The traffic problem we are looking forward to seeing         should have attracted the local government’s attention.

A．solving             B．solve          C．to solve            D．solved

It’s         me why Alice, aged 28, gave up her job and got married to a man of 82.

A．beyond          B．under          C．above           D．over

—Why didn’t you buy the gold ring?

—I         , but I didn’t have the money.

A．would have         B．bought        C．would like to          D．had bought

In no city of China         little about the economic development

A．the government cares                             B．does the government care

C．doesn’t the government care            D．the government doesn’t care

—If you keep on breaking the rules, you will be fired.

—         ? I don’t care.

A．What for        B．How come         C．So what        D．Why so

—Look at the noisy kids!

—Haven’t you heard the saying         ?

A．There’s plenty of fish in the sea

B．All that glitters is not gold

C．When the cat is away, the mice will play

D．A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

The year I went away to college was a very difficult transition（过渡期）for me.   1   is probably true with many people．I got quite homesick and   2   thought about going home.

Although the   3   time for many students is getting   4   from home, my mailbox was frequently   2   . One day when I went to the mailbox, there was a postcard   6   out at me．I sat down to read it,   7   a note from someone back home.  8   I became increasingly puzzled as   9   postcard were like this: It was a full news report about a woman named Mabel and her newborn baby. I took the card back to my room and   10   about it.

Several days later I   11   another postcard, this one  12   news about Maybe line, Mabel’s cousin. Soon after, another card arrived and then another,   13   full of news of different people. I began to   14   look forward to the next one, 15 to see what this author would come up with 16   . I was never  17   .

Finally, the cards   18   coming, right about the time I had begun to feel   19   about college life. They had been such a happy distraction （调剂） that, I have 20  all the postcards and still bring them out to read whenever I need a life.

1．A．If                        B．So                      C．As                     D．What

2．A．often                    B．carefully             C．seldom               D．merely

3．A．hard                     B．last                     C．busiest               D．happiest

4．A．visitors                 B．letters                 C．calls                   D．directions

5．A．empty                  B．full                     C．closed                D．open

6．A．pouring                 B．reaching             C．staring                D．rolling

7．A．describing             B．considering          C．enjoying             D．expecting

8．A．But                      B．Thus                  C．Also                   D．Even

9．A．any                      B．no                      C．some                  D．such

10．A．joked                  B．talked                 C．forgot                D．cared

11．A．mailed                B．accepted             C．wrote                 D．received

12．A．delivering            B．demanding          C．discovering         D．developing

13．A．one                    B．each                   C．either                 D．both

14．A．hardly                B．possibly              C．usually               D．really

15．A．promising           B．surprised            C．interested            D．pretending

16．A．below                 B．lately                  C．next                   D．behind

17．A．frightened           B．disappointed        C．excited               D．pleased

18．A．continued            B．stopped              C．started                D．avoided

19．A．easy                   B．safe                    C．tired                   D．anxious

20．A．lost                     B．collected       C．torn                     D．saved

Within a few short years, girls in Europe have become heavier smokers than boys, for reasons experts still fail to understand, according to a British study, presented（递交） last week to an international conference on smoking.

       Anti-smoking activists at the second “Tobacco or Health” conference in the Canary Islands pointed out that while grown-ups were giving up smoking in ever-growing numbers, more and more young people were taking up the habit, particularly girls.

       One 15—year—old in four is a regular smoker, according to a study made in 27 countries in Europe and the United States, Canada and Israel——Edinburgh University together with the World Health Organization.

       In Western Europe, girls were more likely than boys to smoke. In Germany or In England, one third of the girls were smokers compared to one in four boys. In Eastern Europe, the girls “still fall behind” those in the Western Europe but were “catching up” quickly, said the study.

       The study dealt with the behaviour of 15—year—old in seven European countries over four year periods between 1986 and 1998.

       The percentages of young women smoking went from 17 percent to 36 percent in Austria, from 17 percent to 28 percent in Norway, from 21 percent to 28 percent in Hungary.

       In the seven countries Austria, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales—more girls smoked than boys in 1998, except Hungary.

1．According to the article, more and more           in Europe were giving up smoking.

       A．grown-ups          B．boys                   C．girls                    D．old men

2．The number of boy smokers is           that of girl smokers.

       A．larger than           B．as large as           C．smaller than         D．as small as

3．The study was made by            .

       A．Edinburgh University

       B．the World Health Organization

       C．Oxford University

       D．Edinburgh University and the World Health Organization

4．The country where the number of young women smokers increases fastest is           .

       A．Norway              B．Austria                C．Hungary              D．Sweden

TUVALU, a tiny country in the Pacific Ocean, has asked for help as it fears it will be swallowed up by the sea. Storms and huge waves are a constant threat and none of Tuvalu’s nine little islands is more than five meters above sea level. Salt water is already entering the country’s drinking water supply, as well as damaging plants that produce fruit and vegetables. Without urgent help, the country’s days are numbered.

But Tuvalu is not the first place to face sinking into the sea. Venice, a historic city in Italy best known for its canals, has sunk about 24cm over the past 100 years. Experts say that it will have sunk another 20～50cm by 2050. A century ago, St. Mark’s Square, the lowest point in the city, flooded about nine times a year. Nowadays, it happens more than 100 times. While Venice is slowly sinking into the mud on which it stands, Tuvalu’s rising sea level is caused by global warming.

The average global temperature has increased by almost 0.5 centigrade degree over the past century, scientists expect it to rise by an extra 1～3 degrees over the next 100 years.

Warmer weather makes glaciers （冰川） melt, adding more water to the ocean. The warmer temperatures also make water expand, so it takes up more space, causing the sea level to rise. The sea level has risen about 10～25cm in the last 100 years.

The main cause of global warming is human pollution. Through burning coal, oil and gas, people have been increasing the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as CO₂. This adds to the power of the greenhouse effect, making the planet even warmer.

Many scientists believe that, if the warming is not stopped, there will be huge climate changes. The sea level could rise by one meter this century.

Should this come true, the sea will swallow up millions of homes and the world will be flooded with “climate refugees” looking for somewhere to live.

1．We can infer from the first paragraph that            .

       A．Tuvalu is in danger of moving slowly downwards into the sea

       B．all Tuvalu’s islands are about five meters above the sea level

       C．drinking water in Tuvalu will be destroyed

       D．Tuvalu is often flooded by storms and waves

2．Put the following events in the right order.

       a. Glaciers begin to melt.

       b. People burn coal, oil and gas.

       c. The greenhouse effect is growing.

       d. The earth is getting warmer and warmer.

       e. The sea level is rising.

       f. More CO₂is produced.

       g. Many places are sinking into the sea.

       A．d, f, b, c, a, e, g                                  B．b, f, c, d, e, a, g

       C．f, c, b, d, a, e, g                                  D．b, f, c, d, a, e, g

3．What does “climate refugees” mean?

       A．People who are forced away from their homeland by climate.

       B．Climate changes.

       C．Rare animals.

       D．Climate effect.

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

       A．Tuvalu’s nine little islands are less than five meters above the sea level.

       B．The average global temperature has risen by 1—3 centigrade degrees over the past 100 years.

       C．the warmer temperature causes the sea level to rise.

       D．There will be huge climate changes unless the warming is stopped.

If women are mercilessly exploited（剥削）year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion. When you come to think of it, only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe （衣柜） packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.

Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on.

No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability （耐用）. They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in high-heeled shoes.

When comparing men and men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide.

1．Designers and big stores always make money ________.

A．by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry

B．because they are capable of predicting new fashions

C．by constantly changing the fashions in women’s clothing

D．because they attach great importance to quality in women’s clothing

2．To the writer, the fact that women change their old-fashioned dresses is seen as _________.

A． a quality of instability                         B．a waste of time

       C． an expression of taste                        D．an expression of creativity

3．The writer would be less critical if fashion designers placed more stress on the ________of clothing.

A．cost                   B．appearance          C．comfort              D．suitability

4．According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．New fashions in clothing are created for the commercial exploitation of women.

B．The constant changes in women’s clothing reflect their strength of character.

C．The fashion industry makes an important contribution to society.

D．Fashion designs should not be encouraged since they are only welcomed by women.

5．By saying "the conclusions to be drawn are obvious" （Para. 4, Line 1-2）, the writer means that _________.

A．women’s inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at

B．women are better able to put up with discomfort

C．men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers

D．men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion