For thousands of years, man has enjoyed the taste of apples. Apples, which are about 85 percent water, grow almost everywhere in the world but the hottest and coldest areas (地区). Among the leading countries in apple production are China, France and the United States.

There are various kinds of apples, but a very few make up the majority of those grown for sale. The three most common kinds grown in the United States are Delicious, golden Delicious, and McIntosh.

　Apples are different in colour, size, and taste. The colour of the skin may be red, green, or yellow. They have various sizes, with Delicious apples being among the largest. The taste may be sweet or tart (酸的). Generally, sweet apples are eaten fresh while tart apples are used to make applesauce (苹果酱).

　Apple trees may grow as tall as twelve metres. They do best in areas that have very cold winters. Although no fruit is yielded during the winter, this cold period is good for the tree.

It can be learned from the text that Delicious apples are _______________

　 A. grown in France.　　 B. sold everywhere.

　 C. very big.　　　　　　  D. quite sweet.

Cold winter weather is good for _______________

　 A.the growth of apple trees.

　B. producing large apples.

　C. improving the taste of apples.

　 D. the increase of water in apples.

China, France and the United States are considered to _______________

　A. be large producers of apples.

　B. be large producers of applesauce.

　C. have the longest history in apple production.

　 D. have the coldest winter among apple producing countries.

The word yielded in the last sentence means _______________

　A. improved.　 B. increased.

　C. produced.　  D. sold.

　　Do you know insurance? Buying insurance is a 1 by which people can protect themselves 2 large losses. Protection against fire is one kind of insurance. Large numbers of people pay 3 sums of money to an insurance company. Although thousands of people have paid for fire insurance, only 4 will lose their homes by fire. The insurance company will pay for these homes out of the sums of money it has 5 .

　　The first modern fire insurance company was 6 in London, England, in 1666. A great fire had just 7 most of the city, and people wanted protection against 8 losses. The first company 9 rapidly. Soon other companies were founded in other areas.

　　Bemjamin Franklin helped form the first fire insurance company in America in 1752. He also 10 a new kind of insurance for 11 . The new insurance would offer protection against the loss of crops 12 storms.

　　In 1795, Benjamin Franklin helped start 13 new insurance company in America. This company, 14 offered life insurance, collected some money 15 from many different men. 16 a man died, his family was given a large sum of money. Today, this company is 17 in business.

　　Over the years, people have 18 from many new kinds of insurance when they have suffered from 19 accidents as car and plane crashes. 20 , almost everyone has some kind of insurance.

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Have you ever been to the beautiful country of Holland and its capital Amsterdam? Anyone who has traveled to Amsterdam would probably agree on one thing: Amsterdam’s story is a tale of two cities—one during the day and a completely different one at night.

　　During the day, the largest city in Holland sits quietly on the Amstel River. You can rent a bicycle, visit the Van Gogh or Anne Frank museum, or take a water taxi. But when the sun goes down, the partying begins. In the big clubs and in coffee shops, tourists gather to hang out, talk politics and smoke.

　　Several areas of the city clearly show the two worlds that rule Amsterdam. And they’re all within a short taxi ride of each other. For example, Dam Square attracts daytime sightseers to its festivals, open markets, concerts and other events. Several beautiful and very popular hotels can be found there. And there’s the Royal Palace and the Magna Plaza shopping mall.

But at night party-seekers come to the square. Hip hop or funk music is heard there. So if you come, be ready to dance. The clubs don’t close down until 4 am.

And while you’re there, check out the various inexpensive ways to tour the city. Don’t worry about getting lost. Although Dutch is the official language, most people in Amsterdam speak English and are happy to help you with directions. And you’ll notice that half the people in the streets are on bicycles they rent.

　　Amsterdam also has a well-planned canal system. For about 10 dollars, you can use the canal bus or a water taxi to cruise (巡游) the "Venice of the North".

　The city has a historic past. One impressive place to visit is the Anne Frank House on Nine Streets. It was there that the young Jewish girl wrote her famous diary during World War II. Visitors can view Anne’s original diary and climb behind the bookcase to the room where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years.

59. The following means of transport are available to visitors in Amsterdam EXCEPT __________.

A. a carriage.                B. a bicycle.                 C. a canal bus.                     D. a water taxi.

60. When getting lost, a visitor can ask natives for directions in           .

A. only Dutch             B. Dutch or English              C. only English          D. Spanish and English

61. What can you learn about by visiting the Anne Frank House?

A. The happy experience of a girl survivor.     B. The glorious past of Amsterdam.

C. The hard life of the Jewish in World WarⅡ.    D. The hobbies of the Dutch.

62. The passage is intended to           .

A. call up people’s memories of World WarⅡ    

B. tell readers what A Tale of Two Cities is about

C. instruct visitors what to do and see in Holland

D. offer readers some information about Amsterdam

Thousands of people have been killed in a massive(大规模的) earthquake in Japan. The quake -- the most powerful to hit Japan in more than 100 years -- caused massive damage and many people are missing and feared dead.

The 8.9 magnitude quake struck Friday(March 11) off Japan's eastern coast, and prompted(引发) tsunami warnings（海啸警报）across the Pacific as far away as South America and the U.S. West Coast. Several days after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake and resulting 10-meter-high tsunami devastated the coastline. The United States Geological Survey says it was the fifth largest earthquake since 1900. The largest, with a 9.5 magnitude, shook Chile(智利) in 1960.

　　In Japan, the tsunami swept away boats, cars and hundreds of houses in coastal areas north of Tokyo. The quake shook buildings in the Japanese capital and caused several fires. All train and subway traffic in Tokyo has been stopped, and thousands of people there were unable to get back home. People are just trying to find clean water. Food supplies are running out. In the convenience stores, there are no rice balls left. There is no bottled water left. People are facing a really serious situation in the days ahead for these people that are living in areas that were only moderately（普通的） damaged. The final death toll could range from the thousands to tens of thousands, depending on how many of these communities are gone.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the government would do everything it can to minimize（使降到最低） the effects of the disaster. And in Washington, President Obama said the United States is ready to help the people of Japan.

1.The underline word damage means_____________ in the article.

2.Which is true according to the passage?

3.According to the passage, which earthquake is the largest one since 1990 ?

4.If you're in Tokyo these days, what you can't get from the convenience store?

5.The passage can't be in/on __________.