阅读理解

　　The basic flag of the United States is one of the world's oldest national flags．Only the basic flags of Austria，Denmark，Great Britain，the Netherlands，Sweden，and Switzerland are older．

　　During the discovery and settlement of hat is now the United States，the flags of various European nations were flown over the land，as symbols of possession．later，in the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods，flags representing famous persons，place，and events were flown in the American Colonies．

　　The first official flag of the United States was created by Congress on June 14，1777．It consisted of 13 alternate red and white stripes and 13 white stars in a field of blue，representing the 13 colonies that had declared their independence in 1776．Congress adopted a new flag of 15 stars and 15 stripes in 1795，to give representation to the two new states admitted into the Union，Vermont and Kentucky．

　　By 1817，there were 20 states in the Union，and it became apparent that adding one stripe for each new state would destroy the shape of the flag．As a result，Congress in 1818 restored the original design of 13 stripes and provided that each state was to be represented by one star．In 1912 President William H．Taft made the first official provision for the arrangement of the stars．He ordered that there be six even rows of eight stars each Previously the arrangement of the stars had been left to the flag-maker fancy．

　　The evolution of the Stars and Stripes reflects the growth of the United States．After the admission of Hawaii into the Union in 1959，the flag was officially changed for the 26th time since its creation．

There are many government flown in the United states in addition to the national flag．Among them are the president's and vice-president's flags and those of the federal departments and some federal agencies．Each state in the Union has an official flag．The United States Navy uses special flags for signaling．

1．According to the passage，which of the following possesses one of the world's oldest national flags？

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2．In the United States，why were the flags of various European nations were flown over the land initially？

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A．Because then the United States was the European nations'colony．

B．Because they were representing famous person，place and events．C．Because the United States wanted to show friendship to the European nations．

D．The passage don't tell us．

3．From the passage，which of the following is not true？

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A．Congress designed the first national flag．

B．Because of the two new states admitted into the Union，the national flag became fifteen stars and fifteen stripes．

C．From the evolution of the stars and stripes，we can understand the history of the United States．

D．The flag was officially changed for the 26th time before the Hawaii admitted into the Union．

4．Which flags now don't exist in the United States？

[　　]

A．The president's and vice-president's flags．

B．Each state's official flag in the Union．

C．Children's flags．

D．The United States Navy's flags．

　　In 1901, H.G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book describing a trip to the moon. When the explorers（探险者） landed on the moon, they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities. They expressed their surprise to the "moon people" they met. In turn, the "moon people" expressed their surprise. "Why," they asked, "are you traveling to outer space when you don't even use your inner space？"

　　H.G. Wells could only imagine travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings really did land on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the "moon people" asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.

　　Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The "Chunnel", a tunnel（隧道）connecting England and France, is now complete.

　　But what about underground cities? Japan's Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called "Alice Cities." The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome（太阳能穹顶）would cover the whole city.

　　Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth's space. The surface, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness. H. G. Wells’ "moon people" would agree. Would you？

56. The explorers in H. G. Wells’ story were surprised to find that the "moon people"____.

　　A. knew so much about the earth

　　B. understood their language

　　C. lived in so many underground cities

　　D. were ahead of them in space technology

57. What does the underlined word "it"（Paragraph 2）refer to？

　　A. Discovering the moon's inner space.

　　B. Using the earth's inner space.

　　C. Meeting the "Moon people" again.

　　D. Traveling to outer space.

58. What sort of underground systems are already here with us?

　　A. Offices, shopping areas, power stations.

　　B. Tunnels, car parks, shopping areas.

　　C. Gardens, car parks, power stations.

　　D. Tunnels, gardens, offices.

59. What would be the best title for the text？

　　A. Alice Cities-cities of the future

　　B. Space travel with H. G. Wells

　　C. Enjoy living underground

　　D. Building down, not up

A report on a new software that enables eyes to do the typing appears in Wednesday’s edition of the journal Nature. Replacing a keyboard or mouse, eye-scanning-cameras mounted on computers have become necessary tools for people without limbs or those affected with paralysis. The camera tracks the movement of the eye, allowing users to “type” on a virtual keyboard as they look at the screen. And now, researchers from the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University say they have developed software that replaces the standard QWERTY keyboard layout with one that is nearly twice as efficient, more accurate and easier on the eyes. Called Dasher, the prototype program looks into the natural gaze of the eye and makes predictable words and phrases simpler to write. Any off-the-shelf camera capable of scanning eye movement can be used with Dasher, though the person must sit fairly still during the interaction.

  The letters of the alphabet appear in a single column on the right of the screen, with an underline symbol to represent a space. Each letter is framed by a colored box. As the user looks at a particular letter on the right side of the screen and drags it to the left with their eye, another sub-alphabet column begins to emerge inside the box on the right-hand side, along with more letters framed in colored boxes. Dasher is designed to anticipate which letter will be needed, so although the successive sub-alphabet columns are initially very small, the letters or combination of letters that appear are most likely to be used next in that sequence. For example, if a person starts with the letter “h”, the language models in Dasher will bring up “a” “e” “i” “o” and “u” in the sub-alphabet box, along with a few other possible combinations like “ello” to form the word “hello”. Each box has a complete alphabet within it, though the first letters to appear have the highest probability of usage. The letters are then placed together to form a sentence on the left side of the screen.

  Researchers say people will be able to write up to 25 words per minute with Dasher compared to on-screen keyboards, which they say average about 15 words per minute. With a bit of practice, MacKay said, Dasher offers an easier and more satisfying way for disabled people to communicate, providing them with better tools to write e-mail or create word processor files. Mackay said Dasher could work in most languages.

72. With the new software Dasher, people can type with their eyes through_____.

A. a computer screen with eye-scanning sensors

　　B. an eye-scanning camera on computer

　　C. a colored box attached to the computer

　　D. a regular keyboard with sensors

73. The new method of typing will most benefit those people who___________ .

A. have reading difficulties     B are visually incompetent

　　C. are physically challenged.   D. do not have a big vocabulary

74. The software Dasher_______________ .

　　A. is able to predict the next sequence of words the user is going to write

　　B. can form coherent sentences based on the first word typed in by the user

    C. has to be used with eye-scanning cameras specially designed for the 

software

　　D. does not allow the user to move a lot during the interaction

75. Which of the following is true about Dasher?

　　A. It can be used to write ten more words than on screen keyboard per minute.

　　B. It is easier to use than ordinary keyboards.

　　C. It can provide hints for possible sentences to be written.

　　D. It is an independent text processor.