A sandstorm hit Gansu Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (内蒙古自治区) and Beijing on Sunday, reducing visibility (能见度) to less than 100 meters in affected areas. When visibility drops to less than 1 kilometer, it is called a sandstorm. The sandstorm in Minqin blew up dust in neighboring towns, such as Baiyin, Wuwei, and Jinchang.

Dust winds also swept into Beijing at more than 20 meters per second. Dust first reached the capital’s suburbs at 7 a.m., downtown areas at 9 a.m. The Palace Museum in central Beijing was covered in thick, brown-yellow dust at noon. The winds, which died down during the night, brought the temperature down to 8℃ below zero and many flights put off their planned time from the city’s airport.

Although the Chinese Central Weather had forecast the sandstorm on Tuesday and warned citizens to prepare for it, many people were shocked by the yellow sky. Wang Hongsheng, a senior citizen living in Beijing for more than 60 years, said such weather had seldom been seen in recent years. In the northwestern part of the city, the sky was darkened by the sand, forcing cars and shops to turn on their lights.

It is quite rare for sandstorms, which are frequent between March and June, to happen in winter, when the earth is frozen. The sandstorms in Gansu and Inner Mongolia do not necessarily mean there will be more of them in the spring than last year, but Beijing is taking it very seriously. It is reported that Beijing will spend 6 billion yuan in preventing sandstorms in the capital and has already set up a special team to make sure what causes them.

72. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. A sandstorm took place in Gansu.

B. A sandstorm happened on Sunday.

C. The sandstorm is very serious, compared to last year.

D. The experts are trying their best to determine the cause of the sandstorm formed this year.

73. Which of the following does NOT belong to the bad effects the sandstorm has caused in Beijing?

A. The temperature fell.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

B. Flights put off their time to take off.

C. The air was dirty.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

D. People had three days’leave.

74. Why did sandstorms begin in winter this year?

A. Because there was little snow this season.　　　　　

B. Because a lot of trees had been cut down.

C. Because people took few measures to control them.　　　

D. It is not mentioned in the passage.

75. The author wrote the passage to ___.

A. tell us the environment is becoming worse and worse

B. explain what measures people have taken to control sandstorms

C. make people realize the need to protect the environment

D. call on us to do what we can to save the eart

Some places in the world have strange laws. It’s important for you to know about them before going there.

   Whoever likes to chew gum(口香糖) may have to leave Singapore. The government really wants to keep the city clean and will fine you for chewing gum.

   Before you leave for the United Arab Emirates you’d better make sure you aren’t visiting during Ramadan(斋月). During that time you aren’t allowed to eat or drink in public. Tourists have been fined up to $275 for drinking in public.

   Lovers spend so much time kissing each other goodbye at train stations that trains often start late. This law — no kissing your lover goodbye at train stations – is rather old, and isn’t in use today in France.

   In Thailand it’s against the law to drive a car or motorcycle without a shirt on, no matter how hot it is. Punishments are different in different areas and can include warnings and tickets costing about $10. No joke -- the local police will stop you.

  Studies in Denmark have shown that cars with their headlights on are more noticeable by other drivers than those with their headlights off. Drivers there are required to leave their headlights on even during the day, or they may face a fine up to $100.

   Do you often buy things using coins? Don’t do it in Canada. The Currency Law of 1985 doesn’t allow using only coins to buy things. Even the use of the dollar-coin is limited (受限制的). The shop owner has the right to choose whether to take your coins or not.

   Make sure you know about these laws before your next trip. Better safe than sorry.

What is mainly talked about in the text?

A. How to make your trip around the world safe.

B. Why there are strange laws in the world.

C. Interesting places you can go to around the world.

D. Some strange laws you should know about for your trip.

If you are driving a car in Thailand, _____.

A. the police will play a joke on you

B. you should wear your shirt even though it’s hot

C. the police will give you tickets costing about $10

D. you should always keep your headlights on

What can we learn from the text?

A. Kissing goodbye at train stations isn’t allowed in France today.

B. The Singaporean government cares a lot about its environment.

C. Tourists in the United Arab Emirates shouldn’t eat in public.

D. You can turn your headlights off in daytime in Denmark.

What do we know about the strange law in Canada?

A. It is a newly invented law.           B. You aren’t allowed to use dollar-coins.

C. You will be fined if you use coins.     D. Shop owners can decide if you can use coins.

The disabled _____down upon in the past .

1. A.
   was looked
2. B.
   were looked
3. C.
   looked
4. D.
   did look

When a group of children politely stop a conversation with you, saying: “We have to go to work now,” you’re left feeling surprised and certainly uneasy. After all, this is the 1990s and the idea of children working is just unthinkable. That is, until you are told that they are all pupils of stage schools, and that the “work” they go off to is to go on the stage in a theatre.

　　Stage schools often act as agencies（代理机构）to supply children for stage and television work. More worthy of the name “stage school” are those few places where children attend full time, with a training for the theatre and a general education.

　　A visit to such schools will leave you in no doubt that the children enjoy themselves. After all, what lively children wouldn’t settle for spending only half the day doing ordinary school work, and acting, singing or dancing their way through the other half of the day?

　Then of course there are times for the children to make a name and make a little money in some big shows. Some stage schools give their children too much professional work at such a young age. But the law is very tight on the amount they can do. Those under 13 are limited to 40 days in the year; those over 13 to 80 days.

　The schools themselves admit that not all children will be successful in the profession for which they are being trained. So what happens to those who don’t make it? While all the leading schools say they place great importance on children getting good study results, the facts seem to suggest this is not always the case.

　People would stop feeling uneasy when realizing that the children they’re talking to________.

　　  A. attend a stage school　　　　  B. are going to the theatre

　　  C. have got some work to do 　　  D. love singing and dancing

　　 In the writer’s opinion, a good stage school should ________.

　　  A. produce star performers

　　  B. help pupils improve their study skills

　　  C. train pupils in language and performing arts

　　  D. provide a general education and stage training.

　“Professional work” as used in the text means ________.

　　  A. ordinary school work　　　　　  B. money-making performances

　　  C. stage training at school 　 　  D. acting, singing or dancing after class

　 Which of the following best describes how the writer feels about stage schools?

　　  A. He thinks highly of what they have to offer.　　　　

　　  B. He favours an early start in the training of performing arts.

　　  C. He feels uncomfortable about children putting on night shows.

　　  D. He doubts the standard of ordinary education they have reached.

  What is in the drug that makes you sick or dead? For example, cocaine is harmful, but what makes it harmful?

   I can’t tell you all about drugs, but I can ___36___ you think about them in this ____37____ way. Your body is a very complicated machine, ____38____ a lot of chemical machinery, all of which is finally turned ____39____ it all works together. Special chemicals, which we call drugs, can affect it in many different ways.

   Some drugs are ____40____ when your body has a problem, as with disease—causing bacteria. Then someone may give you aspirin to keep your temperature from going too ____41____ or some penicillin (青霉素) ____42____ it stops the growth of some kinds of bacteria. ___43_____, all drugs are really poison, ____44_____ if you take too much, so you must always use them ____45____.

   Why do some people take drugs like cocaine? For a little while they seem to make you feel better, or happier. But ____46____ their effects have ____47____, your body has to pay an extra ____48____ to get back to normal. That makes you want to get ____49____ of the drug.

   Drugs like cocaine have their special effects because they act as ____50____ for your nervous system. They cut off some of your nerve pathways and take away some of your senses and your ____51___. They make you want always more. And just a little too much can even ____52____ nerves to your heart and stop its beating

   Many of us worry about the ____53____ around us and what pollution does to us. How about your internal environment and what goes on ____54____ you? You control that all by yourself in what you put into your ____55_____. Most drugs are pollutants. You would not want pollutants in the air and water around you. Why would you want pollutants in your body?