The World Trade Organization（WTO）, established on January 1, 1995, is an open, non-discriminatory trading system. As a successor to the GATT, established in the wake of the Second World War, it is to help world's trade flow freely, fairly and predictably.

　　While the WTO is still young, the multilateral（多边的）trading system that was originally set up under GATT is already 50 years old. The system celebrated its golden jubilee（50周年纪念）in Geneva on 19 May, 1998, with many heads of states and government leaders attending.

　　The past 50 years have seen an exceptional（罕见的）growth in the world trade. Merchandise exports grew on average by 6％ annually（每年地）. Total trade in the WTO has helped to create a strong and prosperous trading system contributing to unprecedented growth.

　　China was an original member of GATT, but for historical and political reasons it was withdrawn from GATT by the government in Taibei in 1950. But over the last several years, China hopes to be seeking to resume（恢复）its contracting party status. China has become a member of the WTO before the body starts a new round of negotiations（谈判）late this year. Premier Zhu Rongji paid a nineday US visit from April 6, 1999. He is the first Chinese Premier to visit US. President Clinton agreed to have talks on China's entry into the WTO with a new round of negotiations in Beijing.

　　Now China has joined the WTO. China's entry into the WTO is not only of economical but also of political importance. China has made attracting progress since its reform and opening up to the outside world. It is growing more and more powerful in economy. China cannot be without the world just as the world cannot be without China. The entry of China into WTO will further strengthen the comprehensive national power of China; it can also quicken the economic development of the world.

According to the context, the underlined word in the first paragraph can be replaced by ______.

　　　　A. ordinary　　　　B. fair　　　　　 C. special　　　　　D. safety

GATT was founded in ______.

　　　　A. 1948　　　　　B. 1950　　　　　C. 1995　　　　　 D. 1998

　According to the passage and picture when did Shi Guangsheng, Minister of Chinese foreign economy and trade, signed the papers in Doha on China's accession to the WTO?

　A. 10,10,2001.　　 B. 11,11,2001.　　 C. 12,11,2001.　　 D. 11,10,2001.

Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

　　　　A. A General Introduction of WTO

　　　　B. How WTO Came into Being

　　　　C. GATT and WTO

　　　　D. WTO and China

Music is an international language. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to all people everywhere.

Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the streets.

Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, politics, and activities of the American people. Most of the radio broadcast is music.

Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state. Once the popular singer is heard throughout the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.

There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.

Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music(管弦乐),such as the symphonies(交响乐) of Beethoven. There is opera for singers. There is ballet(芭蕾舞乐曲) for dancers like the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in China.

45. What can we know about music and people in America?_____

A. Student drivers carry small radios with earphones when they drive on the streets.

B. Every American student enjoys listening to popular music.

C. Adult drivers only listen to news except music when they drive to work.

D. Adult drivers never listen to music when they drive to work.

46. How many kinds of music are mentioned in the passage?_____

A. Six.　　　　　B. Eight.　　　　　C. Five.　　　　D. Seven.

47. Country music _____.

A. is a kind of music that is popular in America

B. has nothing to do with musicians

C. is only sung by cowboys

D. is not played in the concert halls

48. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?_____

A. All the people in America like popular music.

B. Pop singers can get all the money from the tapes.

C. Now, country music is a little different from its beginning.

D. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is a kind of pop music.

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

(Z：Zhu Ying; L：Li Mei)

Z:Hello, this is 2693456．Who's that speaking?

L:This is Li Mei．　1　

Z:Sorry, she's out．Can I take a message for her?

L:Yes, please．Would you please tell that there's going to be an important meeting this evening．　2　

Z:When will the meeting begin?

L:It'll begin at 7:00PM．

Z:I beg your pardon!

L:　3　Is that clear to you?

Z:I think so．

L:　4　

Z: I'll be glad to．

L:Thank you．

Z: 　5　

1．

[　　]

2．

[　　]

3．

[　　]

4．

[　　]

5．

[　　]

A．It's my pleasure．

B．Are you Xia Li?

C．I said the meeting would begin at 7:00PM．

D．Every one of us must attend it, including her, of course．

E．I'd like to speak to Xia Li．

F．Would you mind telling her not to be late?

G．What did you say?

Music is an international language. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to people everywhere.

Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the streets.

Adult drivers listen to music on the car radios as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, politics, and activities of the American people. Most of the radio broadcast is music.

Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state. Once the popular singer is heard throughout the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.

There are other kinds of music that tare important to Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.

Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music(管弦乐), such as the symphonies(交响乐) of Beethoven. There is opera(歌剧) for singers. There is ballet(芭蕾舞剧) for dancers like the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in China.

1. In what sense can music be regarded as an international language?

A. Popular music is what everyone enjoys.

B. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are so beautiful and understandable that everyone can enjoy them.

C. When music is played, it seems as if it were speaking to us.

D. Music is so popular throughout the world that everyone can play it.

2. What can we know about music and people in America?

A. Student drivers carry small radios with earphones when they drive on the streets.

B. Students always listen to music before class, in class and after class.

C. Adult drivers listen to news as well as music when they drive to work.

D. Adult drivers never listen to music when they drive to work.

3. How many kinds of music are mentioned in the passage?

A. Six.　　　　　　  B. Eight.　　　　　　  C. Five.　　　　　　  D. Seven.

4. Country music _______.

A. is a kind of music that is popular in America

B. has nothing to do with folk music

C. is only sung by cowboys

D. is not played in the concert halls

5. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. All people in America like popular music.

B. Pop singers can get all the money from the tapes.

C. Now, western or country music is a little different from its beginning.

D. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is a kind of pop music.

 

BEIJING - Astronomers have defended against rumors (谣言) that the terrible earthquake and the following tsunami in Japan were closely related to or even caused by the "supermoon" that will appear in the sky on Saturday.

The word "supermoon" was introduced in a report by the British newspaper Daily Mail on March 9, which said amateur scientists were warning that such an astronomical phenomenon could disturb the Earth's climate patterns and may even cause earthquakes and volcanic activity. The moon will be 356,577 kilometers from the Earth on Saturday, the closest in 19 years, and the closest point in its oval orbit coincides（一致） with a full moon, the report said.

However, Saturday's moon is not actually the closest to Earth in 19 years, Tang Haiming, an astronomer with Shanghai Astronomical Observatory under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told Xinhua News Agency. A shorter distance of 356,570 km between the two bodies was reached in January 2005, and a distance of 356,566 km was seen in December 2008.

Yet some people suggest that previous supermoons have occurred prior to extreme weather events. In 1974 the phenomenon was followed by Cyclone Tracy(特雷西龙卷风) in Darwin, Australia, and in 2005 it occurred shortly before a deadly tsunami in Indonesia. Coincidentally, two fresh disasters happened in Asia right before Saturday's supermoon. The public's concern about their connection with the moon boomed after Japan's terrible earthquake and tsunami and an earthquake in Southwest China's Yunnan province that killed 25 people on March 10.

But astronomers are trying to reassure people that such rumors are merely unreasonable.

“A supermoon could cause high tides but has no direct relation with natural disasters such as earthquakes,” Liu Jie, a researcher with the China Earthquake Network Center, told China Daily on Tuesday. “We can't find any necessary connection between previous supermoons and earthquakes. And the quake in Japan occurred because the Earth's inner energy had accumulated to some extent, and it's not related to the moon. ” he said.

James Garvin, chief scientist at the Goddard Space Flight Center under NASA, said in an article on NASA's website that “the effects on Earth from a supermoon are minor.”“The combination of the moon being at its closest to Earth in its orbit, and being in its 'full moon' configuration (relative to the Earth and sun), should not affect the inner energy balance of the Earth, since there are lunar tides(月潮) every day. ”

Zhu Jin, curator of the Beijing Planetarium, said“the moon moves around the earth in a certain path, so each orbit has a perigee（近地点）- its closest approach, and an apogee(最远点) - its furthest distance.”“A lunar perigee occurs once a month and there are very small differences in distances between perigees,”he said.“Those tiny differences are far from enough to cause earthquakes or eruption of a volcano,”he added.

1. What word can take the place of the underlined word “reassure” in the fifth paragraph?

A. relieve　　 B. command　　　 C. inform　　　　 D. advocate

2. How many disasters are mentioned in the article?

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

3. What’s the real reason for the quake in Japan?

A. Because supermoon disturbed the Earth's climate patterns.

B. Because the Earth's inner energy had accumulated to some extent.

C. Because the combination of the moon being at its closest to Earth in its orbit, and being in its “full moon” configuration affected the inner energy balance of the Earth.　

D. Because God punished us for our serious pollution.

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. “Supermoon” and earthquake

B. The earthquake in Japan .

C. Experts clarify worries over “supermoon”　

D. A rumor about “supermoon”