The Dead Sea
At 430 meters below sea level， the Dead Sea is Earth's lowest point on land． It is popular for its wonderful buoyancy（浮力）． The high salt content﹣more than 34 percent ﹣ makes swimming more like floating．
Now the Dead Sea is actually dying． People are using water from the Jordan River， which takes water away from the Dead Sea． Since 1930， its surf area has reduced by almost 40 percent．
Venice， Italy
With waterways instead of streets． This "Floating City" has attracted visitors for centuries． But no visit to Venice is complete without a ride on one of its famous gondolas， human powered water taxis． Water creates Venice． But water will also kill the city．
Built on soft earth， Venice has slowly been sinking （下沉） for centuries． Now， with rising sea levels caused by human activities， it's sinking faster． According to US﹣based magazine Architectural Digest， the city may disappear in the next 100 years． Better book your gondola soon!
Great Barrier Reef， Australia
Covering more than 2，300 kilometers of Australia's northeast coast， Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef ecosystem， and an ideal place for scuba divers （水肺潜水者）．Thousands of colorful coral （珊瑚） and fish make homes in the blue sea water． It's like a big underwater party!
Sadly， the party might be over soon． The reef is dying． Human activities are changing the weather． Warming ocean， water kills the coral， and this causes problems up the food chain． The New York Times reported that large parts are already dead， and the reef system might be gone by 2030．
（1）What can be the best title of the passage？
A． Disappearing Watery Wonders
B． Amazing Man﹣made Wonders on the Sea
C． Lost Watery Wonders on the Sea
D． Last Watery Wonders in the World
（2）Which of the following is the shared cause of the problems all the three places are facing？
A． Water loss．
B． Sea pollution．
C． Warming seas．
D． Human activities．
（3）If Tom wants to visit all the following places before they are gone， and he can only afford one in the next 15 years， where must he go？
A． The Dead Sea．
B． Venice．
C． Italy．
D． Great Barrier Reef．
Mark Twain, the famous American writer, was traveling in France. Once he was going by train to Dijon. That afternoon he was very tired and wanted to sleep, so he asked the conductor to wake him up when they came to Dijon. But first he explained that he was a very heavy sleeper. “I’ll probably protest(表示不满)loudly when you try to wake me up,” he said to the conductor, “but do not take any notice, just put me off the train anyway.”
Then Mark Twain went to sleep. Later, when he woke up, it was night-time and the train was in Paris already. He realized at once that the conductor had forgotten to wake him up at Dijon. He was very angry. He ran up to the conductor and began to shout at him.“I have never been so angry in all my life,” Mark Twain said.
The conductor looked at him calmly. “You are not half so angry as the American whom I put off at Dijon,” he said.Who’ s Mark Twain? ______________
| A．A French writer. | B．A famous artist. |
| C．An American writer. | D．A traveler. |
Mark Twain wanted to sleep because_________.
| A．he was tired | B．he was hungry |
| C．he was a lazy man | D．he liked sleeping |
When he woke up, the train got to______.
| A．Dijon | B．London | C．Paris | D．New York |
| For Children Museum: Children’s Museum, Sundays, 89 North Street, 67641235 Story time: Children’s Library, 106 Green Street, Wednesdays during 9:30 a.m -5:00p.m. 66599624 Sports: Soccer Club, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 16 Yangtze Road, 96725643 Basketball Club, Wednesdays and Fridays, 79071632 Cinema: New films for children, 99 Brick Road, 69001354 |
| Useful Phone Numbers Fast Food Restaurant: 66387901 Hospital: 68787451 Visitor Information Center: 800-120-9847 Taxi: 79210583 Visitor Hotel Information: 800-739-7302 |
It’s Friday afternoon, you can go to_______ .
| A．visit the museum | B．play soccer |
| C．play basketball | D．read children’s stories |
If you dial (拨号)66387901, you can __________.
| A．ask for some hotel information |
| B．do some shopping |
| C．have a good story time |
| D．order fast food in a restaurant |
You can not get any information about________ from the two notices．
| A．looking for a hotel | B．shopping online |
| C．eating fast food | D．taking a taxi |
Last Saturday, our school organized a talent show to raise money for charity. It was a great success. Students took an active part in it and we raised 20,000 yuan in all.
After the show I interviewed three students. First, I talked with Liu Li. In the talent show, she danced the ballet（芭蕾舞）. “How long have you been dancing the ballet?” I asked. “For about six years.” she answered. “Why do you learn it?” “I think it’s beautiful and I want to be a professional dancer when I grow up.”
Next I had a talk with Zhao Qiang. He played a piece of Mozart’s music. He played wonderfully. I asked, “When did you start playing the piano?” “Um, I’m twelve now and I have been doing it since I was five.” he said. “Are you going to play the piano after you finish high school?” “Sure. My dream is to be a pianist.”
Finally, I asked Chen Yun, an 11-year-old girl. She sang us some folk songs（民歌）. Her voice is very sweet. “Why are you interested in folk music?” I asked. “I admire Song Zuying and I want to be a singer like her. I have been singing folk songs since five years ago. I hope I can hold a singing concert in the future.” she said.
根据短文内容，完成表格。
| Talent |
How many years |
Dream |
|
| Liu Li |
six |
||
| Zhao Qiang |
to be a pianist |
||
| Chen Yun |
Singing folk songs |
since five years ago |
World Future Society
People
People may live for up to 120 years and use new technology to help when people go blind, deaf and have other problems. The number of people over a hundred years old could go from 135,000 today to 2.2 million people by 2050. By 2015 people think that 100 million workers will be able to work from home for a company in a different country by using the Internet.
Money
Worldwide e-business will become even more successful with online shops that sell special products for each person, which will be brought to their house the next day.
Environment
The technology for making energy from wind and the Sun is growing very quickly. In the future wind and Sun energy could become much cheaper and many more countries could use it. This would be very useful in poor countries. The air in big cities would also become much cleaner and healthier as a result.
Society and culture
The Internet will help to create more worldwide friendships. Families may spend more time together as people will be able to do 24-hour online banking and shopping.
Technology
The new science of “nanotechnology” (very small robots or machines) will make all sorts of products smaller and lighter. Very, very small machines could take away rubbish, make things in factories, and help inside the human body by taking away fat. By 2012 people will be able to wear these small machines that look like watches, which will give them lots of information about their body and keep them healthy.What does the World Future Society do?
| A．Look at how technology will make people happy. |
| B．Look at how technology will change the world. |
| C．Make technology w ork better for themselves. |
| D．Make small machines to make us healthier. |
How will technology help people?
| A．Help all people live for over 120 years. | B．Help disabled people to get jobs. |
| C．Make people healthier and live longer. | D．Help workers to use the Internet. |
How will people go shopping?
| A．In special shops. | B．Using the Internet at certain times. |
| C．Using the Internet any time of the day. | D．Using nanotechnology. |
How will technology help the environment?
| A．Poor countries will have enough energy. |
| B．Wind energy will be cheaper than Sun energy. |
| C．We will not need wind and Sun energy. |
| D．Wind and Sun energy will be cheaper. |
The new science of “nanotechnology” will _______.
| A．drive small machines to work for people | B．make good-quality watches |
| C．allow people to eat more | D．make very small products |
Your computer has been playing music for years, one CD at a time. Now hundreds of songs can be stored in your PC if they' re in the MP3 format (格式).
| What is it? MP3 compressed(压缩) music into small computer files. You may download MP3 music several ways: Music can be downloaded from websites that have turned wide music libraries into MP3. Once MP3 music is on your PC’s hard drive, you can play it through your computer's speakers, "burn" it onto blank CDs or swap(交换) MP3 files with friends using e -mail. |
| How much? Software needed to play and convert MP3 music is often free. Compact portable MP3 players start at around $ 40 and can hold hundreds of songs. A blank CD on which you can record music costs about a dollar. |
| Advantages MP3 turns your home PC into a jukebox(自动唱机) . Small MP3 players are the size of a deck of cards(一副牌), making it easy to take hundreds of songs with you. Disadvantages You may find that some websites only allow you to listen but you can't download music. Others let you download music but can't be copied to MP3 players. And a growing number of new CDs make it impossible to copy songs to a computer. |
How can you get MP3 music?
| A．By turning your home PC into a jukebox. |
| B．By taking your own music or songs with you. |
| C．By copying songs to a PC through the speakers. |
| D．By downloading from websites, which have turned music libraries into MP3. |
What is the closest meaning of the underlined word "burn"?
| A．Copy. | B．Play. | C．Store. | D．Change. |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．MP3 music is often free. |
| B．MP3 music can be "burned" onto blank CDs or be swapped with friends by e -mail. |
| C．MP3 music can be taken along while traveling. |
| D．A growing number of new CDs make it possible to copy songs to a computer. |
How much will you pay for a compact portable MP3 player?
| A．Free. | B．At least 10 dollars. |
| C．About forty dollars. | D．About a dollar. |
How many disadvantages of MP3 can we see from the passage?
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |