(1)

　　LONDON — Britain awoke on Easter Monday to a period of mourning for the Queen Mother, who died over the weekend after a life spanning a century of noisy and evident change. The 101-year-old royal matriarch died in her sleep last Saturday with Queen Elizabeth, her elder and only surviving daughter, at her bedside. For a woman who was one of the best-known figures in Britain for more than 80 years — from the era of tinted portraits on tin biscuit boxes and cigarette cards to the age of the Internet, the Queen Mother remained an enigmatic(不可思议的) and elusive(躲避的) figure.

　　She achieved such a respect through aeons(永世, 亿万年) of, first, fawning and, later, intrusive media fascination, by remaining almost entirely silent. Her private thoughts were never paraded(炫耀) in public. What the public saw was a charming and benign elderly lady, adept at winning the admiration of press photographers, whom she always favoured with a particular smile.

　　CHINA’s third unmanned spacecraft, Shenzhou Ⅲ, landed safely in central Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Monday afternoon, after orbiting the earth 108 times in slightly less than a week. The craft, which lifted off from Jiuquan in Gansu Province last Monday night, landed after successfully conducting a chain of flight and scientific experiments over a period of 162 hours.

　　A powerful earthquake jolted Taiwan, killing five construction workers, authorities(官方) said. Over 200 injuries ware reported across the island, mostly minor, as a result of Sunday’s 7.5-magnitude quake. The quake was centred off Hualien, 180 kilometres east of Taipei. It struck at 2:53 pm and lasted for nearly a minute.

　　1. Which of the following statements is true according to the news?

　　A. The Queen Mother died on Easter Monday alone.

　　B. The Queen Mother was an attractive person in her political life.

　　C. The British people felt sorry for the death of the Queen Mother.

　　D. The Queen Mother was suffering a lot when she was dying.

　　2. It can be inferred that _______.

　　A. the craft landed in central Inner Mongolia unexpectedly

　　B. it took the craft at least 2 hours to orbit the earth once

　　C. the Chinese scientists did a lot of experiments in space

　　D. China was successful in sending an unmanned spacecraft into space

　　3. The third news mainly talks about the _______ in Taiwan.

　　A. political matters B. social problems

　　C. unexpected damage D. construction workers

　　【答案解析】

　　这是 3 篇新闻报道。第 1 篇是关于英国皇太后死亡的消息;第 2 篇是关于中国发射神舟三号无人飞船的消息;第 3 篇是关于台湾发生 7.5 级强烈地震的消息。

　　1. C。判断题。皇太后死的时候有其女儿伊利莎白皇后在身边，排除A项;皇太后没有从政，排除B项;皇太后是在睡觉的时候死去的，D项也排除。所以答案选C。

　　2. D。判断题。从第3段的几个关键词safely…successful 可知A项错误;B项内容在文中没有提及，可排除;而神舟三号为无人飞船，故不会有科学家在太空中做实验，可排除C;既然神舟三号无人飞船已安全着陆，那肯定是已成功发射了。

　　3. C。主旨题。既然台湾发生了地震，那当然是没有预料到的灾害。A、B、D三项内容离题太远。

　　(2)

　　June 26, 2000 — the Human Genome(基因组) Project, a great $3 billion, 15-year task aimed at drawing the genetic(遗传的) map of humans, is now more than 90 percent completed. The scientific and medical communities(团体) are very excited about the chances genetic research provides for getting rid of diseases and prolonging(延长) human life. But those communities and policy(政策) makers also are careful about the scientific door they are opening as the project uncovers the mysteries of life.

　　For the last few years, the genetic advances in the developing field of biotechnology(生物技术) have provides material for all kinds of work, but the developments of modern science in unlocking the secrets of the human genetic code(密码) have opened a world of possibilities for human health, as well as for the popular imagination.

　　While European and Japanese researchers are making rapid progress in decoding(解码) human DNA, the leading organization for genetic research is in the United States, which began in 1990, is “unlocking the code” of the human body to learn how to defeat fatal(致命的)diseases. Already, the Human Genome Project has become widely known and praised for finding the genes(基因) connected with terrible diseases as yet(迄今), and making progress toward separating the genes that show a sign of breast cancer or AIDS.

　　Once these genes are found and studied, researchers can develop new ways to attack infections(传染), and genetic diseases. Medical companies are very interested in mapping the human genome, as they expect to develop a lot of new drugs for these illnesses.

　　1. Why did the scientists work hard at mapping the human genome?

　　A. Because the human genome can destroy many illnesses.

　　B. Because the human genome's completion can help them get rid of many diseases.

　　C. Because they wanted to be better known than others.

　　D. Because the human genome can provide a lot of chances of work.

　　2. Which country studied the genes most rapidly in the world?

　　A. Japan. B. Germany. C. The United States. D. China.

　　3. Which of the following is NOT true?

　　A. If the genes can be found, scientists can study many new ways to cure illnesses.

　　B. The scientists have made great progress in connecting the genes with the cancers.

　　C. Many medical companies show great interest in drawing the human genome map.

　　D. The United States began the Genes Study early in the 19th century.

　　4. The author suggests that the Human Genome Project can cause _______.

　　A. the policy makers to feel very worried and careful

　　B. the scientists to work harder

　　C. many people to find work easily

　　D. a lot of companies to produce many new drugs

　　5. The main idea of this article is about _______.

　　A. unlocking genetic code

　　B. the genes' discovery

　　C. the great human genome

　　D. the genes and the scientists

　　【答案解析】

　　绘制人类基因组图，这将意味着人类消灭癌症、艾滋病的危害，延长人类寿命将成为现实。

　　1. B。语义理解题。从文章最后一段第1句话Once these genes are found and studied, researchers can develop new ways to attack infections(传染), and genetic diseases 可以看出科学家们完成人类基因组图的目的。

　　2. C。细节题。因为 …the leading organization for genetic research is in the United States,所以答案选 C。

　　3. D。判断题。美国是在 1990 年，即 20 世纪末开始绘制人类基因组图的，所以选项D 不对。

　　4. B。判断题。从文章内容可知，人类基因组图的完成将有助于科学家们攻克一系列难关。所以，他们在更努力地探究。

　　5. A。主旨题。综合文章内容，不难概括出本文主旨：解读基因密码。

　　(3)

　　The space shuttle Columbia flared and broke up in the skies over Texas on Saturday, February 1,2003, killing the seven astronauts on board in what NASA and President Bush called a tragedy for the entire nation. NASA launched an investigation into the disaster and began searching for the astronauts' remains. It said that although there had been some data failures it was too early to nail down a precise cause. The break-up, 16 minutes before the shuttle was due to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spread possibly toxic debris(有毒的残骸) over a wide swath of Texas and neighboring states.

　　Dramatic television images of the shuttle's descent clearly showed several white trails(痕迹) streaking through blue skies after the shuttle suddenly fell apart. It was almost 17 years to the day that the Challenger shuttle exploded on Jan. 28, 1986, killing all seven astronauts on board.

　　Take-off and re-entry into Earth's atmosphere are the most dangerous parts of a space mission. In 42 years of US' human space flight, there had never been an accident in the descent to Earth or landing. Challenger exploded just after take-off.

　　Rescue teams scrambled to search for the remains of the crew, which included the first Israeli to fly on the shuttle, former combat pilot Col. Ilan Ramon. There were warnings that parts of a vast 120-mile-long corridor of debris could be toxic because of poisonous rocket propellant(推进器).

　　"We are not ready to confirm that we have found any human remains," Nacogdoches County Sheriff Thomas Kerrs said. He added that among the roughly 1,000 calls reporting debris, some people said they found remains of crew members.

　　"The Columbia is lost. There are no survivors, …Their mission was almost complete and we lost them so close to home. … America's space program will go on," said a grim-faced Bush in a message broadcast on television, which included condolences to the families of the dead astronauts.

　　1. The word “descent” in the passage means ________.

　　A. taking off B. landing C. orbiting D. walking down

　　2. Which is true of the Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon?

　　A. He was the first Israeli astronaut to fly on the shuttle.

　　B. He was the first foreign astronaut to fly on the American shuttle.

　　C. He used to be a passenger plane pilot.

　　D. He was the only survivor in the Columbia disaster.

　　3. The Columbia disaster and the Challenger disaster were similar in that ________.

　　A. there were seven astronauts killed on board

　　B. both the shuttles exploded when they took off

　　C. Both the shuttles exploded when they were about to land

　　D. no human remains were found

　　4. Which of the following is wrong according to the news?

　　A. The U.S.A. will give up the space program because of the accident.

　　B. NASA hasn’t found the cause of the Columbia disaster.

　　C. Before the Columbia disaster, no shuttles had exploded in the course of landing.

　　D. Take-off and re-entry into Earth's atmosphere are the most dangerous parts of a space mission.

　　【答案解析】

　　本文讲述了美国航天飞机“哥伦比亚”号失事的情况。

　　1. B。词义推测题。可以参见第三段第二句中的in the decent to Earth，其后or landing 即是对 descent解释。

　　2. A。细节题。从 …which included the first Israeli to fly on the shuttle, former combat pilot Col. Ilan Ramon 中可以知道，Ilan Ramon. 是以色列第一位乘坐航天飞机的宇航员。

　　3. A。推断题。要求你找出这两起灾难的共同点。从文中可以了解到两起灾难都有7位宇航员丧生。“挑战者”号是在升空时失事的，而“哥伦比亚”号是在返回地面的过程中失事的，故可排除B 和 C。而选项 D 与原文不符，故选 A。

　　4. A。判断题。根据…America's space program will go on 我们可以知道选项 A 明显错误。而选项B、C、D均与原文相符。#P#

　　(4)

　　Visiting U.S. President George W. Bush said in Beijing Friday that both China and the United States should encourage bilateral(双边的) contacts and exchanges to promote mutual(相互) understanding.

　　“It’s important for our political leaders to come to China,” said Bush, who gave a speech Friday morning at Qinghua University, one of the most prestigious universities in China.

　　His working visit to China and discussions with Oinghua students “help promote” Sino-U.S.(中美) relations, Bush said in response to a student’s question about what he would do to promote Sino-U.S. relations.

　　“Many people in my country are very interested in China,” he said, adding that these Americans have learned more about China’s culture and the Chinese people.

　　He said that he would keep encouraging such contacts and exchanges between the two countries.

　　Bush said that he would describe back home what he has seen here and that China as a great nation not only has a “great history” but also an “unbelievably exciting future.”

　　The president said that the 2008 Olympic Games would make a significant opportunity for the rest of the world to understand China, which enables more people to come to China and feel the modernization taking place, and many more people will see it on the television.

　　Bush arrived in Beijing Thursday for a two-day working visit to China.

　　1. What the word “prestigious” in the second paragraph probably means?

　　A. great B. famous C. honorable D. modest

　　2. Which of the sentence is NOT true?

　　A. Bush think bilateral contacts and mutual understanding will promote Sino-U.S. relations.

　　B. Many Americans are interested in China.

　　C. Bush and the students of Qinghua discussed something about how to make China richer and stronger.

　　D. The 2008’s Olympic Games is a great change for China been known by the world.

　　3. Many Americans are interested in China because _______.

　　A. they want to come here to take part in the 2008 Olympic Games

　　B. they have learned something of China and they want to learn more

　　C. China has been taking place great change

　　D. China has a “great history” and “unbelievably exciting future”

　　4. The narrator(叙述者) of the passage was most probably _____.

　　A. a reporter B. a psychologist C. a politician D. a sociologist

　　【答案解析】

　　本文报道了美国总统在华访问期间，在清华大学所发表的关于促进中美关系的谈话。

　　1. B。词义猜测题。根据清华大学在我国的地位这一常识可推知此题答案为B。

　　2. C。推断题。全文只报道了Bush对如何增进中美关系的谈话，而未对如何促使中国的富强发表意见，因此可推知此题答案为C。

　　3. B。推断题。根据文章第4段最后部分…these Americans have learned more about China’s culture and the Chinese people. 可推知此题答案为B。

　　4. A。推断题。本文是新闻报道，其作者可能是记者，从而可推知此题答案为A。