Today’s amazing newspaper headline!

First family of four to walk to the South Pole wearing Mickey Mouse ears and clown’s shoes.

    No, not really. It isn’t true. I invented it. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see it one day soon. It seems that every week someone becomes ‘the first’ or ‘the youngest’ or ‘the oldest’ or even ‘the first married couple’ to do something that doesn’t seem to be very useful to the rest of humanity.

This year I've seen headlines saying ‘The youngest person to sail the Atlantic alone’, ‘The youngest Briton to climb Mount Everest’, and ‘The first people to fly around the world in a hot air balloon’. Why do they do it? Don’t they have better things to do with their time and money? And why should I be interested anyway? Human beings have already climbed the highest mountains, sailed across the oceans and flown around the world. People have already reached the most remote parts of our planet. Many of these things were done a long, long time ago. There just isn’t anything left to explore nowadays. I suppose there’s still a lot of the universe left, and the bottom of the oceans is still a bit of a mystery, but you need a lot of technology to explore areas like that. So, those people who feel the need for adventure can only do things that have been done before. So they have to try and do it in a new way, or be ‘the fastest’ or ‘the youngest’ or ‘the oldest’ to do something that isn’t really new at all.

What is so great about climbing Mount Everest these days anyway? It’s become a popular tourist trip.

People pay thousands of dollars to be taken up the mountain by the local Sherpas, who lead the way and carry the bags. At any one time there are about a thousand people either climbing up or on their way back down. As a result, Everest is covered with rubbish and the Sherpas have to make special trips up the mountain to pick it up. The climbers are often inexperienced and when they get into trouble other people have to risk their lives to bring them down to safety. Helicopter crews have been killed trying to reach people who were stuck on the mountain.

In January 2003 a helicopter carrying two British men crashed into the sea near Antarctica. I'm not quite sure what they were trying to be ‘the first’ or ‘the youngest’ to do. The Chilean navy picked them up after a nine-hour rescue mission that cost tens of thousands of pounds, all paid for by the Chilean and British taxpayers.

Talking of taxpayers, many Australians are getting a bit fed up with record breakers. A lot of people trying to break sailing or rowing records get into trouble in the seas around Australia, so the Australian navy has to send ships to save them. There have been a lot of difficult, time-consuming rescue missions in recent years costing the Australian government millions of dollars. I suppose we can’t just leave them to drown, but personally, I think we should give the bill to the people who are rescued. Perhaps they would think twice about doing it if they had to pay for expensive insurance premiums（保费）. Then I wouldn’t have to read about them in the newspapers either.

50.        The writer invents the newspaper headline in Paragraphs 1&2 to _________.

     A. persuade readers of a new theory              B. remind readers of an important event

     C. get readers interested in the topic        D. entertain readers with his humor

51.  By saying “It’s become a popular tourist trip”, the writer actually means that ___________.

     A. it's impossible to climb up Mountain Everest without help

B. Mount Everest is now covered with a lot of rubbish

C. climbing Mount Everest has already lost its true meaning

     D. people without experience may get in trouble or even danger

52.        Which of the following is the reason why many Australians dislike the record breakers?

     A. A great number of people try to break records in the seas around Australia.

     B. They have to pay for the costs of rescuing the record breakers.

     C. The Australian navy was not something intended for rescue work.

     D. The record breakers should pay for their insurance premiums themselves.

53.        The writer’s purpose of writing this article is to______________.

     A. explain the reasons why modern people prefer to adventure

     B. criticize the newspaper headlines that get readers shocked

     C. complain about all the high taxes people have to pay

     D. question the necessity of what record breakers are doing

54.        Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

     A. It’s All Been Done Before             B. Adventures Around the World

     C. What’s Record Breakers’ Life Like    D. Rescue Costs and Insurance

三、阅读理解（30分）

On New Year’s Eve

At midnight on New Year’s Eve, people in Rome, Italy, throw out all the things they no longer want. The streets are filled with old chairs, beds, clothes and dishes. In Madrid, Spain, the new year comes in more quietly. People flock to the main square. Each holds a bag of grapes. As the clock strikes twelve, the people eat the grapes— one for each stroke.

In Tokyo people eat noodles on New Year’s Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the next morning, some Japanese families climb Mount Fuji. There they watch the first sunrise of the new year.

41. This story is about New Year’s Eve in ____.

A. Italy and Spain     B. China and Japan    C. Japan             D. both A and C

42. In Rome, Italy, the streets are filled with old things on New Year’s Eve because __     .

A. people throw out all the things they no longer want

B. the city has never been clean

C. people want to change back what they want

D. they want to see the sun come up

43. People in both Spain and Japan bring in the new year by____.

A. throwing things away                      B. eating a special food

C. climbing a mountain                       D. watching the first sunrise

44. In Tokyo, people eat noodles on New Year’s Eve _____.

A. because they like eating noodles very much

B. so that the daytime could be longer

C. in order that they could live longer

D. though they don’t eat them

三、阅读理解

On New Year’s Eve

At midnight on New Year’s Eve, people in Rome, Italy, throw out all the things they no longer want. The streets are filled with old chairs, beds, clothes and dishes. In Madrid, Spain, the new year comes in more quietly. People flock to the main square. Each holds a bag of grapes. As the clock strikes twelve, the people eat the grapes— one for each stroke.

In Tokyo people eat noodles on New Year’s Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the next morning, some Japanese families climb Mount Fuji. There they watch the first sunrise of the new year.

41. This story is about New Year’s Eve in ____.

A. Italy and Spain     B. China and Japan    C. Japan             D. both A and C

42. In Rome, Italy, the streets are filled with old things on New Year’s Eve because __     .

A. people throw out all the things they no longer want

B. the city has never been clean

C. people want to change back what they want

D. they want to see the sun come up

43. People in both Spain and Japan bring in the new year by____.

A. throwing things away                      B. eating a special food

C. climbing a mountain                       D. watching the first sunrise

44. In Tokyo, people eat noodles on New Year’s Eve _____.

A. because they like eating noodles very much

B. so that the daytime could be longer

C. in order that they could live longer

D. though they don’t eat them

B
KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) - Nepal has given its security personnel permission to shoot pro-Tibet demonstrators during China's Olympic flame climb to Mount Everest's summit early next month.
"About 25 soldiers and policemen have established camps on the mountain and they have been ordered to use force if necessary to stop any anti-Chinese activities," Mod Raj Dotel, spokesman for the home ministry, said Sunday. "This could mean shooting if necessary."
Security personnel will also check mountain climbers for non-essential expedition materials, Dotel added.
"If anyone is found with anti-Chinese material their permit will be canceled and returned from the mountain," he said.
Chinese climbers plan to take the Olympic flame to the top of the world's highest peak, at 8,848 meters (29,028 feet) as part of the global relay leading up to the August 8 opening of the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Spring is the most popular season for climbing Mount Everest, which straddles(跨越) the border between Nepal and Tibet, an autonomous region of China.
The Nepali government has given permits to dozens of climbers from 30 expeditions this season.
But between May 1 and May 10, climbers are barred from going above 6,400 meters until the torch run is completed. China plans to take the Olympic flame to the summit sometime then.
Bad weather conditions allow only about two opportunities in May for a push to the summit.
The Chinese have not allowed any expedition to climb the mountain from the north side, according the Kathmandu representative of the Tibet China Mountaineering Association.
Almost every day in the past month, Nepalese police have arrested pro-Tibet protesters from in front of the Chinese Embassy and the United Nations offices. The demonstrators are released later in the evening. 
Supporters of Tibet punish the government's attitude toward the autonomous region, and many believe China should not have been awarded the honor of hosting the Olympic Games.
Earlier torch relay stops in London, England; Paris, France; and San Francisco, California attracted tens of thousands of demonstrators. They led to attacks on the torch and relay participants, and prompted police to make dozens of arrests.
Subsequent stops in Argentina, Tanzania and Oman were trouble-free.
In Pakistan, authorities closed the relay to the public. And India shortened the relay and kept thousands of anti-Chinese protesters at bay by sealing off roads and shuttering buildings along the route.
The relay went smoothly in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, amid heavy security and scattered protests along the route.
The flame arrived in Malaysia on Sunday. About 1,000 police officers will be on hand to watch for protesters during a relay in the capital city Kuala Lampur Monday.
61．When will China's Olympic flame probably reach Mount Everest's summit?
A．April 28        B．May 12        C．June 10        D．May 7
62．The underlined word “barred” means_____________.
A．permitted     B．stopped       C．encouraged    D．introduced 
63．How many times Climbers can reach the top of the mountain at most in May?
A．once               B．twice   
C．three times            D．as many times as they can
64．Where did the torch relay meet no trouble?
A．India          B．Nepal     C．Tanzania          D．France
65．What is the attitude of the Nepali government towards towards China's Olympic flame climb to Mount Everest's summit?
A．negative          B．positive         C．ambiguous            D．Indifferent

I had looked forward to this day for a long time．Finally I, Kirsty Sturart, would stand on the top of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe．Although I climbed often in my native Scotland, this was my first trip to the Alps．My companions—Jean Pierre Barton, Maurice Gautier, and Mary Sargent—and I left our camp early and planned to reach the top by late morning．

As we neared the top, large clouds gathered and it began to snow．We found shelter and decided to wait for the snow to stop．After three hours, however, we decided to go back and try again the next day．We started down the mountain in the thick snow．Jean-Pierre forgot his sunglasses and went back to look for them．As he was returning to us, he started to fall．

His fall started an avalanche（雪崩） and it was falling towards us! I was swept away by the heavy snow. Jean-Pierre hurried down to me．“Are you OK?” he asked．

“I think I broke my leg,” I answered．

“I’d better radio for help!” he said．“Where are the others?” We couldn’t see Maurice or Mary anywhere．

Jean-Pierre called the emergency radio number, and the police said they would send help right away．It seemed like hours, but only minutes later we heard the welcome sound of a helicopter． The helicopter couldn’t land on the mountainside, so they lowered two men, two dogs, and a stretcher（担架）．One man ran to me, but I told him to search for the others．The dogs were trained for avalanche rescue and soon began to dig crazily in the snow．

Bernardo, the lead dog, found Mary’s scarf and led the rescuers to her．Maurice was nearby．The men gave us hot drinks and warm blankets and then prepared to lift us into the helicopter．Two men inside the helicopter pulled us up with the ropes．I went first on the stretcher．

Once we were safely inside, the helicopter flew to the hospital in Chamonix．Our poor rescuers and their dogs had to climb all the way back down the mountain．Later we would find these brave men and thank them for saving our lives．

1.What prevented the climbers from reaching the top?

    A．The terrible weather．

    B．The loss of the sunglasses．

    C．The injury of the team members．

    D．The unexpected height of the mountain．

2.How did the writer break his leg?

    A．The road was covered with snow．

    B．His companion knocked into him．

    C．The heavy clouds blocked his view．

    D．The avalanche caused a fall for him．

3.How did the writer feel while waiting for help?

    A．Anxious．        B．Crazy．          C．Sorry．          D．Annoyed．

4.What do we learn from the passage?

    A．Mary was the leader of the team．

    B．The team was upset about their failure．

    C．It was several hours before the rescue team arrived ．

    D．The writer was excited thinking of climbing Mount Blanc．