When was the last time you relied on an old-fashioned map to figure out the route to an unfamiliar place? For many, the GPS has revolutionized navigation, making a paper map almost obsolete? So how has this piece of technology developed over its 26 years of existence? On February 14,1989,the first satellite in the US Global Positioning System was sent into space from Cape Canaveral, beginning the start of one of the wonders of the modern world.
GPS stands for Global Positioning System, which is made of a network of around 30 satellites that move around the earth. The system uses a process called trilateration to find out one’s position. By measuring the time it takes for the signal to reach one satellite, the GPS can determine your distance from the satellite, creating a sphere(范围) of possible locations. Measuring your distance from at least three satellites will narrow your location to the place where the three spheres cross one another, to the accuracy(精确) of about less than 1 meter!
The GPS was first invented during the Cold War by the United States Department of Defense. In 1960, the first system, which was made of just five satellites, was put into place. It was initially created for strictly military(军事的) use; however, in 1983, as a result of faulty navigation technology, a Korean passenger plane mistakenly flew into USSR territory(苏联领土) and was shot down. In order to prevent such bad events, American President Ronald Reagan allowed civilian(民用的) use of the GPS.
Over the next ten years, the system’s accuracy improved as the network was increased to 24 satellites. And during the first Persian Gulf War, the new GPS was finally used by the military. Now scientists use the technology to track animals to better understand their movement and behavior. Parents who may be worried about their children can also use GPS technology to track them.
1.The underlined word “obsolete” in Paragraph 1 can best be replaced by “ ”.
A. priceless B. unusual
C. perfect D. useless
2.The second paragraph is mainly about .
A. how the GPS works B. the history of the GPS
C. the applications of the GPS D. some problems with the GPS
3.According to the text, the GPS .
A. has a history of over 100 years
B. became popular during the Cold War
C. relies on the satellites circling the earth
D. was available first during space exploration
4.What does the author think of the GPS?
A. It is not always reliable
B. It has a lot of uses in many fields
C. It makes our life more peaceful
D. It will soon go out of fashion
Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt.
In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546. Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.
Though the belief in the merit of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War II. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea; clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?
Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease. On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist (免疫学家), encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground.
1.The kings of France and England in the 16th century closed bath houses because .
A. they lived healthily in a dirty environment
B. they believed disease could be spread in public baths
C. they thought bath houses were to dirty to stay in
D. they considered bathing as the cause of skin disease
2.Which of the following best describes Henry IV’s attitude to bathing?
A. Approving B. Afraid
C. Curious D. Uninterested
3.How does the passage mainly develop?
A. By providing examples
B. By making comparisons
C. By following the order of importance
D. By following the order of time
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A. To stress the role of dirt
B. To present the change of views on dirt
C. To introduce the history of dirt
D. To call attention to the danger of dirt
Four days after Dad’s 67th birthday, he had a heart attack. Luckily, he survived. But something inside him had died. His enthusiasm for life was gone. He refused to follow doctor’s orders, and his sour attitude made everyone upset when they visit him. Dad was left alone.
So I asked Dad to come to live with me on my small farm, hoping the fresh air would help him adjust. Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated. Something had to be done.
One day I read an article which said when given dogs, depressed patients would be better off. So I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. As soon as I got there, a pointer’s eyes caught my attention. They watched me calmly.
A staff member said: “He got here two weeks ago and we’ve heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow.”
I turned to the man in horror. “You mean you’re going to kill him?”
“Ma’am,” he said gently. “We don’t have room for every unclaimed dog.”
The staff member’s calm brown eyes awaited my decision. “I’ll take him,” I said.
I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. I was helping it out of the car when Dad walked onto the front porch. “Look what I got you!” I said excitedly.
Dad wrinkled his face. “I don’t want it,” he muttered, turning back towards the house. Then, suddenly, the dog pulled free from my grasp. He sat down in front of my Dad.
Dad’s anger melted, and soon he was hugging the dog.
This was the beginning of a warm friendship. Dad named the dog Cheyenne. Together they spent long hours walking down dusty lanes and relaxing on the banks of streams.
Dad’s bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne went on to make many friends. Then, late one night two years later, I felt Cheyenne’s cold nose burrowing(搜寻) through my bed covers. He had never before come into my bedroom at night. I ran into my father’s room and found that he had passed away.
Two days later, my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad’s bed. As I buried him near their favorite stream, I silently thanked the dog for restoring Dad’s peace of mind.
1.After the author’s father survived the heart attack, he .
A. no longer wanted to live
B. was left alone to get full rest
C. ignored everyone who visited him
D. became unpleasant toward other people
2.Why did the author take the pointer home?
A. It was a type that is known for its friendliness
B. Its eyes made her think it was the best dog available
C. It caught her attention right away and she didn’t want it to be killed
D. It was good at getting people’s attention and entertaining them
3.From the last two paragraphs we can conclude that .
A. more attention should be given to old people
B. dogs are so loyal that they usually die for their friends
C. the author’s father and Cheyenne formed a real connection
D. friendship and care is much more efficient than the medicine
4.Which section of a newspaper is the source of the passage?
A. Health B. Entertainment
C. Education D. Friends
The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.
Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true.
Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.
Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. Pollution by SO2 is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time.
1. , our world is becoming much smaller.
A. Because of the rise in pollution
B. Because the earth is being polluted day and night
C. Thanks to science development
D. Because the earth is blown away by the wind every year
2.Air pollution is still the most serious kind of pollution because .
A. it makes much noise
B. it makes us angry more easily
C. it’s had for all living things in the world
D. it makes our rivers and lakes dirty
3.Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Many countries are making rules to fight pollution
B. The pollution of the earth grows as fast as the world population does
C. If people could go to work by bus or bike instead of car or motorbike, it would be helpful in fighting against the problem of SO2
D. The problem of pollution is not so serious because there are not so many people on the earth
书面表达（满分25分）
假定你是高三学生李华。最近你校受中央电视台《朗读者》节目的启发，将举办第一届英语《朗读者》的比赛。请根据以下提示写一篇英语通知。
1. 全校第一届《朗读者》比赛将在本学期末举行；
2. 每个班级选出一名朗读者，然后全校进行评比；
3. 规则和奖励。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可适当添加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：《朗读者》Reader；杰作masterpiece
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短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(
)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I just come back from Britain last week. I was luckily enough to be one of the student from different countries to visit the UK from Feb. 16 to 28. We paid a visit to many places, like London, Oxford or the Lake District. I learned much about British culture and history in London, where was my favorite. I also liked Oxford, in which I saw much more old buildings. The Lake District was beautiful, but it was pity that it rained heavily when they were there. The most excited thing for me in the Britain was that I made a lot of friends there.
