阅读理解

　　Meteorites (陨石) are lumps of rock and iron that hit Earth from outer space. Some of them are almost solid iron. We don’t know for sure, but the first iron that men used for tools and weapons might have come from meteorites. Iron is much heavier than most rooks. Early man would have noticed this.

　　It is thought that the centre of Earth is almost all iron, like the meteorites. But iron found on Earth’s surface is mixed with other things. Rock with lots of iron in it is called iron ore (铁矿石).

　　Iron ore is found in many places on Earth. There is much of it in Canada, but there’s a lot more of it in the United States—near Lake Superior (苏比利尔湖). Ships carry iron ore across Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes to steel mills in such cities as Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Detroit.

　　Steel is iron that has something called carbon in it. The carbon helps make the steel very hard. At first, steel was made by hammering heated iron on an anvil (铁砧) with a little carbon dust. Then a hundred years ago, Henry Bessemer in England and William Kelly in America discovered a better way of making steel. They made it in a big container called a crucible (坩埚). They loaded the crucible with hot melted iron and carbon and had air blown through it from the bottom. A few years later a still better way of making steel was discovered. It was called the open-hearth method (平炉炼钢法). And a lot of steel is still made in this way.

　　For making certain special kinds of steel, where the heat and the chemicals must be measured very carefully, an electric furnace is used. Recently, still another way of making steel was discovered. This is really an improvement on the openhearth way. Oxygen gas is blown into the hot melted iron at the top of the giant furnace.

　　Most steel is carbon steel. This is the kind of steel that is used in making such things as bridges, automobiles, boilers, ships, and railroad tracks.

1．Which of the following statements would the author be able to agree?

[　　]

A．We know for sure that the first iron used comes from me teorites.

B．It is doubtful that the first iron used comes from meteorites.

C．It seems likely that the first iron used comes from meteorites.

D．We have no idea that the first iron used comes from meteorites.

2．Iron on earth’s surface exists in ________.

[　　]

3．The best way of steel making mentioned in the passage is ________.

[　　]

A．by hammering heated iron on anvil with carbon dust

B．by loading a crucible with hot melted iron and carbon and having air blown through it from the bottom

C．the open-hearth mehod

D．the top-blown oxygen method

4．An electric furnace is needed for making a special kind of steel because ________.

[　　]

A．it is easy to operate

B．it meets the requirements of careful measurement of its heat and chemicals

C．it is an improvement on the open-hearth way

D．it can improve the quality of ordinary steel materials

5．According to this passage, by adding carbon to the melted iron, one can make steel ________.

[　　]

A．very springy or magnetic

B．rust resistive

C．very strong

D．Both A and B

短文改错

　　此题要求改正所给短文中的错误．对标有题号的每一行作出判断：如无错误，在该行右边横线上画一个勾(√)；如有错误(每行只有一个错误)，则按下列情况改正：

　　此行多一个词：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉，在该行右边横线上写出该词，并也用斜线划掉．

　　此行缺一个词：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，在该行右边横线上写出该加的词．

　　此行错一个词：在错的词下划一横线，在该行右边横线上写出改正后的词．

　　注意：原行没有错的不要改．

B

Early in the 16th century men were trying to reach Asia by traveling west from Europe. In order to find Asia they had to find a way past South America. The man who finally found the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific was Ferdinand Magellan (麦哲伦). Magellan sailed from Seville in August, 1519 with five ships and about 280 men. Fourteen months later, after spending the cold winter on the coast of Patagonia, he discovered the channel which is now called Magellan Strait(海峡). In November, 1520, after many months of dangers from rocks and storms, the three remaining ships entered the ocean on the other side of South America. They then continued, hoping to reach Asia. But they did not see any land until they reached the islands off the coast of Asia. Before they arrived at these islands, later known as the Philippines (菲律宾), men were dying of starvation (饥饿). While they were staying in the Philippines, Magellan was killed in battle. The remaining officers then had to get back to Spain. They decided to sail round Africa. After many difficulties, one ship with eighteen men sailed into Seville three years after leaving. They were all that remained of Magellan’s expedition. However, their achievement was great. They were the first men to sail round the world.

61. The purpose of Magellan’s expedition was to ________.

A. sail round the world

B. find a seaway from the Atlantic to the Pacific

C. make a voyage to Asia

D. carry men to Philippines

62. How long did Magellan and his sailors spend before they reach Magellan Strait?

A. 1519       B. Fourteen months   C. 280       D. 1520

63. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage concerning the expedition?

A. Lack of equipment.

B. Cold winter in Patagonia.

C. The death of Magellan.

D. Dangers from rocks and storms.

64. The number of the ships lost on the whole expedition was ________.

A. two          B. three          C. four          D. five

65. The best title for this passage is ________.

A. The Discovery of Magellan’s Strait 

B. The Discovery of the Philippines

C. The Most Dangerous Expedition  

D. The First Expedition to sail round the world