阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, the favorite team in the four-man canoe race was the United States team. One member of that team was a young man by the name of Bill Havens.
As the time for the Olympics   36  it became clear that Bill’s wife would give birth to their first child about the time that the U.S. team would be   37  in the Paris games. In 1924 there were no jet airliners from Paris to the United States, only   38  ocean-going ships. And so Bill found himself in a   39 . Should he go to Paris and   40  not being at his wife’s side when their baby was born? Or should he   41  from the team and remain with his family?
Bill’s wife   42  that he go to Paris.   43 , competing in the Olympics was his life long   44 . But Bill felt   45 and, after much   46  searching decided to withdraw from the competition and remain home, where he could   47 his wife when the child arrived.
As it   48 , the United States four-man canoe team won the gold medal in Paris. And Bill’s wife was   49  in giving birth to their child. She was so late,   50 , that Bill could have competed in the event and returned home in time to be with her when she gave birth.
People said, “What a shame.” But Bill said he had no   51 . For the rest of his life, he believed he had made the   52  decision. Bill Havens knew what was most   53  to him. Not everybody figures that out. And he acted on what he believed was best.   54  everybody has the strength of character to say no to something he or she truly wants in order to say yes to something that truly   55 . But for Bill, it was the only way to peace; the only way to no regrets.

根据短文内容，从下框的A—F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余项。

1.   Paris, the capital and the largest city of the country, is in north central France. The Paris metropolitan area contains nearly 20% of the nation’s population and is the economic, cultural, and political center of France. The French government have historically favored the city as the site for all decision making, thus powerfully attracting nearly all of the nation’s activities.

2.   Paris has grown steadily since it was chosen as the national capital in the late 10th century. With the introduction of the Industrial Revolution, a great number of people moved to the city from the country during the 19th century. The migration was especially stimulated by the construction of railroads, which provided easy access to the capital. After World War II more and more immigrants arrived.

3.   The city is the centralized（中央集权） control point of most national radio and television broadcasting. It is a place of publication of the most prestigious(有威望的)newspapers and magazines and an international book publishing center. With more than 100 museums, Paris has truly one of the greatest concentrations of art treasures in the world. The Louvre, opened as a museum in 1793, is one of the largest museums in the world.

4.   In the late 1980s about 4.1 million pupils annually attended about 47,000 elementary schools. In addition, about 5.4 million students attended some 11,200 secondary schools. Approximately 1.2 million students were enrolled（录取） annually at universities and colleges in France in the late 1980s. French centers of learning have served as academic models throughout the world.

5.   Paris is the leading industrial center of France, with about one quarter of the nation’s manufacturing concentrated in the metropolitan area. Industries of consumers goods have always been drawn to Paris by the enormous market of the big population; and modern, high-technology industries also have become numerous since World War II. Chief manufactures are machinery, automobiles, chemicals and electrical equipment.

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of natural disasters over the past few years, and it is assumed that global warming and climate change could cause even more disasters in the future. Some of the world’s leading cities are facing disasters like floods and heat waves.

    London

    London’s flood defences are getting older. Since 1982, the Thames Barrier(水闸)has protected the city from the threat of flooding, but it was only designed to last until 2030 and close once every two or three years. About 26 years later the barrier now closes five or six times a year and according to Environment Agency predictions, by 2050 the barrier will be closed on almost every tide if the problem is not addressed.

    There are 26 underground stations, 400 schools, 16 hospitals, an airport and 80 billion worth of property in London’s flood risk area, so large scale flooding would be disastrous.

    Paris

    Over a six week period in July and August 2003, more than 1 1,400—mainly elderly people—died in France from dehydration(脱水)and extremely high body temperature in a deadly heat wave. Heat waves of similar intensity(强度)are expected every seven years by 2050, so what can be done to make sure such a disaster does not happen again?

    One solution is to have air-conditioners installed in elderly care homes. But this is considered a short-term solution, as the increase in demand for electricity also increases carbon emissions(排放).

 In Paris the local authorities are encouraging architects to design new types of buildings such as the building “Flower Tower,” which uses a covering of bamboo to act as a natural air-conditioner.

Shanghai

    Shanghai is the fastest growing city on Earth. It has a population of 18 million and is only 4 meters above sea level. Sea levels are predicted to rise by 20 cm within the next century.

    An estimated 250，000 people move to Shanghai every year in search of work, placing extra demands on energy consumption. China relies heavily on coal—fired power stations, but these emissions increase temperatures and, in turn, warmer seas increase the risk of typhoons.

1.What problem should be settled now in London?

A．How to protect the city’s property

B．Where to build its flood defences

C．How to use the Thames Barrier to protect the city

D．How to improve the function of the old flood defences

2.Which of the following measures can’t solve the heat wave disaster in Paris?

A．Putting up new types of buildings with a covering of bamboo

B．Having air-conditioners installed in elderly care homes

C．Forbidding the city to build“Flower Tower”

D．Encouraging architects to design new types of buildings

3.The major threats to Shanghai are           ．

A．increasing population and coal-fired power stations

B．rising sea levels and typhoons

C．extremely high temperature and rising sea levels

D．extra demands on energy consumption and typhoons

4.The purpose of the passage is       ．

A．to tell us how to protect the big cities

B．to give advice on how to defend natural disasters

C．to explain what causes flood and heat waves

D．to warn us of the increasing natural disasters in big cities

5.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Big Cities Facing Big Disasters

B．Big Disasters in the Future

C．The Increase of Natural Disasters

D．Solutions to Natural Disasters

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36-55各题所给的四个选项（A，B，C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

My father and I were standing at the top of a church tower. He 36 me to this place in a small Italian town not far from our home in Rome. I 37 why he did so.

“Look down, Elsa,” Father said to me. I looked down and 38 the square in the centre of the village and I saw many turning streets 39 to the square.

“ See, my dear. There is more than one 40 to the square. Life is like that. If you can’t get to the place 41 you want to go by one road, 42 another,” he said to me.

Now I 43 why I was there. My father wanted to tell me how to 44 and deal with the difficulties.

In the years that 45 I often remembered the lesson Fathere taught me. I knew where I wanted to go in 46 . I wanted to be a fashion 47 . And on the way to my first small success I found the road 48 . What could I do ? Accept the failure? Or use my imagination and wisdom to find another road to my 49 ?

I had come to Paris, the 50 of the world of fashion , with some clothes I 51 . But none of the famous fashion designers seemed 52 in them. Then one day I met a friend who was wearig a very beautiful sweater. It had a lovely and 53 stitch (针法).

“Did you knit that sweater ?” I asked her.

“No,”she answered. “ It was done by a woman here in Paris.”

“ What an interesting stitch !” I continued.

My friend had an 54 . “The woman’s name is Mrs Vidian    she learned the stitch in Armenia, her motherland.”

Suddenly a good idea 55 me. why not open my own house of fashion? Why not design, make and sell clothes? I would do it, and I would begin with a sweater.

根据文章内容，从方框A-F选项中，选出每一段的小题或能概括主题思想的最佳选项，选项中有一项为多余选项。
A. The Introduction of Paris
B. The Culture of Paris
C. The Population Growth in Paris
D. The Production of Paris
E. The Education in Paris
F. The Industries in Paris
【小题1】______________________
Paris, the capital and the largest city of the country, is in north central France. The Paris metropolitan area has nearly 20% of the nation’s population and is the economic, cultural, and political center of France. The French government have historically favored the city as the site for all decision making, thus powerfully attracting nearly all of the nation’s activities.
【小题2】____________________
Paris has grown steadily since it was chosen as the national capital in the late 10th century. With the introduction of the Industrial Revolution, a great number of people moved to the city from the country during the 19th century. The migration was especially stimulated by the construction of railroads, which provided easy access to the capital. After World War II more and more immigrants arrived.
【小题3】____________________
The city is the centralized（中央集权） control point of most national radio and television broadcasting. It is a place of publication of the most prestigious(有威望的)newspapers and magazines and an international book publishing center. With more than 100 museums, Paris has truly one of the greatest concentrations of art treasures in the world. The Louvre, opened as a museum in 1793, is one of the largest museums in the world.
【小题4】___________________
In the late 1980s about 4.1 million pupils annually attended about 47,000 elementary schools. In addition, about 5.4 million students attended some 11,200 secondary schools. Approximately 1.2 million students were enrolled（录取） annually at universities and colleges in France in the late 1980s. French centers of learning have served as academic models throughout the world.
【小题5】___________________
Paris is the leading industrial center of France, with about one quarter of the nation’s manufacturing concentrated in the metropolitan area. Industries of consumers goods have always been drawn to Paris by the enormous market of the big population; and modern, high-technology industries also have become numerous since World War II. Chief manufactures are machinery, automobiles, chemicals and electrical equipment.