The tragedy of the innocent young Brazilian boy killed by the British police has put the British police in a difficult________.

A. occasion   B. case    C. situation  D. background

“We do look very different; we’re older. Leo’s 38, I’m 37. We were 21 and 22 when we made that film. You know, he’s fatter now -- I’m thinner.” So says Kate Winslet, who is thrilled at the 3-D re-release of Titanic to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ship’s demise. “It happens every time I get on any boat of any kind." She recalls. There are all the people who want her to walk to the front of the ship and re-create her famous pose, arms flung wide. Most people remember the tragedy: The British passenger ship—said to be unsinkable—hit an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912, during its maiden voyage from England to New York City. More than 1,500 people died. But little known is what the world learned from the sinking to prevent future incidents.

Probably the greatest deficiency (不足) of the Titanic was that she was built 40 years before the widespread use of the wonderful invention radar (雷达). Her only defense against icebergs and hidden obstacles was to rely on manned lookouts. On that fateful night the eyesight of trained lookouts only provided 37 seconds of warning before the collision.

Traveling at nearly 30 miles an hour, the Titanic was moving far too fast to avoid the huge iceberg. The warning did prevent a head-on collision as the officer on the bridge managed to turn the ship slightly.

The last ship to which it could send an SOS message was the California. She was within ten miles of the Titanic during the disaster, but her radio operator went to bed at midnight and never received any of the SOS messages from the Titanic. That was one of the important lessons learned from the catastrophe, the need for 24-hour radio operators on all passenger liners.

Another lesson learned was the need for more lifeboats. The Titanic remained afloat (漂浮) for almost three hours and most of the passengers could have been saved with enough lifeboats.

1,500 passengers and workers died in the 28 degree waters of the Atlantic. Out of the tragedy, the sinking did produce some important maritime reforms. The winter travel routes were changed to the south and the Coast Guard began to keep an eye on the location of all icebergs. The new rules for lifeboats were obvious to all. There must be enough lifeboats for everybody on board.

The most important lesson learned was that no one would ever again consider a ship unsinkable—no matter how large or how well constructed. Never again would sailors place their faith in a ship above the power of the sea.

1.The text mainly tells us ______.

A．the reason why the Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean

B．how the unsinkable ship of Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean

C．the lessons that we could learn from the accident of the Titanic

D．the things we should do to protect the lives on the ship

2.According to the passage, which of the following could we infer?

A．If the captain had been more careful, he could have had the chance to save the Titanic.

B．If radar had existed 40 years ago, the Titanic would have never disappeared from the world.

C．If the lookout had had much more experience, he could have had the time to save the Titanic.

D．If there had been enough lifeboats on the Titanic, the Titanic would not have sunk in the Atlantic.

3.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Lessons from the Titanic                  B．Technology is Important

C．Demands of Passengers                   D．Power of Sea

4.What’s the sailors’ attitude towards the ships after the tragedy?

A．They think there really exists the unsinkable ship.

B．They think ships could eventually defeat the sea.

C．They think there is no power that could control the sea.

D．They think the bigger the ship is, the safer it is.

Some houses are designed to be smart. Others have smart designs. An example of the second type of house won an Award of Excellence from the American Institutes of Architects.

       At first sight, the house on Sullvan’s Island looks anything but hurricane-proof. Its redwood shell makes it resemble “a large party lantern” at night, according to one observer. But looks can be cheating. The house’s wooden frame is reinforced with long steel bars to give it extra strength.

       To further protect the house from hurricane damage, Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings – long, slender columns of wood anchored deep in the sand. Pilings might appear insecure, but they are strong enough to support the weight of the house. They also elevate the house above storm attacks. The pilings allow the waves to run under the house instead of running into it. “These swells of water come on shore at tremendous speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach-front buildings,” said Huff.

       Huff designed the timber pilings to be partly masked by the house’s ground-to-roof shell. “The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn’t look like it’s standing with its pant legs pulled up,” said Huff. In the event of a storm surge, the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house, the architect explained.

1.After the tragedy caused by Hurricane Hugo, new ho uses built along South Carolina’s shore line are required            .

       A．to be easily reinforced                          B．to look smarter in design

       C．to meet stricter building standards         D．to be designed in the shape of cubes

2.The award-winning beach house is quite strong because          .

       A．it is strengthened by steel bars               B．it is made of redwood

       C．it is in the shape of a shell                    D．it is built with stone and concrete

3.Huff raised the house 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings in order to            .

       A．withstand peak winds of about 200 km/hr

       B．strike stronger pilings keep into the sand

       C．break huge sea waves into smaller ones

       D．prevent water from rushing into the house

4.The main function of the shell is              .

       A．to strengthen the pilings of the house

       B．to give the house a better appearance

       C．to protect the wooden frame of the house

       D．to slow down the speed of the swelling water

Jane’s mother worked on the farm from dawn till dark, which just could make ends meet. To make Jane live a   36 life. Mother was very careful about spending money.   37 , Jane didn’t understand her. Every day Mother was busy with her  38  while Jane was studying at school, so they had little time to enjoy themselves. 
One day, Mother realized Jane was unhappy and even 39 to her, so she decided to go   40 with Jane to make Jane happy.
On Sunday morning they went happily to the snowfield. Since they were   41 in white clothes, the manager advised them to buy ski clothes. He said   42  there was an accident, they might be easily  43  in their ski clothes. Mother couldn’t   44 them, so she refused.
Then they went skiing in their white clothes. They were skiing happily on the   45  when suddenly the snowfield began to  46 . It was the snowslide(雪崩). They ran a long way and  47  the snowslide finally, but they couldn’t find their way. Later, a helicopter was flying above,  48 people on it couldn’t see or hear them. Jane was  49  because she had hurt her head seriously and  50 dropped on the snow. Just then an idea struck Mother. She pierced (刺破) her wrist  51 and then bright red blood dropped down on the snowfield. A red SOS was on the snow. At last Jane  52 , but Mother died.
Every time I   53 the blood dropping onto the snowfield, I feel  54 . I believe anyone who hears the tragedy will  55 Mother for her selfless love to her daughter.

A 10-year-old boy fatally shot his father Friday, striking him several times as he sat in the front seat of a SUV to pick up the boy from his mother’s home for a weekend visit.

The incident happened about 3:45 p.m. on a cul-de-sac (死胡同) in the 1700 block of Cedar Cove Court, said Sgt. B. E. Williams of the Harris County Sheriff’s Department.

An investigation found that Rick James Lohstroh, 41, was shot by his son, who was sitting in the back seat of the man’s Toyota 4-Runner, said Sgt. B. E. Williams of the Harris County Sheriff’s Department. The shooting took place outside the home of Lohstroh’s ex-wife, where the boy lives with his mother and a 7-year-old brother.

“We’re not certain of anything until we finish our investigation,” Williams said. “The information we have at this time is that the 10-year-old did fire the weapon.”

The mother and the 7-year-old were inside the house when the shooting occurred, said Williams.

Williams said the gun belonged to the boy’s mother. After firing shots through the back seat, the boy exited(退出) the back of the vehicle and continued to fire at the car.

The man died on the way to Memorial Herman Hospital. Lohstroh was a doctor at the University of Texas Medical Branch. The man and woman shared custody（监护）of the children. Williams said the mother and the boy were still in the home talking to investigators Friday night.

Neighbors described the family as being quiet and keeping to themselves.

Justin Gray, 17, was walking in the neighborhood when he heard gunshots. “We’ve had a suicide（自杀）in this neighborhood once, but never anything like this,” Gray said.

The best title for the news should be         .

A. A Boy Shot His Father                    B. Shooting Kill a Father

C. An Unbelievable Tragedy  D. A Ten-Year-Old Boy’s Cruelty

Which of the following is TRUE according to the news?

A. The father is not responsible for the boy.

B. The family don’t like associating with their neighbours.

C. The boy lives with Rick James Lohstroh.

D. The boy has no brothers or sisters.

What can we infer from the report?

A. The tragedy happened because the boy had seen too many films showing violence.

B. The boy killed his father after he quarreled with his father.

C. Such things often occurred in this neighbourhood.

D. The boy’s parents got divorced (离婚).

The reason why the boy shot his father       .

A. is clear  B. can’t be made out  C. is not known             D. is quite simple