The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans that separate the Old World from the New. For centuries it kept the America from being discovered by the people of Europe.

　　The Atlantic Ocean is only half as big as the pacific, but it is still very large. It is more than 4,000 miles (6,000 km) wide where Columbus crossed it. Even at its narrowest it is about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) wide.

　　There is so much water in the Atlantic that it is hard to imagine how much there is. But suppose no more rain fell into and no more water was brought to it by rivers. It would take the ocean about 4,000 years to dry up. On the average the water is a little more than 2 miles (3.2 km) deep, but in some places it is much deeper. The deepest spot is near Puerto Rico. This "deep" measures 30,246 feet --- almost six miles (9.6 km).

　　Several hundred miles eastward from Florida there is a part of the ocean called the Sargasso Sea. Here the water is quiet, for there is little wind. Today the Atlantic is a great highway. It is not, however, always a smooth and safe one. Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves. Icebergs float down from the Far North across the paths of ships. We now have such fast ways of travelling that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller. Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it. A fast modern steamship can make the trip in less than four days. Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours and from South America to Africa in four!

1. From the third paragraph, we can learn that ______ .

A. the Atlantic will dry up in 4,000 years' time

B. no river flows into the Atlantic ocean　　　

C. it's hard to imagine how much water there is in the Atlantic ocean

D. the Ocean floor is rather flat

2.Suppose it's February 27th, 2000. You take a steamship to cross the Atlantic to North America, when will you probably get there?

A. On March 2nd　         B. On March 3rd 　　

C. On February 28th 　　　  D. In eight hours' time

3. What can you learn from the last paragraph of the passage ?

A. The Atlantic has grown smaller than it used to be.

B. The Atlantic had grown wider than it used to be.

C. Fast ways of travelling make the ocean grow smaller.

D. Fast ways of travelling make the ocean seem to grow smaller.

 

　In his youth, Darwin was an average student.__1__ he was a big reader. He also was an eager __2__， especially of beetles and butterflies. (He once carried two beetles, one in each hand, and then saw a __3__ so interesting that he decided to put it in his mouth.)

__4__ it came time for higher education, Darwin went to Edinburgh in Scotland to study medicine. But he soon found that he couldn't __5__ the sight of blood. So he left and went to school at the University of Cambridge in England __6__. He was preparing to become a minister, a profession in which blood shouldn't be a(n) __7__.

His heart was not in __8__， though. He spent his time at Cambridge collecting __9__ bugs and talking about science with people like the geologist Adam Sedgwick and the botanist John Stevens Henslow. Henslow saw that Darwin could be a __10__， and helped him get the chance to go on a long sea __11__ of exploration on a ship called the Beagle.

__12__ that ship's five－year trip around the world, Darwin observed many __13__ of life and various geological formations and fossils in South America and islands in the Pacific Ocean.__14__ the time the voyage ended, in 1836, Darwin knew more about life than anybody else.

During this trip, Darwin sent __15__ back to England. So he was well known as a scientist when he __16__. But __17__ becoming a professor, Darwin moved to the __18__. For some reason he was almost always __19__ with a stomach disorder. Doctors couldn't help him. (Even today, experts __20__ what disease he might have had.) So he lived an isolated life with his wife and family. He did experiments, studied plants and animals, read books and wrote papers in the comfort of his country home.

1. A. And         B. So             C. Or            D. But

2. A. collector   B. learner        C. instructor    D. farmer

3. A. larger      B. third          C. beetle        D. second

4. A. Before      B. Although       C. When         D. Until

5. A. meet        B. like           C. catch        D. stand

6. A. yet         B. instead        C. too          D. soon

7. A. sight       B. operation      C. problem      D. necessary 

8. A. religion    B. study          C. research     D. science

9. A. fewer       B. more           C. rarer        D. bigger

10. A. scientist    B. minister      C. geologist    D. learner

11. A. discoveries  B. voyage        C. fishing      D. passage 

12. A. Before       B. After         C. Until        D. During

13. A. forms        B. sizes         C. heights      D. years

14. A. In           B. After         C. By           D. During

15. A. reports      B. application   C. news         D. bugs

16. A. started out  B. came back     C. passed away  D. sailed out

17. A. fond of      B. content with  C. rather than  D. sticking to

18. A. city         B. university    C. office       D. countryside

19. A. disturbed    B. content       C. concerned    D. curious

20. A. know about   B. argue about   C. find out     D. care about

　

The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans that separate the Old World from the New. For centuries it kept the America from being discovered by the people of Europe.

　　The Atlantic Ocean is only half as big as the pacific, but it is still very large. It is more than 4,000 miles (6,000 km) wide where Columbus crossed it. Even at its narrowest it is about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) wide.

　　There is so much water in the Atlantic that it is hard to imagine how much there is. But suppose no more rain fell into and no more water was brought to it by rivers. It would take the ocean about 4,000 years to dry up. On the average the water is a little more than 2 miles (3.2 km) deep, but in some places it is much deeper. The deepest spot is near Puerto Rico. This "deep" measures 30,246 feet --- almost six miles (9.6 km).

　　Several hundred miles eastward from Florida there is a part of the ocean called the Sargasso Sea. Here the water is quiet, for there is little wind. Today the Atlantic is a great highway. It is not, however, always a smooth and safe one. Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves. Icebergs float down from the Far North across the paths of ships. We now have such fast ways of travelling that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller. Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it. A fast modern steamship can make the trip in less than four days. Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours and from South America to Africa in four!

From the third paragraph, we can learn that ______ .

A. the Atlantic will dry up in 4,000 years' time

B. no river flows into the Atlantic ocean　　　

C. it's hard to imagine how much water there is in the Atlantic ocean

D. the Ocean floor is rather flat

Suppose it's February 27th, 2000. You take a steamship to cross the Atlantic to North America, when will you probably get there?

A. On March 2nd　         B. On March 3rd 　　

C. On February 28th 　　　  D. In eight hours' time

What can you learn from the last paragraph of the passage ?

A. The Atlantic has grown smaller than it used to be.

B. The Atlantic had grown wider than it used to be.

C. Fast ways of travelling make the ocean grow smaller.

D. Fast ways of travelling make the ocean seem to grow smaller.

 

The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans that separate the Old World from the New．For centuries it kept the America from being discovered by the people of Europe．

　　The Atlantic Ocean is only half as big as the pacific, but it is still very large．It is more than 4,000 miles （6,000 km） wide where Columbus crossed it．Even at its narrowest it is about 2,000 miles （3,200 km） wide．

　　There is so much water in the Atlantic that it is hard to imagine how much there is．But suppose no more rain fell into and no more water was brought to it by rivers．It would take the ocean about 4,000 years to dry up．On the average the water is a little more than 2 miles （3．2 km） deep, but in some places it is much deeper．The deepest spot is near Puerto Rico．This "deep" measures 30,246 feet --- almost six miles （9．6 km）．

　　Several hundred miles eastward from Florida there is a part of the ocean called the Sargasso Sea．Here the water is quiet, for there is little wind．Today the Atlantic is a great highway．It is not, however, always a smooth and safe one．Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves．Icebergs float down from the Far North across the paths of ships．We now have such fast ways of travelling that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller．Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it．A fast modern steamship can make the trip in less than four days．Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours and from South America to Africa in four!

1.From the third paragraph, we can learn that ______ ．

A．the Atlantic will dry up in 4,000 years' time

B．no river flows into the Atlantic ocean　　　

C．it's hard to imagine how much water there is in the Atlantic ocean

D．the Ocean floor is rather flat

2.Suppose it's February 27th, 2000．You take a steamship to cross the Atlantic to North America, when will you probably get there?

       A．On March 2nd　                          B．On March 3rd 　　

       C．On February 28th 　　　                  D．In eight hours' time

3.What can you learn from the last paragraph of the passage ?

A．The Atlantic has grown smaller than it used to be．

B．The Atlantic had grown wider than it used to be．

C．Fast ways of travelling make the ocean grow smaller．

D．Fast ways of travelling make the ocean seem to grow smaller．

 

If you are hungry, what do you do? Have your favorite meal and stay quiet after that？__1__ But it never lets you know, because you keep it busy thinking about your friends or favorite stars. So it silently serves your needs and never lets itself grow. When mind loses its freedom to grow, creativity sets a full stop. This might be the reason why we all sometimes think “What happens next？”， “Why can't I think？”

__2__Why reading but not watching TV? It is because reading has been the most educative tool used by us right from childhood. Since it develops other aspects of our life, we have to take help from reading.

Once you read a book, you run your eyes through the lines and your mind tries to explain something to you.__3__Now this seed is unknowingly used by you to develop new ideas. If it is used many times, the same seed can give you great help to relate a lot of things, which you would have never thought of in your wildest dreams!

This is nothing but creativity.__4__Within no time you can start talking with your friends in English or any other language and never run out of the right words.

So guys, do give food for your thoughts by reading, reading and more reading.__5__Go and get a book!

A. The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed.

B. Why not do some reading while you are hungry?

C. Just like your stomach, your mind is also hungry.

D. Now what are you waiting for?

E. Hunger of the mind can be actually solved through wide reading.

F. Reading can help you make more friends, too.

G. Also this makes a significant contribution to your vocabulary.

1. ________　2. ________　3. ________　4. ________

5. ________