Throughout seafaring history, ships and sailors have been lost to storms, accidents and war. Until recently, most of these ships were weak wooden sailing vessel (船只), their skeletons(骨架) quickly eaten away by sea creatures. Now, large vessels made of steel float on the seas. Thousands of these huge ships have been lost in times of war and in times of peace.

The bones of great metal ships, unlike the wooden vessels of old, survive the destruction of the sea long enough to become home and harbor for underwater life of all kinds. Shipwrecks(残骸) often provide the only hard surface and structure at the sandy bottom of the sea, something many sea creatures need.

The ship has been underwater for only five days. Its surface is still clean. Six weeks later, the wreck is covered with a slimy layer of algae(海藻), but it is still recognizable as a ship. Soon, animals that need to attach themselves to a hard surface, like the feather duster worms, make the wreck their home.

In warm waters, coral polyps(珊瑚虫) settle on the wreck and begin the process of building a rock-like crust on the ship. Small fish are attracted on all of these creatures. Larger fish come to feed on these small fish that hide in the wreckage. Eventually, the largest animals are attracted to the rich life on the shipwreck.

Shipwrecks give us valuable information about how sea plants and animals develop. We know exactly how long this wreck has been under water and how long sea life has been growing on it. Yet even the strongest steel shipwreck will finally be destroyed by the flows of water. But long after this wreck has been broken apart, it will still act as a reef (礁石). Layer upon layer of sea life has formed a structure that is now more natural than artificial, and will remain an island of life under the sea.

1.Which of the following is NOT TRUE about shipwrecks?

A．Most ships in ancient times sank easily and become shipwrecks.

B．Shipwrecks, for scientists, are worth researching to get valuable information.

C．The skeletons of old wooden shipwrecks will exist for quite a long time.

D．Some sea animals tend to seek food on the shipwrecks.

2.The writer’s purpose in writing the article is to tell us_____.

A．the differences between the ancient vessels and the modern ones

B．how the ships become shipwrecks at sea

C．how coral polyps live on the wreck in warm waters

D．the value of studying shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea

3.Which of the following is closer to the underlined “crust”?

A．a hard outer covering                    B．the skin of a rock

C．a hole in a ship                         D．a small house

4.What will happen to shipwrecks in the end?

A．They will be pulled out of the sea for research.

B．They are likely to disappear and form reefs.

C．They will become an island under the sea.

D．They will be like works of art.

On any weekend throughout the year one can spend hours browsing through neighborhood flea （跳蚤） markets．These are very popular for those who are in search of bargains and who have a keen eye for picking through what others have discarded．They hunt and search for something they can reuse．Americans love secondhand merchandise （商品） which can be bought cheaply and restored to its original use．In many cases the condition and the quality are still good, though the style might be outdated．

       For some people searching through flea markets is a hobby which reaps rewards．They look for possible antiques among the items for sale or for old furniture which can be restored with a little care and used again．Many wise collectors often find rare items worth much more than their bargained price．Since prices are usually not fixed, if one is persistent a bargain can easily be struck．The owner may be selling a rare collectable and may not even be aware of its value．One of the great pleasures of shopping at such markets is the chance to bargain with the shop owner and settle for a price which one can afford and is willing to pay．

       Perhaps even more enjoyable than flea markets are the weekend outdoor garage sales which have now become very much a part of American culture．These are held usually in the spring and fall when the weather is still good．Usually a homeowner, having decided that he would like to clear his residence of accumulated items which are no longer useful to him, advertises in a local paper that he is holding a garage sale．More than likely the goods on display are in good condition and great buys can be found if one has the time and patience to search carefully．The home owner places items for sale on display along the driveway leading to his garage or on his front lawn and waits for people to look at what he has to sell．Old magazines, books, paintings, bicycles, ice-skates, items of clothing and electrical appliances of every sort appear on a regular basis．If the owner is in a position where he must sell his home or plans to move soon, then he may be forced to practically give things away at a price far below their true worth．

What do you usually do before holding a garage sale?

       A．Put on an advertisement in a local newspaper．  

     B．Display your goods in front of the garage．

       C．Find rare items and fix their prices．                    

       D．Clear your garage and front lawn．

The underlined word “discarded” in Paragraph 1 probably means ________．

       A．distributed          B．rejected            

       C．discovered         D．stored

When people shop at a flea market, how can they settle on a price?

       A．They can bargain on a price acceptable to both．   

       B．They can question their value．

       C．They can expect a 50% discount．                 

       D．They can compare with the other sellers．

What do we know about the garage sale?

       A．It is only held in the spring of the year．        

       B．The goods on display are totally useless．

       C．Garage sales are popular with Americans．       

       D．All the goods are selling far below their real value．

阅读下面短文,从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

　　At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, the sports of canoe (划船) racing was added to the list of international competition. The  31  team in the four-man canoe race was the United States team. One member of that team was a young man named Bill Havens.

   As the time for the Olympics  32 , it became clear that Bill’s wife would give birth to their first child at about the  33  that the U.S. team would be competing in the Pairs games. In 1924 there were no planes form Paris to the United States, only  34  ships. Bill found himself in a dilemma (左右为难的困境).

Bill’s wife insisted that he go to Paris.  35 , competing in the Olympics was a lifelong dream. But Bill felt  36  and, after much soul-searching, decided to remain home, where he could  37  his wife when the child arrived. He considered being at her  38  his highest priority (优先考虑的事), even higher than going to Paris to fulfill his  39 .

The team won the gold medal in Paris. And Bill’s wife was  40  in giving birth to their child.  41 , Bill could have competed in the event and returned home  42  to be with he when she gave birth.

People said, “What a shame!” But Bill said he had no  43 . For the rest of his life, he  44  he had made the better decision.

Bill Havens knew what was most important to him. Not everybody  45  that out. Not everybody has the strength to say no to something he or she truly  46  in order to say yes to something that truly  47 . Peace begins to  48  our lives when we learn to say yes to the things that really matter.

Twenty eight years later, Bill  49  a telegram. It was from Finland, where the 1952 Olympics were being held. The telegram read, “Dad, I won. I’m bringing home the gold medal you  50  while waiting for me to be born.”

A. new B. favorite      C. special       D. weak

A. arrived  B. passed C. neared D. ended

A. moment   B. opportunity       C. time    D. promise

A. fast       B. old     C. small  D. slow

A. In all     B. After all     C. As a result  D. As usual

A. honored   B. worried      C. conflicted   D. delighted

A. persuade       B. accompany C. support      D. satisfy

A. place       B. side    C. door   D. mercy

A. duty B. promise      C. dream D. demand

A. favoring       B. successful   C. safe    D. late

A. In addition    B. For example      C. In fact D. At last

A. on time       B. in time       C. on purpose D. in need

A. judgments   B. excuse C. choices       D. regrets

A. believed      B. wished       C. wondered   D. proved

A. puts     B. takes   C. figures       D. gives

A. trusts     B. wants  C. understands       D. respects

A. matters       B. happens      C. appears      D. continues

A. turn into     B. look into    C. settle on    D. rely on

A. discovered    B. wrote  C. sent    D. received

A. grasped       B. offered       C. took    D. lost

E
Could we "terraform" Mars —that is, change its frozen, thin-aired surface into something more friendly and Earthlike? Should we? The first question has a clear answer: Yes, we probably could．Spacecraft, including the ones now exploring Mars, have found evidence that it was warm in its youth, with rivers flowing into vast seas．And right here on Earth, we've learned how to warm a planet: just add greenhouse gases to its atmosphere．Much of the CO₂ that once warmed Mars is probably still there, in frozen dirt and polar ice caps, and so is the water．
Most of the work in terraforming, says NASA scientist Chris Mackay, would be done by life itself． "You don't build Mars," Mackay says．"You just warm it up and throw some seeds．" Powerful greenhouse gases could be produced from elements in dirt and air on Mars and blown into the atmosphere; by warming the planet, they would release the frozen CO₂, which would quicken the warming and increase atmospheric pressure to the point where liquid water could flow．Meanwhile, says botanist James Graham of the University of Wisconsin, human settlers could seed the red rock with a succession （系列） of ecosystems ?first bacteria and lichens （地衣）, which survive in Antarctica, later mosses （苔藓）, and after one thousand years or so, redwoods．Getting breathable oxygen levels out of those forests, though, could take thousands of years．
However, Mars is in no immediate danger．Some space scientists recently recommended going to the moon or an asteroid （小行星） first, and pointed out the space agency lacks the funds to go anywhere．It didn't estimate the cost of gardening a dead planet．
72．What is the most essential to make Mars fit for living?
A．Turn ice into flowing water．          B．Clean the dirty atmosphere．
C．Make the atmosphere more suitable．    D．Go to the moon or an asteroid first．
73．What does the author think of the idea ofterraforming Mars?
A．We could do it．                            B．We couldn't do it．
C．We should do it．                           D．We shouldn't do it．
74．In the botanist's opinion, man needs to __________.
A．enable Mars to clean its atmosphere
B．build a greenhouse on Mars
C．send some people to settle on Mars
D．cultivate ecosystems from lower to higher life form
75．What is the best title for the passage?
A．Making Mars the New Earth．           B．A Good Way to Change the Universe
C．Humans' Great Power．                     D．Terrible Science and Technology．

I hate all this travel; I want to get married and _________.