Two weeks ago, Ruichang City in Jiangxi Province was hit by an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale(里氏震级). It killed 18 people and left hundreds homeless.

　  Earthquakes are one of the most deadly natural disasters(灾难) in the world. They happen more often than you would expect.

　  In the 24 hours after you read this, 400 to 500 earthquakes will shake the earth. You won't notice most of them because you live in a relatively(相对地) safe area or the quake is too far away or because the quake will be too small to notice.

　  Earthquakes are caused by sudden breaks in rock masses(群) deep in the earth. Rock masses are always under very high pressure. If the pressure in a certain area become too much and the rock masses break, an earthquake happens. But exactly when the rock masses reach the breaking point is a mystery(谜).

　  China is on the Eurasia(欧亚) plate, where earthquakes happen very often due to the earth's plates knocking against each other. Up to 17,139 earthquakes have taken place in China in the past 44 years, according to scientific research.

50. What happened to the City of Ruichang?

A.18 people were killed in an earthquake.

B. Hundreds homeless people left the city.  

C. An earthquake ruined thousands of houses there.

D. An earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale happened.       

51. How many earthquakes can happen in a day in the world?

A. 24.                   B. 44.                   C. 400 to 500.               D. 17139.

52. Why does the earth quake? Because ______.

A. we live in a relatively safe area                                                

B. the pressure in the earth is too big

C. the rock masses is reaching the breaking point

D. the rock masses break suddenly deep in the earth

Passage 1  Mobile Phone Madness

How much do you love your mobile phone? A Chinese student had to call 110 for help this week after he got his arm stuck in a toilet trying to rescue(援救) his mobile phone. After dropping his phone in the toilet, he decided to wrap(包，裹) his arm in newspaper in the hopes of keeping clean. But the newspapers became larger in size in the water, and then even his roommates couldn't help him pull his arm out. So policemen were called and they spent an hour unsticking the stuck student.

Passage 2  Crazy Pet Lovers

How much do you love your pets? Many people in China are famous for how much they love their pets. They dress them up in fashionable clothing and buy them high quality food. But would they spend 7,000 English pounds (68,000 yuan) on a wedding(婚礼) for their pets? And that's what a couple in Brazil spent on a fancy wedding for their pet Yorkshire terriers( a kind of dog).

Passage 3  Oh, rats!

When something goes wrong, you can often hear Westerners cry “Oh, rats”. But when it comes to Southern China, “Oh, rats!” can mean it's what you want for dinner. According to a report in China Daily, some restaurants in Guangzhou serve rat meat. But, actually, most of those rats are field mice. What would Mickey Mouse say?

Passage 4  Liar(说谎者), liar

Here's some news that most women already know. Men tell more lies than women. The London Daily Mail cites(引用) a new study that says men tell about three lies a day, while women tell only two lies a day. Men are also less likely to feel guilty about lying, according to this week's survey of 3,000 people by a research organization called One Poll. According to the Poll, lying to our mothers is very popular. But then, so is lying at work. And both men and women will lie when it comes to how much they've drunk. So how easy is it to tell when someone is lying?

1.Put the statements into the right order according to passage 1.

① They called policemen for help. 

② He dropped his mobile phone in the toilet.

③ His roommates tried to help him pull his arm out, but failed.

④ The newspapers expanded(膨胀) in the water, so he got his arm stuck.

⑤ He wrapped his arm in newspaper before trying to take out his phone from the toilet.

A. ②⑤④③①      B. ②④③⑤①    C. ①⑤④②③             D. ①②⑤④③

2.Why does the writer call the Brazilian couple “crazy pet lovers”?

A. They dress their pets up in fashionable clothing.

B. They buy their pets high quality food.

C. They spent ￥68,000 on a wedding for their pets.

D. They spent ￡7,000 in buying a pet.

3. If you say “oh, rats” in Guangzhou, it can mean that                    .

  A. something goes wrong                      B. you see some field mice

  C. you are a Mickey Mouse lover        D. you’d like to have rat meat for dinner

4. According to the new study on lying, which of the following is not true?

A. Women tell less lies than men.

B. Women are more likely to feel guilty about lying.

C. Lying at work is more popular than lying to our mothers.

D. Neither men nor women want to tell the truth about how much they have drunk.

5.What is NOT mentioned?

  A. It is difficult to unstick the stuck student.

  B. The couple’s pets are Yorkshire terriers.

  C. People in China enjoy eating rat meat.

  D. 3,000 people took part in the survey made by One Poll.

阅读短文，选择正确的答案。
A mother and her young son get into a bus in a small city and sit down. The bus conductor comes to them for their money. The mother says:“I want one ticket to the zoo ” and gives him one Yuan. The conductor looks at the small boy for a few seconds and then says to him, “How old are you, young man?” The mother begins to speak, but the conductor stops her. The boy says: “I am four at home, and two in the buses.” At last the mother has to take fifty fen out of her pocket and gives it to the conductor.
【小题1】Why does the conductor look at the small boy for a few seconds ?