two hours would pass before we got the full story．One rumor we heard was that the Texas City Monsanto Chemical plant had blown up; children whose parents worked there began to weep．
I froze—that was where my father was working that day．
The school bell called us back inside, and we were dismissed to find our way home the best way we could． I-d walked a quarter of the three-mile trip to my home when a car horn startled me to attention． My Uncle Barney pulled up alongside me in his old Ford． The instant I saw him, I knew my father was gone． Otherwise, Papa would have come for me himself．
As if in slow motion from a great distance, Uncle Barney motioned for me to get in． Numb with grief, I crawled into the back seat． I barely took notice of the man sitting there, and didn’t recognize him until he reached for me． When Papa put his strong arms around me, I forgot for a moment that Cherokees（柴罗基人） aren’t supposed to cry．
Many of my fellow students lost their parents in the explosion． Tragedy would one day come to our family, as it inevitably comes to all, but on the day Texas City blew up, it miraculously passed us by． Because he lost his keys on that April morning, as he explained, my father lived for another 32 years-we were to have a second lifetime forever． What happened according to the first three paragraphs?
| A．A war broke out． | B．An earthquake happened． |
| C．An atomic bomb exploded． | D．A chemical factory blew up． |
How did the science teacher react to the accident?
| A．He was sad． | B．He acted quickly． |
| C．He panicked． | D．He felt helpless． |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．The author-s father didn-t have to work that day． |
| B．The author-s father had a narrow escape． |
| C．The school was near where the accident happened． |
| D．The author-s uncle broke the news of her father-s death． |
The author cried because ．
| A．she was grateful that her father had survived |
| B．her father was killed in the accident |
| C．she was sad over the tragedy that day |
| D．her father didn’t meet her after school |
What does the author intend to tell us?
| A．Be prepared for the worst． |
| B．Be brave in disasters． |
| C．Cherish everything that you have． |
| D．Parents are the most important people． |
You check in the fridge for something to eat, but you are out of food. Time to go shopping . But where’s a pencil for the shopping list? Luckily, there’s a gadget that will let you dictate it.
Hit a button on the SmartShopper and say what you need in to its built-recognition software will turn your words into text.
SmartShopper recognizes 2,500 item names and common errands (including “dry cleaners” and “post office”), and lets you add items of your own. It also shows each new entry so you can correct it if it is wrong.
When you are going out to shop, it prints out the list, in alphabetical order. Errands are followed by your list of things to get.
SmartShopper can be set on a table, hung on the wall or magnetically attached to a refrigerator－wherever you are most likely to be when you realize something is running low. Available from www.smartshopperusa.com .The cool new gadget costs $149.95 and comes with three rolls of paper, It also needs four AA batteries.
60.The SmartShopper can _________.
A. help you to remember and make a shopping list
B. go to the post office for you
C. turn all your words into te
D. help you to dry your clothes
61.The new gadget is designed mainly for ________.
A. students B. housewives C. managers D. shop assistants
62.. If you would like to buy a SmartShopper, you can contact at_____.
A. www.smartshopperusa.com B. four AA batteries
C. the supermarket D. the post office
IV.阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
After working a whole day, when Lois, a nurse for thirty years, left the hospital, she was asked to take part in a rescue of a car accident.
They soon arrived at the accident site. While doctors attended to an injured man in one car, Lois checked a woman sitting in the other vehicle. There was no blood or visible sighs lf injury and the woman said nothing, but stared at Lois with vacant eyes.
On the way to the hospital, Lois held the patient’s hands and comforted her by telling her that everything was going to be fine.
The following morning Lois entered the room and introduced herself. “I’m Lois, your nurse. How are you feeling?”
The patient blinked her eyes and her face turned white. “Are you real or am I hallucinating?”
“Oh, I’m real, I assure you.” Lois gently held the woman’s hand and checked her pulse.
“A…are you sure you are not a …an angle?”
Lois smiled, “Nurses are often referred to as angels of mercy.”
Her patient continued to stare at Lois and whispered, “I mean a real angel.”
Lois raised her eyebrows. “A pair of wings would be handy, but, believe me, I’m just as human as you are,”
The woman shook her head. “Last night I was in an auto accident and thought I might die. Suddenly an angel appeared. When she touched me, I knew God sent her to
reassure me that I’d live.” She held Lois’ hands tightly. “You look and sound exactly like her except that you don’t have wings!”
56.According to the passage, what was Lois?
A. An angel sent to the human world by the God.
B. The woman’s daughter.
C. A passerby on the road.
D. A nurse who has worked for many years.
57．We can infer from the passage that _____.
A. the doctor were treating an injured man
B. the woman got badly hurt.
C. the car accident happened two years ago
D. Lois treated the woman kindly and carefully
58．The underlined phrase “ referred to” has the same meaning as ______.
A. thought of B. talked about C. looked up D. said
59．What’s the main idea of the passage________.
A. One should do good deeds and helped others like angels.
B. One should become an angel with two wings.
C. After work one should arrived at the accident site.
D. One should be a nurse to help others
There is an English saying that “Laughter is the best medicine.” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter can really improve people’s health.
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, makes the heart beat quicker and makes people breathe deeper; it also works on several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effects of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group that tolerated（忍耐）the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which diminishes both stress and pain.
As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.
66．According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?
A．Laughter is good for health
B．Laughter can make you become old quickly
C．Laughter helps to reduce pain.
D．Laughter, just like physical exercise, is good for our body.
67．The underlined word “diminishes” in the third paragraph means “________”.
A．delays B．prevents C．increases D．reduces
68．Why do some doctors hold laughter clinics?
A．Because they want to earn more money.
B．Because they think they will heilp the patients recover from illnesses.
C．Because they want to improve their patients’ condition.
D．Because they want their patients to practice how to laugh
69．According to the author, we should ________.
A．laugh as much as possible
B．watch more funny films
C．smile all the time
D．spend more time in laughter clinics
70．What would be the best title for this passage?
A．Both laughter and physical exercise are good for health
B．Laughter clinics help patients improve their condition
C．Laughter can reduce the effects of pain
D．Laughter is the best medicine.’
There are some kinds of detectives who do not wear a uniform, like Hausman, solve endless mysteries every year. There is, for example, the dust detective. Tiny bits of dust stick to your clothes, your fingernails, your hair, or your shoes. They catch in your nose and in your ears. They tell where you have been and what you have done lately. The dust detective often helps catch a criminal by proving that he has been on the scene of the crime（罪案）.
Then there is the wood detective. By studying a piece of wood he can tell what kind of tree the piece of wood came from. He can tell where it was grown, and how old it is. He can even tell you what the weather was like at a certain place the year Columbus landed in America. The growth rings on a tree tell him.
64．According to the selection, by studying a piece of wood, a wood detective can tell you________.
A．what the weather was like the year Columbus landed in America.
B．what the weather was like last year in the mountain
C．what the weather was like last month in your hometown
D．what kind of tree the piece of wood came from
65．What does the underlined word “they”(para. 1) mean?
A．Your clothes B．Your finger-nail
C．Tiny bits of dust D．Your shoes
“Some day, there will be no Americans left in the NBA.” Said 12-year-old Xing Tao, who joined his school’s team two years ago, after watching Yao in a televised NBA game. “The players will all be Chinese, like Yao!”
To China Yao is a home-grown superstar who helped make the world’s first basketball league closer to Chinese players. To the NBA, the 2.23-metre centre offers an opening of a different sort into the world’s largest new market.
Yao’s NBA first appearance against the Indiana Pacers in October reached 287 million households in China. By contrast （对照）, there are only about 105 million households in the US. That game might have been a bit of a let down to Yao’s fans. He played just 11 of the 48 minutes, had two rebounds and got no points.
Compare that with his performance on December 19, and also against Indiana, Yao won 29 points and 10 rebounds. “This was one of the most exciting games I’ve had,” Yao said after Houston’s 95-83 victory.
“Yao Ming has brought the NBA closer to the Chinese,” said NBA spokeswoman Cheong Sau Ching, who is based in Hong Kong. “That makes the dream seem achievable for other people in China.”
The 22-year-old Yao is not the country’s first player in the NBA; Wang Zhizhi broke down that wall as a player with the Dallas Mavericks（小牛队）in April 2001. But Yao’s combination of modesty and his skills make him a favourite back home.
60．What’s the direct reason for Xing Tao to join the school’s basketball team?
A．He watched an NBA game
B．He liked basketball
C．He hoped to play for Houston Rockets
D．He had a dream that he would become a basketball star.
61．What’s the main idea of this passage?
A．Middle school students want to play basketball
B．Yao Ming makes NBA closer to China
C．There’ll be no Americans left in the NBA
D．There are many new stars from China in the NBA
62．What does “letdown” in paragraph six mean?
A．failure B．surprise C．disappointment D．sadness
63．Why does Yao Ming win more popularity than Wang Zhizhi at home?
A．He has performed excellently B．He is modest
C．His height D．A ＆ B