The United States is well?known for its network of major highways designed to help a driver get from one place to another in the shortest possible time.?　36　? these wide modern roads are generally ?　37　? and well maintained, with ?　38　? sharp curves and many straight ?　39　?,a direct route is not always the most ?　40　? one. Large highways often pass ?　41　? scenic areas and interesting small towns. Furthermore, these highways generally ?　42　? large urban centers which means that they become crowded with ?　43　? traffic during rush hours,?　44　? the “fast, direct” way becomes a very slow route. However, there is ?　45　? always another route to take ?　46　? you are not in a hurry. Not far from the ?　47　? new “superhighways”,there are often older,?　48　? heavily traveled roads which go through the countryside.?　49　? of these are good two lane roads; others are uneven roads ?　50　? through the country. These secondary routes may go up steep slopes, along hilly ?　51　? or down frightening hillsides to towns ?　52　? in deep valleys. Though these are less direct routes, longer and slower, they generally go to places ?　53　? the air is clear and the scenery is beautiful, and the driver may have a ?　54　? to get a fresh, clean ?　55　? of the world.

36. A. Although     B. Since  C. Because      D. Therefore

37. A. rough   B. splendid     C. smooth       D. complicated

38. A. little     B. few     C. much  D. many

39. A. selections     B. separations C. divisions    D. sections

40. A. terrible B. Possible     C. enjoyable   D. reasonable

41. A. to B. Into    C. over    D. by

42. A. lead     B. connect      C. collect D. provide

43. A. large    B. fast     C. light   D. heavy

44. A. when    B. for      C. but     D. that

45. A. yet       B. still     C. almost D. quite

46. A. unless   B. if C. as       D. since

47. A. relatively     B. regularly    C. reasonably  D. respectively

48. A. and      B. Less    C. more   D. or

49. A. All       B. Several      C. Lots    D. Some

50. A. driving B. crossing     C. curving      D. traveling

51. A. rocks    B. cliffs   C. roads  D. paths

52. A. lying    B. laying C. laid     D. lied

53. A. there    B. when  C. which D. where

54. A. space    B. period C. chance       D. spot

55. A. view    B. variety       C. visit    D. Virtue

The factory has　　workers because of the drop in sales.

1. A.
   laid out
2. B.
   laid off
3. C.
   laid aside
4. D.
   laid down

The dream of flying into outer space, cherished by the Chinese people for centuries, will soon come true.
　　China launched its fourth unmanned spacecraft （飞船）“Shenzhou Ⅳ” on December 30 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Gansu Province. It was the 27th consecutive（连续的 ）and successful launch of China - made rockets since October 1996. This launch has made it more realistic for China to send a person into space on its own following Russia and the USA.
　　Qi Faren，leading designer of the spacecraft system, said all the functions （功能） designed for manned flights have withstood （经受住）the test of three previous, successful launches and return landings of the “Shenzhou” spaceships.
　　China launched the “Shenzhou Ⅰ ”, “Shenzhou Ⅱ ”and “Shenzhou Ⅲ ”spacecrafts in 1999,2001 and 2002 respectively.
　　“Shouzhou Ⅳ” was to make it a more comfortable place in which astronauts can live and work. All parts of the application system for manned flight are aboard the “Shenzhou Ⅳ”craft in all test flights.
　　China’s manned flight programme began in 1992. A number of unmanned test flights will be launched before Chinese astronauts are sent into space.
　　Leading scientists in charge of China’s manned space programme said the successful launch of the “Shenzhou Ⅳ” laid a solid foundation for the country’s future task of sending Chinese astronauts to outer space.
　　The spacecraft returned to the earth on January 5, after completing seven experiments in space.
　　Officials at the centre said that“ Shenzhou Ⅴ”, a manned spacecraft, is expected to be launched later this year.
【小题1】How many countries can send a person into space on its own by now？

The United States is well?known for its network of major highways designed to help a driver get from one place to another in the shortest possible time.?　36　? these wide modern roads are generally ?　37　? and well maintained, with ?　38　? sharp curves and many straight ?　39　?,a direct route is not always the most ?　40　? one. Large highways often pass ?　41　? scenic areas and interesting small towns. Furthermore, these highways generally ?　42　? large urban centers which means that they become crowded with ?　43　? traffic during rush hours,?　44　? the “fast, direct” way becomes a very slow route. However, there is ?　45　? always another route to take ?　46　? you are not in a hurry. Not far from the ?　47　? new “superhighways”,there are often older,?　48　? heavily traveled roads which go through the countryside.?　49　? of these are good two lane roads; others are uneven roads ?　50　? through the country. These secondary routes may go up steep slopes, along hilly ?　51　? or down frightening hillsides to towns ?　52　? in deep valleys. Though these are less direct routes, longer and slower, they generally go to places ?　53　? the air is clear and the scenery is beautiful, and the driver may have a ?　54　? to get a fresh, clean ?　55　? of the world.

36. A. Although     B. Since  C. Because      D. Therefore

37. A. rough   B. splendid     C. smooth       D. complicated

38. A. little     B. few     C. much  D. many

39. A. selections     B. separations C. divisions    D. sections

40. A. terrible B. Possible     C. enjoyable   D. reasonable

41. A. to B. Into    C. over    D. by

42. A. lead     B. connect      C. collect D. provide

43. A. large    B. fast     C. light   D. heavy

44. A. when    B. for      C. but     D. that

45. A. yet       B. still     C. almost D. quite

46. A. unless   B. if C. as       D. since

47. A. relatively     B. regularly    C. reasonably  D. respectively

48. A. and      B. Less    C. more   D. or

49. A. All       B. Several      C. Lots    D. Some

50. A. driving B. crossing     C. curving      D. traveling

51. A. rocks    B. cliffs   C. roads  D. paths

52. A. lying    B. laying C. laid     D. lied

53. A. there    B. when  C. which D. where

54. A. space    B. period C. chance       D. spot

55. A. view    B. variety       C. visit    D. Virtue