The National Dark-Sky Week (NDSW) is a week during which people all over the United States turn off their lights to enjoy the beauty of the night sky without light pollution. This even was started by Jennifer Barlow of Midlothian, Virginia in 2003, and it is becoming more popular each year. It has been supported by the International Dark-Sky Association, the American Astronomical Society, and the Astronomical League.

This even always occurs in April, during the week of the new moon so that the sky can be as dark as possible for the best viewing conditions.

“It is my wish that people could see the night sky without other light in the sky as our ancestors (祖先) saw it hundreds of years ago,” explains Barlow.

 Since it only lasts a week and not everyone in the country will take part in it, how will the National Dark-Sky Week reduce light pollution? The main goal of NDSW is to increase awareness (意识) of the harmful effects of light pollution. It is not possible for all of the light pollution in this part of the world to disappear. However, it is possible to make a small difference in the quality of the night sky. Another goal of this even is to promote (促进) the use of better lighting systems that direct light toward the ground instead of up into the sky.

Jennifer Barlow states, “The night sky is a gift of such beauty that it should not be polluted by wasted light. In this way, our children will not lose touch with the wonder of our universe.”

1.This passage is mainly about ______________.

   A. better lighting systems               B. the beauty of the night sky

   C. the harm of light pollution           D. the National Dark-Sky Week

2.Which of the following statements about the National Dark-Sky Week is WRONG?

   A. It is becoming more and more popular in America.

   B. The event was started in 2003 by Jennifer Barlow.

   C. The event takes place in the first week of every April.

   D. American people are supposed to turn off their lights during that week.

3.What is Jennifer Barlow’s wish?

   A. That light would be directed up into the sky.

   B. That the sky would always be as dark as possible.

   C. That people could see the night sky without light pollution as our ancestors did.

   D. That people could spend time enjoying the beauty of the sky every night.

4.We can infer from the underlined（划线的）sentence in Paragraph 4 that ________.

 A. many people in America hate this event   

B. it may be hard to reduce light pollution

  C. the event should last a month every year 

D. light will no longer pollute the sky soon

5.What is the main goal of the National Dark-Sky Week?

   A. To promote the use of better lighting systems.

   B. To help people realize the harm of light pollution.

   C. To cause all the light pollution in America to disappear.

   D. To help young children enjoy the wonder of our universe.

What I noticed first about my new parrot, Chico, was that he couldn’t fly. His wings had been cut short and he was stuck on the   1  just like us humans. When the weather turned nice, I took Chico outside. I sat him on a branch of a tree, hoping to make him   2 . At first he seemed   3 . He walked back and forth on the branch looking anxious or nervous. He didn’t even flap his wings in an attempt to fly. Somehow he knew he was   4 .
One day Chico got especially excited . He paced back and forth and made an incredible amount of   5 . Then all of a sudden he stopped and let out an even louder scream. He started   6  flapping his wings for the first time ever － then he lifted off the   7  like a space shuttle! I was amazed and   8  . Little did I know his feathers had been growing back, and Chico had been   9  until the moment was ripe for escape!
Two days later Chico   10  . First I tried to trick him back with food, but he would not come near me. Then I took his   11  and put it away—still he would not come. Finally, I made him a firm promise that I would let him   12  every day the weather was nice if he did come back.   13  , he flew onto my shoulder.
From that day on, whenever the weather was good I would let him out early and he would fly around and be back before dark. The   14  lasted for two months before suddenly Chico became   15 . The vet said that he had been infected with a disease from the pigeons in the neighborhood. Within a few days he died.
I was very sad. The   16  crossed my mind that if I had not set him free to fly, he would be still alive. But what   17  is there in being a bird if you can’t fly?
Chico made his first break for   18  on a late Monday afternoon in April. When will you make yours? You too can take a   19  when the conditions are right, knowing you too, in your own way, were built to fly. If you don’t    20 , what will be the purpose of your life?

I used to be a mortgage broker(贷款中间人) in the Phoenix area. In April 2007, the company that I had been with for a year went out of business. That was the latest of the four companies that I had worked for since 2000 .They all either went under or let most of the employees go, including me.
In December 2007, the bank took back my house, and I had no choice but to move in with my parents, five miles away. My sister has three children, and she had no room. My fiancée(未婚妻), Brandi Wetch, and I have been living in my parents’ house for about a year and a half now.
My mother, Sue, works part-time at a high school library. My father left for a job in the Marshall Islands a few months ago and will be gone for two years.
I’m trying to be patient with finding a new job, but it’s been hard. I check the Internet for jobs every morning. I have sent countless letters but have never got a job. I have no idea how many other people are applying for the same job.
I do the housework and washing, and I take care of the garden. Sometimes, I feel like the best part of my life is over. The worst part of the day is when I chat with my friends on the Internet. I’ve talked to about 10 old friends online. The first thing they usually ask is what I’m doing now.
My mother, who is in her 60s, has been so patient and supportive. She acts like she’s happy to have us, not like we’re crowding her. We have learned what’s important since I lived here.
【小题1】 We can infer that the writer is living a _________ life.

The World Trade Organization came into existence in the 1990s. It operates a system of trade rules. It serves as a place for nations to settle disagreements and negotiate agreements to reduce trade barriers. The newest of its 150 members, Vietnam, joined in January.
But the roots of the W.T.O. date back to World War Two and the years that followed. In 1944,   the International Monetary(货币的) Conference agreed to create the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. But they could not agree on an organization to deal with international trade.
Three years later, in 1947, twenty-three nations approved the General Agreement on Tariffs (关税)and Trade, or GATT. It was meant to be temporary. Trade negotiations under GATT were carried out in a series of talks called rounds. The first round lowered import taxes on one-fifth of world trade. Later rounds produced additional cuts, and negotiators added more issues.
The sixth round began in 1963. It was called the Kennedy Round after the murder of President John F. Kennedy. The results included an agreement against trade dumping. This is when one country sells a product in another country at an unfairly low price.
The eighth round of talks began in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in 1986. The Uruguay Round lasted almost twice as long as planned. In all, 123 nations took part in seven-and-a-half years of work. They set time limits for future negotiations. They also agreed to create a permanent system to settle trade disagreements.
In April of 1994, most of those 123 nations signed an agreement. It replaced GATT with the World Trade Organization.
The W.T.O. launched a new round on development issues in Doha, Qatar, in November of 2001. These talks were supposed to end by January of 2005. But negotiators could not agree on issues involving agricultural protections. The current round has been suspended since last July.
61. The WTO got this name in the year _____.
A. 1947          B. 1963          C. 1986             D. 1994
62. Which of the following statements about GATT is NOT true?
A. It was set up after World War II.      B. It was first approved by less than 30 countries.
C. It was a branch of the World Bank.   D. It was meant to improve international trade.
63. What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph mean?
A. The founders wanted GATT to bring in money.
B. The founders didn’t expect GATT to last long.
C. GATT was ready to change its name at the very beginning.
D. GATT was open for more member countries.
64. What is one of the results of the Uruguay Round?
A. A permanent system was agreed on.    B. It lasted almost eight years.
C. More countries took part in it.         D. More disagreements than expected were settled.
65. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. Why the WTO was Called GATT?     B. WTO Talk Rounds Last Longer
C. A Brief Introduction to the WTO      D. GATT or WTO? A Real Question