THIS was the year the Earth struck back.
Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, snow storms, landslides and droughts killed at least a quarter of a million people in 2010 – the deadliest year in more than a generation. More people were killed worldwide by natural disasters this year than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined.
"It just seemed like it was back-to-back and it came in waves," said Craig Fugate, who heads the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. It handled a record number of disasters in 2010.
And we have ourselves to blame most of the time, scientists and disaster experts say.
Even though many catastrophes have the ring of random chance, the hand of man made this a particularly deadly, costly, extreme and weird（古怪的） year for everything from wild weather to earthquakes.
Poor construction and development practices conspire to make earthquakes more deadly than they need be. More people live in poverty in vulnerable（脆弱的） buildings in crowded cities. That means that when the ground shakes, the river breaches, or the tropical cyclone hits, more people die.
Disasters from the Earth, such as earthquakes and volcanoes "are pretty much constant," said Andreas Schraft, vice president of catastrophic perils for the Geneva-based insurance giant Swiss Re. "All the change that's made is man-made."
The January earthquake that killed well more than 220,000 people in Haiti is a perfect example. Port-au-Prince has nearly three times as many people - many of them living in poverty - and more poorly built shanties than it did 25 years ago. So had the same quake hit in 1985 instead of 2010, total deaths would have probably been in the 80,000 range, said Richard Olson, director of disaster risk reduction at Florida International University.
In February, an earthquake that was more than 500 times stronger than the one that struck Haiti hit an area of Chile that was less populated, better constructed, and not as poor. Chile's bigger quake caused fewer than 1,000 deaths.
Climate scientists say Earth's climate also is changing, bringing extreme weather, such as heat waves and flooding.
In the summer, one weather system caused oppressive heat in Russia, while farther south it caused flooding in Pakistan that inundated 161,200 square kilometers, about the size of Wisconsin. That single heat-and-storm system killed almost 17,000 people, more people than all the worldwide airplane crashes in the past 15 years.
Scientists have calculated that the killer Russian heat wave—setting a national record of 43.9℃—would happen once every 100,000 years without global warming.

  1. 1.

    What is responsible for the most human deaths in 2010?

    1. A.
      Natrual disasters.
    2. B.
      Terrorist attacks.
    3. C.
      Poor buildings.
    4. D.
      Too rapid developrnent.
  2. 2.

    According to Andreas Schraft,             .

    1. A.
      earthquakes are happening more often because of human beings
    2. B.
      earthquakes are causing more damage because of human beings
    3. C.
      stronger houses should be built to limit storm damage
    4. D.
      Port—au—Prince is now overpopulated
  3. 3.

    The main point of the article is to           

    1. A.
      list the natural disasters that occurred in 2010
    2. B.
      give the details of some natural disasters of 2010
    3. C.
      warn that more natural disasters are to strike
    4. D.
      blame humanity for not helping those affected by the disasters

Today there are policemen everywhere, but in 1700, London had no policemen at all. A few old
men used to protect the city streets at night and they were not paid.
In 1750, Henry Fielding started to pay a group of people to stop thieves. They were like
policemen and were called "Bow Street Runners" because they worked near Bow Street.
Fifty years later, there were 120 "Bow Street Runners", but London had become very big and
needed more policemen. So in 1829, London Police Force was started with 3,000 officers. Until
1920 all the police in London were men.

  1. 1.

    Who protected London in 1700?  (回答词数不超过4个)

  2. 2.

    When was London Police Force started?  ( 回答词数不超过2个)

  3. 3.

    Are all the London police men now?  (回答词数不超过1个)

I have been consistently opposed to feeding a baby regularly. As a doctor, mother and scientist in child development I believe there is nothing to recommend it, from the baby’s point of view.
Mothers, doctors and nurse alike have no idea of where a baby’s blood sugar level lies. All we know is that a low level is harmful to brain development and makes a baby easily annoyed. In this state, the baby is difficult to calm down and sleep is impossible. The baby asks for attention by crying and searching for food with its mouth.
It is not just unkind but also dangerous to say a four-hourly feeding schedule will make a baby satisfied. The first of the experts to advocate a strict clock-watching schedule was Dr Frederic Truby King who was against feeding in the night. I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous. Baby feeding shouldn’t follow a timetable set by the mum. What is important is feeding a baby in the best way, though it may cause some inconvenience in the first few weeks.
Well, at last we have copper-bottomed research that supports demand feeding and points out the weaknesses of strictly timed feeding. The research finds out that babies who are fed on demand do better at school at age 5, 7, 11 and 14, than babies fed according to the clock. By the age of 8, their IQ （智商）scores are four to five percent higher than babies fed by a rigid timetable. This research comes from Oxford and Essex University using a sample （样本）of 10,419 children born in the early 1990s,taking account of parental education, family income, a child’s sex and age, the mother’s health and feeling style. These results don’t surprise me. Feeling according to schedule runs the risk of harming the rapidly growing brain by taking no account of sinking blood sugar levels.
I hope this research will put an end to advocating strictly timed baby feeling practices.

  1. 1.

    According to Paragraph 2, one reason why a baby cries is that it feels______.

    1. A.
      sick
    2. B.
      upset
    3. C.
      sleepy
    4. D.
      hungry
  2. 2.

    What does the author think about Dr King?

    1. A.
      He is strict
    2. B.
      He is unkind
    3. C.
      He has the wrong idea
    4. D.
      He sets a timetable for mothers
  3. 3.

    The word copper-bottomed in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _________.

    1. A.
      basic
    2. B.
      reliable
    3. C.
      surprising
    4. D.
      interesting
  4. 4.

    What does the research tell us about feeling a baby on demand?

    1. A.
      The baby will sleep well
    2. B.
      The baby will have its brain harmed
    3. C.
      The baby will have a low blood sugar level
    4. D.
      The baby will grow to be wiser by the age of 8
  5. 5.

    The author supports feeling the baby_______.

    1. A.
      in the night
    2. B.
      every four hours
    3. C.
      whenever it wants food
    4. D.
      according to its blood sugar level

Sports account for a growing amount of income made on the sales of commercial time by television companies. Many television companies have used sports to attract viewers from particular sections of the general public, and then they have sold audiences to advertisers.
An attraction of sport programs for the major U.S. media companies is that events are often held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons—the slowest time periods of the week for general television viewing. Sport events are the most popular weekend programs, especially among male viewers who may not watch much television at other times during the week. This means the television networks are able to sell advertising time at relatively high prices during what normally would be dead time for programming.
Media corporations also use sports to attract commercial sponsors that might take their advertising dollars elsewhere if television stations did not report certain sports. The people in the advertising departments of major corporations realize that sports attract male viewers. They also realize that most business travelers are men and that many men make family decisions on the purchases of computers, cars and life insurance.
Golf and tennis are special cases for television programming. These sports attract few viewers, and the ratings are unusually low. However, the audience for these sports is attractive to certain advertisers. It is made up of people from the highest income groups in the United States, including many lawyers and business managers. This is why television reporting of golf and tennis is sponsored by companies selling high-priced cars, business and personal computer, and holiday trips .This is also why the networks continue to carry these programs regardless of low ratings. Advertisers are willing to pay high fees to reach high-income consumers and those managers who make decisions to buy thousands of “company cars” and computer. With such viewers, these programs don’t need high ratings to stay on the air.

  1. 1.

    Television sport programs on weekend afternoons       .

    1. A.
      result in more sport events
    2. B.
      get more viewers to play sports
    3. C.
      bring more money to the television networks
    4. D.
      make more people interested in television
  2. 2.

    Why would weekend afternoons become dead time without sport programs?

    1. A.
      Because there would be few viewers
    2. B.
      Because the advertisers would be off work
    3. C.
      Because television programs would go slowly
    4. D.
      Because viewers would pay less for watching television
  3. 3.

    In many families, men make decisions on        .

    1. A.
      holiday trips
    2. B.
      sports viewing
    3. C.
      television shopping
    4. D.
      expensive purchases
  4. 4.

    The ratings are not important for golf and tennis programs because         .

    1. A.
      their advertisers are carmakers
    2. B.
      their viewers are attracted by sports
    3. C.
      their advertisers target at rich people
    4. D.
      their viewers can afford expensive cars
  5. 5.

    What is the passage mainly about?

    1. A.
      Television ratings are determined by male viewers.
    2. B.
      Sports are gaining importance in advertising on television.
    3. C.
      Rich viewers contribute most to television companies.
    4. D.
      Commercial advertisers are the major sponsors of sport events.

There once was a very honest shopkeeper whose business was to provide goods to the local people. He would open his shop at 8:00 a.m. after having his breakfast and at 1:00 p.m. he would go for lunch. In the evening at 8:30 p.m. he closed his shop to complete his daily routine.
However, to get time for lunch was really difficult be-cause he didn’t have anybody to help him at that time. Therefore, it was his daily practice that whichever customer was shopping at 1:00 p.m. would be asked to oversee (看管) the shop until the shopkeeper returned from lunch.
One day, a group of four thieves planned to steal from his shop while he was gone for lunch. One of the thieves went at 1:00 p.m. to be the customer that would be asked to oversee the shop.
The thief, pretending to be a customer, went in at 1:00 p.m. and started buying several items. As planned, the shop-keeper asked the thief to sit on his chair for thirty minutes until he returned from lunch.
Then, the other three thieves quickly came and told the pretend customer to help, but something had changed within him and he knew deeply in his heart that if he was given responsibility for the shop, he should not perform any dishonest acts during that time. His friends did not agree. As the now honest man tried to stop them, they resisted (抵抗) and a fight started. And at the same time the shopkeeper returned and asked why there was a fighting. The now honest man explained the entire plan.
The shopkeeper had been searching for an honest man who could take ownership of the shop and run it. The shop-keeper felt that he had found the right man.

  1. 1.

    What is the problem for the shopkeeper?

    1. A.
      Nobody could prepare lunch for him every day.
    2. B.
      He had nobody to keep the shop when he went for lunch.
    3. C.
      He was too busy to have lunch every day.
    4. D.
      He couldn’t find a person to work at the shop.
  2. 2.

    Why did the thief go to the shop at 1:00 p.m.?

    1. A.
      Because he thought he would be asked to keep the shop.
    2. B.
      Because the shopkeeper invited him to lunch then.
    3. C.
      Because the shop was closed at that time.
    4. D.
      Because he thought he could buy cheap things then.
  3. 3.

    When the shopkeeper returned from lunch, he found _______.

    1. A.
      everything in his shop was stolen
    2. B.
      the thief became the new owner of the shop
    3. C.
      there was a fighting in his shop
    4. D.
      the thief helped his fellows steal things from his shop
  4. 4.

    From the passage, we can infer that _______.

    1. A.
      once a thief, he will always be a thief
    2. B.
      an honest man will be responsible for his action
    3. C.
      you can’t believe in a dishonest man forever
    4. D.
      trust can change a thief into an honest man

Winter is dangerous because it’s so difficult to know what is going to happen and accidents take place so easily. Fog can be waiting to meet you over the top of a hill. Ice might be hiding under the melting (融化) snow, waiting ahead to send you off the road. The car coming to you may suddenly slip（滑） across the road.
Rule No.1 for driving on icy roads is to drive smoothly (平稳地). Sudden movements can make a car very difficult to control. So every time you either start or stop your car, increase or reduce your speed, you must be as gentle and slow as possible. Suppose you are driving with a full cup of hot coffee on the seat next to you. Drive so that you wouldn’t spill (溅) it.
Rule No.2 is to pay attention to what might happen. The more ice there is, the further down the road you have to look. Test how long it takes to gently stop your car. Remember that you may be driving more quickly than you think. Generally, allow twice of your usual stopping distance when the road is wet, three times this distance on snow than usual, and even more on ice. Try to stay in control of your car at all time and you will not get into trouble.

  1. 1.

    The writer tries to _____ in this passage.

    1. A.
      show his dislikes about bad winter weather
    2. B.
      give information about winter weather
    3. C.
      ask people not to drive in winter
    4. D.
      advise people about safe driving in winter
  2. 2.

    According to the passage, the writer thinks that _______.

    1. A.
      people should not drive in the snow
    2. B.
      drivers should think more about problems in winter driving
    3. C.
      people drive too fast in winter
    4. D.
      winter drivers should stop their cars less
  3. 3.

    In the passage the writer talks about a cup of coffee ______.

    1. A.
      to show how important smooth movements are
    2. B.
      to ask the drivers to bring some soft drinks with them
    3. C.
      to tell the drivers to be more relaxed
    4. D.
      to show how it can be spilled
  4. 4.

    Which of the following is NOT true?

    1. A.
      Traffic accidents take place easily in winter.
    2. B.
      Fog and melting snow often cause car accidents.
    3. C.
      The stopping distance on ice is as long as the usual one.
    4. D.
      In winter you should drive your car with great care.

While IQ (Intelligence Quotient) tells you how smart you are. EQ (Emotional Quotient) tells you how well you use your smartness. Professor Salovery, the psychologist who created the term, EQ, says that it is IQ that gets you hired but it is EQ that gets you promoted.
Supported by his research, he suggested that when predicting future successes, a person’s brainpower, as measured by IQ tests, might actually matter less than a person’s character, or EQ. Professor Salovery may be correct. For example, have you ever wondered why some of the best and smartest students in your class end up failing exams? Perhaps it is because of their EQ. People often make the mistake of thinking that EQ is the opposite of IQ. It is not. Although it is hoped that people have both high EQs and IQs, there is little doubt that those with low EQs have a hard time surviving in life.
For a long time, researchers discussed if a person’s IQ could be raised. The geneticists said no, while the social scientists said yes. Furthermore, the social scientists said that it was possible to improve a person’s EQ, particularly in terms of “people skills”, such as understanding and communication.
Recently, a professor released the findings of a study on senior high school students. When some normal students were introduced to some disabled students, they found that afterwards they were more willing to help people in difficulties. At the same time, there was a marked change in the disabled students’ attitudes. They became more positive about their disabilities and were more eager to try new things. People with high EQs often have positive attitudes towards life and are open to different ideas, so they tend to be more creative in their thinking. Please remember that having a high IQ is helpful but having a high EQ might even be more helpful.

  1. 1.

    According to Professor Salovery, what factor matters the most in predicting whether a person will be successful or not?

    1. A.
      How a person tests his / her brainpower.
    2. B.
      A person’s character.
    3. C.
      How smart a person is.
    4. D.
      A person’s IQ.
  2. 2.

    The second paragraph tells us that __________.           

    1. A.
      people who have a high IQ always have a high EQ
    2. B.
      EQ is the opposite of IQ
    3. C.
      people who have a low EQ tend to have a hard life
    4. D.
      people who have a high EQ always have a high IQ
  3. 3.

    Which of the following is the writer’s attitude toward EQ and IQ?

    1. A.
      IQ is more helpful to people than EQ.
    2. B.
      IQ can be raised by understanding and communication.
    3. C.
      EQ can get people hired.
    4. D.
      A high EQ is of great benefit in getting people promoted.
  4. 4.

    Which of the following would be the best title of this passage?

    1. A.
      A person’s brainpower.
    2. B.
      IQ, EQ and success.
    3. C.
      IQ and a person’s character.
    4. D.
      A person’s IQ and EQ.

As is known to all, in daily conversation modern people like to use simple words and simple sentences, especially some sentences with some parts left out. Here is an interesting example from the conversation between Henry, a fisherman, and his wife Sylvia. Do you know what they are talking about?
Sylvia: Going?
Henry: Been.
Sylvia: Any?
Henry: Some.
Sylvia: Big?
Henry: Small.

  1. 1.

    Which of the following is TRUE according to the conversation?

    1. A.
      Sylvia got some fish for Henry.        
    2. B.
      Henry didn’t catch any fish.
    3. C.
      Sylvia has cooked some fish.          
    4. D.
      Henry has just been back with some fish.
  2. 2.

    The text is mainly about           .

    1. A.
      catching fish in the sea                         
    2. B.
      spending holidays 
    3. C.
      short forms in daily talks                     
    4. D.
      joy in daily life
  3. 3.

    The writer wants to tell us simple words and sentences are ________ in daily conversation.

    1. A.
      terrible            
    2. B.
      popular                 
    3. C.
      out of date     
    4. D.
      out of sight      

All Eskimos live most of their lives close to sea or fresh water. They may follow game inland for several hundred miles, but they always return to the shores of rivers, lakes, or seas. Eskimo land has a bare look. Large rocks, pebbles, and sand cover much of the surface. Plants called lichen (地衣) grow on the rocks, and where there is enough soil, grass, flowers, and even small bushes manage to live. No trees can grow on Eskimo land, so geographers sometimes call it the Arctic plains. There are some animals in Eskimo land, such as rabbits, which eat the plants. Other animals, like the white fox and the gray wolf, eat the rabbits. The Eskimo is a meat-eater, too, and may even eat a wolf when food is scarce.
The Eskimo year has two main parts: a long, cold winter and a short, cool summer. Spring and fall are almost too short to be noticed. Summer is the best time, as food is usually plentiful. But it is also the time when Eskimos are very busy. Winter is never far away, and the men must bring home extra meat for the women to prepare and store, for seldom can enough animals be killed in winter to feed a family.
The Far North is sometimes called the land of the midnight sun. This is true in the middle of summer, for between April 21st and August 21st the sun never sets in Northern Greenland. But in midwinter the Far North is a land with no sunshine at all. Around Oct. 21st the Eskimos of Northern Greenland see the sun set directly south of them, and they don’t see it again until February 22nd. All places on earth get about the same amount of daylight during a year. As a result, if summer is lighter, winter has to be darker.
Winter nights in the Far North are seldom pitch-black. As in the rest of the world, the stars and moon provide a little light. The northern lights also help the Eskimo to see. And with the ground covered with snow, even a little light is reflected back to the Eskimo’s eyes.

  1. 1.

    Which of the following statements is NOT true?

    1. A.
      Eskimos do not usually eat wolves.
    2. B.
      Eskimos like to chase one another.
    3. C.
      Eskimos depend heavily on water.
    4. D.
      Eskimos are meat-eaters.
  2. 2.

    What’s the meaning of the underlined words “pitch-black” in Paragraph 4?

    1. A.
      Dark with a little light.
    2. B.
      A little dark.
    3. C.
      Not dark at all.
    4. D.
      Extremely dark.
  3. 3.

    From the passage, we can infer all of the following EXCEPT that_______.

    1. A.
      Eskimos are more likely to eat wolves in summer
    2. B.
      Eskimo women are responsible for housework
    3. C.
      meat is the main source of food for the Eskimo
    4. D.
      hunting is an important part of Eskimo life

A train sped up through the countryside at 60 mph as a“traveller”relaxes with his newspaper. But this is no businessman taking it easy—the driver of the passenger express（快车）is doing the reading.
A Sunday Express reader caught this Virgin employee on film as the train sped through Derbyshire on its way to Plymouth from Newcastle.
Virgin，which has come under repeated criticism over their rail service, yesterday fired the driver after being shown the photograph. A spokesman said an inquiry（调查）was under way to make sure exactly what he was doing and why he appeared to have taken his eyes off the track ahead.
The picture comes in the week that the public inquiry into the Southall rail disaster, which claimed seven lives, heard that the driver at the centre of that case had earlier been spotted with his feet on the control button of his cab.
Larry Harrison，who worked for Great Western Trains，drove through two warning signals before crashing at 60 mph into a waiting train.
The reader who took this picture was standing on a bridge outside Chesterfield early one summer’s evening. He said，“I only realized what I’d got when I had the pictures developed. I couldn’t believe it.”
“As far as I could see，there was no one else in the cab with the drive，unless they were hiding, The person with the paper open was certainly sitting in the driver’s normal seat.”
The photographer works on the railways and does not want to be named，but he added，“I’ve seen many drivers with their feet on the control panel but I’ve never seen them reading papers like this. There is an automatic warning system and driver’s safety device which reminds him when he passes yellow and red signals. But you should never take your eyes off the track and rely only on sounds because you could have unexpected objects on the line or suddenly have speed limits given.”

  1. 1.

    Who is the“traveller”mentioned in the first paragraph？

    1. A.
      A train driver.
    2. B.
      A businessman.
    3. C.
      A passenger.
    4. D.
      A newspaper reader.
  2. 2.

    The train ______________when the picture was taken.

    1. A.
      was driving to Plymouth
    2. B.
      was ready for a picture
    3. C.
      had seven people on it
    4. D.
      crashed into another train
  3. 3.

    Who took the picture of the driver of the passenger express？

    1. A.
      A professional photographer.
    2. B.
      A newspaper reporter.
    3. C.
      Another train driver.
    4. D.
      A member of the railway staff.
  4. 4.

    According to what we have read，we may find this passage most probably______________.

    1. A.
      at a train station
    2. B.
      from a news report
    3. C.
      from a driver’s safety guide
    4. D.
      from the police inquiry
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