Astronauts aboard the space station celebrated a space first on Wednesday by drinking water that had been recycled from their urine(尿), sweat and water got from air. They said "cheers," clicked drinking bags and toasted NASA workers on the ground.
The urine recycling system is needed for astronaut stations on the moon and Mars. It also will have NASA money because it won’t have to ship up as much water to the station by space shuttles or cargo rockets. Besides, it’s important as the space station is about to expand from three people living on board to six.
The recycling system had been brought up to the space station last November by space shuttles Endeavour, but it couldn’t be used until samples(样品) were tested back on earth. So when it came time to actually drink up, NASA made a big deal of it. The three-man crew stood holding their drinks and congratulated engineers in two NASA centres that worked on the system.
“This is something that had been the stuff of science fiction,” American astronaut Michael Barratt said before taking a small mouthful. “The taste is worth trying.”
The new system takes the combined urine of the crew from the toilet, moves it to a big tank, where the water is boiled off, and the vapor(水蒸气) is collected. The rest of the urine is thrown away. Then the water vapor is mixed with water from air, and then it goes through filters (过滤器). When six crew members are aboard it can make about six gallons from urine in about six hours.
“Some people may find the idea of drinking recycled urine distasteful, but it is also done on earth, but with a lot longer time between urine and the tap,” said Marybeth Edeen, the space station’s national lab manager.
The technology NASA developed for this system has already been used for quick water purification after the 2004 Asian tsunami.
【小题1】 According to the text, the recycling system is important because ___________.

She was known to millions as the "Queen of Crime" or the "Duchess (女公爵) of Death". But surprisingly, she hated violence and blood, and knew nothing of the weapons most often used in murder. "I don't think I dare look at a really horrible and damaged body," Agatha Christie once said. But her pen dared to travel where her eyes would not. In a 50-year writing career, Christie's murder stories made her the world's best-known mystery writer. She is outsold only by the Bible (《圣经》) and Shakespeare.

Her works have been turned into films and TV series, and a line of computer games is set to be released over the next six years.

"My grandmother liked to use new ways to reach people who wanted to enjoy her work," said Christie's grandson, Mathew Prichard. "Turning her stories into PC games allows us to introduce classic mysteries to new audiences."

Born in 1890 in England, Christie was educated at home and began her writing career while working as a nurse during World War I. She went on to produce 79 novels and numerous (大量的) short stories, dying at the age of 86. "With her knowledge of murder, Christie could have been a teacher at police academies," said one fan.

Her first novel, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" (《斯泰尔斯庄园奇案》), also introduced Hercule Poirot, a retired Belgian (比利时的) police officer who starred in 30 of her works. Among the most popular are "Murder on the Orient Express" (《东方快车谋杀案》) (1934), and "Death on the Nile" (《尼罗河上的惨案》) (1937).

Poirot is a tidy little man with a funny-looking moustache, an egg-shaped head, and a high opinion of himself. He draws conclusions from observing the behavior of those around him, always managing to spot patterns that others cannot see. Poirot has become so famous that someone has even written his biography (传记), "The Life and Times of Hercule Poirot".

Starring in 17 novels, another Christie character, Miss Marple, is nearly as well known as Poirot. But while the Belgian uses his powers of observation, the old Miss Marple relies on her knowledge of human nature to solve crimes. As she once said, "Human nature is the same everywhere."

1. Agatha Christie was a ________ woman.

A. rich B. kind C. bold D. outstanding

2. Christie's murder stories ranked the ________ in sale amount.

A. second B. first C. third D. fourth

3. Christie's stories have been turned into ________ other forms.

A. two B. three C. four D. five

4. Christie's knowledge of murder was ________ .

A. poor B. rich C. limited D. poor

5. Poirot's success lies in his power of ________ while Miss Marple's success belongs to her knowledge of ________ .

A. observation； human nature

B. murder； imagination

C. imagination； murder

D. human nature； observation

(D)篇

1. D。归纳综合题，可用综合归纳法来解。认真阅读分析原文不难发现，Christie一生写了79部小说和大量短篇小说，当然是一个很出色的人。

2. C。推理判断题，可用逻辑推断法来解。由原文第一节末句可推出答案。

3. B。细节判断题，可用直接就题找文法来解。原文第二节体现答案。

4. B。推理判断题，可用逻辑推断法来解。由原文第四节"With her knowledge of murder, Christie could have been a teacher at police academies,"said one fan.可以推出答案。

5. A。细节判断题，可用直接就题找文法来解。原文末节But while the Belgian uses his powers of observation, the old Miss Marple relies on her knowledge of human nature to solve crimes. 体现答案。

阅读下面的文字，完成下列各题。

梵  高

张  炜

我们终于谈到梵高了，神圣的梵高。在当代，他已经是不同艺术领域中的崇拜人物。他的作品在商人那儿已经化为金子，或者是远比金子还要昂贵十倍的珍奇。但是像他那样的心灵不仅用金钱无法沟通，就是用一般的艺术和精神也无法接近。他会在任何时候任何地点，拒绝那些流行的艺术热望者、大知音和中产阶级的高雅情调。因为他只是最平凡的人群中的一个灵魂，一个底层的感受者和传达者，一个不屈服者和抗争者，一个实践善良和使用决心的人。他是贫民的儿子，是他们痛苦而尖锐的眼睛。在这样的一双眼睛面前，我们往往只有在无可奈何的沉默中压住自己心底的惊叹才行。他的境界是高不可攀的，因为那是底层艺术家所守护的最后一道防线，也是权利。这其实也是人的防线与权利。梵高可以让我们明白，当一个人面对无情的外部世界时，顽强的精神会怎样迸溅出火花，直至燃烧为熊熊烈焰。

我走在慕尼黑、曼哈顿、巴黎等最著名的艺术博物馆里，在星光灿烂之中，在无法穷尽的艺术、不同时代不同流派的大荟萃面前，常常有一种无可逃匿的眩晕感。在跨越时空而来的多角度多层次、频繁急促和陡然有力的各种撞击之下，那根本来敏感的神经已经麻木疲萎。可是，几乎是无一例外，只要一走近梵高，一走近他的展出单元，立刻就会感到一片辉煌之光扑面而来。就这样，最昂扬的音乐陡然奏响。世界马上改变了，双眼睁大了，一切又重新开始了。

这是怎样神秘的力量，这力量又从何而来？

当然，一切只能源于他的这个生命。他的生命仍然在持续不断地发散----首先是从源头，从他执笔之时，从那一刻的怦怦心跳开始震动我们，使我们至今不能安宁。他眼中的一切原来与我们有巨大区别，就是这区别让我们双眼大睁、心上一凛。这区别当然是来自他的目光，它有强大的剥落和穿凿的力量：世界上的所有事物都被我们的眼睛蒙上了一层庸常的布幔，但这布幔在梵高那儿马上被刺破，或被抽揭一空。世界裸露了，本真显现了，所以他让我们看到的就是强烈的光，是逼人的颜色，是疾旋与燃烧，是轰响和炸裂，是呼叫和奔突......我们每个人本来都拥有这种直视的能力，不幸的是后来的生活给予我们每个人无尽的磨损，我们丧失了这种能力，而只有神奇的梵高保留了。

梵高做过教师、画店营业员、传教士、书店店员、画家。这些职业是那么不同，可是在梵高那儿并没有人们想像的那么大的差异。因为他以同样的心情去做，同样用力，同样真实。他赋予任何工作的，都仅仅是一份生命的虔诚。也正是由于这种对于工作的非同常人的理解，他差不多把每一样工作都给做“砸了”。最后是作画----他现在被公认为最伟大的画家之一，可是当时却被看成是最不成功的画家，几乎没有卖出过一幅作品。他没有一般专业人士看好的技法，简直没有受到什么正规的、更不要说是深入独到的专业训练了。他的画被看成可笑的涂抹，形式上一塌糊涂。那些直接而强悍的笔触、生猛可怖的画面，能够毫不费力地逼退那些艺术沙龙的宠儿。其实比起梵高而言，许多人等于生活在温室中，他们没有经历真实的风雨阳光，当然也没有接受过催逼，没有倾听过号叫，没有接受过起码的人生打击。他们怎么具有理解梵高的能力呢？

真实的生活，底层的生活，有时候、许多时候都是刺目的。但是在漫长的人生旅途中，生活的真实面目还是要显现----最后总是要显现。这是一个顽强的规律。每到这个时刻，人们也就开始理解了梵高，只不过稍微晚了些。

梵高的艺术，像许多真正的艺术一样，是直到最后才被接受下来的。

他保留下了大量书信。人们阅读这些书信时，才知道他是多么热情、对生活多么挚爱的人。人们读得泪眼汪汪。其实他的画作已经再好不过地表达了这种热烈。他的巨大的慈爱并不需要直接说出，他的柔情也并不需要，因为他全部都画出来了。他正是为这种爱，而不是为这种艺术，交出了自己全部的生命。

——《远逝的风景》

文章指出梵高的“心灵不仅用金钱无法沟通，就是用一般的艺术和精神也无法接近”，为什么？尽量用文中的语言作答，不超过14个字。

文章第三自然段：“这是怎样神秘的力量”中“这”所指代的具体内容是什么？

画线的句子问：“这力量又从何而来？”文中除从总的方面回答：“源于他的这个生命”以外，还说了两个具体的答案，请用自己的话予以归纳。

下列对文章的理解有误的两项是：（     ）

    A．梵高的作品现在已经成为商人们以高价竞相购买的收藏品，而且成了商人们心中的无价之宝。

    B．梵高让我们明白了顽强的精神可以使人在面对无情的外部世界时迸溅出火花，以至成为熊熊燃烧的烈焰

    C．由于在慕尼黑等地的最著名的艺术博物馆里，艺术家众多，不同时代的艺术流派纷至沓来，使人常常有一种无可逃匿的眩晕感，故尔使作者对他们的作品产生了反感。

    D．梵高现在已被公认为最伟大的画家之一，但在梵高的一生中做过教师、画店营业员、传教士、书店店员、画家，均未达到成功的目的，虽然他如同做画那样以同样的心情去做，同样用力，同样真实。

    E．梵高的画以逼人的颜色，强烈的光，强悍的笔触，生猛可怖的画面，裸露、显现了世界的真实面目，逼退了当时艺术沙龙中的宠儿，因而遭到当时人们的否定。

a. 单词拼写：根据所给中文意思或首字母，写出各句中所缺单词的正确形式。(共5小题，每题1分，满分5分)

1. With your ____________(许可), I’ll leave now.

2. We give a 10% __________ （折扣）on cash purchases.

3. I have ________ （受益）a lot from reading different kinds of books.

4. For lack of food, the old man s______ to death.

5. It’s important to keep the b_______ of nature.

b. 完成下面的句子，每空只填一词。（共5小题，每题2分，满分10分）

6. 他们面对面地坐着，怒视着对方。

They sat face to face, _______ _______ each other.

7. 由于负债累累,他每天不得不加班工作。

   Being _____ _____, he has to work extra hours a day.

8. 你所说的使我想起了我悲伤的故事。

What you said ________ me ________ my sad story.

9. 除夕烧香祭祖是中国的社会习俗。

It’s the ____ ______to light incense in memory of ancestors at the Spring Festival Eve in China.

10. 请原谅我忘记了你的生日。

Please ______ me _______ forgetting your birthday.

The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare’s time is estimated(估计) to have been about five million. Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the standard varieties of English found in these areas, there are a great many regional and social varieties of the language as well as various levels of usage that are employed both in its spoken and written forms.

In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate(足够的) working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages. The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.

The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its present-day importance as a world language. Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers. It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations. It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies. Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West.

1.What would be the best title for this passage?

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

3.According to the passage, what is the main reason for the widespread use of English?

4.What forms an adequate working knowledge of English?

5.What type of developing countries would be most likely to use English?

6.C。细节题。根据文章最后一段倒数第2句可推知此题