C
The announcements by the NASA,in the form of several Web site postings and a video posted on YouTube,were in response to worries that the world will end on Dec.21,2012.
The doomsday(末日) rumour reached a high point with the release of the new movie “2012”,directed by Roland Emmerich.In the movie,Yellowstone blows up, showering the continent with black ash.Tidal waves wash over the Himalayas,where the governments of the planet have secretly built a ship which a select 400,000 people can ride out the storm.There are hundreds of hooks devoted to 2012,and millions of Web sites,depending on what combination of“2012”and“doomsday”you type into Google.All of it,astronomers say, is nonsense.“Most of what's claimed for 2012 relies on wishful thinking and ignorance of astronomy.”Ed Krupp, an expert on ancient astronomy,wrote in an article in the November issue of Sky&Telescope.
“I get angry at the way people are being influenced and frightened to make money,” Morrison said.“There is no right to frighten children to make a buck.”suggested David Morrison,an astronomer at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field,Calif.He said he had been getting about 20 letters and e—mail messages a day from people as far away as India scared out of their wits.Morrison said he did not blame the movie for all this,as much as many other supporters of the Mayan prediction.But then,he said,“my doctorate is in astronomy,not psychology.”
In an e—mail exchange, Krupp said:“We are always uncertain about the future,and we always consume representations of it.We are always attracted by the romance of the ancient past.”A NASA spokesman,Dwayne Brown,said the agency did not comment on movies,leaving that to movie critics.But when it comes to science, Brown said, “we felt it was careful to provide a resource.”
If you want to worry,most scientists say,you should think about global climate change or nuclear war.But if ancient prophecies(预言)get you going,here are some things Morrison and the others think you should know.
64.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Dr.Morrison blamed the Movie“2011”for the panic it aroused in the public around the world.
B.People who watched the movie were seared and firmly believed that the end of the world was coming.
C.In terms of science it was better to provide evidence and theory at the same time.
D.Dr.Morrison thought it was not right to make money by frightening people.
65.It can be inferred from the text that        .
A.astronomers think that doomsday is likely to happen in the near future
B.the reason why the NASA posted web site postings was to make people interested in astronomy
C.scientists think we shouldn't worry about doomsday but show concern about environment protection
D.most astronomers agree that the world is not ending—at least anytime soon
66.Which of the following would be the best title?
A.A New Movie“2012”            B.Is Doomsday Coming?
C.End-of-the-World Stories          D.Astronomers Comment on Movies
67.What would the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
A.Evidence that the Mayans thought something special would happen in 2012.
B.What will really happen in 2012.
C.The reason why there is no need to worry about doomsday.
D.Ancient stories about the end of the world.


C
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Thursday that his country hopes to deepen ties with China, which have been strained over French President Nicolas Sarkozy's meeting with the Dalai Lama.
"We need China, the world needs China to get out of the recession(衰退) " Fillon told parliament.Relations between the two countries hit a low after Sarkozy refused to call off a meeting with the Dalai Lama in December.
Beijing then pulled out of a summit(峰会) with the European Union (EU) that was supposed to have taken place on Dec 1 in France, which held the rotating EU presidency at the time.
Fillon stressed that Tibet is part of China, but insisted that the French president had every right to meet the Dalai Lama.
"For us, this incident does nothing to distract(转移) from our desire to reinforce our strategic partnership with China."
Former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin is scheduled to visit China next week following earlier attempts to improve relations.
China, which has said it is up to France to repair ties with Beijing, agreed with the EU last week to hold a summit soon, after the London G20 summit on April 2.
France was excluded from Premier Wen Jiabao's recent European visit.
"We all know why," Wen said when asked why he had omitted France from his journey, China News Service reported.
"I looked at a map of Europe on the plane. My trip goes around France," Wen said.
"The reason (for not visiting) doesn't lie with China", he told a group of reporters. He urged Paris to "mend and improve ties" with China.
44.Premier WenJiabao didn’t visit France because_______.
A.he promised to visit France later
B.former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin is scheduled to visit China soon
C.France didn’t attend the summit of the EU
D.Sarkozy met the Dalai Lama
45.According to France, ____________.
A.the president has the right to meet the Dalai Lama
B.the meeting will strengthen the strategic partnership with China
C.they don’t know why Premier WenJiabao didn’t visit France
D.China don’t care much for the ties with France
46.From paragraphs 2,3 and 4, the important conclusion is that _______.
A. Tibet is part of China
B. France and the world need China
C. Sarkozy refused to call off a meeting with the Dalai Lama in December.
D. Beijing pulled out of a summit with the Dalai Lama in December.
47.The main idea of the news is that_______.
A. It’s France’s fault to affect the relation between the two countries
B. France seeks to repair relations with China
C. Premier Wen urged Paris to “mend and improve ties” with China
D. Relations between China and France are going smoothly.

Ben Southall, from Britain, got the world’s best job, as an island caretaker on Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia. Towards the end of his six-month contract, he had an incident. Please read his blog issued on Dec. 29, 2009 to find out more about the incident.
Now I’ve spent nearly six months here in Queensland and so far I thought I’d done particularly well at avoiding any contact with any of the dangerous critters that consider this part of the world their home. I’ve avoided being boxed by a kangaroo, nibbled by a shark and bitten by a spider or a snake—but then in my final few days on Hamilton Island I seemed to be punished by a little creature known as an Irukandji.
Irukandji jellyfish are tiny and extremely poisonous jellyfish that are in the tropical waters of the Queensland coast between early October and May, and which cause symptoms collectively known as Irukandji syndrome(综合症). Its size is roughly no larger than a fingernail of an adult’s little finger.
I was enjoying a post Christmas jetski session with some friends at a quiet beach on Hamilton Island. As I climbed off the back of the ski and onto the beach I felt a small bee-like sting on my forearm. I didn’t think too much of it at the time at it disappeared very quickly and left the beach to head to a sports massage appointment I had. As I arrived I noticed that my feet and hands were tingling(刺痛) slightly. The member of staff immediately suggested that I get the symptoms checked out and within minutes had the security there to escort(陪同) me to the doctor’s room, only a few hundred metres away.
I was feeling pretty hot and sweaty, had a headache and felt pretty sick too, together with pain in my lower back and a tightness in the chest and really high blood pressure all classic symptoms of Irukandji syndrome! This was not what I’d wanted at all and had caught me a little off guard to say the least--I’m supposed to be relaxing in my last few days on Hamilton Island.
The doctor knew instantly what it was and straight away started the course of treatment to get me on the mend. I had a couple of injections which immediately took away the uncomfortable pain I was feeling and I slipped into a comfortable sleep after an hour or so, waking to say hello to a couple of friends who came to see if I was OK! Bre was there the entire time tending to me like a little Florence Nightingale!
Once I’d recovered sufficiently I was discharged that evening and allowed to go home to sleep the effects off and only really knew what had happened when Bre told the full story the next morning--I had been very lucky.
I’d had a minor brush with what can be a very serious jellyfish and has led to people being hospitalized for a number of days, my slight knock was enough to tell me that it’s not something to be messed around with and I really should have been wearing a full stinger suit, as it recommended at all beaches here at this time of year.., even if you’re in the water for just a couple of seconds as I was!
66. We now know that people who suffer from Irukandji syndrome usually ___________.
A. have headache, backache, chest pain, sweat heavily and feel sick
B. have headache, backache, chest pain, breathe quickly and cough a lot
C. is not very painful in the beginning, but can be very painful the next day
D. play with these beautiful jellyfish while swimming in the sea
67. What have we learnt from Ben’s blog EXCEPT that _______________?
A. Ben Southall knows how to take care of himself
B. Ben Southall doesn’t look after himself well enough
C. Ben Southall has been in hospital for some days
D. Ben Southall’s friend, Bre tends to him well
68. What lesson can we learn from Ben’s incident?
A. All rules must be strictly obeyed all the time.
B. All recommendations should be seriously taken into consideration.
C. Always have yourselves covered when you are in the sea.
D. Never play with creatures in the sea.
69. Which of the following is the correct order of the events?
a. Keep an appointment  b. See a doctor              c. Go jetskiing                     d. Get home
A. a,c,d,b              B. c,a,b,d             C. c,b,a,d             D. d,b,a,c
70. How do islanders deal with Ben Southall’s incident?
A. Politely, certainly and successfully.     B. Nicely, slowly and carefully.
C. Hopefully, carefully and skillfully.      D. Kindly, quickly and efficiently.

In the 1880s, Mark Twain established and operated his own publishing firm. He also became interested in various investments, especially an elaborate typesetting machine. He lost almost $200,000 in investments in the machine between 1881 and 1894. Also, his publishing company declared bankruptcy (破产) in April 1894. Thus, in January 1895, Mark Twain found himself publicly shamed by his inability to pay his debts.

Mark Twain eventually recovered from his financial difficulties, through his continued writing and a successful lecture tour in 1895 and 1896. During this much-publicized tour, Twain lectured in such places as India, South Africa and Australia. By the time he returned, he had become an international hero. Twain enjoyed this attention, and his habits of smoking cigars or a pipe and wearing unconventional white suits contributed to his showy image. He also made use of his position as a public figure to criticize the US foreign policy.

Although he was recovering from his financial problems by 1898, Mark Twain had begun to experience tragedy in his personal life. Suzy, his oldest daughter, died of meningitis (脑膜炎) in 1896, while her parents and sister Clara were abroad. In 1903, Mark Twain sold the beloved house in Hartford, which had become too closely associated with Suzy’s death. His wife, Olivia, who had developed a heart condition, died on June 5, 1904. His youngest daughter, Jean, died on Dec. 24, 1909.

64. Which is not the reason why Mark Twain found himself in debt?

Because he devoted all his energy to his writings.

Because his publishing firm bankruptcy.

He lost almost $ 200 000 in investments in the machine between 1881 and 1894

Because he lost a large quantity of money in various investments.

65. How did Mark Twain pay off his debts?

A.  By borrowing money from the bank.

B.  By investing in foreign countries.

By writing articles and a successful lecture tour.

By printing his own articles and selling them for money.

66. It can be inferred that Mark Twain ________________.

hated smoking cigars

liked wearing black clothes

hated the US foreign policy at that time

hated giving lectures in the foreign countries

 

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Thursday that his country hopes to deepen ties with China, which have been strained over French President Nicolas Sarkozy's meeting with the Dalai Lama.

"We need China, the world needs China to get out of the recession(衰退) " Fillon told parliament.Relations between the two countries hit a low after Sarkozy refused to call off a meeting with the Dalai Lama in December.

Beijing then pulled out of a summit(峰会) with the European Union (EU) that was supposed to have taken place on Dec 1 in France, which held the rotating EU presidency at the time.

Fillon stressed that Tibet is part of China, but insisted that the French president had every right to meet the Dalai Lama.

"For us, this incident does nothing to distract(转移) from our desire to reinforce our strategic partnership with China."

Former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin is scheduled to visit China next week following earlier attempts to improve relations.

China, which has said it is up to France to repair ties with Beijing, agreed with the EU last week to hold a summit soon, after the London G20 summit on April 2.

France was excluded from Premier Wen Jiabao's recent European visit.

"We all know why," Wen said when asked why he had omitted France from his journey, China News Service reported.

"I looked at a map of Europe on the plane. My trip goes around France," Wen said.

"The reason (for not visiting) doesn't lie with China", he told a group of reporters. He urged Paris to "mend and improve ties" with China.

44.Premier WenJiabao didn’t visit France because_______.

A.he promised to visit France later

B.former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin is scheduled to visit China soon

C.France didn’t attend the summit of the EU

D.Sarkozy met the Dalai Lama

45.According to France, ____________.

A.the president has the right to meet the Dalai Lama

B.the meeting will strengthen the strategic partnership with China

C.they don’t know why Premier WenJiabao didn’t visit France

D.China don’t care much for the ties with France

46.From paragraphs 2,3 and 4, the important conclusion is that _______.

A. Tibet is part of China

B. France and the world need China

C. Sarkozy refused to call off a meeting with the Dalai Lama in December.

D. Beijing pulled out of a summit with the Dalai Lama in December.

47.The main idea of the news is that_______.

A. It’s France’s fault to affect the relation between the two countries

B. France seeks to repair relations with China

C. Premier Wen urged Paris to “mend and improve ties” with China

D. Relations between China and France are going smoothly.

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网