In July 1994 Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, was struck by 21 pieces of  comet(彗星).When the fragments(碎片)landed in the southern part of the giant planet, the explosions were watched by scientist here on earth. But what if our own planet was hit by a comet?

       The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two fragments will probably hit the southern part of the earth. The news has caused panic.

       On 17 July, a fragment four kilometers wide enters the earth’s atmosphere with a huge explosion. About half of the fragment is destroyed. But the major part survives and hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and an enormous wave is created and spreads. The wall of water rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned. The waves moves into the Indian Ocean and heads towards Asia.

       Millions of people are already dead in the southern part of the earth, but the north won’t escape for long. Tons of broken pieces are thrown into the atmosphere by the explosions. As the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later civilization has collapsed. No more than 10 million people have survived.

       Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the earth. The dinosaurs(恐龙)were on the earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believed that the earth was hit by a space fragment. The dinosaurs couldn’t survive in the cold climate that followed and they became extinct. Will we meet the same end?

1. Which of the following in NOT true according to the author’s description of the disaster in 2094?

       A. The whole world becomes extremely cold.

       B. All the coastal cities in Africa are destroyed.

       C. The whole mankind becomes extinct.

       D. The visit of the comet results in war.

2. Why does the author mention dinosaur at the end of the passage?

       A. Because they could only live in the warm climate.

       B. Because they once dominated the earth.

       C. Because their extinction indicates future disasters.

       D. Because dinosaurs and humans never live in the same age

3. In writing the passage, the author intends to ____.

       A. give an accurate description of the possible disaster in the future

       B. prove that humans will sooner or later be destroyed

       C. tell the historical development of the earth

       D. warn of a possible disaster in the future

4. It can be concluded that the passage is most probably part of a(n) ____.

       A. horror story                                   B. news report

       C. research paper                               D. article of popular science

E
Brazil has become one of the developing world’s great successes at reducing population growth－but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
Brazil’s population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas (通俗电视连续剧) and installment (分期付款) plans introduced in the 1970s. both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering, the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world’s biggest producers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil’s most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
“Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values － not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working,” says Martine. “They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package.”
Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers (消费者). “This led to an enormous change in consumption (消耗、消费) patterns and consumption was incompatible (不相容的) with unlimited reproduction.” Says Martine.
57. According to the passage, Brazil has cut back its population growth ____.
A. by educating its citizens 　　　　　　　　B. by careful family planning
C. by developing TV programs 　　　　　　　D. by chance
58. According to the passage, many Third World countries ______.
A. haven’t attacked much importance to birth control
B. would soon join Brazil in controlling their birth rate
C. haven’t yet found an effective measure to control their population
D. neglected the role of TV plays in family planning
59. Soap operas have helped in lowering Brazil’s birth rate because ____.
A. they keep people sitting long hours watching TV
B. they have gradually changed people’s way of life
C. people are drawn to their attractive package
D. they popularize birth control measures
60. What is Martine’s conclusion about Brazil’s population growth?
A. The increase in birth rate will increase consumption.
B. The desire for consumption helps to reduce birth rate.
C. Consumption patterns and reproduction patterns are contradictory (互相矛盾的)
D. A country’s production is limited by its population growth.

When we think of green buildings, we tend to think of new ones-the kind of modern, solar-paneled masterpieces that make the covers of architecture magazines．But the US has more than 100 million existing homes, and it would be incredibly         to tear them all down and         them with greener versions．

An enormous amount of energy and resources went into the construction of those houses．And it would take an average of 65 years for the         carbon emissions (排放) from a(an) __     _ energy-efficient (节能) home to make up for the         lost by destroying an old one．

So in the broadest sense, the greenest home is the one that has already been built．But at the same time,          half of US carbon emissions come from heating, cooling and powering our          , offices and other buildings．"You can't deal with climate         without dealing with existing buildings," says Richard Moe, the president of the National Trust．

With some exceptions, the oldest homes tend to be the         energy-efficient．Houses built before 1939 use about 50% more energy per square foot than those built after 2000, mainly due to the tiny cracks and gaps that         over time and let in more outside        .

      ,there are a vast number of relatively simple changes that can green older homes, from        ones like Lincoln's Cottage to your own postwar home．And efficiency upgrades (升级) can save more than just the earth; they can help         property owners from rising power        .

1.A． terrible  B．wasteful      C．wonderful   D．useful

2.A．put  B．build   C．replace        D．take

3.A．reduced  B．increased    C．used   D．destroyed

4.A．old   B．fashionable C．new    D．beautiful

5.A．magazines         B．trees   C．materials     D．resources

6.A．nearly      B．hardly C．rarely D．mostly

7.A．libraries   B．schools        C．homes         D．stores

8.A．improvement   B．appearance         C．stability        D．change

9.A．most         B．really  C．very    D．least

10.A．expand  B．narrow        C．strengthen  D．weaken

11.A．dust        B．air       C．smoke          D．water

12.A．Oppositely     B．Unfortunately      C．Fortunately D．Frankly

13.A．historic  B．worthless    C．ordinary      D．meaningless

14.A．charge   B．protect        C．punish         D．warn

15.A．prices    B．costs   C．businesses  D．bargains

Linda British was an outstanding teacher who felt that if she had the time, she would like to create great art and poetry. When she was 28, however, she began to get severe   36 . Her doctors discovered that she had an enormous brain tumor (瘤). They told her that her   37  of surviving an operation were about 2 percent. Therefore,   38  operate immediately, they chose to wait for six months.
The night before the operation after six months, she   39  to give herself away. She made a   40 , in which she would donate all of her body parts to those who needed them in   41 of her death.
  42 , Linda died after the operation. Afterwards, her eyes went to an eye   43  in Bethesda, Maryland, and from there to a recipient in South Carolina. A young man, aged 28, went from darkness to   44 . That young man was so   45  that he wrote to the eye bank thanking them for existing.
  46 , he said he wanted to thank the parents of the donator. They must   47  be magnificent people to have a child who would   48  her eyes. He was given the   49  of the British family on Staten Island. He arrived unannounced and rang the doorbell. After hearing his introduction, Mrs. British   50  and hugged him. She said, “Young man, if you’ve got   51  to go, my husband and I would love you to spend your weekend with us.”
He stayed, and   52  he was looking around Linda’s room, he saw that she’d read Hegel. He’d read Hegel in Braille as well.
The next morning Mrs. British was looking at him and said, “You know, I’m sure I’ve seen you somewhere before.” All of a sudden she   53 . She ran upstairs and pulled out the last picture Linda had drawn. It was a portrait of her ideal man.
The picture was almost the same as this young man who had received Linda’s eyes.
Then her mother read the   54  poem Linda had written on her deathbed. It   55 :
Two hearts passing in the night
Falling in love
Never able to gain each other’s sight.

When we’re little, our mother is the center of our attention, and we are the center of hers. So our mother’s characteristics leave an indelible(持久的)impression, and we are forever after attracted to people with her facial features, body type, personality, even sense of humor. If our mother is warm and giving, as adults  we tend to be attracted to people who are warm and giving. If our mother is strong and even-tempered, we  are going to be attracted to a fair-minded strength in our mates.

              The mother has an additional influence on her sons: she not only gives them clues to what they will find attractive in a mate, but also affects how they feel about women in general. So if she is warm and nice, her sons are going to think that’s the way women are. They will probably grow up to be warm and responsive lovers and also be cooperative around the house.

             Conversely, a mother who has a depressive personality, and is sometimes friendly but then suddenly turns cold and rejecting, may raise a man who becomes a “dance-away lover”. Because he’s been so scared about love from his mother, he’s afraid of commitment and may pull away from a girlfriend for this reason.

              While the mother determines in large part what qualities attract us in a mate, it’s the father—the first male in our lives—who influences how we relate to the opposite sex. Fathers have an enormous effect on their children’s personalities and chances of marital happiness.

              Just as mothers influence their son’s general feelings toward women, fathers influence their daughter’s general feelings about men. If a father lavishes praise on his daughter and demonstrates that she is a worthwhile person, she’ll feel very good about herself in relation to men. But if the father is cold, critical or absent, the daughter will tend to feel she’s not very lovable or attractive.

              In addition, most of us grow up with people of similar social circumstances. We hang around with people in the same town; our friends have about the same educational backgrounds and career goals. We tend to be most comfortable with these people, and therefore we tend to link up with others whose families are often much like our own.

Why do our mother’s characteristics leave us an indelible impression?

         A. Because we are likely to be attached to people with her characteristics.

         B. Because the mother and her child are the centers of each other when her child is very young.

         C. Because our mother is better than our dad.

         D. Because our mother is a woman who is kind to us.

Which of the following is NOT true?

         A. If our mother is warm and giving, we love to be together with warm and generous people.

         B. If our mother is strong and well-controlled, we are going to be attracted to a fair-minded strength in

our mates.

        C. Mother not only gives her children clues to what they will find attractive in a mate, but also affects

how they feel about women in general.

         D. Fathers influence their daughter’s general feelings about men.

What can we know from Paragraphs 2 and 3?

         A. The mother only influences her sons.

         B. The sons always think women are warm and nice.

         C. A mother who has a depressive personality is sure to raise a dance-away lover.

         D. The mother has an additional influence on her sons.

What does the underlined word “lavishes” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

         A. Uses much.           B. Uses little.                C. Never uses.               D. Seldom uses.

What does the passage mainly talk about?

         A. Mothers’ influence on their sons.                B. Parents’ influence on their children.

         C. Parents’ impression on their children.         D. Fathers’ influence on their daughters.