If you were a pilot flying a plane, and suddenly the engine failed, would you eject (弹出), or stay in? For a pilot, the choice is very difficult. If he ejects, he is wise, but the plane crashes. If he stays in the plane, he risks his life.

Recently, Chinese Air Force pilot Li Feng, 38, faced this choice during a training exercise. It was March 7 and he was flying a Jian-10 (Flghter-10) at 4,500 meters. A warning appeared on the plane’s computer screen. He realized the plane might fail at any moment.

Li Feng did a quick check of the engine and asked the base if he could return. When the fighter was 7km away from the airport, however, the engine stopped working. The plane began to fall at a speed of 25 meters a second from an altitude of 1,160 meters.

Under Air Force rules fighter pilots may eject if their aircraft loses engine power below 2,000 meters and can’t be restarted. Before Li lost contact with the control tower, the commander in the air base asked him to eject. But Li Feng insisted on having another try.

“I knew where the deadline (to abandon the aircraft) was and was prepared for the ejection, but I decided not to give up unless the fighter was totally out of control,” Li recalled during a recent television interview.

After 104 seconds, Li was able to bring the fighter to a safe landing. The plane only suffered slight damage.

“You are a hero! Congratulations!” Li’s teacher, Xu yongling wrote in a text message to him after the landing. He said Li was a cool-headed pilot and very professional.

Li’s brave and calm act not only saved the 200 million yuan aircraft but also gave him invaluable first-hand experience of dealing with an engine emergency.

For his outstanding performance, the Air Force recently awarded him a gold medal.

When the engine stopped working, Li Feng _________.

A. was flying a Jian-10 at 4,500 meters        B. saw a warning appeared on the plane’s computer screen

C. was still calm and cool-headed             D. was asked to stay in, but he ejected

When the fighter plane loses engine power below 2,000 meters, ___________.

A. pilots must restart it as soon as possible      B. pilots should repair it as soon as possible

C. pilots may eject for safety                 D. pilots should bring it to a safe landing

Why didn’t Li Feng give up the plane?

A. Because he had no choice but to stay in the plane.

B. Because the fighter was not totally out of control.

C. Because he didn’t know how to eject.         D. Because he wanted to get a gold medal.

What is the best title for the passage?

A. Flying the Fighter Correctly                   B. When to Abandon the Aircraft

C. How to Deal with an Engine Emergency         D. Bring the Fighter to a safe Landing

Unless we spend money spotting and preventing asteroids(小行星) now, one might crash into Early and destroy life as we know it, say some scientists.

Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids(流星) that race across the night sky. Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don’t threaten us. But there are also thousands of asteroids whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth.

Buy $50 million worth of new telescopes right now. Then spend $10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks. By the time we spot a fatal one, the scientists say, we’ll have a way to change its course.

Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons.  But the cost wouldn’t be cheap. Is is worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are: (1)How likely the event is; and (2) How bad the consequences if the event occurs. Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500 000 years. Sounds pretty rare-but if one did fall, it would be the end of the world. “If we don’t take care of these asteroids, they’ll take care of us,”says one scientist.  “It’s that simple.”

 The cure, though, might be worse than the disease. Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth? “The world has less to fear from doomsday(世界末日) rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against it,” said a New York Times article.

9.What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroids?

A.They are heavenly bodies different in composition.

  B.They are heavenly bodies similar in nature.

C.There are more asteroids than meteoroids.

D.Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids.

10.What do scientists say about the collision of an asteroid with Earth?

A.It is very unlikely but the danger exists.

B.Such a collision might occur once every 25 years.

C.Coilisions of smaller asteroids with Earth occur more often than expected.

  D.lt’s still too early to say whether such a collision might occur.

11.What do people think of the suggestion of using nuclear weapons to alter the course of asteroids?

A.It sounds practical but it may not solve the problem.

B.It may create more problems than it might slove.

C.It is a waste of money because a collision of asteroids with Earth is very unlikely.

D.Further research should be done before it is proved applicable.

12.We can conclude from the passage that .      

A.while pushing asteroids off course nuclear weapons would destroy the world

B.asteroids racing across the night sky are likely to hit Earth in the near future

C.the worry about asteroids can be left to future generations since it is unlike to happen in our    lifetime.

D.workable solutions still have to be found to prevent a collision of asteroids with Earth

If you don’t prepare yourself now, retirement may be some of the most boring and dull years of your life. To have a happy, fulfilling retirement, you need to start preparing right away.

  The most obvious thing for people to do when they retire is to take up a hobby. The most important step to take before retiring, though, is to make sure that you actually have started some hobbies. Once you’re retired, unless you ‘ve already started a hobby, you’ll find it very hard to get into something new. Some hobbies aren’t for everyone. Think about what you enjoy doing and start participating on a casual basis now.

  Another thing many people participate in is volunteering. Not only does volunteering give you something to do, it also gives you a sense of accomplishment(成就) and can add meaning to your life .Volunteering is also rewarding in other ways, too. There are hundreds of different types of volunteer services and you’ll always be able to meet new and interesting people. Also, don’t think that volunteering is always only about helping someone for free. Many companies pay their volunteers after they’ve had enough experience and prove themselves to be valuable workers.

  There are plenty of other potions, as well. Going back to school is a great way to keep yourself feeling young. Taking a vacation around the world with your loved ones is another great way to spend your retirement.

  Ultimately, though, the key to a happy retirement is simply keeping yourself busy and doing whatever you love. If there’s nothing you love doing now, then you’ll find that once you have a vast amount of free time, your life will be pretty empty. Now is the time to find out what you want to do when you retire.

Why does the author suggest starting a hobby before retirement?

   A. Because we are likely to have difficulty starting a hobby after retirement.

B. Because we are gong to have a vast amount of free time after retirement.

   C. Because we will only have a limited choice of hobbies after retirement

   D. Because not every one of us has already started some hobbies already.

What can we learn about volunteering from the text?

   A. We can make devoted friends through volunteering.           

B. It can help companies find hard-working workers.

   C. One can even make some money by volunteering.           

 D. Almost everyone is willing to help in some way.

Which of the following can best explain “a happy retirement”?

   A. Travelling around the world every year.                    

B. Going back to university for further study.

   C. Having plenty of free time for one’s hobbies.                

D. Living a busy life and doing what one enjoys doing

If a computer crashes,you will lose the file you _____ on unless you save it regularly.?    A.are working                 B.work?

    C.will work                  D.worked?

If you are ever lucky to be invited to a formal dinner party in Paris，remember that the French have their own way of doing things, and that even your finest manners may not be “correct” by French custom．For example，if you think showing up promptly（迅速地）at the time given on the invitation，armed with gifts of wine and roses，complimenting（称赞）your hostess on her cooking，laughing heartily at the host’s jokes and then leaping up to help the hostess will make you the perfect guest，think again．

Here Madame Nora Chabal，the marketing director of the Ritz Hotel in Paris，explained how it works．

The first duty of the guest is to respond to the invitation within 48 hours．And，the guest may not ask to bring a guest because the hostess has chosen her own．

Flowers sent ahead of schedule are the preferred gift．They may also be sent afterwards with a thank–you note．It is considered a very bad form to arrive with a gift of flowers vase when she is too busy to do with that．

See，that’s the logic！The type of flowers sent has a code of its own，too．One must never send chrysanthemums(菊花)because they are considered too humble(谦卑)for occasion．Carnations（康乃馨）are considered bad luck，and calla（马蹄莲）are too reminiscent（令人联想）of funerals（葬礼）．A bouquet of red roses is a declaration of romantic intent．Don’t send those unless you mean it，and never to a married hostess．And though the French love wine，you must never bring a bottle to a dinner party．Why？It’s as if you feared your hosts would not have enough wine on hand，and that’s an insult（侮辱）．You may，however，offer a box of chocolates which the hostess will pass after dinner with coffee．

If an invitation is for eight o’clock，the considerate guest arrives at a quarter past eight．Guests who arrive exactly on time or early are mere thoughtless ones who are not giving the hostess those last few minutes she needs to deal with details and crises．

Which of the following is right about sending gifts？

A. If someone in France is dead, send chrysanthemums or calla.

B. If someone in Paris is ill in hospital, send carnations.

C. If you are invited to a dinner party in UK, never bring a bottle of wine, because that’s an insult.

D. If you are invited by a single French hostess whom you love, send red roses.

What does the word “considerate” in the last paragraph mean？

      A. thoughtful               B. shameful     C. respectful    D. grateful

If you are invited to a French dinner, the correct custom is to ______.

A. compliment your host on his cooking

B. arrive fifteen minutes behind schedule   

C. hurry to help the hostess

D. show up promptly at the time given on the invitation

What is the passage mainly about？

A. Different flowers have different meanings    

B. How to send flowers

C. Good manners at a French dinner party 

D. Different countries have different manners