19．The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place．Now it is an ecological disaster area．Nauru's heartbreaking story could have one good consequence-other countries might learn from its mistakes．
For thousands of years，Polynesian people lived in the remote island of Nauru，far from western civilization．The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798．He was the British captain of the Hunter，a whaling ship．He called the island Pleasant Island．
However，because it was very remote，Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first．The whaling ships and other traders began to visit，bringing guns and alcohol．These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island．A ten-year civil war started，which reduced the population from 1，400to 900．
Nauru's real troubles began in 1899when a British mining company discovered phosphate（磷酸盐）on the island．In fact，it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate，which was a very important fertilizer for farming．The company began mining the phosphate．
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground； it is a strip mine．When a company strip-mines，it Comremoves the top layer of soil．Then it takes away the material it wants．Strip mining totally destroys the land．Gradually，the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon．
In 1968，Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world．Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate．
Unfortunately，the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars．In addition，they used millions more dollars for personal expenses．Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem-their phosphate was running out．Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing．By 2000，Nauru was financially ruined．Experts say that it would take approximately$433，600，000and more than 20years to repair the island．This will probably never happen．

32．What was Nauru like before the Europeans came？C
A．rich and powerful        B．modern and open
C．peaceful and attractive  D．greedy and aggressive
33．The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted fromB．
A．soil pollution    B．phosphate overmining
C．farming activity  D．whale hunting
34．Which of the following was a cause of Nauru's financial problem？A
A．Its leaders misused the money．       B．It spent too much repairing the island．
C．Its phosphate mining cost much money．D．It lost millions of dollars in the civil war．
35．What can we learn about Nauru from the last paragraph？D
A．The leaders will take the experts'words seriously．
B．The phosphate mines were destroyed．
C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans．
D．The ecological damage is difficult to repair．

18．EXPERTS have put forward detailed plans for a tunnel to join Taiwan with the Chinese mainland．
The shortest proposed route would be 126 kilometers-more than twice the length of the English Channel Tunnel．And the longest proposed route would be 207 kilometers．
A recent conference in Xiamen，Fujian Province brought together more than 70 experts．The event was co-sponsored by universities from Taiwan and the Chinese mainland．
Fujian is the province where both proposed routes would begin．There is no direct passenger access between the mainland and Taiwan by road or sea at the moment．Experts say that it is better to start research sooner rather than later，despite the current lack of government funding．There are no technical problems to build a Taiwan tunnel．But it will require an improved political relationship across the Straits．
Tsinghua University Professor Wu said，"A special feature of huge projects is that the period of preparation is longer than the period of construction．"For instance，Wu said，the English Channel Tunnel took 14 years of planning and had been discussed for two centuries．And preparations for the huge Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River began in the 1950s．
The Xiamen conference focused on the longest southern route，which would use the Taiwan-controlled islands of Jinmen and Penghu as stepping stones．
The first stage of the new project could be a bridge to cover the five kilometers between Xiamen and Jinmen．This would mean that travelling from Xiamen to Jinmen by car would only take five minutes．
The longest tunnel now being planned anywhere in the world is the 54-kilometre land tunnel to link Lyon in France with Turin in Italy．The tunnel will not be completed until 2015-2020．

56．What is mainly talked about？C
A．The longest tunnels of the globe．                 B．The English Channel Tunnel．
C．Bridge for Taiwan and mainland．                   D．Preparations of two centuries．
57．Why is it better to start research sooner rather than later？D
A．Currently，there is a lack of government supporting．
B．No direct passenger access between Taiwan and the mainland．
C．There are some technical problems to build a tunnel．
D．The period of preparation is longer than that of construction．
58．What can be learned from the passage？A
A．2020 will see the longest tunnel between France and Italy．
B．It took two centuries to prepare for the Three Gorges Dam．
C．A tunnel has been constructed between Xiamen and Jinmen．
D．Experts are sure about an improved political relationship across the Straits．
59．How long will it take to go from Xiamen to Taiwan by car when the tunnel is completed？D
A．5 minutes．      B．14 hours．
C．54 minutes．     D．The passage doesn't mention it．

17．It is a beautiful evening in May．The lights shine and float（浮动） across the surface of the water．The yachts（游艇） are like floating nightclubs moving to the sound of the music，the laughter，and joyous mood of the parties．If it's May in Cannes，then it must be the Cannes Film Festival．
The Hollywood Oscars are the most famous film awards in the world．They receive the most publicity and they are the awards of which the public is most aware．However，they occur on one night of the year．and no films are shown．The Cannes Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Cannes，France，which previews new films of all．genres from around the world．It lasts for almost two weeks，shows many films and is regarded by many who work in the film industry as the most important film．festival in the world．
In the 1930s，the French minister for education put forward the idea for an international film festival．In 1947，the festival was held in Cannes with sixteen countries taking part and the Cannes Festival，as we know it today，was born．A committee chooses films from countries all over the world．During the festival，a panel of judges chooses the best films in many different categories，for example best film，best short film or best film made by a student．
The settingfor the festival adds to its beauty．Cannes is located on the French Riviera，which enjoys an average of 12 hours of sunshine a day in May and has mild winters．The festival benefits from the weather and all the usual attractions can be seen．at the festival．Cannes is also famous for its luxury restaurants and shops．It's not unusual to be sitting in a restaurant and to look across at the next table and see film stars and directors with their friends．
72．The opening paragraph is mainly intended toB
A．describe the beauty and luxury of Cannes
B．attract the readers'interest in the subject
C．show great respect for the yachts designer
D．stress the importance of the film festival
73．In what way is the Cannes Film Festival different from the  Hollywood Oscars？B
A．It's more popular to the public．    
B．Films will be shown during it．
C．It has a much earlier origin．       
D．It's held every other year．
74．During the Cannes Film Festival，youC．
A．will pay less for your restaurants  
B．can visit all the attractions for free
C．can run into popular film stars easily                 
D．must protect yourself from cold weather
75．What does"setting"mean in the last paragraph？D
A．Stage setting for the film festival．                  
B．Geographic position of Cannes．
C．Table services for visitors．        
D．The environment of Cannes．

16．The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place．Now it is an ecological disaster area．Nauru's heartbreaking story could have one good consequence-other countries might learn from its mistakes．
For thousands of years，Polynesian people lived in the remote island of Nauru，far from western civilization．The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798．He was the British captain of the Hunter，a whaling ship．He called the island Pleasant Island．
However，because it was very remote，Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first．The whaling ships and other traders began to visit，bringing guns and alcohol．These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island．A ten-year civil war started，which reduced the population from 1，400to 900．
Nauru's real troubles began in 1899when a British mining company discovered phosphate（磷酸盐）on the island．In fact，it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate，which was a very important fertilizer for farming．The company began mining the phosphate．
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground； it is a strip mine．When a company strip-mines，it Comremoves the top layer of soil．Then it takes away the material it wants．Strip mining totally destroys the land．Gradually，the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon．
In 1968，Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world．Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate．
Unfortunately，the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars．In addition，they used millions more dollars for personal expenses．Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem-their phosphate was running out．Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing．By 2000，Nauru was financially ruined．Experts say that it would take approximately$433，600，000and more than 20years to repair the island．This will probably never happen．

32．What was Nauru like before the Europeans came？C
A．rich and powerful        B．modern and open
C．peaceful and attractive  D．greedy and aggressive
33．The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted fromB．
A．soil pollution     B．phosphate overmining
C．farming activity   D．whale hunting
34．Which of the following was a cause of Nauru's financial problem？A
A．Its leaders misused the money．        
B．It spent too much repairing the island．
C．Its phosphate mining cost much money． 
D．It lost millions of dollars in the civil war．
35．What can we learn about Nauru from the last paragraph？D
A．The leaders will take the experts'words seriously．
B．The phosphate mines were destroyed．
C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans．
D．The ecological damage is difficult to repair．

15．If you'd like to go sightseeing，the following World Heritage Sites may be your best choices．
Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area
The Jiuzhaigou Valley，which lies in the northern part of Sichuan Province，reaches a height of more than 4，800meters，with a series of different forest ecosystems （生态系统）．There you can enjoy watching excellent waterfalls．Some 140kinds of birds also live in the valley，as well as a number of endangered plants and animals，the giant panda included．
For more information，please visit http://whc，unesco，org∥en/list/637．
Khaml Ruins National Monument
The city of Khami，which developed after the capital of Great Zimbabwe had been given up in the mid-16th century，is of great archaeological （考古的） interest．The discovery of objects from Europe and China shows that Khami was a major centre for trade over a long period of time．
For more information，please visit http://whc，unesco，org/en/list/365．
Henderson Island
Henderson Island，which lies in the eastern South Pacific，is one of the few atolls （环礁） in the world whose ecology has not been touched by human beings．It is especially famous for the ten plants and four land birds that can only be seen on the island．
For more information，please visit http://whc．unesco．org/en/list/487．
The Old City of Jerusalem
As a holy city for three different religions in the Middle East，Jerusalem has always been of great religious （宗教的） importance．It was given a World Heritage Status in 1981and placed on the"List of World Heritage in Danger"the following year．
For more information，please visit http://whc．unesco．org/en/list/148．

24．What can we know about the Jiuzhaigou Valley？A
A．It has different forest ecosystems．
B．It sits at the foot of a 4，800-meter high mountain．
C．In all about 140kinds of birds and animals live there．
D．Most of China's endangered plants can be found there．
25．The discovery of some of the objects in Khami shows that the cityD．
A．had a very short history 
B．was ruined in the mid-16th century
C．was once Great Zimbabwe's largest city
D．once played a great role as a trade center
26．What can be learned about Henderson Island from the passage？A
A．It hasn't been greatly influenced by human activities．
B．It isn't suitable for humans to live on．
C．It has been open to visitors for years．
D．It is made up of a few large atolls．
27．If you are interested in religion，you should visitB．
A．http://whc．unesco．org/en/list/365
B．http://whc．unesco．org/en/list/148
C．http://whc．unesco．org/en/list/487
D．http://whc．unesco．org/en/list/637．

14．Brad closed the door slowly as Sue left home to visit her mother．（32）Expecting（Expect） a whole day to relax，he was thinking whether to read the newspaper or watch his favourite TV talk show on his first day off in months．"This will be （33）like a walk in the park，"he'd told his wife．"I'll look after the kids，and you can go visit your mom．"
Things started well，but just after eight o'clock，his three little"good kids"-Mike，Randy，and Alex-came down the stairs in their night clothes and shouted"breakfast，daddy．"When food had not appeared within thirty seconds，Randy began using his spoon on Alex's head （34）as if it were a drum．Alex started to shout loudly in time to the beat．Mike chanted"Where's my toast，where's my toast"in the background．Brad realized his newspaper would have to wait for a few seconds．
Life became worse after breakfast．Mike wore Randy's underwear on his head．Randy locked （35）himself in the bathroom，while Alex shouted again because he was going to wet his pants．Nobody could find clean socks，（36）though/although they were before their very eyes．Someone （37）named（name）"Not Me"had spilled a whole glass of orange juice into the basket of clean clothes．Brad knew the talk show had already started．
By ten o'clock，things were out of control．Alex was wondering why the fish in the jar refused his bread and butter．Mike was trying to show off his talent by decorating the kitchen wall with his colour pencils．Randy，thankfully，appeared （38）to be drawing（draw） a picture quietly in the family room，but closer examination showed that he was eating apple jam straight from the bottle with his hands．Brad realized that the talk show was over and （39）reading（read） would be impossible．
At exactly 11：17，Brad called the daycare centre．"I suddenly have to go into work and my wife's away．（40）May/Can/Could/Shall I bring the boys over in a few minutes？"The answer was obviously"yes"because Brad was smiling．

13．Next week，as millions of families gather for their Thanksgiving feasts，many other Americans will go without．According to the United States Department of Agriculture，more than 12million households lack enough food for everyone in their family at some time during the year---including holidays．
Hunger is surprisingly widespread in our country---one of the world's wealthiest---yet the government estimates that we waste almost 100billion pounds of food each year，more than one-quarter of our total supply．
Reducing this improper distribution of resources is a goal of America's Second Harvest，the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization．Last year，it distributed nearly 2billion pounds of food to more than 23million people in need．
America's Second Harvest is a network of 214inter-connected food banks and other organizations that gather food from growers，processors，grocery stores and restaurants．In turn，the network distributes food to some 50，000soup kitchens，homeless shelters and old people's centers in every county of every state．
A great deal of work is involved in distributing tons of food from thousands of donors to thousands of small，nonprofit organizations．Until a few years ago，America's Second Harvest lacked any effective way to manage their inventory （ 存货 ）．Without accurate and timely information，soup kitchens were sometimes empty while food was left to spoil in loading places．
In 2000，America's Second Harvest began to use a new inventory and financial-management system---Ceres．It is software designed specifically for hunger-relief operations．It is used by more than 100America's Second Harvest organizations to track food from donation to distribution．
Ceres has helped reduce the spoiling of food and improve distribution．An evaluation found that the software streamlined（ 提高效率 ） food banks'operations by 23percent in the first year alone．
With more accurate and timely reports，Ceres saves time，frees staff members to focus on finding new donors，and promises more efficient use of donations．
Hunger in America remains a troubling social problem．Technology alone cannot solve it．But in the hands of organizations such as America's Second Harvest，it is a powerful tool that is helping to make a difference---and helping more Americans to join in the feast．

（Note：Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS．）

78．What is the total supply of food in America every year according to the passage？About 400 billion pounds．
79．By"this improper distribution of resources"in Paragraph 3，the writer means that many Americanslack enoughfood while otherswaste too much food．
80．What problem was America's Second Harvest faced with in distributing food before Ceres was created？It lacked any efficient way to manage inventory．
81．Thanks tomore accurate and timely reports provided by Ceres，more staff are freed to be committed to finding new donors and America's Second Harvest is able to give out food more efficiently．

12．Teaching in front of a camera
Wageningen University is keen on developing forms of education that reach people all over the world．The basics of the course topics are covered in short films and three-minute to seven-minute presentations （33）using （ use ） techniques such as animationand voiceover （ 画外音 ）．
The online Master's programmes are quite different from the large-scale MOOCs （在线课程 ），explains Busstra．In the Master's courses，the short"knowledge clips"（ 短片 ） dealing with the essential topics（34）are linked （ link ） to an assignment directly to help the students actively absorbthe knowledge themselves．Teachers can also use them to test （35）whether/if the material has come across well．Busstra says："The teacher has to think up new ways of working---getting students to make a film clip，for instance，（36）where they present a research setup they have thought up themselves，or to respond to someone else's idea，or to work on a document in groups．"The students also get the chance to post a question while they are watching an online film---equivalent of putting your hand up during a lecture．Fellow students and teachers can then answer the question online．"There are a lot of misunderstandings about online education，"says Busstra，"one of them being （37）that there is only one way communication．（38）Butpeople are gradually gaining confidence in it．It will stay typically Wageningen：small-scale and based on interaction and group work．"
The investment （39）in online learning is paying off in the regular education programme too，according to Busstra．Students in Wageningen can pick up the basics at home through the knowledge clips．During lectures，teachers（40）can then provide more in-depth analysis，talk about their own work and supervise students more personally．"Increasingly，on-campus and online education will no longer be two separate worlds，"expects Busstra．

10．The truth（41）thattrees are vital to our life is not a secret．They provide us with food，wood and most （42）importantly（important），oxygen．Now there is one more thing we can add to this list-blocking out harmful bacteria from water．
The discovery（43）was made（make） by a team （44）consisting（consist） of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology （MIT） and high school students（45）who were seeking a natural water filter-one that would help communities in developing countries that do not have （46）acess（accessible） to modern water filter systems．
The（47）researchers（research），led by Professor Rohit Karnik，decided to turn to trees for help because they could allow liquid to flow through，while blocking out air bubbles．
They began by cutting 1.5-inch-wide sections of tree bark from the branches of a white pine tree．The people related then tested the wood's filtering ability by pouring water containing red dye particles of different sizes through．（48）Totheir amazement，they found that it was effective in trapping all the articles．（49）Encouraged（encourage），the team conducted（50）anotherexperiment，this time with water that contained bacteria．Sure enough，the sapwood held back 99% of the bacteria，allowing only 1% to flow through．