The thief stole the light,         the stair even darker.

A. made       B. to make       C. making        D. and made

 

The surprising experiment I am about to describe proves that air is all around you and that it proves down upon you．Air pressure is a wonderful force．When you swim underwater, you can feel water push down your body．The air all around you does the same．However, your body is so used to it that you do not notice this．The pressure is caused by a layer of air called the atmosphere．This layer surrounds the Earth, extending to about five kilometers above the Earth's surface．
The following experiment is an easy one that you can do at home．But make sure that you are supervised, because you will need to use matches．
What you need
·A hard-boiled egg without the shell
·A bottle with a neck slightly smaller than the egg
·A piece of paper
·A match
Method
1）Check that the paper will sit firmly on the neck of the bottle．
2）Tear the paper into strips and put the strips into the bottle．
3）Light the paper by dropping a burning match into the bottle．
4）Quickly sit the egg on the neck of the bottle．
Result
Astonishingly, the egg will be sucked into the bottle．Your friends will be amazed when you show them the experiment．But be careful when you handle matches．
Why it happened
As the paper burns, it needs oxygen and uses up the oxygen （air）in the bottle．The egg acts as a seal in the neck of the bottle, so no more air can get inside．This reduces the air pressure inside the bottle．The air pressure must equalize, so more air from outside must enter the bottle．The outside air presses against the egg and then the egg is pushed into the bottle! That proves that air is all around and that it is pressing down on it．
【小题1】Why is there the need to take care when you are doing the experiment?

A．The bottle could break．

B．You need to light the paper with a match．

C．The egg needs to be shelled．

D．The egg has to be perfectly placed on the neck of the bottle．

【小题2】In the experiment, the burning inside the bottle can__．

A．equalize the air pressure inside and outside

B．make a seal in the neck of the bottle

C．finish up the oxygen inside the bottle

D．produce more oxygen inside the bottle

【小题3】How did the egg put into the bottle?

A．The oxygen inside the bottle sucked the egg in．[来源:学。科。网]

B．It became salt without the shell．

C．The neck of the bottle was wide enough．

D．The outside air pressure forced it into the bottle．

【小题4】The experiment is carried out to prove ____．

A．water pushes on your body when you swim underwater

B．the earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere

C．the pressure of air around us has a powerful force

D．the air pressure is not equalized around us

I came to live here where I am now between Wounded Knee Greek and Grass Greek. Others came too, and we made these little grey houses of logs that you see, and they are square, It is a bad way to live, for there can be no power in a square.

You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round. In the old days when we were a strong and happy people, all our power came to us from the respectful circle of the nation, and so long as the circle was unbroken, the people were getting rich. The flowering tree was the living center of the circle, and the circle of the four quarters nursed it. The east gave peace and light, the south gave warmth, the west gave rain, and the north with its cold and strong wind gave strength and continuous power. This knowledge came to us from the outer world with our brief. Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. Birds make their nests in circle, for theirs are the same as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves. Our places were like the nests of birds, and these were always set in a circle, the nation’s circle, a nest of many nests, where the Great Spirit meant for us to nurse our children.

But the Wasichus (Indian word for “white people”) have put us in these square boxes. Our power is gone and we are dying, for the power is not in us any more. You can look at our boys and see how it is with us. Where we were living by the power of the circle in the way we should, boys were men at twelve or thirteen years of age. But now it takes them very much longer to be full - grown.

1..

According to the passage, the Indians _______.

A．don’t have modern instruments in their homes

B．refused to move from round places

C．lived in round places, but were forced to live in square houses

D．lived in round places, but then decided to move into square houses

2..

Two things being compared in the passage are _______.

A．the Indians’ past and present living conditions

B．the Indians’ past and modern beliefs

C．the Indians’ old and new power

D．people and nature

3..

. In the second paragraph “the four quarters” refers to _______.

A．the four rooms of the Indian’s house

B．the four kinds of natural power

C．the four seasons

D．the four directions

4..

According to the author, once the Indians moved into square houses, ______________.

A．they had to move to other houses

B．boys took more time to grow into men

C．they forgot the old way of life

D．everyone was not happy

 

Geneva is situated between the Jura Range and the Alps on the western end of Lake Geneva. Capital of Peace is one of its names— the European headquarters of the United Nations lies here in Palais des Nations. Another worthy name for this city with a humanitarian tradition（人道主义传统）and international character is the World’s Smallest Metropolis. Parks, splendid stores and lively streets in the old part of town and its 2000-year history wait to be discovered.

The Jet d’Eau together with the Flower Watch are the main attractions every year for the tourists visiting Geneva. The Jet d’Eau has become the symbol（象征）of Geneva for a long time. This is a 140 meters high water monument with a rich history. Eight 13,500-watt projectors light the grand column（圆柱）of the fountain in the evening, from early March until the second Sunday of October. The Flower Watch, which was created at the edge of the English Garden in 1955, reminds us about that Geneva is the birthplace of the Swiss clock and watch making, and that this industry has become internationally famous, as well through the quality of the watches as through their beautiful appearance.

Sails on Lake Geneva are also enjoyable. The Lake of Geneva, lying among the Alps, is a true inland sea, making possible a wide range of pleasant boat trips, you can relax and watch the beautiful scenes pass by.

56. Which of the following is NOT suitable for describing Geneva?

A. Capital of Peace.              B. Palais des Nations.

C. The World’s Smallest Metropolis.

D. The birthplace of the Swiss clock and watch making.

57. The Jet d’Eau in the second paragraph refers to       .

A. the water fountain            B. the English Garden

C. a new scene with electric lighting     D. the name of a famous watchmaker

58. What do we learn about the Lake of Geneva from the text?

A. It is the symbol of Geneva.

B. It lies among the Jura Range.

C. It has a direct passage to the ocean.

D. It is a large body of water of tourist interest.

After a 15-year ban on the sale of fireworks in Beijing, Kang Guoliang, 51, was able to start his old trade again yesterday．

       As a salesman in Xinhui store in Dongcheng District, he is happy about the increasing number of buying fireworks wrapped in red paper — a color standing for happiness and good luck．

       “Fireworks are available for the first time in town for more than a decade,” Kang said happily．“People will buy them．”

       The store has 300 boxes of fireworks piled up and is open 24 hours at the moment．Residents are buying the fireworks and firecrackers for the upcoming Spring Festival, which falls on February 18．

       Citywide, 2,116 registered stores and retailers, 585 in the centre and 1,600 on the outskirts are trading fireworks in the Chinese capital．Sales of fireworks within the Fifth Ring Road started yesterday and will last until March 4, Xinhua reported．Among the stores, 117 stores are permitted to operate 24 hours．About 600,000 boxes of firecrackers worth more than 100 million yuan have been carried to registered stores．

       The Chinese capital began a ban in 1993 to reduce fireworks-related deaths and fires during the holiday season．Last September the ban was removed in response to residents’ fondness for fireworks when celebrating Spring Festival．

       According to new rules, Beijing residents are allowed to set off fireworks within the Fifth Ring Road all day on Lunar New Year’s Eve and Lunar New Year’s day, from 7 a．m．to midnight every day from February 19 to March 4．

       “Spring Festival without fireworks is not Spring Festival,” said Sheng Hefei, who was buying fireworks in the store．“It was fun to light the firecrackers when I was little,” he said．“The sound and view of fireworks make a real holiday．” However, not all residents welcome the return of firecrackers because of injuries, pollution and noise．“My child is scared of the sudden sound of firecrackers, and it is annoying to hear it all night long,” complained Lu Jun, a local resident．

（China Daily02/11/2008）

The passage is likely to belong to a（n）__________?

       A．description   B．argument       C．advertisement        D．news report

What’s the main idea of the passage?

       A．Beijing fireworks sales start after a 15-year ban．

       B．People go to buy fireworks and firecrackers every where in Beijing．

       C．Beijing residents all welcome the return of firecrackers．

       D．Many stores began to sell fireworks and firecrackers．

We can learn from the passage that ____________．

       A．every Spring Festival falls on February 18

       B．Beijing residents can set off fireworks everywhere ．

       C．fireworks are allowed to be sold because people like them．

       D．from February 19 to March 4, Beijing residents can set off fireworks twenty four hours every day．

What is the writer’s attitude towards the sales of fireworks in Beijing?

       A．Negative   B．Not mentioned C．Positive    D．Satisfactory