An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.

In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched (發(fā)起）the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hongkong.

In Chicago, the mayor(市長）appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighbourhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.

   The only problem arose in New York , where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity(一致）can be achieved .Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point ,putting all their energy

And passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.

   Ultimately, as Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process, or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.

1.What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?

A. To invite authors to guide readers.

B. To encourage people to read and share.

C. To involve people in community service.

D. To promote the friendship between cities.

2.Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?

A. They had little interest in reading.

B. They were too busy to read a book.

C. They came from many different backgrounds

D.T hey lacked support from the local government

3.According to the passage, where would the project be more easily carried out?

A. In large communities with little sense of unity

B. In large cities where libraries are far from home

C. In medium-sized cities with a diverse population

D .In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached

4. The underlined words “shared a word” in Paragraph 5 probably mean     

A. exchanged ideas with each other

B. discussed the meaning of a word

C. gained life experience

D. used the same language

5. According to Nancy, the degree of students of the project is judged by________

A. the careful selection of a proper book

B. the growing popularity of the writers

C. the number of people who benefit from reading.

D. the number of books that each person reads.

A long time ago, before human beings lived on the earth, little coral polyps（水螅）settled around tropical （熱帶的）coastlines and constructed corals. Over a long period they created lots of reefs. Yet, pollution, climate change and commercial fisheries are limiting the chance of future generations knowing or seeing many of the reefs and sea creatures that exist. Hence, take action to dive now and you can explore the underwater world.
Commercial underwater diving began in ancient Greece. Diving in general means that the whole body is completely in water. On that account there are lots of exciting and quite adventurous ways to dive, like shark cage diving, scuba diving（戴水肺潛水）and reef diving.
There are great coral reefs all over the world, but usually they are situated in warm, clear water such as the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, where they grow best. This is why there are no coral reefs on the west coast of South Africa. However, South Africa’s east coast offers much brightly coloured sea life.
In South Africa more than 100,000 dives a year are made just in coral reefs, which are one of the natural wonders of the world. To see the whole beauty of the reef the right diving gear（設備） is an essential requirement. This means a perfect fitting diving mask and fins, as well as a snorkel（呼吸管）and a friend. Diving alone is dangerous because there may be strong currents you are not aware of, and it’s a lot more fun to share the experience with someone. However, before you can explore the deeper sea, a certificated and checked scuba, a wetsuit and of course a license will be needed. Whether you choose the snorkel or the scuba to spot the colourful underwater world, try to touch as little as possible, be careful with the corals and don’t strike the fishes, because the complex ecosystem is very sensitive.
【小題1】The following factors probably affect coral reefs EXCEPT ________.

I got my first driver’s license (執(zhí)照) in 1953 by taking driver education in my first year at Central High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Four years later when it was time to renew my license I was a married woman. Henry and I were living in Baltimore, Maryland. Two weeks before my 20th birthday, Henry drove me to the motor vehicle office on a hot July afternoon. When I got to the office and showed to the man behind the counter my North Carolina driver’s license，ready to renew, the man told me that I was under age by Maryland law since I was not yet 21. “Mr. Henry Smith, your husband, will have to sign for you,” he said.

I argued, pointing to a very large belly (肚子) of mine, “I am married. I am having a baby. Why should I have to have someone sign for me to drive?” He answered coldly, “It’s the law, madam.”

Henry encouraged me to calm down, just go ahead and get the license and be done with it. “No,” I said. I refused to have him sign for me. So I left without a Maryland license.

I called the North Carolina Motor Vehicle Office and renewed my NC license by mail — using my name Susan Brown. And thus it was for the next twelve years. Since Henry was in the army I could drive under my home state license. By the time Henry left the army we were once again living in Maryland, and I had to take the Maryland driver’s exam. Since then I just go in and renew every four years—sign the name Susan Brown, have my new picture taken, and walk out with a license to drive.

1.Susan got her first driver’s license _________.

A. before she got married to Henry      

B. when she was twenty years old

C. after she finished high school     

D. when she just moved to Maryland

2.We can infer from the text that in the U.S. _________.

A. American males should serve in the army      

B. different states my have different laws

C. people have to renew their licenses in their home states

D. women should adopt their husbands’ family names after marriage

.

Ⅲ.完形填空（20分）

Paracutin was born in Mexico in February, 1943. At the end of one week Paracutin was 500 feet high, and it is now over 9,000 feet high. Today Paracutin is  36  .

What is Paracutin? It was the first volcano in the world which was  37  from its eruption right up  38  the present day. On February 20th, 1943, a peasant and his wife set  39  to work in their own fields in the Mexican village of Paracutin. They were  40  to find the earth warm under their feet. Suddenly they heard noise  41  in the earth and a small hole  42  in their fields. In the afternoon there was a sudden loud noise and stones were  43  high in the air. The peasants ran from the fields and turned to watch. They saw the  44  of a volcano.

Large quantities of stones and lava  45  out and a little hill began to  46 . By evening this hill was 100 feet high and hot  47  were falling on the village. At night the strong light of the hot lava  48  up the countryside. The trees near the village were  49  and the villagers had to leave their houses.  50  the village was destroyed, its  51  was given to the volcano. The news quickly reached Mexico City,  52  to the east. Many people came to watch the  53 . The volcano grew for ten years and hundreds of square miles of  54  were destroyed. The Paracutin had gone to sleep  55 .

36.A. asleep                   B. active             C. silent              D. terrible

37.A. changed            B. raised             C. seen               D. grown

38.A. on                    B. to                    C. from              D. by

39.A. about                B. on                 C. up                  D. out

40.A. frightened         B. surprised         C. worried          D. disappointed

41.A. deep                 B. nearby              C. outside           D. from far

42.A. erupted             B. appeared         C. remained               D. rose

43.A. thrown              B. drawn             C. pushed            D. flown

44.A. access               B. shape              C. birth               D. crash

45.A. wiped                      B. broke             C. made             D. stood

46.A. rise                   B. fall                 C. form              D. spread

47.A. mud                 B. ashes              C. virus              D. powders

48.A. called                      B. added             C. filled              D. lit

49.A. cut                   B. killed             C. lacked            D. buried

50.A. Before              B. Since              C. When             D. If

51.A. name                B. place              C. address           D. spot

52.A. away                B. far                 C. off                 D. back

53.A. nature                      B. wonder           C. scene              D. sign

54.A. forest                B. houses            C. land                      D. villages

55.A. from now on     B. by now           C. just now         D. until now

As Christmas is coming, there are presents to be bought, cards to be sent, and rooms to be cleaned. Parents are ___36___ with difficult jobs of hiding presents from curious young children. If the gifts are large, this is sometimes a real ___37___. On Christmas Eve, young children find the excitement almost unbearable.  They are torn between the  wish to go to bed early so that  Father Christmas will bring their presents quickly and the wish to ___38___ up late so that they will not ___39____ the fun. The wish for gifts usually proves stronger. But though children go to bed early, they often lie ___40___ for a long time, hoping to get a short ___41___ at Father Christmas.
Last Christmas, my wife and I ___42___ hid a few large presents in the storeroom. I ___43___ the moment when my son, Jimmy, would ___44___ me where that new bike had come from, but ___45___ he did not see it.
On Christmas Eve, ___46___ took the children hours to go to sleep. It must have been nearly___47___ when my wife and I went quietly into their room and began ___48___ stockings. Then I pushed in the ___49____ I bought for Jimmy and left it beside the Christmas tree. We knew we would not get much sleep that night, for the children were ___50___ to get up early. At about five o’clock the next morning, we were ___51___ by loud sounds coming from the children’s room — they were shouting excitedly! ___52_____ I had time to get out of bed, young Jimmy came riding into the room on his new bike, and his sister, Mary, followed close behind pushing her new baby carriage. ____53_____ the baby arrived. He moved ___54____ the hands and knees into the room dragging a large balloon behind him. Suddenly it burst. That woke us up ___55___. The day had really begun with a band(巨響) !