Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. The lead story in tonight’s news concerns the fire which destroyed the major part of Columbia College at 4 a.m. this morning. In only five minutes, more than six hundred girls came out of their dorms to watch their college burn to the ground in the freezing December weather. Fortunately, there were no injuries resulting from the fire. According to the college president, plans were already made to raise more than three million dollars to rebuild the college.

Here is the news from Washington. President Clinton says he is troubled by a scientist’s desire to clone a human and is urging the Congress to pass a ban to such experiments for at least five years. In his weekly radio address, Clinton noted Chicago area physicist Richard Seed’s announcement that he is ready to set up a clinic to clone human babies. President Clinton said that the need for passing laws that would ban human cloning for at least five years is more urgent than ever.

A brief look at the weather for the weekend tells us to expect light showers on Saturday and Sunday. The high Saturday will be in the lower40’s. On Sunday, we can expect the high to be about 65. That’s this evening’s news. Good night from Channel 9 news. Your better news station, and from Alan King, your reporter.

1. When did the fire at Columbia College take place?

A．In December.

B．In March.

C．In November.

2. What does President Clinton want the Congress do?

A．To pass a ban on doing experiment in labs.

B．To ban cloning humans forever.

C．To pass laws to support cloning babies.

D．To pass human cloning ban quickly.

3. What will the weather be like on weekend?

A．There will be a strong wind.

B．The weather will be fine.

C．It will be freezing cold.

D．It will be rainy.

4. What is the expected high temperature for Saturday?

A．It will be in the lower 65’s.

B．It will be in the higher 50’s.

C．It will be in the lower 40’s.

D．It will be in the high 35’s.

In Kansas City, Missouri, a computer helps firefighters．The computer contains information about every one of the 350,000 street addresses in the city．When firefighters answer a call, the computer will give them important information about the burning building: its position, size, type and so on．In fact, the computer system has almost unlimited ways of helping firefighters with the problems facing them．For instance, it can give medical information about invalids living in a burning building．With this information, the fire-fighters can take special care to find these sick persons and remove them quickly and safely.

    The Kansas City computer system also keeps a medical record of each of the city’s 900 fire-fighters．This kind of information is especially useful when a fireman is injured．With this medical information, doctors at the hospital can treat the injured firefighter more quickly and easily.

    The firefighters themselves greatly appreciate the computer’s help．They know about possible dangers ahead of them and can prepare for them．Many times the computer information helps to save lives and property (财产)．Sometimes the lives are those of firefighters themselves!

1．Missouri is most likely the name of ________.

A．a well-known river in the United States of America

B．a city famous for its fire-fighting computer system

C．one of the fifty states of America

D．the head of the fire control information centers

2．The computer can give ________.

A．both useful and useless information about the city

B．valuable information about every resident in that city

C．useful information about every street address in the city

D．lively description about each building on fire

3．The computer centre can ________.

A．give the firemen important help in almost every way

B．have limited ways of helping firefighters

C．hardly give any useful information to the fire bridge

D．put out every fire automatically

4．“Invalid” means a person who ________.

A．is badly burned or injured

B．gets seriously ill

C．has become very weak through illness or injury

D．is helped out by firefighters

5．If injured, the fireman will ________.

A．be treated immediately with the computer’s help

B．hardly get proper treatment with the help of the information given by the centre

C．appreciate the computer’s help very much

D．ask doctors and nurses for help

Scientists already have suggested that eating chocolate may make you happy．Now they say men who indulge (沉溺) in chocolate may live longer．A study of 7,841 Harvard male graduates found that chocolate and candy eaters—regardless of how voracious (贪婪) their appetite for candies—live almost a year longer than those who never eat any candies.

    The researchers said they don’t know why this is．They guess, however, that antioxidants present in chocolate may have a health benefit．Scientists have．found that chocolate contains phenols before．The scientists stress their findings are preliminary (初步的), and other experts warn that the research does not prove the results can be attributed to (归功于) the antioxidants．In the study, those who ate a “moderate” amount of sweets—allowing themselves only one to three candy bars a month—got the most desirable effect, having a 36 percent lower risk of death compared with non-candy eaters．Although they got a worse effect than the moderates, the more ardent (激烈的) sweets eaters still live longer than those who had given up candy in their lives, with a 16 percent decreased risk of death.

1．According to the passage, some scientists found________ from the study mentioned in the passage.

A．the more candies a man eats the longer he may live

B．those who ate a moderate amount of candies had a lower risk of death than the non-eaters

C．antioxidants in chocolate had a health benefit to men

D．phenols is contained in chocolate

2．What is not mentioned in the passage?

A．why scientists carried out the study

B．the result of the study

C．the number of people studied by the scientists

D．whether it is beneficial for men to eat chocolates

3．According to the passage, scientists are certain that ________.

A．eating more chocolates can make man live longer

B．it’s wise of men to eat candies rather than refuse to eat them

C．phenols is beneficial to man’s health

D．chocolate contains antioxidants

In 19th century English people liked to go to the seaside．In those days, ladies wore long bathing dresses, and men wore bathing suits．Women did not walk about the beach in their bathing dresses．They hired a bathing machine．A bathing machine was used for changing clothes in, and for taking the bather down to the sea．It cost 2 pence(便士) to hire a machine and an attendant (侍者)．When she had paid, the bather climbed up the back steps and got into the bathing machine．When she changed into her bathing dress．When she had changed, the machine was pulled down to the sea．The bathing machine stopped in the water and the bather went down the front steps into the water．If she did not want to get into the sea, the attendant pulled her in.

    A 19th century English lady bathing in the sea would wear something like:

When we think of plants, most of us will think of the things that grow from the ground and have leaves, but there are plants that do not look or act like other plants．Some of these belong to a special class of plants called fungi(真菌).

    Fungi may appear almost everywhere．They commonly grow in damp places where they can get food and water easily．Because fungi do not have green leaves, they can not make food for themselves．Green plants use their leaves to make their own food, but fungi must take their food from animals, other plants or waste matter．Some fungi live on dead or rotting wood, while others grow on living trees or in dirt or moss.

    Mushrooms are the best-known fungi．There are many kinds of mushrooms in all shapes and sizes．For example, cauliflower mushrooms are found in forests from July to October．They can grow to be as heavy as fifty pounds! They commonly grow at the foot of trees.

    Squirrel’s bread is another kind of wild mushroom．Its appearance and use explain the origin (起源) of its name．These fungi, look like small golden cakes, grow on short, fat stems．Squirrels can easily nibble (啃) them or carry them off to their nests to eat later.

    The mushrooms found in food stores are carefully grown by people who know they are safe to eat． Mushroom experts warn people never to touch or taste wild mushrooms because some of them are deadly．Even less dangerous ones still make a person very sick.

1．Fungi usually grow in damp places ________.

A．and no one ever knows why

B．because they can make food for themselves there

C．where they can get water and food easily

D．and nowhere else

2．Green plants can ________.

A．be safely observed by the growers

B．easily make their own food

C．live on rotting wood or in dirt

D．be found only in the wild

3．People should avoid eating wild fungi because they might ________.

A．do great harm to their health

B．taste very bitter

C．give out a special unpleasant smell

D．make them tired and sleepy

4．Mushrooms bought from the stores will be safe to eat because they ________.

A．have the dangerous parts taken out

B．are really fungi

C．are the only fungi that look safe

D．are especially grown by experts

One of the World’s richest Self-made Men and His Vision Bill Gates, the head of the world’s biggest computer software companies, the Microsoft Corporation, had mission: ”to put a computer on every office desk and in every home．“ Bill Gates has had this mission since he was a university student nineteen years ago．This deep personal motivation (动机), together with his technical skill and his business marketing skills have helped him to create a giant computer company and to make him wealthy．Although he is so wealthy, Bill Gates does not want to retire．He is still very interested in his vision and he travels the globe, from Beijing to London, making quick stops in cities to promote (推销) the new software products of his company.

    The central vision of Bill Gates is the “information highway”．This is a .network of fiber-optic cables (电缆) for computers that will link every home, office and shopping mall in the future．This computer network system will have an effect on business transactions, shipping and education．Bill Gates says that the main application of this new technology will be in communication．It will be a way to find people with common interests and to share opinions with them.

    But is this communication by computer along the “information highway” really a good thing? Won’t we be sitting at home, only “socializing” with our computer, paying big companies money so that we can receive information that some large communications corporation somewhere has decided is “acceptable” for us to read ？No, says Bill Gates．He thinks that the phrase “information highway” is a terrible phrase．It makes people think that we are all going down the same road, he says．In fact, the computer network will let us choose our own intellectual (智力的) direction．It will give us freedom．It will also bring good to society, because it will allow for the spread of education．When more and more people have access (通路) to education, the gap between rich and poor will narrow.

    In the mean time, however, the gap between the rich and poor is still there．To be added to, this now is the gap between those with computers and those without.

1．Bill Gates’ success lies in ________.

A．his university life, his education and his vision

B．his strong will, his quick-mind and his friendship

C．his deep personal motivation, his technical skill and his business marketing skills

D．his long years of planning

2．The main application (使用) of the “information highway” is ________.

A．education

B．communication

C．money-making

D．word-formation

3．Bill Gates thinks that “information highway” is ________.

A．not a good thing, but a good phrase

B．really a good thing instead of a terrible phrase

C．a good thing and a good phrase

D．a bad thing and a terrible phrase

4．The computer network will ________.

A．develop one’s intelligence (智力) in some way

B．stop people from using their heads

C．make people lazy in learning

D．fill the gap between rich and poor

Fat on human beings is distributed (分布) in different ways．Some fat people have a large stomach and no waistline-which makes them look round, rather like apples．Others are fatter below the waist, which makes them appear pear-shaped (梨形的).

    There are two types of fat: external fat (fat under the skin) and internal fat (fat inside the body wall)．Doctors, who have been examining the relationship between health and fatness, have found that the “pears” have less internal fat, but the “apples” have more internal fat than external fat．This seems to be what causes the health problems.

    The best treatment for fatness is to reduce the internal fat．But unfortunately it seems that dieting (节食) simply makes an apple shaped person into a smaller apple and a pear-shaped person into a smaller pear．At the moment there is no known way of reducing the internal rather than external fat.

    Which of the following people is most likely to have health problems?

Paris has the Eiffel Tower(艾菲尔铁塔), Rome the Colosseum(圆形大剧场), New York the Statue of Liberty. These symbolic landmarks are recognizable worldwide.

Brussels(布鲁塞尔) meanwhile has the Manneken Piss(撒尿小童). Think of the Belgian(比利时的) capital and if anything, you think of the small peeing(撒尿) boy—a 60-centimeter-high bronze figure standing on a block, supplying a constant stream of water to the basin under him.

Some might laugh. But for Jacques Stroobants, the statue is up there with the best of them. “I am proud of him. People come from all around the world to see him, ”says 60-year-old Stroobants with a fatherly glance at the little boy.

As the most famous landmark of Brussels, Manneken Piss has a very special place in the heart of Belgians.

The original Manneken Piss dates back to 1388, but the statue tourists see today dates from 1619 when the city built a second one, after the original was destroyed.

There are many stories surrounding the legend of Manneken Piss. Nobody knows why he was created. One story is that he saved Brussels by putting out the flames of a deadly fire with his well-aimed wee-wee(小便). But the most believable story is that the boy—the son of a wealthy nobleman(贵族) —was missing and feared kidnapped(绑架). The father had a statue built in honor of the way his son was found—peeing against a tree.

1. The Manneken Piss is the symbol of__________, which stands on a block of__________.

A. England; the capital

B. Italy; a provincial capital　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

C. Belgium; the capital

D. Swede; the capital

2. Why does the Manneken Piss have a very special place in the heart of Belgians?

A. Because it provides a good resting place for the Belgians.

B. Because it is a special statue with many beautiful and moving legends.

C. Because it’s good-looking with water running continuously.

D. Because it helps the Belgians make a lot of money every year.

3. If Belgians regard the Manneken as a hero, they may be more willing to believe the statue was made__________.

A. for a country boy who was peeing against a big tree

B. in honor of the boy who saved Brussels by putting out the flames of a big fire with his wee-wee

C. in honor of a little Belgian soldier who gave his life for his country

D. for the son of a rich man who was lost

Professor Martin’s report says that children who attend a number of different schools, because their parents have to move around the country, probably make slow progress in their studies．There are also signs, says Professor Martin, that an unusually large number of such children are mentally affected.

    The professor says “It’s true, my personal feeling is that children should stay in one school．Our findings are based on research and not on any personal feelings that I or many assistants may have on the subject.”

    Captain Thomas James, an Army lecturer for the past 20 years and himself a father of two, said, “I’ve never heard such rubbish．Taking me for example, no harm is done to the education of my children who change schools regularly—if they keep to the same system, as in our Army schools．In my experience—and I’ve known quite a few of them—Army children are as well-adjusted as any others, if not more so．What the professor doesn’t appear to appreciate is the fact that in such situations children will adapt(适应) much better than grown-ups.”

    When this was put to Professor Martin, he said that at no time had his team suggested that all such children were backward or mentally affected in some way, but simply that in their experience there was a dear tendency(倾向)

    “Our findings show that while the very bright child can deal with regular changes without harming his or her general progress in studies, the majority of children suffer from constantly having to enter a new learning situation.”

1．Professor Martin’s report suggests that ________.

A．it may not be good for children to change schools too often

B．parents should not move around the country

C．children are now making slow progress

D．more and more children are mentally affected

2．According to the passage, Professor Martin’s personal feeling ________.

A．is the opposite of what his report has shown

B．is in a way supported by his research

C．has played a big part in his research

n．is based on his own experience as a child

3．From the passage, we can conclude that Captain James’s children ________.

A．have been affected by changing schools

B．go to ordinary state schools

C．can get used to the Army school education

D．discuss their education regularly with their father

4． About children and grownups,  Captain James says that children ________.

A．are generally well-adjusted

B．are usually less experienced

C．can adapt much more easily

D．can deal with changes quickly

5．According to Professor Martin, ________ suffer from changing schools regularly.

A．Army children

B．quite a few children

C．bright children

D．few children

Nowadays some people enjoy deep-sea diving as a sport．But for most divers it is a kind of job that must be done under water．For example, one of the jobs that deep-sea divers do is to raise the ships lying on the bottom of the sea.

    A diver faces danger each time he goes under water．His life depends on a supply of air sent to him through a pipe from the surface．He usually wears a big waterproof suit and metal helmet (头盔，钢盔) that make it difficult to move about.

    Often a diver must use his hand to find his way to see．Fast moving sea water may push him against something hard and makes the air pipe out of order．If a diver rises to the surface too rapidly, he may suffer a sickness called the bends．Divers can be mainly divided into several groups．Commercial divers raise the ships, goods and airplanes on the bottom of the sea and help build or repair port bridges and pipelines．Open-sea divers pick up seaweed and other products of the sea．Research divers search the bottom of oceans for oil and make a scientific study of sea life and oceanography．Military (军事) divers blow up harbor works, clear mines from ports, and also raise ships and airplanes under the sea.

1．The air a deep-sea diver breathes is supplied by ________.

A．men on a shore or in a boat above

B．a box in his hand

C．a box on his back

D．a helmet

2．A diver may face many dangers because of ________.

A．the darkness under the sea

B．fast moving sea water

C．rising to the surface of the sea too quickly

D．all of above

3．When a diver is deep in the sea he can’t rise to the surface of the sea rapidly because ________.

A．he may get any illness

B．his waterproof suit is too heavy

C．the air pipe connected to his metal helmet is too long

D．it is too dark in the sea for him to find the way to the surface of the sea

4．________ will be sent to study the life of seaweed.

A．Commercial divers

B．Military divers

C．Open-sea divers

D．Research divers