Many people like the feeling of the gentle wind in spring．Many like to see the falling leaves dancing in the wind in autumn．But sometimes, when the wind becomes a storm, it can be very destructive(毁灭性的)．
A series of such storms struck the US last month and caused very serious damage and human pain．
Every year, major storms cause many problems around the world．There is nothing people can do to stop these powerful forces of nature．But new techniques are helping scientists to predict(预测)how, when, and where big storms will happen．The more exact scientists' warnings are, the better people can prepare for the storms．
Predictions are improving．“We've gotten better over the years, especially the last few years,”says Phil Klotzback, a scientist at an American university．How is a storm formed? Even if scientists know where a storm will happen, winds can suddenly change, carrying the storm to a new direction．“For a hurricane to happen, conditions have to be just right,”Klotzback says．
First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it evaporates and rises into the air．As it rises, the vapor(水蒸气)cools and turns back into liquid．This process gives off heat．This produces energy like an engine that causes winds to increase．It drives the formation(形成)of a hurricane．
If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a“tropical storm”(热带风暴), and it gets a name．At 75 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane．
Hurricanes that hit the US start when a thunderstorm forms off the coast of Africa．Storms also develop over tropical waters in other parts of the world．
On average, 60 or 70 storms form off Africa every year．About 10 of them get names．There are usually about six hurricanes．Two tend to be very big, with winds of 115 miles per hour or higher．
The hurricane season lasts from June to November．Ninety percent of all hurricanes hit in August, September, and October．
(1)
According to the passage, hurricanes usually ________．
[ ]
A．
form off the coast of Africa and America
B．
travel at 40 miles per hour and get its name
C．
hit parts of the world in summer and autumn
D．
cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea
(2)
The underlined word“evaporates”(in Paragraph 5)probably means“________”．
[ ]
A．
begins to move
B．
changes into a gas
C．
becomes hot
D．
gets lost
(3)
Which of the following about the information of a hurricane is in the correct order?
a．The ocean water evaporates and goes into the air．
b．Heat creates energy and causes winds to increase．
c．The vapor cools．
d．The ocean water is warm enough．
e．The vapor changes back into liquid．
f．This course gives out heat．
[ ]
A．
a, d, e, b, c, f
B．
a, b, c, f, d, e
C．
d, a, b, c, e, f
D．
d, a, c, e, f, b
(4)
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
[ ]
A．
One out of six or seven storms get names．
B．
Every year at least 60 storms form off Africa．
C．
The speed of the biggest two hurricanes reaches 115miles per hour．
D．
About one third of the hurricanes tend to be very big．
A few days ago, he was just Colonel(上校)Yang; few people knew his name or recognized his face．But last Thursday, when he came back to the earth after a 21-hour trip to space, Yang Liwei’s smile was seen across the world above the magic words：“China’s first spaceman”．
The 38-year-old astronaut was sent into space at 9 a. m．Last Wednesday by China’s Shenzhou Ⅴ spacecraft, which orbited the earth 14 times．He landed safely at 6∶23 a. m．The next day, making China the third country successfully send a person into space, after the former Soviet Union and the US．
Yang was satisfied with his job．“I have seen many landing scenes before on video, and I think ours was one of the most successful, ”He said on a special plane to Beijing after landing．Born into an ordinary family in Liaoning Province, he became a pilot in the Chinese Air Force in 1987, spending 1350 hours in the air．He joined the Chinese space programme 11 years later．
While in space, Yang recorded everything he saw as well as showing China’s national flag and the United Nations’ flag to the people watching on TV at home．He also ate a meal of diced chicken and fried rice, before taking a 3-hour nap．The whole project went according to plan, but space exploration is not as easy as it seems．
Anyone who saw the destruction of the US space shuttle Columbia in February this year will know that Yang took a great risk．
He experienced extremely high temperatures, while the gravitation(重力)on take-off and landing were strong enough to force tears from his eyes．
He has spent five years training to become a spaceman．
“I eat all of my meals at the space programme’s dinning room and have never been able to take my son to kindergarten, ”he said．“I’ve never met his teachers．”
But becoming China’s first spaceman has made all the effort worthwhile．
“When I boarded the spacecraft for the first time, I couldn’t help feeling excited,” he said．“I decided that I had to fly it．”
To Chinese people, Yang is now a hero．One visitor to a Xinhua news agency online forum(网上论坛)said, “Yang’s trip is a giant leap forward for China．”
Officials say the next Shenzhou will be launched by 2005．China also plans to develop spacewalking and a space lab．
(1)
What is the main idea of the story?
[ ]
A．
China’s first manned flight．
B．
A hero with great courage．
C．
The first Chinese man in space．
D．
How Yang Liwei became China’s first spaceman．
(2)
How long did each of Yang’s orbits take on average?
[ ]
A．
1 hour．
B．
1.5 hours．
C．
6 hours．
D．
The story didn’t mention it．
(3)
Why did the writer mention the gravitation forces on take-off and landing?
[ ]
A．
Because it was the most dangerous part of the space flight．
B．
Because it was a very special experience．
C．
To stress how much training he had to do to prepare for the flight．
D．
To show that Yang is brave．
(4)
Why did the writer use “giant leap” in the title?
[ ]
A．
Because the space flight marked China’s great progress in the field of space exploration．
B．
Because Neil Armstrong said it was a “giant leap” for mankind when he first set foot on the moon．
C．
Because the space flight was a huge success．
D．
Both A and B．
(5)
This passage is most likely to appear in __________．
[ ]
A．
newspaper
B．
textbook
C．
science magazines
D．
biographies(传记)
阅读理解
The repairman told me, “No charge, Professor Pan! We’re friends．”
“I’d rather pay, ” I replied．“If it’s free, I can’t afford it!”
Chinese often refuse payment for professional services, insisting, “We’re friends now!” But then they show up later to ask me to tutor them in English, or get them into an American university, and I wish I’d have just paid the 30 yuan I owed them in the first place!
According to the Americans, “There is no free lunch．”, means that there’s a price for everything．And I’m always looking around to figure out what this means．
Many of our neighbours have given us fruit or flowers or costly teas, never asking anything in return．For years, a bicycle repairman has repeatedly refused to let me pay him．“Wait until you have something major to fix!” he insists．
I mentioned to a peasant friend that I wished I had a stone mill to grind(磨)flour for bread．A month later he showed up with a beautiful mill that he’d had his uncle in the countryside carve from a solid block of granite(花岗石)．
Chinese generosity(慷慨)is a real education for Americans like me, who would rather avoid social entanglements(纠纷)and just hand over the money．But cash can’t compensate(补偿)for the greatest gift－friendship．
When an American saw some of my friends sitting on bamboo stools under the trees, sipping(呷)tea, he said, “They must have nothing better to do．” “Actually,” I said, “they are professors, with plenty to do．But probably you are right in saying that, at this moment, they have nothing better to do．And neither do I!”?
And I joined the group．When chatted about tea and Chinese cooking and how much my boys have grown since we arrived．One man said, “They were pocket-sized when you came here．Now they’re taller than you．How time flies!”
How life flies．And Chinese are smart enough to share what they know they cannot keep．They freely give off their time, never too busy to help a friend．And they are teaching me, slowly, to both give and receive．So the next time someone says, “No charge．We’re friends!” I will thank them heartily．But if they show up later asking me to tutor them in English, I’ll make sure they tutor my son in Chinese as well, because there’s still no free lunch．
(1)
Why did the author insist paying the repairman while he was offered free repairs?
[ ]
A．
Because he was an upright man．
B．
Because he didn’t know the repair man．
C．
Because he thought it natural to pay for other’s service．
D．
Because he didn’t want to help others in return．
(2)
Generally, the author thinks that ________．
[ ]
A．
Chinese are generous and always ready to help their friends
B．
Chinese are good at exchange of equal values
C．
Chinese are free enough to drink and chat with their friends
D．
Chinese are helpful but don’t treasure time
(3)
The best title for the passage should be “________”．
[ ]
A．
Still No Free Lunch
B．
A Good Lesson From Chinese
C．
True Help Or Not
D．
Learn To Both Give And Receive
(4)
Which of the following is TRUE?
[ ]
A．
All the Chinese that once gave the author help have asked him to tutor them in English．
B．
When a peasant knew the author needed a mill, he made one for the author himself．
C．
The author thinks that Chinese are wise enough to enjoy the limited life．
D．
The author is not used to the Chinese ways to make friends．
阅读理解
Mianzi(literally “face”)has long been observed by most Chinese．As a famous saying goes, “Men live for face as trees grow for bark．”
In a recent survey conducted by China Youth Daily, over 93 percent of the polled(接受测试的)people(1150)said they pay much attention to their mianzi, which concerns people’s decency, personality, and dignity．
When asked what the most humiliating(不光彩的)thing is, a heavy number accounting for 74.9 percent of the total chose public gaffes(失态)with the failed fulfillment of one’s promise coming in as second．More than a half of the people feel ashamed of being shown as ignorant before others．A total 47.5 percent of the polled considered it a loss of face to have no enough money on them when treating friends out to a dinner．
What would enhance one’s face then? In a ranking on this question, the survey revealed that doing what others cannot do topped the list, taking up a high proportion of 83.7 percent．Following at the second, with 53.9 percent, was being praised in public．Being outstandingly knowledgeable was third on the list for sharpening one’s mianzi, accounting for 51.7 percent．
According to the survey, face usually comes at a price．To pay or not to pay, it’s a problem．Deeply troubled with the face concept, many “fight” each other for the chance to foot the bill despite a barren pocket．Some 80.7 percent of those taking the poll thought it a tough life to always hold the face concept．Surprisingly, only 8.7 percent of the polled insisted that it tarnish(损害)a man’s authority and face in a family where the wife is the major breadwinner．
Armed to the teeth with the luxury name brand clothes, a limited 7.7 percent among all the polled prefer pricey cloths in order to gain more face．
Taking the social status into consideration, 82.9 percent of the polled nod at the opinion that those holding a superior position care far more than the general public about face．In another comparison, the manual labors pay less attention to face than brainworkers．The survey also revealed that men focus more on face than women and the senior more than the young．
While most people hold a neutral viewpoint about those who value mianzi a lot, nearly 80 percent of all the polled are willing to make friends with them．
(1)
According to the survey, which of the following most enhances one’s face?
[ ]
A．
Having enough money to treat friends out to a dinner．
B．
Being praised by others in public．
C．
Doing what others can’t．
D．
Affording to buy luxury name brand clothes．
(2)
You didn’t lose face when ________．
[ ]
A．
you broke your word after you offered to help your friends
B．
you made a big mistake in your speech to the public
C．
you let out that you know little about what your friends are talking about
D．
you managed to get your friend’s car started
(3)
Who cares most about face?
[ ]
A．
A young brainworker．
B．
A senior manual laborer．
C．
A person in high position．
D．
A senior woman brainworker．
(4)
The writer’s purpose in writing the article is to ________．
[ ]
A．
show how the Chinese care about face
B．
report on the findings of the survey
C．
give information about how to prevent losing face
D．
teach people how to enhance face
阅读理解
The age of wealthy youth is over．Today's under-thirties are the first generation for a century who can expect a lower living standard than their parents．
Research into the lifestyle and prospects of people born since 1970 shows that they arelikely to face a lifetime of longer working hours, lower job security and higher taxes than the previous generation．
When they leave work late in the evening they will be more likely to return to a smallrented flat than to a house of their own．When, eventually, they retire it will be on pensions(养老金)far lower in real terms than those of their immediate ancestors．
The findings are revealed in a study of the way the ageing of Britain's population isaffecting different generations．
Anthea Tinker, professor of social gerontology at King's College London, who carried out much of the work, said the growth of the proportion(比例)of people over 50 had reversed the traditional flow of wealth from older to younger generations．
“Today's older middle-aged and elderly are becoming the new winners,” she said．“Theymade relatively small contributions in tax but now makerelativelybigclaimsonthe welfare system．Generations born in the last three to four decades face the prospect of handing over more than a third of their lifetime's earnings to care for them”．
The growing number of older people, many living alone, has also increased demand forproperty and pushed up house prices．While previous generations found it easy to raise a mortgage(抵押), today's under-thirties have to live with their parents or rent．If they can afford to buy a home it is more likely to be a flat than a house．
Laura Lenox-Conyngham, 28, grew up in a large house and her mother did not need to work．Unlike her wealthy parents, she graduated with student and postgraduate loan debts of ￡13, 000．She now earns about ￡20,000 a year, preparing food to be photographed for magazines．Her home is a one-bedroom flat in central London and she rents the lounge sofa-bed to her brother．
“My father took pity and paid off my student debts,” she said．“But I still have no pensionand no chance of buying a property for at least a couple of years－and then it will be some-thing small in a bad area．My only hope is the traditional one of meeting a rich man．”
Tinkers research shows Lenox-Conyngham is representative of many young professionals, especially in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Bristol．
(1)
By saying “the growth of the proportion of people over 50 had reversed the traditional
flow of wealth from older to younger generations”(Lines 23, Para．5), Anthea Tinker
really means that ________．
[ ]
A．
currently wealth flows from old generation to younger generation
B．
traditionally wealth flows from younger generation to old generation
C．
with the increasingly big population of over 50, the trend arises that wealth flows
from younger generation to old generation
D．
with more and more people of over 50, traditions have been reversed
(2)
Why are today's older middle-aged and elderly becoming the new winners?
[ ]
A．
Because they made relatively small contributions in tax, but younger generation will possibly hand over more than a third of their lifetime's earnings for the care of them．
B．
Because they contributed a lot in tax and now can claim much on the welfare system．
C．
Because they made small contributions, but now can make money easily．
D．
Because they outnumber(在数量上超过)younger generation and enjoy more privileges in the present society．
(3)
Which factor pushed up house prices?
[ ]
A．
Many young men, who live alone, have increased demand for houses．
B．
Many young men need to rent more houses．
C．
It is easy to apply for a mortgage for young generation．
D．
The number of older people, many of whom live alone, becomes bigger and bigger．
(4)
We can conclude from the passage that ________．
[ ]
A．
today's under-thirties are leading a miserable life in Britain
B．
Laura Lenox-Conyngham's attitude to work and life represents that of many young professionals in Britain
C．
life can get harder for under-thirties in Britain
D．
elders enjoy extremely high living standard in Britain
阅读理解
Below are some classified ads from an English newspaper．
Classified ads
FOR DIRECT CLASSIFIED SERVICE CALL 800-0557 10 A.M.-4P.M．MONDAY-FRIDAY
FOR SALE
COME to moving sale－Plants, pottery, books, clothes, etc, Sat, Dec．14th, 9a.m.-5p.m.1612 Femdale, Apt．I．800-4696．
USED FUR COATS and JACKETS．Good condition．＄30-＄50．Call 800-0436 after 12 noon．
MOVING：Must sell．TV21, ＄50; AM/FM radio A/C or battery, ＄15; cassette tape recorder, ＄10．Call Jon or Pat, 800-0739 after 5p.m.or weekends．
SHEEPSKIN COAT：man's, size 42, I year old．＄85．After 6 p.m., 800-5224．
LOST AND FOUND
FOUND：Cat, 6 months old, black and white markings．Found near Linden and South U．Steve．800-4661．
LOST：Gold wire rim glasses in brown case．Campus area．Reward．Call Gregg 800-2896．
FOUND：Set of keys on Tappan rear Hill intersection．Identify key chain．Call 800-9662．
FOUND：Nov．8th－A black and white puppy in Packard Jewett area．800-5770．
PERSONAL
OVERSEAS JOBS：Australia, Europe, S．America, Africa．Students all professions and occupations, ＄700 to ＄3000 monthly．Expenses paid, overtime．Sightseeing, Free information at STUDENTS' UNION．
THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER plans to publish a booklet of student travel adventures．If you like to write about your foreign experiences, unusual or just plain interesting．Call 800-9310 and ask for Mike or Janet．
UNSURE WHAT TO DO?
Life-Planning Workshop, Dec, 13th－15th．Bob and Margaret Atwood, 800-0046．
ROOMMATES
FEMALE ROOMMATE
WANTED：Own room near campus．Available December 1st．Rent ＄300 per month until March 1st．＄450 thereafter．Call Jill for details, 800-7839．
NEED PERSON to assume lease for own bedroom in PT．near campus, ＄ 380/mo．Starting Jan．1st, Call 800-6157 after 5p.m．
DOMESTIC SERVICE
EARLY HOUR WAKE-UP SERVICE：For prompt, courteous wake-up service, call 800-0760．
HELP WANTED
BABYSITTER－MY HOME If you are available a few hours during the day, and some evenings to care for 2 school-age children, please call Gayle Morre, days 800-1111, evenings and weekends 800-4964．
PERSONS WANTED for delivery work, Own transportation．Good pay．Apply 2311 E．Stadium．Office 101, after 9 a.m．
