42. In the 14th century, about one third of the world’s human population died because ______.

A. big fires broke out in Europe

B. rats spread the plague throughout Europe

C. rats spread poison in water

D. people had no food to eat at that time

41. According to the passage, the underlined word “devour” in the first paragraph means

A. damage　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. eat up

C. destroy　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. steal

40. What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?

A. the different kinds of damages caused by rats.

B. how terrible the rats are to us humans.　

C. how to kill rats in proper ways.

D. why we should kill rats every day.

39. One way to prevent fires at home is to _________.

　　　 A. leave stoves in the middle of the rooms

B. dry clothes near stoves

　　　 C. tell children to stay away from fire

D. smoke away from fires

(B)

Through all of human history, rats have been a curse and a plague (祸害) to people. They eat or spoil crops of grain and rice before they can be harvested or while they are in storage. In India, where millions of people go hungry, there are ten times as many rats as people. Rats devour half of the available food. Rats will also attack birds and animals, from flogs and chicks to geese and young calves. They have even destroyed dams and buildings by making holes through or under them. Sometimes they cause fires by chewing on electrical wiring.

　　 The most terrible destruction caused by rats, however, has come from the diseases they carry. In the fourteenth century, rats caused the death of one-third of the world’s human population by transmitting bubonic plague (淋巴腺鼠疫). This dreadful outbreak also called the Black Plague, ravaged (严重损坏) Europe for years.

　　 Ironically, it is in fighting diseases that rats have been most useful to humanity. The bodies of rats, though quite different from those of humans, have certain basic structural similarities. So thousands of specially bred rats are used in research laboratories every year to test medicines that can possibly be used to prolong and improve human life. As might be expected, some laboratory rats are even used to test new procedures and methods for eliminating their cousins - the wild rats.

38. It’s best to keep medicines in places that children can’t __________.

　　　 A. get on　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. get to

C. get in　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. get over

37. The writer advises you _______ about the use of electrical equipment.

　　　 A. to appear as if you know everything

B. to pretend that you don’t know anything

　　　 C. to pretend that you know everything

D. not to think you know everything

36. The writer thinks the reason why there are so many accidents in our home is that we are _______.

　　　 A. less careful in our homes than in a car

B. more careful in our homes than in a car

　　　 C. as careful in our homes as in a car

D. not so careful in a car as in our homes

34.A. where　 　　　　　　　 B. how　　　 　　　 C. when　　　 　　　 D. what

33.A. finishing 　　 B. realizing　 　　　 C. starting　　 　　　 D. winning