-- How long do you think it will be ____ the USA recovers from the losses of the financial crisis?

   -- Perhaps four or five years.

  A. when      B. since       C. that       D. before

--How long do you think it will be _________ China sends a manned spaceship to the moon?

   -- Perhaps two or three years.

  A. when          B. until           C. that          D. before

E
Some recent reports on the death penalty have brought some interesting responses from
readers all over the country. Although I really don’t like to make fun of people who oppose the
death penalty because they are so sincere, I wish they would come up with some new arguments to
replace the worn-out ones.
For example, many said something like this : “Wouldn’t it be better to keep the killers alive so
psychiatrists（精神科医生）can study them in order to find out what makes them the way they are?”
It takes the average psychiatrist about five years to figure why a guy wants to stop for two drinks after work and won’t quit smoking. So how long do you think it will take him to determine why somebody with an IQ of 92 decided to murder the little old lady who lives next door? Besides, we have a huge number of killers in our prisons—more than enough to keep all the nation’s psychiatrists busy for the next 20 years.
Another standard is: “The purpose of the law should be to protect society, not to give cruel punishment, such as the death penalty.”
In that case ,we should tear down all the prisons and let all the criminals go because most people would consider a long period in prison to be cruel punishment--especially those who are locked up. Even 30 days in the Cook County Prison is no picnic.
And: “What gives society the right to take a life if an individual can’t?” The individuals who make up society give it that right. Societies perform many functions that individuals can’t. We can’t carry guns and shoot people, but we give that right to police.
Words can not explain the suffering the families of murder victim are left to live with. The families suffer a terrible loss, and they live with terrible memories. The knowledge that the killers are alive and will probably remain alive and cared for you by society is extremely painful. Probably, people who oppose the death penalty should try explaining to these people how cruel it is to kill someone.
72．What’s the writer’s attitude towards death penalty?
A．Death penalty is a must.
B．Death penalty doesn’t solve all the problems.
C．Death penalty should be practiced more carefully.
D．Death penalty should only be used on murderers.
73．How many arguments against death penalty are discussed in the passage?
A．Two  B．Three       C．Four  D．Five
74．What does the last sentence of the text suggest?
A．It’s cruel to use death penalty to kill someone.
B．Murder victims need more comfort from the society.
C．Opponents of death penalty should offer explanations.
D．Murderers should be put to death as the punishment.
75．The author develops the passage by         .
A．providing typical examples of death penalty
B．following the natural time order
C．presenting and analyzing ideas
D．comparing opinions from different fields

How long do you think it will be ______ the Chinese people land on the moon?

The morning had been a disaster.My tooth was aching，and I’d been in an argument with a friend.Her words still hurt：“The trouble with you is that you won’t put yourself in my place.Can’t you see things from my point of view？” I shook my head stubbornly—and felt the ache in my tooth.I’d thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday，but the pain was really unbearable.I started calling the dentists in the phone book，but no one could see me immediately.Finally，at about lunchtime，I got lucky.

“If you come by right now，” the receptionist said，“the dentist will fit you in.”

I took my purse and keys and rushed to my car.But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist.What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice？Why wasn’t he as busy as the others?

In the dentist’s office，I sat down and looked around.I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried.The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my ice?cold one.

When I told her my fears，she laughed and said，“Don’t worry.The dentist is very good.”

“How long do I have to wait for him？” I asked impatiently.

“Come on，he is coming.Just lie down and relax.And enjoy the artwork，” the assistant said.

“The artwork？” I was puzzled.

The chair went back.Suddenly I smiled.There was a beautiful picture，right where I could enjoy it：on the ceiling.How considerate the dentist was！At that moment，I began to understand what my friend meant by her words.

What a relief！(2013·重庆，A)

1.Which of the following best describes the author’s feeling that morning?

A．Cheerful.? B．Nervous.

C．Satisfied.? D．Upset.

2.What made the author begin to doubt about the dentist?

A．The dentist’s agreeing to treat her at very short notice.

B．The dentist’s being as busy as the other dentists.

C．The surroundings of the dentist’s office.

D．The laughing assistant of the dentist.

3. Why did the author suddenly smile?

A．Because the dentist came at last.

B．Because she saw a picture on the ceiling.

C．Because she could relax in the chair.

D．Because the assistant kept comforting her.

4. What did the author learn from her experience most probably?

A．Strike while the iron is hot.

B．Have a good word for one’s friend.

C．Put oneself in other’s shoes.

D．A friend in need is a friend indeed.