10,000 dollars is a large sum of money，but it is still ______than we need for a new house

A．very few    B．very little       C．far fewer       D．far less

10,000 dollars is a large sum of money，but it is still ______than we need for a new house

A．very few    B．very little       C．far fewer       D．far less

10,000 dollars is a lot of money，but it is still ______than we need for a new school.

A．very few            B．very little       C．far fewer          D．far less

B

Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids (小行星) now，one might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it，say some scientists.?

   Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids(流星)that race across the night sky. Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don't threaten us. But there are also thousands whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth.?

   Buy $ 50 million worth of new telescopes right now. Then spend $ 10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks. By the time we spot a fatal one，the scientists say，we'll have a way to change its course.?

   Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons. But the cost wouldn't be cheap.?

  Is it worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are: 1) How likely the event is; and 2) How bad the consequences if the event occurs. Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500，000 years. Sounds pretty rare-but if one did fall，it would be the end of the world. “If we don't take care of these big asteroids，they'll take care of us，”says one scientist. “It's that simple.”?

   The cure，though，might be worse than the disease. Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth? “The world has less to fear from doomsday(毁灭性的) rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them，” said a New York Times article.

1. What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroids?

  [ A ]. They are heavenly bodies different in composition.

  [ B ].They are heavenly bodies similar in nature.

  [ C ].There are more asteroids than meteoroids.

  [ D ].Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids.

2. We can conclude from the passage that_____ .

  [ A ].while pushing asteroids off course nuclear weapons would destroy the world

  [ B ].asteroids racing across the night sky are likely to hit Earth in the near future

  [ C ].the worry about asteroids can be left to future generations since it is unlikely to happen in our lifetime

  [ D ].workable solutions still have to be found to prevent a collision of asteroids with Earth.

3. Which of the following best describes the author's tone in this pass age?

  [ A ]. Optimistic.  [ B ]. Critical.  [ C ]. Objective.  [ D ]. Arbitrary.

B

More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple. The fruits that made it to the UK were green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within. Then in 1996, the Del Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves.

       The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green. It was slightly softer on the outside and had a lot of juice inside. But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known. In no time, the Del Monte Gold took the market by storm, rapidly becoming the world’s best-selling pineapple variety, and delivering natural levels of sweetness in the mouth, up until then only found in tinned pineapple.

       In nutrition(营养) it was all good news too. This nice-tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C(维生素C) than the old green variety. Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins, but also good against some diseases. People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit. The new type of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.

       Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep the market to itself. But other fruit companies developed similar pineapples. Del Monte turned to law for help, but failed. Those companies argued successfully that Del Monte’s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock them out of the market.

We learn from the text that the new type of pineapple is ______.

   A. green outside and sweet inside         B. good-looking outside and soft inside

   C. yellowy-gold outside and hard inside    D. a little soft outside and sweet inside

Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?

   A. It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.    B. It was less sweet and good for health.

   C. It was developed by Del Monte.         D. It was used as medicine.

The underlined word “fixture” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something ______.

   A. that people enjoy eating             B. that is always present

   CV. that is difficult to get                     D. that people use as a gift

We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte ______.

   A. allowed other companies to develop pineapples

 B. succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself

   C. tried hard to control the pineapple market

   D. planned to help the other companies