Geography is the study of Earth and its climates. Scientists use it to study global warming and track the weather. Governments use it to learn where people live and work and to plan what to do with the land. It is now easier than ever to use geography because of a science called space technology.

The United States launched its first satellite in 1958. Some space missions that followed were geographical studies. In fact, earth science is a big part of the work of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Astronauts looked out of the space shuttle. They decided to take photographs of Earth from their vantage point. Over the years, picture quality improved. Shuttle photography now shows land features, such as rivers. It can even show the streets of large cities. Photos of the same places at different times show how the land is changing.

NASA does not use just photographs, though. In 1958 it launched TIROS (the Television Infrared Observation Satellite). This first use of a satellite to study Earth was effective in giving weather forecasts. It led to the creation of new space tools to use in geography.

The Landsat Program began in 1972. This satellite sent detailed views of Earth from space. The pictures were so precise that scientists could count the number and kinds of crops in a field. Landsat showed where Earth’s surface had faults along which earthquakes might happen. This information helped in the planning of new cities and factories. Landsat also made discoveries. In Antarctica it located ranges of unknown mountains. It pinpointed small lakes in Virginia that were no ton maps. Landsat, now more advanced, still flies today.

Another space tool is Earth Observing-1 (EO-1). This spacecraft flies right behind Landsat. It takes pictures of the same sites. The two sets of pictures, viewed together, show how cities grow and how other places, such as rain forests, become smaller over time. This helps scientists learn how people affect geography.

One of the newest space tools is the Geographical Information Systems (GIS). GIS is computer software that helps scientists to study Earth. GIS is different from earlier space tools. Businesses, schools, and even average people — not just the government —can use it to show them how changes in the planet might affect them.

1.Why do governments study geography according to the passage?

A. To improve the environment.

B. To make the land use plan.

C. To make new discoveries.

D. To count the crops in a field.

2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. The U.S. satellite program began in 1972.

B. Landsat was able to take pictures of other planets.

C. TIROS was successful in giving weather forecasts.

D. GIS can only be used by the government.

3.EO-1 takes photographs of the same places as Landsat because __________.

A. the two groups of pictures can show the changes of Earth

B. EO-1 is practicing for future photography missions

C. Landsat is out of date and new pictures are needed

D. Landsat can’t send detailed views of Earth from space

4.From the passage, we can infer that ___________.

A. GIS is the newest computer to study Earth

B. NASA only depends on photos to study Earth

C. satellite pictures can give more detailed information

D. recent U.S. satellites are as advanced as the old ones

Health experts predict that soon, more people will die from cancer than from AIDS, tuberculosis (结核病)and malaria combined（疟疾）. They expect that by 2013, cancer will become the world's leading cause of death.

Experts say one reason that more people are dying from cancer is because they are smoking cigarettes in developing countries. 40 percent of the world's smokers are believed to live in China and India alone. Other things including high fat diets and fewer physical activities are also believed to be pushing the numbers more.

Rates (比率) of breast cancer (乳腺癌) in Japan, Singapore and South Korea are now 3 times what they were 40 years ago.

The W.H.O. report says that 12 million people will be found to have some kinds of cancer this year. It predicts that more than 7 million people will die early as a result of cancer. And more than 5 million of the new cancer cases will be in developing countries.

The number of cancer cases and deaths from cancer are expected to increase one percent each year. Experts are predicting the largest increases will be in China, Russia, and India.

Without new treatments, the W.H.O. says, the number of new cancer patients could reach 27 million a year by 2030. The number of deaths could reach 17 million a year.

A report in December said the number of men and women dying of cancer in the United States had dropped for the first time .The report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute said the drop was mainly the result of fewer cases of lung（肺）, prostate（前列腺） and colorectal(结肠) cancer in men. In women, it resulted from fewer cases of breast and colorectal cancer.

The American Cancer Society says governments can do things to help stop the increase in cancer cases and deaths. One idea is to provide poor and developing nations with vaccines(疫苗) that help to stop some cancer-causing infections (感染). One example of a cancer-causing infection is human papillomavirus (乳头瘤病毒). This virus(病毒) can cause cervical cancer in women.

Another suggestion is more support for cigarette-control programs. And the cancer society says health officials and governments should pay more in cancer research and early detection(检测).

1.根据短文内容完成句子填空(每空限填一个单词)。

From the first paragraph of the passage, we know __________ will be the ________ killer soon.

2.根据短文内容完成句子填空(每空限填一个单词)。

According to the passage, in developing countries more people are dying from cancer because of  ___________ ____________

3.根据短文内容回答问题。

According to the passage, in which countries will cancer increase fastest ?

____________________________________________________________________.

4.把短文中划线句子译成汉语。

_____________________________________________________________________

5.根据短文内容用一个完整的英文句子回答问题。（10个词左右）

What can governments do to stop the increase of cancer ? （one thing is OK）

_____________________________________________________________________

You may know the English letters A, B and C. But do you know there are people called ABC? You may like eating bananas. But did you know there is such a thing as a “banana person”? How strange! Are these people from “another earth” ? No. They are just Chinese people like you and me.
ABC means American-born-Chinese. An ABC is a Chinese, but was born in the United States. Sometimes, people call an ABC a “banana person”. A banana is yellow outside and white inside. So, when a person is a banana, he or she is white inside---hinting like a Westerner(西方人) and yellow outside --- looking like a Chinese.
Do you know why? Usually, ABCs know little about China or the Chinese language. Some of them don’t speak Chinese. Also, they are not interested in Chinese politics(政治), But if ABCs can’t speak Chinese, can we still call them Chinese people? Yes, of course. They are Chinese. They are oversea Chinese. These people may be citizens(公民) of another country like the US, Canada or Singapore. But they have Chinese blood. Their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents were from China. They all have black eyes and black hair. But they are not Chinese citizens. They are not people of the People’s Republic of China. For example, we all know the famous scientist C.N. Yang(杨振宁). He got the Nobel Prize Physics in 1957. Chinese people love him. But he is an American citizen.
【小题1】“ABC” in this passage stands for “_______”.
A. a kind of banana           
B. three English letters   
C. American-born-Chinese
D Chinese-born-American
【小题2】Chinese in Westerner countries are called “banana persons” because _________

 —________ do Lily and Jane come from? 

—The United States.

A. Where        B. Who      C. What D. Why