A black hole is created when a large star burns out. Like our sun, stars are unbelievably hot furnaces(熔炉) that burn their own matter as fuel. When most of the fuel is used up, the star begins to die.

The death of a star is not a quiet event. First there is a huge explosion. As its outer layer is blasted off into space, the dying star shines as brightly as a billion suns.

After the explosion gravity pulls in what’s left of the star. As the outside of the star sinks toward the center, the star gets smaller and smaller. The material the star is made of becomes tightly packed together. A star is so dense that a teaspoon of matter from it weighs billion of pounds.

The more the star shrinks, the stronger the gravity inside it becomes. Soon the star is very tiny, and the gravity pulling it in is unbelievably strong. In fact, the gravity is so strong that it even pulls light into the star! Since all the light is pulled in, none can go out. The star becomes black when there is no light. Then a black hole is born!

That’s what we know about black holes. What we don’t know is this: What happens inside a black hole after the star has been squeezed into a tiny ball? Does it keep getting smaller and smaller forever? Such a possibility is hard to imagine.

But if the black hole doesn’t keep shrinking, what happens to it? Some scientists think black holes are like doorways to another world．They say that as the star disappears from our universe, it goes into another universe. In other words a black hole in our universe could turn into a “white hole” in a different universe. As the black hole swallows light, the white hole shines brightly — somewhere else. But where? A different place, perhaps, or a different time — many years in the past or future.

Could you travel through a black hole? Right now, no. Nothing we know of could go into a black hole without being crushed．So far the time being, black hole must remain a mystery.

Black holes are a mystery—but that hasn’t stopped scientists from dreaming about them. One scientist suggested that in the future we might make use of the power of black holes. They would supply all of Earth’s energy needs, with plenty to spare. Another scientist wondered if a black hole could some day be used to swallow earthly waste—a sort of huge waste disposal (处理) in the sky!

When the star begins to die ______.

       A．there is no fuel left in it B．its outer layer goes into space first

       C．a huge explosion will happen        D．it doesn’t give off light any longer

Which of the following doesn’t help produce a black hole?

       A．The gravity inside the star is very strong.

       B．The light can’t go out of the star.

       C．The star becomes smaller and smaller

       D．The dying star shines very brightly.

The black hole ______.

       A．continues becoming smaller and smaller all the time

       B．goes into another universe and becomes a white hole

       C．can pull in everything we know of in the world

       D．will appear at another place at a different time

What’s the best title for this passage?

       A．A New Scientific Discovery: Black Holes

       B．How Do Black Holes Come Into Being?

       C．What Are Black Holes?

       D．Travel Through A Black Hole

A bar manager was so sure that he himself was the strongest man. Thus he made a bet and declared he would offer $1000 if    1   could beat him.

     The    2   was that the landlord would squeeze（压榨）a lemon until all the    3   ran out into a beer glass, then hand the lemon to the customer. Anyone who could squeeze even one more   __ 4   out of the lemon would win the money.

     Over the years many people had tried this, truck drivers, weightlifters, karate masters, and    __ 5   had failed. Then one day a geeky little fellow with heavy black rimmed glasses    6   the bar and asked if he could try the challenge.

     After the laughter had quieted down the landlord said that it was only fair that the man should be given a    7   at the bet, so he picked up a lemon and started squeezing. Once he had done, he handed the    8   to the little man. Immediately, the little man promptly squeezed out 4 more drops of juice onto the bar!

     Everyone looked at the little man in    9   as the landlord handed over the prize and asked

"What do you do for a living that has given you such   10  ? Are you a lumberjack, weightlifter?"

"No." the man replied, "I work for the IRS.( 美国国税局)"

A. anyone        B. someone        C. every one       D. no one

A. fact           B. trap            C. challenge       D. match

A. flesh           B. juice           C. seeds         D. peel

A. water       B. lemon           C. beer glass     D. drop

A. none          B. neither          C. either           D. all

A. rushed into     B. came into     C. put into       D. looked into

A. then        B. likely         C. fair            D. chance

A. container    B. money        C. remains        D. other

A. tears           B. amazement      C. trouble         D. time

A. strength    B. bravery         C. skill           D. bet

C
A villa (别墅) designed to resist earthquakes with “self-healing” cracks in its walls, thanks to nanotechnology (纳米技术) applications with self-healing polymers (聚合物), is to be built on a Greek mountainside. The villa’s walls will include special particles that turn into a liquid when squeezed (压榨) under pressure, flow into cracks, and then harden to form a solid material.
The NanoManufacturing Institute (NMI), based in Leeds University, will play a key role in an EU project to construct the home by December 2010. The project, called “Intelligent Safe and Secure Buildings” (ISSB) is funded under the EU’s Sixth Framework program. This potentially life-saving scheme is led by German building manufacturer Knauf. The villa will be built in Amphilochia, in western Greece, where Knauf currently runs a manufacturing plant. If the experiment is successful, more tremor-resistant（防震）homes could be built in earthquake zones across the globe. NMI chief executive Professor Terry Wilkins said, “What we’re trying to achieve here is very exciting. We’re looking to use polymers in much tougher situations than ever before on a larger scale.” Monitors contained in the villa’s walls will be able to collect vast amounts of data about the building over time. Wireless sensors will record any stresses and vibrations, as well as temperature, humidity and gas levels.
The walls are to be built from new load-bearing steel frames and high-strength gypsum（石膏）board. Prof Wilkins said, “If there are any problems, the intelligent sensor network will be able to alert residents immediately so they have time to escape.” If whole groups of houses are so constructed, we could use a larger network of sensors to get even more information. “If the house falls down, we have got hand-held devices that can be used over the rubble to pick out where the embedded（嵌入的）sensors are hidden to get some information about how the villa collapsed.” Also, we can get information about anyone who may be around, so it potentially becomes a tool for rescue.
66. The aim of the passage is to ________.
A. report a piece of interesting news                   B. promote tremor-resistant homes
C. inform us of the nanotechnology development D. tell us about a tremor-resistant home
67. The villa can resist earthquakes because _______.
A. it will be built on a special place
B. the cracks in its walls can be healed by the polymers
C. the special particles can make its walls stronger
D. the intelligent sensor network can tell people where there is a crack
68. If the tremor-resistant home falls down, _______.
A. rescue work can be done more quickly and accurately
B. the intelligent sensor network will stop working
C. no one can be hurt in the earthquake
D. a warning signal will be given to other residents
69. What Prof Wilkins said suggests that _______.
A. he is doubtful about the project
B. he thinks the tremor-resistant home is perfectly designed
C. he is confident in the tremor-resistant home
D. the tremor-resistant home still needs to be tested in a real situation
70. It can be inferred from the passage that tremor-resistant home _______.
A. is still being tried out                                          B. is already under construction
C. has been in wide use                                     D. will be put into wide use soon

A villa (别墅) designed to resist earthquakes with “self-healing” cracks in its walls, thanks to nanotechnology (纳米技术) applications with self-healing polymers (聚合物), is to be built on a Greek mountainside. The villa’s walls will include special particles that turn into a liquid when squeezed (压榨) under pressure, flow into cracks, and then harden to form a solid material.
The NanoManufacturing Institute (NMI), based in Leeds University, will play a key role in an EU project to construct the home by December 2010. The project, called “Intelligent Safe and Secure Buildings” (ISSB) is funded under the EU’s Sixth Framework program. This potentially life-saving scheme is led by German building manufacturer Knauf. The villa will be built in Amphilochia, in western Greece, where Knauf currently runs a manufacturing plant. If the experiment is successful, more tremor-resistant（防震）homes could be built in earthquake zones across the globe. NMI chief executive Professor Terry Wilkins said, “What we’re trying to achieve here is very exciting. We’re looking to use polymers in much tougher situations than ever before on a larger scale.” Monitors contained in the villa’s walls will be able to collect vast amounts of data about the building over time. Wireless sensors(传感器) will record any stresses and vibrations, as well as temperature, humidity and gas levels.
The walls are to be built from new load-bearing steel frames and high-strength gypsum（石膏）board. Prof Wilkins said, “If there are any problems, the intelligent sensor network will be able to alert residents immediately so they have time to escape. If whole groups of houses are so constructed, we could use a larger network of sensors to get even more information. If the house falls down, we have got hand-held devices that can be used over the ruins to pick out where the embedded（嵌入的）sensors are hidden to get some information about how the villa collapsed. Also, we can get information about anyone who may be around, so it potentially becomes a tool for rescue.”
【小题1】The aim of the passage is to ________.

He _____ the place where he had been bitten by an insect.

　　A. snatched B. scratched  C. squeezed  D. stretched