阅读理解

　　Bright comets(彗星) are a rare(罕见的)and beautiful sight. Though we think of them as members of the sun’s family, many comets go far beyond the orbits of the planets. As a rule they return once in a while to travel around the sun

　　A comet seems to be composed of gas, dust and ice. There is a great deal of solid, frozen material. As the mass gets near the sun, the outer frozen parts begin to melt(融化), and more gases form. The pressure of the sun’s radiation(放射) drives the dust and gases outwards in a long, streaming“tail”, perhaps several tails. For this reason the tail always points away from the sun. And when the comet moves farther from the radiation, the tail gets smaller and at last disappears.

　　We owe (把……归于)our knowledge chiefly to Sir Edmond Harley(1656－1742). He saw a very beautiful one in 1682, and it led him to study comets and their orbits.

　　Then he said,“The comet of 1682 was the same one that appeared in 1531 and again in 1607. It will return in 1758 or 1759.”

　　Harley died in 1742, but people waited and watched…And sure enough, Harley’s Comet arrived, big and bright, early in 1759. The comet was named:“Comet Harley”and it comes about every 75 years.

　　Last time it returned in 1986 and was watched by hundreds of millions of people. If you were one of them, I hope you will be lucky enough to watch it again next time it appears.

1．In what way are comets different from planets?

[　　]

A．They don’t travel round the sun.

B．They are not members of the sun’s family.

C．They are nearer to the sun than planets.

D．They go far beyond the sun than planets.

2．What is the long tail of the comet composed of (由……组成)?

[　　]

A．Gas, dust and ice.

B．Radiation of the sun.

C．Solid, frozen material.

D．Dust and gases.

3．

The reason why the tail of a comet always points away from the sun is that ________.

[　　]

A．it is getting nearer to the sun

B．the dust and gases are driven outward by the pressure

C．its outer frozen parts begin to melt

D．it is moving round the sun

4．Which of the following is right?

[　　]

A．Sure enough, Harley saw the comet arrive early in 1759.

B．Harley’s Comet returned in 1758 as Harley had expected.

C．Seventeen years after Harley’ death the comet returned.

D．We’ll see Comet Harley again in 75 years.

5．When will Comet Harley return next time?

[　　]

Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history.

Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, and simply because they were in the way. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the world forever. Hundreds more are on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger.

Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, there will never be any more.

Animals are more than just beautiful and interesting. They are more than just a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature (生态平衡). Destroying one kind of animal can create many problems.

For example, when farmers killed large numbers of hawks (老鹰), the farmers’ stores of corn and grain were destroyed by rats and mice. Why? Because hawks eat rats and mice. With no hawks to keep down their numbers, the rats and mice multiplied(繁殖)quickly.

Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger.

Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid (禁止) the killing of any animals or plants on the danger list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing.

1. Animals are important to us mainly because____ .

2.What has happened to the animals on the earth?

3. Which of the following is NOT true?

4. What can we infer from the fact that quite a few countries have passed laws protecting animals in danger?

Almost all theme park accidents can be prevented. Here, based on coverage of theme park safety, are some tips to help you and your family stay safe on your next visit.

If you are visiting with a child, take a moment to explain the ride to them, and tell them what they should do. They are depending upon you to keep them safe. Set a good example for them by following the rules of the park, and make sure that they know you expect them to follow those rules, too.

Tell them to stay seated, to hold the grab bar or put their hands in the laps, and not to stick their knees and feet outside a ride vehicle. Make them look to you for the okay to get on or off a ride, too. And never put a crying child on a ride. If your child starts to cry, let others pass you in line until your child is calmed. Or, gently exit the queue and find something more relaxing to do. 

Young kids can’t keep an adult’s pace in a theme park. Let them take plenty of breaks.

“Kids get tired,” said TPI reader Matt Johnson, a father of four. “Tired kids make parents even more tired. And tired kids and parents may get hurt — physically and emotionally.” He advises that parents plan a mid-day break, perhaps a swim back at the hotel, to avoid mid-day heat and crowds. “You will see cranky families having a miserable time while you are refreshed and having a great evening.”

1.The second paragraph tells readers that ______.

2.Which of the following is NOT right for children who are taking the rides?

3.If your child begins to cry just when he is going to take a ride, you should ______.

4.We may infer from Matt Johnson’s words that ______.

5.What is the meaning of the underlined word “exit” in the third paragraph?

A new study shows that fat people in the United States suffer direct economic and social effects because of their size. The findings are from an 8-year study of about 100,000 people. The people who were studied were between the age of 18 and 24 when the research began.

The researchers who carried out the study say they consider the people fat if they are in the top of 5% of the measurement in which weight is linked to height. For example, fat women in the study were about 160 centimeters tall and weighed about 90 kilograms. Fat men in the study were about 175 centimeters tall and weighed 100 kilograms. The researchers say that more than 1,000,000 Americans are that big. The researchers found that fat young women were from wealthy families. The fat women also were 20% less likely to get married and they earned an average of about $6,700 a year less than other women. The study showed less severe effects on fat men. They earned an average of about $3,000 a year less than other men. Fat men also were 11% less likely to get married.

1.

The passage mainly tells us __________.

2.

From this study we know fat people in America __________.

3.

. The underlined word "severe" here means __________.

4.

The researchers consider the people fat if __________.