While scientists are worried that humans are causing higher temperatures on the Earth, a Maryland man, Ace, thinks we can save the world by spraying（喷射）huge amounts of water into the air.

Ace told the McClatchy News Service that at least 1,000 places should be chosen to spray water. The water would be sprayed between 20 and 200 feet into the air. Thousands of tons of seawater would be sprayed for years at a time.

The 1,000 sites would be picked after more studies. They would be mostly in the Northern Hemisphere(北半球). Ace says he would avoid tropical（热带的）areas of the globe. He says water turns to rain too quickly in these areas for his plan to work.

The water would be changed into vapor. That process requires heat. The water vapor would rise above the Earth. The water vapor would form clouds. The clouds would help in several ways. They would cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight. They would later turn into rains. The rains would provide another way of cooling the Earth.

Ace’s plan has gotten some support from a limited scientific study. Kenneth Caldeira is a climate scientist. He works at the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University in California. Caldeira tested some of the Ace’s figures on a computer program. The computer model is used by top scientists to study global climate change. The model showed that the plan might work.

“More tests are planned in 2009. Ideas like Ace’s should be considered carefully and with an open mind,” Calderira said. “Every brilliant（卓越的）invention in the history of technology looked a little bit mad when first put forward.”

65．What’s the purpose of Ace’s plan?

A. To reduce air pollution.                      

B. To make summer cooler.

C. To offer dry areas more rain.                  

D. To solve the problem of global warming. 

66．According to Ace’s plan,___________.

A. planes would be used to spray water.       

B. it would be best to spray water on rainy days.

C. seawater would be sprayed high into the sky

D.1,000 sites in the Southern Hemisphere would be chosen.

67．Why wouldn’t Ace spray water in tropical areas?

A. Water is changed into vapor too quickly.      

B. Water turns to rain too quickly.

C. It is hard for vapor to form clouds.           

D. It is bad for local plants to have too much rain.

68. It seems that Caldeira ____________.

A. takes Ace’s plan seriously                 

B. thinks Ace’s idea too crazy

C. doesn’t believe the computer’s result        

D. agrees to carry out Ace’s plan right away

In earliest times, men considered lightning to be one of the great mysteries of nature. Some ancient people believed that lightning and thunder were the weapons of the gods.

In reality, lightning is a flow of electricity formed high above the earth. A single flash of lightning 1.6 kilometres long has enough electricity to light one million light bulbs .

The American scientist and statesman, Benjamin Franklin, was the first to show the connection between electricity and lightning in 1752. In the same year he also built the first lightning rod (避雷针). This device protects buildings from being damaged by lightning.

Modern science has discovered that one stroke of lightning has a voltage (电压) of more than 15 million volts (伏特). A flash of lightning between a cloud and the earth may be as long as 13 kilometers, and travel at a speed of 30 million meters per second.

Scientists judge that there are about 2,000 million flashes of lightning per year. Lightning hits the Empire State Building in New York City 30 to 48 times a year. In the United States alone it kills an average of one person every day.

The safest place to be in case of an electrical storm is in a closed car. Outside, one should go to low ground and not get under tress. Also on,e should stay out of water and away from metal fences. Inside a house, people should avoid open doorways and windows and not touch wires or metal things.

With lightning, it is better to be safe than sorry.

1.People once thought lightning came from ________.

2.According to the passage what do you think all buildings need?

3.Lightning can travel ________.

4.Which of the following is NOT true?

I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a freezing cold wet day in the winter of 1975. I remember the right moment, hiding behind a fragile mud wall, peeking (窥视）into the alley (胡同）near the frozen stream. That was a long time ago ，but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I，ve learned, about how you can bury it, because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I，ve been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.

One day in summer, my friend, Rahim Khan called from Pakistan. He asked me to come to see him. Standing in the kitchen with the receiver to my ear, I knew it wasn’t just Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins (未能弥补的罪行) After I hung up, I went for a walk along Spreckels Lane on the northern edge of Golden Gate Park. The early afternoon sun sparkled on the water where dozens of small boats sailed, driven by a gentle breeze. Then I glanced up and saw a pair of kites with long blue tails, soaring in the sky. They danced high above the trees on the west end of the park, over the windmill, floating side by side like a pair of eyes looking down on San Francisco, the city I now call home.

And suddenly Hassan5S voice whispered in my head: For you, a thousand times over. Hassan the hare-lipped kite runner. I sat on a park bench near a willow tree. I thought about something Rahim Khan said just before he hung up, almost as an after thought. There is a way to be good again. I looked up at those twin kites. I thought about Hassan. Thought about Baba. AU. Kabul. I thought of the life I had lived until the winter of 1975 came along and changed everything. And made me what I am today.

1.After 1975，the hero of the story spent his life_____.

A. with happiness      B. with regret

C. in peace        D. in danger

2.It can be inferred from the passage that_____.

A. Rahim Khan spoke ill of the hero

B. the hero had made up for his wrong-doings

C. San Francisco was the birthplace of the hero

D. something bad might have happened in the alley

3.The writer attracts the readers by using_____

a.an impressive opening   b.a lively description of inner thoughts

c.concrete and vivid language   d.a detailed plot of the story

A. abc        B. bcd        C. acd        D. abd

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A.A hide-and-seek game.       B.A forget-me-not event.

C.kite-flying competition.    D.A coming-of-age story.

IV. Reading comprehension 阅读理解 2’ * 10 = 20’
A
The sky usually looks light blue. But if you went to the top of the highest mountain, where there is less air between you and the sun to scatter (使……分散，散射) the sunlight, the sky would be deep, dark blue. And if you rode in a rocket high above the earth, where there is no air at all to scatter the sunlight, the sky would be so dark that it would be black. Sometimes the sky doesn't look blue. At sunrise and sunset, the light from the sun sometimes is scattered in such a way that you see red, orange, and other colors in the sky.
56. The sky usually looks light blue because _____.
A. the sun is light and blue
B. the air is light and blue
C. the air scatters the sunlight
D. the sunlight is blue
57. The sky looks dark blue when _____.
A. there is less air between you and the sun
B. there is high mountain
C. the mountain is highest
D. you climb a mountain
58. The sky looks black if ______.
A. you ride in a rocket
B. the rocket is high in the sky
C. the rocket is high above the earth
D. there is no air to scatter the sunlight
59. Sometimes the sky doesn't look blue because ______.
A. the sun is rising
B. the sun is setting
C. the air has different colors
D. the light from the sun is scattered in a different way
60. A good title for this passage would be _______.
A. The Sky Looks Blue
B. Why the Sky Looks Colorful
C. The Beautiful Sunlight
D. Something About the Air

读写任务 (共25分)

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

As we all know, life is full of dreams and having a good dream is of great importance in our daily life. Without a good dream, people can’t make progress; without a good dream, countries can’t develop; without a good dream, the world can’t become so beautiful! And I hold the strong belief that everyone, whether he is old or young, poor or rich, junior or senior, does have a good dream! After all, dreaming is certainly a positive part of our life, and wishing for good things, however, costs nothing!

What’s more, it is important to fly our dreams, especially for those who are Senior 3 students. It is high time for them to fly their dreams. If they can’t let out  dreams fly, the dream would just be a dream, not reality!

Therefore, it is no wonder that so many people have a dream since their childhood. With a nice dream, China succeeded to host the 29^th Olympic Games in 2008; with a nice dream, Hongkong returned to the motherland peacefully in 1997; with a nice dream, Yuan Longping rids the world of hunger; with a nice dream, Michael Jordon becomes the most popular basketball star; with a nice dream I can stand on this stage to compete in the final English speech contest. And with an aim of achieving success, I must do the best!

So my good friends, if you want to realize your dream, please do not be afraid in face of difficulties or give up in face of failure nor lose your dream in face of pains. You must keep going forward bravely! Just fly your dream highly above the sky!

写作内容：

1. 阅读短文后用30词左右概括短文的要点。

2. 就“放飞梦想”为主题，以120词左右发表自己的看法，并包括以下内容要点：

（1）列举自己或身边现实生活中中学生梦想成真的一件事例；

（2）结合自己的实际，谈谈你现在的梦想，并说明打算如何实现。

写作要求：

     1. 在作文中可以使用自己亲身的经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

     2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

评分标准：

     概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。