This robot is supposed to save a lot of labor, but it remains a problem if it ______.

   A. is B. saves C. does D. has

Another man-made wonder of the US was built long before the nation was established. About 900 years ago, the Ancestral Puebloan people built villages high in the walls of canyons（大峡谷）in Colorado, where 600 cliff dwellings are now part of the Mesa Verde National Park.    

Visitors can stand at the top and look into the dwellings almost hidden in openings of the rock walls.The Puebloan people cut small steps into the rock, which connected buildings containing hundreds of rooms.

The rock walls have protected the buildings from severe weather in the area; therefore, they remain mostly unchanged in the hundreds of years since they were built.

Our final man-made wonder is in the northwestern city of Seattle, Washington. The Space Needle was built as the central structure for the 1962 World’s Fair.          

The 184-meter-tall structure was designed by Edward Carlson, which has a wide base on the ground, with its middle narrow and a large ring-like structure on top.The structure was meant to look like a “flying saucer,” a vehicle that was popular in science fiction space travel stories. The saucer includes an observation area and eating place.The restaurant slowly turns to provide visitors with a 360 degree view of Seattle.

The Space Needle was not very costly, and was designed and completed in about a year and opened on the first day of the World’s Fair.

Today, the Space Needle is the most popular place for visitors to Seattle. And it remains the internationally known symbol of the city.

What can be talked about before the text?

       A. American geography.

       B. Touring in the USA.

       C. Other US artificial wonders.

       D. World natural wonders.

The underlined word “dwelling” is closest in meaning to “????????????________”.

       A. houses       B. people C. canyons      D. steps

The buildings in the rock stay almost unchanged because________.

    A. the weather there is severe

    B. they were well built

    C. people look after them well

    D. the rock walls protect them

Which is true of the Space Needle?

       A. It remains a symbol of the US.

       B. Edward Carlson built the structure.

       C. It has a ring-like structure on top.

       D. It is a man-made wonder in Colorado.

What is the best title of the text?

       A. Cultural Relics          B. Artificial Wonders in the US

       C. Symbols of Cities    D. Natural Places in the US

四．阅读理解（每题4分，共20分）
British newspapers are among the oldest and most famous in the world. But recently big changes have seen these traditional publications try to fit the modern world. After 221 years, The Times (《泰晤士报》) has changed its size to become much smaller. In fact, the paper has cut its size in half from a broadsheet to tabloid.
In Britain the newspaper market is divided between the larger broadsheets and the smaller tabloids. These terms refer to the size of the papers’ pages, but there is also a clear difference in content. Broadsheets such as the Times, the Guardian (《卫报》) and Daily Telegraph (《每日电讯报》) are serious papers. They cover a broad range of political, economic and international issues. Their stories are also reasonably long and use quite formal language.
Tabloids have far more stories about less serious issues such as celebrities’（名人） love lives. Their stories are shorter and use more simple language. Tabloids often have bigger pictures. Britain’s best-selling newspaper, the Sun, is a tabloid and has a naked (裸体的) girl on page three every day.
By changing to the size of a tabloid, the Times is following in the footsteps of a less famous broadsheet paper the Independent (《独立报》). It changed to tabloid last year and saw its sales increase greatly. Although both papers have switched to the smaller size, the content of the papers has remained the same. They are both still serious papers.
The two papers claim that people find the smaller size easier to handle when they travel to work on the bus or the train in the morning. Instead of calling the new style of their paper tabloid, the paper says its new size is “compact” (紧凑型).
1. In which year was The Times born?
A. 1782            B. 1785             C. 1788                   D. 1786
2. Which is the most correct statement?
A. Broadsheets are larger in size while tabloids are smaller.
B. Tabloids are less serious than broadsheets.
C. Broadsheets contain more news than tabloids.
D. They are different in size, content and the style of language.
3. In which of the following newspapers would you find more news about the personal life of the famous soccer star Beckham?
A. The Sun  B. The Times       C. The Independent       D. The Guardian
4. According to the passage, we can infer the main reason for The Times' changing into the tabloid is that_____.
A. it wants to become convenient for people to carry.
B. it wants to increase its circulation (发行量).
C. it intends to copy what The Independent has done.
D. it is unlikely to stay in business if it does not change.
5. Which of the following statements is true according to the given information?
A. There are more tabloids than broadsheets in Britain at present.
B. After the change, there will be no differences between The Sun and The Times.
C. Although The Times has cut its size, it remains a serious paper.
D. All the papers will tend to have the same style in the future.

The biggest safety threat（威胁）facing airlines today may not be a man with a gun ,but the man with portable（便携式）computer in business class .In the past 15 years ,pilots have reported about over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electro-magnetic interference(电磁干扰) .The source of this interference remain unclear ,but increasingly ,experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic devices（设备）such as portable computers ,radio and mobile telephones .
RTCA ,an organization which advises the aviation industry ,has suggested that all airlines ban, such devices from being used during “key” stages of flight ,particularly take-off and landing .Some experts have gone further ,calling for a total ban during all flights .Nowadays ,rules on using these devices are left up to airlines. And although some airlines ban passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing ,most are not willing to exercise a total ban ,if many passengers want to work during flights .
The difficulty is understanding how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft’s computers .Experts know that portable devices give off radiation which affects those wave lengths which aircraft uses for communication .But because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory ,they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not .
The fact that aircraft may be in trouble because of the interference raises the danger
that some people may use radio systems in order to damage navigation（导航）equipment .As worrying ,though ,is the passenger who can’t hear the instruction to turn off his radio because the music is too loud .
【小题1】.
.What is said about over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 15 years ?
A They may have taken place during take-off and landing .
B They have been caused by the damage to the radio systems .
C They were said to have resulted from electro-magnetic interference .
D They were caused by the passengers’ portable computers .
【小题2】.
. Few airlines want to refuse a total ban on their passengers because ____ .
A they have other effective safety measures to fall back on
B they don’t believe there is such a danger as radio interference
C the effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved
D most passengers refuse to take a plane which bans the use of radio 
【小题3】.
. Why is it difficult to see the effects of electromagnetic fields on computers ?
A Experts lack proper equipment to such research .
B It is dangerous to carry out such research on an airplane .
C It remains a question what wave lengths are to be interfered with .
D Scientists are not able to produce the same effects in laboratory .
【小题4】.
It can be inferred from the passage that the author ___ .
A hasn’t formed his own opinion on this problem
B has fully understood the danger of electromagnetic interference
C regards it is as unreasonable to exercise a total ban during flight
D is in favor of banning passengers’ use of electronic devices

Leaders and officials from foreign countries have extended congratulations on China’s successful launch(发射)of its first manned spacecraft.?
Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro called the launch of the Shenzhou V “a great feat” and said it showed China’s space science and technology has reached a very high level. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his congratulatory letter to President Hu Jintao that China as a member of space club was conducive(有助于)to maintaining world peace and developing technology. The European Union(EU)also hailed China’s first successful manned space flight.?
“The successful launch and safe return of a Chinese astronaut represents an important event for space exploration. Human space flight is a dream for all of us and opens a new chapter(篇章)for scientific and technological exploration of space,”EU research commissioner Philippe Busquin said in a statement.?
“For the European Union, it remains a goal to be achieved. This effort can bring nations together and opens up new opportunities for scientific and technological co?operation,”he said.?French  Minister for Science Research Claudie Haignere, the first woman astronaut in Europe, said with China’s successful launch of the manned spacecraft,“the space age has entered a new historic period.” Other countries have also extended congratulations to China.?
“ The successful launch of Shenzhou V is an honour for China,”said the newspaper on its front page, citing(引用)Chinese President Hu Jintao.?
“October 15, 2003 is not only a date to be remembered forever by the Chinese people, but also ‘a splendid moment’in the history of space flight of mankind,”said the newspaper in its editorial section.?

1. 1.

   The news covers_________.?

   1. A.
      opinions about different countries?
   2. B.
      different opinions about China’s first manned spacecraft?
   3. C.
      congratulations from world leaders?
   4. D.
      China’s congratulations on the successful manned space flight
2. 2.

   When the Japanese leader said “a great feat”(in paragraph 2), he meant________.?

   1. A.
      a great failure?
   2. B.
      a defeat after success?
   3. C.
      something above sea level?
   4. D.
      something difficult well done
3. 3.

   Which of the following is TRUE??

   1. A.
      Shenzhou V is China’s first man?made spaceship.?
   2. B.
      Shenzhou V is a manned spacecraft.?
   3. C.
      Russian President praised Hu Jintao for his speech.?
   4. D.
      China, as well as many other countries, realized the dream of space flying.
4. 4.

   On which day, the Chinese people have realized their dream of space flying??

   1. A.
      On April 12th, 1961
   2. B.
      October 1st, 1949?
   3. C.
      October 16th, 1964
   4. D.
      October 15th,2003