There are a number of environmental features that can be found only in Bermuda Triangle． Because of these 1 characteristics, the triangle is one of the most dangerous areas in the Atlantic Ocean．

　The weather in the triangle is 2;its sudden changes often endanger the lives of sailors．

　The triangle is well known for unexpected storms, hurricanes that are out of season, and other unnatural 3 ． Many people feel that this 4 weather can explain most of the strange events which have occurred there．

　Because of the many violent storms, the triangle is often 5．

　Many ships leave land and disappear completely;the U．S．S． Cyclops, for example, 6 in 1918．

　Some missing ships carried 7 such as coal , oil , mahogany , and military supplies, while other ships carried only passengers ．

　 8might explain the disappearance of old ships , but investigators must look for other explanations when a new ship disappears．

　When a ship is reported missing, searchers rush to the area to look for 9which might explain the disappearance．

　One author tries to explain the disappearances of the ships by 10natural events or human error ．

　Another author believes that intelligences from another world are 11 the disappearances． He says that these extraterrestrial beings have a zoo where they 12all the missing seamen．

　Many people agree that natural 13 cannot explain the strange events in the triangle ． “It just isn’t natural for a ship to completely disappear like this ． It’s 14 , no matter how you try to explain it,”declared the seamen．

　“These eerie events make me afraid to sail out of 15 of land．”

1．A．only B．single C．mere D． only one

2．A．unexpectedly changeable B．extremely dangerous

　C．either A and B D． both A and B

3．A．Activities B．Accidents C．behaviors D． events

4．A．normal　　B．natural C．unnatural D． uncommon

5．A．improbable B．impassable C．impossible D． improper

6．A．lost B．missed C．separated D． spared

7．A．goods B．matters C．objects D． things

8．A．Engineers B．Engine drivers C．Engine operators D． Engine failures

9．A．evidence B．causes C．reasons D． findings

10．A．considering them as the cause of B．thinking them to be the cause of

C．regarding them as caused by　　 D． proving them to be the cause of

11．A．in charge of B．reasons for C．causes for D． responsible for

12．A．feed B．support C．keep D． raise

13．A．evidence B．causes C．reasons D． findings

14．A．uncommon B．Abnormal C．strange D． extraordinary

15．A．scene B．sight C．visibility D． view

The Panama Canal opened almost 100 years ago. More than one million ships have passed through waterway since 1914. It connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and reduces travel by about 13,000 kilometers and avoids the need for ships to sail around Cape Horn at the bottom of South America.

Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 ships in 2008. In total, over 815,000 ships have passed through the canal. It has been named one of the seven modern wonders of the world. More than forty ships pass through the canal each day.

　　 Now, a major expansion project will permit more ships and bigger ships to pass through the canal. Jorge Quijano, the Panama Canal’s executive vice president of engineering, says, “the Canal is operating at its limit. The present canal has a total capacity of about 340 million tons a year that it can handle. With the expansion we expect to double that, over 600 million tons that we can handle in a year.”

　 Ships pass through a series of locks. These locks raise a ship to the level of Gatun Lake at the canal entrance on the Atlantic side. They lower the ship back to sea level on the Pacific side. For years, shipbuilders limited the size of many ships so that they could pass through the Panama Canal. But now many shipping companies use bigger ships to transport more goods as a way to reduce costs. Mr. Quijano says the expansion project will allow many of these larger ships to use the canal.

　 Workers are building the new locks alongside the old ones, which will remain in use. The existing locks are 305 meters long and 55 meters wide. The new ones will be 427 meters long and 55 meters wide. They will be able to handle ships with drafts(吃水量) of more than 15 meters. At present, ships can ride only 12 meters deep in the cannel.

　 Engineers could not make the new locks too big. Mr. Quijano says the plans had to balance the size of the locks with the cost for ships to use the canal. “We had to look at the optimal size of vessel that would make the return on the investment of a high value to us. So we chose what size of vessels that could actually pay for this project.” Mr. Quijano said.

　 The cost of the expansion is estimated at more than five billion dollars. The new locks are set to open in time to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the Panama Canal.

51. We can learn from the first two paragraphs that the Panama Canal _______.

　 A. was built close to Cape Horn　　　　　　　　　 　

B. took a decade to be completed

　 C. now sees a daily traffic of about 400 ships　

D. is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world

52. After the expansion of the Panama Canal, ________.

　 A. there will be no limitation to the size of ships through it

　 B. it will have a total capacity of 500 million tons a year

　 C. the cost of transporting goods will be relatively low

　 D. the charge of using the canal will be reduced

53. What do we know about the new locks?

　 A. They will be put to use in 2014.

　 B. They will take the place of the old ones.

　 C. Their length will be double that of the old ones.

　 D. Ships with drafts of 50 meters can pass through them.

54. What is the author’s main purpose in writing the text?

　 A. To introduce the history of the Panama Canal.

　 B. To show the importance of the Panama Canal.

　 C. To report the expansion project of the Panama Canal.

　 D. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal.

Molly Wilson had been a dancer and a mother for many years when she decided to sail round the world to raise money for charity.

　 As a child she had trained as a ballet dancer, but at l5 she had grown too tall for classical ballet, so she became a member of a pop dance team.

　 She got married, and after she had children she retired from show business to bring them up. They grew up, and when they were 18 they left home.

　 She says, “When I decided to do the round-the-world race, my husband thought I was bored because the children had left home. He was also worried because I had never sailed before. I was not bored, but I had met some people who told me about the race. They had taken part in it, but they had only done one section, say, from New Zealand to Australia. I wanted to do the whole ten-month journey. ”

　 Before Molly left she did a lot of training, but it hadn’t prepared her for the worst weather which they experienced. By the end of October last year, she had raised more than $50,000 for charity.

She says, “Sometimes I ask myself, what did I do? How did I do it? But then I think, it’s the same as being a dancer. Before I left on trip, I had trained hard. I had got very fit and had prepared myself completely. Then on the trip I was simply a good team member.”

1. Why did Molly Wilson decide to do the round-the-world race?

A. She had never sailed before.　　　　　 B. She was bored.

C. She wanted to raise money for charity.　 D. She wanted to earn money.

2. She joined the pop dance team because___________.

A. she was 15　　　　　　 B. she hadn’t trained hard

C. she had been too fat.　　　 D. she had been too tall

3. What is the proper order of the following statements?

a. She got married.　　 b. She became the member of a pop dance team.

c. She retired.　　　　 d. She sailed around the world.

e. She trained as a ballet dancer.

A. e—b—a—c—d　 B．b—a—c—d—e　

C．e—b—c—a—d　 D．c—a—b—d—e

4. The underlined “section” in the fourth paragraph probably means________.

A. part　　 B. department　　 C. unit　 D. city

5. We can conclude from the passage that________

A. she once wanted to give up on the journey　

B. her husband didn’t support her in the beginning

C. she didn’t love her children

D. she didn’t raise any money at last