Sony and Toyota are struggling. But one brand name is booming (繁荣) in Japan during the economic slowdown—Mickey Mouse.

According to the company that runs Tokyo Disneyland, Japan’s busiest theme park will be more packed than ever over Christmas and New Year’s Day. Despite the bad economy, it’s already been a record year for an escape which is cheaper than the average night out in pricey Tokyo.

“Here, economic depression (萧条) seems a world away,” visitor Namie Katsunuma said. “This is the only place where I can totally forget the economic worries and hardships of my life.”

The single mother’s salary at an auto factory was cut in November but, with her $500 yearly pass in hand, she makes the 95-km journey from her home to Tokyo Disneyland every couple of months.

The park’s operator, Oriental Land Co, estimates (估算) a record 26.5 million people will visit Tokyo Disneyland and its nearby sister park, Disneysea, during the financial year ending in March. The company is forecasting sales of a record $4.2 billion, up almost 10 percent.

“In a way, the economy works well for Tokyo Disneyland,” said Hiroshi Watanabe, an economist at the Tokyo-based Daiwa Research Institute. “Because of the economic depression, people have stopped buying cars and houses or going to Hawaii, and Tokyo Disneyland offers an affordable and pleasant alternative.”

Around the world, Disney’s theme parks have been a bright spot for the brand this year as people seem to look for an escape from bad times.

1.According to the passage, what happens to Tokyo Disneyland this year?

A．Fewer people visit it.	B．Less money is made.
C．It attracts more visitors.	D．Its sales have reached $4.2 billion.

2.What can be the possible reason for Tokyo Disneyland’s boom?

A．It costs less money to play here than in any other theme park.

B．People have a new understanding of amusement.

C．The economic depression has changed people’s plans to spend money.

D．Visitors seek an escape from economic depression.

3.What does the underlined word “alternative” mean in the sixth paragraph?

A．choice.

B．park.

C．time.

D．trip.

4.According to the last paragraph, what is the writer probably going to write?

A．The theme parks that attract most visitors.

B．More examples of success of Disney theme parks.

C．Tokyo Disneyland’s plan for the next year.

D．The economic depression in other companies.

 

The new automobile fuel economy standards formally adopted by the Obama administration on Thursday will produce a series of benefits: reduced dependence on foreign oil, fewer greenhouse gas emissions(排放), and consumer savings at the pump.

This was truly a moment to celebrate. But it was tempered by the fact that some in Congress are trying to cancel the laws that made the new standards possible.

The standards will require automakers to build passenger cars, sport-utility vehicles and minivans that average 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 — a 30 percent increase over today’s cars, and the biggest single jump in fuel economy since the original standards were adopted in the 1970s. Cars will cost more, but the government estimates that consumers will save an average of $3,000 in fuel over the life of a new vehicle.

The standards will also place the first-ever limits on automobile greenhouse gas emissions, and are expected to reduce emissions by 21 percent by 2030 compared with what the output would have been without the standards. Because emissions from passenger vehicles represent about one-fifth of America’s greenhouse gases, this is a step forward for the planet.

The automakers, who fought the rules until they went broke（破产）, have come to accept this as a step forward as well. A single national standard provides regulatory certainty, and they’ve got to get more efficient to survive.

However, some in Congress seemed determined to roll back the laws that got us here. Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, and several other senators have added a challenge to the federal government’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act — not just from automobiles but from other sources. The Supreme Court gave the Environmental Protection Agency that authority three years ago, and the new emissions standards would have been impossible without it.

There has also been talk in the Senate of eliminating California’s special authority under the Clean Air Act to set more aggressive motor vehicle standards than the federal limits. California used that authority to pass a law in 2002 setting greenhouse gas emissions limits for cars sold there. It was the first law of its kind in this country, and it provided the drive and the foundation for the new nationwide standards.

What all of these opponents mean to do is to roll back history and the hard-won environmental protections it has produced. That would be a huge mistake.

66. The following are the benefits of the new automobile economy standards EXCEPT ________.

A. reduced dependence on foreign oil

B. cancelling some of the laws

C. fewer greenhouse gas emissions

D. consumer savings at the pump

67. What goal is set for the year 2016?

A. Cars will cost more so fewer people will buy them.

B. There is a 30 percent increase in car manufacturing.

C. An average vehicle can go 35.5 miles with one gallon of gas.

D. Consumers will save an average of $3,000 in fuel per car.

68. The underlined word “it” in paragraph six refers to ________.

A. The Clean Air Act

B. The Supreme Court

C. The Environment Protection Agency

D. The federal government’s authority

69. What seems to be the root of the new automobile fuel economy standards?

A. California’s motor vehicle standards.

B. The Environment Protection Agency.

C. Some Senators, like Lisa Murkowski.

D. Greenhouse gas emissions.

70. According to the writer, the new automobile fuel economy standards will probably lead to the result that ________.

A. everyone wins

B. more cars will be sold

C. it would be a big mistake

D. nobody agrees

 

When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possible and head for safety. But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm. These people are willing to risk(冒…危险)being killed by floods or 100-kilometer-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.

“Storm chasing(追逐)” is becoming an increasingly popular hobby(喜好), especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July. A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to 1,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop.

Although anyone can do it , storm chasing is extremely dangerous. The power of a big storm can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds. Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain. If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm-chasing vacations during the storm season.

Even then, storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement. “Storm chasing is 95% driving,” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm-chasing. “Sometimes you can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen, and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”

However, for storm chasers, it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm, it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life,” says Jasper Morley. “Every storm is an example of the power of nature, It is the greatest show on Earth.”

1.For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to          .

A head straight for the center of the storm  B. get into the car for safety

C. wait patiently for the storm to develop.  D. collect information about a coming storm

2. Beginners of storm chasing are advised             .

A. not to drive in a heavy rain     B. to do it in an organized way

C. not to get too close to a storm    D. to spend more time on it in summer

3. By saying “it is all worth it” in the last paragraph, the author means that             .

A. storm chasing costs a lot of money  B. storm chasing is worth hours of waiting

C. efforts in storm chasing are well paid  D. a storm presents the greatest show on Earth

4. What can we learn from the text?

A. Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment

B. Many storm chasers get killed in the storms.

C. Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world.

D. Storm chasing is only fit for young people.

 

Today, there’s hardly an aspect of our life that isn’t being upended by the tons of information available on the hundreds of millions of sites crowding the Internet, not to mention its ability to keep us in constant touch with each other via electronic mail. “If the automobile and aerospace technology had exploded at the same pace as computer and information technology,” says Microsoft, “a new car would cost about $ 2 and go 600 miles on a small quantity of gas. And you could buy a Boeing 747 for the cost of a pizza.”

Probably the biggest payoff, however, is the billions of dollars the Internet is saving companies in producing goods and serving for the needs of their customers. Nothing like it has been seen since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when power-driven machines began producing more in a day than men could turn out in nearly a year. “We view the growth of the Internet and e-commerce as a global trend,” says Merrill Lynch, “along the lines of printing press, the telephone, the computer, and electricity.”

You would be hard pressed to name something that isn’t available on the Internet. Consider: books, health care, movie tickets, construction materials, baby clothes, stocks, cattle feed, music, electronics, antiques, tools, real estate, toys, autographs of famous people, wine and airline tickets. And even after you’ve moved on to your final resting place, there’s no reason those you love can’t keep in touch. A company called FinalThoughts.com offers a place for you to store “afterlife e-mails” you can send to Heaven with the help of a “guardian angel”.

Kids today are so computer literate that it in fact ensures the United States will remain the unchallenged leader in cyberspace for the foreseeable future. Nearly all children in families with incomes of more than $75,000 a year have home computers, according to a study by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Youngsters from ages 2 to 17 at all income levels have computers, with 52% of those connected to the Internet. Most kids use computers to play games (some for 30 hours or more a week), and many teenage girls think nothing of rushing home from school to have e-mail chats with friends they have just left.

What’s clear is that, whether we like it or not, the Internet is an ever growing part of our lives and there is no turning back. “The Internet is just 20% invented,” says cyber pioneer Jake Winebaum. “The last 80% is happening now.”

1.What can we learn from the Microsoft’s remark?

   A. Today’s cars and airplanes are extremely overpriced.

   B. Information technology is developing at an amazing speed.

   C. Information technology has reached the point where improvement is difficult.

   D. There’s more competition in information technology industry than in car industry.

2.According to the author, the biggest benefit of the Internet is that___.

   A. it saves companies huge amounts of money

   B. it speeds up profit making

   C. it brings people incredible convenience

   D. it provides easy access to information 

3.The author gives the example of FinalThoughts.com to make the point that____.

   A. there are some genius ideas on the Internet

   B. almost anything is available on the Internet

   C. people can find good bargains on the Internet

   D. people are free to do anything on the Internet

4.What can we learn from the fourth paragraph?

   A. There is a link between income and computer ownership.

   B. Many American children don’t put computers to good use.

   C. Studies show that boys are more computer literate than girls.

   D. The U.S. will stay ahead in the information technology in years.

5.Which sentence has the phrase that has the same meaning as the one underlined in the fifth paragraph?

A. Some can tell you that he has changed their lives, while others think nothing of him.

B. Think nothing of it. It was my pleasure.

C. He thinks nothing of staying up all night in the Café bar.

D. He thinks nothing of the pain in his back for the moment.

6.What is the message the author intends to convey?

   A. The Internet is going to get firm hold of our lives some day.

   B. The Internet is going to influence our lives even more greatly.

   C. We should have a positive attitude towards the changes the Internet brings.

   D. Children should be well prepared for the challenges in the information age.

 

单词拼写（共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分）

阅读下列句子，根据首字母或中文意思填写单词，并注意运用其正确的形式。

1. The tree in the backyard _________ (测量) 30 feet in height was planted by my grandfather.

2. At one time there was a river which ___________(流动) through the village, but unfortunately

it has dried up.

3. My friend is a little bitter because I am really a___________ and good at sports.

4. Cars and other v___________ burn petrol in their engines.

5. I insist that you take the opinions of the people of the UK into c___________.