D

Seeing a volcano erupt (喷发) is a wonderful experience, and you can really feel the beat by climbing to the summit(山顶) of Pacaya for a close-up view. There are guided tours every day up this highly active volcano from Antigua. Giving travelers a chance to see Mother Nature at her most powerful.

Pacaya is an easy drive from Antigua, a beautiful city with many colorful houses along its old streets that are turned into art-works during its Holy Week festival. No matter when you come to Antigua, you won’t miss the Pacaya-tour companies.

But climbing Pacaya is no easy job: it is 2560 metres high, and reaching the summit takes two to three hours of seemingly one-step-forward and two-step-back movements. As you climb, you hear the dull sounds of eruptions high above. Steaming. Hot remains from recent eruptions begin to line the path as you near the active summit; the McKenney Cone(火山锥). Just as though you were going to walk over to the edge of the cone, the road turns to the left and up to the relative safety of the old, inactive summit.

Many tours are timed so that you arrive at the cone of the volcano is plenty of time for sunset and the full contrast between the erupting red lava(熔岩) and the darkening sky. On a good day the view from the summit is extremely exciting. The active mouth boils, sending red lava over its sides, and once in a while shoots hot streams up to 100 metres into the air. There is a strong bad smell in the air even if you take care to be upwind of the cone. As evening turns deeper into the night. the burning lava quietly falls down tae side of the volcano. For you, too, it is time to get down .

What is the main purpose of this passage?

  A. To attract tourists to Pacaya.           B. To describe the beauty of Pacaya.

  C. To introduce guided tours to Pacaya.    D. To explain the power of nature at Pacaya.

Antigua is a city      .

   A. where people can enjoy cultural festivals    B. where the daring Pacaya tour starts

   C. that gives a close-up view of Paraya      D. that is famous for its tour companies

Climbing to the McKenney Cone, people will     .

   A. walk directly to the active summit    B. hear the continuous loud noise from above

   C. make greater efforts than to other summits

   D. see a path lined with remains of earlier eruptions

Many tours are timed for people to      .

   A. get down the mountain in time when night falls

   B. avoid the smell from the upwind direction of the cone

   C. enjoy the fantastic eruption against the darkening sky

   D. appreciate the scenery of the 2560-metre-high mountain

改正下面短文中的错误。对标有题号的每一行作出判断：如无错误，在答题卡该行右边横线上画一个勾（√），请在有错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

      2.原行没有错的不要改。

Last winter vacation, some of my classmates decide to                1.           

travel with their friends, while I chose to take par-time job          2.           

to gain experience and earn some money. I learned from my       3.           

 teacher that a nearby company was looking after students        4.           

 with good handwriting to write address on envelope. The       5.           

 pay were 10 cent per envelope. I headed for the company,       6.           

 feeling sure I would easy finish 300 envelops in five hours and       7.           

 to earn the money. Actually, I only finished 200. Now, I         8.           

fully understand how hard is to earn money. Getting out        9.           

of the classroom is indeed necessary for we all.                10.           

你校同学进行了一场有关高考英语听力测试的讨论。讨论的主题是：高考英语测试中的听力部分该不该取消?请你根据提示写一篇短文，介绍讨论的情况。

    一些同学认为 1．不应该取消2．听是语言的四项基本技能之一，不能忽视3．听是获取信息的重要途径之一4．国际合作日益增多，听、说能力应加强

另一些同学认为1．应该取消2．考试中各地收听效果好坏不一，不公平3．英语教师和语音设备城乡差异过大4．今后并非人人都要与外国人进行口头交流

    注意：1．文章的开始已给出。

          2．词数：120左右（不包括已给出的句子）

          3．参考词汇：取消cancel 国际合作international cooperation

   The students of our school had a discussion about whether listening test in the National Matriculation English Test should be. Kept or canceled. Some students think that listening test should not be canceled.

 短文改错

此题要求改正所给短文中的错误。对标有题号的每一行作出判断：如无错误，在该行右边横线上画一个勾（√）；如有错误（每行只有一个错误），则改正：

注意：原行没有错的不要改。

After I finished the school this year，I began to        1. _______

    look for work. Now several month later， I still hadn't  2. _______

    found the job that I was interested. Last Sunday morning 3. _______

    I received a phone call from a man calling him Mr. Smith.4. _______

    He said to me on the phone， "I hear you do very         5. _______

    well in your studies. I may provide a job for you." I entered 6. _______

    his office with a beaten heart. How I hoped that I       7. _______

    will go through the job -hunting talk today and he would8. _______

    take me on as a lab assistant. But to my surprised，     9. _______

    what he said disappointing. He only needed a model.      10. ______

Space travel is definitely bad for astronauts’ bones, reducing their bone density(密度) after only a month of weightlessness, according to French research published on Friday.

Laurence Vico and his fellow workers at St Etienne University called for more research into the effects of microgravity, after their study of 15 astronauts from the Russian MIR station showed bone loss continued throughout space flights.

“Bone loss was especially striking in four astronauts, ” the scientists reported in the Lancet Medical Journal.

They measured the bone mineral density (BMD) of bones in the forearm(前臂) and lower leg of the astronauts who had spent one to six months in space.

The BMD loss was significant in the tibia(胫骨) of the lower leg, a weight-bearing bone, but barely changed in the radius(桡骨) of the forearm. “Our results indicate the need to investigate not only different bones, but also different areas of the same bone since not all sites of the skeleton (骨架) are similarly affected by space conditions, ” they added.

Without gravity the body isn’t bearing any weight so there is no need for calcium (钙) which makes bones strong, and it becomes empty into the bloodstream.

The research team suggested in future scientists should try to determine if the loss of bone density was only on weight-bearing bones on longer flights, also the possible recovery after returning to Earth.

French scientists did their research on Russian astronauts, because _______.

A. they only cared for the Russian astronauts

B. they were not interested in their own astronauts

C. the Russian government invited them to do their research

D. the Russian astronauts worked in space for a long time

Scientists have found that _______.

A. the BMD loss may cause serious illness to astronauts

B. the BMD loss may cause some change in astronauts’ bodies

C. astronauts shouldn’t care about the BMD loss

D. astronauts should take some calcium before space travel

What cause the BMD loss to astronauts, according to this passage?

A. The food they eat in space.                     B. The drinks they take in space.

C. The temperature in space.                D. The gravity in space.

In the third paragraph, the word “striking” means ______.

A. unusual             B. simple               C. weak                 D. slow

When Johnson called again, the manager received him very politely. “That is a most remarkable oil you brought us, Mr Johnson,” he said. Johnson nodded his smooth, dark head. That was something he knew very well. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” the manager admitted. Johnson nodded again. “No?” he said politely. Then he added, “But I think you will, sir. A very great deal of it.” He appeared to think for a moment. “I think you will find it will be on sale seven, perhaps, eight years from now.” He smiled.

The manager thought that was uncertain. He said, “It is better than our fish oils. I admit that.” “So I am told, sir,” agreed Johnson.

“Have you any plans to produce it yourself, Mr Johnson?”

Johnson smiled again. “Would I be showing it to you if I had?”

“We might add some chemicals to one of our own fish oils,” said the manager.

“It would be expensive to do that, even if you could.” Johnson said gently. “Besides,” he added, “I am told that this oil will be much cheaper than your best fish oils. Cheaper than any vegetable oil, in fact.”

“Perhaps,” said the manager. “Well, I suppose you want to make an arrangement, Mr Johnson, Shall we discuss it?”

“Of course,” said Johnson. “There are two ways of dealing with a situation of this sort. The usual one is to prevent it altogether or at least to delay it as long as possible. That is, of course, the best way,” The manager nodded. He knew plenty about all that.

“But I am so sorry for you, because, you see, that is not possible this time.” The manager had his doubts, but all he said was an inquiring(asking), “Oh?”

“The other way,” continued Johnson, “is to produce yourself before the trouble starts.”

The manager thought of adding chemicals to the fish oil to make it ________.

A. cheaper than the new oil          B. more quickly

C. more expensive                       D. as good as the new oil

Johnson’s new oil would be ________.

A. more expensive than fish oil, but better

B. less expensive, and better

C. less expensive, but not good

D. more expensive, and not so good

Johnson expressed his regret that the manager ________.

A. could not stop the new oil being made

B. would never know how to make it

C. had spent a lot of money on it

D. didn’t know enough about it

Johnson showed his new oil to the manager because he wanted ________.

A. to produce it himselfB. to prevent it being produced

C. to be paid not to produce it 　D. the manager to produce it

Commenting on the report to China Daily, the economist said, “It is beyond   

       that China will play a more important role in the world economy as the US and Japan experience setbacks.”

A. compare     B. doubt     C. recognition   D. expression

A simple piece of clothesline hangs between some environmentally friendly Americans and their neighbors.

On one side stand those who see clothes dryers(干衣机) as a waste of energy and a major polluter of the environment. As a result, they are turning to clotheslines as part of the “what-I –can do environmentalism(环境保护主义).”

On the other side are people who are against drying clothes outside, arguing that clotheslines are unpleasant to look at. They have persuaded Homeowners Associations (HOAs) access the U.S. to ban outdoor clotheslines, because clothesline drying also tends to lower home value in the neighborhood. This had led to a Right-to-Dry Movement that is calling for laws to be passed to protect people’s right to use clotheslines.

So far, only three states have laws to protect clothesline. Right-to-Dry supporters argue that there should be move.

Matt Reck, 37, is the kind of eco-conscious(有生态意识的) person who feeds his trees with bathwater and reuses water drops from his air conditioners to water plants. His family also uses a clothesline. But on July 9, 2007, the HOA in Wake Forest, North Carolina, told him that a dissatisfied neighlzir had telephoned them about him clothesline. The Recks paid no attention to the warming and still dried their clothes on a line in the yard. “Many people say they are environmentally friendly but they don’t take matters in their own hands,” says Reck. The local HOA has decided not to take any action, unless more neighbors come to them.

North Carolina lawmakers are saying that banning clotheslines is not the right thing to do. But HOAs and housing businesses believe that clothesline drying reminds people of poor neighborhoods. They worry that if buyers think their future neighbors can’t even afford dryers, housing prices will fall.

Environmentalists say such worries are not necessary, and in view of global warming, that idea needs to change. As they say, “The clothesline is beautiful”. Hanging clothes outside should be encouraged. We all have to do at least something to slow down the process of global warming.”

One of the reasons why supporters of clothes dryers are trying to ban clothesline drying is that ____.

A. clothes dryers are more efficient    B. clothesline drying reduces home value

C. clothes dryers are energy-saving    D. clothesline drying is not allowed in most U.S. states

Which of the following best describes Matt Reck?

   A. He is a kind-hearted man.          B. He is an impolite man.

   C. He is and experienced gardener.     D. He is a man of social responsibility.

Who are in favor of clothesline drying?

   A. housing businesses.               B. Environmentalists.

   C. Homeowners Associations.         D. Reck’s dissatisfied neighbors.

What is mainly discussed in the text?

   A. Clothesline drying: a way to save energy and money.

   B. Clothesline drying: a lost art rediscovered.

   C. Opposite opinions on clothesline drying.

   D. Different varieties of clotheslines.

I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles”(风格) of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”

Foreign tourists are often confused(困惑) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks(地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”

In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”

People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.

It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A new Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one.        A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!

When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.

   A. describe the place carefully               B. show him a map of the place

   C. tell him the names of the streets         D. refer to recognizable buildings and places

What is the place where people measure distance in time?

   A. New York.          B. Los Angeles.             C. Kansas.             D. Iowa.

People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ______.

   A. in order to save time                 B. Los Angeles.

   C. so as to be polite                       D. for fun

What can we infer from the text?

   A. It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.

   B. It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.

   C. People have similar understandings of politeness.

   D. New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.

If we keep wasting so much energy, _____are that our oil wells will dry up and the environment will be destroyed.

       A. problems           B. difficulties         C. questions           D. chances