The disaster at the Chernobyl(former USSR前苏联) power station happened quickly and without warning. It was in the early hours of April 26, 1986 when the cooling system of the reactor(反应堆) failed. Minutes later, a violent (猛烈地) explosion blew the top off the reactor and blasted(爆炸生成) a huge cloud of radioactive gas high into atmosphere. Two people were killed immediately. Hundreds received powerful radiation overdose (过量). And more than 25,000 had to be taken away from their homes.
Days later, the radioactive cloud had spread as far as Scotland. Its radiation was weak, but all over Europe radioactive rain was falling. In some areas people were advised not to eat fresh vegetables, or drink fresh milk, and the sale of meat was forbidden.
The accident at Chernobyl was the world’s worst nuclear accident. In Britain, it convinced (使……相信) many people that all nuclear power stations should be shut down for good. But the Central Electricity Generating Board didn’t agree. They claimed that ·similar disasters could not happen in Britain because of safer designs, fewer deaths are caused using nuclear fuel (燃料) than by mining for coal or drilling for oil and gas. Nuclear accidents are unusually fewer compared with other types of accidents-such as air crashes, fires or dam break-down more nuclear power stations are necessary because the world’s supplies of oil, coal and natural gas are running out.
In 1957 in Cumbria (Britain) a nuclear reactor overheated and caught fire. No one was killed but fourteen workers received radiation overdose. Small amounts of gas and dust were let out over the local countryside.
An official report said the accident was nearly a full-scale disaster. The Nuclear Authority wanted the report published but the Prime Minister at the time refused. He thought that it would make people less confident in Britain’s nuclear industry. Thirty years later, the cabinet(内阁) records of 1957 were published. Only then did the public discover what had really happened in Cumbria.
【小题1】. One result of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster was that ______.

A．Britain’s supplies of oil, coal and gas were running out

B．it takes thirty years for the effects of radiation to appear

C．fewer people died in that accident than in other types of accidents

D．it was concerned that the British people would doubt their country’s nuclear expertise (核技术)

URBANA, ILL. (AP)--Mike dropped out of college to support his pregnant(怀孕的) girlfriend and now works as a manager of a trucking company, Lynn graduated with honors from Harvard University and was hired as a lawyer with a top law firm in a major city. What do these two people have in common? Ten years ago they were both high school valedictorians (致告别辞者).
A University of Illinois study follows the lives of 81 valedictorians and salutatorians (致词的学生代表) who graduated a decade ago from public and private high schools in the state.
Tales of Success and Failure
The study found tales of success and failure. The research on 46 women and 35 men found that some were doctors and scientists, one was a drug addict, another was a waitress with emotional problems.
"There is a popular idea about people who do well in school doing well in life," said Terry Denny, professor of education. Denny conducted the study with Karen Arnold, a former graduate student of Denny' s who is now a professor at Boston College. Denny and Arnold contacted the 81 students before graduation, and then followed up with interviews nearly every other year. They also sent them questionnaires in the mail.
Varied Careers
One-third of the students are lawyers, or have a doctorate. Nineteen are in business and 15 are engineers or computer scientists. Others include a farmer, a stock broker, and an aerobics instructor.
Arnold says many of the students have only average positions in the work world and that "most are not headed for greatness in their careers." Denny, however, says that it is too early to make such predictions. "Who expects someone to be on the Supreme Court at the age of 28 or to be the discoverer of an important scientific invention right after college?" he said. "These students are just getting started in life. They are just beginning to find out what life is all about."
【小题1】What can we conclude from Paragraph 1?

BEIJING,Oct.14(Xinhua)——A total of 120 middle school students from 35 countries will attend the final of an international China language contest,to be held in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality from Oct.16 to 30.

The candidates,aged from 15 to 20,must be from foreign countries and not native Chinese speakers,said a statement issued by the Chinese language Council (CLC),the contest’s organizer,here Thursday.

All of the candidates have passed the preliminary contests(初赛)held in their own countries.

According to the organizer,the competition will have a top prize,five second prizes,10 third prizes and a dozen prizes for special talents.The organizer will also launch an online vote for“the most liked candidate.”

It was the third year China has held the contest.

“The competition not only tests the proficiency of Chinese language but also the candidates capability to communicate across different cultures.”the statement said.

All the candidates in the final will receive scholarships from the Chinese goverment.said Hu Hangyu,an official with the Education Bureau of the Chonqing Municipality,jointly organizing the contest.

They will also meet local Chinese students and live with Chinese families,Hu said.

“The competition is to meet the increasing demand for Chicese learning by foreign youngsters.”said Xu Lin.the CLC director.

The CLC has also hosted similar contest for foreign college students since 2002.

China has been working to promote Chinese language learning abroad over the past few years.According to the CLC,the.country had 282 Confucius Institutes and 272“Confucius Classrooms”in 88 countries and regions as of 2009 since the first one was established in 2004.

1.The text is intended to        .

A.show the popularity of Chinese language learning in the world

B.introduce an international Chinese language learning test system

C.make readers aware of the importance of Chinese language learning

D.report an international Chinese language contest to be held

2.The candidates must be        .

A.foreign college students                  B.non—native middle school students

C.native Chinese students                   D.students from Confucius Institutes

3.According to the text,the competition is        .

A.organized by the Chongqing Municipality government

B.mainly to test the candidates’Chinese language competence

C.held every three years in Chongqing Municipality

D.to provide foreign students with a chance to know China

4.What has China been doing to promote Chinese language learning abroad according to the text?

A.Thousands of Chinese teacher are sent abroad to teach the language.

B.282 Confucius Institutes are established in China to teach Chinese.

C.The Chinese language contests for foreign students are regularly held.

D.Many Chinese students are sent abroad for culture exchanges every year.

5.In which part of the newspaper is the text most likely to be found?

A.Education            B.Advertisement     C.Business        D.Entertainment

C
Philip was a nine-year-old boy in a Sunday school class of 8-year-old girls and boys. Sometimes the third graders didn’t welcome Philip into their group and usually tricked him. This was not because he was older, but because he was “different”. You see, Philip suffered from a condition called Downs’s Syndrome. This made him “different”, with his facial characteristics, slow responses and mental problems.
One Sunday after Easter, the Sunday school teacher gathered some plastic eggs that pulled apart in the middle. The teacher gave one to each child. On that beautiful spring day, the children were to go out and discover for themselves some symbol of “new life” and place it inside the plastic(塑料）eggs.
After the children returned to the classroom, the teacher opened their eggs one by one, asking each child to explain that symbol of “new life”. The first opened egg contained a flower. Everyone cheered. In another one was a butterfly….When the teacher opened the last egg, it was empty. “That’s stupid,” said someone. The teacher felt a pull at his shirt. It was Philip. Looking up, Philip said, “It’s mine. I did it. It’s empty. I have new life, because the tomb is empty.” Not a sound was heard in class at all. From that day on, Philip became a real part of the group. They welcomed him, and whatever made him different was never mentioned again.
Philip’s family knew he wouldn’t live a long life, for there were too many things wrong with him.
【小题1】The teacher gave each child one plastic egg to let them ________.

完形填空 （共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分 30分）

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C、和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑

 Traveling in Vietnam was like visiting a mysterious neighbor. You have lived next door to each other for years but know very    1_ about what happened on   2__ side of the fence.

   I traveled there last August. A(n)   3   180-kilometre trip from a Chinese border town to Hanoi, the capital of Vietman,   4    an adventurous eight hours. That’s   5    the country still doesn’t have a modern expressway system. The major passage going through the country is only a two—way road.    6    , many areas are mountainous.

   Vietnamese drivers are   7    and fearless. They compete with each other at full speeds no matter how scared the   8    feel. When the bus shook us violently for the hundredth time, the driver made a   9   to make us feel better. “See, this is just a(n)   10   Vietnamese people give you, a free massage(按摩) service.”

   It was midnight   11   I reached that hotel. Switching on television, I was   12   by something: All the __13__ in the TV plays spoke in the same voice.   14   , modern Korean plays and historical Chinese plays are   15   with the Vietnamese. But it seemed they didn’t have enough   16   to dub(为…配音) all these programs. So, the same boring woman appears 17   every TV play to speak for the roles. The next morning when I opened the window, I found myself in a huge “   18   ”. The buildings in the streets were __19  in all kinds of colors you can imagine. Vietnamese are allowed to   20   their houses as they like. Each one was different. The large number of colors brought the city alive.

1. A. little                     B. much                C. a lot                         D. few

2. A. another       B. other         C. either               D. the other

3. A. long         B. simple        C. pleasant             D. easy

4. A. took               B. spent         C. paid               D .devoted 

5. A. why               B. when         C. because             D. where

6. A. Therefore          B.However        C. Also                D. Otherwise

7. A. wonderful    B. impatient             C. careful              D. helpless

8. A. passengers          B. policemen     C. drivers              D. passers-by

9. A. story       B. joke                 C. promise             D. statement

10. A. gift              B. pleasure        C. competition         D. surprise

11. A. that              B. until           C. when              D. while

12. A. excited            B. embarrassed     C. disappointed         D. amazed

13. A. actresses          B. actors          C. characters           D. channels

14. A. At present  B. To be honest     C. Sure enough          D. Of course

15. A. satisfied           B. received        C. content              D. popular

16. A. time              B. budget          C. people               D. space

17. A. beside            B. under          C. over                D. behind

18. A. film              B. garden               C. book                D. cup

19. A. put               B. set           C. dressed              D. filled

20. A. rent       B. make         C. live                 D. paint