Though Jack has failed twice in _____ PE test, he decided to have _____ third try.

A. the; the                     B. a; the                    C. a; a                    D. the; a

Somali pirates(海盗) robbed three Thai fishing ships with 77 sailors on board nearly l，200 Miles off the Somali coast，the farthest-off-shore attack to date，an officer said Tuesday.

Pirates have gone farther south and east in answer to increased patrols(巡逻)by warships off the Somali shore. The robbing of the three ships Sunday was about 600 miles outside the normal operation area for the international force，said a spokesman．

The spokesman said the attack so far out at sea was a clear sign that the international patrols against pirates were having a “marked effect on pirate activity in the area”．

“Once they start attacking that far out，you’re not even really talking about the Somali basin or areas of water that have any connection with Somalia,” said an officer，Roger Middleton．“Once you’re that far out，it's just the Indian Ocean，and it means you’re looking at trade going from the Gulf to Asia，from Asia to South Africa.”

  "This is the farthest robbing to date．They are now operating near the Maldives and India,”said another officer．

  The three ships--the MV Prantalay l l，12，and l 4—had 77 members on board in total．All of them are Thai, the spokesman said．Before the Sunday robbing，pirates held l l ships and 228 sailors．

Pirates have increased attacks over the past year in hopes。f catching more dollar payments. Because of increased patrols and defenses on board ships，the success rate(率)has gone down，though the number of successful attacks has stayed the same year over year.

1.The pirate attack reported in the text happened____________．

A．far out in the Indian Ocean

 B．in the normal patrol area

C．near the Somali, coast

D．in the south of Africa

2．According to the text, which can best describe the situation of the pirate problems?

A．More goods on board are lost.

B．Pirate attacks happen in a larger area now.

C．The number of attacks has stayed the same these years.

D．Pirate attacks are as serious as before along the Somali coast.

3．Which is true about the warship patrols according to the text?

A．The patrols are of little effect.

B．The patrols are more difficult.

C．More patrols are quite necessary even in Asia.

D．The patrols only drive the pirates to other areas.

4．How many sailors were held by the pirates up to the time of the report?

A．228.             B．77.              C．383.             D．305.

From early times, man has been interested in art. People have often worked together to collect and save the world’s art treasures.

Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre (卢浮宫) in Paris, France. The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries.

The Louvre has not always been a museum. The first building was a fort (要塞)with high walls and a round tower. It had a moat (护城河) to keep out the enemies. Over the years, the number of buildings around the fort grew. By 1350,the fort was no longer needed and became a palace home for French kings and queens.

 During times of peace, new treasures were brought in. During times of war, many treasures were stolen, and the buildings were damaged(毁损).

When Francis I became King of France in the year of 1515,he brought in artists from many countries, and one of them was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy, whose Mona Lisa is the best-known painting in the museum today.

 In 1793, the Louvre became a public museum, just as it is now. It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy.

1.The above passage is about        

A. the world-famous painting Mona Lisa  

B. a king of France by the name of Francis I

C. a grand art museum in the capital of France 

D. an artist named Leonardo da Vinci

2.It seems to be necessary for great art works to be kept in public museum because     .

A. only in this way will they not be stolen     

B. it gives everyone a chance to enjoy them

C. it helps people to remember the life of French kings and queens

D. it tells people what meaningful work the French kings did in the past

3.The Louver became an art museum         

A. in the year of 1350                

B. in 1515 when Francis I became King of France   

C. in the seventeenth century            

D. in the nineties of the eighteenth century

4.Though the story does not say so, it makes you think         

A. lots of people pay visits to the Louvre

B. Leonardo da Vinci was once the keeper of the museum

C. the Louvre was only open to the artists from other countries

D. the Louvre became a public museum at the beginning of the last century 

Recent studies have shown that most US graduates receive cash as gifts, though the amount received ______ from person to person．

         A．prefers        B．promotes            C．varies                 D．suffers

Mr. and Mrs. White are determined to give their children ____ first-rate education, though they are both out of ____ work now.

A．a, the                     B．the, the       C．a, /                D．the, /