50. From the passage we can infer that an asteroid is most probably named after ______.

　　　 A. the year when it was discovered 　　 B. the man who discovered it

　　　 C. the size measured by its brightness D. the time it passed the earth

49. The underlined word “proximity” in Para 3 most probably means ______.

　　　 A. nearness in time　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. nearness in distance

C. measure in safety 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. measure in response

48. According to the passage, what do we know about 2004 XP14?

　　　 A. It’s an asteroid that has flown past the earth by the closest distance.

　　　 B. It can be seen by the human eyes in most parts of the world.

　　　 C. It’s an asteroid that flew past on July 2, 2006 for the first time.

　　　 D. It probably flies past the earth in every ten years.

47. From the passage, we can infer that _______ is nearest to the Strait of Malacca.

A. London 　　　　　 B. New York 　　　　 C. Hong Kong　　　　　　　 D. Tokyo

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　 D

On July 2, 2006, a giant asteroid(小行星)　 named 2004 XP14 flew past the earth. The asteroid was discovered in 2004 and scientists believe it is nearly half a mile wide. The scientists determined its size by the asteroid’s brightness. This is not the first time, however, that an asteroid has come close to our planet.

Many other asteroids in history have zipped(有力而迅速地行动) past the earth, but 2004 XP14 is by far the largest. In January of 2001, asteroid 2001 YB5 passed the earth by only 510,000 miles. In 2002, asteroid 2002 MN missed the earth by 210,000 miles-making it the closest call ever. The 2004 XP14, however, is 74-million miles from the earth, but it is still the largest asteroid to pass our planet.

Although some asteroids did pass the earth at a very close proximity, many scientists believe the possibility of one hitting our planet is fairly slim(甚微). We have many of the asteroids mapped out in our solar (of the sun) system, and we actually have been able to determine their orbit(运行轨道) for years to come.

　　　 Asteroid 2004 XP14 is expected to fly past the earth 10 more times within the next century. It is visible from Europe by the human eyes and can be seen in North America with a telescope.

46. The underlined “isolated cases” in Paragraph 6 most probably means _______.

A. occasional ones, not happening in groups 　　　

B. the ones far away from the group　

C. the ones divided into different groups　　　　　　

D. the ones separated from the group

45. According to the passage, two U.N.-chartered ships _______ near the Strait of Malacca.

　　　 A. successfully prevented the pirates from boarding the ships

　　　 B. were attacked by the pirates on July 6, 2006

　　　 C. had all the tsunami reconstruction materials robbed of by the pirates

　　　 D. had some of their crews injured in the fighting against the pirates

44. From the passage we know that the Strait of Malacca is _______.

　　　 A. the busiest shipping lane in the world today

　　　 B. one of the best places to make the pirate movies

　　　 C. a busy shipping lane where pirate attacks sometimes take place

　　　 D. had six pirate attacks in 2005 which were an all-time low

43. What is the passage mainly about?

　　　 A. A great mother.　　　　　　　　　　　 B. A successful tennis player.

　　　 C. How to be successful.　　　　　　　　　　 D. How to win in tennis games.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　 C

　　　　　　　　　　 　　 Pirates of the Strait(海峡) of Malacca

You’ve heard of the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie. But what about pirates in real life?

The Strait of Malacca off Indonesia’s coast is known to be one of the most pirate-infested(大批海盗出没的) areas in the world. In 2006 alone, there have been six pirate attacks in this area.

The most recent attack was on Tuesday, July 4, 2006. The pirates traveled on a speedboat off Indonesia’s Sumatra Island and followed a Japanese ship.

A duty officer noticed the incoming attack when the pirates tried to board the back end of the ship. Floodlights were turned on and the crew used water to successfully prevent the pirates from boarding the ship.

This attack was just two days after pirates boarded two U.N.-chartered(包租) ships carrying tsunami(海啸) reconstruction materials. In those attacks, there were no injuries, but crew members among one ship were robbed of their personal belongings and cash. On the second ship, the pirates damaged and stole various pieces of equipment.

Although there have been six attacks this year, last year attacks were at an all-time low because of increased naval patrolling(巡逻) by Indonesia and its neighbors.

“At the moment we don’t know if these are isolated cases or the start of attacks again in the Malacca Straits,” said Noel Choong, chief of the International Maritime Bureau’s(海事局) piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.

　　　 More than 50,000 ships pass through the strait each year carrying half of the world’s oil and a third of its commerce. The area is one of the busiest shipping lanes(航路) in the world and a key link between Asia and Europe.

42. Safin won his first title as a professional player in ______.

　　　 A. 1997 　　　　 B. 2000 　　　　　　　 C. 2004 　　　　　　　 D. 1999

41. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

　　　 A. The most important of Safin’s training was done abroad.

　　　 B. Pasqual played an important role in Safin’s career.

　　　 C. Safin won the Paris Masters three times.

　　　 D. Safin will be a champion one day.