—What are you doing,Mum?

—I am______the carpet in order to get rid of the dust in it.

A.beating              B.hitting         C.striking              D.patting

Maybe you know the saying, “When you point one finger, there are three fingers pointing back to you.” One wise man had a version of this       when he said, “Don't focus on the dust in your brother's eye while       the dirt in your own eye.” Why do we do this? Because criticisms are always        ourselves. When we criticize others, we do not expose them, but expose ourselves. We       our own weakness and smallness.

A story in the old tales       the difference in wisdom between the good and the bad. Once a king        both Nelson and Dick. The king asks Nelson to go out into the kingdom and       after finding someone less qualified than himself. Then he asks Dick to go out into the kingdom and return after finding someone       than himself.

When Fool Dick returns, he tells the king that he couldn't find anyone better than himself.       Wise Nelson says that he was       to find anyone less qualified than himself on his return.

Moral of the story is something about human      . Good people always look at their own       and faults and consider themselves less qualified than others. Whereas bad people always look at the shortcomings and faults of others and       themselves more qualified than others.

1.A. problem                       B. wisdom                   C. idea                                   D. action

2.A. dropping                      B. holding                    C. ignoring                            D. neglecting

3.A. centered on                B. put up with             C. dealt with                         D. moved out

4.A. forget                            B. kill                                     C. broadcast                         D. express

5.A. cancels                         B. explains                            C. doubts                     D. illustrates

6.A. meets with                   B. questions about    C. worries about                 D. looks after

7.A. leave                    B. return                     C. wait                                   D. stay

8.A. better                           B. faster                                C. higher                     D. shorter

9.A. But                                 B. Although                          C. Moreover                        D. Therefore

10.A. happy                         B. quick                                 C. disabled                           D. unable

11.A. side                    B. life                                     C. thought                            D. psychology

12.A. shortcomings   B. excuses                            C. worries                   D. advantages

13.A. consider           B. take                                   C. have                                  D. keep

—What are you doing,Mum?

—I am______the carpet in order to get rid of the dust in it.

1. A.
   beating
2. B.
   hitting
3. C.
   striking
4. D.
   patting

Researchers in the United States say dust clouds from dry African deserts may be a threat to the environment and human health. They say the dust may contain many small organisms(有机物) that could be dangerous to some people.

Each year, huge dust storms form in the Sahara and Sahel deserts of northern Africa. Winds carry the dust across the Atlantic Ocean. The movement of dust across the Atlantic Ocean has been increasing in recent years because of longer periods without rain in Africa.

From February to April, the dust settles in South America. From June to October, the winds change and transport the dust to North America, Central America and the Caribbean(加勒比海地区). The dust clouds travel several thousand meters above sea level. It takes five to seven days for the dust to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Researchers have long known that the dust clouds could travel long distances. But they thought few microorganisms could survive the trip because of damaging ultraviolet radiation(紫外线) from the sun. Researchers now believe that the dust clouds block enough of the light to protect viruses, bacteria, and fungi in the dust.

Researchers say these microorganisms may be a health risk to some people. About half the bacteria and fungi that survive the trip from Africa are known to cause disease in people or plants.

More than half of the dust that reaches the United States settles in the state of Florida. For many years, it has caused the skies there to turn red. Now researchers say there may be a link between the dust storms and increased health risks in Florida. They believe the dust causes higher rates of asthma, allergies, and other breathing problems in people there. The dust also has been linked to a large increase in lung problems in at least one Caribbean nation.

58. Which statement about African dust storms is TRUE?

A. They form in the north of Africa and move eastwards.

B. They form in the north of Africa and move westwards.

C. They settle in South Africa from February to April.

D. It takes over a week for them to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

59. The worst thing about African dust storm is ______.

A. the heat they give off                              B. the distance they cover

C. the microorganisms they contain             D. the time they last

60. Which is NOT the effect of the dust in Florida?

A. For many years , the sky there turns red.

B. Health risks increase there.

C.The rates of breathing problems is higher there.

D.Half the bacteria and fungi survived there.

 Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

Big climate changes in the last million years might have come from something very small: dust from outer space.

   Earth changes between ice ages and warm periods in a(n) __1.__ that includes several cycles, including a __2._ one that lasts 100,000 years. Scientists __3.__suggested this cycle might be due to changes in the inflow of cosmic(????) dust.

   The idea is that Earth _4.__above and below the imaginary plane that runs through the sun and Jupiter(???), completing a cycle every 100,000 years. So maybe it encounters __5._varying amounts of dust during each cycle that produce the climate trend.

   Now there is some __6.__, from ancient cosmic dust recovered in ocean-floor drilling near the Azores islands west of Portugal. The large quantity of the dust rises and falls with a wonderful 100,000 year cycle during the period analyzed, 253,000 years to 458,000 years ago. Periods of more dust are related to__7.__ climates.

   But that is a long way from showing that the dust __8.__ climate. Some scientists argue that it is not clear how cosmic dust would make the climate warmer while dust from volcanoes is known to make it cooler. They say the cosmic dust is so thin that it is hard to see how it could have any climate__9.__.

   Nevertheless, the new study shows scientists have to take the cosmic dust idea seriously.