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.
Many wrong ideas about the Atlantic made early sailors unwilling to sail far out into it. One idea was that it reached out to “the edge of the world” . Sailors were afraid that they might sail off the earth. Another idea was that at the equator(赤道) the ocean would be boiling hot.
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 2,00 miles (3,200 km) wide.
Two things make the Atlantic Ocean rather unusual. For so large an ocean it has few islands. Also, it is the world’s saltiest ocean.
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 it and no more water was brought to it by rivers, it would take the ocean about more than 4,000 years to dry up. On the average, the water is a little more than two miles (3.2km) 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 (9.6km).
One of the longest mountain ranges of the world rises from the floor of the Atlantic. This mountain range runs north and south down the middle of the ocean. The tops of a few of the mountains reach up above the sea and make islands.
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. In the days of sailing vessels(船) the crew were afraid they would be becalmed (can’t move) here. Sometimes they were.
Today the Atlantic is a great highway. It is, however, not 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 traveling 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!
61. What caused people to be unwilling to explore the Atlantic?
A. There were no ships big enough to get across the Ocean.
B. Sailors were afraid of being lost in the Ocean.
C. The Atlantic Ocean was very unusual because it has few islands and the saltiest water.
D. Many incorrect ideas such as “the edge of the world”, “the equator with boiling hot water” made people think the Ocean was full of danger.
62. What is the main idea of the fifth paragraph?
A. How deep the water is.
B. How to measure the water in the Atlantic.
C. How much water the ocean holds.
D. How rain affects the Ocean water.
63. What does the underlined word “highway” mean?
A. High road B. Broad way C. Fast road D. Main water way
64. Why does the writer think “this big ocean seems to have grown smaller”?
A. The water in the ocean is becoming less.
B. We have more and more advanced traveling tools now
C. The distance between the ocean and us is shorter.
D. The steamship has a higher speed.
III. 完形填空（共20小题；每小1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从33—52各题所给的四个选项 (A，B，C和D)，选出可以填入空白处的最佳答案。
Bill White’s father is a lawyer. In his 33 time, he likes to get out in the country and take some 34 of animals.
For a long time, Bill had wanted to go with his father on one of his 35 . But his father didn’t take Bill along with him 36 he was fifteen.
He and Bill drove to the farm which 37 to his uncle in the afternoon. They 38 the night there, so that they could 39 out early the next morning. Uncle Steve and his son Larry, who was sixteen, were going to go out with them.
It was still dark when Bill heard the alarm 40 the next morning. He wondered why it was running so early. He couldn’t remember 41 he was. He turned over 42 and looked at the clock. It was 5 o’clock. Then he 43 that he was at the 44 and that he was going out to take pictures with his father. He jumped out of bed and got 45 quickly.
He ran downstairs. The others were already in the 46 . Uncle Steve was cooking bacon and eggs. There was a pot of coffee on the stove. It 47 good.
They ate breakfast quickly. They didn’t talk 48 , because they didn’t want to 49 up the other people in the house. They filled a thermos bottle 50 hot coffee and took some sandwiches 51 Aunt Grace, Uncle Steve’s wife, had made for them. They gathered their camera 52 and started out.
33. A. busy B. spare C. enough D. limited
34. A. foods B. drawings C. paintings D. pictures
35. A. trips B. buses C. holidays D. mountains
36. A. after B. when C. until D. unless
37. A. led B. stuck C. got D. belonged
38. A. cost B. spent C. slept D. took
39. A. start B. begin C. walk D. step
40. A. telephone B. machine C. bell D. clock
41. A. where B. how C. who D. what
42. A. quickly B. sleepily C. quietly D. suddenly
43. A. imagined B. pronounced C. forgot D. remembered
44. A. mountain B. town C. farm D. station
45. A. dressed B. ordered C. eaten D. prepared
46. A. bathroom B. kitchen C. dining-room D. sitting-room
47. A. seemed B. felt C. tasted D. smelled
48. A. many B. soundly C. much D. highly
49. A. wake B. go C. put D. come
50. A. of B. with C. in D. by
51. A. that B. what C. after D. before
52. A. cover B. supply C. operator D. equipment
— Would you allow me ________ here?
— Sorry. We don’t permit _________ in the lab.
|
A．smoking; smoking |
B．to smoke; to smoke |
C．smoking; to smoke |
D．to smoke; smoking |
The man _______ the little boy and said , “You are so clever and lovely . I love you very much.”
|
A．glared at |
B．aimed at |
C．stared at |
D．laughed at |
________ work has been done to improve the people’s living standard.
|
A．A large amount of |
B．A large number of |
C．A great deal |
D．A great many |
.
VII. 书面表达（满分25分）
校园里最近刮起了“减肥风”，有的同学拼命节食，有的同学疯狂锻炼，鉴于此，校报邀请同学们针对这一现象各抒己见，踊跃投稿，谈谈你认为减肥的最佳办法是什么。
内容应包括
1、健康饮食与合理锻炼应该结合起来。
2、过度节食会严重损害人体健康。
3、应注意合理安排锻炼时间。
词数：120左右
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