On February seventeenth, the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company of Chino, California, recalled almost sixty-five kilograms of beef. The government declared the products unfit for human food, Officials at the Department of Agriculture said the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection.
The beef recall was the largest in American history. But the government rated the health risk as low. No cases of sickness have been reported.
The beef was produced over the last two years. Almost all of it went to federal programs to provide lunches for schoolchildren. Some also went to federal programs for Indian reservations and emergency food aid.
About half of the beef had already been used when the recall took place. The recall followed the public release of video secretly recorded by the Humane Society of the United States. The video showed workers at the Chino slaughterhouse (屠宰场) mistreating “downers”---- the name for sick or injured cows unable to stand.
The workers kicked them and shot water at their faces. They also used electric shocks and forklift trucks to force the animals to their feet. The Agricultural Department bans downer cattle from entering the food supply. The ban is part of measures to protect against the human version of mad cow disease.
Westland/ Hallmark is closed until investigations are completed, and its deals to supply federal programs are suspended. Local officials have brought animal cruelty charges against two employees. And lawmakers in Congress have ordered the head of the company to appear at a hearing this week, saying he refused an earlier invitation.
At the end of February, the Humane Society brought a lawsuit against the Agriculture Department over a change in its inspection rules. The group says the change made last year could make it easier for sick and injured cows to enter the food supply.
Officials defend the inspection process, but have also announced new measures, including inspections outside approved hours of operation.
When food recalls are announced, they often include the names of some of the stores that were supplied with the products. But under a new state law, California has published an online list of names, addresses and phone numbers of thousands of places affected by the beef recall. These include markets, restaurants, hotels and school systems.
68．What caused the recall of the beef?
A．The release of the video recorded secretly
B．The poor inspection to the beef industry
C．The illness caused by the beef.
D．The investigation of the Agriculture Department
69．Why did the Humane Department Society bring a lawsuit against the Agriculture Department?
A．The Agriculture Department failed to inspect the beef.
B．The Agriculture Department changed its inspection rules.
C．The changed inspection rules are not suitable for the beef industry.
D．The sick and injured cows are easy to enter the food supply.
70．Which of the following statements is true?
A．Half of the beef from the company proves to be poisonous.
B．The beef has made lots of people sick.
C．The employer of the company was accused of what his workers did to the cattle.
D．Almost all of the beef went to the lunches for school children.
71．What is the meaning of the underlined word “suspended” in Para 6?
A．held back       B．called off        C．put off                 D．slow down

根据课文内容填空(每空不限词数；共12个空格，每空格0.5分，满分6分)

NCE 1

Imagine a star _____1_____ twenty times larger, brighter and hotter than our own sun. A planet would have to be a very long way from it to _____2_____ supporting life.

NCE 2

...All the cattle had been moved into stalls and we _____3_____ little. ...As the floods had put the telephone _____4_____, we could not find out how they were managing.

NCE 3

I hired a car the day after landing and bought a ____5_____ book of maps, which I found most helpful on the _____6_____ journey, but which I did not...

NCE 58

 It was _____7_____ then that burglars had forced an entry during her absence. ... but then she decided that at her age it might be more prudent to have someone with her, so she went to _____8_____ porter from his basement.

NCE 4

It provides relaxation for leisure hours, as just _____9_____ is always a joy. ... This hobby educates one not only in the chosen subject, but also in general matters which have _____10_____ it.

NCE 5

Only in a sparsely-populated _____11_____ community is it possible to

disregard it....The intellectual, who is working on some abstruse problem, has everything coordinated and organized _____12______.

完形填空：（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）

    In history,a real cowboy was a simple farm worker on horseback．He spent a long time a day outdoors working with cows．The work was dirty,tiring and not very well paid．

    People in the western states had to __36__ cattle at low cost and send them by railway to the eastern __37__．But someone had to __38__ the cattle and get them to the nearest railroad．This was the job of a cowboy．Sometimes the __39__ was more than a thousand kilometers away and it could take as __40__ as six months to move the cattle．The __41__ was long but the cattle were driven __42__ as not to lose __43__．Then they could be sold at a good price．

    Most cowboys were young, __44__ men．A good horse _45__ their job of moving cattle much easier．A good cowboy __46__ cows and knew how to control them．At night,he __47__ to the cows to keep them calm．

    In the late 1800s,America was changing from a nation of farm to one of __48__ and cities．The cowboy seemed __49__ compared with other Americans doing ordinary jobs．

    Today,the __50__ of cowboys has __51__ greatly．One change is the use of trucks．The job is not so hard __52__ it used to be．And cowboys are better __53__ now．They are _54__ to be married．Some of them are farmers or teachers or truck drivers．Some work for big companies．

    __55__ at night and on weekends,they become cowboys．These part-time cowboys increase the total production of meat,keeping the beef price low．

A．get B．buy  C．sell D．raise

A．markets B．countries    C．cities   D．stories

A．deal with   B．find out C．look after   D．pay off

A．road    B．railroad C．state    D．farm

A．good    B．much C．long D．far

A．journey B．trip C．tour D． travel

A．hurriedly   B．smoothly C．slowly   D．carefully

A．mind    B．direction    C．head D．weight

A．unmarried   B．proud    C．strong   D．educated

A．had B．made C．found    D．helped

A．recognized  B．understood   C．owned    D．kept

A．whispered   B．shouted  C．cried    D．sang

A．towns   B．factories    C．companies    D．villages

A．free    B．brave    C．easy D．pleased

A．manner  B．job  C．life D．mind

A．changed B．developed    C．improved D．realized

A．that   B．as   C．which    D．what

A．known   B．paid C．treated  D．dressed

A．afraid  B．eager    C．worried  D．likely

A．Because B．And  C．When D．But

The year 2009 is the Year of Ox. The ox is a representative of the fanning culture of China. In the farming economy （经济）, oxen are the major animals pulling plows （犁）.

Of course, the good of oxen is not limited to plowing.  In fact, they are seen as "boats on land" for their ability to carry loads. Besides, the whole body of an ox is full of treasures. Their meat and milk are food full of nutrition, and their skin can be used to make clothes and shoes. With all these qualities, oxen are regarded as generous creatures.

In the past, oxen played an important role in the spiritual life of the Chinese. Even today, oxen still play a special part in some folk activities. For example, some people who1ire in southwest China will cook cattle bone soup and share it among family members when holding the ceremony for children who reach 13. They believe that the cattle bone soup represents the blood relationship among family members. In order to express their love for oxen, people in some other areas will run to shake off diseases on the 16th day of the first month by the lunar calendar （农历）, and during their run they will take their oxen along, which indicates they regard the creature as human.

Because of the contribution of oxen in their lives, the Chinese people are very grateful to the animal. In addition, the use of oxen in ceremonies and the thanks people owe to oxen help to develop various traditional customs, which becomes an important part of the folk culture of the Chinese nation.

1.The words "boats an land" underlined in Paragraph 2 refer to __

A. animals for taking goods                 B. creatures for pulling plows

C. treasures of the folk culture              D. tools in the farming economy

2.From the third paragraph, we know that __

A. oxen are no more important today than in the past

B. ceremonies are held when people cook cattle bone soup

C. oxen are treated as human in some areas of China

D. people run with oxen to shake off diseases every month

3.Which of the following helps to develop traditional customs?

A. The special role of oxen in frowning.

B. People's respect and love for oxen.

C. The practical value of an ox's body.

D. The contribution of oxen to the economy.

4.Why does the author write the text?

A. To stress the importance of oxen in farming.

B. To introduce the Chinese folk culture.

C. To describe how to celebrate the Year of Ox.

D. To explain how to develop agriculture with oxen.

On February seventeenth, the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company of Chino, California, recalled almost sixty-five kilograms of beef. The government declared the products unfit for human food, Officials at the Department of Agriculture said the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection.

The beef recall was the largest in American history. But the government rated the health risk as low. No cases of sickness have been reported.

The beef was produced over the last two years. Almost all of it went to federal programs to provide lunches for schoolchildren. Some also went to federal programs for Indian reservations and emergency food aid.

About half of the beef had already been used when the recall took place. The recall followed the public release of video secretly recorded by the Humane Society of the United States. The video showed workers at the Chino slaughterhouse (屠宰场) mistreating “downers”---- the name for sick or injured cows unable to stand.

     The workers kicked them and shot water at their faces. They also used electric shocks and forklift trucks to force the animals to their feet. The Agricultural Department bans downer cattle from entering the food supply. The ban is part of measures to protect against the human version of mad cow disease.

Westland/ Hallmark is closed until investigations are completed, and its deals to supply federal programs are suspended. Local officials have brought animal cruelty charges against two employees. And lawmakers in Congress have ordered the head of the company to appear at a hearing this week, saying he refused an earlier invitation.

At the end of February, the Humane Society brought a lawsuit against the Agriculture Department over a change in its inspection rules. The group says the change made last year could make it easier for sick and injured cows to enter the food supply.

Officials defend the inspection process, but have also announced new measures, including inspections outside approved hours of operation.

When food recalls are announced, they often include the names of some of the stores that were supplied with the products. But under a new state law, California has published an online list of names, addresses and phone numbers of thousands of places affected by the beef recall. These include markets, restaurants, hotels and school systems.

68．What caused the recall of the beef?

A．The release of the video recorded secretly

B．The poor inspection to the beef industry

C．The illness caused by the beef.

D．The investigation of the Agriculture Department

69．Why did the Humane Department Society bring a lawsuit against the Agriculture Department?

A．The Agriculture Department failed to inspect the beef.

 B．The Agriculture Department changed its inspection rules.

 C．The changed inspection rules are not suitable for the beef industry.

 D．The sick and injured cows are easy to enter the food supply.

70．Which of the following statements is true?

 A．Half of the beef from the company proves to be poisonous.

B．The beef has made lots of people sick.

C．The employer of the company was accused of what his workers did to the cattle.

D．Almost all of the beef went to the lunches for school children.

71．What is the meaning of the underlined word “suspended” in Para 6?

A．held back       B．called off         C．put off                  D．slow down