Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, "But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead."

　　Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt-- a mistake 75% of US population make every day. The big question is why.

　There have been many myths about safety belt ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.

　Myth the Number One: It's best to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident.

　　Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to "throw you clear" is able going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are you'll have traveled through a windshield (挡风玻璃)or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times in cases where people are "thrown clear".

　Myth Number Two: Safety-bets "trap" people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.

    Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious (昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situation, not to be trapped in them.

　Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren't needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour (mph).

　Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 metres.

Why did Elizabeth say to her father, "But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead"?

 A. He was driving at great speed.

B. He was running across the street.

C. He didn't have his safety belt on.

 D. He didn't take his medicine on time.

The reason father was in a hurry to get home was that he __________.

A. wasn't feeling very well     B. hated to drive in the dark

C. wanted to take some exercise  D. didn't want to be caught by the people

According to the text, to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident is very dangerous because you ________.

A. may be knocked down by other cars.

B. may get serious hurt thrown out of the car

C. may find it impossible to get away from the seat

 D. may get caught in the car door

Some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt because they believe _______.

A. the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident

B. they will be unable to think clearly in an accident

C. they will be caught when help comes

 D. cars catch fire easily

What is the advice given in the test?

A. Never drive faster than 30 miles an hour.

B. Try your best to save yourself in a car accident.

C. Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving.

 D. Drive slowly while you're not wearing a safety belt.

Everyone has heard of the San Andreas fault （断层）, which constantly threatens California and the West Coast with earthquakes. But how many people know about the equally serious New Madrid fault in Missouri?

　　 Between December of 1811 and February of 1812, three major earthquakes occurred, all centered around the town of New Madrid, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. Property damage was severe. Buildings in the area were almost destroyed. Whole forests fell at once, and huge cracks opened in the ground,  releasing some strong smell chemicals.

　　 The Mississippi River itself completely changed character, developing sudden rapids and whirlpools (激流和漩涡). Several times it changed its course, and once, according to some observers, it actually appeared to run backwards. Few people were killed in the New Marid earthquakes, probably simply because few people lived in the area in 1811; but the severity of the earthquakes are shown by the fact that the shock waves rang bells in church towers in Charleston, South Carolina, on the coast. Buildings shook in New York City, and clocks were stopped in Washington, D.C.

Scientists now know that America's two major faults are essentially different. The San Andreas is a horizontal boundary between two major land masses that are slowly moving in opposite directions. California earthquakes result when the two masses make a sudden move.

     The New Madrid fault, on the other hand, is a vertical fault; at some points, possibly hundreds of millions of years ago, rock was pushed up toward the surface, probably by volcanoes under the surface. Suddenly, the volcanoes cooled and the rock collapsed, leaving huge cracks. Even now, the rock continues to settle downwards, and sudden sinking motions cause earthquakes in the region. The fault itself, a large crack in this layer of rock, with dozens of other cracks that split off from it, extends from northeast Arkansas through Missouri and into southern Illinois.

　　 Scientists who have studied the New Madrid fault say there have been numerous smaller quakes in the area since 1811; these smaller quakes indicate that larger ones are probably coming, but the scientists say they have no method of predicting when a large earthquake will occur.

1.This passage is mainly about ___________.

A. current scientific knowledge about faults

B. the San Andreas and the New Madrid faults

C. the causes of faults 　　　　　　　

D. the New Madrid fault in Missouri

2.The New Madrid fault is __________.

A. a vertical fault

B. a horizontal fault

C. a more serious fault than the San Andreas fault

D. responsible for forming the Mississippi River

3.This passage implies that _________.　　　　　　.

A. horizontal faults are more dangerous than vertical faults

B. Vertical faults are more dangerous than horizontal faults

C. The volcanoes that caused the New Madrid fault are still alive

D. A lot of people would die if the 1811 New Madrid earthquakes happened today

Soccer is played by millions of people all over the world, but there have only been few players who were truly great. How did these players get that way---was it through training and practice, or are great players “born, not made”? First, these players came from places that have had famous stars in the past---players that a young boy can look up to and try to imitate(模仿). In the history of soccer, only seven countries have ever won the World Cup---three from South America and four from western Europe. There has never been a great national team---or a really great player---from North America or from Asia. Second, these players have all had years of practice in the game. Alfredo Di Stefano was the son of a soccer player, as was Pele. Most players begin playing the game at the age of three or four.

Finally, many great players come from the same kind of neighbourhood---a poor, crowded area where a boy’s dream is not to be a doctor, lawyer, or businessman, but to become a rich, famous athlete or entertainer(艺人). For example, Liverpool, which produced the Beatles, had one of the best English soccer teams in recent years. Pele practiced in the street with a “ball” made of rags(破布). And George Best learned the tricks that made him famous by bouncing the ball off a wall(对着墙壁踢球) in the slums(贫民窟) of Belfast.

All great players have a lot in common, but that doesn’t explain why they are great. Hundreds of boys played in those Brazilian streets, but only one became Pele. The greatest players are born with some unique quality that sets them apart from all the others.

46. According to the writer, which of the following statements is true?

A. Soccer is popular all over the world, but truly great players are few.

B. Millions of people all over the world are playing soccer, but only seven countries have ever had famous stars.

C. Soccer is played by millions of people all over the world, but only seven countries from South America and western Europe have ever had great national teams.

D. Soccer is one of the most popular games all over the world, but it seems the least popular in North America and Asia.

47. The world “tricks” at the end of Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. experience      B. cheating         C. skills          D. training

48. The Brazilian streets are mentioned to illustrate that ______.

A. famous soccer players live in slum areas

B. people in poor areas are born with some unique quality

C. children in poor areas start playing football at the age of three or four

D. a great soccer player may be born in a slum area

49. In the last paragraph the statement “…but only one became Pele” indicates that ______.

A. Pele is the greatest soccer player

B. the greatest players are born with some unique quality

C. Pele’s birthplace sets him apart from all the others

D. the success of a soccer player has everything to do with the family background

50. The writer mentions all the factors that may affect a soccer player’s success except ______.

A. his family background               B. his neighbourhood

C. his practice                              D. his character

Electric ears are dirty.In fact, not only are they dirty, they might even be more dirty than their gasoline-powered cousins.
People in California love to talk about "zero-emissions vehicles", but people in California seem to be clueless about where electricity comes from. Power plants mostly use fire to make it. Aside from the new folks who have their roofs covered with solar cells, we get our electricity from generators. Generators are fueled by something---usually coal, oil,but also by heat generated in nuclear power plants. There are a few wind farms and geothermal plants as well, but by far we get electricity mainly by burning something.
In other words, those "zero-emissions" cars are likely coal-burning cars. It's just because the coal is burned somewhere else that it looks clean. It is not. It's as if the California Greens are. covering their eyes---"If I can't see it, it's not happening." Gasoline is an incredibly efficient way to power a vehicle; a gallon of gas has a lot of energy in it.But when you take that gas (or another fuel) and first use it to make electricity, you waste a nice part of that energy, mostly in the form of wasted heat---at the generator, through the transmission lines, etc.
A gallon of gas may propel your car 25 miles. But the electricity you get from that gallon of gas won't get you nearly as far---so electric cars bum more fuel than gas-powered ones. If our electricity came mostly from nukes; or geothermal,or hydro, or solar, or wind,then an electric car truly would be clean. But for political, technical,and economic reasons,we don't use much of those energy sources.
In addition,electric cars' batteries which are poisonous for a long time will eventually end up in a landfill.And finally, When cars are the polluters, the pollution is spread across all the roads. When it's a power plant, though, all the junk is in one place. Nature is very good at cleaning up when things are too concentrated, but it takes a lot longer when all the garbage is in one spot.
【小题1】 What does "clueless" mean in paragraph 2?

根据句子结构或括号中所给的词在空格处填上合适的词或所给词的正确形式。
【小题1】There have been severe floods, __________ (bring) chaos to the region.
【小题2】The story is about global warming and __________ it will destroy cities and change the world in the future.
【小题3】_________ the society developing rapidly, we’d better keep changing our views on different things with the times.
【小题4】Chaos is a terrible situation __________ everything goes wrong.
【小题5】We see people in the restaurant __________ (eat) happily.
【小题6】At the entrance __________ the bank, there are two white marble lions.
【小题7】Some people think smoking is harmful to health, __________ others consider smoking is helpful for reducing pressure of work.
【小题8】Most of the products __________ (make) in China are popular in the world.
【小题9】The house __________ roof is red is theirs.
【小题10】Her son believes Father Christmas is real and __________ he lives in the North Pole.