The concept of solar power satellites, or SPS, first put forward in the 1960s, is still not widely known by the general public. For example, at many public exhibitions about energy, SPS is not even mentioned. This is mainly because very little money has been spent on SPS research
There are people who claim that SPS is unrealistic － because launch costs are much too high today; or because it is too far away. So why do we believe that it is important to continue to do researches on SPS? The reason is very simple.
Humans are going to need huge amounts of electric power in coming decades. Within 50 years the world population is expected to double, while economic growth will continue around the world, especially in the poorer countries. But existing energy sources already face serious problems. They are limited; they are polluted; they are dangerous. So 50 or 100 years from now, where is our power going to come from? Nobody knows. And so we believe that new large-scale possibilities should be studied further.
We must remember that humans have some choices concerning our future. To some extent we can choose the direction in which our civilization develops. And choices that are made in the coming decades － such as the energy sources that we will or will not use, will have major, long-term meaning for human life on earth. We believe that if research continues to show that SPS is environmentally and economically attractive, SPS will open the door to a much more attractive future for human civilization than any ground-based energy source, and one that the public will support and that young people will find challenging and exciting. Furthermore energy from SPS can be readily used in developing countries, as the SPS 2000 project will show, thus aiding economic development worldwide. In addition, by creating large commercial fund for space engineering, SPS will open the frontier of space to economic development, thus creating a limitless new field for the growth of the world economy.
【小题1】Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?

       To err is human．To blame the other guy is even more human．

       Common sense is not all that common．

       Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?

       These three popular misquotes （戏谑的引语） are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature．To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem．Perhaps it is the natural thing to do．The original quote about human nature went like this, “ To err is human, to forgive, divine（神圣的）．” This saying mirrors an ideal: people should be forgiving of others’ mistakes．Instead, we tend to do the opposite --- find someone else to pass the blame on to．However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a making of great maturity．

       Common sense is what we call clear thought．Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan．Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine．Common sense does not seem to be common for large organizations, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything．People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing．”

       And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time．There is a corollary（直接推论）to that: if good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?

According to the author, what is a sign of a man’s maturity?

       A．Doing things his own way．

       B．Bearing responsibility for his mistakes．

       C．Making as few mistakes as possible．

       D．Thinking seriously about his wrongdoing．

Which of the following is N0T based on common sense?

       A．A man tries to take charge of everything in a large company．

       B．A student goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather．

       C．A company’s next move follows a good plan．

       D．A lawyer acts on fine judgments．

What is the author’s opinion about a good excuse?

       A．Making a good excuse is sometimes a better policy．

       B．Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas．

       C．A good excuse is as rewarding as honesty．

       D．Bitter truth is better than a good excuse．

What would be the best title for his passage?

       A．A Mirror of Human Nature     B．To Blame or to Forgive

       C．A Mark of Maturity D．Truth or Excuse

   
C
It's only 4 hours flying time from Sydney，www.zxxk.com but a world away．What better place to rest than a country where the only place people hurry is on the football field and things are done in“Fiji time”?
Viti Levu—Great Fiji—is the largest island．Here you’ll find the capital Suva and the international airport at Nadi．Vatoa，on the other hand，is a tiny island in the farthest part of Fiji．Then there are 331 other islands，many of them with places to stay．
With．1ess than a million people living on islands，you’ll never feel crowded．And with a climate (气候) that changes only for five degrees between seasons，there’s never a bad time to come. 
From cities to villages，from mountains to beaches，from water sports to wooden artworks, Fiji can give you more adventures and special experiences than you could find almost anywhere
in the world.  
Whenever you come, wherever you go you’re sure·to see some unforgettable events．From War dances to religious (宗教的) songs．From market days to religious days．It’s not just staged for tourists；it’s still a part of everyday life in Fiji．And any one of us can enjoy Fiji’s spirit by being part of the traditional (传统的) sharing www.www.zxxk.comof yaqona，a drink made from the root of a Fiji plant． 
So why not join us for the experience of a life me? 
53．Where is the international airport of Fiji? 
A．In Suva．                                       B．In Sydney． 
C．On the island of Vatoa．                  D．On the island of Viti Levu．
54．What does the text tell us about Fijian people?
A．They invented“Fiji time”for visitors． 
B．They stick to a traditional way of life．   
C．They like to travel from place to place． 
D．They love taking adventures abroad．
55．One of the things that make Fiji a tourist attraction is________.
A．it’s comfortable hotels                      B．its good weather all year round
C．its exciting football matches              D．its religious beliefs
56．Where call we most probably read this text?   
A．In a personal diary．                      B．In a science report．
C．In a travel magazine．                     D．In a geography textbook．

You may think that sailing is a difficult sport, but it is really not hard to learn it. You do not need to be strong. But you need to be quick. And you need to understand a few basic rules about the wind.
First, you must ask yourself, “Where is the wind coming from? Is it coming from ahead or behind or from the side?” You must think about this all the time on the boat. The wind direction tells you what to do with the sail.
Let’s start with the wind blowing from the behind. This means the wind and the boat are going in the same direction. Then you must always keep the sail outside the boat. It should be at a 90° angle (角度) to the boat. Then it will catch the wind best.
If the wind is blowing from the side, it is blowing across the boat. In this case, you must keep the sail half way outside the boat. It should be at a 45° angle to the boat. It needs to be out far enough to catch the wind, but it shouldn’t flap (摆动). It shouldn’t look like on a flagpole. If it is flapping, it is probably out too far, and the boat will slow down.
Sailing into the wind is not possible. If you try, the sail will flap and the boat will stop. You may want to go in that direction. It is possible, but you can’t go in a straight line. You must go first in one direction and then in another. This is called tacking. When you are tacking, you must always keep the sail inside the boat.
【小题1】What should you consider first while sailing?

“Where is the bus? Why is it always late?” I asked myself. I was going to be late   36  the manager wasn’t going to be pleased. “Thank God, here it is!” The bus came round the corner and I got on. Ten minutes later I was walking into the   37  where I work. “Twenty-five past nine. I  38 the manager doesn’t notice.” But I was not   39.
“Smith!” shouted the manager. “Late again. What’s your   40 this time?” “I am afraid the bus was late, Mr. Brown.” “41  up earlier tomorrow! Anyway, go to your place at the counter(柜台). We’ll be opening in a few minutes.”
My first customer was a pretty girl wearing a red dress.   42  her was a young man of about 23. He seemed very 43 , and every few seconds he looked towards the main entrance. The girl drew some money and   44 about opening an account. I gave her necessary   45 and she went out.   46 I noticed a tall man by the door, carrying something 47   with brown paper. Turning to my next customer, I was frightened to see a gun sticking out of his coat. The next moment a loud noise 48   my ears. Everything went black. I was falling… It seemed to be a long time  49  I opened my eyes and I found myself in bed!  50  shaking from the memory of this terrible dream, I got dressed and ran out of the house.  51  the bus wasn’t on time, and I got to the bank at 9:25.
“Smith!” the manager cried out in a voice like thunder. “  52  of your excuses! Start work at once!” To my 53  the first customer was a girl 54  a red dress and behind her stood a man carrying something wrapped in brown paper. The  55 ! Sometimes life is full of coincidences (巧合)!