America’s greatest technological achievement, the Hoover Dam, now has a companion piece, a bridge held up by the longest arch in the Western Hemisphere（半球）. The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, which opened this month and connects the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada, crosses the vast chasm（峡谷）890 feet above the Colorado River that is controlled by the dam.

The striking 1,900-foot-long structure will improve traffic in the region and help protect the dam from being destroyed. It is the seventh highest bridge in the world, behind four in China, one in Papua New Guinea and one in the US state of Colorado.

“The Hoover Dam is the greatest civil engineering achievement in America’s history,” said the bridge project manager Dave Zanatell. “Our goal was not to outdo or outshine it. Our goal was to, in a respectful way, do something that would be great for our generation and that would stand besides Hoover Dam in a respectful and quality way that would become a part of Hoover’s legacy（遗产）.”

Just as the Hoover Dam was built in the heart of the Great Depression（大萧条）and was seen as an example of the nation’s can-do spirit, some hope this project can also provide some uplift.

The bridge is surprising: at 1,050 feet, its support arch holds up a roadway that lies on 300-foot-long concrete pillars（柱子）, some of the tallest in the world. It contains 16 million pounds of steel.

　　The idea of the bridge came into being in the 1960s because the top of the Hoover Dam has been a narrow two-lane road that is the fastest route from Arizona to Las Vegas and then the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

  　Access to the dam from each direction is a dangerously winding route, but massive trucks and passenger vehicles shared it for decades. During the day, when thousands of tourists travel to the dam from Las Vegas three times as many accidents as on a normal road will happen.

  　The bridge has a sidewalk on the side facing the dam. The wall on both sides is 54 inches high, so walkers can take photos there.

Which of the following is true of the Hoover Dam?

   A. It was completed recently.

   B. It was built during the hard times.

   C. It has the longest arch.

   D. It’s the seventh highest dam in the world.

What is one of the purposes of building the bridge?

   A. To protect the dam.                                 B. To save the cultures.

   C. To outdo the dam.                                       D. To develop the tourism.

The underlined word “uplift” in Paragraph 4 means _____.

   A. lift of the heavy object                            B. support in money

   C. spiritual encouragement                           D. instruction in technology

Which of the followings shows the right position of the bridge and dam?

The text is mainly about ______.

   A. the Hoover Dam                                    

   B. American western development

   C. a tour along the Colorado River               

   D. a recently built bridge

In today’s Internet age, the demand for online games continues to grow. Online computer game centers exist in many cities and towns throughout Asia. Facing the pressures of school and life, people tend to the virtual world, expecting a diversion from these problems. Too often, however, they can lead to problems and unhealthy addictions 迷。
This is most clearly seen in the example of South Korea. The country has the world’s highest percentage of high-speed Internet services. It also has a high number of online game players and related problems. In 2002, a young man collapsed(突然晕倒) and died while playing online games. He had been playing almost nonstop for 86 hours at an Internet café. Another young man killed his sister after becoming confused between the online world and real life. A 12-year-old boy stole US $ 16,000 from his father and ran away from home. He did this to continue his obsession(着迷) with an online game. Such problems, however, don’t just happen in South Korea. They are spreading to other parts of Asia, as well.
What kinds of people develop online game addiction? What does the problem look like? Dr. SueHuei Chen, a clinical psychologist, researches Internet addiction. She discovered some signs of at-risk individuals such as lack friendships and good social skills. Those problem individuals feel it so compulsive 难控制的to play online games that they could sacrifice things such as school or family. They feel the need to spend more and more time online. And they become upset if anyone tries to limit限制 their online game playing.
How many problem game players are there? In mainland China, the potential number of problem online gamers is alarming. In 2004, the China daily reported that China had 13.8 million online game players. Furthermore, it stated that 80 percent of these were under 25 and had signs of addiction. Such numbers point toward a growing problem among Chinese young people.
Make sure to keep control over your online game playing. If you don’t control it, it can get control of you.
【小题1】What is mainly discussed in the passage?

A．The disadvantages of the Internet.

B．The online game problems in Asia.

C．The popularity of online games worldwide.

D．The cause of online game addiction.

【小题2】The underlined word “diversion” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to __________.

A．career

B．comfort

C．escape

D．support

【小题3】According to Paragraph 2, which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．The young killer’s sister was killed in a fictional 科幻 world

B．Online game playing is responsible for the young man’s death.

C．People in South Korea have access to the Internet most easily.

D．The teenage boy stole money because of his playing games online.

【小题4】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Most people in Asia have developed an addiction to online games.

B．Online game addictions cause many life-and-death arguments in South Korea.

C．Lonely and unsociable people seem to more easily develop Internet addictions.

D．In the year 2004 there were a total of 13.8 million Chinese visiting the Internet.

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。

　　A shop wholly run by a robot has been set up in downtown Tokyo, capital of Japan. The shop was set up by a Japan-based company.

　　When a customer comes to the shop, he will be given a pencil and a piece of paper. When he is looking at the shelves for goods, he can write down the number of each thing he wants to buy. Then he may come to a machine, which looks like a bank ATM (Automatic Teller Machine), and press the buttons to tell the machine the numbers and some other information about the goods. The machine will soon give the customer a bill. When the customer puts money into the machine, change will be given back at once, and the words“Thank You for Coming”will appear on the screen of the machine. The robot will select the ordered goods for the customer according to computer center information.

　　The robot, as round as a bucket, is able to decide the weight and size of any goods. It wilt always take the bigger and heavier goods first before picking up the smaller and lighter ones such as cakes or biscuits. Within half a minute, the robot will make everything ready, and wait for a customer at a certain delivery place.

　　The shop is to meet the needs of the public for the so-called“silent purchase (购买)”. It means that a customer can do shopping through mail or even an international computer network without facing the shop owner. This will reduce the cost on the part of the shop, and thus lower the price of goods for the customer.

　　The robot now can deal with most goods in a fast and easy way. Only when dealing with those goods needing special care will the robot ask for help.

1．When you want to buy something in the robot shop, first you have to _____.

[　　]

A．put money into the machine

B．press the buttons of the machine and tell it what you want to buy

C．find out what you want to buy and write down the numbers on paper

D．go into the shop and select the goods you want with the help of the machine

2．In this shop, the robot can do shopping quickly at a lower price, so _____.

[　　]

A．the shop has a great future

B．customers often get false goods

C．few customers go there to buy goods

D．the shop will close down soon

3．What would be the best title for the text?

[　　]

A．May I Help you　　　　　　B．Welcome to Our Shop

C．Robot Shop　　　　　　　　D．Nobody Sells Goods in the Shop

Facing the poor grades, Maria is wondering what it ___ to learn English well.

A．takes             B．uses              C．makes            D．prepares

 

阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填写一个单词。

Traveling to all corners of the world gets easier and easier. We live in a global village ,but this doesn’t mean that we all behave in the same way.

How should we behave when you meet someone for the first time? An American shakes your hand firmly while looking you straight in the eye. In many part of Asia, there is no physical contact (接触)at all. In Japan, you should bow, and the more respect you want to show, The deeper you should bow. In Thailand, people greet each other by pressing both hands together at the chest, In both countries, eye contact is avoided as a sign of respect.

Many country have rules about what you should and shouldn’t wear. In Muslim countries, you shouldn’t reveal (显露)the body, especially women, who Should wear long blouses and skirts .In Korea ,you should take off your shoes when entering a house Remember to place then neatly together where you came in.

In Spain, lunch is often the biggest meal of the day, and can last two or three hours. For this reason many people eat a light breakfast and a late dinner. In Mexico, Lunch is the time to relax, and many people prefer not to discuss business as they eat ,In Britain ,it’s not unusual to have a business meeting over breakfast.

In most countries, an exchange of business cards is necessary for all introductions. You should include your company name and your position. If you are going to a country where your language is not widely spoken, you can get the back side of your card printed in the local language. In China ,you may present your card with the writing facing the person you are giving it to.

 

Title :good1.
Aspect	Country	Custom
Greeting	·America ·Japan ·Thailand	■Shaking hands firmly ■2._____to show respect
Dressing	·3.___Countries ·Korea	Wearing long blouses and skirts Taking off your shoes at the 4._________
5. ___________	·Spain ·Mexico 6._______	■Having a light breakfast and a late dinner ■Relaxing while having 7.______ ■Holding a business meeting over breakfast
Doing business	·Most countries ·China	■Exchanging business cards when8.____yourself ■Presenting a card to a person9._______it’s front facing him
Conclusion : When traveling10._______,we should follow local customs.