A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports.

Grimsvotn is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes

Grimsvotn different is that it lies under a huge glacier（冰川）of ice up to 12 metres thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer(层)

of water between glacier and the volcano, keeping it stable. As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava(岩浆) from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what is happening today.

Now airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. According to KLM, one of Europe’s biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane’s engines, causing damage to the plane.

The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp, glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them eating ash-covered grass or the sharp objects.

1.What makes Grimsvotn different from other volcanoes?

A．It is under the sea.                      B．Its lava affects the airlines.

C．It is the largest volcano.                   D．It is below ice.

2.What keeps Grimsvotn still?

A．The slow flow of water..                   B．The thick glacier.

C．The water pressure.                     D．The low water temperature.

3.Which of the following is the result of the volcano eruption?

A．It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside.

B．Famers have lost many of their animals.

C．Airlines suffer from the loss of planes.

D．People stop traveling in Europe.

4.how many passengers were forced to stay in the airport?

A．thousands of passengers                  B．hundreds of passengers

C．ten thousands of passengers               D．20000 of passengers

It's 10:30 pm, and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. The message becomes clear: "R U awake?"

Brandon' s use of technology doesn' t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles (控制台 ) in his room. With so many choices, it' s no surprise that when he isn' t at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices

Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids aged 8 to18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found.

The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. Today, nearly seven out of ten kids have cell phones. Just five years ago, it was four out of ten.

Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. " If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?" media expert Cheryl Olson says.

Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. " It' s a matter of balance," says Olson." You’ve got to work on it. "

Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. "It' s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply, " says Rideout.

With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. " Kids should try," adds Rideout. " But parents might have to step in sometimes. "

1.Why do children spend more time in using electronic devices?

A．Because more electronic devices are available to them.

B．Because electronic devices are more exciting than before.

C．Because they have less other activities.

D．Because they have less homework to do.

2.It is known from the passage that  ____.

A．Brandon Blanco feels very annoyed about his late-night text

B．the teenagers using mobile devices have increased by 30% in the past five years

C．Cheryl Olson is not surprised about kids' increasing use of mobile devices

D．most experts think teenagers should not use electronic devices for their studies

3.Which of the following is an example of multitasking according to the passage?

A．Watching TV while using the computer.

B．Talking on the phone while staying with others.

C．Playing video games on the Internet.

D．Listening to music while relaxing.

4.According to the passage, Victoria Rideout would probably agree that ____.

A．kids should do homework while surfing the Internet

B．kids should do homework in a place without disturbance

C．kids should spend more time on homework

D．kids should have more homework than before

I graduated from a small public school in Michigan. One day，Mr. Ledy，our football coach，asked me to play football. I couldn’t help  36  ：me，play football? I was six feet tall and was not much __37__ a hundred pounds in weight. I thought that they might just need  38    fool to increase the number of the players. However，he was persistent(坚持的) and __39__I joined the football team. That           40  to be one of my best decisions as a kid.

Our worst game  __41__ was the one against Crystal Falls. They beat us 56 to 6. Yeah! That was a football not a basketball _42__. We played them again when we were seniors. They __43__ us again but the score was much more _44_，30 to 20.

Coach Ledy would not let that __45__ again. He encouraged us to beat them，to pay them back. And we did so in the last game we played before __46__. I had scored 6 points alone in the game. Coach Ledy praised me. It was a huge _47 for me.

Was I a football hero? Ha! Ha! No，I couldn’t __48__ it without our team. The thing I learned through football was __49__. We won as a team and we __50__ as a team.

I think Mr. Ledy would be __51__ of me if he knew that I had broken the athletic __52__ at the University of Michigan. I’m __53__to him as I would not have today’s honor without him. I’ll __54__life’s final war with pain to win the victory；I’ll seek the lights of glory wholeheartedly and I’ll __55__ working hard so as not to let him down.

1.A. shouting     B. screaming  C. laughing D. applauding

2.A. up              B. over               C. more      D. out

3.A. another          B. other              C. some     D. any

4.A. immediately       B. secretly           C. personally D. finally

5.A. took out     B. turned out C. gave off   D. gave out

6.A. never             B. once        C. ever      D. again

7.A. game     B. team       C. story           D. score

8.A. won           B. met       C. beat        D. fought

9.A. accessible  B. comfortableC. sensitive          D. acceptable

10.A. happen             B. succeed           C. spread           D. develop

11.A. liberation          B. closing    C. graduation          D. school

12.A. honor           B. hope            C. success       D. surprise

13.A. take        B. manage            C. solve          D. explain

14.A. courage   B. devotion          C. teamwork  D. contribution

15.A. united          B. appeared          C. prepared   D. lost

16.A. proud           B. fond             C. full          D. kind

17.A. time              B. record     C. date      D. ability

18.A. pleased    B. grateful            C. hopeful      D. loyal

19.A. fight                   B. join              C. desire                   D. enjoy

20.A. take on    B. put on     C. rely on       D. keep on

Just a few hours ago，the Italian ship Andrea Doria was sailing through thick fog toward the city of New York. Captain Piero Calamai kept watch. He knew that many other ships were nearby. He should have slowed down because of the fog but he decided not to. He wanted to arrive on time the next morning.

At about 11∶00 PM，another ship，the Stockholm，suddenly hit the Andrea Doria. It made a huge hole in the Italian ship. Some people were badly hurt. Others fell into the sea. But one girl was saved by the Stockholm.

Linda Morgan was fourteen. She lived in Spain with her mother and her little sister. She was going to visit her father in New York. She was excited about seeing her father.

Linda had loved the trip. She wanted to have dinner with the captain on the last night at sea. The captain did not sit at his table that night，though. He was busy guiding the ship through the fog. Linda did not get to talk to him.

When Linda went to bed，everything seemed fine. Her mother turned off the lights. Linda talked to her little sister. She thought about seeing her father the next morning.

What happened next was a terrible surprise. Linda woke up not knowing where she was. She was not in her bed. When she called to her family，no one answered. Both her knees were broken.

Linda had been saved by an amazing accident. When the Stockholm made a hole in the side of the Andrea Doria，it lifted Linda out of her bed. She landed on the deck (甲板) of the Stockholm instead of falling into the ocean. A sailor heard her cries and found her.

Right now，the girl is in the hospital. She is expected to get better. Her father is at her side，glad that his little girl was saved. The Andrea Doria lies under the waves at the bottom of the sea.

1.Why didn’t Captain Piero Calamai reduce the speed?

A．He didn’t want to be late.

B．He went crazy because of the bad weather.

C．He thought the fog was not serious.

D．He had rich experience.

2.When the accident happened，________.

A．Linda was asleep

B．the day was about to break

C．few people were killed

D．the Andrea Doria hit a hole in the Stockholm

3.What can we learn from the text?

A．Linda hated the trip very much.

B．Linda was saved by the Stockholm.

C．Linda lived with her father in Spain.

D．The Andrea Doria wasn’t badly damaged.

4.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．A little girl’s braveness moved people.

B．Andrea Doria sailed through thick fog.

C．The Italian ship Andrea Doria was hit by Stockholm.

D．A fourteen­year­old girl was saved by accident after the crash.

Prison Break is a huge hit thanks to its handsome star, Wentworth Miller. His character, Michael Scofield, is the engine that drives the show.

Having committed a crime to get into prison and break out with his innocent brother, Michael Scofield is one of the most interesting personalities on TV today. But what about the man behind the character?

Miller,35, is a hard guy to figure out. He does not come from a normal background and has never lived his life in a typical way.

Miller didn’t take direct path to fame and fortune. He graduated from Princeton University in 1995, not with a degree in theatre of film, but in English. He didn’t even act when he was in college. His only performance experience was in his university’s singing group. Yet , at graduation Miller still decided to make the move to Hollywood.

Miller has always been different. Although he is American, he was in Britain when his father was studying there. His family background is also a special mix of cultures. “My father is black and my mother is white. That means I have always been caught in the middle. I could be either one, which can make you feel out of place,” Miller says.

Following his unusual path, Miller did not start trying out for films and TV shows when he

first went to Hollywood. Instead, he worked as a lowly production assistant. Not what you would expect from a Princeton graduate. However, it all paid off for Miller in the end.  

In 2002, Miller played a role in the drama Dinotopia（《恐龙帝国》）. He starred as a thoughtful and shy man. Producers remembered his performance when they were casting Prison Break two years later. With a golden globe nomination（提名）and another season of Prison Break on his resume, Miller seems ready to take over all of Hollywood. 

1.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Michael Scofield in Prison Break .

B．Hollywood’s recent big hit—Prison Break.

C．Miller’s unusual path to fame and fortune.

D．The man who will take over all of the world.

2.The writer thinks “Miller is a hard guy to figure out” because         .

A．it’s difficult to tell him from others

B．he is a shy man and hard to cooperate with

C．he always has ideas hard for people to understand

D．his family background and life experience are very special

3.Which is the closest in meaning to the underlined sentence “it all paid off for Miller in the end”?

A．Miller put a lot of extra work for his final success.

B．Miller gained fame and fortune at last with his first film.

C．Miller finally succeeded even if he has been in low position.

D．Miller managed to pay off his debts with his small income in the end.

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE about Miller?

A．He is chosen to play the Michael Scofield due to his interesting personality.

B．His performance in Dinotopia makes some contributions to his success.

C．He has the same experience with the character Michael Scofield.

D．He is angry about his being born into a mixed-cultural family.