On Dec. 7, 1998, at 17 years old, Jesse set sail from Melbourne, Australia on his boat, attempting to become the youngest person to sail alone and nonstop around the world. He sailed south of New Zealand, through the South Pacific, around South America, north on the Atlantic, back south past Africa, through the Indian Ocean and back to Melbourne.
Even as a young child, Jesse had been an adventurer who traveled all over Europe and Asia with his parents. Born in Munich, Germany in 1981, he moved to Australia with his family when he was only two years old. They moved close to a rainforest in Cow Bay, about 3500kms north of Melbourne, where they built a small house with no electricity or running water. Jesse grew up at the beach enjoying the outdoors to its fullest.
At 14, he sailed for the first time with his father and brother, Beau. It was after this trip that he began to dream about sailing around the world.
Jesse’s family played an important role. “I was made to believe I could do anything.” he says. Although, he says, there were others that were not so encouraging or supportive, “People that I looked up to, respected and trusted told me I couldn’t. Thankfully, I trusted myself. There were people that said that the boat couldn’t be ready by the time I had to leave.” However, through perseverance and belief in himself he was able to do what many told him was impossible.
On Oct.31, 1999, more than 10 months after he set sail, Jesse Martin went down in history as the youngest person to sail around the world alone, nonstop and unassisted.

1. 1.

   What’s the author’s purpose in encouraging the reader to imagine a sailing experience?

   1. A.
      To show how difficult it is to be a sailor.
   2. B.
      To show how wonderful Jesse’s sailing is.
   3. C.
      To describe what Jesse’s sailing is like.
   4. D.
      To describe what a sailor’s life is like.
2. 2.

   Jesse Martin was at the end of his voyage when he _______.

   1. A.
      sailed on the South Pacific.
   2. B.
      sailed on the Indian Ocean.
   3. C.
      sailed past Africa
   4. D.
      sailed past South America.
3. 3.

   Which of the following made Jesse decide to sail alone around the world?

   1. A.
      His childhood adventure experiences.
   2. B.
      His journeys to Europe.
   3. C.
      His first sailing trip with his family.
   4. D.
      His love for outdoor activities.
4. 4.

   What can we learn from Jesse Martin’s story?

   1. A.
      Interest leads to success.
   2. B.
      A strong belief will make a person stronger.
   3. C.
      Life is an unusual adventure we should enjoy.
   4. D.
      Failure is the mother of success.

There are some serious threats to the children’s health. The largest killer of children under age five is pneumonia(肺炎). This lung infection kills about two million children each year, mostly in developing countries.

In developed countries, most pneumonia cases are caused by viruses. But in the developing world, about sixty percent are caused by bacteria. These cases can be treated with antibiotic drugs(抗生素).

The World Health Organization currently says children with severe pneumonia should be admitted to a hospital and given injectable antibiotics. But many poor families do not have the money for a hospital or live too far away.

Now, new research could lead to a change in that advice. A study in Pakistan found that children with severe pneumonia can recover fully at home taking antibiotics by mouth. The study is in the Lancet medical journal.

The research involved two thousand children between three and five years old. Half received intravenous(静脉) antibiotics during a forty-eight-hour hospital stay. The others were sent home to take antibiotics for five days.

The treatment failed in eighty-seven children in the hospitalized group and seventy-seven in the home group. These children were then given another therapy.

During the study, five children died, four of them in the hospital group.

W.H.O. medical officer Shamim Qazi says the new findings will help children, families and hospitals. Children may get other infections in a hospital. Many hospitals are already overcrowded. And treatment at home would be less costly.

The study confirmed the findings of three other studies in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. These showed that in hospitals, oral antibiotics were just as effective as injectable antibiotics in treating severe pneumonia in children.

A few cases are so severe they will still need hospital care. But Doctor Qazi says the W.H.O will be updating its guidelines this year with the new evidence. The W.H.O, of course, will be devoted to studying other killers to children all the time as well.

1．Why do some children cannot be sent to hospital and given inject able antibiotics?

  A．Because parents don’t want to spend much money on them.

  B．Because their disease is not serious enough.

  C．Because they live far away from hospitals.

  D．Because they don’t want to receive intravenous antibiotics.

2．Of all the children who received intravenous antibiotics in the research,         children died.

      A．0.4%            B．0.2%             C．0.25%           D．0.5%

3．The writer mainly wants to tell us        .

       A．home treatments work well on children with severs pneumonia

  B．the largest killer of children under age five is pneumonia

  C．what the advantage of treating pneumonia staying at home is

  D．how the research about pneumonia was carried out

4．Suppose the passage hasn’t ended, what might be most possibly talked about in the following part?

       A．The detailed information about the W.H.O’s updating its guidelines.

       B．The way to solve the problem that some hospitals are overcrowded.

  C．Another threat to children’s health, which W.H.O will deal with.

       D．The findings of three other studies in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America

The population conference in Brasilia has now ended. One of the aims of the conference was for countries from each continent to look back at past experiences and to learn from them for the future.
In Europe
Population problems are different in different parts of the world.  For example, in many European countries the population is getting older. The birth rate is very low because many young people have only one child or none at all. People are living longer, too. On average, men tire to 76 and women to 78. By 2050 around 25 % of the population of some European countries will be over 60 years old.
This change has happened very fast within two generations. If governments had expected this change, they would have encouraged people to prepare more for old age. At the moment many old people are very lonely and often very poor. If people had expected to live so long, they would probably have saved more money for their retirement.
In Africa
In Africa, the problems of the future will be very different. There, the population is doubling every 24 years. Many families continue to have large numbers of children to look after older people and to help on the land. However, better medical services have increased life expectancy and more children survive to become adults. Research shows that the size of the family is connected with the standard of women’s education. If more girls had gone to school in the last 20 years, family size in Africa would probably not have continued to be so big.
In Asia
In contrast, the problem in Asia is not just population growth but also overcrowding in many cities. Traditionally, most people have lived in the countryside, but within the next 25 years more than 65% will live in cities. If Asian countries had expected this kind of change 20 years ago, they would have tried to provide more work and better education in the countryside. This is starting to happen now, but it may be too late.
56. What is the cause of African population problem?
A. Low birth rate and increased life expectancy. B. More older people, more children.
C. People’s moving from the countryside to the cities.
D. Better medical services and increased life expectancy.
57. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. In Europe it is normal to live to be 76 or more.
B. Medicine has changed population patterns.
C. Population problems are the same everywhere.
D. Many old people in Europe experience poverty.
58. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Cities everywhere are becoming larger and larger.
B. Asian countries have tried to provide more work for people.
C. A lot of girls couldn’t go to school in Africa.
D. The older people in Europe are, the lonelier they will be.

The population conference in Brasilia has now ended. One of the aims of the conference was for countries from each continent to look back at past experiences and to learn from them for the future.

In Europe

Population problems are different in different parts of the world.  For example, in many European countries the population is getting older. The birth rate is very low because many young people have only one child or none at all. People are living longer, too. On average, men tire to 76 and women to 78. By 2050 around 25 % of the population of some European countries will be over 60 years old.

This change has happened very fast within two generations. If governments had expected this change, they would have encouraged people to prepare more for old age. At the moment many old people are very lonely and often very poor. If people had expected to live so long, they would probably have saved more money for their retirement.

In Africa

In Africa, the problems of the future will be very different. There, the population is doubling every 24 years. Many families continue to have large numbers of children to look after older people and to help on the land. However, better medical services have increased life expectancy and more children survive to become adults. Research shows that the size of the family is connected with the standard of women’s education. If more girls had gone to school in the last 20 years, family size in Africa would probably not have continued to be so big.

In Asia

In contrast, the problem in Asia is not just population growth but also overcrowding in many cities. Traditionally, most people have lived in the countryside, but within the next 25 years more than 65% will live in cities. If Asian countries had expected this kind of change 20 years ago, they would have tried to provide more work and better education in the countryside. This is starting to happen now, but it may be too late.

56. What is the cause of African population problem?

A. Low birth rate and increased life expectancy. B. More older people, more children.

C. People’s moving from the countryside to the cities.

D. Better medical services and increased life expectancy.

57. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. In Europe it is normal to live to be 76 or more.

B. Medicine has changed population patterns.

C. Population problems are the same everywhere.

D. Many old people in Europe experience poverty.

58. What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Cities everywhere are becoming larger and larger.

B. Asian countries have tried to provide more work for people.

C. A lot of girls couldn’t go to school in Africa.

D. The older people in Europe are, the lonelier they will be.