After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report: The damage and death toll(死亡人数)could have been much worse.

More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison, an earthquake of similar intensity(强度)that shook America in 1988 claimed 25, 000 victims.

Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4：31 a．m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the city's highways. In addition, changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city's buildings and highways, making them more resistant to quakes(抗震)．

Despite the good news, civil engineers aren't resting on their successes. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints(蓝图)for improved quake－resistant buildings. The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.

In the past, making structures quake－resistant meant firm yet flexible materials, such as steel and wood, which bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports. Called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake's vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.

The new smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes.

6．One reason why the loss of lives in the Log Angeles earthquake was comparatively low is that______.

A．new computers had been installed in the buildings

B．it occurred in the residential areas rather than on the highways

C．large numbers of Los Angeles residents had gone for a holiday

D．improvements had been made in the construction of buildings and highways

7．The function of the computer mentioned in the passage is to______.

A. counterbalance(起平衡作用)an earthquake's action on the building

B. predict(预测)the coming of an earthquake with accuracy

C. help strengthen the foundation of the building

D. measure the impact of an earthquake's vibrations

8．The smart buildings discussed in the passage________.

A. would cause serious financial problems

B. would be worthwhile though expensive

C. would reduce the complexity of architectural design

D. can reduce the ground vibrations caused by earthquakes

9．It can be inferred from the passage that in minimizing(使……最小)the damage caused by earthquakes, attention should be focused on________.

A．the increasing use of rubber and steel in capital construction

B．the development of flexible building materials

C．the reduction of the impact of ground vibrations

D．early forecasts of earthquakes

10．The author's main purpose in writing the passage is to________.

A．compare the consequences of the earthquakes that occurred in the US

B．encourage civil engineers to make more extensive use of computers

C．outline the history of the development of quake－resistant building materials

D．report new developments in constructing quake－resistant buildings

After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report: The damage and death toll（死亡人数）could have been much worse.

More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison, an earthquake of similar intensity（强度）that shook America in 1988 claimed 25 000 victims.

Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the city’s highways. In addition, changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city’s buildings and highways, making them more resistant to quakes（抗震）.

Despite the good news, civil engineers aren’t resting on their successes. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints（蓝图）for improved quake-resistant buildings. The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.

In the past, making structures quake-resistant meant firm yet flexible materials, such as steel and wood, which bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports. Called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake’s vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.

The mew smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes.

1. One reason why the loss of lives in the Log Angeles earthquake was comparatively low is that_______.

A. new computers had been installed in the buildings

B. it occurred in the residential areas rather than on the highways

C. large numbers of Los Angeles residents had gone for a holiday

D. improvements had been made in the construction of buildings and highways

2. The function of the computer mentioned in the passage is to_______.

A. counterbalance（起平衡作用）an earthquake’s action on the building

B. predict（预测）the coming of an earthquake with accuracy

C. help strengthen the foundation of the building

D. measure the impact of an earthquake’s vibrations

3. The smart buildings discussed in the passage________.

A. would cause serious financial problems

B. would be worthwhile though expensive

C. would reduce the complexity of architectural design

D. can reduce the ground vibrations caused by earthquakes

4. It can be inferred from the passage that in minimizing（使……最小）the damage caused by earthquakes, attention should be focused on_______.

A. the increasing use of rubber and steel in capital construction

B. the development of flexible building materials

C. the reduction of the impact of ground vibrations

D. early forecasts of earthquakes

5. The author’s main purpose in writing the passage is to_________.

A. compare the consequences of the earthquakes that occurred in the U.S

B. encourage civil engineers to make more extensive use of computers

C. outline the history of the development of quake-resistant building materials

D. report new developments in constructing quake-resistant buildings

More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison, an earthquake of similar intensity（强度）that shook America in 1988 claimed 25 000 victims.

Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the city’s highways. In addition, changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city’s buildings and highways, making them more resistant to quakes（抗震）.

Despite the good news, civil engineers aren’t resting on their successes. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints（蓝图）for improved quake-resistant buildings. The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.

In the past, making structures quake-resistant meant firm yet flexible materials, such as steel and wood, which bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports. Called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake’s vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.

The mew smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes.

1. One reason why the loss of lives in the Log Angeles earthquake was comparatively low is that_______.

A. new computers had been installed in the buildings

B. it occurred in the residential areas rather than on the highways

C. large numbers of Los Angeles residents had gone for a holiday

D. improvements had been made in the construction of buildings and highways

2. The function of the computer mentioned in the passage is to_______.

A. counterbalance（起平衡作用）an earthquake’s action on the building

B. predict（预测）the coming of an earthquake with accuracy

C. help strengthen the foundation of the building

D. measure the impact of an earthquake’s vibrations

3. The smart buildings discussed in the passage________.

A. would cause serious financial problems

B. would be worthwhile though expensive

C. would reduce the complexity of architectural design

D. can reduce the ground vibrations caused by earthquakes

4. It can be inferred from the passage that in minimizing（使……最小）the damage caused by earthquakes, attention should be focused on_______.

A. the increasing use of rubber and steel in capital construction

B. the development of flexible building materials

C. the reduction of the impact of ground vibrations

D. early forecasts of earthquakes

5. The author’s main purpose in writing the passage is to_________.

A. compare the consequences of the earthquakes that occurred in the U.S

B. encourage civil engineers to make more extensive use of computers

C. outline the history of the development of quake-resistant building materials

D. report new developments in constructing quake-resistant buildings

GUATEMALA CITY （Reuters） – A fish that lives in mangrove swamps（红树沼泽）across the Americas can live out of water for months at a time, similar to how animals adapted（适应）to land millions of years ago, a new study shows.  

The Magrove Rivulus, a type of small killifish, lives in small pools of water in a certain type of empty nut or even old beer cans in the mangrove swamps of Belize, the United States and Brazil. When their living place dries up, they live on the land in logs（圆木），said Scott Taylor, a researcher at the Brevard Endangered Lands Program in Florida.  

The fish, whose scientific name is Rivulus marmoratus, can grow as large as three inches. They group together in logs and breathe air through their skin until they can find water again.  

The new scientific discovery came after a trip to Belize.  

 “We kicked over a log and the fish just came crowding out,” Taylor told Reuters in neighboring Guatgemala by telephone. He said he will make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year.  

In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating.  

Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at time, while lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in an inactive state. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulus and remain active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at Canada’s University of Guelph.  

Further studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time.  

 “These animals live in conditions similar to those that existed millions of years ago, when animals began making the transition（过渡）from water onto land,” Wright said.  

1.The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that _______.  

A. likes eating nuts 

B. prefers living in dry places 

C. is the longest living fish on earth 

D. can stay alive for two months out of water 

2.Who will write up a report on Mangrove Rivulus? 

A. Patricia Wright        B. Researchers in Guatemala 

C. Scientists from Belize   D. Scott Taylor 

3.According to the text, lungfish can________ 

A. breathe through its skin 

B. move freely on dry land 

C. remain alive out of water 

D. be as active on land as in water 

4.What can we say about the discovery of Mangrove Rivulus? 

A. It was made quite by accident 

B. It was based on a lab test of sea life 

C. It was supported by an American magazine 

D. It was helped by Patricia Wright 

British potato farmers were taking to the streets to call for the expression "couch potato" to be taken away from the dictionary on the grounds that it harms the vegetable's image.
The British Potato Council wants the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) to replace the expression with the term "couch slouch", with protests planned outside parliament in London and the offices of Oxford University Press. Kathryn Race, head of marketing at the Council, which represents some 4,000 growers and processors, said the group had complained in writing to the OED but had yet to receive a response.
"We are trying to get rid of the image that potatoes are bad to you," she said Monday.
"The potato has had its knocks in the past. Of course it is not the Oxford English Dictionary's fault but we want to use another term than couch potato because potatoes are naturally healthy."
The OED says "couch potato" originated as American slang, meaning "a person who spends leisure time passively or idly sitting around, especially watching television or video tapes."
John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, said the dictionary first included the term “couch potato” in 1993 and said "dictionaries just reflect the words that society uses."
Simpson said words were never taken out of the full-length dictionary, which includes some 650,000 words contained in 20 volumes. But little-used words can be removed from the smaller dictionaries to make way for newer ones.
“If society stops using words, then they are taken out of the smaller dictionaries”, he added. “The first known recorded use of the expression ‘couch potato’ was in a 1979 Log Angeles Times article,” Simpson said.
Nigel Evans, a member of parliament for the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, has made a motion in support of the campaign, highlighting the nutritional value of the British potato.
1．British potato farmers were taking to the streets _____.
A．to advertise their production
B．to call for a higher price for t heir potatoes
C．to remove the expression “couch potato” from the dictionary
D．to let people know how important the potato is in people’s lives
2．The farmers think that_________.
A．potatoes have had a bad imagine       
B．potatoes are good for people by nature
C．potatoes sometimes do harm to people
D．it's the dictionary's fault to use the expression "couch potato"
3．John Simpson thinks that _________.
A．the expression can be taken out of every kind of dictionary
B．dictionaries do not necessarily reflect the words the society uses
C．little used words can remain in the smaller dictionaries
D．it is impossible to take the word out of the dictionary
4．What is wrong with the expression "couch potato"?
A．It is connected with unfavorable meaning．
B．Potato should be used in the expression． 
C．It is borrowed from American English．
D．It refers to a kind of person．