What those businessmen concern about primarily is whether they can ______ as much as possible from the project.

A. construct           B. benefit                     C. expand                   D. make

Before human’s history, in the middle of an ocean, miles from the nearest island, an undersea volcano broke out. The hot liquid rock piled higher and higher and spread wider and wider. In this way, an island rose up in the sea.

As time went on, hot sun and cool rains made the rock split and break into pieces. Sea waves dashed against the rock. In this way, soil and sand came into being.

Nothing lived on the naked soil. And then the wind and birds brought plant seeds, spiders and other little creatures there. Only plants could grow at first. Only they, in sunlight, could produce food from the minerals of the soil, water and air. While many animals landed on the island, they could find no food. A spider wove its web in vain, because there were no insects for its web to catch. Insects couldn’t stay until there were plants for them to eat. So plants had to be the pioneer life on this new island.

The underlined part “in vain” can be replaced by ________.

A. tirelessly    B. uselessly    C. fearlessly    D. effortlessly

According to the passage, ________ made the island rise up in the sea.

A. rock from the nearest island     B. sand brought by the wind

C. hot liquid rock from the volcano      D. sea waves dashing against the rock

What is the correct order of things appearing on the island?

A. Spiders, birds and plants.  B. Soil, plants and animals

C. Soil, hot liquid rock and animals.    D. Hot liquid rock, animals and plants.

The passage is mainly about ________.

A. how an island formed       B. how a volcano broke out

C. how plants were brought to the island      D. how plants and animals began to live on the island

Dear College Dean

It is my understanding that this college has received a large donation to be used to enhance (improve) the quality of life for students: expand the bookstore or add computers to the computer lab. It is the tradition of this school to promote education and to be at the vanguard of new technology. That is why I strongly argue in favor of the addition of more computers to the computer lab.

Although expanding the campus bookstore to include CDs, gifts, and a snack bar will give a nicer look to the college, we have to think about a greater goal and a more practical way to enhance the quality of life for students. What do we want for our students and our college? Do we want our college to be known as a place with a great bookstore where you can find CDs and gifts, or as a place where the students can explore and research in their field using the best tools provided by technology? In addition, there are already several snack bars on campus, and there are music stores nearby, so students do not depend on the college bookstore for these things.

We live in a highly technological world and computers play an increasingly important role in how we live. As a learning institution, this college has the responsibility to offer its students the best technology to help them prepare for their future. Many students will be expected to be familiar with the latest software and other tools when they go on to work or to graduate school.

While they are in college, students find they are expected to use computers. Many professors expect students to use computers to do homework or to complete projects. Students are asked to create PowerPoint presentations and use spreadsheets and database programs, as well as to research many topics on the Internet. Since students are competing for good grades, those who have limited access to computers are at a great disadvantage. Furthermore, being able to do projects using the computer enhances the process of learning, giving students the opportunity to find information that without a computer would be much more difficult to find.

If there are more computers, students will also be able to complete their work more efficiently. No more will they have to wait in line, paper and disk in hand, while scanning the room for an empty chair and computer. No longer will they have to sit and wait while an outdated computer struggles to follow their commands. Having more new and faster computers available will enable students to finish their work more quickly.

The more computers are used in society the more colleges will depend on them as a tool of teaching and learning. Making computers more available to students facilitates their learning process by making the process easier, more interesting, more engaging, and in the process enhancing their quality of life

The purpose of the author in writing the passage is         .

       A．to describe the problems caused by lack of computers

       B．to explain why students are in great need of computers

       C．to tell us what benefits students can gain from computers

       D．to persuade the Dean to purchase more advanced computers

From the passage we can infer that          .

       A．present computers in the college cannot meet the demands of the students

       B．computers in the college will be updated to meet the student’s demands soon

       C．the college has the responsibility to help the students to prepare for their future

       D．it is also necessary to expand the college bookstore by using part of the donation

In paragraph 4, the author mainly wants to tell us that         .

       A．computers are beneficial to students’ academic success

       B．computers are helpful to student’s competition for success

       C．students find it convenient to do assignments by using computers

       D．students wish to use the money to buy more advanced computers

Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?