In 1985, scientists reported a change in the atmosphere, a hole or thinning of ozone（臭氧层）over Antarctica. Scientists were not sure what was causing.

Most scientists believe that man-made chemicals are destroying the ozone. They also have found signs of ozone loss in other parts of the atmosphere.

Ozone is found both in the air we breathe and in the upper atmosphere. Near the earth, ozone in the air is a danger to life. It is a waste product. But ozone found 10 to 50 kilometers up in the atmosphere protects life on earth.  Ozone is formed in the atmosphere through the action of solar radiation. Once formed, the ozone blocks harmful radiation from reaching the earth. Scientists say a reduction in ozone and an increase in the harmful radiation will cause many more cases of skin cancer and will harm crops, animals and fishes.

The report said it is about 8 degrees colder 15 kilometers above earth than it was in 1979. Scientists think the first loss of ozone reduces the amount of solar energy the atmosphere can take in. This cools the atmosphere, increases ice cloud production and leads to more ozone loss.

Scientists found signs the ozone problem has spread. The study shows that the loss of ozone over the areas with larger population in North America and Europe was at least three times greater than scientists had thought. The ozone levels reduced much more seriously during winter months than in warmer months. This is not surprising because the amount of ozone in the atmosphere changes with the temperature.

An international effort is being made to stop the loss of ozone in the atmosphere. But many experts fear that the effort will not produce results fast enough to prevent harm to life on the earth.

1. The text is mainly about_______.

A. a change in atmosphere    　　　　　　　　　　 B. the solar radiation

C. the ozone problem　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. a hole in Antarctica

2. According to the text, which of the following statements is true?

A. Ozone in the atmosphere is a danger to life.

B. Since ozone in the air is harmful to life, the less ozone in the atmosphere the better.

C. Ozone is a kind of man-made chemical product.

D. The ozone up above us can stop harmful radiation from getting to the earth.

3. The loss of ozone may be caused by the following conditions except for_______.

A. the amount of solar energy　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. the colder temperature

C. the larger population　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. man-made chemicals

4. From the text we have learned that_______.

A. the scientists have done a great deal to stop getting warm on the earth

B. the temperature in 1979 was much colder than it is now

C. ozone holds solar energy and helps atmosphere take it in

D. successful efforts have been made to stop the loss of the ozone

5. This text mostly wants to_______.

A. draw people’s interest in atmosphere

B. call the public attention to ozone problem

C. help people to know the change in air

D. make people know the information above us

Perhaps the most wonderful building put up in the 19th century was the Crystal Palace(水晶宫) which was built in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Crystal Palace was different from all the other buildings in the world, for it was one of the biggest buildings of all the time and a lot of people from many countries came to see it. Plenty of goods were sent to the exhibition from all parts of the world. There was also a great deal of machinery on show. Though in those days, traveling was not as easy as it is today, steamboats carried thousands of visitors across the Channel from Europe. On arriving in England, they were taken to the Crystal Palace by train. There were six million visitors in all, and the money from the exhibition was used to build museums and colleges. Later, the Crystal Palace was moved to the South London. It remained one of the most famous buildings in the world until it was burnt down in 1936.

1. The Crystal Palace was built up 　　　　　　   .

A. in the 1950s　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. in the 1900s

C. shortly before 1851　　　　　　　　　　　　　　       　　   D. before 1951

2. People from many countries came to the Crystal Palace mainly to 　　　　　　   .

A. buy goods　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. visit an exhibition

C. travel　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. enjoy the Crystal Palace itself

3. What happened to the Crystal Palace in 1936?

A. It caught a terrible fire.

B. It disappeared suddenly.

C. It was moved away to the south of London.

D. It was rebuilt.

4. The Crystal Palace was famous to all because 　　　　　　   .

A. it was the biggest building in the world then

B. so many visitors had been there

C. it was made of iron and glass

D. it was burnt down at last

5. The writer 　　　　　　   .

A. thought the Crystal Palace very useful

B. sang high praise for the Crystal Palace

C. wanted the Crystal Palace to be rebuilt

D. was one of the visitors who had visited the Crystal Palace

An ancient Egyptian mummy thought to be that of Pharaoh Ramses Ⅰ has returned home after more than 140 years in North American museums. The body was carried off the plane in Cairo in a box draped in Egypt’s flag.

The Michael Carlos Museum gave it back after tests showed it was probably that of the man who ruled 3 000 years ago. The US Museum acquired(得到) it three years ago from a Canadian museum, which in turn is thought to have bought it from Egyptian grave robbers in 1860. The mummy was welcomed back home with songs and military band music during a ceremony at the national museum in Cairo.

Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities(文物最高委员会), traveled from the US with the body and said it would be moved next year to the Luxor Museum in Southern Egypt. “We are not 100% sure that the mummy is that of Ramses Ⅰ. ”said Mr. Hawass. “But we are 100% sure that it is of a king. ”

Atlanta’s Michael Carlos Museum acquired the mummy in 1999, but offered to return it after hi-tech scanning(扫描) equipment indicated it was likely to be that of Ramses Ⅰ. The museum website said it had been acquired from the Niagara Falls Museum. It is thought a Canadian collector bought the mummy for the Niagara Falls Museum around 1860 from an Egyptian family which had stumbled on(偶然发现) a tomb filled with royal mummies at a site near Luxor.

Mr. Hawass praised the handover(移交) as “a great, civilized gesture”. And he appealed(呼吁) to other world museums to return Egypt’s antiquities, particularly the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum, and the Bust of Nefertiti in the Berlin Museum.

1. Just before the handover, Ramses’ mummy was kept in 　　　　　　   .

A. the Luxor Museum　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. the Michael Carlos Museum

C. the Niagara Falls Museum　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. a Canadian museum

2. Which is the correct order of the following according to the passage?

a. The mummy returned home.

b. The mummy was kept in the Niagara Falls Museum.

c. Egyptian grave robber sold the mummy.

d. The mummy was kept in the Michael Carlos Museum.

e. A Canadian collector bought the mummy.

A. c e d a b　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. a b d e c

C. a e c b d　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. c e b d a

3. The passage mainly tells us 　　　　　　   .

A. the history of Ramses’ mummy

B. the traveling of Ramses’ mummy to the Niagara Falls Museum

C. the returning of Ramses’ mummy to Egypt

D. the royal family of Ramses

4. Which is TRUE according to the passage?

A. All the Egypt’s antiquities have returned home after the handover.

B. Niagara Falls Museum is an American museum.

C. Buying the mummy from the Egyptian family was a great, civilized gesture.

D. Ramses’ Mummy had been kept in Canada for more than a century.

Mirages(海市蜃楼) are produced by refraction(折射) of light within a layer(层), or lens(透镜), of air. This layer of air, says meteorologist James. H. Gordon, resists disruption(混乱), even in a fairly strong wind.

Probably the most typical mirage picture is one of a lake in a waterless desert. There may even be the appearance of waves breaking on the shore. The easiest form of mirage to study, however, is one that has been seen by millions of people—those seeming strips(条状) of water on asphalt-surfaced(沥青路面的) highway go suddenly out of sight when one comes near them.

Gordon says Operation Long Distance as the most puzzling of mirage forms, since it  ifies(使无效) a basic law of physics. The law states that the apparent size of an object seems to become smaller as we move away from it; however, this kind of mirage will carry a picture of a ship, a town, or an island a thousand miles and set it up in the sky as big as life.

Mirages may have had an effect on history: a World War Ⅰ story, which has not been really verified(考证), deals with a crucial(决定性的) battle between the Turks and the British. Supposedly, the stronger Turkish army was gaining the advantage when one of its outposts reported British reinforcements(援兵) advancing. After a hurried conference, the Turkish forces withdrew. In reality there were no advancing British troops(军队)—what had been reported was a mirage showing men who were a hundred miles away.

1. The air that carries the mirage acts as 　　　　　　   .

A. a lens　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. a mirror

C. an absorbent(吸收剂)　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. a camera

2. The strips of water are the easiest form of mirage to study because they 　　　　　　   .

A. can be produced in the lab

B. appear quite often

C. have been noted all over the world

D. do not break up in a light gentle wind

3. The passage states that mirages may 　　　　　　   .

A. be reproduced in several places at the same time

B. be enlarged to huge proportions(比例)

C. last for several days

D. be carried a thousand miles

4. The author implies that history might have recorded a different winner in one battle if 　　　　　　   .

A. the Turks had described a mirage correctly

B. British troops had not been advancing

C. a Turkish outpost had not mistaken a mirage for a British advance

D. a British outpost had not reported a distant mirage

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-centimenter-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

Lengthy hike once a day will do you far more good than going to the shops every couple of hours—even if the short walks add up to the same amount of time, say exercise researchers in Britain. But walks of any length beat sitting at home with your feet up and watching television, they stress(强调).

Steve Bird at Canterbury Christ Church University reached these conclusions after putting 56 couch potatoes through an 18-week course of daily walks.

They found that longer walks produce the most beneficial changes to the composition(成分)of blood fats, but walks of any length improve the fitness of the heart. “It’s the sort of thing that can make the heart 10 years younger. ”says Bird.

To find out, Bird divided his normally inactive subjects(受实验者) into three roughly(大致) equal groups. The “long walkers”took a hike of between 20 and 40 minutes every day. “Intermediate walkers”had two hikes of 10 to 15 minutes, and “short walkers”did three hikes of 5 to 10 minutes. The controls sat at home, as usual.

At the start and end of the 18 weeks, Bird measured the health and fitness of each group. He found that the long walkers were healthiest.

1. Speaking of health, reading a book will be no better than______.

A. sitting at home

B. going shopping

C. a short walk

D. climbing a hill

2. “Couch potatoes”probably means______.

A. people who often take exercises

B. people who often watch TV

C. people who often go shopping

D. people who enjoy walking

3. What is a good way to keep your heart young according to the passage?

A. Only a long walk.

B. Only a short walk.

C. Walks of any length.

D. No walk.

4. Which is not true according to the passage?

A. The long walk is the best way to keep your health.

B. The short walkers took three 5-or-10-minute walks every day.

C. The subjects stayed at home as before during the experiment.

D. Walking can make you 10 years younger.

5. Which do you think can prove the conclusion is well worth believing?

A. Bird gave his subjects two physical examinations.

B. There were three roughly equal groups and 56 people in all.

C. The subjects had nearly the same amount of walking every day.

D. Bird spent 18 weeks carrying out this experiment.

The porter brings your bags to your room and helpfully explains all you want to know. Then he points to the phone and says: “If there’s anything else you need, just call. ”All this time you have been thinking one thing: “How much should I tip(付小费) him? ”To make your next trip a little easier, here’s a guide to tipping across some Asian countries.

Bangkok.

In general, the more Westernized the place is, the more likely you will be expected to leave a tip. Some top-end restaurants will add a 10% service charge to the bill. If not, waiters will appreciate you tacking  on(附加) the 10% yourself. However, If you’re eating at a lower-end(低档的) restaurant a tip is not necessary. If you’re staying at one of Bangkok’s many five-star hotels, expect to tip the porter 20 to 50 baht, depending on how many bags you have. Taxis are now metered in Bangkok. Local custom is to round the fare(车费) up to the nearest five baht.

Hong Kong

Tipping is customary in this money-mad metropolis(大都市). Most restaurants add a 10% service charge to the bill, but the extra money often ends up in the pocket of the owner. If the service is good, add another 10% to the bill, up to HK $100 in an especially nice restaurant. For HK $10 hotel porters should do it at all but the nicest hotels where a new KH $20 bill may be more acceptable. When in a taxi, round up(凑整数) to the nearest dollar.

Kuala Lumpur

Tipping in Malaysia is limited to the expensive Westernized hotels, which often add a 10% service charge to your meal or hotel room. If you are at a hotel restaurant, expect a 10% service charge. But at local restaurants, there’s no need to add a tip. At five-star hotels, one or two ringgit will content a porter. At lower-end buildings don’t feel you have to tip. Loke Bangkok, many taxis are now metered(打表) so you can just round up to the nearest ringgit.

Seoul

Tipping is not part of Korean culture, although it has become a matter of course in international hotels where 10% service charge is often added. If you’re at a Korean barbecue joint(烧烤处), there’s no need to add anything extra. But a nice Italian restaurant may require a 10% contribution. If you’re at a top-end hotel, so expect to pay 1 000 Won per bag. Taxi drivers don’t accept a tip. Keep the change for yourself.

1. In which of the following cities is it unnecessary to tip the taxi-drivers?

A. Bangkok.　　   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. Hong Kong.

C. Kuala Lumpur.　　   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Seoul.

2. Which of the following is not the unit of money?

A. Charge.　　   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. Baht.

C. Won.　　   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. Ringgit.

3. From the text, we can infer tipping comes from______.

A. Hong Kong

B. the West

C. Asian countries

D. Bangkok

4. The writer seems______.

A. to tell the readers how to travel

B. to give the readers some advice on how to tip

C. to ask the readers to go on a travel to Asian cities

D. to make the trip more pleasant

Table manners in the USA

During the meal, you should be careful not to leave a spoon in a soup bowl, a coffee cup or other dish. The coffee spoon should be on the saucer(碟子), and the soup spoon should be on the plate under the bowl. When you are having soup, make as little noise as you can and use the side of your spoon, not the front. Do not pick up your soup bowl to drink the last drops of your soup from the bottom of the bowl.

Very often, there are only one main course and a salad, followed by something sweet. If you haven’t had enough, say“Oh, it’s delicious. ”and ask for some more chicken, steak, or whatever you have just had. The hostess will be very happy that you like her cooking and will give you more. But if you follow the Chinese way of being polite and say, “No, thank you. ”when the hostess offers you more, you may starve later. Americans will never force you to eat more. Yet it is not polite to keep silent and not to talk to the person next to you. It is good manners to use your silverware(银餐具) carefully so that they don’t make any noise. When the coffee comes, drink it from your cup. The coffee spoon should be put on the saucer while you are drinking. And smoking, of course, is rarely seen at a dinner table. Well, when the meal is finished, the guests put their napkins on the table and stand up. The men help the ladies move their chairs.

After the dinner, the guests usually stay for an hour or two, and then they would say, “Well, I’m afraid I must get going now. ”The host and hostess would, of course, ask everyone to stay longer. “What? Already? Won’t you have some more coffee?  ”The guests might say, “I’d love to, but I have to be up early tomorrow. Thank you for a most enjoyable evening. Good night. ”

If you stay overnight or for the weekend, it is nice to send a thank-you note to the host or hostess the following day, very often with a small gift such as a box of chocolates or some flowers as a sign of thanks for their hospitality(好客).

Questions:

1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. To make the hostess happy, you should ask for more food even if you are full.

B. During the dinner, you’d better make as little noise as possible.

C. It’s polite to leave a spoon in a soup bowl.

D. Never talk with people at table.

2. What does the underlined word ‘course’ mean?

A. A series of lessons.

B. Any of the separate parts of a meal.

C. A moment in time.

D. Direction or the routine.

3. The passage implies that______.

A. Chinese customs are similar to American ones

B. if you are polite, the hostess will make you eat more food

C. different nations have different customs

D. Chinese are more hospitable(好客的) than Americans

Nanning: With the number of college graduates climbing to a record high this year—some 2. 12 million are entering the job market, an increase of 670 000, or 46. 2 percent, over last year, many people are asking if China’s first “McDonald’s generation”, born in the early 1980s, can stand the intense competition and find a place in the job market. They say this will be a test of both China’s job market and its carefree younger generation.

“Do not worry. We’ll get whatever we want, ”they tell each other to ease their own anxiety.

Born in the early days of the country’s reform and opening to the outside world, growing up in the market economy, the youngsters, familiar with McDonald’s and Mickey Mouse, love to eat hamburgers, and wear foreign brand jeans and T-shirts and worship Bill Gates. Compared with their parents, they enjoy more freedom in looking for a job—and with that freedom come burdens.

These college graduates are seen scouring recruitment information in newspapers and journals, the Internet and job markets nationwide.

Shortly after hotel management major Hao Wenhua, a young woman from Chongqing in Southwest China, failed the recruitment test of a five-star hotel in Guilin, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. She appeared at a job market in Nanning, approximately 300 kilometers from Guilin, looking rather tired.

Many businesses and companies say that they would take on experienced staff rather than the new graduates who are short of the experience of how to succeed in today’s fastpaced society.

1. Which of the following groups of people belongs to China’s first McDonald’s generation?

A. People who were born in the early days of China’s reform and opening to the outside world.

B. People who like to eat hamburgers and wear foreign brand clothes.

C. People who admire Bill Gates.

D. People who lack the experience of how to succeed in today’s fast changing world.

2. Which of the following explanation is closest in meaning with the underlined word “scouring”in the passage?

A. Studying.   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. Going through.

C. Collecting.　　   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. Copying.

3. What can we infer from the story of Hao Wenhua in the passage?  We can infer______.

A. that there are many chances to find jobs in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

B. that hotel management is not a good major in college

C. that there is intense competition in the job market

D. that many businesses and companies don’t like new college graduates

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A. Fierce competition in the job market

B. McDonald’s generation has grown up

C. McDonald’s generation faces job hunt

D. The number of college graduates climbs to the highest point

Freedom Tower—the new building at the World Trade Center site will be the tallest building in the world. The final design was made known to the public on December 20, 2003.

The building will stand for America’s freedom and pride. The tower will be 1 776 feet tall, which is the same as the year America signed the Declaration of Independence. The tower’s twisted shape symbolizes(象征) the Statue of Liberty, and the narrow top represents the statue’s arm holding the Torch of Freedom.

“The Freedom Tower will be a proud new symbol of our country, and a monument to our two lost buildings, ”Governor George Pataki said. “The design had to be a modern, safe, and environmentally creative office tower showing that Lower Manhattan is still the financial(金融的) capital of the world. ”

But clearly the design is mainly Mr. Childs’ work. He is a famous architect. The plan of the building follows the Manhattan streets.

The World Trade Tower was lost on Sept. 11, 2001. That painful fact was strengthened today by news that the restaurant of Windows on the World may return. Mr. Childs imagined dinners looking up through overhead windows.

Freedom Tower will have 2. 6 million square feet of office space—more than the Empire State Building—with a total area of about 2. 8 million square feet. It would be built by the Tishman Construction Company, which constructed the twin towers.

Mr. Silverstein said today that Governor Pataki had asked that the first stone of the Freedom Tower be laid by the third anniversary (周年纪念) of the attack.

“We have to continue to think about it, ”the governor said. “The middle of September is possible. It obviously has nothing to do with the meeting, which will be long gone. ”

“This is not a political structure, ”Mr. Pataki said, “and it will not be a political event. ”

The next important event for the Freedom Tower is on Sept. 11, 2006, when the steel structure is completed.

Mr. Silverstein said that he would do his best to meet the deadline(最后期限). He said the tower ought to be completely finished in 2008 or 2009 to be followed yearly by the four other office buildings planned around the site.

1. The Freedom Tower __________.

A. will be built where the World Trade Center once stood

B. was designed on December 20, 2003

C. will be built as the financial capital of the world

D. was designed to be as tall as the World Trade Center

2. The Freedom Tower will be built 1 776 feet tall for the purpose__________.

A. to be the tallest building in the world

B. to stand for the proud feeling of Americans

C. to match the Statue of Liberty

D. to be the monument of the founding of USA

3. The author tells us in the 4th paragraph that__________.

A. architect Mr. Childs also designed the whole construction of the Manhattan streets　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 

B. Mr. Childs worked out the design alone

C. the design of the Freedom Tower follows the construction style of Manhattan streets

D. the design of Manhattan streets is better than that of the Freedom Tower

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. The Empire State Building was also built by the Tishman Construction Company.

B. The Freedom Tower will mainly be used as a restaurant with many windows looking at the whole New York.

C. Mr. Silverstein is someone who can represent the Tishman Construction Company.

D. The Freedom Tower’s foundation will be over by the 3rd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack.