The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet (彗星) is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth.

     On 17 July, a piece four kilometres wide enters the Earth's  atmosphere (大氣層) with a massive explosion. About half of the piece is destroyed, but the remaining part hits the South  Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the sea bed. Huge waves are created and spread outwards from the hole. The wall of water, a kilometre  high, rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometres an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned.

      Before the waves reach South America, the second piece of  the comet lands in Argentina. Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Mountains. The shock waves move north  into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes. Millions of people in the southern half of the earth are already dead, but the north won't escape for long. Because of the explosions, the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. The sun won't be seen again for many years. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later, no more than 10 million people remain alive.

Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs (恐龍) were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldn't live through the cold climate that followed and they died out. Will we meet the same end?

43. What is mainly described in the passage？

   A. A historic discovery    B. An event of imagination

   C. A research on space.    D. A scientific adventure

44. When the first piece hits the South Atlantic, it causes_________.

   A. an earthquake           B. damages to cities

   C. an Earth explosion      D. huge waves

45. Why can't the northern half of the' earth escape for long?

  A. Because the land is covered with water.

  B. Because the light and heat from the sun cannot reach the earth.

  C. Because people there cannot live at the temperature of zero.

  D. Because wars break out among countries.

46. By giving the example of dinosaurs the author tries to prove_________.

   A. animals could not live in the cold climate

   B. what happened 65 million years ago was an invented story

   C. the human beings will die out in 2094

   D. the Earth could be hit by other objects in space

It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.

Then one day. Some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.

This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future. But the dream didn’t last long.     

The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.

The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(殺蟲劑) and medicines. Soon there was no money left.

Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job---eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.

   Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.

39. From paragraph I we learn that the villagers __________.

A. worked very hard for centuries    

B. dreamed of having a better life 

C. were poor but somewhat content  

D. lived a different life from their forefathers 

40. Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?

A. the frogs were easy money            

B. They needs money to buy medicine

C. they wanted to please the visitors        

D. the frogs made too much noise

41. What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?

A. the crops didn’t do well      B. there were too many insects

C. the visits brought in diseases D. the pesticides were overused

42. What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?

A. Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country 

B. Health is more important than money

C. The harmony between man and nature is important 

D. The good old days will never be forgotten

Kong Zi , also called Confucius (551-479 B.C) , and Socrates (469-399 B. C) lived only a hundred years apart , and during their lifetimes there was no contact between China and Greece, but it is interesting to look at how the world that each of these great philosophers came from shaped their ideas , and how these ideas in turn ,shaped their societies.

Neither philosopher lived in times of peace, though there were more wars in Greece than in China. The Chinese states were very large and feudal, while the Greek city-states were small and urban. The urban environment in which Socrates lived allowed him to be more radical than Confucius. Unlike Confucius, Socrates was not asked by rules how to govern effectively. Thus, Socrates was able to be more idealistic, focusing on issues like freedom, and knowledge for its own sake. Confucius, on the other hand, advised those in government service, and many of his students went out to government service.

Confucius suggested the Golden Rule as a principle for the conduct of life:” Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you.” He assumed that all men were equal at birth, though some had more potential than others, and that it was knowledge that set men apart. Socrates focused on the individual, and thought that the greatest purpose of man was to seek wisdom. He believed that the superior class should rule the inferior(下層的)classes.

For Socrates, the family was of no importance, and the community of little concern. For Confucius, however, the family was the centre of the society, with family relations considered much more important than political relations.

Both men are respected much more today than they were in their lifetimes.

35. Which of the following is TURE according to the first paragraph?

A. Socrates and Confucius had much in common,

B. Confucius had much influence on Socrates’ ideas.

C. The societies ware influenced by the philosophers’ ideas.

D. There were cultural exchanges between China and Greece.

36. Socrates shared with Confucius the idea that           .

A. all men were equal when they were born

B. the lower classed should be ruled by the upper class

C. the purpose of man was to seek freedom and wisdom

  D. people should not ask others to do what they did not want to

37. What made some people different from others according to Confucius?

A. Family.   B. Potential.    C. Knowledge.   D. Community.

38. This passage is organized in the pattern of          ,

A. time and events   B. comparison and contrast

C. cause and effect  D. definition and classification

Andy rode slowly on his way to school, day-dreaming about the fishing trip that his father had promised him. He was so busy dreaming about all the fish he would catch that he was unaware of everything else around him.

He rode along until a strange sound drew him to the present. He came to a stop and looked curiously up to the heavens. What he saw shocked and terrified him. A huge swarm of bees filled the sky like a black cloud and the buzzing mass seemed to be heading angrily towards him.

With no time to waste, Andy sped off in the opposite direction, riding furiously—but without knowing how to escape the swarm. With a rapidly beating heart and his legs pumping furiously, he sped down the rough road. As the bees came closer, his panic increased. Andy knew that he was sensitive to bee stings(蜇). The last sting had landed him in hospital—and that was only one bee sting! He had been forced to stay in bed for two whole days. Suddenly, his father’s words came to him. “When you are in a tight situation, don’t panic. Use your brain and think your way out of it.”

On a nearby hill, he could see smoke waving slowly skywards from the chimney of the Nelson family home. “Bees don’t like smoke,” he thought. “They couldn’t get into the house.” Andy raced towards the Nelson house, but the bees were gaining ground. Andy knew he could not reach the house in time. He estimated that the bees would catch up with him soon.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a small dam used by Mr. Nelson to irrigate his vegetable garden. Off his bike and into the cool water he lived, disappearing below the surface and away from the savage insects. After holding his breath for as long as he could, Andy came up for air and noticed the bees had gone. Dragging himself out of the dam, he struggled up the hilly slope and rang the doorbell. Mrs. Nelson took him inside and rang his mother.

“You’ll really need that fishing break to help you recover,” laughed his mother with relief. “Thank goodness you didn’t panic!” But Andy did not hear her. He was dreaming once again of the fish he would catch tomorrow.

31. Why did Andy fail to notice the swarm of bees earlier?

A. He was riding to school.

B. He was listening to a strange sound.

C. He was going fishing with his father.

D. He was lost in the thought of the fishing trip.

32. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the swarm of bees in the passage?

A. They crowded like a black cloud.

B. They shocked and terrified Andy.

C. They tried to attack Andy in a mass.

D. They made Andy stay in hospital for two days.

33. How did Andy avoid the bees in the end?

A. He asked Mr. Nelson for help.

B. He hid himself under the water.

C. He rushed into the Nelson house.

D. He rode off in the opposite direction.

34. Which of the following can best describe Andy’s escape from the bees?

A. No pains, no gains.

B. Once bitten, twice shy.

C. Where there is a will, there is a way.

D. In time of danger, one’s mind works fast.

A man who knows how to write a personal letter has a very powerful tool.A letter can be enjoyed,read and  11 .  It can set up a warm conversation between two people far apart(遠(yuǎn)離的)；it can keep a 12  with very little effort.

I will give  13 .  A few years ago my older brother and I were not getting 14  We had been close as 15  but had grown apart. Our meetings were not 16 ; our conversation was filled with arguments and quarrels; and every effort to clear the air seemed to only 17  our misunderstanding. Then he 18  a small island in the Caribbean and we 19  touch .One day he wrote me a letter. He describeb his island and its people, told me what he was doing,said how he felt,and encouraged me to 20  . Rereading the letter, I was 21  by its humor  and clever expressions,These were all qualities for which I had 22  respected my order brother but 23  he no longer had them.I had never known he could write so 24  .And with that one letter we became friends 25.

It might never have occurred to 26  to write me if he had not been in a place where there were no 27  ,For him, writing was a necessity, It also turned out to be the best way for us to get back in touch.Because we live in an age of 28 communication,people often 29  that they don’t always have to phone or email. They have a 30  . And that is to write.

11.A.received    B.rewritten  C.returned      D.reread

12.A.record      B.promise   C.friendship     D.secret

13.A.an example  B.a lesson   C.an experience  D.a talk

14.A. through     B.together  C.along         D.away

15.A.brothers     B.children   C.fellows       D.classmates

16.A.normal     B.necessary   C.pleasant     D.possible

17.A.deepen     B.start        C.express     D.settle

18.A.toured      B.stopped over  C.reached    D.moved to

19.A.lost        B.kept in       C.needed     D.got in

20.A.think       B.write        C.enjoy       D.read

21.A.driven      B.beaten      C.surprised     D.honored

22.A.never      B.seldom      C.sometimes    D.once

23. A.realized     B.judged      C.thought      D.expected

24.A.well       B.often        C.much        D.soon

25.A.later      B.anyhow      C.too          D.again 

26.A.us        B.anyone else   C.someone     D.my  brother

27.A.mail services  B.transport   C.phones      D.relatives

28.A.poor      B.easy         C.popular      D.busy

29 A.believe    B.decide        C.argue       D. forget

30.A.habit     B.choice       C.method      D. plan

If you         smoke, please go outside.

   A. can     B. should     C. must     D. may

In April, thousands of holidaymakers remained       abroad due to the volcanic ash cloud.

A. sticking  B. stuck                             C. to be stuck                     D. to have stuck

Ladex does’t feel like        abroad. Her parents are old.

A. studying     B. study     C. studied     D.to study

Smell the flowers before you go to sleep, and you may just ______ sweet dreams.

A keep up with    B put up with    C end up with   D catch up with

——Bob has gone to California.

——Oh, can you tell me when he        ?

A. has left    B. left    C. is leaving   D. would leave