Artificial(假的) flowers are used for scientific as well as for decorative purposes. They are made from a variety of materials, such as wax and glass, so skillfully that they can scarcely be distinguished from natural flowers. In making such models, painstaking and artistry are called for, as well as thorough knowledge of plant structure. The collection of glass flowers in the Botanical Museum of Harvard University is the most famous in North America and is widely known throughout the scientific world. In all, there are several thousand models in colored glass, the work of two artist-naturalists, Leopold Blaschka and his son Rudolph.?

The intention was to have the collection represent at least one member of each flower family native to the United States. Although it was never completed. It contains more than seven hundred species representing 164 families of flowering plants, a group of fruits showing the effect of fungus diseases, and thousands of flower parts and magnified details. Every detail of these is accurately reproduced in color and structure. The models are kept in locked cases as they are too valuable and fragile for classroom use.?

Which of the following is the best title for the passage??

A. An Extensive Collection of Glass Flowers ?

B. The Lives of Leopold and Rudolph?

C. Flowers Native to the United States?

D. Material Used for Artificial Flowers?

It can be inferred from the passage that the goal of Leopold and Rudolph was to _______.?

A. create a botanical garden where only exotic flowers grew?

B. do a thorough study of plant structure?

C. make a copy of one member of each United States flower family?

D. show that glass are more realistic than wax flowers?

The underlined word “it” refers to _______.?

A. the intention　 B. the collection　　?

C. one member      D. each flower family?

On the day Apple debuted the often-delayed white-colored iPhone 4, the company's marketing department gave a nod to the product's troubled history．

"Finally．" read the big headline Thursday above a picture of the white phone on the homepage of Apple．com．

The white model was supposed to ship alongside the black one at the iPhone 4's launch（推出） last June．But design and manufacturing complications delayed the process by 10 months, catching Apple off guard, executives say．

As CNN reported last month, earlier test models of the white iPhone 4 produced unclear photos, especially when the flash（闪光灯） was used．Its whiteness confused the proximity sensor （距离传感器） , which detects when the phone is held next to someone's head and turns off the touch screen to save battery life．

These problems weren't present in older iPhones that came in white because they didn't have flash photography; the proximity sensor was unaffected because the front side of previous models was black．

"We thought we were there a year ago, or less than that, when we launched the iPhone 4, and we weren't," Philip Schiller, Apple's chief marketing executive, said in an interview．"It's not as simple as making something white．There's a lot more that goes into both the material science of it —how it holds up over time…but also in how it all works with the sensors．"

Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White predicts that the white model could help drive sales of Apple's phones．He says Apple could sell 1 million to 1．5 million every three months until the next iPhone model is unveiled, which is expected to be this fall．

Forty-five people were lined up at Apple's flagship New York store Thursday morning to buy white iPhones, according to a CNN Money report．

1.The reason why white-colored iPhone 4 was delayed by 10 months is that _______．

    A．it's always sold out due to its popularity

    B．it met some problems concerning design and manufacture

    C．it lacked white manufacturing materials

    D．its proximity sensor can't save battery life

2.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

    A．There are multi-colored models of iPhone 4．

    B．The same design problems were also found in older white iPhones．

    C．IPhone4 will be launched this fall．

    D．Originally designers thought they could solve the problems before iPhone 4 was launched．

3.What would be the best title for this passage?

    A．Why the White iPhone 4 Took So Long

    B．The History of iPhone 4

    C．The Attraction of White iPhone 4

    D．The Design and Manufacture of iPhone 4

Scientists are closely concerned with the structure of buildings and with the quality of building materials． The World health Organization （WHO) observes that the introduction of air conditioning and energy conservation （保护) measures have been accompanied by growing problems of indoor air quality． Some pollutants arise from insulation （隔音) products, some from moving cars, and others from modern housing materials． As many Europeans spend up to 90% of their lives in buildings, the health effects of the indoor climate are very important．

　　Some construction materials, including fiberboard, insulation foams and certain glues for man-made wood floor boards, for example, give out organic products such as formaldehyde （甲醛)． Heat and humidity increase the release of formaldehyde and the gas seriously harms the eyes． Paint, lacquer, etc． can also release dangerous gas into indoor air．

　　Construction materials can cause serious damage, especially when they contain asbestos（石棉）． Asbestos is naturally present in rock formations worldwide． It belongs to a family of mineral substances made up of solid, non-combustible（非易燃品） fiber． These properties make asbestos a highly sought-after construction material． As early as 1931, however, public health officers in the United Kingdom revealed the connection between breathing in asbestos dust and such diseases as lung cancer．

　　The land on which a building is sited may also contribute to pollution． Some kinds of granite or similar rocks contain traces of radium． As it breaks down, this naturally radioactive element produces some kind of radioactive gas that goes through tiny cracks in walls, floors and building materials, and makes its way into the building and the rooms． The better the homes are insulated, the more is the dangerous gas in indoor air． The main effect of this dangerous gas on health is to increase the risk of lung cancer．

1.What is the main idea of the passage?

    A．Some building materials pollute indoor air．

    B．Some factors cause indoor air pollution．

    C．Asbestos can cause lung cancer．

    D．The land on which houses are built contributes to indoor pollution．

2.Why are Europeans particularly concerned with building materials?

    A．Lots of building materials there are radioactive．

    B．They stay home up to 90% of their lives．

    C．They have a high rate of lung cancer．

    D．They spend most of their time indoors．

3.Why is asbestos a sought-after building material?

    A．It is a kind of insulation foam．

    B．Asbestos will not give out dangerous gas．

    C．This material is not easy to catch fire．

    D．It is rarely present in rock formations．

4.Why should we be careful about the land on which a building is to be sited?

    A．To determine whether the land is firm enough for a building to be sited on．

    B．To make sure that the land contains no radioactive material．

    C．To make certain that the land releases no formaldehyde or other gases．

    D．To check whether it contains any combustible materials．

　　Good afternoon, and welcome to England. We hope that your visit here will be a pleasant one. Today, I would like to draw your attention to a few of our laws.

　　The first one is about drinking. Now, you may not buy alcohol in this country if you are under 18 years of age, nor may your friends buy it for you.

　　Secondly, noise. Enjoy yourselves by all means, but please don't make unnecessary noise, particularly at night. We ask you to respect other people who may wish to be quiet.

　　Thirdly, crossing the road. Be careful. The traffic moves on the left side of the road in this country. Use pedestrian crossing and do not take any chances when crossing the road. My next point is about litter（throwing away waste material in a public place）. It is an offence to drop litter in the street.

　　When you have something to throw away, please put it in your pocket and take it home, or put it in a litter bin. Finally, as regards smoking, it is against the law to buy cigarettes or tobacco if you are under 16 years of age.

　　I'd like to finish by saying that if you require any sort of help or assistance, you should contact your local police station, who will be pleased to help you.

　　Now, are there any questions?

The main purpose of this speech would be to ______.

　　　　A. prepare people for international travel

　　　　B. declare the laws of different kinds

　　　　C. give advice to travelers to the country

　　　　D. inform people of the punishment for breaking laws

　　How many laws are there discussed in the speech？

　　　　A. Three.　　　　 B. Four.　　　　　C. Five.　　　　　 D. Six.

　　From the speech we learn that ______.

　　　　A. in this country, if you are under 18 years of age, you may not buy alcohol, but your friend can buy it for you

　　　　B. you may not buy cigarettes or tobacco unless you are above 16 years of age

　　　　C. because the traffic moves on the left side of the road, you must use pedestrian crossings when crossing the road

　　　　D. you can't make noise except at night