（B）
What does an astronaut eat in space? This is a question that will puzzle many, as people rarely think of that. In the early space-travel years, astronauts ate dehydrated (脫水的) foods that were eaten through straws （吸管）. In today’s space-age, the food that they eat is totally different. They eat food in the same way as people do on Earth.
Astronauts are able to prepare and eat a variety of foods in space. Some can be eaten in their natural form, like fruits, while some need to add water, like noodles. However, there are no refrigerators, so the food has to be prepared and eaten without being stored for a long time. When the astronauts are hungry, they simply eat the food by opening the food packages and with a fork, knife, and spoon.
Just like people on Earth, astronauts also eat three meals a day which include breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes they also eat snacks. The US space agency NASA has found out that an astronaut’s diet reduces by about 70% on a space mission, though he has a wide range of foods to choose from like nuts, chicken, beef, seafood, and candies. Drinks in the spaceship include coffee, tea, juices, and lemonade.
Astronauts can also request a particular food that they would like to have in space. Scientists are always experimenting and trying out different space foods that can be offered to astronauts when on space missions. 
45. Now astronauts eat ________ in space.
A. dehydrated (脫水的) foods           B. food as people do on Earth 
C. totally different                    D. food with a lot of water 
46. The food the astronauts prepared  ________ .
A. can’t be stored for a long time       B. can be put into refrigerators 
C. can be stored for a long time          D. can’t be kept in the food packages 
47. In space, astronauts ________ like people on Earth.
A. only have nuts, chicken and beef       B. onlyhave lunch for a day
C. only drink coffee, tea and lemonade    D. also eat three meals a day 
48. What are scientists experimenting and trying out?
A. Some very special snacks.             B. How astronauts can sleep well.
C. Different space foods for astronauts.     D. How to get some fruits for astronauts.

PART THREE  READING COMPREHENSION
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
A
Swaying palm trees, turquoise-blue water and sugar-white sand make beach lovers sigh with delight. But not all beaches have those ingredients. The most interesting beaches come in different shapes, sizes and colors.
Those who want beauty and something unique can go to the Seychelles’ La Digue Island. Large granite (花崗巖) rock formations overlook beautiful, white-sand beaches. The pinkish-grey rocks look like sculptures that have been forgotten on the beach. Tourists traveling to La Digue Island to see the unique rocks will also discover one of the world’s most beautiful islands.
Hawaii’s Big Island has one of the rarest beaches of all — a beach made up entirely of green sand. The sand, which is formed by dark green crystals called olivine (橄欖石), is deposited (堆積) by volcanic activity. Green Sand Beach lies on the slopes of the world’s largest active volcano, Mauna Loa.
One of the world’s most unusual beaches lies on the island of Santorini, Greece. The sand on Red Beach gets its reddish color from the red volcanic rocks that make up the cliffs (懸崖) around the beach. Tourists flock (蜂擁) to see the red sand, making Red Beach one of Santorini’s most popular beach destinations.
Black sand makes up the huge beach of Karakare. Through the years, volcanic sand mixed with iron ash to form this black beach on New Zealand’s wild, west coast. With all the beautiful beaches in the world, beach lovers have lots of choices. But for those ready for something different, a unique beach vacation might be just the ticket!
56. What would be the best title of the passage?
A. One of the world’s most unusual beaches              B. Beach lovers having more choices
C. A unique beach vacation                                D. Unique beaches around the world
57. According to the text, ______ would be regarded as the general characteristics of beautiful beaches.
A. swaying palm trees, turquoise-blue water, sugar-while sand
B. rocks, white sand, pinkish-grey rocks, sculptures
C. green sand, slopes of an active volcano
D. black sand, iron ash, wild coast
58. Beaches on the island of Santorini are red because of _______.
A. the cliffs around the beach                                   B. the large granite rocks
C. the red volcanic rocks                                          D. crystals called olivine
59. If you want to see pinkish-grey rocks, then go to _______.
A. Santorini, Greece                                                B. Seychelles’ La Digue Island
C. Hawaii’s Big Island                                         D. New Zealand
60. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Different beaches have different colors.  
B. Different places have different beaches.
C. White sand and blue water are the main characteristics of beaches.
D. People have many choices for beach vacations.

B
Advice to “sleep on it” could be well founded, scientists say. After a good night’s sleep a problem that couldn’t be solved the night before can often appear more manageable, although the evidence（證據(jù)）until now has been personal experience. But researchers at the University of Luebek in Germany have designed an experiment that shows a good night’s sleep can improve insight（洞察力）and problem-solving.
“If you have some newly-got memories in your brain, sleep acts on these memories and rebuild them, so that after sleep the insight into problem which you could not solve before increases,” said Dr Jan Born, a neuroscientist（神經(jīng)病學(xué)專家）at the university. To test the theory, they taught volunteers two simple rules to help them turn some numbers into a new order．There was also a third，hidden rule，which could help them increase their speed in solving the problem．The researchers divided the volunteers into two groups：half were allowed to sleep after the training while the rest were forced to stay awake．Dr Jan Born and his team noticed that the group that had slept after the training were twice as likely to figure out the third rule as the other group．“Sleep helped，”Born said in a telephone interview．“The important thing is that you have to have a memory representation in your brain of the problem you want to solve and then you sleep，so it can act on the problem．”But Born admitted that he and his team don’t know how rebuilding of memories occurs or what governs it．Pierre Maquet and Perrine Ruby of the University of Liege in Belgium said the experimental evidence supports the suggestions that sleep can help develop creative thinking．Although the role of sleep in human creativity will still be a mystery，the research gives people good reason to fully respect their periods of sleep，they added．
60．The underlined phrase“sleep on it”in Paragraph 1 probably means_________．
A．to delay deciding something until the next day
B．to get as much sleep as possible
C．to go on sleeping without being disturbed
D．to sleep till after the time you usually get up in the morning
61．Jan Born and his team carried out the experiment through________．
A．comparison    B．interview        C．survey          D．imagination
62．It can be inferred from the passage that___________．
A．people should sleep so long as they have time
B．sleep is the only way to solve hard problems
C．people have various periods of sleep   D．people know how sleep rebuilds memories
63．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．How Sleep Works．               B．Sleep Helps Solve Problems．
C．No Evidence，But Well Founded．   D．Born’s Discovery on Sleep．

第三部分：閱讀理解（共15小題；每小題2分，滿分30分）
閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出一個(gè)最佳選項(xiàng)。
A
Satellites are an important part of our ordinary lives．For example, the information for weather forecasts is sent by satellite．Some satellites have cameras which take photographs of the Earth to show how clouds are moving．Satellites are also used to connect our international phone calls．
Computer connections of the World Wide Web and Internet also use satellites. Many of our TV programs come to US through satellites．Airplane pilots also sometimes use a satellite to help them find their exact location．
We use satellites to send television pictures from one part of the world to another．They are usually 35，880 kilometers above the equator．Sometimes we can see a satellite in the sky and it seems to stay in the same place．This is because it is moving around the world at 11，000 kilometers an hour—exactly the same speed that the earth rotates．A satellite must orbit the Earth with its antennae(天線)facing the earth．Sometimes, it moves away from its orbit，So there are little rockets on it which are used to put the satellite back in the right position．This usually happens about every five or six days．
Space is not empty! Every week, more and more satellites are sent into space to orbit the Earth．A satellite usually works for about 10-12 years．Satellites which are broken are sometimes repaired by astronauts or sometimes brought back to Earth to be repaired．Often，very old or broken satellites are left in space to orbit the Earth for a very long time．This is very serious because some satellites use nuclear power and they can crash into each other．
56．Which of the following is NOT done by satellites according to the passage?
A．Sending information for weather forecast．
B．Taking photographs of the Earth．
C．Sending TV pictures．
D．Providing food for airplane pilots．
57．What’s the speed the earth rotates at?
A．35,880 kilometers per hour．    B．335,880 kilometers per hour．
C．11,000 kilometers per hour．     D．110,000 kilometers per hour
58．Why does the satellite move around the world at the same speed as the Earth rotates?
A．In order to take photographs．
B．In order to stay in a certain position in the orbit．
C．In order to move away from its orbit．
D．In order to send television pictures．
59．What does the underlined word “This” refer to?
A．A satellite．  
B．A little rocket．
C．A satellite seems to stay in the same place in the sky．
D．The satellite puts the rockets in the right position．
60．Which is true of satellites?
A．A satellite usually works for about 10-2 years．
B．Every time a satellite gets broken，it is brought back to the Earth to be repaired．
C．A broken satellite is never left in space．
D．They often crash into each other．

C
A new study in West Africa shows how farm irrigationsystems powered by the sun can pro-duce more food and money for villagers． The study-in Benin found that solar - powered pumpsare effective in 8upplying water, especially during the long dry season．
Sub - Saharan Africa is the part of the world with the least food security． The United Na-tions Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that more"than one biillion of the world' s peo-ple faced hunger last year．Around 265 million of them live'south of the Sahara Desert:  Lack of  rainfallis one oftheir main causes offood shortages．．
Jennifer Bumey from Stanford University in Califomia led the study．The research team helped build three solar - powered drip irrigation -（滴灌） ,systems in northem Benin． Between 30 and 35 women used each system to pump water from the ground or a stream．Each woman was responsible for farming her own 120 sqrurre meters of land． They also farmed other land  collectively．
The solar - powered irrigation systems produced an average of nearly two tons of vegetables per montb． During the first year, the women．kept a monthly average of almost rune kilograms of vegetables for home use．They sold the surplus produce at local markets． The eamings greatly increased their ability to buy food during the dry season which can last six to nine months． Peo- ple in the'two villages with the systems were able to eat three to five more servingsof yegetables per day．But making the surplus available at markets also had a wider effect．
The study compared the villages with two others where women farmed with traditional methods like carrying water in buckets． The amount of vegetables eaten in those villages also  increased, though not as much．The researchers note that only four percent of the croplamd in sub - Saharan Africa is irrigated． Using solar power to pump water has higher costs at first． But    the study says it can be more economical in the long term than using fuels like gasoline,  diesel  or kerosene． And solar power is environmentally friendly．
66．Food security in Sub - Saharan Africa is insufficient mainly because of
A．lack of rainfall         B．limitation of farmland
C． a small crop variety   D．little sunlight
67．From the third paragraph we know that _______．
A．water is wasted by using the system
B． the farmers imgate the land together
C． all farmers use irrigation systems in northem Benin
D． the solar - powered systems take up more manpower
68．The underlined word "surplus" in the 4th paragraph most probably means_______
A．special             B．unnecessary      C．extra      D．a(chǎn)bandoned
69．Usinf．solar power to pump water has advantages EXCEPT that
A．solar energy has higher cost at first
B．solar power helps to protect environment
C．solar power helps farmers increase eanungs
D． solar energy can be more economical in the long run
70．What can be the best title for the text?
A．Manpower affects rainfallin Africa
B．Irrigation by carrying water in buckets
C．Solar - powered pumps aid African farmers
D．Vegetable supply increased in African villages

（C）
Astronaut Jim Voss has enjoyed many memorable moments in his career，including three space flights and one space walk. But he recalls with special fondness a decidedly earthbound（為地球引力所束縛的）experience in the summer of 1980 when he participated in the NASA ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. Voss， then a science teacher at West Poin，was assigned to the Marshall Space Flight Center's propulsion（推進(jìn)） lab in Alabama to analyze why a hydraulic fuel pump seal （液壓燃料泵的密封圈）on the space shuttle（航天飛機(jī)） was working so well when previous seals had failed. It was a seemingly tiny problem among the vast complexities of running the space program. Yet it was important to NASA because any crack in the seal could have led to destructive results for the astronauts who relied on them.
“I worked a bit with NASA engineers，” says Voss， “but I did it mostly by an analysis. I used a handheld calculator， not a computer， to do a thermodynamic（熱力學(xué)的） analysis.” At the end of the summer，he，like the other NASA ASEE fellows working at Marshall，summarized his findings in a formal presentation and detailed paper. It was a valuable moment for Voss because the ASEE program gave him added understanding of  NASA，deepened his desire to fly in space，and intensified his application for astronaut status.
　　It was not an easy process. Voss was actually passed over when he first applied for the astronaut program in 1978. Over the next nine years he reapplied repeatedly，and was finally accepted in 1987. Since then he has participated in three space missions. The 50 year old Army officer，who lives in Houston，is now in training for a four-month mission as a crew member on the International Space Station starting in July 2000.
　Voss says the ASEE program is wonderful for all involved. “It brings in people from the academic world and gives NASA a special property for a particular period of time. It brings some fresh eyes and fresh ideas to NASA，and establishes a link with our colleges and universities，” Voss explains. “There's an exchange of information and an exchange of perspectives that is very important.”
For the academic side，Voss says，the ASEE program also “brings institutions of higher learning more insight into new technology. We give them an opportunity to work on real world problems and take it back to the classroom.”
66. Why was the hydraulic fuel pump seal important for the space shuttle？
A） Because previous seals all failed.
B） Because it was very complex in running the space program.
C） Because great care has to be taken of the hydraulic fuel pump sealing.
D） Because any crack in the seals would cause disastrous results for the astronauts.
67.The great significance of Voss's findings lies in_________ .
A） strengthening his determination to join in space flights
B） furthering his understanding of NASA
C） consolidating his astronaut status in NASA programs
D） Both A and B
68. How many flights will Voss have finished if his four-month mission starting in July 2000 ends up successfully？
A） Three  B） Two   C） Four     D） Five
69. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to what Voss said on the ASEE program？
A） Fresh members from the academic world participate in the program.
B） The program brings new outlooks to NASA space programs.
C） It is important for the space scientists to exchange information and perspectives.
D） American colleges and universities are a special property of NASA.
70. What does Voss want to stress in the last paragraph？
A） The technological significance of the program.
B） The educational significance of the program.
C） The philosophical significance of the program.
D） The historical significance of the program.

C
Centuries ago, man discovered that removing moisture（濕氣） from food helps to store it, and that the easiest way to do this is to expose the food to sun and wind.
All foods including water — cabbage and other leaf vegetables contains as much as 93% water, potatoes and other root vegetables 80%, lean (瘦的) meat 75% and fish, anything from 80% to 60%, depending on how fatty it is. If this water is removed, the activity of the bacteria which cause food to go bad is controlled.
Nowadays most foods are dried mechanically. The conventional method of such dehydration (脫水) is to put food in chambers (室) through which hot air is blown at temperature of about ll0'C at entry to about 43'C at exit. This is the usual method for drying such things as vegetables, minced meat, and fish.
Liquids such as milk, coffee, tea, soups and eggs may be dried by pouring them over a heated steel cylinder (圓筒), then put them into a chamber through which a current of hot air passes. In the first process, the dried material comes off the roller (滾筒) as a thin film which is then broken up into small, though still relatively flakes (薄片). In the second process it falls to the bottom of the chamber as small powder. Where recognizable pieces of meat and vegetables are required, as in soup, the ingredients (成分) are dried separately and then mixed.
Dried foods take up less room and weigh less than the same food packed in cans orfrozen, and they do not need to be stored in special conditions. For these reasons theyare invaluable to the climbers, explorers and soldiers in battle, who have little storagespace. They are also popular with housewives because it takes so little time to cook them.
54．It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A．the fattier fish contain as much water as the lean one
B．the fattier the fish is, the more water it may contain
C．a(chǎn) fatty fish holds less water than a lean one
D．the water content of fish has nothing to do with the content of their fat
55．The underlined word "conventional" in Paragraph 3 can most probably be replaced by ______.
A．traditional       B．scientific       C.particular         D.special
56．Which of the following statements is NOT true about drying food?     
A．The removal of water in food helps prevent it from going rotten.
B．The open-air method of drying food has been known for hundreds of years.
C．In the course of dehydration, the temperature of hot current coming from entry to exit is
gradually going up.
D．The process of drying liquids is much more complex than that of drying solid food.
57．The last paragraph mainly talks about __________.
A．the reason why housewives like dried food
B．the general convenience of dried food
C．the methods of storing food
D．the advantages of dried, canned and frozen food

E
There was one thought that air pollution affected only the area immediately around large cities with factories and heavy automobile traffic. At present, we realize that although these are the areas with the worst air pollution, the problem is worldwide. On several occasions over the past decade, a heavy cloud of air pollution has covered the east of the United States and brought health warnings in rural areas away from any major concentration （集中）of manufacturing and automobile traffic. In fact, the very climate of the entire earth may be infected by air pollution.
Some scientists consider that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the air resulting from the burning of coal and oil is creating a “greenhouse effect” - raising the world’s average temperature. If this view is correct and the world’s temperature is raised only a few degrees, much of the polar ice will melt and cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, and New Orleans will be in water.
Another view, less widely held, is that increasing particular matter in the atmosphere is preventing sunlight and lowering the earth’s temperature - a result that would be equally disastrous. A drop of just a few degrees could create something close to a new ice age, and would make agriculture difficult or impossible in many of our top farming areas. Today we do not know for sure that either of these conditions will happen though one recent government reports that the greenhouse effect is very possible. Perhaps, if we are lucky enough, the two tendencies will offset（抵消）each other and the world’s temperature will stay about the same as it is now. Driven by economic profits, people don’t think about the damage on our environment caused by the “advanced civilization”. Maybe the air pollution is the price the human beings have to pay for their development. But is it really worth?
72. As pointed out at the beginning of the passage, people used to think that air pollution ________.
A. caused widespread damage in the countryside
B. affected the entire eastern half of the United States
C. had damaged effect on health
D. existed only in urban and industrial areas
73. As to the greenhouse effect, the author ________.
A. shares the same view with the scientists
B. is uncertain of its happening
C. rejects it as being ungrounded
D. thinks it will destroy the world soon
74. It can be concluded from the last paragraph that ________.
A. lowering the world’s temperature only a few degrees would lead major farming areas to disaster
B. raising the world’s temperature only a few degrees would not do much harm to life on earth
C. almost no temperature variations have occurred over the past decade
D. the world’s temperature will remain constant in the years to come
75. This passage is mainly about ________.
A. the greenhouse effect
B. the burning of coal and oil
C. the potential effect of air pollution
D. the likelihood of a new ice age

B
Four hundred and three babies are crying loudly. Do you know how to make them quiet in 41 seconds? There is an amazing new product on sale in Japan which does exactly this. It is an LP (a long-playing record) of sounds from inside a mother's body, which a hospital doctor recorded. In tests with the record she played the LP to 403 crying babies. After 41 seconds none of the babies was crying and 161 of them were sleeping.
The record began as an experiment by Professor Hajime Minooka of the Nippon Medical University near Tokyo. He was looking for something natural that helps new-born babies go to sleep. The sound of the mother's heart-beat and other body sounds are the things the babies heard inside their mothers. They feel safe and happy when they hear these sounds again. And they go to sleep.
Hospitals in Osaka and Tokyo are using the LP. 10,000 young couples are using it too. Toshiba Music Company who make and sell the records are very happy. One and a half million couples（夫婦) marry every year in Japan. Many will have babies, so the LP will definitely（明確的、干脆地) be a hit!
60.The experiment was made on ___ babies.
A. 10,000       B. 564         C. 403          D. 161
61. What is TRUE according to the text?
A. About 55% of the crying babies fall asleep after 41 seconds hearing the LP.
B. The LP sounds were first recorded by Professor Hajime Minooka.
C. The LP is produced and sold by Toshiba Music Company.
D. One million and a half babies are born in Japan every year.
62. Babies feel ___ when they hear these LP sounds.
A. the sounds be their mothers' voices
B. as if they were inside their mothers
C. the music natural and soft
D. themselves sleeping together with their mothers
63 "Many will have babies, so the LP will definitely be a hit!" The word "hit" means"____".
A. popularity      B. amazement       C. strike         D. experiment

E
One reaction to all the concern about tropical deforestation（砍伐森林） is a blank stare that asks the question, "Since I don't live there, what does it have to do with me?"
The answer is that your way of life, wherever you live in the world, is tied to the tropics in many ways. If you live in a house, wash your hair, eat fruits and vegetables, drink soda, or drive a car, you can be certain that you are affected by the loss of tropical forests.
Biologically, we are losing the richest regions on earth when, each minute, a piece of tropical forest, the size of ten city blocks ,disappears. As many as five million species of plants, animals, and insects (40 to 50 percent of all living things) live there, and are being lost faster than they can be found and described. Their loss is immeasurable.
Take rubber for example. For many uses, only natural rubber from trees will do. Synthetics are not good enough. Today over half the world's commercial rubber is produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, while the Amazon's rubber industry produces much of the world's four million tons. And rubber is an important material in making gloves, balloons, footwear and many sporting goods. Thousands of other tropical plants are valuable for their industrial use.
Many scientists strongly believe that deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect -- or heating of the earth from increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As we destroy forests, we lose their ability to change carbon dioxide into oxygen.
Carbon dioxide levels could double within the next half-century, warming the earth by as much as 4.5 degrees. The result? A partial melt-down of polar ice caps, raising sea levels as much as 24 feet; even 15 feet could threaten anyone living within 35 miles of the coast. Unbelievable? Maybe. But scientists warn that by the time we realize the severe effects of tropical deforestation, it will be 20 years too late.
Can tropical deforestation affect our everyday lives? Now, you should have got the answer.
58．The underlined word "synthetics" probably means a kind of _________.
A．natural rubber   B．tropical material   C．man-made material   D．tropical tree
59．In the last paragraph the author tries to__________.
A．tell people how to avoid the tropical deforestation
B．show us how important it is to protect the tropical forests
C．persuade people to buy something synthetic
D．let people realize the effect of tropical deforestation
60．The author's attitude towards the tropical deforestation is____________.
A．puzzling        B．cold        C．supporting       D．opposed