Russia’s security chief has blamed an act of terror for the Russian A321 airliner crash in Egypt last month which killed 224 people. Whatever happened, the tragedy raises sad memories of horrific airplane crashes that have cost thousands of lives in recent decades .
Some of the worst such incidents—like four crashes in frightening succession into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and rural Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001; the 1988 downing of Pan Am Flight 103 in Lockerbie, Scotland; and a 1977 crash involving the apparent hijacking of a Malaysian Airlines jet that left 100 dead—involved terrorist activity. But there are many others that did not, with mechanical problems, pilot error or other reasons blamed for loss of life. Below are some examples of the latter: crashes that left at least 200 people dead in each incident.
March 27 , 1977 : A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 747 beginning its takeoff crashed into Pan American World Airways Boeing 747 then still on the runway at the Los Rodeos Airport at Tenerife in the Canary Islands. A total of 574 people, aboard both planes, died .
July 11 , 1991 : The landing gear of a Nigeria Airways DC-8 catches fire shortly after takeoff Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It doesn’t make it back to the airport, crashing nose-down less than 10,000 feet short of the runway and killing all 261 people aboard.
April 26 , 1994 : The pilot of a China Airlines’ Flight 140 alerts the control tower at Japan’s Nagoya Airport of his intention not to land and try another approach. But something goes wrong and, a short time later, the Airbus A300 crashes leading to 264 deaths—though a few passengers do survive.
September 2 , 1998 : A Swiss air jetliner that had departed New York’s Kennedy airport on its way to Geneva, Switzerland, goes down off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada; none of the 229 people aboard Flight 111 make it. Investigators believe that the MD-11 lost all electrical power immediately before the crash.
June 1 , 2009 : Air France Flight 447 is on the way from Rio de Janiero to Paris when it and its 228 passengers and crew go missing somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. It’s not until five days later that the first bodies are found about 600 miles off the northern coast of Brazil. Two years later, French authorities blame the crash on equipment breakdown.The first paragraph is intended to ______.
| A．memorize those people aboard the Russian A321 airline. |
| B．show it is the most serious incident in history. |
| C．direct attention to some disastrous air plane crashes. |
| D．analyze the cause of the disaster and blame the airline company. |
Which air crash resulted from terrorist attack ?
| A．China Airlines’ Flight 140 |
| B．Pan Am Flight 103 |
| C．Air France Flight 447 |
| D．Swissair Jetliner Flight 111 |
Which of the following statements is not true ?
| A．Two planes of the same type hit each other on March 27 , 1977. |
| B．There were over 264 people aboard China Airlines’ Flight 140. |
| C．It took five days to find some bodies of Air France Flight 447. |
| D．Swissair Jetliner Flight 111 crashed during its landing. |
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40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。
Imagine life as a game in which you are playing some five balls in the air. You name them-work, family, health, friends and spirit, and you’re keeping all these balls in the air.
You understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably (不可逆转地) scuffed (磨损), marked, damaged or even broken into pieces. They will never be the same. You must understand that and try for balance in your life. How?
Don’t undermine (逐渐损害) your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different and each of us is special. Don’t set your goals by what other people consider important. Only you know what is the best for you. Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Hold on to them as you would to life, for without them, it’s meaningless. Don’t let life slip through your fingers by living in the past or in the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life. Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going. Don’t use time or words carelessly. Life is not a race, but a journey to be enjoyed slowly each step of the way. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That’s why we call it – the present.
56. What’s the best title of this passage?
A. Today Is A Present B. How to Live Your Life
C. Life Is A Game D. Imagine Life as a game
57. What does the underlined sentence mean?
A. not only where you live , but also where you’re going to live
B. all over the world
C. not only what you have done, but what you are going to do as well
D. the places you have been to as well as the places you are going to
58. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. You should try your best to keep balance in your life.
B. It’s unnecessary to compare yourself with others.
C. Life is just like a race.
D. Everyone has his own best points.
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
List Price: $16.95 Price: $14.35
Where the Wild Things Are is one of those truly rare books that can be enjoyed equally by a child and a grown-up. Max puts on his wolf suit, trying to do something bad and gets sent to bed without supper. Quite by accident, a forest grows in his room, allowing his wild behaviour to continue. Sendak’s color illustrations (插图) are beautiful, and each turn of the page brings the discovery of a new wonder.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
List Price: $17.95 Price: $10.77
Perhaps the perfect children’s bedtime book, Goodnight Moon is a short poem of goodnight wishes from a young rabbit preparing for his own sleep. He says goodnight to every object in sight. Clement Hurd’s illustrations are simple and effective.
Happy Birthday, Baby by Dr. Smith
List Price: $9.99 Price: $9.99
The Great Birthday Bird says, “Get dressed! Today is your day. It’s the Best of the Best!” This fun-filled book can be touched, moved, and smelt, helping babies celebrate their day of all days with the Great Birthday Bird! It’s illustrated by Jan Gerardi.
You're Only Old Once! by Dr. Seuss
List Price: $11.70 Price: $10. 53
If laughter is the best medicine, then You’re Only Old Once! is a delightful new defense against aging. As we follow him through his checkup with the experts at the Golden Years Clinic, Dr. Seuss lightens the aches and pains of growing old with his unique wisdom. A perfect gift for anyone over fifty!
57. If you buy the books above, whose book will save you most?
A. Maurice Sendak’s.B. Dr. Smith’s.
C. Dr. Seuss’s.D. Margaret Wise Brown’s.
58. You’re Only Old Once! talks mainly about ________.
A. the happy time with the Great Birthday Bird
B. the adventure of a naughty boy named Max
C. some suggestions about reducing pains of aging
D. the goodnight wishes of a rabbit before sleep
59. Happy Birthday, Baby is illustrated by ________.
A. Jan GerardiB. Clement Hurd C. Sendak D. Margaret Wise Brown
60. Which book is suitable for both kids and adults?
A. Happy Birthday, Baby.B. Where the Wild Things Are.
C. Goodnight Moon.D. You’re Only Old Once!
Indonesia is known as the country of islands. It has 17,508 islands. But in recent years, the popular tourist destination has lost some of its shine.
Due to rising sea levels caused by global warming, 24 Indonesian islands have gone under the sea. Scientists say 2,000 more will disappear before 2030. In the past three years, the Southeast Asian nation also witnessed its islands destroyed by a tsunami(海啸) and typhoons.
“If no measures are taken to fight climate change, the beautiful islands will go forever,” scientists told environmental ministers from about 190 countries at a UN climate change meeting.
This week they are meeting in Bali, an Indonesian island. They are trying to reach a deal to cut the world’s emissions (排放) of CO2 , which makes the Earth warmer.
Indonesia is not alone. This year has seen more extreme weather hit the world. Canada and US suffered heavy storms and typhoons, while Australians were caught in the heaviest drought in a century.
In China, the average temperature this year went up by 1.2oC from last year, reaching the highest on record since 1951.
However, other parts of the country got too much rain. More than 700 people were killed in floods, landslides and storms. “These weather extremes are the more obvious effects of global warming,” said Song Lianchun, a climate expert.
Scientists say time is running out. To escape from the worst effects, global CO2 emissions need to be cut from the levels they were at in 2000 by 50 to 85 percent by 2050.
But in recent years climate change talks have been bogged down by arguments over who will pay the bill for cleaner technology. Developing countries are worried that the cut in emissions will slow their economic development.
“China will play a responsible and constructive rule in the meeting,” said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. The nation is now the world’s second largest greenhouse gas emitter(排放者). “However, developed nations should help developing nations deal with the global issue.”
53. Which of the following is in the correct order?
a. More and more islands are going under the sea.
b. The sea levels are continuously rising.
c. The weather is getting warmer and warmer.
d. Emission of CO2 is increasing.
A. a b c d B. b c d a C. c b a d D. d c b a
54. What does the underlined phrase “weather extremes” mean in the passage?
A. Rising temperature all over the world.
B. Bad weather like floods, drought, and landslides, etc.
C. The disappearance of more and more farmland.
D. Different amount of rain in different areas.
55. Climate change talks have been stopped because countries cannot agree on ______.
A. who should be responsible for causing climate change
B. who will pay for the cleaner technology needed
C. whether developed countries should help developing ones
D. whether developing countries should cut emissions of CO2
56. What is China’s attitude towards dealing with problems of climate change?
A. China will pay for the cleaner technology.
B. China will take an active part in dealing with climate change.
C. China thinks it is developed countries’ responsibility.
D. China will depend on developed countries to help it.
If your head is overheating, you are very likely to yawn(打哈欠) soon, according to a new study that has found the main purpose of yawning is to control brain temperature. The study explains several mysteries about yawning, such as why it’s most commonly done just before and after sleeping, why certain diseases lead to too much yawning, and why breathing though the nose often stops yawning.
“Brains are like computers,” Andrew Gallup, a researcher in the department of Biology at Binghamton University who led the study, said. “They operate best when cool.”
He and his co-workers Micheal Miller and Anne Clark did researches on yawning in parakeets(长尾小鹦鹉) , which have relatively large brains, live wild in Australia, often experience temperature changes, and, most importantly, do not yawn when others yawn, as humans and some other animals do.
For the study, the scientists put parakeets under three different conditions: increasing temperature, high temperature and normal temperature. While the frequency(频率) of yawns did not increase under the latter two conditions, it increased greatly when the researchers increased the temperature.
It’s now believed yawning operates like a radiator(散热器).
If air in the atmosphere is cooler than the brain and body temperatures, taking it in quickly cools blood, which in turn cools the brain. The new findings also explain why tired people often yawn. Both tiredness and sleep loss can increase brain temperature, while yawning can cool down the brain.
In the future, researchers may focus more on brain temperature and its role in diseases and their symptoms. But the new study on yawning changes the popular idea that yawns are just signs of getting tired of something.
49. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Why don’t people yawn at normal temperature?
B. The yawn explained—it cools your brain.
C. Yawning operates like a radiator.
D. The cause of yawning—finally found out.
50. The main reason why researchers chose parakeets to do the research is that parakeets______.
A. have very large brains
B. live wild in Australia
C. are not affected by others’ yawning
D. experience frequent temperature changes
51. The writer may suggest doing all of the following to stop yawning EXCEPT______.
A. breathing through the nose
B. turning up the heat
C. enjoying some cool wind
D. putting a cold towel on your forehead
52. In which section of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage?
A. Discovery. B. Education. C. Health. D. Mystery.
In order to protect valuable energy, snails(蜗牛) basically play a game of follow-the-leader, a new study finds. Snails create trails of mucus(黏液) to help them move smoothly across the ground, mainly in search of food or a partner, but making all that mucus uses up a lot of energy.
“Snails use a lot of energy, probably a third, creating mucus,” said Mark Davies of the University of Sunderland, lead author of the study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society. “This process is very tiring indeed— much more so than walking, swimming or flying.”
Davies and his workmates studied marine snails off the coast of Britain and discovered that to save some of this important energy, the snails sometimes follow the existing mucus trails laid down by other snails to get around and so only have to create a small part of the mucus needed to make a new trail.
“The fact that they can make savings has an effect on as much as they have to save more energy to do other things like reproducing,” Davies said.
The energy saving may also help snails which live in environments where food is not enough, making the energy harder to replace.
Biologists had long guessed that snails behaved this way, but this is the first study to directly observe it. Davies said that it is likely that all snails use this means of cutting energy as they work hard through life.
45. What’s the function of mucus that snails create?
A. To find their food B. To find their way back
C. To save their energy D. To help them move smoothly
46. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The snail’s life is very hard.
B. The snails don’t need much to reproduce.
C. This is the first time to do the guess.
D. The snails will replace more energy in places lacking food.
47. From the passage we know that ______.
A. snails’ trails are sometimes reused
B. snails’ food is difficult to find
C. snails can live a long life
D. only marine snails have the ability
48. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. How snails move and work.
B. Snails save energy by reusing mucus trails.
C. A new study finds the mysteries of snails.
D. Snails make full use of their energy.