–I was so sure that our experiment was going to succeed, but something went wrong at the last moment.

--      , but don’t give it up.

A．You don’t mean that                                                                 B．Failure is the mother of success

C．I’m sorry to hear that                                      D．Never mind

      achievement, last week’s conference here earned a low, though not failing, grade.

A．For the sake             B．In case of          C．In terms of            D．On account of

Did _________ on time make her teacher angry.

A．not to come               B．her not to come   C．her not coming       D．not her coming

The annual marathon usually occurred during a heat wave. My job was to  l  behind the runners in an ambulance   2   any of them needed medical attention. The driver and I were in an air-conditioned ambulance behind approximately one hundred athletes   3   to hear the sharp crack of the starting gun.

"We are supposed to stay behind the   4    runner，so take it slowly,” I said to the driver, Doug, as we began to creep forward.

"Let’s   5   hope all the runners are safe!” he laughed.

As they began to pace themselves，the front runners started to   6   . It was then that my  7    were drawn to the woman in blue silk running shorts and a baggy white T-shirt.

"Doug, look！”

We knew we were already watching our “last runner". Her feet were turned in，yet her left knee was turned out. Her legs were so crippled and    8   that it seemed impossible for her to be able to walk，let alone run a marathon.

Doug and I watched in    9   as she slowly moved forward．We didn’t say a thing. We would move forward a little bit，then stop and wait for her to   10    some distance. Then we'd slowly move forward a little bit more.

Finally，she was the  11    runner left in sight. Tears streamed down my face as I sat on the edge of my seat and watched with awe, amazement and even reverence（敬意）as she   12   forward with sheer determination through the last miles.

When the   13   line came into sight, trash（垃圾）lay everywhere and the  14  crowds had long gone home.   15   ，standing straight and ever so proud waited a man. He was   36    one end of a ribbon（带子）of crepe paper tied to a post.   17  slowly crossed through，leaving both ends of the paper fluttering behind her.

I do not   18   this woman’s name，but that day she became a part of my life---a part I often depend on. For her，it wasn't about   19    the other runners or winning a trophy（奖品），it was about finishing what she had set out to do, no matter   20   . When I think things are too difficult or too time-consuming，I get those "I-just-can't-do-it"，I think of the last runner. Then I realize how easy the task before me really is.

1．A．interview         B．watch           C．follow           D．fall

2．A．when            B．even if           C．because        D．in case

4．A．slow             B．last              C．wounded          D．helpless

5．A．Just             B．ever             C．still               D．however

6．A．run              B．miss             C．disappear          D．lose

7．A．attention          B．mind            C．sights           D．eyes

8．A．bent             B．hurt              C．soft           D．painful

9．A．happiness         B．silence            C．disappointment  D．hope

10．A．keep           B．make             C．gain           D．shorten

11．A．single           B．only             C．last             D．careful

12．A．pushed          B．fought            C．pulled            D．jumped

13．A．close            B．end              C．match         D．finish

14．A．seeing           B．cheering           C．standing          D．interesting

15．A．Yet              B．But               C．Thus          D．Therefore

16．A．catching          B．handing           C．holding            D．bringing

17．A．He              B．I                 C．They          D．She

18．A．remember        B．know             C．understand         D．forget

19．A．winning       B．competing        C．beating            D．fighting

20．A．what            B．where            C．when          D．why

GOLDEN, British Columbia (AP)---A 3-year-old girl found alive in the upside down wreckage（残骸）of an airplane survived because she was strapped in a car seat, rescuers said. They said they knew she was OK when she cried for her teddy bear.

Sunday's crash killed Kate Williams' pilot-grandfather, Allen D．Williams, 65, and another passenger, authorities said. The plane was found nose down and turned over in the icy water at the edge of a riverbank in the mountains of southeast British Columbia.

"What saved her life was being strapped into that car seat," said Mike Plonka, a member of the search-and-rescue team. "You could see that she was very frightened. Her big concern at the time was her little teddy bear. She didn't want to leave without it...” "She was just pointing at it and calling it ‘Baby’.” he said Monday. The girl suffered head injuries but was reported as stable, hospital officials in Golden said. She was reunited with her parents.

Police said the Cessna 172 was on its way to Edmonton when it took off from Golden around 1 pm Sunday into low clouds and snow. Visibility（能见度）was poor. An hour later, the Search and Rescue Centre in Victoria picked up the plane's emergency signal from somewhere near the Blaeberry River.

A team using a hand-held beacon locator（定位器）found the wreckage, and two military search and rescue technicians--Sgt. Scott Elliston and Master Cpl. Bruno Lapointe---landed nearby in a helicopter. As they checked for survivors, they discovered the girl alive but surrounded by debris（残骸）in the back of the plane. The two soldiers tried to remove her from the wreckage, but she made it clear she didn't want to leave without her teddy bear.

"I got her out and I handed her to Bruno. She was calling out for her teddy bear. I picked up the teddy bear to give it to her but it was covered with snow. She wasn't too happy that it was covered with snow so I brushed it off.＂Elliston said.

Williams was CEO and founder of Edmonton-based A．D．Williams Engineering Inc. The passenger who was killed, Steven T. Sutton, was chief financial officer. The two had been attending a business meeting in Golden. The cause of the accident was under investigation.

1．What does the underlined word "strapped" in Paragraph 1 mean?

  A．release.           B．laid.             C．tied.                   D．locked.

2．How many passengers died in the accident?

A．1.               B.2.                C．3.                      D．4.

3．Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．The girl loved her teddy bear very much.

B．The girl was not seriously injured in the accident.

C．The girl suffered brain injuries in the accident.

D．The plane sent out signal for help before it crashed.

4．What is the cause of the accident?

A．Low clouds.      B．Not mentioned.    C．Heavy snow.         D．Poor visibility.

A 24-year-old Australian young man who sold his life, including baggage from a painful break-up, on eBay says he is still not quite sure why he did it.

Nicael Holt sold his name, phone number and all his possessions, including clothes, CDs, a surfboard, a laptop, a pushbike, childhood photos, friends, and a nice lamp given to him by an ex-girlfriend, on the internet auction site. The successful applicant bid（喊价）7,500 dollars last week to become Holt.

Holt, a philosophy student from the southern coastal city of Wollongong who has set up a website to explain his actions and ask for donations to charity, said he was unable to explain why he sold his life.

In his sales place Holt said the winner would have a four-week training course in how to be him---including lessons on how to surf, climb, skateboard, fire twirl and do handstands--as well as two months of on-call support afterward. He also promised to introduce the winner to all his friends and potential lovers, including eight girls he had been flirting（调情）with.

"Lifestyle is very social. It includes a lot of going out,” he noted on his eBay advertisement. "Friends will treat you exactly as they have treated me. This includes friends who take me surfing, running, climbing and cook for me. All of these features will be transferred over to the winning applicant.”

His legal identity, passport, qualifications and future inheritance（继承权）were not for sale.

1．The passage is mainly about               .

       A．how to sell goods on the auction website eBay

B．how to make friends through the Internet

C．an Australian who sold his own life on the internet

D．the reason why an Australian sold his possessions

2．The Australian young man sold all of the following possessions EXCEPT         

A．name, a laptop and a pushbike            

B．phone number, CDs and a surf board

C．clothes, friends and a nice lamp            

D．passport, qualifications and an ex-girlfriend

3．From the passage we know that         .

A．Holt set up a website to explain why he sold his life

B．Holt had been keeping love relationship with several girls

C．The auction winner bid for Holt at the price of 7,500 US dollars

D．The seller made a lot of advertisements to sell his possessions

4．It can be inferred from the passage that            .

A．Nicael Holt is a young man who is fond of sports 

B．Nicael Holt sold his possessions for lack of money

C．Nicael Holt sold his life in order to make money

       D．Nicael Hoh refused to give the winner two months of on-call support

Nov, 5, 2005—More and more TV shows, movies and sporting events are being broadcast in High Definition (HD) —including “Good Morning America.” If you want to join the millions who are already experiencing a superior picture, you’ll need a High Definition TV (HDTV). But even if you’re ready to retire your old TV — or move it into the back bedroom where no one will ever see it —you’re bound to have lots of questions before you make an investment in a new drool-worthy HDTV.

You might be wondering about hardware, cost and how to actually receive High Definition programming on your set. “GMA” technology contributor Becky Worley offers this primer (入门书) to understanding the complicated world of HD.

What is HDTV ①？

High definition TV is a richer transmission of television signals that makes for a more vivid viewing experience. HDTV is to standard TV what FM radio is to AM radio. HDTV is crisp , clear and noise-free, with resolution that is at least twice that of analog (模拟信号)television and CD-quality sound .

How Do I Get HDTV ②?

HDTV signals are broadcast via antennas in urban areas, and via satellite TV or cable TV.

To receive an over-the air HDTV signal, you must live within a certain radius（半径）of an HDTV broadcast antenna and have the proper HDTV tuner (调谐器) / antenna (天线) installed in your home .

To receive a Cable or Satellite HDTV signal, you must have a proprietary HDTV set-top box supplied by your provider.

Not all programming is available in HDTV yet, but many network shows and sporting events are currently in HD and many more are converting over.

When you watch a DVD on your HDTV, it is not technically HDTV quality, but it will look crisper on your HDTV than on a regular TV.

HDTV, HD-Ready TV, and EDTV

There are three major terms that will describe the high-end TV sets that are on sale today :HDTV ③ are TV sets that can receive and process over-the-air HD signals. You may need an antenna to receive the HD signal, but an HD tuner is built into the set and can process the signal without any other equipment. If you want to receive an HD signal from your cable or satellite provider, you will need one of the provider’s proprietary set-top boxes.

HD-Ready TV are TV sets that need an additional piece of hardware to actually receive the HD signal, such as a stand-alone HD tuner (from $250 and up) or the set-top HDTV box provided by your cable or satellite TV company.

EDTV stands for Enhanced Digital Television. The visual quality of an EDTV is better than a standard analog TV, but is not as crisp or bright as a true HDTV.

1．Which of the following best describe the features of HDTV?

       A．It offers more TV channels and choices of programs.

       B．It offers more interesting and entertaining programs.

       C．It offers programs with clearer pictures and sound of better quality.

       D．It offers program for high technology

2．How to understand the underlined sentence “HDTV is to standard TV what FM radio is to AM radio.” in this passage? It is       .

       A．an example to show HDTV is different from common TV.

       B．a comparison to show HDTV is more advanced than common TV.

       C．an example to show the similarity between HDTV and FM radio .

       D．a comparison to show HDTV is better than FM radio .

3．Does “HDTV” carry the same meaning in different places (①②③) of this article ?

       A．①and ②carry the same meaning while ③carries different meaning .

       B．①and ③carry the same meaning while ②carries different meaning .

       C．②and ③carry the same meaning while ①carries different meaning .

       D．①, ②and ③all carry the same meaning .

4．If you want to receive HDTV program at home, you should have         .

       A．an antenna , an HDTV set and a tuner

       B．an HD-ready TV set and live within the radius of an HDTV broadcast antenna

       C．an HDTV set , an antenna and live within the radius of an HDTV broadcast antenna

       D．an EDTV set and a set-top box

An Earthship is a home that is built of materials such as old tires and aluminum cans. It is the idea of a man named Michael Reynolds. Many Earthships are more or less self-sufficient because they provide their own heat, air and water. They often have gardens watered and fed by wastewater. They are comfortable and ecologically friendly.

 The main materials used in building Earthship is tires. Tires are plentiful and can’t be recycled like paper, plastic and metal. While building supplies for most houses can be very expensive, old used tires are free. First, the tires are packed tightly with dirt. Each full tire weighs as much as 400 pounds. The tires are then loaded like bricks. The walls are extremely strong. They also help keep a leveled temperature in the house (between 60 and 70 degrees) without heating and cooling systems.

The walls inside the Earthship are made of aluminum cans that are held together by cement. Then they are coated with adobe (专坯) or stucco (灰墁).

The roofs of Earthship are sloped so that rain and snow run into large tanks. These tanks hold all the water for the house, and pumps push the water through the pipes. Sometimes, water flows in certain areas of the house as waterfalls! Water that has been used is pumped out into the gardens where owners grow much of their own food.

In most of these houses, the southern side has huge windows that take in winter sunlight as a source of heat. Summer sun does not come in through the south windows, so it doesn’t get too hot in the summer. The house also has solar panels(太阳板) that gather energy for lights and hot water and cooking. The Earthship have all the comforts of a regular house without the high cost of electric bills!

In a time when we are running out of energy resources, pollution is bad, and waste is piling up, Earthships are the best places to live in. For people who truly care about the environment, Earthship provides a great alternative to traditional houses. You won’t be giving up any comforts, and the styles are attractive. We all hope that more and more people will build Earthships and take a huge step toward helping the environment and saving our planet.

1．What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Earthships are a good way to live and protect the environment.

       B．Tanks hold water collected from rain and snow.

C．It’s important to grow your own food in a vegetable garden.

       D．People who live in Earthships usually live in the desert.

2．What does the underlined word “They” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

       A．Earthships          B．Tires                 C．Bricks               D．Walls

3．Which of the following sentences states an opinion rather than a fact?

       A．Earthships are made out of tires and cans 

       B．Tanks collect water for use in Earthships

       C．Earthships can help save our planet  

       D．Tires can’t be recycled but bottles and paper can

4．Which evidence best supports the idea that Earthships are environmentally friendly?

       A．They were invented by Michael Reynolds.

       B．Water that has been used is pumped out into the garden.

       C．Summer sun does not come in through the south windows.

       D．This kind of house is becoming a reality.

5．Which statement is an example of propaganda（宣传）？

       A．The house also has solar panels that gather energy for lights and hot water.

       B．Earthships provide a great advantage over traditional houses.

       C．The walls are then coated with adobe or stucco.

       D．The construction of houses made of recycled materials has been growing.

It was a cold night in September. The rain was drumming on the car roof as George and Marie Winston drove through the empty country roads towards the house of their friends, the Harrisons, where they were going to attend a party to celebrate the engagement of the Harrisons' daughter, Lisa. As they drove, they listened to the local radio station, which was playing classical music.

Suddenly the music on the radio was interrupted by a news announcement: "The Cheshire police have issued a serious warning after a man escaped from Colford Mental Hospital earlier this evening. The man, John Downey, is a murderer who killed six people before he was captured two years ago. He is described as large, very strong and extremely dangerous. People in the Cheshire' area are warned to keep their doors and windows locked, and to call the police immediately if they see anyone acting strangely.”

Marie shivered. "A crazy killer. And he's out there somewhere. That's scary.”

"Don't worry about it,” said her husband. "We're nearly there now. But this car is losing power for some reason.”

As he spoke, the car began to slow down. Finally they rolled to a halt, as the engine died completely. Just as they stopped, George pulled the car off the road, and it came to rest under a large tree,

"Blast!” said George angrily. "Now we'll have to walk in the rain.”

"But that'll take us an hour at least,” said Marie, "And I have my high-heeled shoes and my nice clothes on. They'll be ruined!”

"Well, you'll have to wait while I run to the nearest house and call the Harrisons. Someone can come out and pick us up," said George.

"But George! Have you forgotten what the radio said?"

"You'll have to hide in the back of the car. Lock all the doors and lie on the floor in the back, under this blanket. No one will see you. When I come back, I'll knock three times on the door. Then you can get up and open it. Don't open it unless you hear three knocks," George opened the door and, slipped out into the rain. He quickly disappeared into the blackness.

Marie quickly locked the door and settled down under the blanket in the back for a long wait.

Suddenly she heard three slow knocks, one after the other, also on the roof of the car. Was it her husband? Should she open the door? Then she heard another knock, and another. This was not her husband. It was somebody or something else. She was shaking with fear, but she forced herself to lie still. The knocking continued----bump, bump, bump, bump.

Many hours later, as the sun rose, she was still lying there. The knocking had never stopped all night long. She did not know what to do. Where was George? Why had he not come for her?

Suddenly, she heard the sound of three or four vehicles, racing quickly down the road. Someone had come! Marie sat up quickly and looked out of the window.

The three vehicles were all police cars. Several policemen leapt out. One of them rushed towards the car as Marie opened the door. He took her by the hand.

"Get out of the car and walk with me to the police vehicle. Miss! You're safe now. Look straight ahead. Keep looking at the police car. Don't look back. Just don't look back.”

Something in the way he spoke filled Marie with cold horror. She could not help herself. About ten yards from the police car, she stopped, turned and looked back at the empty vehicle.

George was hanging from the tree above the car, a rope tied around his neck. As the wind blew his body back and forth, his feet were bumping gently on the roof of the car-bump, bump, bump, bump.

1．What was the reason for the news announcement on the radio?

A．Some people had been seen acting strangely in the Cheshire area.

B．The police were warning of accidents on the roads in the bad weather.

C．Six people, including John Downey, had been murdered.

D．A dangerous prisoner had escaped.

2．Why did Marie stay in the car when George left?

  A．She was afraid to go out in the dark.   

  B．So no-one would steal the car.

  C．Her clothes weren't suitable for the rain.  

  D．She wanted to get some sleep.

3．Why did the policeman tell her not to look back when he brought her out of the car?

  A．The killer was waiting behind her.

  B．He wanted her to forget everything that had happened during the night.

  C．He didn't want her to see the damage done to the car.

       D．He didn't want her to see the body of her husband.

根据对话内容，从对话后的选项中选出能填人空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

W: Do you know what time you'll be back this evening, Eric?

M:     1      It depends on how long the interview lasts. Oh, dear，      2      I know I can do the job, but the question is how to get this message across to them.

W: Just relax.      3        Don't get yourself worked up. Remember, you've got to make them believe that they need you, and you are not going to let them down. Have some more bread; it will make you feel much better. Er, pass me the milk, will you?   4    

M: 2:30.

W: Make sure you have a proper lunch. More coffee? And don't get there too early or you'll have to hang around.       5     You'll manage OK, I'm sure.

A．I hope everything will go just fine.

B．What time is your appointment?

C．I'm not sure.

D．I'm afraid they won't come.

E．Er, don't get yourself worried too much.

F．When will you go to the airport?

G．Everyone has his first time.