your moving out of the twenties, we are giving you a marvelous birthday party.

We had a marvelous holiday: only the last two days were slightly _____ by the weather.

          A. damaged       B. hurt      C. ruined       D. spoiled

D
Skyscrapers and domed stadiums can amaze us. These modern “wonders of the world” are great achievements in building. Some skyscrapers stretch more than 100 stories toward the sky. The Sears Tower, the tallest building in Chicago, soars 110 stories above the city. Domed stadiums like the Astrodome in Huston, Texas, have seats for thousands of people. Inside these stadiums, people can watch their favorite sports without the bother of heat, cold, rain, or snow. Modern skyscrapers and domed stadiums are certainly marvelous structures!
On the other hand, our modern buildings may seem small when compared to some structures of the ancient world. Our buildings may be large, hold many people, and protect us from the weather. However, many ancient structures stand as some of the greatest achievements in building. Ancient builders used great creativity and physical strength to plan and complete these buildings. Today, we could make most of these ancient structures easily, but it is hard to understand how people built them hundreds and hundreds of years ago.
Stonehenge is a huge stone circle in Europe. It was built more than 4,000 years ago. The circle has stone slabs that stand up to 30 feet tall. The heaviest stones in the circle weigh about 50 tons. How did people build Stonehenge without cranes or other modern equipment? Scientists have studied Stonehenge for years and think it probably took more than 30 million hours to complete the project.
Tourists in Africa like to see the Great Pyramids of Egypt. These tombs for Egyptian kings were built over 4,000 years ago. Each tomb has walls shaped like triangles and a square base. The largest pyramid is more than 450 feet tall and contains more than two million stones. Each stone weighs more than two tons. Some of the stones weigh as much as 200 tons. More than 900 workers worked to move the largest stones into place.
The stone faces are unusual structures on Easter Island. The faces are 12 to 20 feet high. Islanders made the stone faces more than 1,000 years ago. We do not know why they built them. There are more than 600 stone faces on the island. The great number of stone faces is surprising, since Easter Island is only 11 miles long and 15 miles wide.
Stonehenge, the Great Pyramids, and the stone faces on Easter Island give only a glimpse of the ancient achievements in building. If we look back through history, we can find many more examples of marvelous structures built without the aid of modern tools and equipment.
68．What is the main idea of this passage?
A．Modern builders have learned a great deal by studying ancient structures.
B．Modern builders have shown great creativity in the structures they have made.
C．Ancient builders could not create structures as great as modern ones.
D．Ancient builders created some of the world’s finest structures without the use of the modern methods or materials.
69．According to the passage, ancient structures are amazing because they were built ______ .
A．in places like Egypt and Europe            B．without the use of modern equipment
C．from stone slabs                     D．over long periods of time
70．The author of this passage would probably describe the achievements of ancient builders as _____.
A．ordinary      B．amazing       C．strange        D．impossible
71．Which of the following is an OPINION expressed in this passage?
A．The stone slabs at Stonehenge stand up to 30 feet tall.
B．Modern skyscrapers and domed stadiums are certainly marvelous structures.
C．Some ancient structures required 900 workers to complete them.
D．The Sears Tower is 110 stories high.

Statuses are marvelous human inventions that enable us to get along with one another and to determine where we "fit" in society. As we go about our everyday lives，we mentally attempt to place people in terms of their statuses. For example，we must judge whether the person in the library is a reader or a librarian，whether the telephone caller is a friend or a salesman，whether the unfamiliar person on our property is a thief or a meter reader，and so on.
The statuses we assume often vary with the people we encounter， and change throughout life. Most of us can， at very high speed， assume the statuses that various situations require. Much of social interaction consists of identifying and selecting among appropriate statuses and allowing other people to assume their statuses in relation to us. This means that we fit our actions to those of other people based on a constant mental process of appraisal and interpretation. Although some of us find the task more difficult than others，most of us perform it rather effortlessly.
A status has been compared to readymade clothes. Within certain limits， the buyer can choose style and fabric. But an American is not free to choose the costume of a Chinese peasant or that of a Hindu prince. We must choose from among the clothing presented by our society. Furthermore， our choice is limited to a size that will fit， as well as by our pocketbook . Having made a choice within these limits we can have certain alterations made， but apart from minor adjustments， we tend to be limited to what the stores have on their racks. Statues too come ready made， and the range of choice among them is limited.
51. In the first paragraph，the writer tells us that statuses can help us ______.
A. determine whether a person is fit for a certain job
B. behave appropriately in relation to other people
C. protect ourselves in unfamiliar situations
D. make friends with other people
52. According to the writer，people often assume different statuses ______.
A. in order to identify themselves with others
B. in order to better identify others
C. as their mental processes change
D. as the situation changes
53. The underlined word "appraisal"(Para.2) most probably means "______".
A. involvement  B. appreciation     C. judgment    D. presentation
54. In the last sentence of the second paragraph， the pronoun "it" refers to "______".
A. fitting our actions to those of other people appropriately
B. identification of other people’s statuses
C. selecting one’s own statuses
D. constant mental process
55. By saying that "an American is not free to choose the costume of a Chinese peasant or that of a Hindu prince" (Para.3)， the writer means _______.
A. different people have different styles of clothes
B. readymade clothes may need alterations
C. statuses come ready made just like clothes
D. our choice of statuses is limited

D
Stricter Traffic Law can Prevent Accidents
From the health point of view we are living in a marvelous age. We are immunized from birth against many of the most dangerous diseases. A large number of once fatal illnesses can now be cured by modern drugs and surgery. It is almost certain that one day remedies will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases. The expectation of life has increased enormously. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the incredible slaughter of men, women and children on the roads. Man versus the motor-car! It is a never-ending battle which man is losing. Thousands of people the world over are killed or horribly killed each year and we are quietly sitting back and letting it happen.
It has been rightly said that when a man is sitting behind a steering wheel, his car becomes the extension of his personality. There is no doubt that the motor-car often brings out a man’s very worst qualities. People who are normally quiet and pleasant may become unrecognizable when they are behind a steering-wheel. They swear, they are ill-mannered and aggressive, willful as two-years-olds and utterly selfish. All their hidden frustrations, disappointments and jealousies seem to be brought to the surface by the act of driving.
The surprising thing is that society smiles so benignly on the motorist and seems to condone his behaviour. Everything is done for his convenience. Cities are allowed to become almost uninhabitable because of heavy tragic; towns are made ugly by huge car parks; the countryside is desecrated by road networks; and the mass annual slaughter becomes nothing more than a statistic, to be conveniently forgotten.
It is high time a world code were created to reduce this senseless waste of human life. With regard to driving, the laws of some countries are notoriously lax and even the strictest are not strict enough. A code which was universally accepted could only have a dramatically beneficial effect on the accident rate. Here are a few examples of some the things that might be done. The driving test should be standardized and made far more difficult than it is; all the drivers should be made to take a test every three years or so; the age at which young people are allowed to drive any vehicle should be raised to at least 21; all vehicles should be put through stringent annual tests for safety. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can impair a person’s driving ability. Present drinking and driving laws (where they exist) should be mad much stricter. Maximum and minimum speed limits should be imposed on all roads. Governments should lay down safety specifications for manufacturers, as has been done in the USA. All advertising stressing power and performance should be banned. These measures may sound inordinately harsh. But surely nothing should be considered as too severe if tit results in reducing the annual toll of human life. After all, the world is for human beings, not motor-cars.
52. The main idea of this passage is__________-
A. Traffic accidents are mainly caused by motorists.
B. Thousands of people the world over are killed each year.
C. The laws of some countries about driving are too lax.
D. Only stricter traffic laws can prevent accidents.
53. What does the author think of society toward motorists?
A. Society smiles on the motorists.
B. Huge car parks are built in the cities and towns.
C. Victims of accidents are nothing.
D. Society condones their rude driving.
54. Why does the author say:’ his car becomes the extension of his personality?’
A. Driving can show his real self.
B. Driving can show the other part of his personality.
C. Driving can bring out his character.
D. His car embodies his temper.
55.  Which of the followings is NOT mentioned as a way against traffic accidents?
A. Build more highways.
B. Stricter driving tests.
C. Test drivers every three years.
D. raise age limit and lay down safety specifications.
56.   The attitude of the author is
A. ironical     B. critical              C. appealing          D. positive