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THE WORLD'S NEW FACES

    It will come as no surprise that the earth is going to be a much more crowded place in the next century. From global population of about 5.4 billion today, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities says we'll see a rise to 8.2 billion people in 2025. The U. N. expects total population to stabilize (稳定) at 11.6 billion sometime later in the 2000s. More than ninety percent of the population growth will occur in developing countries. Eighteen of the world's twenty largest cities will be in these lands as the number of urban dwellers (居民) swells (膨胀) from roughly two billion to 5.1 billion. The United States and Europe, which accounted for twenty-two percent of the world's population, will be home to less than nine percent of its people in 2025. By contrast (对照), Africa's share of the total will climb from nine percent in 1950 to nearly twenty percent by 2015. Ethiopia should double in size to almost 100 million people. In about the same time period, India will overtake China as the world's most-populous country.

　　 For the United States, the big news won't be an abundance (丰富，充裕) of new faces; experts predict (预言) the country will grow from its present 250 million population and stabilize at about 350 million sometime before the middle of the next century. The important changes will be in American ethnic (种族的) make-up. Twenty years from now, the United States' white, non-Hispanic (西班牙的) majority will peak (到达最高点) at 195 million, and then may decline in numbers. Asian-Americans will become an increasingly important minority, while African-Americans whose population growth rate is slowing dramatically will become the second largest minority behind Hispanics, a half-million of whom are now thought to be emigrating to the United States legally and otherwise, each year.

1.This article is primarily about ________

A. population growth in developing countries

B. population growth in developed countries

C. the reason why the world's population is changing

D. how the population is changing in different parts of the world

2. Which statement can be inferred from the first paragraph of this article?

A. China is the most populous country in the world today.

B. India is the most populous country in the world today.

C. Ethiopia will be the most populous country in the future.

D. In the future, China's population will grow faster than India's.

3. According to the article, how is the population of the United States going to change?

A. African-Americans will become the largest minority.

B. There will be more people from different ethnic background.

C. The number of white non-Hispanics will increase rapidly.

D. Asian-Americans will become the second largest minority.

4. The underlined word "overtake" in the second paragraph means_______

A. take the place of　　　　　　　　 B. pass by

C. catch up　　　　　　　　　　    D. take

5. Which of the following statements is true?

A. The population of the American whites will peak all the time.

B. The population of the American whites will decline all the time.

C. The population of the American whites will peak and then decline.

D. The population of the American whites will decline and then peak.

 

Almost 50 years have passed since one-time beekeeper, Sir Edmund Hillary, became the first man in the world to conquer the world’s highest peak, Mt Everest. In an extraordinarily

   1   exposition （展览）Auckland Museum pays   2   to this great New Zealander, Sir Edmund Hillary: Everest and Beyond Exhibition at the museum until April 25.

　　Hillary reached Mt Everest’s   3   on May 29, 1953—just in time   4   the Queen’s Conation （加冕典礼）．

　　Now 83 and   5   by New Zealand as its greatest   6   countryman, Sir Edmund, a Knight of the Garter, prefers to be called just   7   Ed. He and his wife June were guests of honor at the exhibition opening in February, coinciding（巧合）with the museum’s 150th birthday.

　　Visitors are   8   into his adventure—packed and charitable world through a

   9   treasure chest of his memorabilia（大事记），from a well-worn passport to the ice

   10   he used to climb that mountain.

　　A Nepalese schoolhouse, kitchen and Buddhist temple have been   11   to show the place he has   12   40 years of his charitable soul and money to   13   the Himalayan Trust, building schools, hospitals and all manner of infrastructure（基础设施）in the   14   stricken country.

　　The exhibition also   15   Ed’s climbs in the Southern Alps, a tractor journey he

   16   to the South Pole in 1967 and a trip up the River Ganges by jet boat.   17   the exhibition closes it will go to the United States, to   18   Sir Edmund’s jubilee （50年节）year,

   19   a celebratory party in London and a   20   with his Sherpa friends in Kathmandu.

　　1．A．simple　　　　　　　　　　  B．large　　　　　　　　   C．detailed 　　　　　　   D．great

　　2．A．attention　　　　　　　　   B．respect　　　　　　    C．admiration 　　　　   D．honor

　　3．A．top　　　　　　　　　　　　  B．pe

ak　　　　　　　　   C．height 　　　　　　　　 D．level

　　4．A．at　　　　　　　　　　　　    B．of　　　　　　　　　　   C．for 　　　　　　　　　　 D．with

　　5．A．looked upon　　　　　　 B．thought about　　  C．looked up 　　　　    D．thought out

　　6．A．living　　　　　　　　　　   B．live　　　　　　　　　　 C．alive 　　　　　　　　   D．lively

　　7．A．short　　　　　　　　　　   B．plain　　　　　　　　   C．as 　　　　　　　　　　   D．for

　　8．A．put　　　　　　　　　　　　  B．poured　　　　　　    C．led 　　　　　　　　　　  D．drawn

　　9．A．clear　　　　　　　　　　    B．dear　　　　　　　　    C．real 　　　　　　　　　　 D．new

　　10．A．knife　　　　  &
n
bsp;　　　　   B．axe　　　　　　　　　　 C．fork 　　　　　　　　    D．spear

　　11．A．recreated　　　　　　    B．recycled　　　　　　  C．recovered 　　　　    D．repaired

　　12．A．spent　　　　　　　　　　 B．taken　　　　　　　　  C．devoted 　　　　　　   D．used

　　13．A．by　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．through　　　　　　   C．for 　　　　　　　　　　 D．from

　　14．A．poverty　　　　　　　　  B．storm　　　　　　　　  C．disaster 　　　　　　   D．earthquakes

　　15．A．covers　　　　　　　　   B．shows　　　　　　　　 C．tells 　　　　　　　　    D．expresses

　　16．A．paid　　　　　　　　　　   B．did　　　　　　　　　　  C．made 　　　　　　　　  D．took

　　17．A．Wh
ile　　　　　　　　　　 B．If　　　　　　　　　　   C．Since 　　　　　　　　  D．When

　　18．A．sign　　　　　　　　　　   B．mark　　　　　　　　   C．design 　　　　　　　　 D．continue

　　19．A．beginning with　　    B．joining in　　　　　　 C．ending up with 　　 D．adding up to

　　20．A．reunion　　　　　　　　  B．repetition　　　　　　 C．review 　　　　　　    D．recovery

 

Phoenix people awoke on Wednesday to a thick cover of dust on their cars , streets and just about everything else outside after a big sandstorm.

The storm on Tuesday evening grounded airplanes and led to traffic tie-ups . At the height of the storm , visibility（能见度）was reduced to zero . Sandstorms are not uncommon in Arizona and other desert areas , but the size of this one and the dust it raised were highly unusual. “The greatness of this event was really exceptional, ” said Ken Waters , a meteorologist (气象学家) of the Na-tional Weather Service in Phoenix.“People who have been living in Arizona for 30-35 years say this is the biggest one they’ve ever seen.”

“The storm was driven by 60-mile-an –hour winds that collected the sand into a rolling brown cloud and sent it moving across the city , briefly damaging the lights of downtown Phoenix as it passed through . The sandstorm ran about 150 miles before dissipating, and at its peak（最高点） might have grown to as large as 100 miles wide and more than one mile high . The more dust it picks up , the higher the cloud goes, ” Mr. Waters said.

Arizona’s continuing drought –some areas have had no rain for four months – only made conditions worse . The drought in southern Arizona is the fifth-most extreme in the past 50 years . “The sandstorm closed Phoenix International Airport for about 45 minutes starting around 8 p.m , when visibility was reduced to one –eighth of a mile.” said Julie Rodriguez , an airport spokeswoman . “ Two flight were canceled and sand was also blown into some buildings.”

“Several thousand homes lost power in the area after the winds blew down power lines . The winds turned over a truck on Interstate 8 near Casa Grande , but caused no serious injuries,” officials said.

61. What happened in Arizona on Tuesday evening?

A. People living there covered their houses with dust.

B. Many traffic accidents happened that night.

C. An unusual sandstorm hit Phoenix City.

D. Some airplanes fell down to the ground at night.

62. We can learn from the second paragraph that 　　　.

A. there are few sandstorms in most part of Arizona State

B. people in Arizona haven’t seen sandstorms for 35 years

C. it is uncommon for desert areas to see sandstorms

D. the sandstorm on Tuesday affected people’s normal life

63. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “dissipating ” in Paragraph 3 ?

A. Happening.　　　 B. Moving .　　　　 C. Lessening .　　 D. Strengthening.

64. The big sandstorm caused the following EXCEPT　　 .

A. some areas in Arizona have had no rain for four months

B. Phoenix International Airport closed about 45 minutes.

C. homes got power off because power lines were blown down.

D. a truck was turned over by the winds with no one killed.

65. You can probably read this text in a(n)　　 .

A. tour handbook　　　　 B. business magazine　　

C. newspaper report　　　 D. advertisement board