In the beauty competition, women are asked_______ some of the exercises ________ the music.

　 A. performing to; to　　　　　 　　　　 B. performing; with

　 C. to perform; to　　　　　　　 　　　　 D. to perform; by w

  It is natural that children are curious about the world around them. For example, they want to know how their hearts beat. They want to know why the ocean water tastes salty.

　As children grow up, they become curious about different kinds of things. When they are babies, they are interested in the parts of their bodies and in the smiles of their mothers. They become interested in the physical world around them: the plants, the animals, the sky. Later, they become interested in the things that people have made: wheels, bicycles, cars. And when they are adults, their curiosity continues. Sometimes this curiosity leads to a career in science.

　Scientists spend their lives trying to find out about the world. Those who work with the earth sciences study the earth, the oceans, and the sky. Other scientists who study living things work with the biological sciences. A third group of scientists study the physical sciences, e. g. physics, chemistry .

　These scientists have already discovered a lot about our world. For example, they tell us why your heart beats fast when you run. They say that when you are quiet, your heart normally beats 65 or 75 times a minute. Your heart is a pump that pumps blood to all parts of the body. The blood carries oxygen and nutrition. When you run, your muscles work very hard and use the nutrition that the blood carries to them. The muscles need oxygen, too. So your brain sends a signal to the heart. The signal means that the muscles need more nutrition and oxygen. Then the heart beats fast and sends blood quickly to the muscles. It may beat 90 to 140 times a minute.

　Of course, scientists cannot answer all of our questions. If we ask, “Why does the ocean water taste salty” scientists will say that the salt comes from rocks. When a rock gets very hot or very cold, it cracks. Rain falls into cracks. The rain then carries the salt into the earth and into the rivers. The rivers carry the salt into the ocean. But then we ask , “What happens to the salt in the ocean? The ocean does not get saltier every year.” Scientists are not sure about the answer to this question.

　We know a lot about our world, but there are still many answers that we do not have, and we are curious.

According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

　 A. People are curious in the same way.

　 B. People in different countries are interested in different things.

　 C. People of different ages are interested in different things.　 

   D. Men and women are curious about different things.

Scientists who work with the biological sciences study____.

   A. the earth , the oceans and the sky    B. plants and animals

   C. man-made things                 D. ocean water

A rock cracks _____.

   A. in wet regions                   B. in dry regions

   C. when salty water falls in           D. at very high or very low temperatures

People are always curious because _____ .

A. they know little about the world     B. they know nothing about the world

C. they can not explain many things     D. they want to be scientists

People who are married or in committed relationships are healthier, wealthier, and happier. So why do more than 60 percent of marriages end in divorce? Why has the national divorce rate climbed more than 200 percent in the last thirty years? And why are fewer people getting married today than ever before?

The answers to these questions are plentiful, but the main reason is simple. It's easy to “fall” in love but very few people know how to stay in love. Even though staying in love is our “smartest” choice all the way around! Recent studies on marriage prove it's one of the major ingredients in life-frog success for men and women. Marriage has also been found to boost happiness, reduce the degree of depression, and provide protection from sexually transmitted diseases.

So let's wake up, make up, and turn this trend around! One of the most amazing pieces of evidence that shows people are not in touch with what's really going on in their partnerships is the fact that the majority of people who put in for divorce say they didn't think there was a relationship-threatening problem just six months prior to breaking up. Another shocker is that most couples wait six years or more to seek professional help when their relationship is in danger. By the time they do wake up and smell the coffee, it's often too late.

Truly there is no reason to resign yourself to a bad relationship? Whether you're dating or married. Rather than changing partners and ending up this same predicament(困境) again, you can learn to have a fabulous (难以置信的) relationship with the partner you already have! I strongly encourage you to make the relationship you have work, because there is a higher rate of divorce in second marriages.

　　  1. According to the author, which of the following is NOT true?

　　　　 A. A happy marriage can be beneficial for both partners' mentality.

　　　　 B. More and more people face marriage crisis.

　　　　 C. Large portions of people are not quite sure of the meaning of true love.

　　　　  D. More and more people tend to be single.

　　  2. The fundamental reason for marriage crisis is——.

　　　　   A. that people are too easy to fall in love without a comprehensive understanding

　　　　   B. that people do not know how to get along well with partners after marriage

　　　　   C. some kinds of economic pressure and stress

　　　　   D. to maintain a life-long love is too difficult for common people

　　  3. What does the author mean by saying “...smell the coffee, it's often too late” in Para. 3？

　　　　   A. Partners who like drinking coffee are more likely to experience divorce.

　　　　   B. People are always not aware of enough about marriage crisis.

　　　　   C. Partners should have a happy ending of marriage when facing crisis.

　　　　   D. People should value their marriage.

　　  4. It can be inferred from the passage that the author may be a (an)

　　　　   A. journalist　　　　　　   B. professor

　　　　   C. advisor　　　　　　　　 D. official

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）出可以填入空白的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It is not polite to arrive at a dinner party more than 15 to 20 minutes late. The host or hostess usually waits for all the guests to arrive before __21__ the meal. If someone is late, the food may be spoiled, and so might the host or hostess’s __22__. If you have to be late, call and tell them to __23__ you.
It’s even __24__to be early! The host or hostess will probably not be__25__. If you are early, drive or walk around the block a few times, or just sit in your car __26__the right time.
Though it is often important to arrive on time, yet__27__, for open houses, the host or hostess invites guests to arrive and leave __28__a certain time. You can arrive at any time __29__the time he or she gives you.
It’s polite to bring an empty stomach, but it’s even nicer to bring a small present. The present should not cost__30__, or you might embarrass the host or hostess. Flowers, wine, or a box of candy will __31__. Never bring money as a present.
In an introduction, the order of a name: (1) the given name, (2) the family name. In other words the given name comes __32__. It’s important not only to learn and remember names, but to__33__them often in conversation. After the __34__we usually call friends by their given names. __35__may want you to call them by their titles and__36__, such as “Mr. Jones” “Mrs. Johnson” or “Dr. Brown”.
A maiden name is a woman’s family name __37__. In the United States and Canada, after a woman marries, she __38__the family name of her husband__39__her maiden name. It is now becoming __40__, however, for women to keep their maiden names after getting married.
21. A. making                              B. serving                            C. doing                               D. cooling
22. A. soul                                    B. spirits                              C. thought                           D. idea
23. A. have with　                   B. have without                 C. start with　                D. start without
24. A. nice　                             B. nicer　　                     C. worse　                       D. bad
25. A. back　　                          B. in                             C. up　                              D. ready
26. A. until                                    B. after                                C. before　                         D. by
27. A. in the other hand  B. on the other hand        C. in another hand   D. on another hand
28. A. between　                    B. among                   C. for                                    D. at
29. A. within                                B. by                                     C. on                                     D. in
30. A. many                                  B. a little                              C. a lot                                 D. a few
31. A. be well                               B. be right                           C. do well                            D. do fine
32. A. after                                   B. before                             C. first                                  D. later
33. A. recall                                  B. respect                           C. speak                             D. retell
34. A. meeting                            B. conversation　             C. introduction                   D. dinner
35. A. Older people                   B. Young people                 C. Gentlemen                   D. Doctors
36. A. given names                    B. first names                   C. family names                 D. nick names
37. A. on birth                    B. from birth            C. with birth　                D. at birth
38. A. gives                                  B. brings　                       C. carries                   D. takes
39. A. instead                              B. in place of                       C. takes place                   D. in place
40. A. important                         B. necessary                       C. special                   D. common