In 1961, scientist set up gigantic, sensitive instruments to collect radio waves from the far reaches of space, hoping to discover in them some mathematical pattern indicating that the waves were sent out by other intelligent beings. The first attempt failed, but someday the experiment may succeed.

　　What reason is there to think that we may actually detect intelligent life in outer space？To begin with, modern theories of the development of stars suggest that almost every star has some sort of family of planets. So any star like our own sun （and there are billions of such stars in the universe） is likely to have a planet situated at such a distance that it would receive about the same amount of radiation as the earth.

　　Furthermore, such a planet would probably have the same general composition as our planet; so, allowing a billion years or two or three, there would be a very good chance for life to develop, if current theories of the origin of life are correct.

　　But intelligent life？Life that has reached the stage of being able to send radio waves out into space in a deliberate pattern？Our own planet may have been in existence for five billion years and may have had life on it for two billion, but it is only in the last fifty years that intelligent life capable of sending radio waves into space has lived on earth. From this it might seem that even if there were no technical problems involved, the chance of receiving signals from any particular earth-type planet would be extremely small.

　　This does not mean that intelligent life at our level does not exist somewhere. There are such an unimaginable number of stars that, even at such miserable possibility, it seems certain that there are millions of intelligent life forms scattered through space. The only trouble is, none may be within easy distance of us. Perhaps none ever will be; perhaps the distances that separate us from our fellow “creatures” of this universe will forever remain too great to be conquered. And yet it is conceivable that someday we may come across one of them or, frighteningly, one of them may come across us. What would they be like, these outside-the-earth creatures？

1.What point is the author making by stating that almost every star has some sort of family of planets？

　　A. Sooner or later intelligent beings will be found on one of the stars.

　　B. There must be one or two of the planets on which there are no intelligent beings.

　　C. There are sufficient planets for there to be one that enjoys the same conditions as the earth does.

　　D. One or two billion years later intelligent beings will generate on those planets.

2.What is the main topic of the passage？

　　A. Some probable intelligent life forms on other planets.

　　B. Various stages undergone by the intelligent life on other planets.

　　C. Grounds for probable existence of intelligent life on other planets.

　　D. The possibility of intelligent life existing on our planet.

3.Which of the following can be inferred from the passage？

A. An encounter is probable between people from the earth and intelligent beings from another planet.

B. Though the first attempt failed, scientists did discover the radio waves sent out by other intelligent beings.

C. Other intelligent beings were able to send our radio waves into space well before the last fifty years.

D. It is certain that there are millions of intelligent beings scattered in space but only too far away.

4.According to the author, what is the difference between “we may come across one of them” and “one of them may come across us”？

A. The earth would be dangerously disadvantaged if it is sought after by possibly much more developed creatures.

B. It would prove that there are too many outside-the-earth creatures if “one of them comes across us”.

C. The history of the development of the earth would be proved to be shorter than that of “them” if “they” come across us.

D. it would prove that the distance in between is not so great as we think if “we come across one of them” someday.

Dear Michelle:

     Why can't my daughter manage her life better? She is 17 and an honor student, but she seems to be wasting her life away with a boyfriend who is holding her back.

    He consumes every waking, minute of her precious time and smooth-talks her as well.

    His goal is to get her to agree to go to the college of his choice, not her choice, and because his grades are lower, his choice will be limited.

    I feel like I want to rescue her, but she pushes me away and shuts me out. She has only brought us pride and joy; and now this! Help!

                                                            A worried mother

Dear Mother of a 17-year-old Girl:

    Hmmmmm. What's the matter with kids today? Remember that song from "Bye Bye

Birdie"?

    Well if you do not, let me fill you in about teenagers and their life-management skills.Do not expect too much too soon because at the ripe age of 17, life-management is not within their reach, not should it be.

    Life experience creates both the conditions and the skills for management, and if management went before experiene, there would be tittle of it.

    Your daughter is an honor student for good reasons. She is smart, studies with

intelligence and you have given her good Values.

    When the time comes for her to apply for college, and she visit the ones that were specifically desigened for student the top of their grade, she will most likely break away from her boyfriend's influenee.

    It is rare for an honor student to change the path of their academic career for puppy love. That being said, them might be some adoldscent wisdom in her behavior after all.

    Perhaps she is choosing to worry you, her parents, for unconscious reasons. Being such a good girl and being a steady source of joy might have become a bit too much for her.

    Let your daughter have her own private moment of 11^th grade rebellion. She deserves a break from perfection.

Michelle

From the mother's letter we can learn that her daughter             

    A. is being fooled by the boy      B. has fallen behind in her studies

    C. doesn't talk much with her mother  D. has chosen which college to attend

According to Michelle; 17-year-teenagers               .

    A. are too young to manage their life

    B. are old enough to live their own life

    C. should have managemnent before experience

    D. have reached the age of an adult

The underlined word"puppy-love"refer to          

     A. false love     B. foolish love     C. pure love       D. adolescent love

Michelle seems to believe that the daughter will finally          

     A. come up with the right decision

     B. follow her boyfriend's advice

     C. worry her parents for unconscious reasons

     D. influence her boyfriend's behavior

The best title for the passage would be          

     A. College of kids' own choice

     B. How can I help my girl?

     C. How to manage teenagers' life?

     D. A 17-year-old girl and her mother

Between ten and midnight the United States is politically leaderless—there is no center of information anywhere in the nation except in the New York headquarters of the great broadcasting companies and two wire services. No candidate and no party can afford the investment on election night to match the news-gathering resources of the mass media; and so as every citizen sits in his home watching his TV set or listening to his radio, he is the equal of any other in knowledge. There is nothing that can be done in these hours, for no one can longer direct the great strike for America’s power; the polls have closed. Good or bad, whatever the decision, America will accept the decision—and cut down any man who goes against it, even though for millions the decision runs contrary to their own votes. The general vote is an expression of national will, the only substitute for violence and blood. Its decision is to be defended as one defends civilization itself.

There is nothing like this American expression of will in England or France, India or Russia. Only one other major nation in modern history has tried to elect its leader directly by mass, free, popular vote. This was the Weiman Republic of Germany, which modeled its unitary vote for national leaders on the American practice. Out of its experiment with the system it got Hitler. Americans have had Lincoln, Wilson and two Roosevelts. Nothing can be done when the voting returns are flooding in; the White House and its power will move to one or another of the two candidates, and all will know about it in the morning. But for these hours history stops.

Between ten P.M. and midnight the United States is politically leaderless because ________.

A. the president has been murdered          

B. the general strike for power has ended

C. the government has resigned             

D. the general vote is being held

“The great strike for America’s power” in Paragraph 1 refers to ________.

A. the strike of the government members

B. the great vote

C. the election campaign

D. the strike of the government employees

The author believes that the decision at the polls will ________.

A. lead to a civil war             B. result in a general strike

C. cause violence and blood     D. be defended by all Americans

Without the general vote, the author implies ________.

A. there would be a civil war    B. there would be a general strike

C. there would be an election campaign    D. there would be a fierce debate

短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

    假定英语课上老师，要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

      2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Water is very important to us, without that there would be no life. We couldn’t live if we didn’t have water. Therefore, some people don’t turn the tap off at once after using it. Some people don’t realize they wash them in the shower too long. Some even throw away bottles full in water. As middle school students, we should make great efforts to save water. On one hand, every single person’s save water is significance. On other hand, we can use some water we just used to watering plants. We shouldn’t leave the tap running for while we brush our tooth.

 Some time ago, I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended, as there are a lot of antique (古董)shops near my home. So I left my home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception (接待). I was quite wrong. The man wouldn’t even look at my chair.

The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth. So I decided that my approach must be wrong.

I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, "Would you like to buy a chair?" He looked at it over carefully and said, "Yes, not a bad chair. How much do you want for it?" "Twenty pounds." I said. "OK," he said, "I will give you twenty pounds." "It’s got a slightly broken leg," I said. "Yes, I saw that, it is nothing. "the shopkeeper answered.

Everything was going according to my plan and I was getting excited. "What will you do with it?" I asked. "It will be easy to sell once the repair is done." "I will buy it." I said. "What do you mean? You just sold it to me." "Yes, I know, but I have just changed my mind, I am sorry. I will give you twenty - seven pounds for it." "You must be crazy." he said. Suddenly the penny dropped. "I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair." " You are right," I said, "What would you have done if I had walked in and asked you to mend the chair?" "I would not have agreed to do that. We don’t do repairs, not enough money in it, and too much trouble. But! will mend this for you. Will you pay it for five? ". He was a very nice person and was greatly amused (感到有趣)by the whole thing.

We can learn from the passage that in the first shop the writer________.

A. was rather impolite                 

B. was warmly received

C. asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair

D. asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair.

The expression" the penny dropped" in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper_________.

   A. changed his mind                        B. accepted the offer

   C. saw the writer’s purpose                   D. decided to help the writer

How much did the writer pay for the repair?

   A. 5.             B. 7.               C. 20.               D. 27.

From the text, we can learn that the writer was___________.

   A. honest         B. careful           C. smart             D. funny