B

Pingyao, located (坐落于) in the center of Shanxi Province, is a famous historic cultural city of China and a world cultural heritage (遗产) site. It is 90 kilometers south of Taiyuan on the Fen River.

People lived in Pingyao during the New Stone Age. Its long period as a county government seat (县衙) has left Pingyao with lots of historic buildings and sites, with a 2,700-year history. Ninety-nine of them are under government protection, including Zhengguo Temple, Shuanglin Temple and Pingyao Ancient City.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, businessmen organized commercial (商业的) groups that did business nationwide. Shanxi Province had some of the most important ones and Pingyao was their center. In 1823, a store, known as Rishengchang (Sunrise Prosperity), traded in bank checks (支票) rather than in silver or gold coins. It was the beginning of modern Chinese banking. Branch (分支) banks were soon set up in major cities in China and other parts of Asia, leading to great development in Pingyao. Its lacquer ware (漆器) became well known as well.

In Pingyao Ancient City are many traditional houses and commercial buildings, 3,797 of which are protected and more than 400 of which are in good condition. Not only do the houses in Pingyao show Shanxi’s history and culture, but this large number is valuable for studying its history, customs, ancient buildings and art. Most of these houses are still used as homes and shops of local people.

In 1997, Ancient Pingyao City was listed in World Heritage List as “World Culture Heritage Site”(世界文化遗产).

1.What does the underlined word “them” (in Paragraph 2) refer to?

2. Which of the following about Pingyao is NOT mentioned in the passage?

3.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Pingyao was a leading center in _____.

4.If you want to know about the history of banking in China, which of the following places should you visit?

Why do people play football? It’s a(n)  __16__ game and it’s dangerous too. Twenty-two men fight __17__ ninety minutes to make  __18__ many goals as they can. They get __19__ black eyes and broken bones than they do for points. Football players must be mad. And __20__ do people watch football? They __21__ be mad too. They certainly __22__ and scream like __23__. I’m afraid __24__ near a football field when they are playing a game. The crowds are __25__.

I’d __26__ stay at home and watch TV. But what happens when I turn it   __27__ ? They are showing a football game. So I turn on the radio. What do I __28__? The __29__ football scores. And what do I see when I open a newspaper? Pictures of football players, interview with __30__ players, and scores of football games.

　1.A. stupid        B. funny         C. exciting             D. wonderful

　2. A. for            B. by             C. in                  D. against 

　3. A. so             B. to             C. as                  D. very 

　4. A. much               B. many              C. most                D. more 

  5. A. why       B. when            C. where              D. which

  6. A. mustn’t      B. must         C. can’t                D. can

　7.  A. cry           B. laugh               C. run                  D. shout 

　8.  A. gentlemen        B. ladies              C. madmen           D. madams 

  9.  A. of going      B. for going   C. going              D. to be going 

　10.A. angry       B. dangerous  C. sad                   D. tired 

　11. A. rather        B. better               C. like               D. fairly 

　12. A. off            B. down               C. up                  D. on 

　13.A. listen               B. listen to     C. hear                D. hear of 

　14.A. late           B. latest         C. later                D. lately 

　15.A.  basketball   B. volleyball    C. tennis            D. football

Many people like the feeling of the gentle wind in spring. Many like to see the falling leaves dancing in the wind in autumn. But sometimes, when the wind becomes a storm, it can be very destructive (毁灭性的).

A series of such storms struck the US last month and caused very serious damage and human pain.

Every year, major storms cause many problems around the world. There is nothing people can do to stop these powerful forces of nature. But new techniques are helping scientists to predict how, when, and where big storms will happen. The more exact scientists’ warnings are, the better people can prepare for the storms.

Predictions are improving. “We’ve gotten better over the years, especially the last few years,” says Phil Klotzback, a scientist at an American university. How is a storm formed? Even if scientists know where a storm will happen, winds can suddenly change, carrying the storm to a new direction. “For a hurricane to happen, conditions have to be just right,” Klotzback says.

    First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it evaporates and rises into the air. As it rises, the air containing drops of water cools and turns back into liquid. This process gives off heat. This produces energy like an engine that causes winds to increase. It drives the formation of a hurricane.

If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a “ tropical storm”, and it gets a name. At 75 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane. Hurricanes that hit the US start when a thunderstorm forms off the coast Africa. Storms also develop over tropical waters in other parts of the world.

On average, 60 or 70 storms form off Africa every year. About 10 of them get names. There are usually about six hurricanes. Two tend to be very big, with winds of 115 miles per hour or a bit higher.

The hurricane season lasts from June to November. Ninety percent of all hurricanes hit in August, September and October.

According to the text, hurricanes usually ________.

 A. form off the coast of Africa and America

 B. hit parts of the world in summer and autumn

 C. cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea

 D. strike the US but cause no damage

The underlined word “evaporates” (in Paragraph 5) probably means “________”

   A. begins to move      B. gets lost      C. becomes hot   D. changes into a gas

Which of the following about the information of a hurricane is the correct order?

   a. The ocean water evaporates and goes into the air.

   b. Heat creates energy and causes winds to increase.

   c. The vapor cools.                        

d. The ocean water is warm enough.

   e. The vapor changes back into liquid.       

f. This course gives out heat.

   A. a, d, e, b, c, f       B. a, b, c, f, d, e      C. d, a, c, e, f, b     D. d, a, b, c, e, f

The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place．Now it is an ecological disaster area．Nauru's heartbreaking story could have one good consequence-other countries might learn from its mistakes．

For thousands of years，Polynesian people lived in the remote island of Nauru，far from western civilization．The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798．He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship．He called the island Pleasant Island．

However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first．The whaling ships and other traders began to visit，bringing guns and alcohol．These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island．A ten-year civil war started，which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.

Nauru's real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate(磷酸盐)on the island．In fact，it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate，which was a very important fertilizer for farming．The company began mining the phosphate．

A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground；it is a strip mine．When a company strip-mines，it removes the to player of soil．Then it takes away the material it wants．Strip mining totally destroys the land．Gradually, the lovely island or Nauru started to look like the moon．

In 1968，Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world．Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate．

Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars．In addition，they used millions more dollars for personal expenses．Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem—their phosphate was running out．Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing．By 2000，Nauru was financially ruined．Experts say that it would take approximately$433，600，000 and more than 20 years to repair the island．This will probably never happen．

1.What might be the author's purpose in writing the text?

A．To seek help for Nauru's problems．

B．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war．

C．To show the importance of money

D．To give a warning to other countries

2.What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?

APeaceful and attractive       B．Modern and open

C．Rich and powerful            D．Greedy and aggressive

3.The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from

A．soil pollution                           B．phosphate overmining

C．farming activity                         D．whale hunting

4.Which of the following was a cause of Nauru's financial problem?

A．Its phosphate mining cost much money

B．It spent too much repairing the island

C．Its leaders misused the money

D．It lost millions of dollars in the civil war.

5.What can we learn about Nauru from me last paragraph?

A．The leaders will take the experts' words seriously

B．The ecological damage is difficult to repair.

C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans

D．The phosphate mines were destroyed

Many people like the feeling of the gentle wind in spring. Many like to see the falling leaves dancing in the wind in autumn. But sometimes, when the wind becomes a storm, it can be very destructive(具有破坏性的).

   A series of such storms struck the US last month and caused very serious damage and human pain.

Every year, major storms cause many problems around the world. There is nothing people can do to stop these powerful forces of nature. But new techniques are helping scientists to predict(预测) how, when, and where big storms will happen. The more exact scientists’ warnings are, the better people can prepare for the storms.

Predictions are improving. “We’re gotten better over the years, especially the last few years,” says Phil Klotzbach, a scientist at an American university. How is a storm formed? Even if scientists know where a storm will happen, winds can suddenly change, carrying the storm to a new direction. “For a hurricane to happen, conditions have to be just right, ” Klotzbach says.

First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it evaporates and rises into the air. As it rises, the vapor（水蒸气）cools and turns back into liquid. This process gives off heat. This produces energy like an engine that causes winds to increase. It drives the formation(形成) of a hurricane.

If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a “tropical storm”(热带风暴), and it gets a name. At 75 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane.

Hurricanes that hit the US start when a thunderstorm forms off the coast of Africa. Storms also develop over tropical waters in other parts of the world.

On average, 60 or 70 storms form off Africa every year. About 10 of them get names. There are usually about six hurricanes. Two tend to be very big, with winds of 115 miles per hour or higher.

The hurricane season lasts from June to November. Ninety percent of all hurricanes hit in August, September, and October.

49. According to the passage, hurricanes usually ____.

A. form off the coast of Africa and America

B. travel at 40 miles per hour and get its name

C. cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea

D. hit parts of the world in summer and autumn

50. The underlined word “evaporates” probably means “____”.

A. begins to move    B. gets lost    C. becomes hot      D. changes into gas

51. Which of the following about the information of a hurricane is the correct order?

a. The ocean water evaporates and goes into the air.

 b. Heat creates energy and causes winds to increase.

 c. The vapor cools.

 d. The ocean water is warm enough.

 e. The vapor changes back into liquid.

 f. This course gives out heat.

A.a, d, e, b, c, f     B.a, b, c, f, d, e  C.d, a, c, e, f, b    D.d, a, b, c, e, f

52. According to the passage, the speed of the biggest two hurricanes reaches ____.

A.115 miles per hour                 B.110 miles per hour

C.75 miles per hour                  D.95 miles per hour