Because earthquakes happen without warning, it’s important to take measures now to prepare. Because you don’t know where you will be when an earthquake happens, prepare some supplies for your home, workplace, and car.

　　1. Water

　　A person needs at least 1/2 gallon(加仑) of water daily just for drinking. Store at least 1 gallon of water per person per day and be prepared for a 72-hour period. It is suggested that you buy bottled water. Keep bottled water in its original container and do not open it until you need to use it. Also, do check the “use by” date.

　　2. Food

　　It’s always a practical idea to keep a supply of non-perishable(不易腐烂的) food on hand. Have an enough supply of canned food, powdered milk, dried fruits, non-salted nuts and canned juices for at least 72 hours.

　　3. Torch(手电筒) and spare batteries (电池)

　　Keep a torch beside your bed, at your place of work, and in your car. Do not use matches or candles after an earthquake until you are sure that no gas leaks(泄露).Prepare a battery-powered radio and spare batteries. Most telephones will be out of order, so radios will be your best source of information.

　　4. Clothes

　　If you live in a cold place, you must think about warmth. You might not have heat after an earthquake. Think about your clothing and bedding supplies.

1.Why should people prepare themselves for an earthquake?

   A. Because earthquakes can be known before they happen.

   B. Because earthquakes take place without warning.

   C. Because earthquakes usually take place in the neighborhood.

   D. Because it’s people’s daily work to prepare the earthquakes.

2.You should prepare all of the following except ______.

   A. powdered milk    B. fresh vegetables   C. dried fruits   D. canned juices

3.According to the article we know that ______.

   A. we need to prepare some supplies only at home

   B. a telephone is the most important prepared thing

   C. after earthquakes you’d better use torch first but not matches

   D. clothes are used to protect your head

4.If you live in a cold place, you should prepare _______.

    A. some warm clothes and bedding supplies       B. some hot water

C. some batteries                               D. some torches

Because earthquakes happen without warning, it’s important to take measures now to prepare. Because you don’t know where you will be when an earthquake happens, prepare some supplies for your home, workplace, and car.
　　1. Water
　　A person needs at least 1/2 gallon(加仑) of water daily just for drinking. Store at least 1 gallon of water per person per day and be prepared for a 72-hour period. It is suggested that you buy bottled water. Keep bottled water in its original container and do not open it until you need to use it. Also, do check the “use by” date.
　　2. Food
　　It’s always a practical idea to keep a supply of non-perishable(不易腐烂的) food on hand. Have an enough supply of canned food, powdered milk, dried fruits, non-salted nuts and canned juices for at least 72 hours.
　　3. Torch(手电筒) and spare batteries (电池)
　　Keep a torch beside your bed, at your place of work, and in your car. Do not use matches or candles after an earthquake until you are sure that no gas leaks(泄露).Prepare a battery-powered radio and spare batteries. Most telephones will be out of order, so radios will be your best source of information.
　　4. Clothes
　　If you live in a cold place, you must think about warmth. You might not have heat after an earthquake. Think about your clothing and bedding supplies.
【小题1】Why should people prepare themselves for an earthquake?

A Battery’s Worst Nightmare(噩梦)

     Portable electronics that can be carried about easily are only as good as their batteries and, let’s face it, batteries aren’t very good, especially when compared with, say, petrol, which packs 100 times a battery’s energy into an equal space. That’s why a large group of mechanical engineers (centered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but with partners at other universities and companies) are hard at work in an effort to replace batteries with a tiny engine that runs on fuel. Imagine a battery-free life!When the fuel runs out in your laptop or mobile phone, you just fill up and go.

    The engine, about the size of a ten-cent coin, starts with a combustion chamber (燃烧室) that burns hydrogen (氢). Its tiny parts are etched onto silicon wafers (硅片) in the same manner that computer parts are imprinted onto integrated circuits (集成电路). The first engine is made up of five wafers. And since these wafers could be produced in much the same way as computer chips, they could probably be produced quite cheaply.

     But the devil in all this nice detail is efficiency(效率). Tiny engine parts don’t always behave like their scaled-up parts of the first engine. Something between the parts can slow down the work, according to Columbia University professor Luc Frechette, one of the engine’s designers. Extreme heat from the combustion chamber is also a problem, often leaking to other parts of the engine.

    The scientists’ goal is to create an engine that will operate 10 times better than batteries do. Frechette says that a complete system, with all parts in place and working, will be set up in the next couple of years, but commercial models aren’t available until at least the end of the next ten years. 

1..

. According to the passage, the title suggests that ________.

    A. batteries should be greatly improved           B. petrol will be used instead of batteries

    C. the time of batteries will be gone forever    D. pollution caused by batteries must be prevented

2..

 What’s the meaning of the underlined word “devil” (In Paragraph 3)?

     A. Problem.　           B. Advantage.　        C. Invention.　                 D. Technique.

3..

 What can we infer from the passage?

A. The new invention doesn’t need any fuel. 

B. The new engine has been produced in quantity.

    C. The new invention is much cheaper than the battery.

    D. The new engine needs to be improved before it’s on sale.

4..

. What is the main purpose of this passage?

    A. To introduce a new invention to readers.        B. To persuade readers not to use batteries.

    C. To show us how the new invention works. 　　D. To declare when the engine will be on sale.

There are little cars that may some day take the place of today’s automobiles(汽车). If everyone drives such a little car in the future, there will be less pollution in the air, there will be more parking space in cities, and the streets will be less crowded. The space now for one car of the usual size can hold at least three such little cars.

The little cars will cost much less to own and to drive. Driving will be safer, too, as these little cars can go only 65 kilometers an hour.

The cars of the future will be fine for going around the city, but they will not be useful for going far away. If the car is powered by electricity, it will have two batteries—one battery for the motor and the other for the horn (喇叭), signals (信号灯), etc. Little cars which are powered by gas will go 45 kilometers before needing to stop for more gas.

If big cars are still used along with the small ones, two sets of roads will be needed to set up in the future. Some roads will be used for the big, fast cars, and other roads will be needed for the small, slower ones.

1. What’s the advantage (优势) of the small cars?

A. There won’t be so much pollution and the small cars won’t be so expensive as the big ones.

B. It will be safer to drive these small cars.

C. There will be more space for cars to park.

D. All of the above.

2. Two sets of roads are necessary in the future in order to 　　 .

A. prevent car accidents

B. make the city more beautiful

C. let small cars run fast

D. limit the speed of the cars

3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. A car of the usual size now is three times as big as the small car.

B. The small car with a speed of 65 kilometers an hour is much more useless than a car of the usual size.

C. the little car will be safer but cost more.

D. The little car will need more gas.

4. The best title for this passage should be 　　 .

A. Big Cars and Small Cars

B. How to Drive Small Cars

C. Cars for Tomorrow

D. Cars for Everyone