Onaclearnight,theskyisawonderf-优题课

People have been painting pictures for at least 30,000 years. The earliest pictures were painted by people who hunted animals. They used to paint pictures of the animals they wanted to catch and kill. Pictures of this kind have been found on the walls of caves in France and Spain. No one knows why they were painted there. Perhaps the painters thought that their pictures would help them to catch these animals. Or perhaps human beings have always wanted to tell stories in pictures.
About 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians and other people in the Near East began to use pictures as kind of writing. They drew simple pictures or signs to represent things and ideas, and also to represent the sounds of their language. The signs these people used became a kind of alphabet.
The Egyptians used to record information and to tell stories by putting picturewriting and pictures together. When an important person died, scenes and stories from his life were painted and carved on the walls of the place where he was buried. Some of these pictures are like modern comic strip stories. It has been said that Egypt is the home of the comic strip. But, for the Egyptians, pictures still had magic power. So they did not try to make their way of writing simple. The ordinary people could not understand it.
By the year 1,000 BC, people who lived in the area around the Mediterranean Sea had developed a simpler system of writing. The signs they used were very easy to write, and there were fewer of them than in the Egyptian system. This was because each sign, or letter, represented only one sound in their language. The Greeks developed this system and formed the letters of the Greek alphabet. The Romans copied the idea, and the Roman alphabet is now used all over the world.
These days, we can write down a story, or record information, without using pictures. But we still need pictures of all kinds: drawing, photographs, signs and diagrams. We find them everywhere: in books and newspapers, in the street, and on the walls of the places where we live and work. Pictures help us to understand and remember things more easily, and they can make a story much more interesting.
69. Pictures of animals were painted on the walls of caves in France and Spain because_____.
A. the hunters wanted to see the pictures B. the painters were animal lovers
C. the painters wanted to show imagination D. the pictures were thought to be helpful
70. The Greek alphabet was simpler than the Egyptian system for all the following reasons EXCEPT that_____.
A. the former was easy to write B. there were fewer signs in the former
C. the former was easy to pronounce D. each sign stood for only one sound
71. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The Egyptian signs later became a particular alphabet.
B. The Egyptians liked to write comic strip stories.
C. The Roman alphabet was developed from the Egyptian one.
D. The Greeks copied their writing system from the Egyptians.
72. In the last paragraph, the author thinks that pictures_____.
A. should be made comprehensible B. should be made interesting
C. are of much use in our life D. have disappeared from our life

Most earthquakes occur within the upper 15 miles of the earth’s surface. But earthquakes can and do occur at all depths to about 460 miles. Their number decreases as the depth increases. At about 460 miles one earthquake occurs only every few years. Near the surface earthquakes may run as high as 100 in a month, but the yearly average does not vary much. In comparison with the total number of earthquakes each year, the number of disastrous earthquakes is very small.[JP]
The extent of the disaster in an earthquake depends on many factors. If you carefully build a toy house with an erect set, it will still stand no matter how much you shake the table. But if you build a toy house with a pack of cards, a slight shake of the table will make it fall. An earthquake in Agadir, Morocco, was not strong enough to be recorded on distant instruments, but it completely destroyed the city. Many stronger earthquakes have done comparatively little damage. If a building is well constructed and built on solid ground, it will resist an earthquake. Most deaths in earthquakes have been due to faulty building construction or poor building sites. A third and very serious factor is panic. When people rush out into narrow streets, more deaths will result.
The United Nations has played an important part in reducing the damage done by earthquakes. It has sent a team of experts to all countries known to be affected by earthquakes. Working with local geologists and engineers, the experts have studied the nature of the ground and the type of most practical building code for the local area. If followed, these suggestions will make disastrous earthquakes almost a thing of the past.
There is one type of earthquake disaster that little can be done about. This is the disaster caused by seismic sea waves, or tsunamis. (These are often called tidal waves, but the name is incorrect. They have nothing to do with tides.)
In certain areas, earthquakes take place beneath the sea. These submarine earthquakes sometimes give rise to seismic sea waves. The waves are not noticeable out at sea because of their long wave length. But when they roll into harbors, they pile up into walls of water 6 to 60 feet high. The Japanese call them “tsunamis”, meaning “harbor waves”, because they reach a sizable height only in harbors.
Tsunamis travel fairly slowly, at speeds up to 500 miles an hour. An adequate warning system is in use to warn all shores likely to be reached by the waves.
But this only enables people to leave the threatened shores for higher ground. There is no way to stop the oncoming wave.
65. Which of the following CANNOT be concluded from the passage?
A. The number of earthquakes is closely related to depth.
B. Roughly the same number of earthquakes occur each year.、
C. Earthquakes are impossible at depths over 460 miles.
D. Earthquakes are most likely to occur near the surfaces.
66. The destruction of Agadir is an example of_____.
A. faulty building construction B. an earthquake’s strength
C. widespread panic in earthquakes D. ineffective instruments
67. The United Nations’ experts are supposed to_____.
A. construct strong buildings B. put forward proposals
C. detect disastrous earthquakes D. monitor earthquakes
68. The significance of the slow speed of tsunamis is that people may_____.
A. notice them out at sea B. find ways to stop them
C. be warned early enough D. develop warning systems

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
Before the mid 1860’s, the impact of the railroads in the United States was limited, in the sense that the tracks ended at this Missouri River, approximately the center of the country. At the point the trains turned their freight, mail, and passengers over to steamboats, wagons, and stagecoaches. This meant that wagon freighting, stagecoaching, and steamboating did not come to an end when the first train appeared; rather they became supplements or feeders. Each new “end of track” became a center for animal drawn or waterborne transportation. The major effect of the railroad was to shorten the distance that had to be covered by the older, slower, and more costly means. Wagon freighters continued operating throughout the 1870’s and 1880’s and into the 1890’s. Although over constantly shrinking routes, and coaches and wagons continued to crisscross the West wherever the rails had not yet been laid. The beginning of a major change was foreshadowed in the later 1860’s, when the Union Pacific Railroad at last began to build westward from the Central Plains city of Omaha to meet the Central Pacific Railroad advancing eastward from California through the formidable barrier of the Sierra Nevada. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the original Pacific Railroad bill in 1862 and a revised, financially much more generous version in 1864, little construction was completed until 1865 on the Central Pacific and 1866 on the Union Pacific. The primary reason was skepticism that a Railroad built through so challenging and thinly settled a stretch of desert, mountain, and semiarid plain could pay a profit. In the words of an economist, this was a case of “premature enterprise”, where not only the cost of construction but also the very high risk deterred private investment. In discussing the Pacific Railroad bill, the chair of the congressional committee bluntly stated that without government subsidy no one would undertake so unpromising a venture; yet it was a national necessity to link East and West together. 
61. The author refers to the impact of railroads before the late 1860’s as “limited” because
A. the track did not take the direct route from one city to the next
B. passengers and freight had to transfer to other modes of transportation to reach western destinations C. passengers preferred stagecoaches
D. railroad travel was quite expensive
62. What can be inferred about coaches and wagon freighters as the railroad expanded?
A. They developed competing routes.
B. Their drivers refused to work for the railroads.
C. They began to specialize in private investment.
D. There were insufficient numbers of trained people to operate them.
63. Why does the author mention the Sierra Nevada in line 17? 
A. To argue that a more direct route to the West could have been taken.
B. To identify a historically significant mountain range in the West.
C. To point out the location of a serious train accident.
D. To give an example of an obstacle faced by the central pacific.
64. The word “subsidy” in line 27 is closest in meaning to_____.
A. persuasion B. financing C. explanation D. penalty 

There are some very good things about open education．This way of teaching allows the students to grow as people, and to develop their own interests in many subjects．Open education allows students to be responsible for(负责)their own education, as they are responsible for what they do in life．Some students do badly in traditional classrooms．The open classroom may allow them to enjoy learning．Some students will be happier in an open education school．They will not have to worry about grades or rules．For students who worry about these things a lot, it is a good idea to be in an open classroom．
But many students will not do well in an open classroom．For some students, there are too few rules．These students will do little in school．They will not make good use of open education．Because open education is so different from traditional education, these students may have a problem of getting used to making so many choices．For many students it is important to have some rules in the classroom．They worry about the rules even when there are no rules．Even a few rules will help this kind of students．The last point about open education is that some traditional teachers do not like it．Many teachers do not believe in open education．Teachers who want to have an open classroom may have many problems at their school．
You now know what open education is．Some of its good points and bad points have been explained．You may have your own opinion about open education．The writer thinks that open education is a good idea, but only in theory．In actual fact, it may not work very well in a real class or school．The writer believes that most students, but of course not all students want some structure(结构)in their classes．They want and need to have rules．In some cases, they must be made to study some subjects．Many students are pleased to find subjects they have to study interesting．They would not study those subjects if they did not have to．
71. According to the passage, which of the following is Not the reason why some students like open education?
A. The open classroom may allow them to enjoy learning．
B. Open education allows students to be responsible for their own future.
C. Open education allows the students to develop their own interests.
D. Open education has fewer rules.
72. From the passage we can learn that .
A. The writer believes that all students don’t want some structure in their classes
B. The writer believes that all students want some structure in their classes
C. Nearly all teachers like open education
D. Only the students that worry about rules or grades a lot like to be in an open classroom
73. Some students will do little in an open classroom because _______．
A. there are too few rules B. they hate activities
C. open education is similar to traditional education D. they worry about the rules
74. Which is Not mentioned according to the passage given?
A. some advantages about open education
B. some disadvantages about open education
C. some students’ feelings in an open education school
D. the writer’s opinion about open university is the same as all the students’
75. Which of the following can best summarize (总结) the passage?
A. Many students like open education．
B. Open education is better than traditional education．
C. Open education is a really complicated (复杂) idea．
D. Open education is a good idea in practice．

Music is an international language. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to all people everywhere.
Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the streets.
Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, politics, and activities of the American people. Most of the radio broadcast is music.
Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state. Once the popular singer is heard throughout the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.
There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.
Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music (管弦乐), such as the symphonies (交响乐) of Beethoven. There is opera (歌剧) for singers. There is ballet (芭蕾舞剧) for dancers like the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in China?
67. What can we know about music and people in America?
A. Student drivers carry small radios with earphones when they drive on the streets.
　 B. Students always listen to music before class, after class and at lunch.
　 C. Adult drivers only listen to news except music when they drive to work.
D. Adult drivers never listen to music when they drive to work.
68. How many kinds of music are mentioned in the passage?
　　 A. Six. B. Eight. C. Five. D. Seven.
69. Country music ______.
　　 A. is a kind of music that is popular in America
　　 B. has nothing to do with folk music
C. is only sung by cowboys
　　 D. is not played in the concert halls
70. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
　　 A. All people in America like popular music.
　　 B. Pop singers can get all the money from the tapes.
　　 C. Now, western or country music is a little different from its beginning.
　　 D. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is a kind of pop music.