national Academy of Sciences.
Hawking’s great interest has been to understand the basic laws that our universe follows. One of his most well-known achievements was to demonstrate, along with Roger Penrose, that Einstein’s theory of general relativity needed to be brought together with quantum theory. Hawking and Penrose showed that if Einstein’s theory was carried out logically, space and time must have begun in something like the “Big Bang” of evolutionary theory and must end in black holes.
Hawking has received numerous medals, awards and other prizes for his work. He is known today not only among professional scientists but also by the general public. He has published several books specially written to try to explain his theories to the common man. Three of his most popular books are his bestsellers A Brief History of Time, Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays and most recently in 2001, The Universe in a Nutshell. Hawking continues to research and write, not letting his disabilities slow him down. His goal is simple, he says. He simply wants “a complete understanding of the universe. Why it is as it is and why it exists at all.” 1. Stephen Hawking is arguably the most famous scientist because _____. A. he is the only one who is alive today B. he is totally disabled
C. he can not only understand but explain complex theories in simpler ways D. he has received numerous medals 2. The underlined sentence probably means ______.
A. he studied physics instead of mathematics because the degree studies weren’t provided B. he couldn’t afford to study at University College
C. University College was more famous for physics teaching and research D. he was more interested in physics than mathematics
3. Stephen Hawking worked in the Institute of Astronomy ______.
A. before 1979 B. after he gained his Ph D C. before 1973 D. after his books were published 4. It can be inferred from the passage that Stephen Hawking ______. A. has been a student of Einstein B. has been a Nobel Prize winner
C. completed his three most popular books in 2001 D. is a well-known theoretical scientist with many honours 5. The writer wrote this article mainly to ______.
A. compare Einstein’s with Stephen Hawking’s achievements B. show how Stephen Hawking became a great scientist C. introduce Stephen Hawking and his greatness D. encourage young people to learn from him
B
Two China astronauts, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, are safely back on earth after their Shenzhou 6 spacecraft successfully touched down on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia Sunday at 4:32:50 pm, ending a five-day mission and China’s second manned space flight.
“I want to thank the people for their love and care,” Fei said during the ceremony, in which both astronauts were given flowers and seated in chairs.
The Shenzhou 6 crew spent 115 hours and 32 minutes in space, and travelled 2 million miles (3.25 million kilometres) during their mission, which set new human spaceflight records for China.
Fei and Nie were sent into space on October 12th, Beijing time on China’s second manned spaceflight, the first to carry two astronauts. The spaceship lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert almost two years to the day after China’s first manned launch.
That first mission, Shenzhou 5, launched astonaut Yang Liwei into orbit on October 15th, 2003, China is the third country to independently launched humans into Earth orbit after Russia and the US. But unlike Yang’s flight, which the public did not get to see much of, much of Shenzhou 6 mission from lift-off to landing was shown live on national Chinese television. With Shenzhou 6, China has “achieved another milestone … in … space exploration,” said Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the Chinese NPC during his speech which was broadcast live on CCTV.
6. In which year was Shenzhou 6 launched into space? A. 2003. B. 2004 C. 2005 D. 2006. 7. What was the speed of Shenzhou 6 when it was travelling into space?
A. 28,130 kilometres per hour. B. 28,130 miles per hour. C. 35,540 kilometres per hour. D. 35,540 miles per hour.
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8. Which of the following countries has not succeeded in launching humans into Earth orbit? A. China. B. Russia. C. The US. D. The UK. 9. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Shenzhou 6 landed on grasslands of Inner Mongolia Sunday at 4:32:50 pm. B. The Shenzhou 6 crew spent 115 hours and 32 minutes in space.
C. The Shenzhou 6 crew set new human spaceflight records around the world. D. Yang Liwei’s flight was not shown live on national Chinese television. 10. Which one is the best title of this passage?
A. Shenzhou 6’s Safe Return B. History of China’s Space Exploration C. New Human Spaceflight Records D. Chinese Astronauts
C
In July 1994 Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, was struck by 21 pieces of comet(彗星).When the fragments(碎片)landed in the southern part of the giant planet, the explosions were watched by scientist here on earth. But what if our own planet was hit by a comet?
The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two fragments will probably hit the southern part of the earth. The news has caused panic.
On 17 July, a fragment four kilometers wide enters the earth’s atmosphere with a huge explosion. About half of the fragment is destroyed. But the major part survives and hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and an enormous wave is created and spreads. The wall of water rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned. The waves moves into the Indian Ocean and heads towards Asia.
Millions of people are already dead in the southern part of the earth, but the north won’t escape for long. Tons of broken pieces are thrown into the atmosphere by the explosions. As the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later civilization has collapsed. No more than 10 million people have survived.
Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the earth. The dinosaurs(恐龙)were on the earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believed that the earth was hit by a space fragment. The dinosaurs couldn’t survive in the cold climate that followed and they became extinct. Will we meet the same end?
11. Which of the following in NOT true according to the author’s description of the disaster in 2094? A. The whole world becomes extremely cold. B. All the coastal cities in Africa are destroyed. C. The whole mankind becomes extinct. D. The visit of the comet results in war. 12. Why does the author mention dinosaur at the end of the passage?
A. Because they could only live in the warm climate. B. Because they once dominated the earth.
C. Because their extinction indicates future disasters. D. Because dinosaurs and humans never live in the same age 13. In writing the passage, the author intends to ____.
A.give an accurate description of the possible disaster in the future B.prove that humans will sooner or later be destroyed C. tell the historical development of the earth D. warn of a possible disaster in the future 14. It can be concluded that the passage is most probably part of a(n) ____. A. horror storyB. news report C. research paper D. article of popular science
D
Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago. He studied the observations of comets(彗星)which other scientists had made. The orbit of one particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not figure it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.
However, Halley had a friend named Isaac Newton, who was a brilliant mathematician. Newton thought he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse(椭圆形).
Now Halley set to work. He figured out(解决，计算出)the orbits of some of the comets that had been observed by scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607, and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearance had been 75 to 76 years apart.
This seemed very strange to Halley. Three different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about it, the ore his thought that there had been three different comets as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back again.
It was an astonishing idea! Halley felt certain though to make a prediction(预言)of what would happen in the future. He decided that this would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley’s prediction could be tested. In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since then that comet had
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been called Halley’s comet, in his honor.
15 Edmund Halley figured out the orbit of ____.
A. some different comets appearing several times B. the same comet appearing at different times C. three different comets appearing at the same time D. several comets appearing at the same time 16. Halley made his discovery ____.
A. by doing experiments B. by means of his own careful observation C. by using the working of other scientists D. by chance
17. Halley made a surprising, but correct prediction in the year____. A. 1704 B. 1705 C. 1706 D. 1707 18. This passage in general is about ____.
A. Halley and other scientists B. the orbit of a comet C. Newton and Halley D. Halley and his discovery 19. Which of the following is TRUE?
A. Edmund Halley was an American scientist. B. Halley made his discovery by doing experiments. C. Isaac Newton was a famous mathematician. D. The orbit of a comet had the shape of an around.
Ⅷ. 书面表达
随着世界太空技术的发展，人类的太空梦不再是梦。但是也有人觉得耗费大量的人力和财力来研究和开发太空资源不切实，不如将这些人力和财力用来着重解决人类当前面临的重大问题，改善地球的生存环境。对此，你有何看法？ Developing Space technology, worthwhile or not?
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Unit 5 Canada — “The True North”
第一节：单项填空（共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分）
21. —Excuse me, is the book shop far from here?—No, it is just ______ of our college. A. 3 kilometres long B. 3 kilometres walk C. within 3 kilometres D. 3 kilometres far
22. He went on talking while I tried to ______ what it meant. A. come out B. turn out C. take out D. figure out 23. —Are you worried about his safety? —Only ______. A. gradually B. broadly C. slightly D. extremely 24. —My teacher punished me this morning. —Why? You’ve done nothing wrong, ______ I can see. A. as long as B. as far as C. as well as D. as soon as
25. Word came ______ our duties would be changed. A. that B. which C. whether D. when 26. —Where is the shooting centre? —It is about 50 kilometres ______ the city of Beijing.
A. in south of B. south of C. the south of D. southern of
27. What he had said and done in the school ______ his parents and teachers.
A. was pleased B. pleased C. pleased by D. pleased with
28. It’s based on the idea ______ all people are created equal, ______ is accepted by most people. A. that; that B. which; which C. which; when D. that; which
29. Why not get some work experience first ______ go straight on to university?
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A. other than B. rather than C. more than D. less than 30. He could see the tall chimneys of the factory ______. A. from distance B. in distance C. in the distance D. to a distance
31. The prices of the flats _______ are several times as high as in the countryside. A. downtown B. in the downtown C. in downtown D. at downtown
32. _______ by thick bamboo and high forest, the ancient city hadn’t been discovered until the 1990s. A. Surrounding B. Surround C. Surrounded D. Having surrounded 33. The girl who is studying at the art college has a_______ for music and dance.
A. gift B. present C. power D. strength
34. We watched the river as it _____ on under the bridge. A. settled B. toured C. flowed D. floated 35. Many experts agree that there is a possibility _______ in this area in the following days.
A. when some more earthquakes may happen B. that some more earthquakes may happen C. where may some more earthquakes happen D. what may some more earthquakes happen 第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分） 阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。 As darkness fell, hundreds of people in the Swiss village left their houses. They were staring 36 at the mountain top in the distance. It was covered with ice and snow beautiful and 37 . The huge mountain is called Matterhorn. The mountain climbers had 38 the top，using the southern route（路线）. But no one had ever 39 to try a winter climbing up the northern side. But now one man was daring to try the 40 route. He was Walter Bonatti, a great mountain climber from Italy. For two days he had climbed. The village people had 41 him anxiously. Now they were waiting to see his 42 . If he planned to 43 the next day，he would light a green signal. A red light would mean that he was turning. A tiny green light 44 high on the mountain side. Bonatti was not giving up！The people 45 . The next day he 46 his way upward. He was so lonely and so 47 ！But he would not give up. Again that night he lit the 48 light. In the morning, Bonatti 49 up. He could not see the top，but he knew he was 50 there. Though the climb was painful，he moved up. Bonatti had spent months 51 for the climb. Was the training enough? Did he have the strength and 52 to climb to the top? He was 53 at the top！News about his victory（胜利） was radioed to the world. The trip 54 the southern route was easy. He was warmly welcomed in the village. He had done the “ 55 ,” and would be well remembered as a climber forever. 36. A. eastward B. forward C. down D. up 37. A. special B. dangerous C. attractive D. obvious 38. A. bordered B. passed C. reached D. climbed 39. A. permitted B. admired C. thought D. dared 40. A. difficult B. novel C. same D. easy 41. A. surrounded B. terrified C. watched D. helped 42. A. face B. figure C. flag D. signal 43. A. settle down B. go on C. give up D. throw away 44. A. appeared B. showed C. disappeared D. hung 45. A. laughed B. cheered C. jumped D. shouted 46. A. continued B. started C. stopped D. led 47. A. sleepy B. excited C. tired D. happy 48. A. yellow B. blue C. green D. red 49. A. woke B. turned C. got D. looked
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50. A. already B. almost C. extremely 51. A. training B. accounting C. planning 52. A. courage B. skill C. money 53. A. finally B. gradually C. officially 54. A. along B. up C. down 55. A. necessary B. important C. limited 第三部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分20分）
D. surely D. asking D. wish D. slightly D. to D. impossible
A
OTTAWA — Canada’s western city of Calgary is the world’s best city when it comes to healthy living, local press reported Monday. According to an international survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, a London-based consulting firm, Calgary was put at the top of a list of 144 cities. It scored 121 points, just above Honolulu’s score of 120. Helsinki（赫尔辛基，芬兰首都） and Ottawa followed at 119.5 and 118.5 respectively. Three other Canadian cities came in the top 20. Montreal and Vancouver tied for ninth and Toronto came in at 18th. The scores are based on air pollution levels, availability and quality of hospitals and medical supplies, as well as the efficiency of waste removal and sewage systems. In America, the lowest scoring city was Atlanta, which was ranked 76th. Athens was the lowest scoring city in Western Europe, ranking 120th because of its air pollution. London was ranked 59th.
56. How many Canadian cities are in the top 20? A. 3. B. 4. C. 5. D. 6. 57. Which of the following is NOT taken into account when the cities were scored?
A. Weather conditions. B. Air quality. C. Waste removal. D. Medical supplies. 58. Among the following cities, which is the lowest scoring one? A. Atlanta. B. Athens. C. London. D. Helsinki.
B
Malaysia is a country of exciting beauty, with a tropical（热带的） climate. Malaysia’s weather is hotter in the lowlands and cooler in the mountains and highlands. Temperatures vary between 20 and 30 centigrade. Rainfall can be expected at any time, with an average of between 200 and 260 centimeters. The Malaysian population consists of Malays, Chinese, Indians and Eurasians. Its main religions are Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Christianity. Its national language is Malay. English is widely spoken and is used all over the country. Other languages spoken in Malaysia are some Chinese dialects, Tamil, Portuguese and Arabic. Malaysia is an exciting and fascinating place for tourists, with something special planned throughout the year. The natural attractions are plentiful, with magnificent mountains lying in green, large stretches of sandy beaches and hospitable and friendly people. Malaysia’s economy is the most advanced in this part of the world. The annual income is M$1, 680, one of the highest in the whole of Asia. Malaysia is the world’s leading exporter of rubber, tin, tropical hardwood, palm oil, pepper, tea, coffee and cocoa and has vast resources of oil. Malaysia’s capital is Kuala Lumpur in the southwest of the Malay Peninsula. Kuala Lumpur arose in the 1860s when tin was discovered, grew and spread very quickly. It became the state’s capital within forty years of its founding. Now it is home to over one million inhabitants, about 56% of whom are Chinese, 28% Malays and the rest are from anywhere and everywhere.
59. If you visit Malaysia, you will see ________.
A. people of the white and yellow races B. many temples and churches C. beautiful tropical scenery D. All of the above.
60. Though Malay is Malaysia’s national language, ______.
A. over half of its population speak Chinese B. English is also a popular language
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