先通读下面的短文，掌握其大意，然后在每小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出一个最佳选项，将其编号填入答题卷相对应的空格内。

    The sea has always been a world of adventure（冒险）for brave people.

    In the early days of sailing, many  41  1eft home to cross wide oceans（海洋）.Often these early explorers（探险家）were  42  new people to trade with. They sold things to each other.

    Today, explorers are still pushing their way  43  tons of ice in the far North. They are    44  some of the world's last unknown waters.

    Human beings have always  45  the plants and animals that live in the sea. To look at sea life up close, people have had to  46  all kinds of special equipment（设备）.Nowadays face masks, air tanks and diving suits are widely  47  in underwater exploration. With them, men can dive（潜水）into deep water and be at home with the fish.

    In the early years all deep-sea divers were  48  .But now, lots of women have become divers, too. In 1970, five girls stayed for two weeks in an undersea lab.

    People cannot live under the water   49   special equipment. 'Yet people everywhere want to get to know the  50  .They want to be on it and be in it. They want to use it. They want to cross it. They want to explore it.

    Do you want to be one of these brave explorers?

41. A. students                  B. soldiers          C. sailors            D. people

42. A. looking for       B. looking up      C. looking at       D. looking forward

43. A. over                B. on                  C. in                         D. through

44. A. checking          B. exploring        C. drinking            D. planting

45. A. planted             B. brought          C. kept               D. loved

46. A. work out          B. work up         C. work at          D. work with

47. A. made               Bused                 C. seen               D. worn

48. A. boys                B. girls               C. men               D. women

49. A. in                    B. on                  C. with               D. without

50. A. river                B. lake                C. sea                D. stream

Reading is the key to school success, and like any skill, it takes practice. A child learns to walk by practicing until he no longer has to think about how to put one foot in front of the other. An excellent sportsman practices until he can play quickly, correctly and without thinking.
Educators (教育家) call it "automaticity (自动性)”．
A child learns to read by sounding out the letters and finding the meaning of the words. With more and more practice, he stumbles less and less. As a result, he can read by the phrases and soon by sentences. With automaticity, he doesn't have to think about the meaning of words, so that he can give all his attention to the meaning of the text.
It can begin as early as first grade. In a recent study of children in Illinois schools, Alan Rossman of Northwestern University found that automatic readers in the first grade not only read almost three times as fast as the others, but also got better results in exams.
According to Rossman, the key to automaticity is the amount of time a child spends reading, not his IQ. Any child who spends at least 3.5 t0 4 hours a week reading books, magazines or newspapers will probably reach automaticity. It can happen if a child turns off TV just one night for reading at home.
You can test yourself by reading something new which is suitable for your level. If you read aloud with expression, with a sense of the meaning of the sentences, you probably are an automatic reader. If you read brokenly, one word at a time, without expression or meaning, you need more practice.
【小题1】"Reading is the key to school success" means that reading_______.

根据所给中文完成句子翻译。（共14分，每小题2分）

1.我妹妹年龄太小，不能独自呆在家里。My sister is ______at home alone.

2.这道数学题和那道一样难。This math problem is _______that one.

3.Kate的父亲既不会游泳，也不会滑冰。Kate’s father can _____.

4.汽车是在1885年发明的。 The car _________in 1885.

5.这本书属于我的。

6.他和父母相处融洽。

7.我过去留着短发。