Sandstorms hit northwestern China's Gansu Province and North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on the first day this year. According to Sun Landong， a meteorologist with the Lanzhou Meteorology Observatory，visibility was less than 100 meters in Minqin， a Gansu county near Inner Mongolia， because of sand. When visibility drops to less than 1 kilometer，it is called a sandstorm. The sandstorm in Minqin blew up dust in neighboring towns， such as Baiyin， Wuwei， Jinchang and Lanzhou， the capital city of Gansu Province. Dust-laden winds also swept into Beijing. Brought by northwesterly blowing at more than 20 meters per second，dust first reached the capital's suburbs at 7 a. m，downtown areas at 9 a. m. The winds，which died down during the night，brought the temperature down to as low as 80C below zero and many flights put off their planned time from the city's airport.
It is quite rare for sandstorms，which are frequent between March and June，to happen in winter，when the earth is frozen. The sandstorms in Gansu and Inner Mongolia do not necessarily mean there will be more of them in the spring than last year，when they were serious，but Beijing is taking it very seriously. It is reported that Beijing will spend 6 billion yuan ( US 725 million) in preventing sandstorms in the capital and has already set up a special team to make sure what causes them.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Sandstorms took place in Gansu.
B. Sandstorms happened on the first day of the new year.
C. Sandstorms are very serious，compared to last year.
D. Experts are trying their best to determine the cause of the sandstorm formed this year.
2.Suppose the dust was 300 kilometers away from Beijing， it would reach Beijing about
hours later if it travels at a speed of 20 meters per second?
A. 4. 2 B. 1. 5 C. 2. 0 D. 2. 5
3.Why did sandstorms begin in the winter this year?
A. Because there was little snow this season.
B. Because a lot of trees have been cut down.
C. Because people took few measures to control them.
D. It is not mentioned in the passage.
4. Which of the following doesn't belong to the bad effect the sandstorms have done in Beijing?
A. The temperature fell. B. Flights put off their time to take off.
C. The air is dirty. D. People had three days off.
5.The author wrote the passage to .
A. tell us the environments are becoming worse and worse
B. explain what measures people have taken to control sandstorms
C. make people realize the need to protect the environment.
D. call on us to do what we can to save the earth
For many years it was common in the United States to associate Chinese Americans with restaurants and places that wash clothes. People did not realize that the Chinese had been driven into these occupations by the prejudice and discrimination that faced them in this country.
The first Chinese to reach the United States came during the California Gold Rush of 1849. Like most of the other people there，they had come to search for gold. In that largely unoccupied land， the men staked a claim (立界标表明所有权) for themselves by placing makers’ in the ground. However，either because the Chinese were so different from the others or because they worked so patiently that they sometimes succeeded in getting a mining claim to make a profit ( where others saw no way to do so) ,they became the target".Of their competitors. They were troubled and attacked in many ways. Often they were prevented from working their claims; some places even passed regulations forbidding them to own claims. The Chinese therefore started to seek out other ways of earning a living. Some of them began to wash clothes for the white miners; others set up small restaurants. (There were almost no women in California in those days and the Chinese filled a real need by doing this" women's work". ) Some went to work as farmhands or as fishermen.
In the early 1860's many more Chinese arrived in California. This time railroad companies brought the men in to build the first railroad line from California to the East. They were sorely needed because the work was so hard and dangerous，and it was carried on in such an isolated part of the country that the railroad company could not find other laborers for the job. As in the case of the first Chinese in America， these Chinese were almost all males; and like them，too，they encountered a great deal of prejudice. The hostility grew especially strong after the railroad project was completed，and the Chinese laborers returned to California—thousands of them，all out of work
Many of today's Chinese Americans are the descendants of some of the early miners and railroad workers.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The first Chinese to reach the United States came during the California Gold Rush of 1849.
B. Many more Chinese arrived in California to construct the first railroad from California to the East.
C. Early Chinese immigrants to America experienced a lot of prejudice and discrimination.
D. Prejudice and discrimination that Chinese Americans met.
2. Why did the Chinese become the target of their competitors?
A. Because the Chinese were different and they worked patiently to achieve a lot of success while others couldn't.
B. The Chinese were so different from the others.
C. They worked so patiently with little payment
D. There were almost no women in California in those days.
3.What was the fate of the Chinese after the construction of the railroad?
A. They went back to their own country
B. They stayed to work in the railroad companies.
C. They went to California to search for gold.
D. The hostility grew especially strong.
4.What is the meaning of the word" encountered"?
A. face. B. Count. C. Enter. D. Handle.
5.The following statements are true EXCEPT .
A. during the California Gold Rush of 1849，people staked a claim for themselves by placing markers in the ground
B. the first Chinese went to America because they wanted to work as farmhands or as fishermen
C. many of today's Chinese Americans are the descendants of the early miners and railroad workers
D. the Chinese were sorely needed because the work was so dangerous
Every summer thousands of Americans stay at home instead of going on holiday because they're overweight. They don't want people to see them sunbathing and they don't want to have to squeeze into plane seats，But now，thanks to the growing number of weight-friendly holiday packages，the overweight are having their days in the sun.
"Overweight people will have a great time on our holidays as we don't judge them like other people do，" said Liz Nickels，the owner of Big Adventures，a US-based company that hosts scuba-diving—a sport of swimming underwater while breathing through a tube connected to a tank on your back for larger people. As a way to keep up with the demand for extralarge accommodation，many hotels in the US have started to offer features such as wide beds and hand-held showers. But the best in plus-size vacation lies at Mexico's Freedom Paradise，a 112-room resort(度假胜地) opening this month，which urges guests to" Live Large，Live Free" .
The hotel has wide doorways，reinforced furniture and extra large chairs. It also boasts a private beach to protect people from the stares that can occur on public beaches. "It's not a hotel just for large people. It's a size-friendly place where anyone can enjoy a holiday，" said owner J urrian Kilnk，"What we noticed was that a lot of oversized people don't feel comfortable at resorts. "Staff members of all sizes are hired by the hotel to make overweight people feel OK.
Though many welcome the new service，some feel differently. "I have a real problem with this，"said Nancy Lenhart，the owner of Camp La Jolia，a Californian weight-loss and fitness camp.
"If you talk about oversized beds and doorways you are throwing their weight in their faces. Overweight people want to be normalized. They shouldn't be discriminated against like this. "
1. Large people don't want to go on holiday because .
A. they don't like sunbathing B. they don't want to be looked at
C. the planes are too crowded D. hotels are not open to them
2.In the first paragraph，weight-friendly holiday packages mean .
A. there are some free packages for the overweight
B. people are friendly to the overweight
C. special holiday for the overweight
D. the overweight can lose weight
3.Scuba-diving is a sport of swimming .
A. for people to lose weight B. only for larger people
C. jumping from the platform D. underwater
4. Mexico's Freedom Paradise is a hotel .
A. for people of all sizes B. only intended for larger people
C. where everything is oversized D. where larger people can live for free
5.The underlined part" you are throwing their weight in their faces" means .
A. you are beating them in the face B. you are showing them that they are overweight
C. their faces seem bigger than others D. you can make them lose weight
For much of the world, vegetarianism (素食主义) is largely a matter of economics: Meat costs a lot more than beans or rice, so meat becomes a special-occasion dish. Even where meat is more plentiful, it’s still used in control, and it often provides a side note to a meal rather than taking center stage.
In countries like the United States where meat is not as expensive, though, people choose to be vegetarians for reasons other than cost. Parental preferences(父母亲的偏爱), religious or other beliefs, and health problems are among the most common reasons for choosing to be a vegetarian. Many people choose a vegetarian diet out of concern over animal rights or the environment. And lots of people have more than one reason for choosing vegetarianism.
Different people follow different forms of vegetarianism. A true vegetarian eats no meat at all, including chicken and fish. A lactoovo(乳制品) vegetarian eats dairy products and eggs, but keeps out meat, fish, and chicken. It follows, then, that a lacto(乳，乳汁) vegetarian eats dairy products but not eggs, and an ovo （蛋，鸡蛋） vegetarian eats eggs but not dairy products.
A stricter form of vegetarianism is veganism. Not only are eggs and dairy products excluded (排除) from a vegan diet, so are animal products like honey. Some macrobiotic (养生的) diets fall into the vegan category. Macrobiotic diets limit not only animal products but also refined（经过提炼的） and processed foods, foods with preservatives, and foods that contain caffeine or other stimulants (刺激物).
Following a macrobiotic or vegan diet could lead to nutritional deficiencies (营养不足) in some people. Teens need to be sure their diets include enough nutrients to fuel growth, particularly protein and calcium (钙). If you’re interested in following a vegan or macrobiotic diet it’s a good idea to talk to a registered dietitian（营养学家）. He or she can help you design meal plans that include enough nutrients.
1.The underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably means ______.
A. there is usually a note beside the meat in a meal
B. meat often attracts people’s attention in a meal
C. meat is served only a small amount in a meal
D. meat should play an important part in a meal
2.Which of the following is NOT the reason for Americans being vegetarians?
A. They are environmentally friendly.
B. They are concerned about the rights of animals.
C. They worry about their own health.
D. They can’t afford to buy meat.
3. A vegan diet will include ______.
A. neither animal products nor diary products
B. diary products but no eggs
C. animal products like honey
D. processed food
4. According to the passage, the author would probably think that ______.
A. all the people should become vegetarians
B. teens should be careful to be vegetarians
C. vegetarianism is not a good thing for the world
D. vegetarianism can make a country develop faster
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(天线)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．
1.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．
2.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
3.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．
4.What does the underlined word “This” in the 3rd paragraph 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．
5.Which is true of satellites?
A．A satellite usually works for about 10-12 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．
As late as 1800, women’s only place was in the home. The idea of woman in the business world was unthinkable. Men were certain that no woman could do a good job outside her home. This was such a widely accepted idea that when the well-known Bronte sisters began writing books in 1864, they had to sign their books with men’s names instead.
Teaching was the first profession open to women soon after 1800. But even that was not an easy profession for women to enter because most schools and colleges were open only to men. Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in America to accept women.
Hospital nursing became respectable work for women only after Nightingale became famous. Seeing that she was not only a nurse but also a rich and well-educated woman, people began to believe it was possible for women to nurse the sick and still be “ladies”. Miss Nightingale opened England’s first training school for nurse in 1860.
The invention of the typewriter in 1867 helped to bring women out of the home and into the business world. By 1900, thousands of women were working at real jobs in schools, hospitals and offices in both England and America. Some women even managed to become doctors or lawyers. The idea that women could work in the business world had been accepted.
1.Why couldn’t women become teachers easily? Because___________
A. the first profession open to them was writing.
B. most schools and colleges were open only to men.
C. they wanted to be nurses instead.
D. they had to work in the business world.
2. The article is mainly about __________.
A. women are in the business world
B. the famous Bronte sisters
C. schools and colleges in America
D. rights for American women
3. Which fact does the article lead you to believe?
A. The Bronte sisters thought that they were men.
B. England’s first training school for nurses was in Ohio.
C. There are more men than women in professional jobs.
D. Women find it necessary to work harder than before.
