People living on parts of the south coast of England face a serious problem. In 1933, the owners of a large hotel and of several houses discovered, to their surprise that their gardens had disappeared overnight. The sea had eaten into the soft limestone cliff (懸崖) on which they had been built. While ex??perts were studying the problem, the hotel and several houses disappeared altogether, sliding down the cliff and into the sea.

Erosion (侵蝕) of the white cliffs along the south coast of England has always been a problem but it has become more serious in recent years. Dozens of homes have had to be aban??doned as the sea has crept farther and farther inland. Experts have studied the areas most affected and have drawn up a map for local people, forecasting the year in which their homes will be eaten up by the hungry sea.

Angry owners have called on the Government to erect sea defenses to protect their homes. Government surveyors have pointed out that in most cases, this is impossible. New sea walls would cost hundreds of millions of pounds and would merely make the waves and currents further along the coast, shifting the problem from one area to another. The danger is likely to continue, they say, until the waves reach an inland ar??ea of hard rock, which will not be eaten as limestone is. Mean??while, if you want to buy a cheap house with an uncertain fu??ture, apply to a house agent in one of the threatened areas on the south coast of England. You can get a house for a knock??down price but it may turn out to be a knockdown home.

1. What is the cause of the problem that people living on parts of the south coast of England face?

A. The rising of the sea level.

B. The experts’ short of knowledge.

C. The washing-away of limestone cliff.

D. The disappearance of hotels, houses and gardens.

2. The erosion of the white cliffs in the south of England ________.

A. will soon become a problem for people living in central England

B. has now become a threat to the local residents

C. can be stopped if proper measures are taken

D. is quickly changing the map of England

3. The experts’ study on the problem of erosion can ________.

A. warn people whose homes are in danger

B. provide an effective way to slow it down

C. help to its eventual solution

D. lead to its eventual solution

4. It is not feasible to build sea defenses to protect against erosion because ________.

A. house agents along the coast do not support the idea

B. it is too costly and will endanger neighboring areas

C. the government is too slow in taking action

D. they will be easily knocked down by waves and currents

Do you like shopping? Or does the thought of wandering round the shops fill you with terror? For some of us，shopping is an enjoyable way of spending our spare time and our money. For me．it's something I would rather avoid．Thank goodness for the Internet! It's more convenient to buy CDs，electrical items，even food，from the comfort of your sofa．But that’s not the only reason：price is an important factor．We can buy goods and services cheaper online. But sometimes the problem is knowing what to buy．This has led to a type of shopping called “showrooming”．

Showrooming is something I've done．I will go to a shop to see，touch and try out products but then go home and buy them online at a knock—down price．I'm not alone in doing this．Research by a company called Foolproof，found 24％of people showroomed while Christmas shopping in 2013．

Amy Cashman，Head of Technology at TNS UK，says the reasons for this new shopping habit are that“people are lacking time，lacking money and they want security about the products they are buying．”She explains that consumers are not only shopping online at home but they are using the Internet in store or on their smartphones to shop around．

But does this mean technology will kill shops? Certainly shops will change．They will have to offer more competitive prices or encourage people to buy more by giving in—store discounts or free girls．

We mustn’t forget that buying in a shop means you can get expert advice from the sales assistant and you can get good aftercare．It’s good to speak to a real human rather than look at a faceless computer screen but at least by showrooming，you get the best of both worlds!

1.The two questions in Paragraph l are raised to       

A．introduce the topic            B．give two examples

C．compare different opinions     D．get answers from readers

2.What does showrooming mean in the text?

A．Trying in shops and buying online．

B．Showing products in a room．

C．Buying something in a store．

D．Shopping on the Internet．

3.According to Amy Cashman，which is not the reason for showrooming?

A．The lack of time．         B．The comfort of the sofa．

C．The shortness of money．   D．The security of the product．

4.What can be inferred from Paragraph 4 ?

A．Online shops will disappear．

B．Free gifts will surely promote sales．

C．Shops need necessary changes．

D．Shops will be replaced by online shops．

5.The author's attitude towards showrooming is         

A．critical  B．neutral   C．supportive   D．casual

The government has decided to _____ those shabby old buildings so as to make way for the new and wide street ___ the beautiful West Lake.

A. pull down; leading to

B. knock down; leads to

C. knock down; that leading to

D. knock off; leading to

B
Events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, and tornadoes are all natural disasters. They are mostly related to the weather. Some are predictable ----like a hurricane. Some, like an earthquake, surprise us. It is necessary for us to learn about them, so we can be prepared!
Flooding happens during heavy rains, when rivers overflow, when ocean waves come onshore, when snow melts too fast or when dams or banks break. Flooding is the most common of all natural disasters.
Hurricanes are severe tropical storms that form in the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and in the Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes gather heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters. Evaporation(蒸發(fā)) from the sea water increases their power.
Hurricanes have winds at least 74 miles per hour. When they come onto land, the heavy rain, strong winds and heavy waves can damage buildings, trees and cars.
Tornadoes are nature’s most violent storms. Tornadoes must always be taken seriously. Tornadoes can be very dangerous ---- sometimes even deadly. They come from powerful thunderstorms and appear as moving. Tornado winds can reach 300 miles per hour. They cause damage when they land the ground. They can damage an area one mile wide and 50 miles long.
While thunder won't hurt you ----lightning will! So it's important to pay attention when you hear thunder. Thunderstorms happen mostly in summer and every thunderstorm has lightning. Lightning can strike people and buildings, which is very dangerous.
Thunderstorms affect small areas when compared with hurricanes and winter storms. The typical thunderstorm is 15 miles in diameter and lasts an average of 30 minutes.
A volcano is a mountain with a large opening at the top through which melting rock, steam, gases escape from time to time with violent force from inside the earth. When pressure increases, eruptions occur. Gases and rock shoot up through the opening fill the air with small pieces. Eruptions can cause lava flows, hot ash flows, mudslides, falling ash and floods, which is likely to knock down entire forests, cause floods and earthquakes. Fresh volcanic ash can cause damage to the lungs of older people, babies and people with respiratory problems.
64. From the passage, we know that ______.
A. all natural disasters can be predicted 
B. all natural disasters are connected with the weather.
C. human beings can do nothing with natural disasters
D. the more we know about natural disasters, the less we will suffer.
65. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Flooding is the most common natural disaster. 
B. Hurricanes and tornadoes can land the ground and cause damage.
C. Thunder can strike people and buildings.          
D. Fresh volcanic ash can cause illnesses.

Be careful when you cross the road in rush hours so as to avoid        by a car．

A．being knocked down        B． knocking down

C．to be knocked down         D． to knock down