What do you know about the sea? You may have seen it. Some of us have swum or bathed in it. It looks beautiful on a fine sunny day and it can be very rough when there is a strong wind. What other things do we know about it? Of course, the sea is very large. In the world there is more sea than land. The sea covers three quarters of the earth. The sea is also very deep in some places. It is not deep everywhere, some parts of it are very great. At one spot, near Japan the sea is nearly 11 kilometers deep! Just think of it, the highest mountain in the world is only about 9 kilometers high! If you have swum in the sea, you know that the water is salty. Rivers carry salt from the land into the sea. Some parts of the sea are more salty than other parts. Do you know the Dead Sea in Arabia? It is very salty. Swimmers cannot sink in it! Fish cannot live in the Dead Sea. It is a strange sea. In most parts of the sea, there are a lot of fishes and plants. Some live near the top of the sea. Others live deep down. No sunlight can reach the depth of the sea. So it is completely dark. Strange fishes live there. Some are blind. Some have their own lights. Some have great jaws. With their great jaws, they swallow fish larger than themselves. The sea can be very cold. Deep sea divers know this well. At the top of the water may be warm. Then as the divers go down, the sea becomes colder and colder.
Many scientists are now making a study of animal and plant life in the sea. They hope to find new resources for mankind.
【小题1】. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．Land covers one fourth of the area of the earth.

B．The depths of the sea are different in different places.

C．The depth of a sea at one spot near Japan is nearly the height of the highest mountain.

D．The salt in the sea mainly comes from the land.

For new countries joining the European Union, and older ones getting used to their burgundy passports, becoming “Europeans” is a bit like marrying into a large, eccentric (古怪的) family. Europeans have a lot in common but it is their differences, not their similarities, which attract the attention of sociologists (社会学家) and market researchers, that are more interesting.

35% of Germans live alone; but only 9% of Spaniards. Perhaps this explains why Spaniards lead Europe in the habit of going out for a drink.

The British attend more adult evening classes than anyone else in Europe, and the Belgians least. So it can’t just be the dark evenings. There are no figures on how many Britons go for a drink afterwards. If there were, they might be up at the top with Spain!

The British think black cats are lucky. Every other European country regards them unlucky.

The Dutch and Germans are the greatest caravanners（活动房居住者）, but the Germans like bigger beds in their caravans.

The French are the most athletic Europeans. Next come the Dutch. But the Belgians, just over the border, play fewest sports.

The Germans spend twice as much on heating as the Spaniards. Well, of course they do; it’s colder.

Dutch husbands do the household shopping a lot more often than Italians or Spaniards.

The French are the champion public transport commuters （使用月票者）of Europe. If you hate commuting, go and live in the Netherlands, where journeys to work are shorter than anywhere else.

The amount of direct eye-contact between strangers is three times greater among Spaniards than it is among the British or Swedish. Sharing a lift is torture (折磨) for both the British and the Swedish.

No European countries really agree with any other about how to make good coffee. All of them are different.

There are exceptions to all these rules. Deal with them in the spirit of my 8-year-old daughter. “If you don’t understand each other’s language, you just laugh a lot, and eat, and point at things.”

1．If you work or live in Belgium, you ____.

       A．will have to change your living places often

       B．will seldom see people playing sports

       C．will not get used to its cold weather

       D．will be invited to go for a drink frequently

2．What does “Sharing a lift is torture for both the British and the Swedish” mean?

       A．The British and the Swedish care about their safety most.

       B．The British and the Swedish like to appear gentle and smart.

       C．The British and the Swedish hate to look at each other face to face.

       D．The British and the Swedish enjoy a richer life than others.

3．In the last paragraph, the author wants to express his idea that ____.

       A．his daughter knows well how to understand foreigners in unfamiliar situations

     B．Europeans actually share the same culture even if they have different languages

     C．being a European, you will have no living trouble at all in the European Union

       D．there are differences between European countries, but don’t take it too serious

阅读下列短文，从所给的四个选项中，选出最佳答案

　Psychology (心理学) is the study of mind and mental (脑力的) activities．For example, psychologists are interested in why some things make you sad, but others make you happy．They want to know why some people are quite talkative (健谈)．They want to know why people do the things they like to do．They also test intelligence (智力)．Psychologists deal with the minds and behavior (举止，行为) of people．

　Your mind is made up of all your feelings, thoughts and ideas．It is the result of one part of the brain called cerebrum (大脑)．Your behavior is the way you set or lead yourself．Examples of behavior include shouting, crying, laughing and sleeping．

　When we aren't well, we can never find the things we need．The things we need have gone away from the places where we expect to find them．If we need something, we can never find it quickly．When we aren't well, boxes become heavy．　　 Doors don't want to open．The wind becomes colder．The sun becomes too hot．The car doesn't run well．Distances are longer than they were as usual．The things around us usually do what they should as long as we're well or not．

(1) What have we learned from the first paragraph?　　　

[　　]

A．Psychologists are those who work at the minds and behavior of people．

B．We finally know what we like to do most．

C．To test our intelligence is the duty of the psychologists．

D．Something about our behavior out of condition．

(2) When the writer says “the things we need have gone away from all the places where we expect to find them,” what he actually means is “______”．

[　　]

A．somebody has taken the things away so we don't know where to find them

B．the things have moved themselves away so we can't find them

C．we ourselves have moved the things away and then we forget where they are

D．the things we need seem to be more difficult to find when we are our of condition

(3) When the writer talks about weather, what he is really saying is ______．

[　　]

A．changes in the weather do not depend on man's will

B．man's state of health often depends on the weather

C．the weather is felt to be especially disagreeable (不爽快) when one is ill

D．the weather always goes against human wishes

(4) The cerebrum controls ______．　　　

[　　]

A．the mind

B．the field of psychology

C．the whole brain

D．the way of action

(5) The good title for this selection is ______．

[　　]

A．Feelings of People

B．Studying the Mind and Behavior

C．The Two Parts of the Brain

D．Psychologists and Their Achievements

Redwood trees are the tallest plants on the earth，reaching heights of up to 100 meters．They are also known for their longevity，typically 500 to 1000 years，but sometimes more than 2000 years．A hundred million years ago，in the age of dinosaurs，redwoods were common in the forests of a much more moist and tropical North America．As the climate became drier and colder，they declined to a narrow strip along the Pacific coast of Northern Califomia．

The trunk of redwood trees is very strong and usually forms a single straight column．It is covered with a soft bark．This bark can be pretty thick，well over two feet in the more mature trees．It gives the older trees a certain kind of protection from insects，but the main benefit is that it keeps the center of the tree harmless from moderate forest fires because of its thickness．This fire resistant quality explains why the giant redwood grows to live that long．While most other types of trees are destroyed by forest fires，the giant redwood actually prospers because of them．

Moderate fires will clear the ground of competing plant life，and the rising heat dries and opens the ripe fruit of the redwood，releasing many thousands of seeds onto the ground below．

??? New trees are often produced from shoots，little baby trees，which form at the base of the trunk．These shoots grow slowly，fed by the root system of the “mother’’ tree．When the main tree dies，the shoots are then free to grow as full trees，forming a “fairy ring” of trees around the original tree．These trees，in turn，may give rise to more shoots，and the cycle continues．

1.Why were redwood trees easier to find in the forests of North America millions of years ago?

A．The trees were taller and stronger．

B．The soil was softer for seeds to develop．

C．The climate there was warmer and wetter．

D．The temperature was lower along the Pacific coast．

2.Which of the following is a function of the tree bark as mentioned in the passage?

A．It allows redwood trees to bear seeds．

B．It prevents redwood trees from attack by insects．

C．It helps redwood trees absorb water in the air．

D．It makes redwood trees more beautiful and appealing．

3.Why do redwood trees grow to live that long according to the passage?

A．They have heavy and straight tree trunks．

B．They are properly watered and catered to．

C．They are more resistant to fire damage than other trees．

D．They produce many young trees to maintain their life cycle．

4.How does a “fairy ring’’ form according to the passage?

A．By killing an old tree．????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．By connecting root systems．

C．By inserting holes into old trees．????????????? ????????????? D．By surrounding a mature tree．