During recent years, floods and flash floods have caused billions of dollars in damage each year. They are among the most common and widespread of all natural disasters. Even more importantly, they’re No.1 weather-related killer. A flood can happen anywhere along the Mississippi, in New England, even in the desert.

The following are some fascinating facts about floods and flash floods.

A flood（commonly called river flood）is high flow of water from a river or similar body of water, happening over a period of time too long to be considered a flash flood. Flooding is caused in many ways. Winter or spring rains, together with melting snows, can fill rivers too quickly. Heavy rains from hurricanes or other tropical（热带的）systems can also produce river flooding. The Mississippi River Flood of 1993 was caused by repeated heavy rain from thunderstorms over a period of weeks.

Flash floods are quickly-rising floods which are usually the result of heavy rains over a short period of time, often only several hours or even less. They can also be caused by ice jams（冰塞）on rivers related to a winter or spring melting, or occasionally even a dam break. The constant influx（汇集） of water finally caused a great overflow to begin, powerful enough to sweep vehicles away, roll big stones into roadways, uproot trees, level（夷平） buildings, and knock bridges down. The speed of the rising of water is the most frightening.

Do remember: Move to higher ground and stay away from low areas during heavy rain. Stay out of flooded areas. Never allow children especially to play or walk in flowing water. Never drive your car into water of unknown depths.

43. What is the best title for the passage?

A. The power of floods               B. The damage of floods

C. The occurrence of floods           D. The facts about floods

44. The last paragraph is mainly about ______ .          

A. flood safety tips                B. the reasons for floods

C. the waste water systems               D. the swift flood waters

45. According to the passage, people are afraid of _____ most during flash floods.

A. the constant influx of water

B. the sudden occurrence of flash floods

C. the quick rising water

D. the great damage of flash floods

46. According to the passage, flash floods are ______.

A. great floods resulted from heavy rains in a short time

B. floods rising quickly from heavy rains in a short time

C. quickly-rising floods in a long time

D. floods happening over a long time

Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars(火星),and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.

Images of the Mars caves from Northern

Arizona University

The first caves discovered beyond the Earth appear as seven mysterious black dots on the pictures sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter.Each as large as a football field,they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.

“If there is life on Mars,there is a good chance you’d find it in caves,”said Jut Wynne,one of the researchers who noticed the features while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.

Jonathan Clarke,a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia,yesterday described the discovery as exciting.

One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm,suggesting hot air trapped during the day is flowing out.

“I said:‘Wow,that’s a cave’,”Dr.Clarke said excitedly.“People have been looking for these for a long time;now we have found them.”

He agreed such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life escaping from the bitterly cold,radiation-soaked(充满辐射的),dry surface.

“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,”he said.“If there are gases coming out,they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria.A cave is also a protection from radiation;the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”

The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lava flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago.The outside of the tubes cooled,forming solid walls,while something hotter inside allowed the remaining lava to flow out,forming caves.

1.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A.How the caves were formed on Mars.

B.How scientists found these caves on Mars.

C.Caves on Mars may be full of hot air or a sign of life.

D.Scientists have completely recognized the surface of Mars.

2.We can learn from the passage that _______.

A.water has already been found on Mars

B.the scientists found all the caves at night

C.it is certain that there is life in these caves

D.the surface of Mars is bitterly cold,radiation-soaked and dry

3.According to the passage,Dr.Clarke was so excited because _______.

A.such caves could provide energy for life

B.they had finally found the caves on Mars

C.such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life

D.scientists had long been looking for these caves

4.Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include _______.

A.lava and energy

B.water and radiation from space

C.gases and lava

D.water and protection from radiation

James Joyce was an Irish novelist who revolutionized the methods of depicting characters and developing a plot in modern fiction. his astonishing way of constructing a novel, his frank portrayal（描画, 描写）of human nature in his books, and his complete command of English have made him one of the outstanding influences on literature in the 20th century. Many critics judge that he is second only to Shakespeare in his mastery of the English language. Joyce was deeply influenced by Ireland and wrote all his books about Dublin.

When he was in Dublin College, he studied languages and spent his spare time reading books. He refused to take part in the nationalist movement like his fellow students, but he became passionately（热情地, 热烈地）interested in literature. He wrote outspoken articles of literary criticism that shocked his teachers and even taught himself norwegian（挪威语）so that he could read Ibsen’s（挪威剧作家及诗人）works in the original.

When he graduated in 1902, he knew he would become a writer and an exile（流犯, 被放逐者）, because he felt he could not be one without the other. In order to preserve his ideal of writing truthfully, fully, and as objectively as he knew how, about the people and places he knew best, he had to escape from all temptations to become involved in popular opinion or public life. He went to France, Italy and Switzerland, where he lived in poverty and obscurity for the first 20 years, only returning to Ireland when his mother was dying. Except for a couple of brief trips, he stayed abroad all his life.

James Joyce was famous for many reasons except _______.

A．his way of constructing a novel

B．his frank portrayal of human nature

C．his complete command of English

D．his passion in literature

“he is second only to Shakespeare” is a comment on his ________.

A．achievement in literature      

B．achievement in the nationalist movement

C．achievement in his study of languages   

D．mastery of the English language

How many examples are used to show his passion in literature?

A．2.     B．3.     C．1.     D．4.

Why did James Joyce stay abroad almost all his life?

       A．Because he wanted to live in poverty and obscurity.

       B．Because he wanted to write the people and places he knew best.

C．Because he wanted to escape from all temptations to become involved in popular opinion  or public life.

       D．Because he wanted to preserve his ideal of writing truthfully, fully and objectively about the people and the places he knew best.

IV. 写作

第一节：基础写作（共1 小题，满分15分）

【写作内容】      请为香港书展拟一份宣传简介。

1. 一年一度亚洲最大的书展香港书展将于7月18日开幕；

2. 书展不仅汇集了内地、港台三地的中文书，还包括了多个国家的外文书籍；

3. 书展从1990年至今历经18届，见证了香港书业与文化、教育的发展；

4. 此前的每次书展都会吸引大量国内外的读者前来，引发购书狂潮。

【写作要求】

1. 只能使用5个句子介绍所给的全部内容；

2. 参考词汇：香港书展 The Hong Kong Book Exhibition

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【评分标准】句子结构的准确性和复杂度；信息内容的完整性和连贯性。