In July 1994 Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, was struck by 21 pieces of a comet. When the fragments landed in the southern part of the giant planet, the explosions were watched by scientists here on earth. But what if our own planet was hit by a comet?

    The year is 2094. I t has been announced that a comet is heading towards the earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two fragments will probably hit the southern part of the Earth. The news has caused panic.

    On 17 July, a fragment four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere with a huge explosion. About half of the fragment is destroyed. But the major part survives and hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and an enormous wave is created and spreads. The wall of water rushers towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned. The wave moves into the Indian Ocean and heads towards Asia.

    Millions of people are already dead in the southern part of the Earth, but the north won’t escape for long. Tons of broken pieces are thrown into the atmosphere by the explosions. As the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later civilization has collapsed. No more than 10 million people have survived.

    Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a space fragment. The dinosaurs couldn’t survive in the cold climate that followed and they became extinct. Will we meet the same end?

1．In which of the following sentences does the word “fragment” have the closest meaning in the underlined sentence in paragraph 1 ?

    A．I overheard fragments of their conversation.

    B．There are extant fragments of an old manuscript.

    C．She dropped the bowl on the floor and it broke into fragments.

    D．This play contains the fragment of a play by a famous writer.

2．Which of the following is not true according to the author’s description of the disaster in 2094?

    A．The whole world becomes extremely cold.

    B．All the coastal cities in Africa are destroyed.

    C．The whole mankind becomes extinct.

    D．The visit of the comet results in wars.

3．Why does the author mention dinosaurs at the end of the passage?

    A．Because they could only live in the warm climate.

    B．Because they once dominated the earth.

    C．Because their extinction indicates future disasters.

    D．Because dinosaurs and humans never live in the same age.

4．In writing the passage, the author intends to _______.

    A．give an accurate description of the possible disaster in the future

    B．prove that humans will sooner or later be destroyed

    C．tell the historical development of the Earth

    D．warn of a possible disaster in the future

阅读下面的短文，并根据短文后的要求答题（共5小题；每题3分，满分15分）

（1）Around 15 million of us will leave a cup of tea to go cold today while a similar amount will forget where they put the keys to their house or car. Meanwhile, 12 million people will go to the shops only to completely forget what they went for according to research carried out by the National-Lottery.co.uk.

(2) Passwords and chores such as taking food out of the freezer the night before and charging the mobile phone also featured highly on the list. And more than one in ten admits forgetting to buy a lottery ticket which may have cost them a win.

(3) The study also found men are more likely to ___________, even though women generally have more to remember. Busy modern lifestyle, increased workloads and pressures as well as modern technology were to blame for the increase in our levels of forgetfulness.

(4) A National Lottery spokesman said, “The British are more hectic than ever in their work and personal lives and it seems we just have too much to remember for our crowded minds.”

(5) The study found that the technology boom has also played a part, leaving us with more devices than ever before to plug in and charge or take care of.

(6) Despite work pressures it is within the home environment where most things are forgotten, such as credit card payments, children’s school events or food related things.

(7) The study found one in four people have missed an important appointment and nearly one in five have fallen out with a friend over a forgotten date or event. The research also found that despite the number of things people forget only one in four people actually admit to being forgetful.

(8) Women performed much better than men in the report, failing to recall an average of 2.5 things every day compared to 3.5 things for men.

List at least three things that people often forget based on the passage.(within 15 words)

(1) _______________________________________________________________

(2)________________________________________________________________

(3)_______________________________________________________________

Fill in the blank in Paragraph 3 with proper words. (within 5 words)

___________________________________________________________________

Which sentence in this passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?

The researchers discovered that only a quarter of people acknowledge that they have a bad memory even though they forget to do lots of things.

_____________________________________________________________________

What would be the best title for the passage?(within 10 words)

_____________________________________________________________________

Translate the underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 into Chinese.

______________________________________________________________________

My most memorable and best experiences will stay in my mind for many years to come．For most people, horses are just animals, smelly beasts that should only be used for racing, for money．Ever since I was only a few years old, horses have been my passion．My dream was to ride a horse．When that time finally approached my anxious little life, my heart beat a thousand times a minute．

It was a warm summer day in Odessa, Ukraine, and we were at a park．My mom was buying several things for home while I wandered around to find something that made my eyes twinkle．I spotted a figure from heaven: a four-legged beautiful animal was standing down the block, breathing heavily．I ran up to the horse, not even knowing how to pet it, just excited to see the most beautiful creature．He was shining white, with a well-brushed tail．He was playing with his bit and chewed on the reins．I could tell this horse was bored．Where was the owner?

Right away I assumed that I could ride this horse．I turned the other way and went to search for my mom to get some money．I spotted her buying groceries and dragged her to where the horse was．The owner was back and stated that it was his horse and I couldn’t ride it．A warm stream of tears flooded down my cheeks as my mom tried to convince the man to let me ride the horse．He finally agreed for a costly price．He taught me how to get on the horse and explained to me that it was important to keep heels down and arms steady．The gentle beat of the horse’s trot awakened all the senses in me as I bounced up and down on the saddle（鞍）．I was the happiest little girl in Ukraine, having the time of my life．I began planning how I was going to buy a horse after I became a millionaire．Before I knew it, the ride was over．Surprisingly, I actually learned to control the horse and change the pace．

That day was probably the happiest time of my life．Most children wouldn’t have as much fun as I did．Several years later, after coming to America, I began to get involved in show jumping．If it weren’t for that time in Ukraine I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the most amazing sport, one where you and another creature truly have to bond．

1．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

     A．Later the author and that horse took part in show jumping．

       B．At the first glance, the author fell in love with the horse．

       C．The horse owner allowed her to ride the horse for free．

       D．The author thought horse racing was for making money．

2．______is the closest to the meaning of the underlined word “bond”．

       A．To be united to share feelings

       B．To be compared to find advantages

       C．To be inspired to set up goals

       D．To be supposed to join efforts

3．From the passage, we can infer that ______．

       A．the horse could be easily controlled

       B．the horse owner was a kind and rich man

       C．the experience opened doors for her to get into the sport

       D．the author’s mother loved the horse as much as her daughter

4．What is the best title of the story?

       A．Love for Horses                             B．Interest in Sports

       C．An Exciting Dream                           D．An Amazing Ride