Deep inside a mountain near Sweetwater in East Tennessee is a body of water known as the Lost Sea. It is listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest underground lake. The Lost Sea is part of an extensive (covering a large area) and historic cave system called Graighead Caverns.

The caverns have been known and used since the days of the Cherokee Indian nation. The cave expands (becoming large in size) into a series of huge rooms opening on the side of the mountain. One mile from the entrance, in a room called“The Council Room”,many Indian artifacts(手工艺品)have been found.

For many years it had been considered that there was a large underground lake somewhere in a cave, but it was not discovered until 1905. That year, a thirteen-year-old boy named Ben Sands crawled into a small opening three hundred feet underground. He found himself in a large cave half filled with water.

Today, tourists visit the Lost Sea and ride far out onto it in glass-bottomed boats. More than thirteen acres ( 英亩 ) of water have been mapped out so far and still no end of the lake has been found. Even though teams of divers have tried to explore the Lost Sea, the full extent (the size of a large area)of it is still unknown.

1. The Lost Sea is completely different from any others because it is______.

A. part of a historical cave system

B.the biggest underground lake in the world

C.listed in the Guinness Book of World Records

D.the largest body of water in Tennessee

2. The Graighead Caverns have been known______.

A.throughout history

B.since the time of the Indian nation

C.since 1905

D.since divers explored them

3. Who discovered the Lost Sea in recent times?

A. Ben Sands.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      B. Boys.

C. The Cherokee Indians.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Scientists.

4.What was found in“The Council Room”?

A. A small natural opening.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. A large cave.

C. Another series of rooms.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.Manyold Indian objects.

5. It can be inferred from the passage that the Graighead Caverns presently serve as______.

A. an underground lab　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.an Indian meeting ground

C.a place of interest　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.a museum

The caverns have been known and used since the days of the Cherokee Indian nation. The cave expands (becoming large in size) into a series of huge rooms opening on the side of the mountain. One mile from the entrance, in a room called“The Council Room”,many Indian artifacts(手工艺品)have been found.

For many years it had been considered that there was a large underground lake somewhere in a cave, but it was not discovered until 1905. That year, a thirteen-year-old boy named Ben Sands crawled into a small opening three hundred feet underground. He found himself in a large cave half filled with water.

Today, tourists visit the Lost Sea and ride far out onto it in glass-bottomed boats. More than thirteen acres ( 英亩 ) of water have been mapped out so far and still no end of the lake has been found. Even though teams of divers have tried to explore the Lost Sea, the full extent (the size of a large area)of it is still unknown.

1. The Lost Sea is completely different from any others because it is______.

A. part of a historical cave system

B.the biggest underground lake in the world

C.listed in the Guinness Book of World Records

D.the largest body of water in Tennessee

2. The Graighead Caverns have been known______.

A.throughout history

B.since the time of the Indian nation

C.since 1905

D.since divers explored them

3. Who discovered the Lost Sea in recent times?

A. Ben Sands.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      B. Boys.

C. The Cherokee Indians.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Scientists.

4.What was found in“The Council Room”?

A. A small natural opening.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. A large cave.

C. Another series of rooms.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.Manyold Indian objects.

5. It can be inferred from the passage that the Graighead Caverns presently serve as______.

A. an underground lab　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.an Indian meeting ground

C.a place of interest　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.a museum

One reaction to all the concern about tropical deforestation（砍伐森林） is a blank stare that asks the question, "Since I don't live there, what does it have to do with me?"

　 The answer is that your way of life, wherever you live in the world, is tied to the tropics in many ways. If you live in a house, wash your hair, eat fruits and vegetables, drink soda, or drive a car, you can be certain that you are affected by the loss of tropical forests.

　 Biologically, we are losing the richest regions on earth when, each minute, a piece of tropical forest, the size of ten city blocks ,disappears. As many as five million species of plants, animals, and insects (40 to 50 percent of all living things) live there, and are being lost faster than they can be found and described. Their loss is immeasurable.

　 Take rubber for example. For many uses, only natural rubber from trees will do. Synthetics are not good enough. Today over half the world's commercial rubber is produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, while the Amazon's rubber industry produces much of the world's four million tons. And rubber is an important material in making gloves, balloons, footwear and many sporting goods. Thousands of other tropical plants are valuable for their industrial use.

　 Many scientists strongly believe that deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect -- or heating of the earth from increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As we destroy forests, we lose their ability to change carbon dioxide into oxygen.

　 Carbon dioxide levels could double within the next half-century, warming the earth by as much as 4.5 degrees. The result? A partial melt-down of polar ice caps, raising sea levels as much as 24 feet; even 15 feet could threaten anyone living within 35 miles of the coast. Unbelievable? Maybe. But scientists warn that by the time we realize the severe effects of tropical deforestation, it will be 20 years too late.

　 Can tropical deforestation affect our everyday lives? Now, you should have got the answer.

1．The underlined word "synthetics" probably means a kind of _________.

　 A．natural rubber　 B．tropical material　 C．man-made material　 D．tropical tree

2．In the last paragraph the author tries to__________.

　 A．tell people how to avoid the tropical deforestation

　 B．show us how important it is to protect the tropical forests

　 C．persuade people to buy something synthetic

　 D．let people realize the effect of tropical deforestation

3．The author's attitude towards the tropical deforestation is____________.

　 A．puzzling　　　 B．cold　　　 C．supporting　　　 D．opposed

　Most people feel lonely sometimes, but it usually only lasts between a few minutes and a few hours. This kind of loneliness is not serious. In fact, it is quite normal. For some people, though, loneliness can last for yeas. Now researchers say there are three different types of loneliness.

　　The first kind of loneliness is temporary（暂时的）. This is the most common type. It usually disappears quickly and does not require any special attention. The second kind, situational loneliness, is a natural result of a particular situation-for example, family problem, the death of a loved one, or moving to a new place. Although this kind of loneliness can cause physical problems, such as headaches and sleeplessness, it usually does not last for more than a year.

　　The third kind of loneliness is the most severe. Unlike the second type, chronic（长期的）usually lasts more than two years and has no specific cause. People who experience habitual loneliness have problems socializing and becoming close to others. Unfortunately, many chronically lonely people think there is little or nothing they can do to improve their condition.

Psychologists agree that one important factor in loneliness is a person's social contacts, e.g. friends, family members, co-workers, etc. we depend on various people for different reasons. For instance, our families give us emotional support, our parents and teachers give us guidance, and our friends share similar interests and activities. However, psychologists have found that, though lonely people may have many social contacts, they sometimes feel they should have more. They question their popularity.

　　Psychologists are trying to find ways to help habitually lonely people for two reasons: they are unhappy and unable to socialize and there is a connection between chronic loneliness and serious illness such as heart disease. While temporary and situational loneliness can be normal, healthy part of life, chronic loneliness can be a sad, and sometimes dangerous condition.

How would you treat temporary loneliness according to the passage?

　　A. Talk to friends              B. Just ignore it  

    C. Go to see a doctor      D. Ask your teachers for guidance

"It" in the last sentence of the second paragraph refers to _____.

　　A. temporary loneliness 　　    B. situational loneliness

　　C. a new place　　      D sleeplessness

The topic of the 4th paragraph is that____.

　　A. one problem of loneliness is a person's social contacts

　　B. we depend on various person for different reasons

　　C. lonely people don't have many social problems

　　D. lonely people don't have many friends

Why do psychologists want to help chronically lonely people?

　　A. Chronic loneliness can cause family problems　　 B. Chronic loneliness can cause serious illness

　　C. Chronic loneliness can not be overcome　　   D. A, B and C are all correct

What is the best title for the passage?

　　A. Three Kinds of Loneliness    B. Loneliness and Diseases

　　C. Loneliness and Social Contacts   D. Chronic Loneliness

阅读理解

　　A terrifying example of the sea's power saw about 200,000 people die in 12 different countries last week. The devastation (毁坏) was caused when a massive earthquake sent tsunamis (海啸) smashing into Indian Ocean coastlines.

　　Communities in Sri Lanka. Indonesia, Thailand, India, Malaysia and East Africa have been destroyed by the monster waves. Whole towns were imply swept aside by the power of the water. Cars, trains and buildings could not survive (幸免), let alone the people who stood in the way.

　　The earthquake measured 9.0 on the Richter scale (里氏震级) and occurred off the coast of Indonesia. It was recorded as the fifth strongest since 1900.

　　Scientists said the quake was as powerful as a million of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan during World War Ⅱ. “This may be the worst natural disaster in recent history because it is affecting so many heavily populated coastal areas," said Jan Egeland, a UN official.

　　Because such waves rarely happen in the Indian Ocean, there is no system in place to warn coastal communities they are about to be hit.

　　Tsunami is Japanese for “harbour wave.” They are usually caused by a sudden rise or fall of part of the Earth's crust (地壳) under the ocean. Tsunamis often happen in oceans and they are most common in the Pacific. Normally a tsunamis includes a series of waves.

　　Tsunamis can be very long-as much a, 100 kilometres-and be as far as one hour apart. They are able to cross entire oceans without losing much energy. One of the most striking facts about tsunamis is that an earthquake on one side of the Pacific Ocean can cause giant wave, and destruction on the other side.

　　When the ocean is deep, tsunamis can travel unnoticed at speeds of up to 800 kilometres per hour. They can cross the entire ocean in a day or less.

　　The wave may only be a few metres, high in the ocean but when it is near the shore and reaches shallow (浅) water, the wave builds up very quickly in height. Witnesses (目击者) in some areas of Indonesia reported seeing up to 10-metre high waves crash into the shore.

1．We can infer from the passage that fewer people would have died in the South Asian tsunami ________.

[　　]

A．if there had been warning system along the coast

B．if the earthquake had happened off the coast of Thailand

C．if the tsunami had happened in the day time

D．if the tsunami had happened in the deep ocean

2．What surprises people most about the tsunamis is that ________.

[　　]

A．it lasts a long time

B．it travels a long way

C．a tsunamis on one side of the ocean can cause destruction on the other side of the ocean

D．it builds up a high wave

3．Which of the following is NOT true of the South Asian tsunamis?

[　　]

A．It was caused by a serious earthquake off the coast of Indonesia.

B．It was caused by the strongest earthquake in the world.

C．People didn't expect such a strong tsunamis would hit them.

D．It may be the worst natural disaster in recent history.

4．Which of the following is the best title for this article?

[　　]

A．What Is the Tsunami?

B．South Asia Was Hit by the Strongest Earthquake.

C．Mother Nature Displays Anger.

D．A Terrible Disaster.