That the Leaning Tower of Pisa no longer leans quite so much after a ￡20 million project to save it has proved to be a great success.The tower, which was on the edge of collapse, has been straightened by 18 inches, returning it to its 1838 position. 
“It has straightened a little bit more than we expected, but very little helps, ”said Prof.John Burland, the only British member of the rescue committee.“The tower is still very slightly moving towards being upright. ”
The tower, which has been leaning almost since building work first began in 1173, was closed to the public in 1990 because of safety fears.The 183foot tower was nearly 15 feet off vertical and its structure was found to have been weakened by centuries of strain(作用力).
Prof.Burland said it could have collapsed “at any moment”．However, it took nine years of quarreling before any work was done.The last attempt at straightening the tower was carried out. Concrete was poured into the foundations, but the result was that the tower sank further into the soil.
The straightening work involved digging out around 70 tonnes of earth from the northern side of the tower, causing it to sink on that side.Before the digging started, the tower was fixed with steel ropes and 600 tonnes of lead weights.
However, halfway through the project, concerns at the ugliness of the weights led to their removal and the tower leaned greatly.The weights were hurriedly reattached. In one night, the tower moved more than it had averaged in an entire year.The tower's stonework has also been restored.
The Italian government stepped in after a tower collapsed in Pavia in 1989, killing four people.Experts suddenly realized that the tower at Pisa, which was similarly built and on the same sort of earth, could do the same.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Building of the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
| B．Saving the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
| C．The Collapse of the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
| D．The History of the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
According to the passage, the Leaning Tower of Pisa_________________.
| A．closed for the straightening work in 1990 |
| B．began to lean more than 800 years ago |
| C．has a history of more than 1, 000 years |
| D．has become vertical |
What drove the Italian government to save the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
| A．The development of new technology. |
| B．The advice of Prof. John Burland. |
| C．The expectation of the rescue committee. |
| D．The collapse of a tower in Pavia. |
What most probably played the most important part in straightening the tower?
| A．The lead weights fixed to the tower. |
| B．Restoring the stonework. |
| C．Pouring concrete into the foundations. |
| D．Digging earth from the southern side of the tower. |
A heartless thief is believed to have crashed a fund-raiser and made off with a bag of cash meant to help a New York City firefighter pay for life-changing surgery for his 9-year-old son. But little Aidan Sullivan -- who was born with a facial defect and no right ear -- yesterday put up a brave front, with a message for the crook(thief): "I'm going to kick your butt!"
"I want to look normal," said Aidan, whose father, Tim, is a firefighter in the Bronx. The third-grader has hemi facial micro soma, in which one half of the face doesn't develop correctly.
Last weekend, family friend Peter Drake, a Ridgefield, Conn., firefighter, hosted a fund-raiser, collecting between $8,000 and $9,000. But when the party at a Danbury, Conn., Irish cultural center was over, the money had disappeared.
"At the end of the night, all the money that was donated was put in a zippered bag," said Tim Sullivan. "A bartender gave the bag to Pete... He had it in his hands. He put it down to go do something, and when he came back, he saw that it was missing."
Sullivan said his longtime friend -- who has had fund-raisers to pay for Aidan's 10 previous surgeries -- is "devastated."
"Pete was so upset. He kept saying, 'I let Aidan down, I let Aidan down,” Colleen Sullivan, 40, recalled.
"We even went Dumpster diving, in case it was thrown out."
The Sullivans plan to go ahead with the March 1 surgery led by specialists at NYU's Langone Medical Center in Manhattan. The money would have offset the $10,000 to $15,000 that insurance doesn't cover. Yesterday, Aidan said he's not a fan of hospitals and doesn't like to be away from his sister, Kaylee, 4. But he's willing to do it. "I'm excited," he said. "Finally, an ear."Where do you probably read this text from?
| A．A magazine. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A book. | D．An advertisement. |
How did little Aidan Sullivan feel when he knew the money was missing.
| A．He felt excited. | B．He felt surprised. |
| C．He felt upset. | D．He felt annoyed. |
What is the money used for according to this text?
| A．To help Aidan Sullivan to have another operation. |
| B．To help pay for Aidan Sullivan’s life insurance. |
| C．To return the money the Sullivans owed to the hospital. |
| D．To help a firefighter who got hurt in the ear. |
What is true of little Aidan Sullivan?
| A．He hates going to hospital. |
| B．He will go to New York for the surgery. |
| C．He didn’t care too much about the lost money. |
| D．He has received 10 surgeries before. |
What can we infer about Pete from the text?
| A．He was heartless. | B．He was kind. |
| C．He was caress. | D．He was a firefighter. |
You have probably heard of the Mozart effect. It’s the idea that if children or even babies listen to music composed by Mozart, they will become more intelligent. A quick Internet search reveals plenty of products to assist you in the task. Whatever your age there are CDs and books to help you taste the power of Mozart’s music, but when it comes to scientific evidence that it can make you more clever, the picture is more mixed.
The phrase “the Mozart effect” was made up in 1991, but it was a study described two years later in the journal Nature that sparked real media and public interest about the idea that listening to classical music somehow improves the brain. It is one of those ideas that sound reasonable. Mozart was undoubtedly a genius himself; his music is complex and there is a hope that if we listen to enough of it ,we’ll become more intelligent.
The idea took off, with thousands of parents playing Mozart to their children, and in 1998 Zell Miller, the Governor of the state of Georgia in the US, even asked for money to be set aside in the state budget so that every newborn baby could be sent a CD of classical music. It was not just babies and children who were exposed to Mozart’s music on purpose, even an Italian farmer proudly explained that the cows were played Mozart three times a day to help them to produce better milk.
I’ll leave the debate on the impact on milk yield to farmers, but what about the evidence that listening to Mozart makes people more intelligent? More research was carried out but an analysis of sixteen different studies confirmed that listening to music does lead to a temporary improvement in the ability to handle shapes mentally, but the benefits are short-lived and it doesn’t make us more intelligent.
What can we learn from paragraph 1?
| A．Mozart composed many musical pieces for children. |
| B．Children listening to Mozart will be more intelligent. |
| C．There are few products on the Internet about Mozart’s music. |
| D．There is little scientific evidence to support Mozart effect. |
Why did many people believe in the idea of Mozart Effect?
| A．Because a study described it in the journal Nature. |
| B．Because Mozart himself was a genius. |
| C．Because Mozart’s music is enjoyable. |
| D．Because Mozart’s music makes people relaxed. |
The underlined sentence in paragraph3 suggests that .
| A．people were strongly against the idea |
| B．the idea was accepted by many people |
| C．Mozart played an important part in people’s life |
| D．the US government helped promote the idea |
What is the author’s attitude towards the Mozart effect?
| A．Favorable | B．Objective |
| C．Doubtful | D．Positive |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Listening to Mozart , necessary? | B．What music is beneficial? |
| C．What is the Mozart effect? | D．To be or not to be? |
It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the images were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.
Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday.
“We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private information,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”
On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.
“It worries people to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without permission,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F. T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”
Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.
He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to fix issues. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll turn to the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’ll consider legislative approach.”
The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google_______.
| A．to urge them not to invade consumers’ privacy. |
| B．to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information. |
| C．to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos. |
| D．to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo. |
Which of the following statements is True?
| A．Privacy invasion from Apple has existed for a long time. |
| B．Mr. Schumer takes the privacy concerns caused by Apple and Google seriously. |
| C．Privacy invasion from Google has existed for a long time. |
| D．Apple and Google have decided to make a change. |
Mr. Schumer’s letter to the F.T.C. mainly shows that the technology to open the door to privacy invasion_______.
A. causes privacy invasion to happen frequently.
B. can be used if permitted.
C. causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information.
D. causes personal information to be posted online without permission.Where can we read about the passage?
| A．In a newspaper. | B．In a magazine. |
| C．In a science report. | D．In a textbook. |
Two Chinese living in South Africa were killed in a robbery (抢劫) on February 5, bringing the total number of Chinese killed in the country to four in less than a month.
Chen Jianqing, 35, from Southeast China's Fujian Province, who ran a shop with her husband in a small town 45 kilometers away from South African capital Johannesburg, was shot dead.
"One of her business partners died later in the hospital," the Chinese consulate (领事馆) officials in Johannesburg said yesterday. "Local police are trying to find more information about the case. And we have told the victims' (遇难者的) relatives and are helping them come to Johannesburg," Consul Wu Gang told China Daily. Chen's husband was injured during the robbery but did not suffer seriously, said Wu.
The robbery happened at about 5:45 pm local time and the armed robbers ran away after taking more than 50,000 South African rand (US $8,200) and some jewelry, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The killing happened just three days after Chen Jingmin, a 23-year-old man from Qingdao, Shandong Province, was shot dead north outside Johannesburg by armed robbers. On January 10, a Hong Kong businessman was attacked and robbed at his home in Johannesburg and died the next day in the hospital. All these happened just in less than a month.
According to records, there were more than 40 robberies attacking Chinese in South Africa last year, in which eight were killed. More than 100,000 Chinese are doing various kinds of businesses in South Africa, according to a Chinese official in the country. An increasing number of them are becoming targets (目标) of robbers after buying big houses or luxury cars, the official said.. The passage is probably ______.
| A．a business story | B．a scientific article |
| C．a newspaper report | D．an official document |
. Who were killed on February 5 in a small town near Johannesburg?
| A．Chen Jianqing and her husband. |
| B．Chen Jianqing and one of her partners. |
| C．Chen Jingmin and a Hong Kong businessman. |
| D．Chen Jingmin and one of his relatives. |
. How many Chinese were killed in South Africa since January ?
| A．2 | B．4. |
| C．5. | D．8. |
. _______are more likely to be robbed in South Africa.
| A．Those Chinese who depend too much on local police |
| B．Those Chinese who live near the capital of South Africa |
| C．Those Chinese who open shops selling Chinese goods |
| D．Those Chinese who leave others the impression of being rich |
Decreasing grain prices along with growing costs of production means Chinese farmers are unlikely to see a significant rise in income next year.
China’s economic planning chief Ma Kai expressed the concern as the government undertakes an ambitious program to improve rural people’s lives.
Grain prices have been dropping since April; and prices of wheat, corn and rice fell 5 per cent from August to October compared with the same period last year, Ma, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, told an annual meeting on development and reform held over the weekend.
Meanwhile, prices of production materials rose 9.1 per cent year on year during the first 10 months.
The situation makes it difficult to achieve a “new socialist countryside,” which was last week highlighted（引起注意）as a new concept and “common action” of the whole Party and nation.
Vice-Minister of Agriculture Yin Chengjie also said China’s entry to the World Trade Organization also creates hurdles for income rises for the country’s 780 million farmers.
Farmers’ income is expected to increase by 5 per cent this year, hitting the target set by the central government at the beginning of this year.
Last year, per capita net income（个人平均纯收入）of Chinese farmers reached 2,936 yuan (US$362), up 6.8 per cent year on year, and the highest increase since 1997.
Ma also said China would continue to seek fast, steady economic growth in 2006 but more efforts will be made to deal with the challenges brought about by overheating in some industrial sectors (区域).
(from China Daily, December 5, 2005)The writer thinks it difficult to achieve a “new socialist countryside” because _____.
| A．grain prices decrease and production costs grow |
| B．“new socialist countryside” is a new concept |
| C．prices of production materials rose 9.1 percent |
| D．many farmers are working in industrial sectors |
The underlined word “hurdles” in Paragraph 6 means _____ .
| A．promotion | B．fear | C．difficulties | D．possibility |
From1997 to 2005, the highest increase in farmers’ income was achieved in _____.
| A．2004 | B．2002 | C．2003 | D．2005 |
More than a hundred reporters from around the world thronged and bustled in the Stock Exchange Building in Stockholm's Old Town for about an hour before the doors to the Swedish Academy swung open. Notably, there were many Japanese reporters present, hoping to break the news that Haruki Murakami had won the prize. Finally, the Swedish Academy's Permanent Secretary Peter Englund stepped out from the doors and said Canadian short story writer Alice Munro has won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature.
The following is a truncated Q&A with reporters and Englund. (The questions have been simplified and clarified.)
Why did Alice Munro win?
We gave her the Nobel Prize in Literature because she is a master of the contemporary short story.
Which book to begin with?
One of the amazing things about her is that she has no weak works in her writing. She has always worked to the best of her ability; she has always cultivated the short story to perfection. And she has never really written a weak or bad book. So you can take your pick. 'The Moons of Jupiter' was the first book I read by her and you can see both her different themes in that book and also her very special narrative mode, you can find it there. She tells her stories a bit like nobody else. She has a very economical language and sparse style. You can find that in 'The Moons of Jupiter.' You can take your pick. The latest one is obviously very interesting, 'Dear Life,' which contains a number of autobiographical sketches at the end that gives a key to the entire authorship of Alice Munro.
How was she informed?
Well, I left a message on her answering machine. I couldn't reach her and it was of course pretty early in the morning. But she will be notified by courier, by email to her both agents, by standard mail and so on.
What kind of message did you leave?
Basically, congratulations! You've won the Nobel Prize in literature.
What's the Importance of a woman winning?
Don't ask me. We picked her for excellence, nothing else. Of course it matters when you start doing the headcount. But she is no representative. She has received this prize just because of what she has done. Nothing else.
So the sexual balance doesn't count?
We don't have these kinds of quotas; thank god ... We don't have any quotas. We could, if we wanted to, award this prize four times in a row to a children's book writer working in the United States. If we wanted to. We can do as we please. We don't have to fill any quotes in any direction. We just give it to authors who show an extraordinary literary quality. One of these is Mrs. Alice Munro.Why were there so many Japanese reporters in the Stock Exchange Building in Stockholm's Old Town?
| A．They were waiting there to report who would win the 2013 Nobel Prize in 2013. |
| B．They had expected that Haruki Murakami would win the prize. |
| C．They just wanted to be the first to report the 2013 Noble Prize winner. |
| D．They were waiting in the stock market to give the world a big surprise. |
Alice Munro would most probably be informed of her winning by ________?
| A．picking up her answering machine | B．email from both of her agents |
| C．standard mail | D．The passage doesn’t clarify it. |
According to the passage, Alice Munro was awarded the 2013 Noble Prize in Literature mainly for ________.
| A．she has an obvious advantage over Haruki Murakami |
| B．it is rare for a woman to have written so many perfect stories |
| C．she is a master of the contemporary short story |
| D．she deserves a prize for her hard work for so many years |
Alice Munro is best known for her work ________.
| A．“Dear Life”, which contains a number of autobiographical sketches that gives a key to her entire authorship |
| B．“The Moons of Jupiter”, which represented both her different themes and also her very special narrative mode |
| C．“DanceoftheHappyShades”, which helped her win the first Governor General’s Award |
| D．no specific work, but the uniqueness and perfection reflected in all her works |
London Underground
The world’s first subway was built in London in 1863. At the time，the government was looking for a way to reduce traffic problems in the city of London. The poor areas of the city were so crowded with people that it was almost impossible for horse carriages to get through. The city officials were interested in trying to make it possible for workers to live outside of London and travel easily to work each day. If people had a cheap and convenient way that they could depend on to go to and from work， they would relocate their homes outside of the city. This would help ease(减轻) the pressure of too many people living in the poor parts of London. From these problems，the idea of the London Underground，the first subway system，was born.
The plans for building the Underground met with several problems and delays，but the fast track was finally opened in January 1863. A steam train pulled the cars along the fast underground track which was 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) long. About 30，000 people got on the subway the first day. Riders were treated to comfortable seats (standing up while the train was moving was not allowed)， and pleasant decorations inside each of the cars. However， the smoke from the engine soon filled the air in the tunnels with ash and soot(煤灰)， as well as chemical gases. Fans had to be put in the tunnels later to keep the air clean enough for people to breathe. Even with its problems，riding in the Underground did catch on. It carried 9 million riders in its first year.What led the British government to build the London Underground？
| A．Traffic jams and pollution. |
| B．Population and pollution. |
| C．Overcrowding and traffic jams. |
| D．The poverty and subway problems. |
How did the London Underground solve the smoke problem？
| A．It made the tunnels larger. |
| B．It put fans in the tunnels. |
| C．It cleaned the chemical gases in the tunnels. |
| D．It reduced the number of passengers riding in the train. |
The underlined phrase “catch on” most probably means “______”.
| A．be troublesome | B．become popular and fashionable |
| C．keep up with | D．seize |
Which of the following is TRUE？
| A．To relocate the workers’ homes outside London，the government built the subway. |
| B．There were so many problems and delays that in 18th century the first subway opened. |
| C．The subway greatly eased the pressure of traffic. |
| D．There were not enough seats for the passengers the first day the subway opened. |
Strong winds and cold temperatures tested New York City Marathon runners on Sunday. Despite the tough conditions, about 50,000 people completed the 26.2-mile course. They wound (曲折而行) their way from the starting line in Staten Island through Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx toward the finish line in Manhattan’s central Park.
Wilson Kipsang from Kenya won the marathon in 2 hours, 10 minutes, 59 seconds. Because of the wind, his time was the slowest winning time in New York since 1995. it was more than 7 and a half minutes off the world record he set just over a year ago in Berlin. The runners adjusted carefully to 30 mph winds by sticking to a slow pace at the start.
Keitany, also from Kenya, won the women’s title with a final time of 2:25:07. In her previous NYC Marathon, Ke
itany took an early lead but this year she held back. She and Kenya’s Jemima Sumgong entered Central Park side by side, and Sumgong appeared to be pulling away with just over a mile left. But Keitany had one last burst left and won by 3 seconds. It was the tightest finish in the history of the women’s race. “In the closing miles, my target was to win,” Sumgong said, “but it was Keitany’s day.”
The New York City Marathon has grown from a Central Park race with 55 finishers to the world’s biggest and most popular marathon. Sunday was the 44th edition of the NYC Marathon. The race had its millionth finisher in history.
Keitany, a two-time London Marathon champ, hadn’t run a 26.2-mile race since 2012 because of the birth of her second child. “I worked hard for this opportunity,”she said. “I’m happy because I have a victory today.”How did Wilson Kipsang perform at the 44th NYC Marathon?
| A．He was the first man to reach the finish line. |
| B．He finished the course in less than two hours. |
| C．He ran at a fast pace from the very beginning. |
D．He set the worst reco rd in his marathon history. |
At the 44th NYC Marathon, Mary Keitany .
| A．won by over a mile |
| B．took an early lead as usual |
| C．didn’t win an easy victory |
| D．beat the former world record holder |
What is Paragraph 4 mainly about
?
| A．The purpose of the NYC Marathon. |
| B．The importance of the NYC Marathon. |
| C．The uniqueness of the NYC Marathon. |
| D．The development of the NYC Marathon. |
Petroleum, consisting of crude oil（原油） and natural gas, seems to originate from organic matter in marine sediment（海洋沉淀物）.Tiny organisms settle to the seafloor and gather in marine mud. The organic matter may partially break down, using up the dissolved oxygen in the sediment. As soon as the oxygen is gone, decay stops and the remaining organic matter is preserved.
Continued sedimentation buries the organic matter and subjects it to higher temperatures and pressures, which change the organic matter to oil and gas. As muddy sediments are pressed together, the gas and small drops of oil may be squeezed out of the mud and may move into sandy layers nearby. Over millions of years, accumulations of gas and oil can collect in the sandy layers. Both oil and gas are less dense than water, so they generally tend to rise upward through rock and sediment.
Oil pools are valuable underground accumulations of oil, and oil fields are regions underlain by one or more oil pools. When an oil pool or field is discovered, wells are drilled into the ground. When the well reaches a pool, oil usually rises up the well because of its density difference（密度差） with water beneath it or because of the pressure of expanding gas trapped above it. Although this rise of oil is almost always carefully controlled today, strong natural flows of oil were common in the past. Gas pressure gradually dies out, and oil is pumped from the well. Water or steam may be pumped down neighboring wells to help push the oil out.
As oil becomes increasingly difficult to find, the search for it is extended into more unfriendly environments. The development of the oil field on the North Slope of Alaska and the construction of the Alaska pipeline are examples of the great expense and difficulty involved in new oil discoveries. Offshore drilling platforms extend the search for oil to the ocean’s continental shelves. More than one-quarter of the world’s oil and almost one-fifth of the world’s natural gas come from offshore, even though offshore drilling is six to seven times more expensive than drilling on land.
Of course, there is far more oil underground than can be recovered. Even given the best exploration techniques, only about 30 to 40 percent of the oil in a given pool can be brought to the surface. The rest is far too difficult to reach and has to remain underground.Which of the following is true about petroleum formation?
| A．Microscopic organisms that live in mud produce crude oil and natural gas. |
| B．Large amounts of oxygen are needed for petroleum formation to begin. |
| C．Petroleum is formed when organic material in sediments combines with decaying organisms. |
| D．Petroleum formation appears to begin in marine sediments where organic matter exists. |
What does the development of the Alaskan oil field mentioned illustrate?
| A．More petroleum is extracted from the sea than from land. |
| B．Drilling for oil requires huge financial investments. |
| C．The global demand for oil has been increasing over the years. |
| D．The North Slope of Alaska has substantial amounts of oil. |
What does the author mainly intend to tell us in the passage?
| A．The formation, processing and exploration of petroleum |
| B．The specific techniques involved in oil exploration. |
| C．The changing relationships between countries. |
| D．The future intense situation in oil product markets. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Available exploration techniques serve our purpose of exploring oil very well. |
| B．More and more public regions will be further protected from being drilled in the future. |
| C．Countries may suffer from unpleasant relationships for respective benefits in exploring oil. |
| D．Powerful flows of oil is a phenomenon which can be witnessed rarely now. |
The City of Christchurch, New Zealand was struck by a 7.1magnitude earthquake on the early morning of Saturday, September 4, 2010.
No tsunami alert was reported. The country's army troops were on standby to assist victims and disaster recovery operation. New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key, flew to the affected area to inspect and assess the situation of the damaged city. The Prime Minister said that the full assessment of the damages would possibly take months to know the severity of damages. Based from his assessment on what he saw in the area, it could cost at least 2 billion New Zealand dollars or US$1.4 billion for reconstruction.
“An absolute miracle that no one died，” Prime Minister John Key said. Two were seriously injured from this quake and thousands of local residents were awakened after being shaken at 4：35 a.m. of that Saturday.
There were people trapped inside the damaged buildings but fortunately none were reported dead from the rubble of the damaged buildings.
“We're all feeling scared—we've just had some significant aftershocks，” a survivor told TV One News. “Tonight we're just people in the face of a massive natural disaster, trying to help each other and we're grateful we haven't lost a life.”
GNS Science reported 29 aftershocks within the 14 hours after the quake, with strength from magnitude 3.7 to 5.4.
New_Zealand_is_no_stranger_to_earthquakes. The country experiences more than 14，000 earthquakes a year—but only about 150 are felt by people.
“Many buildings here were built with earthquake protection measure. However, in most cities in developing countries, people build how they want to and there're no building controls to force them to build to a higher standard that's safe，” Andrew Charleson, an architecture professor at Victoria University of Wellington told CNN.How many people were killed in the New Zealand earthquake on September 4, 2010?
| A．250，000. | B．29. | C．2. | D．0. |
After the earthquake, all of the following occurred EXCEPT that________．
| A．a number of aftershocks broke out |
| B．army troops were there to help |
| C．no people were injured or killed |
| D．the full assessment of the damages can't take in a short time |
What does the writer want to say by quoting Professor Andrew Charleson's words in the last paragraph?
| A．Earthquakes are much more terrible and bigger in developing countries. |
| B．Lacking of money, developing countries can't build safe buildings. |
| C．Building controls are the guarantee of safe buildings. |
| D．In developing countries, people have more freedom to design their buildings the way they like. |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．Earthquakes break out frequently in New Zealand. |
| B．The earthquakes breaking out in New Zealand are very strange. |
| C．The earthquakes breaking out in New Zealand are unusual. |
| D．Earthquakes rarely hit New Zealand. |
What's the main idea of the passage?
| A．A massive earthquake struck the city of Christchurch of New Zealand. |
| B．No one was ever killed in earthquakes in New Zealand. |
| C．New Zealand has strict laws to guarantee the buildings' safety. |
| D．A miracle happened in the terrible earthquake. |
MUMBAI – Indian commandos battled into the early hours of Friday to end a multiple hostage crisis in Mumbai after suspected Islamic militants killed 125 people across the city．
Officials said they had almost totally cleared the luxury Taj Mahal hotel where gunmen had been held up for more than 24 hours．
Indian security forces personnel released hostages from Nariman House in Mumbai．Thirty-nine people were rescued from the five-star Oberoi hotel, where "mopping up（清理火场）" operations were still underway, police said．
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the militants had come from "outside the country．”
The Press Trust of India said one Pakistani militant had been arrested, although Pakistan's government fiercely denied any involvement．
Indian media reports said between six and nine foreign nationals were among the dead in Mumbai -- including a Japanese businessman, an Australian, a Briton , a German and an Italian．
At least five gunmen had been shot dead and one captured, police said．Fourteen security personnel were also killed, including the head of Mumbai's anti-terror squad．
To draw maximum international attention, the militants used small groups to attack a total of about a dozen targets in India's financial hub , including the main railway station, a hospital and a restaurant popular with tourists．
An unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahedeen claimed responsibility, with one gunman telling an Indian TV channel by phone that the outfit（装备）was of Indian origin and motivated by the treatment of Indian Muslims．
Up to 327 people were reported wounded．
The main Bombay Stock Exchange was closed until further notice, as were shops, schools and businesses．
Prime Minister Singh said the aim had clearly been to spread panic by choosing high profile（知名度高的）targets and "indiscriminately（随心所欲地）killing foreigners．"
Witnesses said the gunmen had been very particular in their choice of hotel hostages．"They said they wanted anyone with British and American passports," said one British guest at the Taj Mahal hotel．The following statements are NOT true except ________．
| A．thirty-nine hostages were rescued from the Taj Mahal Hotel |
| B．fourteen gunmen were killed in Nariman House |
| C．the target of the attack was obviously on Britons and Americans |
| D．an American was among the killed foreigners |
The best title of this passage can be _______．
| A．Hostages Released by Indian Commandos |
| B．Mumbai Under Terrorist Attack |
| C．Islamic Militants Attacking Westerners in Mumbai |
| D．Unfortunate Britons and Americans in Mumbai |
Leon, 12, was born without fingers on his left hand.That didn't -stop him from being able to do many tasks. But Leon could not grasp more than one object at a time. So Leon's father, Paul, created a prosthesis(假肢），using a 3D printer. Now Leon has fingers that open and close."It was a do-it-yourself, father and son adventure," says raw.
When Leon was a baby, his doctor advised his parents not to give him a prosthetic hand until he was in his early teens. "The doctor said Leon should first learn to get full use out of the hand he was born with," says Paul. As Leon got older, his father looked into buying a prosthetic hand, which can cost as much as $30,000. Paul found a more affordable solution.
One day, Paul discovered a video on the Internet about Robohand, a prosthesis created with a 3Dprinter. He downloaded the free instructions and called Robohand's creators for advice. They told him all he needed was a 3D printer一which costs around $2,000- and some materials.
Luckily, Leon's school had recently purchased a 3D printer and it offered to help Paul build the hand for Leon.“We used a soccer shin guard（护胫），cardboard, and tape. They cost about＄10," says Paul.
With his new hand, Leon can do things better. "I can help my mom more, because now I can carry two grocery bags,”he says.
Leon's father has already built .several hands for Leon. Leon helps design each one. He says there's one thing in particular that he wants to do with a future prosthesis.“The goal," he tells the
reporter from the local evening paper,“is to be able to tie my shoelaces:'Why did Leon's doctor disapprove of his using a prosthesis in his childhood?
| A．The prosthetic technology was underdeveloped then. |
| B．A prosthesis was very expensive at that time. |
| C．To master the disabled hand was important. |
| D．The original hand could do many tasks. |
Leon's father managed to get Leon a new hand by
| A．collecting money on the Internet. |
| B．buying a prosthetic hand |
| C．purchasing a 3D printer |
| D．printing a hand |
The materials used for Leon's hand can be described as
| A．cheap and common | B．strange and valuable |
| C．personal and lovely | D．basic and solid |
Where can the passage be taken from?
| A．An advertisement | B．A newspaper |
| C．A poster | D．A travel guide |
On June 17, 1774, the officials from Maryland and Virginia held a talk with the Indians of the Six Nations. The Indians were invited to send boys to William and Mary College. In a letter the next day they refused the offer as follows:
We know that you have a high opinion of the kind of learning taught in your colleges, and that the costs of living of our young men, while with you, would be very expensive to you. We are convinced that you mean to do us good by your proposal; and we thank you heartily. But you must know that different nations have different ways of looking at things, and you will therefore not be offended if our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the same as yours. We have had some experience of it. Several of our young people were formerly brought up at the college of the northern provinces: they were taught all your sciences; but when they came back to us, they were bad manners, ignorant of every means of living in the woods – they were totally good for nothing.
We are, however, not the less obliged by your kind offer, though we refuse to accept it; and, to show our grateful sense of it, if the gentlemen of Virginia will send us a dozen of their sons, we will take care of their education, teach them all we know, and make men of them.The passage is about ____.
| A．the talk between the Indians and the officials |
| B．the colleges of the northern provinces |
| C．the educational values of the Indians |
| D．the problems of the Americans in the mid-eighteen century |
The Indian chief’s purpose of writing the letter seems to be to ____.
| A．express their opinions on equal treatment |
| B．politely refuse a friendly offer |
| C．show their pride |
| D．describe Indian customs |
According to the letter, the Indians believed that ____.
| A．it would be better for their boys to receive some schooling |
| B．they were being insulted by the offer |
| C．they knew more about science than the officials |
| D．they had better way of educating young men |
Different from the officials’ view of education, the Indians thought ____.
| A．young women should also be educated |
| B．they had different goals of education |
| C．they taught different branches of science |
| D．they should teach the sons of the officials first |
It’s illegal for the police to attach a GPS unit to your car without your permission, as the U.S. Supreme Court settled in 2012．But if the police are in hot pursuit of a bank robber or other escaping criminals that threaten public safety, a GPS tracker is acceptable. But exactly how can the police GPS track a car that is moving fast?
The answer to that question comes from StarChase，a new police technology being used by a small but growing number of law enforcement agencies．It allows the police to fire 4．5-inch glue-covered GPS bullet-like projectiles(发射体)from an air gun fixed in their police cars．If the GPS tracker makes contact with the escaping robber’s car， it’ll stick no matter how fast the vehicle is going．That way, the police will have a constant read on the car’s location and heading．Aside from simply apprehending(逮捕)criminals，it's believed this new technology could help save lives．If the police successfully fire a GPS unit at a speeding criminal，they can pull back from a high-risk chase．Chases can be incredibly dangerous to all involved，including innocent bystanders and other drivers．Once the GPS bullet connects，there's no need for the chase any longer．
Now，predictably,a GPS-loaded gun isn’t cheap. Police departments need to pay about $5．000 per vehicle for the technology,and individual GPS bullets cost as much as $250 each．That may sound expensive，but remember：The alternative is often thousands of dollars in property damage，and great human cost in injury and lost life．According to Star Chase，their GPS bullet system has an apprehension rate of 80％without any report of inury or property damage．If you’d like to learn more about the StarChase system，Popular Mechanics has just published a good article about it．There’s also plenty more information available at the company’s website．When the GPS bullet sticks to the escaping robber’s car，the police can________
| A．know the car’s condition |
| B．ensure the robber’s safety |
| C．play a fair game with the robber |
| D．know the car’s position and direction |
The GPS bullets could help save lives mainly because________．
| A．the bullets won’t hurt people |
| B．they can make the robber’s car stop |
| C．the police can stop the dangerous chasing |
| D．they have more advantages than normal bullets |
From the text we can learn that GPS bullets__________．
| A．are useful for the police |
| B．are widely used in America |
| C．can control the rising crime rate |
| D．can replace the police in the future |
In which part of a newspaper can we read the text?
| A．Life | B．Nature | C．Fashion | D．Technology |
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