Before a new type airplane goes service, every part of it is tested again and again. But there are two tests that are more of into important than the others.

   The first is called the “tank test”. A modern airplane must fly very high in the sky. Air must be pumped into the plane so that the passengers can breathe. The metal structure of the plane has to be very strong for this reason. When the plane is filled with air, the air presses against the skin of the plane inside. The pressure(压力)on a small window is like a huge foot that is trying to get out. If a small part of the plane were to fail, the plane would explode in the sky. To test the structure of the plane, the plane is lowered into a huge tank or container of water. Then it is filled with air. The pressure inside the plane is greater than it ever will be when it is high up in the air. Finally, there is an explosion. This does not cause so much damage inside the water tank as it would anywhere else. Engineers can discover which part of the plane has broken. Then that part is made stronger.

   The most dangerous test happens when the new plane is going through test flights in the air. The test must find out exactly what happens when the engines(发动机) are all shut off at once. The plane begins to fall like a stone. It is the pilot’s job to find out how he can get control of the plane again. These two tests are examples of how planes are made safe before they ever carry passengers.

By doing the “tank test”, the engineers can find out ____.

   A. the amount of air in the plane                B. the strength of the plane structure

   C. the pressure inside and outside the plane       D. the power of the airplane engines

What will happen to the plane under the “tank test”?

   A. It will be broken                        B. It will be made stronger.

   C. It will be filled with water.                D. It will be tested by pilots.

According to the text, why are test flights most dangerous?

   A. The plane may explode in the air          B. The pilot may lose control of the plane.

   C. The engines may be damaged.             D. Too much air may get into the plane.

What might be the most suitable title for the text?

  A. Two Important Tests on Airplane           B. The Importance of Flying Safety

  C. The Danger of Testing Airplanes            D. How Airplanes Are made and Tested

There was a king who gave his daughter a beautiful diamond necklace. The necklace was stolen and his people in the kingdom searched everywhere but could not find it. So the king asked to search for it and put a reward for＄50,000 for anyone who found it.
One day, a clerk was walking home along a river when he saw something shinning in the river and when he looked, he saw the diamond necklace. He decided to try and catch it to get the ＄50,000 reward.
He put his hand in the river and tried to catch the necklace, but somehow missed it and didn’t catch it. He took his hand out and looked again and the necklace was still there. He tried again.
But strangely, he still missed the necklace! He came out and started walking away, feeling sad. Just then, an old man walking by saw him, and asked him what was the matter. The clerk didn’t want to share the secret with him, thinking he might take the necklace for himself, so he refused to tell him anything.
The old man could see this man was troubled. He again asked the clerk to tell him the problem and promised that he would not tell anyone about it. The clerk told him about the necklace and how he tried and tried to catch it, but kept failing.
The old man then told him that perhaps he should try looking upward, toward the branches of the tree, instead of in the river. The clerk looked up and true enough, the necklace was hanging on the branch of a tree. He had been trying to take a reflection of the real necklace all this time.
【小题1】The clerk tried to get the diamond necklace to ________________.

A．make the king happy.	B．keep it for himself.
C．get the big reward.	D．sell it at a high price.

【小题2】 Before the old man asked the clerk what was the matter, the clerk        .

A．was searching in the water	B．was trying to find help
C．felt rather tired	D．was not feeling good

【小题3】Where did the clerk find the necklace at last?

A．On the tree

B．On the bank

C．In the river

D．In the sand

【小题4】What might be the best title for the passage?

A．A beautiful diamond necklace	B．A king’s promise
C．A lucky young clerk	D．Changing the way of thinking

A sunflower is a sunflower. A mobile phone is a mobile phone. But can you combine the two to do something for your local environment? As early as next year it may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone, you will be able to bury it in a garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower.
A biodegradable (生物所能分解的) mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists. It is hoped that the new type of phone will encourage consumers to recycle.
Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other plastic and can be hard or soft, and is able to change shape. Over time it can also break down into the soil without giving out any poisonous chemicals. British researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this new type of cover turns into waste, it forms fertilizers. These feed the seed and help the flower grow.
Engineers have designed a small transparent (透明的) window to hold the seed. They have made sure it only grows when the phone is thrown away. “We’ve only put sunflower seeds into the covers so far. But we are working with plant experts to find out which flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time.” said one scientist.
As phone technology is developing so quickly, people are constantly throwing their mobiles away. This means manufacturers are under pressure to find ways of recycling them. Some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. Most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. A biodegradable cover can offer some relief for nature, according to the scientists.
“The seed comes out and the flower grows in the pot so you don’t have to concern yourself with the phone when you have finished using it.” said Kerry Kirwan. She leads the research team, which is based at the University of Warwick in Britain.
【小题1】What is the purpose of this passage? _____

A．To tell the popularity of biodegradable cell phones.

B．To persuade the reader to buy the biodegradable cell phone.

C．To discuss the development of phone technology

D．To introduce an environment-friendly cell phone to readers.

【小题2】People throw away their cell phones most probably because ____

A．there is something wrong with them

B．no sunflowers can grow out of them

C．they are out of fashion

D．they are becoming cheaper and cheaper

【小题3】It could be learned from the passage that ____.

A．developing the new type of phone is mainly to protect the environment

B．phone-makers will benefit much more from the new type of phone

C．the new type of phone will certainly be popular with users all over the world.

D．the phones that can be recycled are available only in Britain now

【小题4】What might be the most suitable title for this passage?

A．Sunflower and Phone	B．Plant Your Phone
C．Protect Our Environment	D．NO Worry about Phone

China is casting such a huge shadow on the United States that many Americans are struggling to learn Chinese in order to maintain their competitive edge, "Interest in learning Chinese among American youth and their parents has grown dramatically in the past five years," said Vivien Stewart at the Asia Society, a US group trying to bridge the gap between Americans and people of Asia and the Pacific．
China, the world's most popular nation, is critical to the United States because it is a leading trader, consumer and investor- Its political influence is also rising across the globe．It has replaced the United States as the world's largest consumer and become the second largest economy in the world after the superpower status and its telling effects politically, economically and culturally are driving the interest to learn the language, experts say．
From kindergartens to high schools, studies by the Asia Society show, there is a "rapid rise" in interest among pupils to study the Chinese language．
Even though the US State Department has stressed the Chinese language "critical " to national prosperity and security, the "current infrastructure （基础设施）to support recruitment （招生） of students and teachers as well as the growth of high quality programs is -badly inadequate," an Asia Society study says．The Society has set a target of having at least 5% of American high school students learning Chinese by 2015．"Millions of Chinese are learning English, but only 24,000 Americans are learning Chinese," said Andrew Corcoran of the San Francisco - based Chinese American International School．
The most popular languages after English in the United States at present are Spanish and French.
【小题1】The passage mainly tells the readers that _____,

A．China is getting under a shadow from USA

B．American competitive edge is shaking

C．Americans object to learning Chinese

D．Chinese appeals to more Americans

【小题2】Based on the context, what does the underlined word "inadequate" （in Paragraph 5） mean?

A．leading	B．interesting
C．disappointing	D．promising

【小题3】According to the text which of the following is TRUE?    

A．Culture can have an effect on exciting persons'

B．USA has got the high quality current

C．Chinese ranks 4th on the American Language

D．Politics decides language studying

【小题4】What might be the most suitable title for this passage?   
A, US Government Requires its People to Learn Chinese       
B．Chinese Gains its Popularity with Most Americans    
C．China's Economy Helps to Spread its Language                 
D．Americans Show Interest Learning Chinese 

Before a new type of airplane goes into service, every part of it is tested again and again. But there are two tests that are more important than all the others.

The first is called the "tank test". A modem airplane must fly very high in the sky. Air must be pumped into the plane so that the passengers can breathe. The metal structure （结构）of the plane has to be very strong for this reason. When the plane is filled with air, the air presses against the skin of the plane inside. The pressure （压力） on a small window is like a huge foot that is try??ing to get out. If a small part of the plane were to fail, the plane would explode in the sky. To test the structure of the plane, the plane is lowered into a huge tank or container of water. Then it is filled with air. The pressure inside the plane is greater than it ever will be when it is high up in the air. Finally, there is an explosion. This does not cause so much damage inside the water tank as it would anywhere else. Engineers can discover which part of the plane has broken. Then that part is made stronger.

The most dangerous test happens when the new plane is going through test flights in the air. The test pilot must find out exactly what happens when the engines （发动机） are all shut off at once. The plane begins to fall like a stone. It is the pilot’s job to find out how he can get control of the plane again. These two tests are examples of how planes are made safe before they ever carry passengers.

68. By doing the "tank test", the engineers can find out _______.

       A. the amount of air in the plane

       B. the strength of the plane structure

       C. the pressure inside and outside the plane

       D. the power of the airplane engines

69. What will happen to the plane under the "tank test"?

       A. It will be broken.                     B. It will be made stronger.

       C. It will be filled with water.                   D. It will be tested by pilots,

70. According to the text, why are test flights most dangerous?

       A. The plane may explode in the air.           

       B. The pilot may lose control of the plane.

       C. The engines may be damaged.              

       D. Too much air may get into the plane.

71. What might be the most suitable title for the text?

       A. Two Important Tests on Airplanes

       B. The Importance of Flying Safely

       C. The Danger of Testing Airplanes

       D. How Airplanes Are Made and Tested