XIANGNING, Shanxi - The number of people trapped underground after a coal mine flooding in north China's Shanxi Province was revised -- for a second time -- to 153 from 123, rescuers said late Sunday night.
Investigations showed that 261 workers were in the pit of Wangjialing Coal Mine under construction when underground water gushed in at about 1:40 pm. Of them, 108 were lifted safely to the ground while 153 others trapped in the shaft, according to the rescue headquarters.
Most of the trapped are migrant workers from Shanxi, Hebei, Hunan and Guizhou provinces," a rescuer said.
The exact number of people trapped is still being checked.
Soon after the accident happened, the Shanxi Provincial Work Safety Administration and the Shanxi Provincial Emergency Affairs Office said 152 people were trapped underground, but officials later changed the figure to 123.
Rescuers are struggling to save the trapped people, and local authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.
President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao ordered local authorities to spare no effort to save the trapped while guarding against secondary accidents.
Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang rushed to the site late Sunday to oversee the search and rescue operation.
The mine, sitting astride Xiangning County of Linfen City and Hejin City of Yuncheng City, covers about 180 square kilometers.
The mining zone boasts more than 2.3 billion tonnes of coal reserves, including nearly 1.04 billion tonnes of proved reserves, according to the company's official website.It is now under infrastructure construction and is expected to produce 6 million tonnes of coal annually once put into operation.
The mine, affiliated to the state-owned Huajin Coking Coal Co. Ltd., is a major project approved by the provincial government.
【小题1】At least how many people were trapped underground according to the latest report?

11. According to the message board, Orion Books        .

A. opposes the reading of original classics           

B. is embarrassed for cutting down classics

C. thinks cut-down classics have a bright future       

D. is cautions in its decision to cut down classics

12. In Mr. Edwards’ opinion, Orion Group is shortening classics to        .

  A. make them easier to read            B. meet a large demand in the market

  C. increase the sales of literary books   D. compete with their original versions

13. By describing the shortened classics as “a breath of fresh air”, Ms. Weir        .

  A. speaks highly of the cut-down classics     

B. shows her love for original classics

  C. feels guilty of not reading the classics     

D. disapprove of shortening the classics

14. Mr. Crockatt seems to imply that        .

  A. reading the classic works is a confusing attempt

  B. shortening the classics does harm to the original

  C. publishing the cut-down classics is a difficult job

  D. editing the classic works satisfies children’s needs

15. How many classics are involved in the massage board?

A. Two.          B. Three.               C. Four.         D. Five.

B
The centerpiece of curling(冰壶)is the curling stone, which has been called a “geometrical masterpiece of tooled geology (地质). ” Kays of Scotland has been making curling stones since 1851, when William Kay and his sons Andrew and Thomas set up a workshop in Mauchline, Ayrshire , in southwest Scotland. Kays is still owned by the relatives of the founder, and today it is the only curling stone maker left in Scotland.
Used in a highly competitive sport, the curling stones are made to exact standards. First, stones are sliced and then into round “cheeses”. Finally , the cheeses are shaped and polished into curling stones in a series of precise steps.
Each stone must weigh 44 pounds. Each must have a maximum diameter (直径) of 36 inches. Polishing is done by hand on a wheel using water, diamond-talcum power, and felt. Finishing the stone’s “running edge” is done entirely by hand with a special kind of paper and a digital measure and magnifying glass (放大镜). Lastly, a handle is fitted into holes on the top of the stone. Stones are computer-matched into pairs. Sixteen stones -8pairs-are needed for a game, and since curling game field usually have 6 lanes, each game field needs 96 matched stones!
Kays is a small firm, employing than ten skilled workers. Master craftsman and co-owner James Wyllie is skilled at all phases of curling stone making and is also an enthusiastic curler, as well as active member of Mauchline’s Burns Club, which meets regularly to honor well-known Mauchline residents.
59．What IS true about Kays?
A．It is a family business．            B．It’s a brand of curling stones．
C．It’s a place in Scotland．                     D．It’s the name of a curling stone dealer．
60．How many curling stones are needed for two games happening at the same time?
A．8．                           B．16．                  C．32．               D．96．
61．Which of the following shows the right process of making a curling stone?
A. Slicing—shaping—polishing． 
B．Weighing—measuring—polishing．
C. Cutting—running—edging—computer—matching
D. Cutting—measuring——shaping——polishing

We might like to think we're not influenced by other people, but a new study into the group-buying mechanisms（机制） - like those used on coupon（优惠券） sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial - reveals that telling buyers who come later to the offer how many have already signed up increases the number of purchasers.
Researchers at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management wanted to understand why group buying sites that have entered the market recently have enjoyed greater success than those operating a decade ago, such as Mercata and MobShop.
Earlier attempts typically left potential buyers waiting for days before confirming whether or not they had got the offer they had signed up for.
“We think one of the reasons group-buying has been successful recently is because of the short time horizon,” says Rotman Professor Ming Hu, who co-wrote the study with Professor Mengze Shi and PhD student Jiahua Wu. “It allows for a herding effect.”
Another reason is the use of an information structure that discloses to later arrivals how many have already signed onto the deal.
Researchers looked at two ways of designing the purchasing mechanism for a group buy:a simultaneous mechanism, where no one knows how many buyers have come before them, and asequential（连续的） mechanism, where a second group of buyers has the advantage of knowing the size of the first group.
The researchers' analytical（分析的） model shows the most successful mechanism is the sequential one because it eliminates uncertainty for those coming later to the deal, and improves the confidence of those who sign on early, as they're able to track the numbers of those who come after them.
“That boosts confidence,” says Professor Hu, who teaches operations management. Deals for "luxury" services, versus everyday items, work better in a group buy scenario（方案） because they offer consumers a greater benefit.
【小题1】It can be learned from the text that ______.

We might like to think we're not influenced by other people, but a new study into the group-buying mechanisms（机制） - like those used on coupon（优惠券） sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial - reveals that telling buyers who come later to the offer how many have already signed up increases the number of purchasers.

Researchers at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management wanted to understand why group buying sites that have entered the market recently have enjoyed greater success than those operating a decade ago, such as Mercata and MobShop.

Earlier attempts typically left potential buyers waiting for days before confirming whether or not they had got the offer they had signed up for.

“We think one of the reasons group-buying has been successful recently is because of the short time horizon,” says Rotman Professor Ming Hu, who co-wrote the study with Professor Mengze Shi and PhD student Jiahua Wu. “It allows for a herding effect.”

Another reason is the use of an information structure that discloses to later arrivals how many have already signed onto the deal.

Researchers looked at two ways of designing the purchasing mechanism for a group buy:a simultaneous mechanism, where no one knows how many buyers have come before them, and asequential（连续的） mechanism, where a second group of buyers has the advantage of knowing the size of the first group.

The researchers' analytical（分析的） model shows the most successful mechanism is the sequential one because it eliminates uncertainty for those coming later to the deal, and improves the confidence of those who sign on early, as they're able to track the numbers of those who come after them.

“That boosts confidence,” says Professor Hu, who teaches operations management. Deals for "luxury" services, versus everyday items, work better in a group buy scenario（方案） because they offer consumers a greater benefit.

1.It can be learned from the text that ______.

2.The underlined word “eliminates” in paragraph 7 probably means“______”.

3.What can be the best title for the passage?