Albert Einstein (1879～1955) was one of the greatest and most original scientific thinkers of all time.

　　Born of Jewish parents at Ulm in Germany, he completed his education in Switzerland and got his Ph. D at the University of Zurich. He went to live in the United States in 1933 because of the rise of Nazism（纳粹）in Germany and Hitler’s persecution（迫害）of the Jews.

　　In 1905, while still at Zurich, he published his Special Theory of Relativity, which was based on things everyone may have noticed. If two trains are standing alongside each other and one train starts to move, a person sitting in the train may wonder whether his own train is moving or the other is moving, and before he finds out what is happening, he can see that one train is moving relatively to the other. From this and also from other more complicated facts, Einstein came to the conclusion that all motion is relative and that there are really no such things as absolute（绝对）motion. Some of the other conclusions he drew are that nothing can go faster than light, and that if something such as a ruler was moving faster and faster it would seem to get shorter and shorter as its speed was near the speed of light. By 1915, Einstein had made known his General Theory of Relativity. He also improved on Newton’s theory of gravity. Most of his theories have been tested and found to be true though some may sound strange. For his important work he was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics.

(1) In 1933, Einstein wanted to live in the United States because ________.

A．he loved the USA．more than his own country

B．he had got some friends there with whom he could work together

C．he wanted to live quietly in the USA

D．he could no longer work in Germany when Hitler came into power

(2) Einstein published his Special Theory of Relativity when he was ________.

A．in the United States

B．in Ulm, Germany after he got his Ph．D

C．still in Switzerland at the age of twenty-six

D．still at the University of Zurich at the age of thirty-six

(3) One of the conclusions drawn by Einstein is that ________.

A．places go faster than trains and buses

B．people couldn’t run as fast as vehicles

C．light gobs the fastest of all the things

D．two trains can go in different directions

(4) Einstein added that if something such as a ruler was moving it would seem to get shorter and shorter ________.

A．because the ruler itself was short

B．when it was moving faster and faster

C．because we can’t see it clearly

D．because the ruler was broken into pieces

(5) Einstein was world-famous for his ________.

A．Special Theory of Relativity

B．General Theory of Relativity

C．improving on Newton’s theory of gravity

D．all of the above

Scientists who try to predict earthquakes have gotten some new helpers recently—animals.

　　That’s right, animals. Scientists have begun to understand what farmers have known for thousands of years. Animals often seem to know in advance that an earthquake is coming, and they show their fear by acting in strange ways. Before a Chinese quake in 1975, snakes awoke from their winter sleep early only to freeze to death in the cold air. Cows broke their halters (缰绳) and tried to escape. Chickens refused to enter their cage. All of this unusual behavior, as well as physical changes in the earth, warned Chinese scientists of the coming quake. They moved people away from the danger zone and saved thousands of lives.

　　One task for scientists today is to learn exactly which types of animal behavior predict quakes. It’s not an easy job. First of all not every animal reacts to the danger of an earthquake. Just before a California quake in 1977, for example, an Arabian horse became very nervous and tried to break out of his enclosure. The Australian horse next to him, however, remained perfectly calm. It’s also difficult at times to tell the difference between normal animal restlessness and “earthquake nerves”. A zoo keeper once called earthquake researchers to say that his cougar had been acting strangely. It turned out that the cat had an upset stomach.

　　A second task for scientists is to find out exactly what kind of warnings the animals receive. They know that animals sense far more of the world than humans do. Many animals can see, hear, and smell things that people do not even notice. Some can sense tiny changes in air pressure, gravity, or the magnetism of Earth. This extra sense probably helps animals predict quakes.

　　A good example of this occurred with a group of dogs. They were shut in an area that was being shaken by a series of tiny earthquakes. (Several small quakes often come before or after a large one.) Before each quake a low booming sound was heard. Each boom caused the dogs to bark wildly. Then the dogs began to bark during a silent period. A scientist who was recording quakes looked at his machine. It was acting as though there were a loud noise too. The scientist realized that the dogs had reacted to a booming noise. They also sensed the tiny quake that followed it. The machine recorded both, though humans felt and heard nothing.

In this case there was a machine to monitor what the dogs were sensing. Many times, however, our machines record nothing extraordinary, even though animals know a quake is coming. The animals might be sensing something we measure but do not recognize as a warning. Discovering what animals sense, and learning how they know it is a danger signal, is a job for future scientists.

Through the passage the writer hopes to explore __________.

A. why animals send a danger signal before an earthquake

B. how animals know when an earthquake is coming

C. why animals not men have good sense of danger

D. how much animals know about an earthquake

During an earthquake in China in 1975, _________.

A. chickens refused to go out of their cage

B. snakes were frozen to death in their caves

C. snakes awoke from their winter sleep earlier

D. cows broke their halters and escaped from their sheds

Which of the following is one of earthquake nerves according to the passage?

A. An Arabian horse tried to escape from his enclosure.

B. A cougar had an upset stomach unexpectedly.

C. An Australian horse was perfectly calm.

D. A cat acted very strangely in a zoo.

The scientists did an experiment with a group of dogs to _________.

A. find out that the machine could record unusual happenings

B. compare the reactions of animals and those of humans

C. prove that animals could sense more than humans

D. find out what exact warnings animals sent

第二节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下列短文，从每小题的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项

The spaceship was docking（太空对接），and Angela was excited. Some students from Earth were arriving to study the colony（聚居地）.Angela and her friend, Jason, were going to take the students through Spatial（太空的）City.

　　Then she realized that Jason was _36_ and waving. She hurried to _37_ the visitors, but when she _38_ the group, she couldn’t believe what she saw. These weren’t Earth people! They were very _39_ . Angela could almost see through them!

　　Angela was frightened. Who were these visitors？ What had happened to the students from Earth？

　　“You were _40_ who we are.” The tallest visitor said. “I am Obediah.”

　　“Did you _41_ my mind？”Angela asked.

　　“Of course. We all have that _42_ .” Obediah said. Then he pointed at Jason. “You don’t believe we came from Earth，do you？”

　　“No, I don’t. Where are you from？”Jason asked.

　　“We lived on Earth many centuries ago,” Obediah said. “We’ve been _43_ to visit you.”

　　“Why？ Who do you want to see？”Angela asked，moving away.

　　Obediah did not answer. He quickly _44_ his arms，and they became wings. Others in his group did the same，and _45_ Angela and Jason were _46_ away from the dock（对接平台）to a lift.

　　“Take us to the living and farming areas.” Obediah said.

　　Angela and Jason were pulled　47_ the lift. It went from the inner hub of the Colony to an outer rim where there were homes and _48_ . Now Angela was really frightened，and she _49_ that Jason was frightened，too.

　　When they left the _50_ , Obediah and his group began to fly over the homes and apartment buildings. Angela and Jason could only _51_ . There was man-made gravity in the colony, so they could not even _52_ in the air.

　　“I’ll run to get help.” Jason whispered. “I’m pretty worried. Look at them! They’re all over the colony!”

　　Angela _53_ her head and looked at Jason.“ _54_ will believe this story when we tell it.” she said.

　　“I 　55_ don’t believe it.” Jason said. “But I saw it!”

36．A．smiling 　　　　   B．singing 　　　　   C．speaking 　　　　 D．whispering

37．A．see 　　　　　　  B．find 　　　　　    C．meet 　　　　　   D．hide

38．A．joined 　　　　     B．visited　　　　　   C．questioned　　　    D．reached

39．A．tiny　　　　　　   B．thin 　　　　　     C．clean 　　　　　   D．thick

40．A．asking 　　　　    B．knowing 　　　     C．reading 　　　　   D．wondering

41．A．feel 　　　　　     B．read 　　　　　    C．catch 　　　　　   D．understand

42．A．talent　　　　　    B．skill 　　　　　    C．power 　　　　     D．right

43．A．waiting　　　　     B．looking 　　　　   C．meaning 　　　　  D．hoping

44．A．pointed 　　　　   B．bent 　　　　　    C．dropped 　　　　  D．raised

45．A．suddenly 　　　    B．slowly　　　　　   C．finally　　　　　   D．usually

46．A．kept 　　　　　    B．pushed 　　　　    C．taken 　　　　      D．led

47．A．into 　　　　　    B．onto 　　　　　    C．from 　　　　       D．over

48．A．houses 　　　　    B．apartments 　　     C．gardens　　　　     D．buildings

49．A．suspected 　　　    B．understood 　        C．agreed 　　　　　 D．knew

50．A．home 　　　　　  B．lift 　　　　　      C．room 　　　　      D．spaceship

51．A．stay 　　　　　    B．run 　　　　　     C．fly 　　　　　      D．watch

52．A．stand 　　　　　   B．float 　　　　 　  C．talk 　　　　　　 D．pull

53．A．shook 　　　　    B．raised 　　　　　  C．nodded 　　　　   D．moved

54．A．Someone 　　　   B．Anyone 　　　　   C．No one 　　　　   D．Everyone

55．A．actually 　　　　  B．really 　　　　　  C．surely 　　　　    D．clearly

Scientists who try to predict earthquakes have gotten some new helpers recently—animals.

　　That’s right, animals. Scientists have begun to understand what farmers have known for thousands of years. Animals often seem to know in advance that an earthquake is coming, and they show their fear by acting in strange ways. Before a Chinese quake in 1975, snakes awoke from their winter sleep early only to freeze to death in the cold air. Cows broke their halters (缰绳) and tried to escape. Chickens refused to enter their cage. All of this unusual behavior, as well as physical changes in the earth, warned Chinese scientists of the coming quake. They moved people away from the danger zone and saved thousands of lives.

　　One task for scientists today is to learn exactly which types of animal behavior predict quakes. It’s not an easy job. First of all not every animal reacts to the danger of an earthquake. Just before a California quake in 1977, for example, an Arabian horse became very nervous and tried to break out of his enclosure. The Australian horse next to him, however, remained perfectly calm. It’s also difficult at times to tell the difference between normal animal restlessness and “earthquake nerves”. A zoo keeper once called earthquake researchers to say that his cougar had been acting strangely. It turned out that the cat had an upset stomach.

　　A second task for scientists is to find out exactly what kind of warnings the animals receive. They know that animals sense far more of the world than humans do. Many animals can see, hear, and smell things that people do not even notice. Some can sense tiny changes in air pressure, gravity, or the magnetism of Earth. This extra sense probably helps animals predict quakes.

　　A good example of this occurred with a group of dogs. They were shut in an area that was being shaken by a series of tiny earthquakes. (Several small quakes often come before or after a large one.) Before each quake a low booming sound was heard. Each boom caused the dogs to bark wildly. Then the dogs began to bark during a silent period. A scientist who was recording quakes looked at his machine. It was acting as though there were a loud noise too. The scientist realized that the dogs had reacted to a booming noise. They also sensed the tiny quake that followed it. The machine recorded both, though humans felt and heard nothing.

In this case there was a machine to monitor what the dogs were sensing. Many times, however, our machines record nothing extraordinary, even though animals know a quake is coming. The animals might be sensing something we measure but do not recognize as a warning. Discovering what animals sense, and learning how they know it is a danger signal, is a job for future scientists.

1.Through the passage the writer hopes to explore __________.

2. During an earthquake in China in 1975, _________.

3.Which of the following is one of earthquake nerves according to the passage?

4.The scientists did an experiment with a group of dogs to _________.