IF you lived by the sea, you’d know that typhoons are frequent(频繁的)visitors during summer .They bring Strong winds, heavy rain and flooding(洪水)But most of the time, when people stay indoors, they’re just all right.

This is what the people in the Philippines used to believe – until they met the “super typhoon”, Haiyan. 

The typhoon hit the country on Nov 8, at around 5 am, when most people were still asleep. But being at home didn’t keep them safe, since few buildings remained standing once they were hit by wind as violent as 376 kilometers per hour, according to NBC News.

“This is at the top end of any tropical system that we’ve seen on our planet,” said Bryan Norcross, a weather scientist working for NBC. And so far, Haiyan has caused more than 3,600 deaths and left millions of people homeless.

.But where did Haiyan get its destructive power?

According to Brian McNoldy, a tropical weather expert at the University of Miami, US, Haiyan was so strong because “it had everything working for it”

“All typhoons feed off the warm ocean waters,” Colin Price, a weather researcher at Tel Aviv University in Israel, told National Geographic. Tropical storms are like giant engines(发动机),powered by the heat transferred(传导)from the ocean waters to the air above. However, because of climate change, the oceans have been warming up in recent decades. “Warmer oceans will result in more intense(强烈的)storms,” Price said.

Also, Haiyan started near the equator(赤道),where it was able to pick up more heat before heading to the Philippines. Moreover, the route(路线)it traveled was mostly along open ocean, which means no land prevented it from gathering steam(水蒸气).

In addition, there happened to be very little “wind shear(风切变)in the area this time. Wind shear is a sudden change in wind speed or direction, which can tear apart developing storms. This is like when you stir(搅动) a glass of water with a chopstick: a swirl(漩涡)will form, ‘but if you move the chopstick in the opposite direction, the swirl will quickly disappear.”

“When all those things align in a certain way, you’re going to get something like‘Haiyan’.”Jim Kossin, a scientist with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told National Geographic.

1.Which of the following is TRUE about typhoons according to the article?

A. They mostly happen early in the morning.

B. They mostly do damage during winter.

C. During most typhoons people can keep safe just by staying at home.

D. This year, more intense storms have happened in the world,

2.Which of the following made Haiyan so powerful?

a, lts starting point was the equator

b, The frequency of other intense storms

c. More heat was transferred from the ocean waters to the air above,

d. There was a strong wind shear in the area

e. There was no land in its way

A. abc              B.acd               C.ace             D.  ade 

3.The underlined word “alignin” the last paragraph is closest in meaning to_____

A. disappear         B. affect each other

C. Arrive at the top     D. Happen at the same time

4.The article mainly talks about

A. how destructive Haiyan was             

B. Why Haiyan was so destructive

C. how typhoons like Haiyan form(形成)  

D. ways to protect yourself when typhoons hit

 

It’s such a happy-looking library, painted yellow, decorated with palm-tree stickers and sheltered from the Florida sun by its own roof. About the size of a microwave oven, it’s pedestrian-friendly, too, waiting for book lovers next to a sidewalk in Palm Beach country Estates, along the northern boundary of Palm Beach Gardens.

         It’s a library built with love.

         A year ago, shortly after Janey Henriksen saw a Brian Williams report about the Little Free Library organization, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit that aims to promote literacy and build a sense of community in a neighborhood by making books freely available, she announced to her family of four, “That’s what we’re going to do for our spring break!”

         Son Austin, now a 10th-grader, didn’t see the point of building a library that resembles (像)a mailbox. But Janey insisted, and husband Peter unwillingly got to work. The 51-year-old owner of a ship supply company modified a small wooden house that he’d built years earlier for daughter Abbie’s toy horses, and made a door of glass.

         After adding the library’s final touches (装点), the family hung a signboard on the front, instructing users to “take a book, return a book,” and making the Henriksen library, now one of several hundred like it nationwide and among more than 2,500 in the world, the only Little Free Library in Palm Beach County.

         They stocked(贮存) it with 20 or so books they’d already read, a mix of science fiction, reference titles, novels and kids’ favorites. “I told them, keep in mind that you might not see it again,” said Janey, a stay-at-home mom.

         Since then, the collection keeps replenishing (补充) itself, thanks to ongoing donations from borrowers. The library now gets an average of five visits a day.

         The project’s best payoff, says Peter, are the thank-you notes left behind. “We had no idea in the beginning that it would be so popular.”  (317 words)

1. The library was built __________.

A. by a ship supply company                                  B. on the basis of toy horses

C. like a mailbox                                                       D. with glass

2. What can we infer about the signboard?

A. It was made by a user of the library.

B. It marked a final touch to the library.

C. It aimed at making the library last long.

D. It indicated the library was a family property.

3.The passage tells us that the users __________.

A. donate (捐)books to the library

B. get paid to collect books for the library

C. receive thank-you notes for using the library

D. visit the library over 5 times on average daily

 

Pulling heavy suitcases all day in the summer is hard work, especially when you're a thin 14-year-old.That was me in 1940-the youngest and smallest baggage boy at New York City's Pennsyl-vania Railway Station.

     After just a few days on the job, I began noticing that the other fellows were overcharging passengers. I'd like to join them, thinking, "Everyone else is doing it."

     When I got home that night, I told my dad what I wanted to do." You give an honest day's work," he said, looking at me straight in the eye."  They're paying you. If they want to do that, you let them do that."

     I followed my dad's advice for the rest of that summer and have lived by his words ever since.

     Of all the jobs I've had, it was my experience at Pennsylvania Railway Station that has stuck with me. Now I teach my players to have respect for other people and their possessions. Being a member of a team is a totally shared experience. If one person steals, it destroys trust and hurts everyone. I can put up with many things, but not with people who steal. If one of my players were caught stealing, he'd be gone.

    Whether you're on a sports team, in an office or a member of a family, if you can't trust one another, there's going to be trouble. 

1.What can be inferred about the baggage boys? 

A. They could earn much, but they had to work hard.

B. Many of them earned money in a dishonest way.

C. They were all from poor families.

D. They were all thin, young boys.

2.What does the father's advice imply?

A. It is wrong to give more pay to the passengers.

B. Don't believe them if they are paying you more.

C. Don't follow others to overcharge the passengers.

D. It is difficult to work hard and live as an honest boy. 

3.The writer can't put up with stealing because he thinks that ______. 

A. it is a totally shared experience

B. it is considered as the most dangerous

C. it does great harm to human relationship

D. it may lead to the loss of his sports team 

4.It can be concluded from the text that ______. 

A. his father's advice helped him to decide which job to take up

B. working in the sports team was his most important experience

C. he learnt much from his shared experience with his team members

D. his experience as a baggage boy had a great influence on his later life

 

There are many stories about people who did not let age stop them in the pursuit of their goals. I’m sure you have heard of recent 70-year-old college graduates, or teenagers who are 1 of many useful things or owners of companies. Actually, it can be done; it just 2 your attitude.

Michael had wanted to run his own business from an early age, but he was 3 a big risk taker. After many years of working for others, he put a business plan together and was about to make the 4 , but his friends told him that at 45 he was too 5 to start his own construction business. They thought it was a young man’s business while Michael needed a steady income to support his family. Michael was discouraged. 6 many of his friends worked in the very field that he was considering starting his business in, he 7 that they knew what was best, so he decided to give up his 8 . But his wife told him that he was foolish to do so. They discussed it and Michael 9 that he’d been using his age as a(n) 10 instead of as an advantage.

Have you put off a goal 11 age or another limiting factor? Does the limiting 12really have as much influence as you think? Age is just a number and each challenge is an opportunity. Your attitude 13 . You’re not too old to try something 14 and never too old to give up on your dreams. They may 15 a bit of adjustment, but if you want something enough, believe in yourself and your desires will have no bounds.

1.                A.owners         B.discoverers      C.inventors D.users

 

2.                A.depends on     B.turns down      C.makes up D.leads to

 

3.                A.never          B.hardly          C.nearly    D.surely

 

4.                A.decision        B.leap           C.conclusion    D.contribution

 

5.                A.early           B.old            C.hard     D.wise

 

6.                A.If              B.Before          C.Even     D.Since

 

7.                A.hoped         B.learnt          C.thought   D.heard

 

8.                A.plan           B.job            C.belief    D.method

 

9.                A.stressed        B.decided        C.realized  D.Dreamed

 

10.               A.response       B.reply          C.answer    D.excuse

 

11.               A.instead of       B.regardless of    C.because of     D.in spite of

 

12.               A.result          B.factor          C.pressure  D.strength

 

13.               A.changes        B.helps          C.begins D.matters

 

14.               A.opposite        B.impossible      C.strange    D.valuable

 

15.               A.make          B.suggest         C.require   D.follow

 

 

After the quake hit northeast Japan on March 11, many moving stories that I saw with my own eyes happened around me.

I had to walk home since all the  21  had stopped after the earthquake. On my way home I 22  an old lady at a bakery shop who was giving out free bread, which made my heart  23 . A man was holding a sign that said, “Please use our 24 .” He was 25  his house for people to go to the restroom.

My friend wanted to  26  others. He stood in the cold with a sign “If you’re okay with a motorcycle, I will  27  you to your house.” And then I saw him take one gentleman home, all the way to a faraway place! 

The next day I drove to  28  my car with gas. There is a lack (缺乏) of 29  now and many gasoline stations are either closed or have very  30  lines. I got  31 , since I was behind 15 cars. Finally, when it was my 32 , the man smiled and said, “ 33  this situation, we are only giving $30 worth gas per person. Is that all right?” “ 34 . I’m just glad that we are all able to  35 ,” I said. His smile gave me so much comfort.

I saw a man at the evacuation (疏散) center 36  when people brought food to him. It was the first time in three days that food was brought to their center. However, after he wiped the tears, his next 37  surprised me. “I am very 38  that we are provided with food. But people in the city next to us haven’t  39  any food at all. Please go to that center as well.” And when hearing that, I realized there is a bright future on the other side of this  40 .

1.                A.rescue         B.life            C.traffic    D.business

 

2.                A.missed         B.caught          C.noticed   D.heard

 

3.                A.kind           B.soft            C.broken   D.warm

 

4.                A.toilet          B.hotel           C.hospital   D.house

 

5.                A.selling          B.opening        C.repairing  D.building

 

6.                A.encourage      B.change         C.save D.help

 

7.                A.drive          B.follow          C.lead D.send

 

8.                A.start           B.fill             C.check    D.wash

 

9.                A.information      B.gas            C.food D.salt

 

10.               A.direct          B.fine           C.long  D.thin

 

11.               A.worried        B.lucky          C.sad   D.angry

 

12.               A.time           B.turn           C.duty  D.decision

 

13.               A.Except for      B.Together with    C.Because of D.Instead of

 

14.               A.Not at all        B.Of course       C.No way    D.Never mind

 

15.               A.share          B.offer           C.learn D.choose

 

16.               A.singing         B.eating          C.smiling    D.crying

 

17.               A.words          B.roles           C.ways  D.promises

 

18.               A.sure           B.grateful        C.surprised  D.proud

 

19.               A.bought         B.wasted         C.prepared  D.received

 

20.               A.disaster        B.chance         C.center    D.city