There has been a dramatic increase in the number of natural disasters over the past few years, and it is assumed that global warming and climate change could cause even more disasters in the future. Some of the world’s leading cities are facing disasters like floods and heat waves.

    London

    London’s flood defences are getting older. Since 1982, the Thames Barrier(水闸)has protected the city from the threat of flooding, but it was only designed to last until 2030 and close once every two or three years. About 26 years later the barrier now closes five or six times a year and according to Environment Agency predictions, by 2050 the barrier will be closed on almost every tide if the problem is not addressed.

    There are 26 underground stations, 400 schools, 16 hospitals, an airport and 80 billion worth of property in London’s flood risk area, so large scale flooding would be disastrous.

    Paris

    Over a six week period in July and August 2003, more than 1 1,400—mainly elderly people—died in France from dehydration(脱水)and extremely high body temperature in a deadly heat wave. Heat waves of similar intensity(强度)are expected every seven years by 2050, so what can be done to make sure such a disaster does not happen again?

    One solution is to have air-conditioners installed in elderly care homes. But this is considered a short-term solution, as the increase in demand for electricity also increases carbon emissions(排放).

 In Paris the local authorities are encouraging architects to design new types of buildings such as the building “Flower Tower,” which uses a covering of bamboo to act as a natural air-conditioner.

Shanghai

    Shanghai is the fastest growing city on Earth. It has a population of 18 million and is only 4 meters above sea level. Sea levels are predicted to rise by 20 cm within the next century.

    An estimated 250，000 people move to Shanghai every year in search of work, placing extra demands on energy consumption. China relies heavily on coal—fired power stations, but these emissions increase temperatures and, in turn, warmer seas increase the risk of typhoons.

1.What problem should be settled now in London?

A．How to protect the city’s property

B．Where to build its flood defences

C．How to use the Thames Barrier to protect the city

D．How to improve the function of the old flood defences

2.Which of the following measures can’t solve the heat wave disaster in Paris?

A．Putting up new types of buildings with a covering of bamboo

B．Having air-conditioners installed in elderly care homes

C．Forbidding the city to build“Flower Tower”

D．Encouraging architects to design new types of buildings

3.The major threats to Shanghai are           ．

A．increasing population and coal-fired power stations

B．rising sea levels and typhoons

C．extremely high temperature and rising sea levels

D．extra demands on energy consumption and typhoons

4.The purpose of the passage is       ．

A．to tell us how to protect the big cities

B．to give advice on how to defend natural disasters

C．to explain what causes flood and heat waves

D．to warn us of the increasing natural disasters in big cities

5.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Big Cities Facing Big Disasters

B．Big Disasters in the Future

C．The Increase of Natural Disasters

D．Solutions to Natural Disasters

阅读理解

　　Suppose you are a manager of a bike factory. You are trying to decide whether or not to build a larger factory or to buy more machines. You could just say to yourself,“Business has been good. We’ve sold a lot of bikes recently, so I think we ought to enlarge our plant.”

　　Or you could consider the following questions: How much would the changes cost? Can the bike-riding population be expected to increase or decrease? Many such questions would have to be answered, but there is a limit to the number of questions the human mind can think about.

　　In a situation like this, you would need a computer. Because of its“memory”and speed, a computer can consider more factors than a person can. Computers have only been in use since 1946, but they have already changed the lives of millions of people. They can multiply(乘)two 10-digit numbers (十位)in 1/1,000 second, a problem that a man needs five minutes to do with a pencil and paper. Some computers can work 500,000 times faster than a man. It can also keep bank accounts up to date and make out electric bills.

　　Computers can also store facts and pour them out whenever they are needed. For example, they can tell you what brand(商标)is the most popular in a particular supermarket, or what kind of weather we will have tomorrow.

　　If you are planning a trip by plane, the computer will find out what route to take and what seat is available.

1．Why does a manager of a factory decide to enlarge his plant?

[　　]

A．Because business has been good.

B．Because of the new type of bike.

C．Because many people like to ride bikes.

D．Because he wants to be a good manager.

2．What questions could a manager consider when he decided to enlarge his plant?

[　　]

A．The cost of the changes.

B．The bike-riding population.

C．Both A and B.

D．The limit to the number of questions the human mind can think about.

3．Why do you need a computer in the situation?

[　　]

A．Because it s a new type.

B．Because it has a good memory and a high speed.

C．Because it has a high speed.

D．Because it has been in use since 1946.

4．Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．They have changed the lives of millions of people.

B．They can multiply two 10-digit numbers in 1/1,000 second.

C．They have only been in use since 1946.

D．Some computers can work 50,000 times faster than a man.

5．Which is the title of the passage?

[　　]

A．Please Use a Computer.

B．Managers of Bike Factories Like Computers.

C．Computers are Cleverer than People.

D．Computers Can Store Facts and Pour them Out.

阅读理解

　　The crowding of large groups of people in the cities has caused many of the world’s population problems. Supply for the needs of the people leads to further pollution by industry. If the rapid increase in human population continues at the present rate, there may be much greater harm. Some scientists speak of the increase in number of people as “population pollution”.

　　About 2,000 years ago, the world population was probably about 250 million. It reached a billion in 1850. By 1930the population was two billion. It is now three and a half billion. It is expected to double by the year, 2,000 if the population. Continues to grow at the some rate, there would be 25 billion people in the world a hundred years from now.

　　Man has been using the earth’s resources more and more rapidly over the year. Some of them have almost gone. Now many people believe that man’s greatest problem is how to control the growth of his own population. The material in the world will not support the human population in time to come, if the present rate of increase continues. Already there is overcrowding in the cities and hunger in some countries. Can man’s rate of increase continue? Many people believe that human survival(生存)in the future depends on the answer to this question.

1．________brings many problems to this cities.

[　　]

A．A lot of people moving to cities

B．The lack of food

C．The rapidly increasing agriculture

D．The poor countryside

2．________is called population pollution

[　　]

A．Air pollution

B．Noise pollution

C．Any kind of pollution

D．The rapid increase in number of people

3．The world population in 1850 was as ________ times as that 2,000 years ago.

[　　]

4．It is expected that the world population will be ________ by the year 2,000.

[　　]

5．The most serious problem man urgently(紧急地)need to solve is ________

[　　]

A．How to stop giving birth to new babies.

B．How to slow down the increase of population

C．How to reduce the population

D．How to stop the crowing of groups of people to move into the cities

请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
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There are many things that we wish to achieve in life. For some, we set goals and objectives, and for some we don’t. Try to remember the last time you set a goal to achieve a certain task. Were you able to complete the task in an effective manner? The tasks which are done by setting and meeting daily goals will definitely be useful and rewarding experiences. A step-by-step approach towards achieving smaller goals is the key to achieving larger ones.
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