D
When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possible and head for safety…But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm．These people are willing to risk (冒…危险) being killed by floods or 100-Kilometer- an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up．
“Storm chasing (追逐)”is becoming an increasingly popular hobby (喜好) ，especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July．A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to l,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop．
Although anyone can do it，storm chasing is extremely dangerous．The power of a big storm  can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds．Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain．If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm - chasing vacations during the storm season．
Even then，storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement．“Storm chasing is 95％driving，”says Daniel Lynch，who spends most of his summer storm-chasing．“Sometimes you
Can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen，and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”
However，for storm chasers，it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm，it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life，”says Jasper Morley．“Every storm is an example of the power of nature．It is the greatest show on Earth．”
57．For storm chasing，the first thing storm chasers do is to       ．
A．head straight for the center of the storm   
B．get into the car for safety
C．wait patiently for the storm to develop
D．collect information about a coming storm
58．Beginners of storm chasing are advised_______
A．not to drive in a heavy rain   
B．to do it in an organized way
C．not to get too close to a storm
D．to spend more time on it in summer
59．By saying“it is all worth it”in the last paragraph，the author means that______
A．storm chasing costs a lot of money
B．storm chasing is worth hours of waiting
C．efforts in storm chasing are well paid
D．a storm presents the greatest show on Earth
60．What can we learn from the text?
A．Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment． 
B．Many storm chasers get killed in the storms．
C．Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world．
D．Storm chasing is only fit for young people

D

Ellen Swallow Richards was the first woman to earn a bachelor’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A chemist, social activist, teacher, and first woman member of the Institute of Engineering, she believed that housekeeping was a science. As a progressive thinker at the time, she thought that women needed to learn about money matters and have up-to-date information on cleanliness and nutrition. She encouraged women from all backgrounds to get the best education possible.

Ellen was born in 1842 and was brought up in Massachusetts. A graduate of Vassar College in New York, she returned to New England to attend MIT. After her marriage to Professor Robert Richards, she worked in a laboratory at MIT, examining pollution of water sources in Massachusetts. Her work led to the creation of the first food-inspection (检验) laws of that state. She was instructor at MIT from 1884 until her death in 1911.

Like other progressive thinkers of the time, Ellen was worried about problems of the poor and the effect of the environment on society. She considered the environment a key factor in quality of life. Within the family, as in the world at large, science was chief in tools used to help the poor. Science could help to manage money matters, keep a home safe and clean, and improve quality of life. Food properly cooked could be tasty, nutritious, and inexpensive. Better and cheaper food could protect the health and improve the lives of working-class families.

Ellen created the science of housekeeping, now called home economics, and elevated（提升）it to a serious college subject. She worked tirelessly as a national leader in developing standards, materials, and teacher training for this new field. Her publications cover many subjects—from the chemistry of cooking and cleaning to the cost of living.

57. According to the text, Ellen __________.

A. provided new jobs for the poor            B. helped to create new kinds of food

C. set up the field of home economics         D. created the ideas of food-inspection laws

58. As a progressive thinker, Ellen __________.

A. suggested people cook their own meals at home

B. believed cheap food was better than expensive one

C. advised women to get the best education possible

D. considered money matters a key factor in quality of life

59. Ellen believed that __________.

A. poor families knew how to manage money

B. families were well informed about good nutrition

C. cheaper food could not protect people’s health

D. families spent much on food but were not well nourished

60. One can infer that, as a result of the efforts of people such as Ellen, __________.

A. one may study home economics at a university for a career

B. the pollution of water sources is no longer a problem

C. most people today learn to cook at school

D. science does not help much within the family as in the world

(D)

At a certain time in our lives we consider every place as the possible site for a house. I have thus searched the country within a dozen miles of where I live. In imagination I have bought all the farms, one after another, and I knew their prices.

The nearest thing that I came to actual ownership was when I bought the Hollowell place. But before the owner completed the sale with me, his wife changed her mind and wished to keep it, and he offered me additional dollars to return the farm to him. However, I let him keep the dollars and sold him the farm for just what I gave for it.

The real attractions of the Hollowell farm to me were its position, being about two miles from the village, half a mile from the nearest neighbor, bounded(相邻) on one side by the river, and separated from the highway by a wide field. The poor condition of the house and fences showed that it hadn’t been used for some time. I remembered from my earliest trip up the river that the house used to be hidden behind a forest area, and I was in a hurry to buy it before the owner finished getting out some rocks, cutting down the apple trees, and clearing away some young trees which had grown up in the fields. I wanted to buy it before he made any more of his improvements. But it turned out as I have said.

I was not really troubled by the loss. I had always had a garden, but I don’t think I was ready for a large farm. I believe that as long as possible it is better to live free and uncommitted(无牵无挂). It makes but little difference whether you own a farm or not.

57.What do we know about the author?

  A. He wanted to buy the oldest farm near where he lived.

  B. He made a study of many farms before buying.

  C. He made money by buying and selling farms.

  D. He had the money to buy the best farm in the country.

58.Why did the author want to buy the farm in a hurry?

  A. He was afraid the owner might change his mind.

  B. He hoped to enlarge the forest on the farm.

  C. He wanted to keep the farm as it was.

  D. He was eager to become a farm owner.

59.The underlined words “the loss” in the last paragraph refer to _____?

  A. the money the author lost in buying the farm

  B. the sale of the garden in the Hollowell place

  C. the removal of the trees around the house

  D. the failure to possess the Hollowell place

60.What does the author believe as important in life?

  A. To own a farm                B. To satisfy his needs

  C. To be free from worries.        D. To live in the countryside.

D

HOLIDAY HOMES IN MALLORCA

       Holiday houses in Mallorca sailing and fishing port - quiet even in summer season．Beautifully situated houses with sights of sea and mountains, yet near to shops and restaurants．Cars and bicycles for hire．Sailing and sports clubs nearby．

ITALY IN COMFORT

       Luxury coach trips of Italy, out of normal holiday season．21 days to visit five Italian cities starting from London 1st May, 1st September．The trips are guided by Professor Martin Davis, Head of Italian Studies, London University．See the arts and culture of historic Italy．

KIBBUTZ HOLIDAYS IN ISRAEL

       Working holidays on a kibbutz （co-operative farm） in Israel．All nationalities welcome for one to three months, if prepared to work morning with kibbutz members．Accommodation, food and trips to historic sights all provided free - you pay only for the special low-cost return flight．

TWO WEEKS ON A CARIBBEAN ISLAND

       Two-week holidays in the Hotel Splendid, on a lovely beach with golden sands and deep-blue sea．Tennis, golf, sailing and all water sports, trips around the island arranged．Near to town of Castries with lively evening entertainment - dancing．

       1st November - 31st March =￡720 per person

       1st April - 30th October =￡850 per person

       Jack and his wife Mary, who have recently retired, want to see places of cultural and historic interest abroad, but Mary hates flying．

       Peter and Maria, university students, want to travel as far as possible on little money, and would like to get to know a country by working there for three months with other young people．

       Michael, a young computer programmer, has been working hard and needs a holiday to relax in winter．He would like to go somewhere warmer and sunny, where he can swim in the sea, and he enjoys sports and dancing．

       Henry and Kate, both teachers, and their two sons, have to take their holiday during the school summer holidays．There must be plenty for the boys to do, although Harry and Kate just want to have beautiful scenery, good food and wine- and peace．

57．Michael would most probably go to _______ for his holiday．

       A．Italy　　　     B．Israel          C．Mallorca　　 D．a Caribbean island

58．The best holiday for Jack and Mary would be _______．

       A．the 21 - day coach trip of Italy

       B．the 2 -week stay in the Hotel Splendid

       C．the 14 -day trip around a Caribbean island

       D．the working holidays for 1 -3 months on a kibbutz in Israel

59．Henry and Kate and their sons would like _______．

       A．a holiday working on a kibbutz in Israel

       B．a holiday visiting cities by coach in Italy

       C．a holiday house in the fishing port in Mallorca

       D．a holiday hotel on a lovely beach on a Carribean Island

60．You can find this passage most probably in _______．

       A．a school library　    B．a tourist agency      C．the post office        D．the museum

B

Japanese students work very hard but many are unhappy．They feel heavy pressures from their parents to do well in school．Most students are always being told by their parents to study harder so that they can have a wonderful life．Though this may be good ideas for those very bright students，it can have very bad results for many students who are not quick enough at learning．

Unfortunately，a number of students killed themselves．Others are after comfort in using drugs．Some do bad things with trouble-makers and turn to crime．Many of them have tried very hard at school but have failed in the exams and have disappointed their parents．Such students feel that they are less important and leave school before they have finished their study．

It is surprising that though most Japanese parents are worried about their children, they do not help them in any way．Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and that it is the teachers' work to help their children．To make matters worse, a lot of parents send their children to special school called juku-cram schools．These schools are open during the evening and on weekends, and their only purpose is to prepare students to pass exams, they do not try to educate students in any real sense of the real world. It thus comes as a shock to realize that almost three quarters of the junior or high school population attend these cram schools．

Ordinary Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the students' hair to their clothes and things in their school bag．Child psychologists now think that such strict rules often lead to a feeling of being unsafe and being unable to fit into society．They regard the rules as being harmful to the development of each student．They believe that no sense of moral values is developed and that students are given neither guidance nor training in becoming good citizens．

56．A lot of Japanese students are unhappy at school because      .

    A．they work very hard    B．they find they can't do well at school

C．they feel unimportant   D．they are under too much pressure

57．Because of their failure at school, some students take drugs to       .

    A．kill themselves            B．seek comfort

C．disappoint their parents     D．make trouble

58．What should be the best title of the passage?

    A．Students' Pressure          B．Students' Problems

    C．The Negative（消极） Impact of Japanese Education

D．The Trouble in Japanese Schools

59．In juku-cram schools students       ．

    A．are taken good care of by the teachers  B．feel no pressure

C．are trained to pass exams             D．can learn a lot of useful things

60．In ordinary Japanese schools，        ．

    A．there are strict rules       B．students feel safe

C．students can do anything   D．learning is not important