With alarming regularity, we read about oil tankers having accidents near land and the terrible consequences of the oil spills （泄露） on people, nature, and the environment．

         Millions of dollars have been used in developing special chemicals to help dismiss the spills and to clean up the animals, beaches, and land spoiled by the oil．Unfortunately, when many of these chemicals are used, more damage is caused to the environment, especially to lives in the sea．

         Of all of today's environmental disasters, an oil spill may actually be one of the least serious．Although oil is poisonous, it is a natural material．In the end, it breaks down naturally．There are, of course, long-term effects, but it is usually more serious in the short term．

         Nature by itself works better than chemical materials, but when there is a spill we demand that governments act immediately with as much hi-tech knowledge as possible．In 1967 the tanker Torrey Canyon sank off the Scilly Isles near the coast of England and spilled 120,000 tones of oil into the ocean．If you go there today, you will find it hard to see any sign that it ever happened．

         Governments seem to accept the risk of transporting millions of tons of oil by ship every day so that we can fill up our cars and drive around and cause even more environmental damage．Interestingly, the biggest companies in the world produce cars, and the next biggest supply the gasoline to make them run.

         We should be thinking more about reducing our dependency on oil．Governments should be encouraging research into new technologies, such as cars run by solar power （太阳能） , electricity, hydrogen, and so on．Much of this research has, in the past, been held back by the oil, gas, and coal．

         If the world's millions of cars were 10% more efficient （高效的）—and the industry could easily produce cars at least twice as efficient，we would need many fewer tankers crossing the oceans each year．If this happened, the risks of oil spills would be reduced, and the air we breathe would be cleaner and fresher, too．

1.What is the passage mainly talking about?

A．Oil spills pollution．  　　　     B．What oil pollution is

C．Oil tanker accidents.            D．How to reduce oil pollution

2.How does the author support the idea that oil spills are not as serious as people believe?

A．By giving a description．   　　         B．By making an argument

C．By giving an example．           D．By drawing a diagram

3.What does the underlined word "risk" in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A．Transportation depending more on oil

B．Poisonous oil breaking down naturally

C．Millions of tons of oil spilling into the sea

D．More environmental damage being caused

4.Which suggestion, is made for reducing oil tank accidents according to the passage?

A．We should build safer tankers in the near future

B．We should develop new technologies to cut oil use

C．Tankers should not be allowed to sail near the coastlines

D．Countries should build more oil pipelines under the sea

　　　is known to us all is that the old scientist, for 　　 life was hard in the past, still works very hard in his eighties．

       A．As; whom　　　　　    B．What; whom     

       C．It; whose　　　　　      D．As; whose

Every country has its own dining customs. Americans feel that the first rule of being a　 __36__　 guest is to be on time. If a person is invited to dinner at six thirty，the hostess　 __37__　 him to be there at six thirty or　 __38__　 a few minutes after. Because she usually does the cooking, she has to time the meal　 __39__ the hot rolls and the coffee and the meat can be at their best when the guests come. If they are late，the food will not be so　 __40__，and the hostess will be　 __41__.__42__ the guest cannot come on time, he should call his host or hostess on the phone, give the reason，and tell　 __43__ what time he can come.　 __44__the situations, guests sometimes bring a box of candy, a bottle of wine or a bunch of flowers to give to the hostess as a　 __45__ of appreciation.

As guests continue to arrive, it is usually considered polite for the　 __46__ in the group to　 __47__ when a woman enters the room and continue to stand until she is seated.　 __48__， most young people and some groups of elder people　 __49__　 stress equality of the sexes no longer observe the custom. A visitor should be　 __50__to each situation and follow the lead of the Americans present.

When the guests sit down at a dinner table，it is a　 __51__ for the men to help the ladies by pushing their chairs under them. However，some Americans　 __52__ do this, so the visitors must notice what others do and do the　 __53__.__54__ the meal is under way and if the dinner is in a private home，a guest　 __55__ avoid embarrassment by leaving talk to someone else.

36．A.polite 　　　 B．elegant C．honored 　　　 D．serious

37．A.tells　 　　　 B．expects C．asks 　　 D．hopes

38．A.at most　 B．less than 　C．at least D．more than

39．A.in case 　　 B．as long as C．so that D．on condition that

40．A.tender　 　 B．nutritious 　C．good 　　 D．enough

41．A.angry 　　 B．nervous 　C．shameful 　　 D．disappointed

42．A.If 　　 B．Unless 　C．Whether 　　　 D．Although

43．A.at　 　 B．in C．on D．about

44．A.Looking at 　　 B．Combined with C．Depending on 　　 D．Related to

45．A.matter 　　 B．heart C．sense 　 D．sign

46．A.host　 　　　 B．men 　C．hostess D．women

47．A.smile　 　　 B．stand 　C．applaud D．nod

48．A.As a result　 　 B．Moreover C．In addition 　 D．However

49．A.whose　 　 B．what C．who 　　 D．which

50．A.aware 　　 B．similar C．active 　 D．sensitive

51．A.custom　 　　　 B．regulation C．habit 　　 D．principle

52．A.even　 　 B．no longer C．still 　　　 D．no more

53．A.following　　 B．same C．deed　 　 D．example

54．A.Unless 　　 B．Until C．While 　 D．After

55．A.shouldn't B．must 　C．needn't D．may

B
I’m a pig, and my son is a rabbit. I have snakes for daughters, and my wife, believe it or not, is a dragon! Do I live in a zoo? No, of course not! I am talking about Chinese zodiac signs. Depending on the year of your birth, each person has an animal for a sign. That’s why I am a pig and my wife is a dragon. If you, like me, were born in the year of the pig, then you are brave, thoughtful and loyal. The year of the pig is filled with good fortune.
　　Now let’s take a closer look at this interesting animal.
　　Pigs were first raised by man about 9,000 years ago, and are still a very common farm animal in many parts of the world. We don’t just use pigs for their meat — almost every part of the animal is used. The hair is used for artists’ brushes. The fat is used to make floor wax, rubber and plastics.
　Pigs have also been important in the world of entertainment. In 1995 the film ‘Babe’ starred a loveable talking pig as its main character. The film won an Oscar and was nominated for 6 more. In England you can even go to watch pig racing. A farmer, Rob Shepherd, has been raising money for charity by holding pig races on his farm. The events have been very successful. People don’t just want to eat pigs, it seems!
　Pigs also play an important role in the English language. For example, if someone says that he will travel to the sun one day, you can say “pigs might fly!” to him. Hungry? Well then, you can “pig out” and eat lots of food. And what if someone rescues you? Well, you can say that they “saved your bacon”.
44. The writer wrote the first paragraph in a ______ tone.
　　A. sad　　　　　　B. confused 　   　C. serious　　　　 D. humorous
45. We may know from the passage that ______.
　　A. people in England like pigs more than other animals
　　B. pigs are more useful than ordinary people imagine
　　C. pigs are the first animals raised by man
　　D. more people don’t want to eat pigs now
46. The underlined sentence “pigs might fly!” in the fifth paragraph means “______”.
　　A. What you have just said is impossible
　　B. Pigs are great animals
　　C. I don’t understand your words
　　D. I can’t agree with you more
47. Which diagram shows the structure of the passage?
　　　　　　　　
　　　　　A 　　　　　　　　B 　　　　　　　C　　　　　　　　　 D

 After five hours’ drive，they reached________they thought was the place they had been dreaming of.