There was great interest when a big hole mysteriously appeared in the middle of a field. Engineers were called in to explain how it had got there. They offered various explanations but were not at all sure how the hole had been caused, it was thought that a large bomb which came suddenly exploded, but it was not possible to prove this. A simple, but highly improbable explanation was offered by a man who declares to know well about “flying saucers”; the strange objects which are round in shape and are said to visit the earth from outer space. The man’s explanation may have been nonsense (胡说八道), but at least it was imaginative. At any rate, it was far more interesting than the one given by the army.
After examining the ground carefully the man declared to have seen special marks on the soil quite near the hole, these, he said, could only have been caused by a flying saucer. Moreover the leaves on some bushes nearby had turned yellow because of a strange hot gas which had come from the saucer just before it landed. Even a small tree some way off appeared to have been burnt slightly. A small piece of metal found in the hole itself gave further proof that a strange object had been there. According to the man, it was quite clear that people from another world had been going around the earth trying to pick up information, when something had gone wrong. Because of this they had been forced to land in a field so that the damage could be repaired. The hole had been caused when the saucer struck the earth, while the strange marks nearby were made when it took off again. This, said the man, was the simplest explanation of how the hole had appeared. Judging from the interest the public took in the matter, there must be quite a few people who secretly believe or hope that this simple explanation is the true one.
【小题1】What aroused public interest?

A.A mysterious hole in a field.B.Various explanations offered by experts.
C.A simple explanation given by a man.D.The shape of the flying saucers.
【小题2】The author thought the man’s explanation was________. 
A.boring but imaginativeB.reasonable and interesting
C.meaningless but interestingD.mysterious and unbelievable
【小题3】The man found a lot of proofs except ____. 
A.special marks on soil near the holeB.yellow leaves on some bushes nearby
C.a small piece of meal in the holeD.the remains of the flying saucer
【小题4】It’s said the outer-space people were circling the earth _______.
A.to repair their saucerB.to strike the earth
C.to. collect information D.to make strange marks


D
We all accept that sports should stress skill over luck,and fairness over privilege(特权).
They should be accessible to many and fun to watch.In the end,a sport,s champion should re-
present shared values and served as a role model.
But with today,s advances in technology,the power of sports equipment makers offers great
opportunity for the athletes who have access to the latest technology.
In 2008,108 world records were broken in the sport of swimming.The average number of
world records set in swimming in all past Olympic years is about 22.The average number of
world records set in a non-Olympic year is about 5.Now there are no“old”world records.
Suit technology has been the most widely recognized difference.The sharkskin suit and the
“paper”suits were all made public by suit manufactures before the Olympic.
As records continue to be broken,the Internet message boards for the swimming community
have taken a darker view of suit technology.“Time is meaningless”is one quote.I tend to agree.Some of the times I see being posted today are simply legends(传奇).
Am I against suit technology?Not really.But 2008 marked an unbelievable change in the
sport of swimming.People are saying,“Bigger,faster,stronger at any cost!”,wanting no limits on technology,either suits or drugs.I am not one of those people.
I am a guy that recognized the sport of swimming being as simple as man vs.water.It used
to be the swimmer in the suit,not the suit on the swimmer.How times have changed.
53.According to the first paragraph,it is a common belief that________.
A.only a few people have chances to take part in sports
B.the latest suit technology should not be used in sports
C.sports should be interesting for people to watch
D.luck plays an important role in Olympic Games
54.It can be learned from the passage that_______.
A.the author is against the latest technology in sports
B.the athletes have become more skilled than before
C.some records are hard to break without technology
D.advanced suits and drugs can be used in Olympics
55.What does“Time is meaningless”mean in the swimming community?
A.Breaking records in swimming is too easy for most athelets.
B.It,s technology rather than skill that counts in some records.
C.Many athletes break records by luck and taking drugs.
D.Some rules aren,t obeyed when Olympic records are broken.
56.What,s the author,s opinion of the present sports?
A.Latest technology should be encouraged in compitition among athelets.
B.Time should be measured in a different way in modern Olympic Games.
C.All of the athletes should wear the same suits to ensure fairness.
D. Competition in skill should come first instead of that in equipment。

Britain’s symbolic red phone boxes have become out of date in the age of the mobile, but villages across the country are stepping in to save them, with creative intelligence. Whether as a place to exhibit art, poetry, or even as a tiny library, hundreds of phone boxes have been given a new life by local communities determined to preserve a typical part of British life. In Waterperry, a small village near Oxford, the 120 residents have filled the phone box next to the old house with a pot of flowers, piles of gardening and cooking magazines, and stuck poems on the walls.
They took control of the phone box when telecoms operator BT said it was going to pull it down, an announcement that caused such dissatisfaction that one local woman threatened to chain herself to the box to save it. “I’d have done it,”insisted Kendall Turner. “It would have been heartbreaking for the village.”Local councilor Tricia Hallam, who came up with the idea for the phone box’s change, said quite a few people would have joined her, adding, “We couldn’t let it go because it’s a British symbol.”
Only three feet by three feet wide, and standing 2.51-meter tall, the phone boxes were designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1936 for the 25th anniversary of the reign of King George V.Painted in “Post Office red” to match the post boxes, they were once a typical image of England and the backdrop(背景)to millions of tourist photographs.
Eight years ago there were about 17,000 across Britain, but today, in a country where almost everybody has a mobile phone, 58 percent are no longer profitable and ten percent are only used once a month. “On average, maintaining them costs $800 a year per phone box — about £44 million annually,” said John Lunb, general manager for BT Payphones.
【小题1】.Some red phone boxes in Britain have been used for ______ .
a.selling flowers     b.cooking           c.reading       d.exhibiting art or poetry

A.a,bB.c,dC.a,b,cD.b,c,d
【小题2】.Why do the villagers want to keep the red phone boxes ?
A.Because millions of people visit Britain to see the red phone boxes.
B.Because the local people could earn a lot of money from the red phone boxes.
C.Because the red phone boxes have already become a symbol of Britain.
D.Because the red phone boxes may be useful for some people in emergency.
【小题3】.What is the color of the British post boxes according to the passage ?
A.Green.B.Red.C.Black.D.Yellow.
【小题4】.What is John Lumb’s attitude towards pulling down the red phone boxes ?
A.Supportive.B.Opposed.C.Neutral.D.Indifferent.

Your glasses may someday replace your smartphone, and some New Yorkers are ready for the switch. Some in the city can't wait to try them on and use the maps and GPS that the futuristic eyewear is likely to include.

" I'd use it if I were hanging out with friends at 3 a. m. and going to the bar and wanted to see what was open," said Walter Choo, 40, of Fort Greene.

The smartphone-like glasses will likely come out this year and cost between $250 and $600, the Times said, possibly including a variation of augmented(增强的) reality, a technology already available on smartphones and tablets (平板电脑) that overlays information onto the screen about one's surroundings. So, for example, if you were walking down a street, indicators would pop up showing you the nearest coffee shop or directions could be plotted out and come into view right on the sidewalk in front of you.

" As far as a mainstream consumer product, this just isn't something anybody needs," said Sam Biddle, who writes for Gizmodo.com. " We're accustomed to having one thing in our pocket to do all these things," he added, "and the average consumer isn't gonna be able to afford another device (装置) that's hundreds and hundreds of dollars. "

9to5Google publisher Seth Weintraub, who has been reporting on the smartphone-like glasses since late last year, said he is confident that this type of wearable device will eventually be as common as smartphones.

"It's just like smartphones 10 years ago," Weintraub said. "A few people started getting emails on their phones, and people thought that was crazy. Same kind of thing. We see people bending their heads to look at their smartphones, and it's unnatural," he said. " There's gonna be improvements to that, and this a step there. "

1.One of the possible functions of the smartphone-like glasses is to ____.

A. program the opening hours of a bar

B. supply you with a picture of the future

C. provide information about your surroundings

D. update the maps and GPS in your smartphones

2.The underlined phrase "pop up" in the third paragraph probably means " ____".

A.develop rapidly                         B.get round quickly

C.appear immediately                     D.go over automatically

3.According to Sam Biddle, the smartphone-like glasses are ____.

A.necessary for teenagers

B.attractive to New Yorkers

C.available to people worldwide

D.expensive for average consumers

4.We can learn from the last two paragraphs that the smartphone-like glasses ____.

A.may have a potential market

B.are as common as smartphones

C.are popular among young adults

D.will be improved by a new technology

 

Urbanization

Until relatively recently, the vast majority of human beings lived and died without ever seeing a city. The first city was probably founded no more than 5,500 years ago.    1._ . In fact, nearly everyone lived on farms or in tiny rural (乡村的) villages. It was not until the 20th century that Great Britain became the first urban society in history--- a society in which the majority of people live in cities and do not farm for a living.

Britain was only the beginning.   2._  .The process of urbanization--- the migration (迁移) of people from the countryside to the city--- was the result of modernization, which has rapidly transformed how people live and where they live.

In 1990, fewer than 40% of Americans lived in urban areas. Today, over 82% of Americans live in cities. Only about 2% live on farms.    3.     .

Large cities were impossible until agriculture became industrialized. Even in advanced agricultural societies. It took about ninety-five people on farms to feed five people in cities.   4.       . Until modern times, those living in cities were mainly the ruling elite(精英) and the servants, laborers and professionals who served them. Cities survived by taxing farmers and were limited in size by the amount of surplus food that the rural population produced and by the ability to move this surplus from farm to city.

Over the past two centuries, the Industrial Revolution has broken this balance between the city and the country.       5.  . Today, instead of needing ninety-five farmers to feed five city people, one American farmer is able to feed more than a hundred non-farmers.

A.That kept cities very small.

B.The rest live in small towns.

C.The effects of urban living on people should be considered.

D.Soon many other industrial nations become urban societies.

E. But even 200 years ago, only a few people could live in cities.

F. Modernization drew people to the cities and made farmers more productive.

G. Modern cities have destroyed social relations and the health of human beings.

 

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