The south and east of the Great Lakes is famous for the huge amounts of snow it receives. When the snow starts to fall every year,　people start discussing the phrase “l(fā)ake-effect snow”.

Lake-effect snow which is influenced by the movement of cold air over the relatively warm water of the Great Lakes often comes in late autumn and early winter. Because of the at least 20 degrees’ difference between the lake water and the overrunning air, it’s easy to form huge amounts of snow.

As the cool air crosses the water of Great Lakes, the lowest levels of the atmosphere begin to warm and pick up moisture. This newly warmed atmosphere is lighter than the cold air above it, so it starts rising. As the changed air continues to climb higher and higher, it finally meets much colder atmosphere which changes the moisture into water drops and ice, forming clouds. After this course repeats a number of times, the clouds become heavier and heavier, and then they are changed into snow and fall down.

The most important point that decides the amount of snowfall is the direction of the wind. If the wind runs perpendicularly（垂直地）across the lake, there won’t be plenty of time for clouds to develop. However, if the wind runs in the opposite direction, clouds will form easily. The longer the cold air travels over the lake, the more moisture it is able to produce, which leads to a greater amount of snow.

The largest amount of the lake-effect snow was found across the U.P. of Michigan, the northwestern Pennsylvania and the far southwestern and northwestern New York, which are all along the south or east of the Great Lakes. It has been over 100 inches of snowfall in a winter season.

1.The level of the snowfall depends on ________.

A．the size of the lake

B．the direction of the wind

C．the temperature of the lake

D．the strength of the wind

2.From the passage, we can learn that ________.

A．clouds are easy to produce with the help of the perpendicular wind

B．cold air always falls down and picks up moisture to form clouds

C．the temperature of the lake water is the same as the overrunning air’s above it

D．the longer journey of the cold atmosphere can make a grater amount of snow

3.The passage is mainly about ________.

A．the influences of the lake-effect snow for local people

B．the weight between moisture and atmosphere

C．how the phrase “l(fā)ake-effect snow” comes in New York

D．how the lake-effect snow forms around the Great Lakes

The south and east of the Great Lakes is famous for the huge amounts of snow it receives. When the snow starts to fall every year,　people start discussing the phrase “l(fā)ake-effect snow”.
Lake-effect snow which is influenced by the movement of cold air over the relatively warm water of the Great Lakes often comes in late autumn and early winter. Because of the at least 20 degrees’ difference between the lake water and the overrunning air, it’s easy to form huge amounts of snow.
As the cool air crosses the water of Great Lakes, the lowest levels of the atmosphere begin to warm and pick up moisture. This newly warmed atmosphere is lighter than the cold air above it, so it starts rising. As the changed air continues to climb higher and higher, it finally meets much colder atmosphere which changes the moisture into water drops and ice, forming clouds. After this course repeats a number of times, the clouds become heavier and heavier, and then they are changed into snow and fall down.
The most important point that decides the amount of snowfall is the direction of the wind. If the wind runs perpendicularly（垂直地）across the lake, there won’t be plenty of time for clouds to develop. However, if the wind runs in the opposite direction, clouds will form easily. The longer the cold air travels over the lake, the more moisture it is able to produce, which leads to a greater amount of snow.
The largest amount of the lake-effect snow was found across the U.P. of Michigan, the northwestern Pennsylvania and the far southwestern and northwestern New York, which are all along the south or east of the Great Lakes. It has been over 100 inches of snowfall in a winter season.
【小題1】The level of the snowfall depends on ________.

There’s plenty of time for you to make up your mind .You      rush now.

A．can’t B．mustn’t     C．needn’t     D．won’t

The south and east of the Great Lakes is famous for the huge amounts of snow it receives. When the snow starts to fall every year,　people start discussing the phrase “l(fā)ake-effect snow”.
Lake-effect snow which is influenced by the movement of cold air over the relatively warm water of the Great Lakes often comes in late autumn and early winter. Because of the at least 20 degrees’ difference between the lake water and the overrunning air, it’s easy to form huge amounts of snow.
As the cool air crosses the water of Great Lakes, the lowest levels of the atmosphere begin to warm and pick up moisture. This newly warmed atmosphere is lighter than the cold air above it, so it starts rising. As the changed air continues to climb higher and higher, it finally meets much colder atmosphere which changes the moisture into water drops and ice, forming clouds. After this course repeats a number of times, the clouds become heavier and heavier, and then they are changed into snow and fall down.
The most important point that decides the amount of snowfall is the direction of the wind. If the wind runs perpendicularly（垂直地）across the lake, there won’t be plenty of time for clouds to develop. However, if the wind runs in the opposite direction, clouds will form easily. The longer the cold air travels over the lake, the more moisture it is able to produce, which leads to a greater amount of snow.
The largest amount of the lake-effect snow was found across the U.P. of Michigan, the northwestern Pennsylvania and the far southwestern and northwestern New York, which are all along the south or east of the Great Lakes. It has been over 100 inches of snowfall in a winter season

1. 1.

   The level of the snowfall depends on ________

   1. A.
      the size of the lake
   2. B.
      the direction of the wind
   3. C.
      the temperature of the lake
   4. D.
      the strength of the wind
2. 2.

   From the passage, we can learn that ________

   1. A.
      clouds are easy to produce with the help of the perpendicular wind
   2. B.
      cold air always falls down and picks up moisture to form clouds
   3. C.
      the temperature of the lake water is the same as the overrunning air’s above it
   4. D.
      the longer journey of the cold atmosphere can make a grater amount of snow
3. 3.

   The passage is mainly about ________

   1. A.
      the influences of the lake-effect snow for local people
   2. B.
      the weight between moisture and atmosphere
   3. C.
      how the phrase “l(fā)ake-effect snow” comes in New York
   4. D.
      how the lake-effect snow forms around the Great Lakes

The south and east of the Great Lakes is famous for the huge amounts of snow it receives. When the snow starts to fall every year, people start discussing the phrase “l(fā)ake-effect snow”.

Lake-effect snow which is influenced by the movement of cold air over the relatively warm water of the Great Lakes often comes in late autumn and early winter. Because of the at least 20 degrees’ difference between the lake water and the overrunning air, it’s easy to form huge amounts of snow.

As the cool air crosses the water of Great Lakes, the lowest levels of the atmosphere begin to warm and pick up moisture. This newly warmed atmosphere is lighter than the cold air above it, so it starts rising. As the changed air continues to climb higher and higher, it finally meets much colder atmosphere which changes the moisture into water drops and ice, forming clouds. After this course repeats a number of times, the clouds become heavier and heavier, and then they are changed into snow and fall down.

The most important point that decides the amount of snowfall is the direction of the wind. If the wind runs perpendicularly（垂直地）across the lake, there won’t be plenty of time for clouds to develop. However, if the wind runs in the opposite direction, clouds will form easily. The longer the cold air travels over the lake, the more moisture it is able to produce, which leads to a greater amount of snow.

The largest amount of the lake-effect snow was found across the U.P. of Michigan, the northwestern Pennsylvania and the far southwestern and northwestern New York, which are all along the south or east of the Great Lakes. It has been over 100 inches of snowfall in a winter season.

65. The level of the snowfall depends on ________.

       A. the size of the lake

       B. the direction of the wind

       C. the temperature of the lake

       D. the strength of the wind

66. From the passage, we can learn that ________.

       A. clouds are easy to produce with the help of the perpendicular wind

       B. cold air always falls down and picks up moisture to form clouds

       C. the temperature of the lake water is the same as the overrunning air’s above it

       D. the longer journey of the cold atmosphere can make a grater amount of snow

67. The passage is mainly about ________.

       A. the influences of the lake-effect snow for local people

       B. the weight between moisture and atmosphere

       C. how the phrase “l(fā)ake-effect snow” comes in New York

       D. how the lake-effect snow forms around the Great Lakes

A staycation is a vacation when you do not travel at all. Some people use a staycation to just stay at home, and others prefer to experience the attractions around them without traveling very far.

There are many choices for staycations. Any town or city has plenty of choices for things to do if you know where to look. If the weather is nice, you can visit the local gardens or forests for a hike. You can look online for several historic places and create your own history tours. Of course, you can also visit other attractions in the areas like museums, restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, and so on. Often, if you drive just a few hours, you can find a city that you can walk around and see. Then by driving home you can save the cost of a hotel and a plane ride.

Others take the term “staycation” word for word and do not leave their houses at all. Some choices for this can include taking time off to cook a great meal and enjoy it together or spending all day at a pool.

Just as a coin has two sides, staycation has its advantages as well as disadvantages.

Since you are not traveling or staying in a hotel, a staycation can be unbelievably costeffective（低成本的）. You don’t have to pay for a hotel, so that cost has been completely eliminated. You are also saving by not driving very far and by not taking an airplane anywhere. Travel costs have become really high, and the farther you go, the higher they are. By staying close to home, you cut that cost by quite a bit. You are also pushing money back into your local economy（經(jīng)濟(jì)）by spending your money at local businesses rather than in cities that are far away from home.  Finally, any stress that you feel with travel, whether that is from driving long distances or looking for an airport, will completely disappear.

1.For what purpose is the text written?

A．To introduce the general information of staycatons.

B．To compare staycatons with other vacations.

C．To persuade more people to have staycations.

D．To provide different ways of staycations.

2.What is one of the advantages of a staycation?

A．The economy in other cities is also improved.

B．People spend nothing when staying at home.

C．You can visit local attractions for free.

D．There is no stress from traveling.

3.What does the underlined word “eliminated” in Paragraph 5 probably means?

A．included                              B．removed

C．covered                              D．raised

4.What will probably be discussed in the following paragraph?

A．When to take a staycation.                B．What disadvantages a staycation has.

C．Why people prefer a staycation.            D．How to have a staycation safely.

A staycation is a vacation when you do not travel at all. Some people use a staycation to just stay at home, and others prefer to experience the attractions around them without traveling very far.
There are many choices for staycations. Any town or city has plenty of choices for things to do if you know where to look. If the weather is nice, you can visit the local gardens or forests for a hike. You can look online for several historic places and create your own history tours. Of course, you can also visit other attractions in the areas like museums, restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, and so on. Often, if you drive just a few hours, you can find a city that you can walk around and see. Then by driving home you can save the cost of a hotel and a plane ride.
Others take the term “staycation” word for word and do not leave their houses at all. Some choices for this can include taking time off to cook a great meal and enjoy it together or spending all day at a pool.
Just as a coin has two sides, staycation has its advantages as well as disadvantages.
Since you are not traveling or staying in a hotel, a staycation can be unbelievably costeffective（低成本的）. You don’t have to pay for a hotel, so that cost has been completely eliminated. You are also saving by not driving very far and by not taking an airplane anywhere. Travel costs have become really high, and the farther you go, the higher they are. By staying close to home, you cut that cost by quite a bit. You are also pushing money back into your local economy（經(jīng)濟(jì)）by spending your money at local businesses rather than in cities that are far away from home.  Finally, any stress that you feel with travel, whether that is from driving long distances or looking for an airport, will completely disappear.
【小題1】For what purpose is the text written?

Do you remember last summer , when angry travelers were urging the government to do something about airline customer service ? Airlines     36     to improve , and they adopted (采用)new standards just before Christmas .    37     as another summer nears , plenty of     38    

travelers don’t see much improvement in customer     39     overall .

    This month , the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) office will publish its first critical   40      

on whether airlines are     41     their promises . One survey（調(diào)查）suggests problems : the number of     42     to the DOT about the top 10 airlines in the first     43     rose 89% from a year ago .

Hit last summer by passenger complaints  and the threat (威懾)of consumer-protection laws by the    44      , 14 airlines     45     to adopt a set of basic customer-service standards called Customers First . The “12 promises” to passengers were introduced     46     a mjor effort to improve service . Since then , airlines have been redesigning websites , retraining employees and upgrading technology .

Recently , DOT inspector general Kenneth Mead , at McCain’s request , sent 20 examiners to airports to     47     whether each airline is doing what it promised . Mead warns travelers shouldn’t    48      too much . Most of the promises are    49      better communication with customers , not problems with flights .

“Passengers should show more understanding to airlines about their     50     to better air service .” Spokeswoman Shelly Sasson says . “And when     51     are made , it takes a long time for them to be noticed,” she says .

Now , the efforts may be working . During the first quarter , Delta had the second-lowest rate of complaints among the     52     10 carriers .    53     , its rate , along with other carriers’ , is up from last year . McCain and other lawmakers say there may be  a     54     to pass new consumer-protection      55    .

36．A．promised                      B．managed               C．hoped                    D．refused

37．A．So                         B．But                        C．Merely                   D．Even

38．A．skilled                   B．experienced            C．tired                             D．puzzled

39．A．flight                     B．opinion                  C．service                   D．travel

40．A．news                     B．information            C．doubt                     D．a(chǎn)rticle

41．A．honoring               B．making                  C．giving                    D．improving

42．A．problems                      B．travelers                 C．passengers              D．complaints

43．A．quarter                  B．year                       C．month                    D．summer

44．A．customer               B．company               C．government            D．public

45．A．wished                   B．a(chǎn)greed                    C．remembered           D．failed

46．A．to                          B．for                        C．a(chǎn)s                          D．by

47．A．explain                   B．discuss                    C．discover                 D．check

48．A．travel                    B．expect                    C．complain               D．suggest   

49．A．a(chǎn)imed at               B．considered as          C．joined to               D．made from

50．A．difficulty                      B．situation                 C．reality                    D．efforts

51．A．suggestions            B．rules                      C．decisions               D．improvements

52．A．large                     B．first                      C．top                        D．bad

53．A．Still                       B．Therefore                C．Instead                   D．Meanwhile

54．A．possibility              B．need                      C．chance                   D．use

55．A．examinations          B．service                   C．laws                      D．reports

Do you remember last summer , when angry travelers were urging the government to do something about airline customer service ? Airlines     36     to improve , and they adopted (采用)new standards just before Christmas .    37     as another summer nears , plenty of     38    

travelers don’t see much improvement in customer     39     overall .

    This month , the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) office will publish its first critical   40      

on whether airlines are     41     their promises . One survey（調(diào)查）suggests problems : the number of     42     to the DOT about the top 10 airlines in the first     43     rose 89% from a year ago .

Hit last summer by passenger complaints  and the threat (威懾)of consumer-protection laws by the    44      , 14 airlines     45     to adopt a set of basic customer-service standards called Customers First . The “12 promises” to passengers were introduced     46     a mjor effort to improve service . Since then , airlines have been redesigning websites , retraining employees and upgrading technology .

Recently , DOT inspector general Kenneth Mead , at McCain’s request , sent 20 examiners to airports to     47     whether each airline is doing what it promised . Mead warns travelers shouldn’t    48      too much . Most of the promises are    49      better communication with customers , not problems with flights .

“Passengers should show more understanding to airlines about their     50     to better air service .” Spokeswoman Shelly Sasson says . “And when     51     are made , it takes a long time for them to be noticed,” she says .

Now , the efforts may be working . During the first quarter , Delta had the second-lowest rate of complaints among the     52     10 carriers .    53     , its rate , along with other carriers’ , is up from last year . McCain and other lawmakers say there may be  a     54     to pass new consumer-protection      55    .

36．A．promised                      B．managed               C．hoped                    D．refused

37．A．So                         B．But                        C．Merely                   D．Even

38．A．skilled                   B．experienced            C．tired                             D．puzzled

39．A．flight                     B．opinion                  C．service                   D．travel

40．A．news                     B．information            C．doubt                     D．a(chǎn)rticle

41．A．honoring               B．making                  C．giving                    D．improving

42．A．problems                      B．travelers                 C．passengers              D．complaints

43．A．quarter                  B．year                       C．month                    D．summer

44．A．customer               B．company               C．government            D．public

45．A．wished                   B．a(chǎn)greed                    C．remembered           D．failed

46．A．to                          B．for                        C．a(chǎn)s                          D．by

47．A．explain                   B．discuss                    C．discover                 D．check

48．A．travel                    B．expect                    C．complain               D．suggest   

49．A．a(chǎn)imed at               B．considered as          C．joined to               D．made from

50．A．difficulty                      B．situation                 C．reality                    D．efforts

51．A．suggestions            B．rules                      C．decisions               D．improvements

52．A．large                     B．first                      C．top                        D．bad

53．A．Still                       B．Therefore                C．Instead                   D．Meanwhile

54．A．possibility              B．need                      C．chance                   D．use

55．A．examinations          B．service                   C．laws                      D．reports

Teaching a child to read at a young age gives him a valuable start in life. Reading is the basic part of education and a child’s reading ability will influence his school success greatly. Learning difficulties, many of which begin from poor reading skills, can damage a school child’s confidence and affect his future achievement. Young children are programmed to learn and they can learn better with encouragement. Ten to twenty minutes of reading a day still leaves plenty of time for play.

Many parents are concerned that learning to read is too challenging a task for a pre-school child, but they should also remember that most children learn to speak by the time they are 3. Learning a language is probably the single most challenging task any individual can undertake, yet children do it without formal instruction, achieving the fluency much better than adult language students.

There is a window of opportunity in terms of IQ development, which is most open during a child’s early years. A scientific study, carried out by Dr. Peter Huttenlocher at the University of Chicago, showed that the number of connectors, called synapses（神經(jīng)元突觸）, between the nerve endings in a newborn baby’s brain is similar to the number in the average adult brain. These synapses increase rapidly during early childhood. By 12-24 months a child’s brain has about 50% more synapses than the average adult brain. After that the synapses which are not in use begin to atrophy（衰退）. For most people, from age 16, the number remains steady. It begins to drop again as we move into our golden years. Doing intellectual activities at a young age, such as learning to read, can stimulate（刺激）and preserve these connectors in the brain resulting in a long-term beneficial（有益的）effect on IQ development.

Another notable study is probably the Milwaukee project. This study took a group of babies, all of whose mothers had low IQs, and gave them special training for seven hours a day, five days a week, until they started first grade. By the age of 6 these children had an average IQ 30 points higher than their contemporaries. The overwhelming conclusion is that the early intellectual stimulation can have a positive, long-term effect on a child’s brain development.

From birth you should talk to and explain things to your baby. Reading to him can be a wonderful way of spending quality time with your child. The enjoyment of books and being familiar with the idea of print will pave the way for（為……鋪平道路）learning to read later.

If your child is a fast learner you can help him realize his potential by introducing him to the joy of the printed word at an early age. This will lay the foundations（基礎(chǔ)）for both a high achieving school career and a lifelong love of reading. If your child shows early signs of reading difficulties, your efforts may help him get rid of such problems before he goes to school.

It can be difficult to teach your own child because emotional（引起情緒激動(dòng)的）issues arise easily. Online programs for learning to read English are excellent options. They allow children to repeat new materials as many times as they need to, without wearing out the parents’ patience.

1.What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. Children should be taught to read at an early age.

B. Children can read better than most adult students.

C. Children have more synapses than most adults.

D. Children are supposed to learn to read on the Internet.

2.Why does the author mention the study by Dr. Peter Hutten locher?

A. To remove parents’ worry.

B. To explain IQ development.

C. To explain how a baby’s brain works.

D. To show the parents’ wrong ideas.

3.How can children benefit from learning to read at a young age?

A. It can build up great confidence in their mind.

B. It can help preserve the connectors in their brains.

C. It can help produce more connectors in their brains.   

D. It can help them find both their weaknesses and strengths.

4.At the end of this passage the author advises _______.

A. parents not to get angry too often

B. children to enjoy reading as early as possible

C. children not to wear out their parents’ patience

D. parents to get their children to take an online program

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a meeting in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night’s dinner. In their rush, with tickets, one of these salesmen happened to kick over a table which held a display of baskets of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their boarding.

All but one stopped, took a deep breath and experienced a twinge（刺痛）of sorrow for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his friends to go on without him, waved goodbye, and told one of them to call his wife when they arrived and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to where the apple stand had been overturned. He was glad he did.

The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her face. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them into the baskets, and helped set the display up once more. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become damaged; then he set them aside in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, “Here, please take the $20 for the damage we did.” He continued, “I’m sorry for what we did and hope we didn’t spoil your day too badly.”

She nodded with her tears. As the salesman started to walk away, the blind girl called out to him, “Mr. ...”. He stopped, and turned back. She continued, “Thank you very much”.

1.These salesmen were hurrying because they ________.

2.Which of the following is the correct order of what the salesman did?

a. He made an apology to the blind girl.

b. He told his friends to go on without him.

c. He experienced a twinge of sorrow.

d. He returned to the fallen apple stand.

e. He paid the girl $20 for the damage.

3.Which of the following can describe the salesman? 

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

Most people, when they travel to space, would like to stay in orbit for a few days of more. And this stands to reason, if you’re paying $20,000 for your trip to orbit! Strain order for tourism to reach its full potential there’s going to be a need for orbital accommodation---or space hotels. What would a space hotel actually be like to visit? Hotels in orbit will offer the services you expect from a hotel------private rooms, meals, bars. But they’ll also offer two unique experiences: impressive views----of Earth and space---and the endless entertainment of living in zero gravity---including sports and other activities that make use of this.

The hotels themselves will vary greatly----from being quite simple in the early days to huge luxury structure at a later date. It’s actually surprising that as later as 1997, very few designs for space hotels were published. This is mainly because those who might be expected to design them haven’t expected launch costs to come down far enough to make them possible.

Lots of people who’ve been to space have described vividly what it’s like to live in zero gravity. There are obviously all sort of possibilities for dancing, gymnastics, and zero-G sports. Luckily, you don’t need to sleep much living in zero gravity, so you’ll have plenty of time for relaxing by hanging out in a bar with a window looking down at the turning Earth below.

Of course all good things have come to an end. Unfortunately, And so after a few days you’ll find yourself heading back enough you’ll be much more expert at exercising in zero gravity than you were when you arrived. You’ll be thinking how soon you can save up enough to get back up again---or maybe you should change jobs to get to work in an orbiting hotel.

1.When traveling in space, most people would like to stay in orbit for a few days because _______.

2.Which of the following is a unique experience that space hotels will offer?

3.Which of the following is not discussed in the passage?

4.This passage is mainly about ________.

Almost every machine with moving parts has wheels, yet no one knows exactly when the first wheel was invented or what it was used for. We do know, however, that they existed over 5,500 years ago in ancient Asia.
The oldest known transport wheel was discovered in 2002 in Slovenia. It is over 5,100 years old. Evidence suggests that wheels for transport didn’t become popular for a while, though. This could be because animals did a perfectly good job of carrying farming tools and humans around.
But it could also be because of a difficult situation. While wheels need to roll on smooth surfaces, roads with smooth surfaces weren’t going to be constructed until there was plenty of demand for them. Eventually, road surfaces did become smoother, but this difficult situation appeared again a few centuries later. There had been no important changes in wheel and vehicle design before the arrival of modem road design.
In the mid-1700s, a Frenchman came up with a new design of road—a base layer (層) of large stones covered with a thin layer of smaller stones. A Scotsman improved on this design in the 1820s and a strong, lasting road surface became a reality. At around the same lime, metal hubs (the central part of a wheel) came into being, followed by the pneumatic tyre(充氣輪胎) in 1846. Alloy wheels were invented in 1967, sixty years after the appearance of tarmacked roads (柏油路). As wheel design took off, vehicles got faster and faster.
【小題1】What might explain why transport wheels didn’t become popular for some time?

Almost every machine with moving parts has wheels, yet no one knows exactly when the first wheel was invented or what it was used for. We do know, however, that they existed over 5,500 years ago in ancient Asia.

The oldest known transport wheel was discovered in Slovenia. It is over 5,100 years old. Evidence suggests that wheels for transport didn’t become popular for a while, though. This could be because animals did a perfectly good job of carrying farming tools and humans around. But it could also be because of a difficult situation. While wheels need to roll on smooth surfaces, roads with smooth surfaces weren’t going to be constructed until there was plenty of demand for them. Eventually, road surfaces did become smoother, but this difficult situation appeared again a few centuries later. There had been no important changes in wheel and vehicle design before the arrival of modern road design.

In the mid-1700s, a Frenchman came up with a new design of road — a base layer (層) of large stones covered with a thin layer of smaller stones. A Scotsman improved on this design in the 1820s and a strong, lasting road surface became a reality. At around the same time, metal hubs (the central part of a wheel) came into being, followed by the pneumatic type (充氣輪胎） in 1846.Alloy wheels were invented in 1967, sixty years after the appearance of tarmacked roads (柏油路). As wheel design took off, vehicles got faster and faster.

1.What might explain why transport wheels didn’t become popular for some time?

A. Few knew how to use transport wheels.

B. Humans carried farming tools just as well.

C. Animals were a good means of transport.

D. The existence of transport wheels was not known.

2.What do we know about road design from the passage?

A. It was easier than wheel design.

B. It improved after big changes in vehicle design.

C. It was promoted by fast-moving vehicles.

D. It provided conditions for wheel design to develop.

3.How is the last paragraph mainly developed?

A. By giving examples.                                                               B. By making comparisons.

C. By following time order.                                                        D. By making classifications.

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A. The beginning of road design.

B. The development of transport wheels.

C. The history of public transport

D. The invention of fast-moving vehicles.

Most people, when they travel to space, would like to stay in orbit for a few days of more. And this stands to reason, if you’re paying $20,000 for your trip to orbit! Strain order for tourism to reach its full potential there’s going to be a need for orbital accommodation---or space hotels. What would a space hotel actually be like to visit? Hotels in orbit will offer the services you expect from a hotel------private rooms, meals, bars. But they’ll also offer two unique experiences: impressive views----of Earth and space---and the endless entertainment of living in zero gravity---including sports and other activities that make use of this.
The hotels themselves will vary greatly----from being quite simple in the early days to huge luxury structure at a later date. It’s actually surprising that as later as 1997, very few designs for space hotels were published. This is mainly because those who might be expected to design them haven’t expected launch costs to come down far enough to make them possible.
Lots of people who’ve been to space have described vividly what it’s like to live in zero gravity. There are obviously all sort of possibilities for dancing, gymnastics, and zero-G sports. Luckily, you don’t need to sleep much living in zero gravity, so you’ll have plenty of time for relaxing by hanging out in a bar with a window looking down at the turning Earth below.
Of course all good things have come to an end. Unfortunately, And so after a few days you’ll find yourself heading back enough you’ll be much more expert at exercising in zero gravity than you were when you arrived. You’ll be thinking how soon you can save up enough to get back up again---or maybe you should change jobs to get to work in an orbiting hotel.
【小題1】When traveling in space, most people would like to stay in orbit for a few days because _______.

Almost every machine with moving parts has wheels, yet no one knows exactly when the first wheel was invented or what it was used for. We do know, however, that they existed over 5,500 years ago in ancient Asia.

The oldest known transport wheel was discovered in 2002 in Slovenia. It is over 5,100 years old. Evidence suggests that wheels for transport didn’t become popular for a while, though. This could be because animals did a perfectly good job of carrying farming tools and humans around.

But it could also be because of a difficult situation. While wheels need to roll on smooth surfaces, roads with smooth surfaces weren’t going to be constructed until there was plenty of demand for them. Eventually, road surfaces did become smoother, but this difficult situation appeared again a few centuries later. There had been no important changes in wheel and vehicle design before the arrival of modem road design.

In the mid-1700s, a Frenchman came up with a new design of road—a base layer (層) of large stones covered with a thin layer of smaller stones. A Scotsman improved on this design in the 1820s and a strong, lasting road surface became a reality. At around the same lime, metal hubs (the central part of a wheel) came into being, followed by the pneumatic tyre(充氣輪胎) in 1846. Alloy wheels were invented in 1967, sixty years after the appearance of tarmacked roads (柏油路). As wheel design took off, vehicles got faster and faster.

1.What might explain why transport wheels didn’t become popular for some time?

A．Few knew how to use transport wheels.

B．Humans carried farming tools just as well.

C．Animals were a good means of transport.

D．The existence of transport wheels was not known.

2.What do we know about road design from the passage?

A．It was easier than wheel design.

B．It improved after big changes in vehicle design.

C．It was promoted by fast-moving vehicles.

D．It provided conditions for wheel design to develop.

3.How is the last paragraph mainly developed?

A．By giving examples.

B．By making comparisons.

C．By following time order.

D．By making classifications.

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A．The beginning of road design.

B．The development of transport wheels.

C．The history of public transport.

D．The invention of fast-moving vehicles.

Do you remember last summer, when angry travelers were urging the government to do something about airline customer service? Airlines  36  to improve, and they adopted (采用) new standards just before Christmas.  37  as another summer nears, plenty of  38  travelers don’t see much improvement in customer  39  overall.
This month, the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) office will publish its first critical  40  on whether airlines are  41  their promises. One survey suggests problems: the number of  42  to the DOT about the top 10 airlines in the first   43  rose 89% from a year ago .
Hit last summer by passenger complaints and the threat (威懾) of consumer-protection laws by the    44 _, 14 airlines  45  to adopt a set of basic customer-service standards called Customers First . The “12 promises” to passengers were introduced  46  a major effort to improve service. Since then, airlines have been redesigning websites , retraining employees and upgrading technology
Recently, DOT inspector general Kenneth Mead, at McCain’s request, sent 20 examiners to airports to     47  whether each airline is doing what it promised. Mead warns travelers shouldn’t  48  too much. Most of the promises are  49  better communication with customers , not problems with flights .
“Passengers should show more understanding to airlines about their  50  to better air service.” Spokeswoman Shelly Sassoon says. “And when  51  are made, it takes a long time for them to be noticed,” she says.
Now, the efforts may be working. During the first quarter, Delta had the second-lowest rate of complaints among the  52  10 carriers.  53 , its rate, along with other carriers’, is up from last year. McCain and other lawmakers say there may be a  54  to pass new consumer-protection  55 .

Do you remember last summer, when angry travelers were urging the government to do something about airline customer service? Airlines  36  to improve, and they adopted (采用) new standards just before Christmas.  37  as another summer nears, plenty of  38  travelers don’t see much improvement in customer  39  overall.

    This month, the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) office will publish its first critical  40  on whether airlines are  41  their promises. One survey suggests problems: the number of  42  to the DOT about the top 10 airlines in the first   43  rose 89% from a year ago .

Hit last summer by passenger complaints and the threat (威懾) of consumer-protection laws by the    44 _, 14 airlines  45  to adopt a set of basic customer-service standards called Customers First . The “12 promises” to passengers were introduced  46  a major effort to improve service. Since then, airlines have been redesigning websites , retraining employees and upgrading technology

Recently, DOT inspector general Kenneth Mead, at McCain’s request, sent 20 examiners to airports to     47  whether each airline is doing what it promised. Mead warns travelers shouldn’t  48  too much. Most of the promises are  49  better communication with customers , not problems with flights .

“Passengers should show more understanding to airlines about their  50  to better air service.” Spokeswoman Shelly Sassoon says. “And when  51  are made, it takes a long time for them to be noticed,” she says.

Now, the efforts may be working. During the first quarter, Delta had the second-lowest rate of complaints among the  52  10 carriers.  53 , its rate, along with other carriers’, is up from last year. McCain and other lawmakers say there may be a  54  to pass new consumer-protection  55 .

1.A. promised         B. managed             C. hoped         D. refused

2.A. So               B. But                 C. Merely       D. Even

3.A. skilled          B. experienced         C. tired             D. puzzled

4.A. flight          B. opinion              C. service          D. travel

5.A. news            B. information         C. doubt             D. article

6.A. honoring        B. making         C. giving            D. improving

7.A. problems        B. travelers           C. passengers        D. complaints

8.A. quarter         B. year                C. month             D. summer

9.A. customer        B. company             C. government        D. public

10.A. wished         B. agreed          C. remembered    D. failed

11.A. to             B. for                 C. as            D. by

12.A. explain        B. discuss         C. discover          D. check

13. A. travel            B. expect         C. complain          D. suggest    

14.A. aimed at      B. considered as       C. joined to         D. made from

15.A. difficulty         B. situation           C. reality          D. efforts

16.A. suggestions    B. rules               C. decisions         D. improvements

17.A. large              B. first               C. top          D. bad

18.A. Still          B. Therefore            C. Instead      D. Meanwhile

19.A. possibility        B. need                 C. chance      D. use

20.A. examinations B. service          C. laws             D. reports

Almost every machine with moving parts has wheels，yet no one knows exactly when the first wheel was invented or what it was used for.We do know，however，that they existed over 5,500 years ago in ancient Asia.

The oldest known transport wheel was discovered in 2002 in Slovenia.It is over 5,100 years old.Evidence suggests that wheels for transport didn’t become popular for a while，though.This could be because animals did a perfectly good job of carrying farming tools and humans around.

But it could also be because of a difficult situation.While wheels need to roll on smooth surfaces，roads with smooth surfaces weren’t going to be constructed until there was plenty of demand for them.Eventually，road surfaces did become smoother，but this difficult situation appeared again a few centuries later.There had been no important changes in wheel and vehicle design before the arrival of modern road design.

In the mid-1700s，a Frenchman came up with a new design of road—a base layer(層) of large stones covered with a thin layer of smaller stones.A Scotsman improved on this design in the 1820s and a strong，lasting road surface became a reality.At around the same time，metal hubs (the central part of a wheel)came into being，followed by the pneumatic tyre(充氣輪胎) in 1846.Alloy wheels were invented in 1967，sixty years after the appearance of tarmacked roads(柏油路)．As wheel design took off，vehicles got faster and faster.????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? (2013·重慶，C)

1.What might explain why transport wheels didn’t become popular for some time?

A．Few knew how to use transport wheels.

B．Humans carried farming tools just as well.

C．Animals were a good means of transport.

D．The existence of transport wheels was not known.

2. What do we know about road design from the passage?

A．It was easier than wheel design.

B．It improved after big changes in vehicle design.

C．It was promoted by fast-moving vehicles.

D．It provided conditions for wheel design to develop.

3. How is the last paragraph mainly developed?

A．By giving examples.

B．By making comparisons.

C．By following time order.

D．By making classifications.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The beginning of road design.

B．The development of transport wheels.

C．The history of public transport.

D．The invention of fast-moving vehicles.