― Doesn't this bus go to the park?
― ________.
  A. Yes, we do                  B. No, this is as far as we go
  C. You're welcome        D. I 'm very sorry

New archaeological discovers suggest that trade between Europe and Asia along the Silk Road probably began in some form many countries earlier than once thought. The findings, coupled with a widening range of scientific and historical research could add a fascinating new page to the epic of the Silk Road.

The farest and most surprising discovery is pieces of silk found in the hair of and Egyptian mummy from about 1000 BC, long before regular traffic on the Silk Road and at least one thousand years before silk was previously thought to be used in Egypt. Other research may extend human activity along this route back even further, perhaps a million years to the migration of human ancestors into eastern Asia.

The official origin of East-West commerce along the road is usually placed in the late 2^nd century BC which was the agent of the Chinese Emperor Wu-di returned from a dangerous secret mission（使命）across the desert into the remote high country of Central Asia. The agent, Zhang Qian, travelled as far as Afghanistan back knowledge of even more distant lands such as Persia, Syria and a place known as Lijion,. Histerents have called this one of the most important journeys in ancient times. His journey opened the way for what have been thought to be the first indirect contacts between the ancient world’s two superpowers, China and Rome. Chinese silk, first traded to central Asian tribes for war horses and to the Parthians of old Pet la lu exchange for acrobats and ostrich eggs, was soon finding its way through a network of merchants to the luxury markets in Rome.

But the new discoveries show that Chinese silk was apparently present in the West long before the Han emperor started organized trade over the Silk Road. The research could change thinking about the early history of world trade and provide insights into the mystery of just how and when Europe and the Mediterranean lands first became aware of the glorious culture at the other end of Eurasia.

72. The word “coupled” in the first paragraph could best be replaced by         .

A. produced       B. contributed      C. doubled        D. combined

73. The silk thread found in the hair of an Egyptian mummy suggests that          .

A. Egyptians had probably travelled to China to buy silk

B. trade along the Silk Road began earlier than once thought

C. historical research often achieves fascinating results

D. new light can now be thrown on ancient trading practices

74. Until recently most historians believed that trade along the Silk Road        .

A. originated in the 2^nd century BC

B. extended human migration into eastern Asia

C. began a million years ago

D. primarily benefited the Egyptians

75. Historians have always considered Zhang Qian’s mission important because they believe            .

A. be brought back knowledge of Rome to the emperor

B. be discovered the Silk Road

C. be helped establish East-West trade

I stood outside New York’s Madison Square Garden and just stared, almost speechless. I was a farm boy from County Kilkenny, a child who some thought would never walk, let alone go as far as I had in the world.

From the day I was born, there was a problem. The doctors at the Dublin hospital told my parents I had phocomelia, a deformity that affected both legs below the knee, which were outward and shorter than normal and each foot had just three toes.

Life was tough. I couldn’t stand, much less walk. I rarely, left the farmhouse---and then only in someone’s arms. Mam bundled me up whenever she took me to town, no matter the season.

“The world will see him when he can walk,” she told Dad. “And he will walk.”

Mam devoted herself to helping me. She tried everything to get me on my feet. When I was three, she and Dad took me to a clinic in Dublin.

A few weeks later we returned to Dublin with my artificial limbs (肢). Back home I practiced walking with my new limbs.

“There’s nothing anyone can do but you can’t,” Mam said. “You and I are going to walk through town.”

The next day Mam dressed me in my finest clothes. She wore a summer dress and fixed her hair and makeup. Dad drove us to the church. We stepped out of the car. Mam took my hand. “Hold your head up high, now, Ronan,” she said.

We walked 300 meters to the post office. It was the farthest I’d walked, and I was sweating from the effort. Then we left the post office and continued down the street, Mam’s eyes shining with a mother’s pride.

That night, back on our farm, I lay exhausted on my bed. It meant nothing, though, compared to what I’d done on my walk.

Then I began to pursue my dream of singing. And at every step Mam’s words came back to me—Ronan, you can do anything anyone else can do—and the faith she had in God, who would help me do it.

I’ve sung from the grandest stages in Europe, to music played by the world’s finest musicians. That night, I stood at the Madison Square Garden, with Mam’s words chiming in my ears. Then I began singing. I couldn’t feel the pulse of the music in my feet, but I felt it deep in my heart, the same place where Mam’s promise lived.

1.What was the problem with the author as a baby?

A. He was expected unable to walk.

B. He was born outward in character.

C. He had a problem with listening.

D. He was shorter than a normal baby.

2.The underlined word “deformity” in the second paragraph most probably means _______.

A. shortcoming        B. disadvantage        C. disability              D. delay

3.Why did Mam dress him and herself in finest clothes?

A. To hide their depressed feeling.

B. To indicate it an unusual day.

C. To show off their clothes.

D. To celebrate his successful operation.

4.From the story we may conclude that his mother was _______.

A. determined         B. stubborn       C. generous           D. distinguished

5.According to the writer, what mattered most in his success?

A. His consistent effort.                         B. His talent for music.

C. His countless failures.                      D. His mother’s promise.

It was late in the afternoon, and I was putting the final touch on a piece of writing that I was feeling pretty good about. I wanted to save it, but my cursor(光标) had frozen. I tried to shut the computer down, and it seized up altogether. Unsure of what else to do, I yanked (用力猛拉) the battery out.

Unfortunately, Windows had been in the midst of a crucial（紧要关头） undertaking. The next morning, when I turned my computer back on, it informed me that a file had been corrupted and Windows would not load. Then, it offered to repair itself by using the Windows Setup CD.

I opened the special drawer where I keep CDs. But no Windows CD in there. I was forced to call the computer company's Global Support Centre. My call was answered by a woman in some unnamed, far-off land. I find it annoying to make small talk with someone when I don't know what continent they're standing on. Suppose I were to comment on the beautiful weather we've been having when there was a monsoon(季风) at the other end of the phone? So I got right to the point.

"My computer is telling me a file is corrupted and it wants to fix itself, but I don't have the Windows Setup CD."

"So you're having a problem with your Windows Setup CD." She has apparently been dozing and, having come to just as the sentence ended, was attempting to cover for her inattention.

It quickly became clear that the woman was not a computer technician. Her job was to serve as a gatekeeper. Her only duty, as far as I could tell, was to raise global stress levels.

To make me disappear, the woman gave me the phone number for Windows' creator, Microsoft. This is like giving someone the phone number for, I don't know, North America. Besides, the CD worked; I just didn't have it. No matter how many times I repeated my story, we came back to the same place. She was calm and polite.

When my voice hit a certain decibel (分贝), I was passed along, like a hot, irritable potato, to a technician.

"You don't have the Windows Setup CD, ma'am, because you don't need it," he explained cheerfully.

"Windows came preinstalled on your computer!"

"But I do need it."

"Yes, but you don't have it." We went on like this for a while. Finally, he offered to walk me through the use of a different CD, one that would erase my entire system. "Of course, you'd lose all your e-mail, your documents, your photos." It was like offering to drop a safe on my head to cure my headache. "You might be able to recover them, but it would be expensive." He sounded delighted. "And it's not covered by the warranty (产品保证书)!"  The safe began to seem like a good idea, provided it was full.

I hung up the phone and drove my computer to a small, friendly repair place I'd heard about. A smart, helpful man dug out a Windows CD and told me it wouldn't be a problem. An hour later, he called to let me know it was ready. I thanked him, and we chatted about the weather, which was the same outside my window as it was outside his.

1.Why did the author shut down her computer abruptly?

A．She had saved what she had written.

B．She couldn't move the cursor.

C．The computer refused to work.

D．The computer offered to repair itself.

2.Which of the following is the author's opinion about the woman at the Global Support Centre?

A．She sounded helpful and knowledgeable.

B．She was there to make callers frustrated.

C．She was able to solve her computer problem.

D．She was quick to pass her along to a technician.

3.According to the passage, the solution offered by the technician was_________________.

A．effective          B．economical        C．unpractical        D．unsatisfied

4. "It was like offering to drop a safe on my head to cure my headache" in the last but one paragraph means that_____________________.

A．the technician's proposal would make things even worse

B．the technician's proposal could eventually solve the problem

C．files stored on her computer were like a safe

D．erasing the entire system was like curing a headache

5.It can be inferred from the passage that the differences between the Global Support Centre and the local repair shop lie in all the followings except ________________.

A．efficiency         B．location           C．setup CDs         D．attitude

If Mickey Mouse slips (滑倒)on a banana skin on TV, viewers laugh. But for ordinary people, falling is not   36  . For example, if you   37  over a stone or fall off your bike, you have to take days to get well. For   38  people, the result of a fall could be worse.

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh, USA, wanted to know why some people are   39  likely to fall than others.

The researchers found that   40  means more than planting your feet on the ground and standing tall. Your brain   41  your sense of balance with information from your eyes and inner ears and the   42  from your feet and legs. If something goes wrong with any of these, you’re   43   to fall. People   44  to fall more often as they grow older because their senses are slower.

State of mind is important too. The research shows that when people know they’re walking on a slippery surface, they   45  their pace and walk with flatter feet. As a result, they fall less often.

“We actually   46  people slip and fall,” researcher Mark Redfern said. People of different ages fall on   47  in his lab. Cameras   48  their falls and a computer analyzes the information. Scientists then can   49  people who fall often how to be more watchful.

“If they get   50  to a lifelike but controlled environment, people can   51  learn to handle the   52  thing,” Redfern said.

Falls happen to everyone sometimes.   53  you see someone fall, think about why and offer a helping   54  . This person’s painful experience may   55  you from falling at the same place.

A．unhappy B．exciting    C．amusing    D．foolish

A．drop      B．trip   C．knock       D．get

A．slow      B．young       C．old    D．active

A．too B．less   C．very  D．more

A．balance  B．control     C．fall    D．walk

A．remains  B．imagines   C．thinks       D．keeps

A．touching       B．feeling      C．walk  D．pace

A．likely     B．surely       C．possible    D．certain

A．refuse    B．mean C．tend  D．like

A．frighten       B．quicken    C．widen       D．slow

A. encourage B．make     C．stop   D．challenge

A．purpose       B．ground     C．accident    D．agreement

A．broadcast     B．record      C．play  D．catch

A．persuade      B．force C．practise     D．train

A．closed  B．informed  C．used  D．know

A．eventuallyB．firstly   C．regularly   D．mainly

A．uneasy B．real   C．creative    D．hard

A．Even if       B．While      C．As far as   D．Next time

A．hand    B．stick  C．word D．leg

A．warn    B．remind     C．prevent     D．defend