“It was amazing, just impressive,” Holly Budge, a 29-year-old British woman, said after making a safe landing at a spot 12,350 feet (3,765 meters) above sea level ― the highest “drop zone” achieved by a parachutist (跳伞者). “We had one minute of freefall and while we were above the clouds you could see Everest and the other high mountains popping out of the top,” she said.

Ms Budge and her two fellow daredevils, Wendy Smith, from New Zealand, and Neil Jones, from Canada, jumped out of an aircraft at about 29,500 feet, just higher than the peak of the world’s highest mountain. They fell at speeds reaching 140mph, past the highest ridges of the snow-covering Himalayas, before each released a parachute (降落伞). The jumpers wore oxygen masks to keep their lungs working as they fell. Wearing neoprene underwear（内衣） was compulsory ― to prevent them from being frozen to death.

The adventure, advertised by its organizers as “a feast for those who seek to stimulate all their senses to the full”, appeared to have lived up to its billing. “I had never seen so many mountains before,” Ms Smith said. “To be on top of the world was simply stunning（令人晕倒的）.”

The expedition also offered a way by which to celebrate her 30th birthday later this month, she said. Besides, her jump raised funds for charities in Britain and Nepal, including more than ￡10,000 for the Hampshire Autistic Society.

In the next few days the feat will be repeated by about 30 others, weather permitting. Each has paid at least ￡12,675 to High and Wild, the British adventure travel company behind the project. Ms Budge said: “It was worth the money. It is something that has never been done before.”

48. The three skydivers jumped out of the plane at an altitude of about _____.

A. 3765 meters        B. 8993 meters        C. 12,350 meters      D. 29,500 meters

49. It can be known from the passage that _____.

A. High and Wild is a new British adventure travel company

B. the aircraft took the jumpers to a height higher than the Himalayas

C. Ms Budge used to be an extreme sports enthusiast.

D. the three skydivers succeeded in landing at the top of the highest mountain.

50. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? ___________

A. The successful diving is a good way to celebrate Ms Budge’s 31st birthday.

B. This skydiving has set a new national record.

C. Ms Budge has managed to contribute all her money to charities.

D. As a wonderful experience, this skydiving is recommended to other people.

51. Which of the following must the skydivers make sure of according to the passage?

A. Taking a record book               B. Donating some money

C. Having suitable weather            D. wearing normal underwear

E

She was born to wealth and power in an era when money and politics were left to the men. Later, as The Washington Post's publisher, Katharine Graham became one of America's most powerful women.

Despite a privileged background, Katharine had to deal, while growing up, with the high demands her mother placed on her children. Katharine's love of journalism, which she shared with her father, led to her career after college at The Washington Post, the newspaper her father bought in 1933. At the Post, Katharine met Phil Graham, a young, charming lawyer who became her husband. When, in 1945, Katharine's father chose Phil over her to take over his struggling paper, Katharine didn't object and stayed at home as a wife and mother of four.

While Phil's successful efforts to restore the Post to prominence (显著) made the Grahams popular members of the Washington social scene, Katharine privately suffered tremendous pain from her husband's increasingly abusive behavior and wild mood swings caused by severe depression. When Phil committed suicide (自杀), the 46-year-old Katharine found herself thrown into a new job, that of newspaper publisher. But determined to save the family paper for her children, Katharine rose to the challenge of running the Post, attending meetings in every department, working endlessly to prove herself to her critics, and becoming the toast of Washington.

In 1971, Katharine ordered the Post to print a copy of the Pentagon Papers, the top-secret documents revealing the truth about the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. What's more, her courageous decision and support for her journalists prepared the Post to break the most important political story in modern history: Watergate, one of the greatest scandals (丑闻) in American political history. Katharine managed to keep control over the most chaotic (disorder) of situations when it was reported, all the time insisting the news stories be accurate and fair. Watergate made the Washington Post an internationally known Paper and Katharine was considered as the most powerful woman in America.

71. Katharine Graham was born in a time when ______.

    A. women were not given the chance to receive education

    B. women were not considered as intelligent as men

    C. women were not permitted to achieve their goals

    D. women were not allowed to enter every field

72. When her husband was chosen to take charge of the newspaper, Katharine Graham ______.

       A. was strongly against the idea         

    B. was not happy to be rejected

   C. was willing to take her share of responsibility

    D. didn't believe her husband would do a good job

73. Which can be considered the most important event in the history of The Washington Post?

   A. Reporting Watergate scandal.      B. Printing the Pentagon Papers.

   C. Reporting the Vietnam War.        D. Phil restoring the Post.

74. Which of the following statements is true?

A. It was Katharine Graham's husband who made the greatest contributions to the Post.

B. When Katharine Graham first took over the Post, her critics doubted her ability.

C. Katharine Graham was successful in her career but suffered severe depression.

D. Katharine Graham was free to do whatever she liked in her early life.

75. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

   A. Ups and downs of The Washington Post.

   B. Katharine Graham's family life and career.

   C. Katharine Graham: from housewife to successful publisher.

   D. Katharine Graham: a woman who shaped American journalism.