THIS was the year the Earth struck back.

Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, snow storms, landslides and droughts killed at least a quarter of a million people in 2010 – the deadliest year in more than a generation. More people were killed worldwide by natural disasters this year than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined.

"It just seemed like it was back-to-back and it came in waves," said Craig Fugate, who heads the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. It handled a record number of disasters in 2010.

And we have ourselves to blame most of the time, scientists and disaster experts say.

Even though many catastrophes have the ring of random chance, the hand of man made this a particularly deadly, costly, extreme and weird（古怪的） year for everything from wild weather to earthquakes.

Poor construction and development practices conspire to make earthquakes more deadly than they need be. More people live in poverty in vulnerable（脆弱的） buildings in crowded cities. That means that when the ground shakes, the river breaches, or the tropical cyclone hits, more people die.

Disasters from the Earth, such as earthquakes and volcanoes "are pretty much constant," said Andreas Schraft, vice president of catastrophic perils for the Geneva-based insurance giant Swiss Re. "All the change that's made is man-made."

The January earthquake that killed well more than 220,000 people in Haiti is a perfect example. Port-au-Prince has nearly three times as many people - many of them living in poverty - and more poorly built shanties than it did 25 years ago. So had the same quake hit in 1985 instead of 2010, total deaths would have probably been in the 80,000 range, said Richard Olson, director of disaster risk reduction at Florida International University.

In February, an earthquake that was more than 500 times stronger than the one that struck Haiti hit an area of Chile that was less populated, better constructed, and not as poor. Chile's bigger quake caused fewer than 1,000 deaths.

Climate scientists say Earth's climate also is changing, bringing extreme weather, such as heat waves and flooding.

In the summer, one weather system caused oppressive heat in Russia, while farther south it caused flooding in Pakistan that inundated 161,200 square kilometers, about the size of Wisconsin. That single heat-and-storm system killed almost 17,000 people, more people than all the worldwide airplane crashes in the past 15 years.

Scientists have calculated that the killer Russian heat wave—setting a national record of 43.9℃—would happen once every 100,000 years without global warming.

1.What is responsible for the most human deaths in 2010?

A．Natrual disasters.                                      B．Terrorist attacks.

    C．Poor buildings.                      D．Too rapid developrnent.

2.According to Andreas Schraft,             .

A．earthquakes are happening more often because of human beings

B．earthquakes are causing more damage because of human beings

C．stronger houses should be built to limit storm damage

D．Port—au—Prince is now overpopulated

3.The main point of the article is to           

A．list the natural disasters that occurred in 2010

B．give the details of some natural disasters of 2010

C．warn that more natural disasters are to strike

D．blame humanity for not helping those affected by the disasters

The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of September 2, 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. One hundred thousand people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.

The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King's baker in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into the Thames Street. That was the beginnings.

By eight o'clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul's and the Guildhall among them.

Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire. People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.

The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.

After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect, wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow; but he did build more than fifty churches, among which was new St Paul's.

The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.

1. The fire began in ___________________________.

A. a hotel         B. the palace          C. Pudding Lane          D. Thames Street

2. The underlined word "family" in the second paragraph means “________________________________”.

A. home             B. children              C. wife and husband    D. wife and children

3. It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that ________________________________.

A. some people lost their lives              

B. the birds in the sky were killed by the fire

C. many famous buildings were destroyed     

D. the King’s bakery was burned down

4. Why did the writer cite(引用) Samuel Pepys?

A. Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire.

B. Because Pepys also wrote about the fire.

C. To show that poor people suffered most

D. To give the reader a clearer picture of the fire.

5. How was the fire put out according to the text?

A. The king and his soldiers came to help.

B. All the wooden houses in the city were destroyed.

C. People managed to get enough water from the river.

D. Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled down.

6. Which of the following were reasons for the rapid spread of the big fire?

(a) There was a strong wind.

(b) The streets were very narrow.

(c) Many houses were made of wood.

(d) There was not enough water in the city.

(e) People did not discover the fire earlier.

A. (a) and (b)                                        B. (a), (b) and (c)         

C. (a), (b), (c) and (d)                            D. (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e)

"S. H.E. is going to sing at the CCTV annual Spring Festival Evening Party, is that true?" cried out Peng Weiye, a Senior 2 girl in Shanghai and die-hard S. H.E. fan.

      After checking it on the Internet, Peng quickly phoned friends to spread the news. For fans like her, S. H. E. ’s performance is perhaps the only part of the old fashioned evening to get excited about.

      The Taiwanese band is made up of Selina, Hebe and Ella. Their name comes from the first letter of each of the singers' English names.

      Last week S. H. E. announced they would perform in Las Vegas, US, over Christmas and then in Guangzhou on January 15.

      At their Shanghai show on October 30, hundreds of parents waited outside the Hongkou Stadium. Inside, thousands of teenagers sang, cried and shouted as the band performed.

      "I love their music, healthy image and everything related to them. Thank God that, although my parents don't understand why I love them so much, they still bought me a ticket for that show," said Peng about the Shanghai performance.

      It is not just on the mainland that the three girls have made audiences much excited. In the past year the band has passed through Taiwan, Hong Kong and even Singapore and Malaysia.

      When the three high school girls entered a singing contest in Taiwan in 2000, none of them ever dreamed of being a superstar. "We had never met before, and we didn't talk at all at the beginning," recalled Ella.

      When asked about the secret of their success, she said, "Our average looks and not-so-expensive clothes keep us close to our fans. We are happy to be the girls next door, your singing sisters."

      "It's really a magical journey, from day-dreaming high school girls to singers performing on the same stage as our idols(偶像). Nothing but magical," she said.

Why was Peng Weiye, a Senior 2 girl, so excited?

     A. S.H.E. band will get the old fashioned evening exciting.

     B. S. H.E. will perform in Las Vegas over Christmas.

     C. Her parents bought her a ticket for S. H. E.’s Shanghai show.

     D. S. H.E. will perform on the CCTV Spring Festival Evening Party.

How did the Taiwanese band get the name?

     A. Their fans gave the name to them.

     B. Their idols had a deep influence on them.

     C. A singing contest gave their idea of the band name.

     D. The first letters of Selina, Hebe and Ella form the band name.

What do you know about Peng Weiye?

     A. she stayed outside the Hongkou Stadium to listen to S. H. E. 's performance.

     B. She will watch the performance in Guangzhou on January 15.

     C. She pays close attention to everything about S. H. E.

     D. She was grateful that her parents understood and supported her.

Which is true about S. H. E. ?

     A. The secret to their success is their pretty faces and lovely clothes.

     B. They were close friends when they entered a singing contest.

     C. They caused a storm of excitement in Southeast Asia.

     D. They have well prepared to perform with their idols.

Which do you think is NOT the reason for S. H. E’s popularity among their fans?

     A. Their music and their healthy image.

     B. They can make audience much excited.

     C. Their success meets their fans’ day dream of becoming others’ idols.

     D. Their average looks and not-so-expensive clothes keep them close to their fans.

Would you eat a ready meal from the fridge rather than cook from scratch? Have you been doing internet shopping rather than going to the stores? What can't you be bothered to do?

       A study into how lazy British people are has found more than half of adults are so lazy they'd catch the lift rather than climb two flights of stairs．

       Just over 2000 people were quizzed by independent researchers at Nuffield Health, Britain's largest health charity．The results were astonishing．

       About one in six people surveyed said if their remote control was broken, they would continue watching the same channel rather than get up．

       More than one third of those questioned said they would not run to catch a bus．Worryingly, of the 654 respondents with children, 64% said they were often too tired to play with them．

       This led the report to conclude that it's no wonder that one in six children in the UK are classified as obese （very fat） before they start school．

       Dr Sarah Dauncey, medical director of Nuffield Health, said: "People need to get fitter, not just for their own sake, but for the sake of their families, friends and evidently their pets too．

       "If we don't start to take control of this problem, a whole generation will become too unfit to perform even the most rudimentary of tasks．"

       And Scotland's largest city, Glasgow, was shamed as the most inactive city in the UK, with 75% surveyed admitting they do not get enough exercise, followed closely by Birmingham and Southampton, both with 67%．

       The results cause serious challenges for the National Health Service, where obesity-related illnesses such as heart disease and cancer have been on a steady increase for the past 40 years and are costing billions of pounds every year．

1.What causes children in the UK to be obese?

       A．Eating ready meal                               B．Watching TV

       C．Doing Internet shopping                       D．Being lazy

2.What can be inferred from the passage?

       A．British people are too lazy to do anything．

       B．Internet shopping will do harm to your health．

       C．Many people would not run to catch a bus in Britain．

       D．People should be more active and take regular exercise to keep fit．

3.Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?

       A．One sixth of British people use remote control when watching TV．

       B．People will benefit not only themselves but their families by getting fit．

       C．Fatness can cause diseases such as heart disease and cancer．

       D．More people get obesity-related illnesses now than 40 years ago．

4.What does the underlined word rudimentary most probably mean?

       A．basic                   B．serious                C．vital                    D．hard

5.All the following are among the most lazy cities in the UK except         ．

       A．Glasgow             B．Birmingham        C．Nuffield              D．Southampton

第二节 读写任务（共1小题，满分25分）

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150左右的英语短文。

On September 1, 1965, the Tibet Autonomous Region was officially established, which marked the establishment of the people's democratic power in Tibet. From then on, the Tibetan people enjoyed the right to administer their own affairs and, together with the people throughout the country, engaged in the socialist development. Nowadays, the Tibet Autonomous Region, covering one-eighth of China's territory with a population of 2.8 million, has developed rapidly in recent years.

China is a multi-ethnic country and Tibet is an inalienable(不可分割的) part of China. For more than 700 years the central government of China has continuously exercised sovereignty over Tibet. No government of any country in the world has ever recognized Tibet as an independent state. Anyone must be denounced(谴责) if he tries to split his motherland. British Foreign Secretary Lord Lansdowne, in a formal instruction in 1904, called Tibet "a province of the Chinese Empire." In his speech, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said, "Over the past several hundred years, as far as I know, at no time has any foreign country denied China's sovereignty over Tibet." The Dalai clique and overseas anti-China forces used to claim that between the 1911 Revolution and the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Tibet became a country "exercising full authority." However, many historical facts denied such a fallacy(谬论). The so-called "Tibetan independence" which the Dalai clique and overseas anti-China forces spread is nothing but a fiction of the imperialists who committed aggression against China in modern history. Never will they succeed.

[写作内容]

1. 以约30个词概括短文的要点。

2. 然后以约120个词就 “西藏是中国领土不可分割的一部分” 的主题发表看法，并包括如下要点：

         (1) 自古以来，西藏就是中国的领土，西藏历史源远流长；

(2) 在中央政府的大力支持下，西藏在经济、政治、文化等方面都得到了很好的发展；

(3) 达赖分裂祖国的行为必将受到热爱和平的中国人民和全世界华人的强烈谴责；

         (4) 作为中学生，你认为该怎么做？

[写作要求]

(1) 可以使用实例或其他论述方法支持你的论点， 也可以参照阅读材料的

内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

(2) 标题自定。

[评分标准]                概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。