Passage ten(Antinuclear Demonstration)

Police fired tear gas and arrested more than 5,000 passively resisting protestors Friday in an attempt to break up the largest antinuclear demonstration ever staged in the United States. More than 135,000 demonstrators confronted police on the construction site of a 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant scheduled to provide power to most of southern New Hampshire. Organizers of the huge demonstration said, the protest was continuing despite the police actions. More demonstrators were arriving to keep up the pressure on state authorities to cancel the project. The demonstrator had charged that the project was unsafe in the densely populated area, would create thermal pollution in the bay, and had no acceptable means for disposing of its radioactive wasters. The demonstrations would go on until the jails and the courts were so overloaded that the state judicial system would collapse.

Governor Stanforth Thumper insisted that there would be no reconsideration of the power project and no delay in its construction set for completion in three years. “This project will begin on time and the people of this state will begin to receive its benefits on schedule. Those who break the law in misguided attempts to sabotage the project will be dealt with according to the law,” he said. And police called in reinforcements from all over the state to handle the disturbances.

The protests began before dawn Friday when several thousand demonstrators broke through police lines around the cordoned-off construction site. They carried placards that read “No Nukes is Good Nukes,” “Sunpower, Not Nuclear Power,” and “Stop Private Profits from Public Peril.” They defied police order to move from the area. Tear gas canisters fired by police failed to dislodge the protestors who had come prepared with their own gas masks or facecloths. Finally gas-masked and helmeted police charged into the crowd to drag off the demonstrators one by one. The protestors did not resist police, but refused to walk away under their own power. Those arrested would be charged with unlawful assembly, trespassing, and disturbing the peace.

1.What were the demonstrators protesting about?

A.Private profits.

B.Nuclear Power Station.

C.The project of nuclear power construction.

D.Public peril.

2.Who had gas-masks?

A.Everybody.

B.A part of the protestors.

C.Policemen.

D.Both B and C.

3.Which of the following was NOT mentioned as a reason for the demonstration?

A.Public transportation.

B.Public peril.

C.Pollution.

D.Disposal of wastes.

4.With whom were the jails and courts overloaded?

A.With prisoners.

B.With arrested demonstrators.

C.With criminals.

D.With protestors.

5.What is the attitude of Governor Stanforth Thumper toward the power project and the demonstration?

A.stubborn.

B.insistent.

C.insolvable.

D.remissible.

 —Hi, Tom. How is our sports meeting going under such bad weather?

—Well. _______ it to rain tomorrow, we _______ to cancel the sports meeting.

A. Would; should have                               B. Were; would have

C. Was; would have                                          D. Should; would have

It was not much bigger than a soccer ball and weighed less than 185 pounds. But 50 years ago, when the Russian satellite Sputnik successfully orbited the Earth, it made headlines around the world and marked the beginning of the race for space.

　 The launch of the world's first artificial satellite on October 4, 1957 ignitedBefore Sputnik's launch, the US had plans to send its own satellites into space to study cosmic (宇宙的) rays and gravity, among other things. But the Russians struck first, leaving US scientists and ordinary citizens in shock. To make matters worse, the Russians successfully launched a second satellite less than one month later. This one was much larger, at 1,120 pounds. The Americans were more eager than ever to make their mark in space.

　 Americans thought their time had finally come on December 6. But what was supposed to be a day to remember quickly turned into a disaster to forget. The US satellite Vanguard rose just four feet off the ground before its engine failed and it burst into flames. Finally, on January 31, 1958, the Americans had the reason to celebrate. The US satellite Explorer 1 blasted into space. During its voyage, it made one of the most significant scientific finds to date—the discovery of magnetic radiation belts around the Earth.

　 As the consequence of Sputnik, American Congress passed the National Defense Education Act of 1958.The act was aimed at improving education in science, mathematics, and foreign languages. Congress also passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958. The federal legislation (立法) created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, most commonly known as NASA.Today, the United States and Russia are no longer in competition. In fact, NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonauts are working together and making important scientific discoveries aboard the International Space Station.

1．How can we conclude the first period of the space race between the US and Russia?

A．A Russian victory. 　　　　 　B．A close game.

C．An American honor. 　　　　 　D．A hard win for both.

2．The Russians successfully launched the first satellite________ earlier than the Americans.

A．nearly half a year　 　　　 　B．about two months

C．less than 100 days　 　　　 　D．more than 100 days

3．In 1958 American Congress passed two acts for fear that ________.

A．the US wouldn't get any help from the Soviet Union

B．the Soviet Union would cancel the offer in the competition

C．the Soviet Union would do better than the US in the space race

D．the US would be in want of research forces

4．The underlined word “ignited” here can be replaced by “________”．

A．prepared　　　 B．caused　　　 C．approved　　 D．compared