题目内容
The Soviet Union _______ _______ （解体）in the late 1990s and only one super power was left.
broke up
It was not much bigger than a soccer ball and weighed less than 185 pounds. But 50 years ago, when the Russian satellite Sputnik successfully orbited the Earth, it made headlines around the world and marked the beginning of the race for space.
The launch of the world's first artificial satellite on October 4, 1957 ignitedBefore Sputnik's launch, the US had plans to send its own satellites into space to study cosmic (宇宙的) rays and gravity, among other things. But the Russians struck first, leaving US scientists and ordinary citizens in shock. To make matters worse, the Russians successfully launched a second satellite less than one month later. This one was much larger, at 1,120 pounds. The Americans were more eager than ever to make their mark in space.
Americans thought their time had finally come on December 6. But what was supposed to be a day to remember quickly turned into a disaster to forget. The US satellite Vanguard rose just four feet off the ground before its engine failed and it burst into flames. Finally, on January 31, 1958, the Americans had the reason to celebrate. The US satellite Explorer 1 blasted into space. During its voyage, it made one of the most significant scientific finds to date—the discovery of magnetic radiation belts around the Earth.
As the consequence of Sputnik, American Congress passed the National Defense Education Act of 1958.The act was aimed at improving education in science, mathematics, and foreign languages. Congress also passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958. The federal legislation (立法) created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, most commonly known as NASA.Today, the United States and Russia are no longer in competition. In fact, NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonauts are working together and making important scientific discoveries aboard the International Space Station.
1．How can we conclude the first period of the space race between the US and Russia?
A．A Russian victory. B．A close game.
C．An American honor. D．A hard win for both.
2．The Russians successfully launched the first satellite________ earlier than the Americans.
A．nearly half a year B．about two months
C．less than 100 days D．more than 100 days
3．In 1958 American Congress passed two acts for fear that ________.
A．the US wouldn't get any help from the Soviet Union
B．the Soviet Union would cancel the offer in the competition
C．the Soviet Union would do better than the US in the space race
D．the US would be in want of research forces
4．The underlined word “ignited” here can be replaced by “________”．
A．prepared B．caused C．approved D．compared
DThe government of Norway is planning to build an unusual storage center on an island in the Arctic Ocean. The place would be large enough to hold about two million seeds. The goal is to present all crops known to scientists. The British magazine New Scientist published details of the plan last month. The structure will be designed to protect the world’s food supply against nuclear war, climate change and other possible threats. It will be built in a mountain on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. The mountain is less than one thousand kilometers from the North Pole, the northernmost position on earth. An international group called the Global Crop Diversity Trust is working on the project. The director of the group, Cary Fowler, spoke to New Scientist. He said the project would let the world rebuild agriculture if, in his word, “the worst came to the worst”. Norway is expected to start work next year. The project is expected to cost three million dollars. Workers will drill（钻孔） deep in the side of a sandstone mountain. Temperatures in the area never rise above 0ºC. The seeds will be protected behind walls a meter thick and high-security door. The magazine report says the collection will represent the products of ten thousand years of farming. Most of the seeds at first will come from collections at seed banks in Africa, Asia and Latin America. To last a long time, seeds need to be kept in very low temperatures. Workers will not be present all the time. But they plan to replace the air inside the storage space each winter. Winter temperatures on the island are about eighteen degrees below 0ºC. The cold weather would protect the seeds even if the air could not be replaced.Mr. Fowler says the proposed structure will be the world’s safest gene bank. He says the plant seeds would only be used when all other seeds are gone for some reason. Norway first put forward the idea in the 1980s. But safety concerns delayed the plan. At that time, the Soviet Union was meeting in Rome of the Food and Agriculture Organization.53．The project is meant to ______. A．increase the world’s food output in the future B．carry out some scientific experiments on plant genes C．build an exhibition centre of the world’s plant seeds D．protect crop seeds from dying out in case of possible disasters54．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the above passage? A．The government of Norway will perform the project alone. B．Seeds to be collected there were produced ten thousands years ago. C．Spitsbergen is chosen because it is free of the nuclear war forever. D．Temperature is a major consideration when choosing the storage place.55．We can infer from the text that _______. A．Norway had meant to build the storage centre about 20 years before. B．The storage center will greatly promote world agriculture C．People will get newly-developed seeds from the center every year. D．There haven’t been any seed storage centres in the world before.56．What is probably the best title of the passage?www.A．The Best Place to Store Seeds B．Noah’s Ark（诺亚方舟）of Plant Seeds in PlanC．Concerns of World Food Supply D．A New Way to Feed the World
Chinese press, thousands of tourists and space experts from Japan, Germany, Italy and other countries have gathered at China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan Province on Tuesday, October 23 to witness the historic moment-the launch of the nation’s first moon orbiter (人造卫星), which is scheduled to take place at 6:05 p.m.on Wednesday．Space center experts were worried earlier in the day when Xichang experienced an unexpected rainfall from about 4:05 a.m．till 7:10 a.m．on Wednesday, but they were able to breathe a sigh of relief when the weather cleared．Both national and local meteorological observatories (气象台)forecast cloudy weather for the launch site on Wednesday afternoon．However they said they believed it would not affect the launch mission, an opinion which was shared by technological staff at the site． Local villagers within a radius of 2.5 km of the launch site and under the trajectory(轨道) of the carrier have been told to move to safe areas two hours prior to the planned launch．Tourists have been charged 800 yuan (105 U.S.dollars) to witness the launch of China’s first lunar satellite．A local travel agency has said that the two observation platforms are capable of holding 2,000, but it is not known how many people paid for the chance．The moon orbiter, Chang’e-1, named after a legendary Chinese goddess who flew to the moon, and the carrier Long March 3A have passed all pre-launch tests． China hopes to become the 17th nation to join the International Space Station (ISS) project, and carried out its first piloted space flight in October 2003, making it only the third country in the world after the Soviet Union and the United States to have sent men into space．In October 2005, China completed its second manned space flight, with two astronauts on board．1．Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?A．China counting down to launch of its first lunar satellite B．Chang’e-1 lunar satellite and its launchC．Chang’e-1 lunar satellite to conduct 1st orbit transfer D．China hopes to join the International Space Station2．Space center experts believed _______． A．rainfall would come as soon as possible． B．the cloudy weather wouldn’t affect the mission． C．All the 2,000 tourists should paid 800 yuan each to witness the launch． D．The mission was the third time of China’s manned flight．3．Please arrange the time order of the following events according to the passage．a．Local villagers have been told to move to safe areas． b．Unexpected shower fell on the early morning of Wednesday．c．The moon mission is scheduled to take place． d．Journalists and tourists gathered at the Satellite Launch Centre．A．b c d a B．a b c d C．d b a c D．c d a b 4．It can be implied from the passage that _____________．A．China has become the 17th country to join the International Space Station B．China will launch its manned spaceship to the moon soonC．China is the third nation to send men into space D．China is pioneering in the space exploration now
The modern Olympic Games, founded in 1896, began as contests between individuals, rather than among nations, with the hope of promoting world peace through sportsmanship. In the beginning, the games were open only to amateurs. An amateur is a person whose involvement in an activity---from sports to science or the arts---is purely for pleasure. Amateurs, whatever their contributions to a field, expect to receive no form of compensation ; professionals, in contrast, perform their work in order to earn a living.
From the perspective of many athletes, however, the Olympic playing field has been far from level. Restricting the Olympics to amateurs has precluded（妨碍） the participation of many who could not afford to be unpaid. Countries have always desired to send their best athletes, not their wealthiest ones, to the Olympic Games.
A slender and imprecise line separates what we call “financial support” from “earning money.” Do athletes “earn money” if they are reimbursed（补偿） for travel expenses? What if they are paid for time lost at work or if they accept free clothing from a manufacturer or if they teach sports for a living? The runner Eric Liddell was the son of poor missionaries; in 1924 the British Olympic Committee financed his trip to the Olympics, where he won a gold and a bronze medal. College scholarships and support from the United States Olympic Committee made it possible for American track stars Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph and speed skater Dan Jansen to train and compete. When the Soviet Union and its allies joined the games in 1952, the definition of amateur became still muddier. Their athletes did not have to balance jobs and training because as citizens in communist regimes, their government financial support was not considered payment for jobs.
In 1971 the International Olympic Committee(IOC) removed the word amateur from the rules, making it easier for athletes to find the support necessary to train and compete. In 1986 the IOC allowed professional athletes into the games.
There are those who regret the disappearance of amateurism from the Olympic Games. For them the games lost something special when they became just another way for athletes to earn money. Others say that the designation of amateurism was always questionable; they argue that all competitors receive so much financial support as to make them paid professionals. Most agree, however, that the debate over what constitutes an “amateur” will continue for a long time.
1. One might infer that _______________________.
A．developing Olympic-level skills in athletes is costly
B．professional athletes are mostly interested in financial rewards
C．amateurs does not expect to earn money at the sport that is played
D．amateurs have a better attitude than professionals do
2. The statement “the Olympic playing field has been far from level” means that__________.
A．the ground the athletes played on was in bad condition
B．the poorer players were given some advantages
C．the rules did not work the same way for everyone
D．amateurs were inferior to the professionals in many ways
3. The financial support given to athletes by the Soviet government can best be compared to ________________.
A．a gift received on a special occasion, such as a birthday
B．money received from a winning lottery ticket
C．an allowance paid to a child
D．money from charity organization
4. One can conclude that the Olympic Organizing Committee _________________.
A．has held firm to its original vision of the Olympic games
B．has struggled with the definition of amateur over the years
C．regards itself as an organization for professional athletes only
D．did nothing but stop allowing communists to participate
完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It was no wonder I was not looking forward to entering ninth grade. High school is well-known for being a battleground, where everyone seems to be 36 through physical changes, emotional mood swings, and low self-respect. For me, 37 was my punishment.
I had always felt insecure and out of 38 as one of the 39 members of my class, standing a head above the other girls and bending at the 40 of the line to avoid sticking 41 .
I especially hate being around large groups of people, like during the social hour after services at my church. 42 the prayers were finished, I would leave as quickly as possible so I could 43 other well-meaning congratulations, "Ruthie! Look how tall you' re getting!"
My grandfather would watch me 44 increasingly uncomfortable, but he did not 45 at my self--consciousness or try to comfort me. 46 , he would remind me. "Stand straight and tall," he would say, as I unsuccessfully tried to shrink (使缩小) myself. Moreover, each time, I would embarrassedly obey. Even at age 15, I understood that his advice was about 47 than just feet and inches.
My grandfather grew up in war-torn Europe. When German soldiers 48 his hometown, he wound up joining the Soviet army to fight 49 his country's freedom. "Stand straight, stand tall," meant something else back then.
_50 the war, he boarded a boat for 51 , and on January 27, 1947, he stepped onto the dock in Manhattan. He was hungry and 52 from seasickness. All alone in a new country, he was 53 about his future. Still, he marched head-on into the streets of New York. Soon he met 54 European immigrants, each of them trying to find his or her own way. If they could do it, why couldn't he? "Stand straight, stand tall," he would remind himself. He felt his faith 55 . When he walked into the church that first time, he walked in proudly.
36. A. going B. getting C. looking D. putting
37. A. age B. sex C. height D. face
38. A. place B. order C. control D. date
39. A. younger B. shorter C. fatter D. taller
40. A. head B. bottom C. back D. side
41. A. to B. out C. with D. off
42. A. Until B. Unless C. Once D. Before
43. A. avoid B. receive C. accept D. refuse
44. A. change B. grow C. sense D. make
45. A. look B. stare C. stay D. laugh
46. A. Instead B. Besides C. However D. Therefore
47. A. other B. more C. less D. rather
48. A. fought B. developed C. occupied D. marched
49. A. against B. for C. with D. to
50. A. Before B. During C. Without D. After
51. A. German B. Australia C. America D. Canada
52. A. coming B. learning C. suffering D. differing
53. A. frightened B. excited C. serious D. sorrowful
54. A. few B. more C. most D. other
55. A. increasing B. returning C. gaining D. disappearing
