Britain almost more than any other country in the world must seriously face the problem of building upwards, that is to say of accommodating(居住) a considerable proportion of its population in high blocks of flats. It is said that the Englishman objects to this type of existence, but if the case is such, he does in fact differ from the inhabitants of most countries of the world today. In the past our own blocks or flats have been associated with(把……同……联系起来) the lower-income groups and they have lacked the obvious provisions, such as central heating, constant hot water supply, electrically operated lifts from top to bottom, and so on, as well as such details, important notwithstanding(然而), as easy facilities for disposal(处理) of dust and rubbish and storage places for baby carriages on the ground floor, playgrounds for children on the top of the buildings, and drying grounds for washing. It is likely that the dispute regarding flats versus individual houses will continue to rage(风行) on for a long time as far as Britain is concerned, and it is unfortunate that there should be hot feelings on both sides whenever this subject is raised. Those who oppose the building of flats base their case primarily on the assumption that everyone prefers individual home and garden and on the high cost per unit of accommodation. The latter ignores the higher cost of providing full services to a scattered(分散)community and the cost in both money and time of the journey to work for the suburban resident.

1. We can infer from the passage that ____.

　 A. English people, differently from most people in other countries, dislike living in flats

　 B. people in most countries of the world today are not opposed to living in flats

　 C. people in Britain are forced to move into high blocks of flats

　 D. modern flats still fail to provide the necessary facilities for living

2. What is said about the blocks of flats built in the past in Britain?

　 A. They were mostly inhabited by people who did not earn much.

　 B. They were usually not large enough to accommodate big families.

　 C. They were sold to people before necessary facilities were installed.

　 D. They provided playgrounds for children on the top of the buildings.

3. Some people oppose the building of flats because ____.

　 A. this living expenses for each individual family are higher

　 B. it involves higher cost compared with the building of houses

　 C. they believe that people like to live in houses with gardens

　 D. the disposal of rubbish remains a problem for those who lives in flats

4. The author mentions that people who live in suburban houses ____.

　 A. do not have access to easy facilities because they live away from the city

　 B. have to pay a lot of money to employ people to do service work

　 C. take longer time to know each other because they are a scattered community

　 D. have to spend money and time going to work every day

Britain almost more than any other country in the world must seriously face the problem of building upwards, that is to say of accommodating(居住) a considerable proportion of its population in high blocks of flats. It is said that the Englishman objects to this type of existence, but if the case is such, he does in fact differ from the inhabitants of most countries of the world today. In the past our own blocks or flats have been associated with(把……同……联系起来) the lower-income groups and they have lacked the obvious provisions, such as central heating, constant hot water supply, electrically operated lifts from top to bottom, and so on, as well as such details, important notwithstanding(然而), as easy facilities for disposal(处理) of dust and rubbish and storage places for baby carriages on the ground floor, playgrounds for children on the top of the buildings, and drying grounds for washing. It is likely that the dispute regarding flats versus individual houses will continue to rage(风行) on for a long time as far as Britain is concerned, and it is unfortunate that there should be hot feelings on both sides whenever this subject is raised. Those who oppose the building of flats base their case primarily on the assumption that everyone prefers individual home and garden and on the high cost per unit of accommodation. The latter ignores the higher cost of providing full services to a scattered(分散)community and the cost in both money and time of the journey to work for the suburban resident.

1. We can infer from the passage that ____.

　 A. English people, differently from most people in other countries, dislike living in flats

　 B. people in most countries of the world today are not opposed to living in flats

　 C. people in Britain are forced to move into high blocks of flats

　 D. modern flats still fail to provide the necessary facilities for living

2. What is said about the blocks of flats built in the past in Britain?

　 A. They were mostly inhabited by people who did not earn much.

　 B. They were usually not large enough to accommodate big families.

　 C. They were sold to people before necessary facilities were installed.

　 D. They provided playgrounds for children on the top of the buildings.

3. Some people oppose the building of flats because ____.

　 A. this living expenses for each individual family are higher

　 B. it involves higher cost compared with the building of houses

　 C. they believe that people like to live in houses with gardens

　 D. the disposal of rubbish remains a problem for those who lives in flats

4. The author mentions that people who live in suburban houses ____.

　 A. do not have access to easy facilities because they live away from the city

　 B. have to pay a lot of money to employ people to do service work

　 C. take longer time to know each other because they are a scattered community

　 D. have to spend money and time going to work every day

Stepping into a pool of water is common enough, but who could ever imagine stepping into a pool of fish? In February of 1974, Bill Tapp, an Australian farmer, saw a rain of fish that covered his farm. How surprised he must have been when he heard many fish hitting against his roof!

　　 What caused this strange occurrence? This is a question that had long puzzled people who study fish. The answer turned out to be a combination of wind and storm.

　　When it is spring in the northern part of the world, it is fall in Australia. Throughout the autumn season, terrible storms arise and rains flood the land. The strong winds sweep over Australia like huge vacuum cleaners, collecting seaweed, pieces of wood, and even schools of fish. Strong winds may carry these bits of nature for many miles before dropping them on fields, houses, and astonished people.

　　Although they seem unusual, fish-falls occur quite frequently in Australia. When Bill Tapp was asked to describe the scene of fish, he remarked, “They look like millions of dead birds falling down.” His statement is not surprising. The wonders of the natural world are as common as rain. Nature, with its infinite wonders, can create waterfalls that flow upward and fish that fall out of the sky.

　　56. What is this passage about?

　　A. A sad story. 　　　　　　　　　　　　B. A rain of fish.

　　C. Australia’s northern part.　　　　　D. The damage done by floods.

　　57. Fish-falls occur in Australia_________ .

　　A. quite often 　　　　　　B. on large farms

　　C. only in winter　　　　　D. when the air is calm

　　58. It is a known fact that ________.

　　A. one should watch where one steps

　　B. Bill Tapp is a scientist who studies farming

　　C. the natural world can never create waterfalls that fall upward

　　D. the seasons in the southern part are different from those in the northern part

 　59. The word “infinite” is closest in meaning to _________.

　　A. easy 　　　B. difficult 　　　C. countless 　　　D. dangerous

　　For years scientists have been worried about the effects of air pollution on the earth’s natural conditions. Some believe the air inside many houses may be more dangerous than the air outside. It may be one hundred times worse.

　　Indoor air pollution can cause a person to feel tired, to suffer eye-pain, headache and other problems. Some pollutants（ 污染 物） can cause breathing disorders, diseases of blood and even cancer, Most scientists agree that every modern house has some kind of indoor pollution. People began to notice the problem in the early 1970s. It is that when builders began making houses and offices they did not waste energy. To do this they built buildings that limited the flow of air between inside and outside. They also began using manmade building materials. These materials are now known to let out harmful gases. As the problem became more serious, scientists began searching for a way to deal with it. They discovered a natural pollution control system for building— green plants. Scientists do not really know how plants control air pollution. They believe that a plant’s leaves absorb or take in the pollutants. In exchange the plant lets out oxygen through its leaves and through its tiny organizations on its roots. Scientists suggest that all buildings should have one large plant or several small plants inside for every nine square metres of space. Studies of different plants show that each absorbs different chemicals. So the most effective way to clean the air is to use different kinds of plants. Having green plants inside your house can make it a prettier and more healthy place.

　　Generally speaking, indoor air pollution may be more harmful than the air outside because ________.

　　A. the man - made building materials let out dangerous gases inside houses

　　B. there may be more harmful gases outside houses

　　C. the flow of air indoors is limited

　　D. indoor air pollution can make a person seriously ill

　　The most effective way to clean the air is to use different kinds of plants because________.

　　A. they may let out more oxygen which people need

　　B. they can absorb different kinds of the harmful indoor chemicals

　　C. they can take in all kinds of indoor pollutants

        D. they can make your house prettier and more healthy

In Canada you can find dogs, cats, horses, etc. in almost every family. These are their pets. People love these pets and have them as their good friends. Before they keep them in their houses, they take them to animal hospitals to give them injections(注射)so that they won't carry disease. They have special animal food stores, though they can get animal food in almost every kind of store. Some people spend around two hundred Canadian dollars a month on animal food. When you visit people's houses, they would be very glad to show you their pets and they are very proud of them. You will also find that almost every family has a feeding place for birds in their garden. All kinds of birds are welcomed to come and have a good meal. They are free to come and go and nobody is allowed to kill any animal in Canada. They have a law against killing wild animals. If you killed an animal, you would be punished. If an animal happened to get run over by a car, people would be very sad about it.

People in Canada have many reasons to like animals. One of them might be that their family ties are not as close as ours. When children grow up, they leave their parents and start their own life. Then the old will feel lonely, but pets can solve this problem. They can be good friends and never leave them alone.

1.The passage mainly talks about____ .

 A. how to keep disease from pets           B. pets in Canada

 C. how to take good care of pets            D. life of the old in Canada

2.They give their pets injections before keeping them at their houses  because ____.

 A. the pets are sick                      

B. the pets are wild

 C. they want to stop them from getting sick

 D. they want them to sleep on the way home

3.In Canada, children leave their parents when they grow up because ____.

A. they don't love their parents any more

B. they can only find jobs far from their parents

C. their parents houses are too small

D. they wouldn't depend on their parents any more

4.Which of the following is TRUE？

A. People buy animal food only at the animal food stores.

B. Pets eat better than people.

C. Almost every family has a birdcage in his house.

D. Any bird can come to the bird feeders to eat

5.From the passage we know that Canadians_____

A.love animals　　　　      　B.don't like animals　　

C.often kill animals          　D.often keep their pets outside their house