B
The world is not coming to an end on December 21, 2012, the US space agency insisted Monday in a rare campaign to dispel widespread rumors fueled by the Internet and a new Hollywood movie．
The latest big screen offering from Sony Picture, 2012, arrives in theaters on Friday, with a 200-million-dollar production about the end of the world supposedly based on myths backed by the Mayan calendar．It is claimed that the end of time will come as a Planet X---or Nibiru---heads toward or collides with the Earth．
Some websites accuse NASA of hiding the truth on the planet’s existence, but the US space agency condemned such stories as an “Internet hoax”．“There is no factual basis for these claims,” NASA said in a question-and-anwser posting on this website．“If such a collision were real, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye．Obviously, it does not exist．Credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012,” it insisted．“After all, our planet has been getting along just well for more than four billion years,” added NASA．
There is another planet, Eris, floating in space．But the small planet similar to Pluto will remain safely fixed in the outer solar system and it can come no closer than four billion miles to the Earth, according to NASA．
Earlier theories set the disaster for May 2003, but when nothing happened the date was moved forward to the winter in 2012 to coincide with the end of a cycle of the ancient Mayan calendar．
NASA insisted the Mayan calendar in fact does not end on December 21, 2012, as another period begins immediately afterward．
And even if the planets were to line up as some have forecast, the effect on our planet would be “negligible（unimportant）”, NASA said．
“And while comets and asteroids （小行星） have always hit the Earth, big hits are very rare,” NASA noted．The last major impact was believed to be 65 million years ago, resulting in the end of dinosaurs．
“We have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs,” the space agency said．
49．______ played a key role in the spread of the rumors．
A．A new book               B．The Internet and a new Hollywood movie
C．NASA                   D．An Indian calendar
50．We can infer that ______．
A．people didn’t take the rumor seriously
B．Planet X --- or Nibiru does exist
C．astronomers have been tracking Planet X for over ten years
D．the rumor caused a panic among some people
51．NASA thinks that Eris ______．
A．might have a threat to the Earth     B．doesn’t have any threat to the Earth
C．is too far away to be visible       D．is similar to our planet, where life might exist
52．Which of the following is the best title?
A．New Hollywood movie 2012
B．December 21, 2012, Not the end of the world
C．End of the ancient Mayan calendar
D．How rumors came into being

B
British science-fiction writer Sir Arthur Charles Clarke has been buried in his adopted country of Sri Lanka.                                         
Music from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey was played at the funeral and members of the family cried as his coffin was lowered.
"Here lies Arthur Charles Clarke. He never grew up and did not stop growing, his gravestone in Colombo is to read, in accordance with the author' s wishes.
Sir Arthur died from heart failure and breathing problems at the age of 90.
A nationwide one-minute silence was ordered by the Sri Lankan government to coincide with the ceremony.
Sir Arthur' s brother, Fred Clarke, attended the funeral along with members of the Ekanayake family, with whom the writer had lived in recent years.
Fred Clarke said his elder brother had always loved the warm climate and the friendly people of Sir Lanka.
"He said he had managed to escape 40 British winters and had no regrets," Mr. Clarke told AFP news agency.
Tamara Ekanayake, who grew up at Sir Arthur' s home in Colombo, paid tribute to him, "We feel so proud that you left your mark on us. Your footprint will never fade (褪去).”
Before the funeral, yellow roses were thrown on to Sir Arthur' s body as a final gesture of respect as it lay on a white bed beneath curved elephant tusks.
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 1917-19 March 2008) was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, most famous for the novel 2001: A Spare Odyssey, which led to the film of the same name.
Clarke served in the Royal Air Force as a radar instructor and technician from 1941-1946, proposed satellite communication systems in 1945 which won him a nomination ( 提名) in 1994 for a Nobel Prize, and 1999 for literature, and became the chairman of the British Interplanetary Society from 1947-1950 and again in 1953.
Clarke moved to Sri Lanka in 1956 largely to pursue his interest in scuba diving, and lived there until his death.
66.What do you think the underlined phrase "paid tribute to' in paragraph 9 means?
A. Paid money to.                             B. Paid attention to.
C. Spoke highly of                            D. Expressed one' s thanks to.
67. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Charles Clarke suffered from breathing problems.
B. Charles Clarke made the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
C. Charles Clarke had served in the Royal Air Force for about 5 years.
D. Charles Clarke won a nomination for a Nobel Prize in 1994.
68.Where do you think the passage is most probably from?
A. A science fiction.                           B. A fashion magazine.
C. A news website.                            D. A students' textbook.
69. Which of the following is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To introduce Charles Clarke' s interest.
B. To inform readers about the danger of heart failure.
C. To introduce the books by Charles Clarke.
D. To inform readers of Charles Clarke' s funeral.

They only got engaged（订婚）on Saturday, but it seems that Rochelle Wiseman and Marvin Humes are planning on marrying in March. The pop stars are eager to tie the knot in just ten weeks in order for their big day to coincide with（重合）their birthdays. are both keen to turn the events into one big celebration. According to the Daily Star, the couple think it is the perfect excuse to have one huge party.

“After getting engaged this Christmas, Rochelle and Marvin didn’t waste any time in thinking about dates,” a source told the newspaper. The couple apparently came to a mutual agreement that they would like to be married by the summer, and then the subject of their birthdays came up．“Rochelle has been telling her pals how excited she is and that she loves the birthday idea,” the source continued, “she thinks combining the events will make it the most amazing three—way celebration ever.”

JLS star Marvin proposed(求婚)to Rochelle during a festive break in Antigua，and The Saturdays singer was keen to announce the news as soon as possible．“It’s official Marvin proposed 2 me 2day, wanted 2 tell u b4 some1 else did! So excited 2 b Mrs Humes.” she tweeted(微博留言)on December 31. She also posted a photo of her and her husband-to-be in which she flashes her ￡45，000 heart-shaped diamond engagement ring.

1. Rochelle Wiseman and Marvin Humes want to get married in March_________.

A．to celebrate both their wedding and birthdays

B．to make their wedding different from others

C．to satisfy the curiosity of their fans

D．to please their parents and relatives

2.What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The wedding was arranged in January.

B．Both Rochelle Wiseman and Marvin Humes are pop stars.

C．Rochelle Wiseman is the husband-to-be.

D．They decided to get married shortly after they got engaged.

3. The numbers “2，4，1” and letters “u，b” in the underlined sentence probably mean______.

A．two, four, one；you, be

B．to, four, first；use, bee

C．to, fore, one；you, be

D．two, for, one；you, bee

The telephone rang in the police station at Richmond， California， USA. “Police station？ A train for Santa FE collide(碰撞)with a(n)　31　at the McDonald Street Crossing. Please go there at once， with an ambulance too. A man is badly injured，” said a(n)　32　voice of a young woman.

“Just a minute， we’ll come　33　. Please stay there and wait，” answered the policeman.

Within a minute， a police car and an ambulance　34　. Soon they got to the　35　， but only to　36　everything was fine. No collision， no　37　man.

“What a dirty trick！” said the policeman　38　. “We must find out that mischievous(恶作剧的)　39　and. . . ”

They had not been able to say anything about a punishment　40　they heard the whistle of a train： the train was nearing them quickly. All　41　a sudden， a truck appeared. It came fast towards them， too. 　42　it was passing the crossing， it suddenly refused to move on. Right then and there， before the eyes of all the people present， the train collided with the truck heavily and struck it　43　meters away.

When Randolph Bruce， the driver was　44　out of the damaged truck， he was　45　hurt just　46　the young woman had foretold on the phone. As he was taken to the　47　in time， he was saved at last.

Later the policemen did　48　they could to find the woman who had telephoned them， but　49　.

It is　50　that a prophecy(预言)should coincide(巧合)with the fact so exactly.

31. A. ambulance　　　　B. truck　　　　C. car　　　　　D. bus

32. A. anxious         B. sweet             C. gentle            D. low

33. A. fast            B. ahead             C. soon              D. later

34. A. went by        B. set off             C. got there           D. came on

35. A. telephone       B. street             C. station             D. crossing

36. A. feel            B. find              C. have              D. tell

37. A. injured         B. trapped            C. frightened         D. killed

38. A. happily         B. excitedly          C. angrily            D. disappointedly

39. A. man           B. policeman          C. woman           D. boy

40. A. until           B. since              C. while             D. when

41. A. at             B. of                C. by                D. for

42. A. When          B. Where            C. That              D. Which

43. A. dozen          B. dozens            C. dozen of           D. dozens of

44. A. raised          B. helped            C. pushed            D. forced

45. A. slightly         B. clearly            C. hardly            D. badly

46. A. as             B. so                C. before            D. for

47. A. police station    B. market            C. hospital           D. sidewalk

48. A. that            B. which             C. however          D. whatever

49. A. delayed         B. worked           C. stopped            D. failed

50. A. surprised        B. surprising         C. satisfied           D. satisfying

They only got engaged（订婚）on Saturday, but it seems that Rochelle Wiseman and Marvin Humes are planning on marrying in March. The pop stars are eager to tie the knot in just ten weeks in order for their big day to coincide with（重合）their birthdays. are both keen to turn the events into one big celebration. According to the Daily Star, the couple think it is the perfect excuse to have one huge party.
“After getting engaged this Christmas, Rochelle and Marvin didn’t waste any time in thinking about dates,” a source told the newspaper. The couple apparently came to a mutual agreement that they would like to be married by the summer, and then the subject of their birthdays came up．“Rochelle has been telling her pals how excited she is and that she loves the birthday idea,” the source continued, “she thinks combining the events will make it the most amazing three—way celebration ever.”
JLS star Marvin proposed(求婚)to Rochelle during a festive break in Antigua，and The Saturdays singer was keen to announce the news as soon as possible．“It’s official Marvin proposed 2 me 2day, wanted 2 tell u b4 some1 else did! So excited 2 b Mrs Humes.” she tweeted(微博留言)on December 31. She also posted a photo of her and her husband-to-be in which she flashes her ￡45，000 heart-shaped diamond engagement ring.
【小题1】 Rochelle Wiseman and Marvin Humes want to get married in March_________.