The search for life in the universe took a step forward last month with the opening of the Allen Telescope Array(艾伦望远镜阵列) in Hat Creek, California. The telescopes were partly made possible by a gift of twenty-five million dollars from Paul Allen. The total cost of the project is already fifty million dollars.
At present, there are 42 radio telescopes working at the Hat Creek observatory. The signals they receive are combined to create what is equal to a single, very large telescope. The telescope will be used to observe objects like exploding stars, black holes and other objects that are predicted but have not yet been observed. Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute says this is the first telescope whose main purpose is to search for signals from intelligent life in space. The SETI Institute is based in Mountain View, California. The organization supports the search for other life forms in the universe.
What makes the Allen Telescope Array unusual is that it can collect and study information from a wide area of the sky. In addition, the 42 telescopes can study information about several projects at the same time. That means studies of large areas of the sky can be made faster than ever before.
Some officials think the Allen Telescope Array will be completed in three more years. 350 individual radio telescopes are planned. The new abilities of the Allen Telescope Array will make searching for stars similar to the sun much faster.
An earlier search by SETI, Project Phoenix, studied about 800 stars to a distance of 240 light years. The project ended in 2004. With the Allen Telescope Array, astronomers hope to gather thousands of times more information in the search for life beyond our planet.
【小题1】The main purpose of the Allen Telescope Array is          .

Today, almost everyone has heard of Harry Potter. The books detailing his experiences at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have aroused passion, creativity, and interest in reading throughout the world.

But have you ever considered why you are a fan of the Harry Potter series?

JK Rowling has created a list of characters and an environment for them to inhabit that appeals to both adults and children. 

The fantasy aspect of the wizarding world expands the imagination, and takes the mind to new and exciting places. Anything could happen there. Her stories contain parts of the believable and unbelievable, changing the predictability that readers commonly come across and bear in fiction. 

The main theme of the series, including good versus evil, prejudice, love, death, sacrifice, friendship and loyalty, in actuality contributes to the ever-lasting nature of the stories. At the same time, these themes remind us of classic literature, offering mature readers tales that wear like a comfortable pair of shoes, while introducing younger readers to concepts they will meet throughout their lives. 

Much of the appeal also comes from the characters. In each book, JK Rowling introduces and describes the characters in such a way that we wonder not only about their futures, but also about their pasts. Even supporting characters are suddenly more than just extras in the background. And what of Harry Potter himself? We care about Harry, because we watch him grow from an innocent boy to a powerful wizard. We see him as both Hero and Victim. He experiences endless love and extreme pain, and as readers, we experience them with him.

This perfect combination of emotion, suspense and fantasy, together with the fact that JK Rowling is a superb storyteller is the reason why we are Harry potter fans. People are fond of Harry Potter series. With books like these, it’s hard not to be.

1. Harry Potter series become popular partly because ____________.

A. they remind us of the childhood and environment we had in the past

B. they take us to a world beyond our imagination and expectation

C. they offer us ever-lasting nature of the stories

D. they set an example of hero for us to follow

2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 mean?

A. The supporting characters are not necessary in the story.

B. Readers care only about Harry but not those supporting characters.

C. Even the supporting characters are attractive in the story.

D. Those supporting characters only appear all of a sudden.

3.The themes of the Harry Potter series do not contain ____________.

A. prejudice and love                                    B. good and evil

C. death and sacrifice                                  D. safety and peace

4.People care for Harry Potter because ____________.

A. they think of classic literature when reading the story

B. they find different experiences from theirs on Harry

C. they share the experiences with Harry

D. they like JK Rowling’s description very much

Li An’s film The life of Pi won the best director Oscar award in 2013, ______ is beyond our expectation but we all Chinese are proud of him.

A．why              B．what             C．which            D．that

Our school sports meeting we had looked forward to______ in _______ fine weather, which was beyond our expectation.

C

Recently, a survey was done among 288,000 students, which shows that today’s traditional-age college freshmen are “more materialistic and less altruistic (利他主义的)” than at any time in the 19 years of the poll (民意调查).

Not surprisingly, in these hard times, the students’ major purpose “is to be financially well off. Developing a meaningful philosophy of life is less important than ever.” It follows then that today the most popular course is not literature or history but accounting.

Interest in teaching, social service and the “altruistic” fields is at a low. On the other hand, enrollment in business programs, engineering and computer science is way up.

That’s no surprise either. A friend of mine (a sales representative for a chemical company) was making twice the salary of her college instructors in her first year on the job---even before she completed her two-year associate degree.

Though it’s true that we all need a career, it is equally true that our civilization has accumulated an incredible amount of knowledge in fields far beyond our own and that it will be better for our understanding of these other contributions—either scientific or artistic.

Similarly, it is true that, in studying the diverse wisdom of others, we learn how to think. More importantly, perhaps, education teaches us to see the connections between things, as well as to see beyond our immediate needs.

Weekly we read of unions who went on strike for higher wages, only to drive their employer out of business. No company; No job. How shortsighted in the long run!

But the most important argument for a broad education is that in studying the accumulated wisdom of the ages, we improve our moral sense. I saw a cartoon recently which shows a group of businessmen looking puzzled as they sit around a conference table; one of them is talking on the intercom (对讲机) : “Miss Baxter,” he says, “could you please send in someone who can distinguish right from wrong?”

From the long-term point of view, that’s what education really ought to be about.

51. According to the result of the survey, college students _______________.

A. take developing a meaningful philosophy of life more seriously

B. have a wide range of knowledge in many aspects

C. pay more attention to the study of literature

D. have never been so materialistic as today

52. The students’ criteria (标准) for choosing their majors today are largely based on _________.

A. their own understanding of the courses

B. the financial goals they seek in life

C. the influence of their instructors

D. the vast potential for the future educational development

53. What does the fifth paragraph imply?

A. Knowledge in other fields has nothing to do with one’s career.

B. Business management should be included in educational programs

C. The importance of a broad education should not be ignored

D. A good understanding of the civilization will make students rich.

54. The author’s attitude to the effect of studying the diverse wisdom of others is ______________.

A. positive          B. indifferent              C. doubtful           D. negative

55. The writer wrote the passage in order to indicate that ______________.

A. college students today are not a diligent generation

B. people engaged in technical jobs lead a more meaningful life

C. career seekers shouldn’t focus on immediate interests only

D. working experience outside college counts a lot to one’s future career