A powerful earthquake struck the northeastern coast of Japan at two forty-six p.m. local time on March eleventh.2011. Japan's Meteorological Agency released its first tsunami（海啸） warnings just three minutes later. The country has one of the best earthquake early warning systems in the world.

There are more than four thousand Seismic Intensity Meters in place throughout Japan to measure earthquake activity. These meters provide information within two minutes of an earthquake happening. Information about the strength and the center of the earthquake can be learned within three minutes.

There are also concrete(混凝土) sea walls around much of the Japanese coastline. But these measures proved no match for the powerful earthquake and tsunami.

Costas Synolakis ，a tsunami expert at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles said，"Japan is one of those most well-prepared countries on earth in terms of tsunami warning. They had a warning. I think what went wrong is that they had not expected the size of this event."

He says there are two reasons for this. Japan has not had any event anywhere near as big as this one in the last one hundred fifty years. And scientists had not expected such a large earthquake happening off the coast of Japan.

The nine point zero magnitude earthquake was the fourth most powerful earthquake ever recorded worldwide. It was also the worst earthquake ever to hit Japan. The tsunami waves that followed were reported to have reached as high as thirteen meters in some areas.

Costas Synolakis says Japan's concrete sea walls were not built to handle such high waves.

Experts say early warning systems will continue to be limited by these facts until earthquakes and tsunamis can be predicted

Where can this passage probably be adapted from?

    A．A magazine on science       B．A fairy Tale 

C．A scientific fantasy book     D．A newspaper  

Which of the following statements NOT true ?

    A. A terrible earthquake hit the northeastern coast of Japan

    B. It was also the worst earthquake in Japan

C. The 9.0 earthquake was the fourth most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan

D. Japan's concrete sea walls was unable to handle such high waves.

According to Costas Synolakis, why did Japan suffer such a loss?

  A. The country has never experienced any event as big as this one over the past 150 years

B. Japan has the best earthquake early warning systems in the world.

C. There are not concrete sea walls around all of the Japanese coastline

D. The government didn’t announce its first tsunami warnings three minutes earlier.

A dam is a man-made structure built across a river. Most dams are built to control a river’s water flow, improve navigation and control flooding. However, some dams are built to produce hydro-electric power.

Hydro-electric power is produced as water passes through a dam, and into a river below. The more water that passes through a dam, the more energy is produced. Once a dam is built, a man-made lake is created behind the dam.

Electricity is produced by a kind of equipment called a turbine(水轮机). Turbines contain metal coils(线圈) surrounded by magnets(磁铁). When the magnets move round rapidly over the metal coils, electricity is produced. Turbines are located inside dams. The falling water makes the magnets go around the coils.

Dams provide clean energy, but they can also harm the environment. Species that use rivers to reproduce are often hurt by dams. In the Northwest of the US, the population of fishes has dropped from 16 million to 2.5 million since hydro-electric plants were built on the Columbia River. Dams all over the world have hurt some species. 

  The highest dam in the Unites States is located near Oroville, California. The Oroville Dam towers 230 meters and is more than a mile wide. This dam was built in 1968, 22 years after the Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam, on the Nevada-Arizona border controls the Colorado river. It is 221 meters high and has 2.6 million hectare-meters of water.

The highest dam in the world is the Nurek Dam on the Vakhsh River in Tadzikistan, a country in central Asia. This dam is 300 meters tall. 

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?              

A. Some dams are built for controlling a river’s water flow.

B. Hydro-electric power is usually produced through a dam.

C. Dams can offer energy and they are harmless to the environment.

D. Generally speaking, where there is a dam, there is a man-made lake.

The third paragraph mainly tells us _____.                          

  A. how hydro-electric power is produced

  B. What a turbine is and how it works 

  C. how the magnets and the metal coils work

  D. how the falling water passes through a turbine                     

The dam which controls the Colorado river is ____.                  

A. the Oroville Dam  B. the Hoover Dam  C. the Nurek Dam  D. the Vakhsh Dam

A dam is a man-made structure built across a river. Most dams are built to control a river’s water flow, improve navigation and control flooding. However, some dams are built to produce hydro-electric power.

Hydro-electric power is produced as water passes through a dam, and into a river below. The more water that passes through a dam, the more energy is produced. Once a dam is built, a man-made lake is created behind the dam.

Electricity is produced by a kind of equipment called a turbine(水轮机). Turbines contain metal coils(线圈) surrounded by magnets(磁铁). When the magnets move round rapidly over the metal coils, electricity is produced. Turbines are located inside dams. The falling water makes the magnets go around the coils.

Dams provide clean energy, but they can also harm the environment. Species that use rivers to reproduce are often hurt by dams. In the Northwest of the US, the population of fishes has dropped from 16 million to 2.5 million since hydro-electric plants were built on the Columbia River. Dams all over the world have hurt some species. 

  The highest dam in the Unites States is located near Oroville, California. The Oroville Dam towers 230 meters and is more than a mile wide. This dam was built in 1968, 22 years after the Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam, on the Nevada-Arizona border controls the Colorado river. It is 221 meters high and has 2.6 million hectare-meters of water.

The highest dam in the world is the Nurek Dam on the Vakhsh River in Tadzikistan, a country in central Asia. This dam is 300 meters tall. 

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?              

A. Some dams are built for controlling a river’s water flow.

B. Hydro-electric power is usually produced through a dam.

C. Dams can offer energy and they are harmless to the environment.

D. Generally speaking, where there is a dam, there is a man-made lake.

The third paragraph mainly tells us _____.       56-60 ADB                    

  A. how hydro-electric power is produced

  B. What a turbine is and how it works 

  C. how the magnets and the metal coils work

  D. how the falling water passes through a turbine                     

The dam which controls the Colorado river is ____.                  

A. the Oroville Dam  B. the Hoover Dam  C. the Nurek Dam  D. the Vakhsh Dam

On numerous drives throughout my childhood, my mother would suddenly pull over the car to examine a flower by the side of the road or rescue a beetle (甲虫) from certain tragedy while I, in my late teens and early twenties, sat impatiently in the car.

    Though Mother’s Day follows Earth Day, for me, they have always been related. My mom has been “green” since she became concerned about the environment. Part of this habit was born of thrift (节俭). Like her mother and her grandmother before her, Mom saves glass jars, empty cheese containers and re-uses her plastic bags.

    Mom creates a kind of give-and-take relationship with wildlife in her yard. She knows to pick the apples on her trees a little early to fend off the bears and that if she leaves the bird feeders out at night, it’s likely they’ll be knocked down by a family of raccoons (浣熊). Spiders that make their way into the house are captured (捕获) in a juice glass and set loose in the garden.

    I try to teach my children that looking out for the environment starts with being aware of the environment. On busy streets, we look for spent (开败的) dandelions (蒲公英) to parachute; we say hello to neighborhood cats and pick up plastic cups and paper bags. This teaching comes easily, I realize, because I was taught so well by example. Mom didn’t need to lecture; she didn’t need to beat a drum to change the world. She simply slowed down enough to enjoy living in it and with that joy came compassion and an instinct (本能) for preservation.

    I am slowing down and it isn’t because of the weight of my nearly forty years on the planet, it is out of my concern for the planet itself. I’ve begun to save glass jars and re-use packing envelopes. I pause in my daily tasks to watch the squirrels race each other through the palm (棕榈树) leaves above my porch (门廊).

    Last summer, in the company of my son and daughter, I planted tomatoes in my yard. With the heat of August around me, I ate the first while sitting on my low wall with dirt on my hands. Warm from the sun, it burst on my tongue with a sweetness I immediately wanted to share with my mom.

Why does the author say Earth Day is connected with Mother’s Day?

A. Because Mother’s Day falls shortly after Earth Day.

B. To stress that all the older women in her family are environmentalists.

C. To stress how much her mother cares about the environment.

D. Because on Mother’s Day her mother shows her how to be friend to nature.

According to the fourth paragraph, which of the following is the author’s mother NOT likely to do?

A. When she came across a lost dog, she helped it to find its shelter.

B. In spring, she spent some time watching the plants growing in the garden.

    C. She joined in the campaign to encourage the public to contribute actively towards a better environment.

    D. She walked to a nearby shop which was within ten minutes’ walk rather than drove there.

What can we conclude from the article?

A. The author’s mother is very patient with her children.

B. The author’s mother knows how to live in harmony with nature.

C. The author’s mother always took care of the wildlife that came into her yard.

D. The author’s mother used to remind her to slow down to protect the environment.

We can infer from the article that ______.

A. the author thinks that too many people now label themselves environmentalists   

B. the author’s mother knows how to get rid of the wildlife in her yard   

C. the author believes that only by learning to slow down, can we enjoy life

D. the author realizes that she should teach her children by example as well

What is the main idea of the last three paragraphs?

A. How the author taught her children to protect the environment.

B. How the author’s mother influenced the author.

C. What inspired the author to slow down and enjoy life.

D. How the author spent her time with her children.

A letter to Edward，a columnist

Dear Mr. Expert,

    I grew up in an unhappy and abusive(虐待) home. I always promised myself that I’d get out as soon as possible. Now, at age 20, I have a good job and a nice house, and I’m really proud of the independence I've achieved.

    Here’s the problem: several of my friends who still live with their parents wish they had places like mine—so much so that they make mine theirs.

      It started out with a couple of them spending the weekends with me. But now they seem to take it for granted that they can show up any time they like. They bring boyfriends over, talk on the phone and stay out forever.

    I enjoy having my friends here sometimes—it makes the place feel comfortable and warm—but this is my home, not a party house. I was old enough to move out on my own, so why can’t I seem to ask my friends to respect my privacy(隐私)?

                                                                                                                    Joan

Edward’s reply to Joan

Dear Joan,

　　If your family didn’t pay attention to your needs when you were a child, you probably have trouble letting others know your needs now.

　　And if you’ve gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere(气氛), you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict（冲突）you grew up with—or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy. You need to understand that in true friendship it’s okay to put your own needs first from time to time.

      Be clear about the message you want to send. For example, “I really love your company（陪伴） but I also need some privacy. So please call before you come over. ”

                                                                                                                    Edward

59. We can learn from the first letter that Joan ___________.

  A. takes pride in her friends                       

B. lives away from her parents

  C. knows Mr. Expert quite well              

D. hates her parents very much

60. We can infer from the first letter that __________.

　 A. Joan thinks her friends more important than her privacy

   B. Joan doesn’t like the parties at all

   C. Joan’s friends visit her more often than expected

   D. Joan dislikes the boyfriends her friends bring over

61. In Mr. Expert’s opinion, the reason why Joan can’t tell her friends her feelings is that _________.

　 A. she is afraid of hurting her friends 

B. she does not understand true friendship

   C. her family experience stops her from doing so

D. she does not put her needs first

62. The second letter suggests that Mr. Expert __________.

　 A. is concerned about Joan’s problem

B. warns Joan not to quarrel with her friends

   C. encourages Joan to be brave enough

   D. advises Joan on how to refuse people