On the 36th day after they had voted, Americans finally learned Wednesday who would be their next president: Governor George W. Bush of Texas.

Vice President Al Gore, his last realistic avenue for legal challenge closed by a U. S. Supreme Court decision late Tuesday, planned to end the contest formally in a televised evening speech of perhaps 10 minutes, advisers said.

They said that Senator Joseph Lieberman, his vice presidential running mate, would first make brief comments. The men would speak from a ceremonial chamber of the Old Executive office Building, to the west of the White House.

The dozens of political workers and lawyers who had helped lead Mr. Gore’s unprecedented fight to claw a come-from-behind electoral victory in the pivotal state of Florida were thanked Wednesday and asked to stand down.

“The vice president has directed the recount committee to suspend activities,” William Daley, the Gore campaign chairman, said in a written statement.

Mr. Gore authorized that statement after meeting with his wife, Tipper, and with top advisers including Mr. Daley.

He was expected to telephone Mr. Bush during the day. The Bush campaign kept a low profile and moved gingerly, as if to leave space for Mr. Gore to contemplate his next steps.

Yet, at the end of a trying and tumultuous process that had focused world attention on sleepless vote counters across Florida, and on courtrooms form Miami to Tallahassee to Atlanta to Washington the Texas governor was set to become the 43d U. S. president.

The news of Mr. Gore’s plans followed the longest and most rancorous dispute over a U. S. presidential election in more than a century, one certain to leave scars in a badly divided country.

It was a bitter ending for Mr. Gore, who had outpolled Mr. Bush nationwide by some 300000 votes, but, without Florida, fell short in the Electoral College by 271votes to 267—the narrowest Electoral College victory since the turbulent election of 1876.

Mr. Gore was said to be distressed by what he and many Democratic activists felt was a partisan decision from the nation’s highest court.

The 5-to –4 decision of the Supreme Court held, in essence, that while a vote recount in Florida could be conducted in legal and constitutional fashion, as Mr. Gore had sought, this could not be done by the Dec. 12 deadline for states to select their presidential electors.

James Baker 3rd, the former secretary of state who represented Mr. Bush in the Florida dispute, issued a short statement after the U. S. high court ruling, saying that the governor was “very pleased and gratified.”

Mr. Bush was planning a nationwide speech aimed at trying to begin to heal the country’s deep, aching and varied divisions. He then was expected to meet with congressional leaders, including Democrats. Dick Cheney, Mr. Bush’s ruing mate, was meeting with congressmen Wednesday in Washington.

When Mr. Bush, who is 54, is sworn into office on Jan.20, he will be only the second son of  a president to follow his father to the White House, after John Adams and John Quincy Adams in the early 19th century.

Mr. Gore, in his speech, was expected to thank his supporters, defend his hive-week battle as an effort to ensure, as a matter of principle, that every vote be counted, and call for the nation to join behind the new president. He was described by an aide as “resolved and resigned.”

While some constitutional experts had said they believed states could present electors as late as Dec. 18, the U. S. high court made clear that it saw no such leeway.

The U.S. high court sent back “for revision” to the Florida court its order allowing recounts but made clear that for all practical purposes the election was over.

In its unsigned main opinion, the court declared, “The recount process, in its features here described, is inconsistent with the minimum procedures necessary to protect the fundamental right of each voter.”

That decision, by a court fractured along philosophical lines, left one liberal justice charging that the high court’s proceedings bore a political taint.

Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in an angry dissent:” Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year’s presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the nation’s confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the law.”

But at the end of five seemingly endless weeks, during which the physical, legal and constitutional machines of the U. S. election were pressed and sorely tested in ways unseen in more than a century, the system finally produced a result, and one most Americans appeared to be willing at lease provisionally to support.

The Bush team welcomed the news with an outward show of restraint and aplomb. The governor’s hopes had risen and fallen so many times since Election night, and the legal warriors of each side suffered through so many dramatic reversals, that there was little energy left for celebration.

The main idea of this passage is

[A]. Bush’s victory in presidential election bore a political taint.

[B]. The process of the American presidential election.

[C]. The Supreme Court plays a very important part in the presidential election.

[D]. Gore is distressed.

     What does the sentence “as if to leave space for Mr. Gore to contemplate his next step” mean

[A]. Bush hopes Gore to join his administration.

[B]. Bush hopes Gore to concede defeat and to support him.

[C]. Bush hopes Gore to congraduate him.

[D]. Bush hopes Gore go on fighting with him.

     Why couldn’t Mr. Gore win the presidential election after he outpolled Mr. Bush in the popular vote? Because

[A]. the American president is decided by the supreme court’s decision.

[B]. people can’t directly elect their president.

[C]. the American president is elected by a slate of presidential electors.

[D]. the people of each state support Mr. Bush.

     What was the result of the 5—4 decision of the supreme court?

[A]. It was in fact for the vote recount.

[B]. It had nothing to do with the presidential election.

[C]. It decided the fate of the winner.

[D]. It was in essence against the vote recount.

     What did the “turbulent election of 1876” imply?

[A]. The process of presidential election of 2000 was the same as that.

[B]. There were great similarities between the two presidential elections (2000 and 1876).

[C]. It was compared to presidential election of 2000.

[D]. It was given an example.

以下是伦敦市著名旅游景点或线路的游览票介绍                                        

   A. Tickets for London Eye Flight (30 mins,$22)                

                            Paris has the Eiffel Tower, and New York has the Empire STATE. Now London has the British Airways London Eye — an extraordinary symbol for this extraordinary city. The world’s largest observation wheel offers a spectacular way to take in over 55 of London’s famous landmarks!                                              

B. Tickets for Madame Tussauds (Flexible, $ 25)                  

Madame Tussauds Waxwork Museum is well known for the huge collection of wax(4n) figures of famous people. In this museum, visitors will encounter Henry VIII and his six wives, the present Queen, leading figures of the French Revolution, and many other famous figures, including sports or pop stars. It is a must-sec attraction in London.                             

  C. Tickets for the Tower of London plus River Cruise(4.5 hours, $66)          

                            The Tower of London is one of the world’s most famous and spectacular castles. Don’t you want to discover its 900-year history as a royal palace and castle, prison and jewel house? Take a river cruise on the River Thames. It is a visit to the Tower of London and drop off at St. Paul’s Cathedral. If you have kids ，they will love it!          

D. London Duck Tours (80 mins , $ 30)                          

Don’t miss the exciting adventure created for visitors to London, taking in the sight by road and river! No one has ever seen anything like it before on the streets of London, let alone the river! It is more than just a sightseeing tour—it’s an adventure. Don’t miss this one!                                                                                

   E. Discovering London (9 hours, $ 100)                     

                            In this trip, you will explore the best of London with a morning tour of the world’s most famous city by road and river. Your experienced and qualified guide will take you through Westminster Abbey, changing the guard at Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and much, much more!                                               

F. The Original London Sightseeing Tour (24 hours pass, $ 40)                                              

See London’s major sights on an open-top double-decker bus. Join one of four circular tours at any one of their pick up points and see every major sight in London including the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Piccadilly. Simply “Hop on and Hop off ，at your choice of famous landmarks to enhance your visit to London!                                

以下是一些游客的信息，请匹配适合他们的旅游景点成线路。

1.Mr Bush came to London on business from America two weeks ago. During his spare time， he has visited most of the attractions in London with his clients in their private cars. However, this weekend he plans to take a public transportation vehicle to go around this big city. Due to an accident several years ago, Mr Bush doesn’t dare to take a boat again.

2.Louis, a young Frenchman, went to London for a visit last week. Today is his last day there. He has visited the London Eye, the Tower of London and most other famous attractions. So today, he would like to do something unusual, exciting or dangerous. It will be best if it is something he can’t do in other cities. However, he has only $35 left for his last day trip.

3.Kathrin is a German college student whose major is world history. From reading her textbooks she got to know stories of many historical figures. She is eager to see what they look like. Also, in her spare time, she lik.es to listening to pop music. It is her dream to have her photos taken with her favorite stars, but she doesn’t have enough money to attend their concerts.

4.Lin Yang is a Chinese teacher who teaches history in a high school. This Friday, he will go to London to take a short-term course. After that, he will stay there for one more day and he plans to visit a famous attraction. He is very interested in the old castles and relics in London. In his view, appreciating beautiful castles on a boat is the most enjoyable thing. Unluckily, he will only have 6 hours for leisure time that day.

5.Steve is a post-graduate student who has never been to London. Next weekend, he will go there with his professor to attend a meeting. According to his professor, he will have two hours of free time after the meeting. He intends to visit the most famous place in London where he can see the whole city. The ticket shouldn’t cost more than S25.

The Kyoto Protocol is a plan created by the United Nations for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change．The plan aims to reduce the amount of industrial gases released（释放）into the environment．Some scientists say carbon dioxide and other industrial gases are to blame for climate change around the world．The scientists say such gases build up in the atmosphere and trap heat below．They say this results in increasing temperatures and rising sea levels．

The plan is called the Kyoto Protocol because it was negotiated（商订）in Kyoto，Japan in December，1997．The goal of the agreement is to reduce the amount of emissions（排放物）--industrial gases released to below the levels of 1990．

Nations responsible for at least 55％of the world's industrial carbon dioxide emissions had to approve the agreement before it could go into effect．The European Union and many other industrial nations quickly approved the Kyoto Protocol．They receive credit for their own emissions if they invest in cleaned technologies in developing nations．Developing nations do not have to meet the emissions requirements of the agreement．

The United States produced 36％of the world's carbon dioxide emissions in 1999．But the United States refused to approve the Kyoto Protocol．Before the Protocol was negotiated，the United States Senate（美国参议院）voted that any treaty（条约）harmful to the economy of the United States could not be signed．President Bush has said that he supports the general idea of the treaty but will not send the treaty to the Senate for approval．Mr. Bush said that the agreement sets unfair differences between industrial and developing nations．He also said that the treaty could cause some Americans to lose their jobs．

After the United States rejected（拒绝）the Kyoto Protocol，approval by Russia was necessary for the agreement to come into effect．Russia approved the Protocol in November，2004 and the Kyoto Protocol went into effect on February 16^th，2005．157 countries have approved the agreement．

1.What’s the purpose of this passage?

A．To note the importance of environmental protection．

B To provide information about the Kyoto Protocol．

C．To show the results caused by global climate change．

D．To criticize the US for its response to the Kyoto Protocol．

2.How many years was the Kyoto Protocol negotiated before its coming into effect?

A．Nearly 1 year．                      B．Nearly 6 years．

C．Nearly 8 years．                     D．Nearly 15 years．

3.What's the main idea of Paragraph 4?

A．The US Senate has more power than President Bush．

B．The Kyoto Protocol will really do some harm to the US economy．

C．The worry of President Bush about signing the Kyoto Protocol is reasonable．

D．The US views its interest more important than environmental protection．

4.It can NOT be learned from this passage that          ．

A．the Kyoto Protocol was created to solve global pollution problems

B．the developed countries are mainly responsible for industrial gases

C．the developing countries can be free from the Kyoto Protocol

D．the Kyoto Protocol finally took effect without America's approval

The Kyoto Protocol is a plan created by the United Nations for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change．The plan aims to reduce the amount of industrial gases released（释放）into the environment．Some scientists say carbon dioxide and other industrial gases are to blame for climate change around the world．The scientists say such gases build up in the atmosphere and trap heat below．They say this results in increasing temperatures and rising sea levels．

The plan is called the Kyoto Protocol because it was negotiated（商订）in Kyoto，Japan in December，1997．The goal of the agreement is to reduce the amount of emissions（排放物）--industrial gases released to below the levels of 1990．

Nations responsible for at least 55％of the world's industrial carbon dioxide emissions had to approve the agreement before it could go into effect．The European Union and many other industrial nations quickly approved the Kyoto Protocol．They receive credit for their own emissions if they invest in cleaned technologies in developing nations．Developing nations do not have to meet the emissions requirements of the agreement．

The United States produced 36％of the world's carbon dioxide emissions in 1999．But the United States refused to approve the Kyoto Protocol．Before the Protocol was negotiated，the United States Senate（美国参议院）voted that any treaty（条约）harmful to the economy of the United States could not be signed．President Bush has said that he supports the general idea of the treaty but will not send the treaty to the Senate for approval．Mr. Bush said that the agreement sets unfair differences between industrial and developing nations．He also said that the treaty could cause some Americans to lose their jobs．

After the United States rejected（拒绝）the Kyoto Protocol，approval by Russia was necessary for the agreement to come into effect．Russia approved the Protocol in November，2004 and the Kyoto Protocol went into effect on February 16^th，2005．157 countries have approved the agreement．

60．What’s the purpose of this passage?

A．To note the importance of environmental protection．

B  To provide information about the Kyoto Protocol．

C．To show the results caused by global climate change．

D．To criticize the US for its response to the Kyoto Protocol．

61．How many years was the Kyoto Protocol negotiated before its coming into effect?

A．Nearly 1 year．                                         B．Nearly 6 years．

C．Nearly 8 years．                                        D．Nearly 15 years．

62．What's the main idea of Paragraph 4?

A．The US Senate has more power than President Bush．

B．The Kyoto Protocol will really do some harm to the US economy．

C．The worry of President Bush about signing the Kyoto Protocol is reasonable．

D．The US views its interest more important than environmental protection．

63．It can NOT be learned from this passage that          ．

A．the Kyoto Protocol was created to solve global pollution problems

B．the developed countries are mainly responsible for industrial gases

C．the developing countries can be free from the Kyoto Protocol

D．the Kyoto Protocol finally took effect without America's approval

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A，B，C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Passage One　　Americans are crazy for work. There was a time when things might have gone in a different direction. With unemployment at a nine-year high and many workers worried about losing their jobs, work is not the paradise that economists once imagined. Instead, the job market is unsure today as it was in the early 1980s, when business began a wave of restructuring. Many workers today are left feeling uneasy, unsatisfied, and underappreciated.

　　Passage Two　　As US Secretary of State Colin Powell increased the pressure to go to war, America's fear of attack rose. Last week, the American government raised its official threat level to the second highest security alert (安全警报). For the Bush's government, those terrorist threats only underline the pressing need to go to war. But for many America's friends, any US-led war against Iraq could set off a new round of terrorist atttacks both in Europe and the Arab world. In a long presentation to the United Nations Security Council last week, Powell thought that American intelligence could shame and shock the UN into giving in to the USA.

　　Passage Three　　On February 3, President George W. Bush published a budget (预算) which is full of great but doubtful reforms(改革方案). Bush's budget plan is to prove supply-side economic theory, which believes that big cuts in certain tax rates will push long-term growth and finally avoid any shortage of the state income. Some economists worry that the latest round of tax changes will not repair the nation. As a whole, Bush's reform plan “is hard to tell whether it works or not,” says a director of the Concord Coalition.

1．Which of the following is TRUE according to the three short passages?

[　　]

A．In the 1980s economy in America was fairly good.

B．American economists have great faith in Bush's economic reform plan.

C．Mr Powell was sure that according to the information they had got about Iraq they could persuade the UN to agree on a war against Iraq.

D．The American people have never been so interested in their jobs as they are now.

2．What is the meaning of the underlined word “underline” in the second passage?

[　　]

A．Draw a line under something.

B．Make something pleasant.

C．Cause people's interest.

D．Make people pay more attention.

3．Which of the following pictures does Passage One match according to the meaning?

[　　]