New York, 10 November—5:27pm,yesterday. Biggest power failure in the city's
history.
? Thousands of people got stuck in lifts. Martin Saltzman spent three hours between the 21st and 22nd floors of the Empire State Building. “There were twelve of us. But no one panicked. We passed the time telling stories and playing word games. One man wanted to smoke but we didn't let him. Firemen finally got us out.”
?“It was the best night we've ever had,”said Angela Carraro,who runs an Italian restaurant on 42nd Street.“We had lots of candles on the tables and the waiters were carrying candles on their trays. The place was full—and all night, in fact, for after we had closed, we let the people stay on and spend the night here.”
?The zoos had their problems like everyone else. Keepers worked through the night. They used blankets to keep flying squirrels and small monkeys warm. While zoos had problems keeping warm, supermarkets had problems keeping cool.“All of our ice cream and frozen foods melted,” said the manager of a store in downtown Manhattan.“They were worth $50,000.”
?   The big electric clock in the lobby(大廳)of the Waldorf?Astoria Hotel in downtown Manhattan started ticking(滴答) again at 5:25 this morning. It was almost
on time.
1.Throughout the period of darkness, Martin Saltzman and the eleven others were  ________ .
A. nervous          B. excited          C. calm      D. frightened 
2.In what way was the night of November 9 the best night for Angela Carraro?
A. She had a taste of adventure.
B. Burning candles brightened the place.
C. Business was better than usual.
D. Many people stayed the night in her restaurant. 
3.How long did the power failure last?
A. Nearly 12 hours.                   B. More than 12 hours.
C. Nearly 24 hours.                   D. More than 24 hours. 

Each year, prizes are presented to adults who accomplish great things in art, writing, science, and economics．So why not give awards to kids?
Harry Leibowitz asked himself that question in 1996．As an answer, he and his wife, Kay, created the World of Children organization and began handing out awards to kids and adults whose work has helped kids all over the world．The awards World of Children presents are nicknamed the "Children's Nobel Prize．" On Thursday, World of Children honored six adults and two kids at its 11th Annual Changemakers for Children awards ceremony held at the UNICEF House at United Nations Plaza in New York City．
Talia Leman, from Iowa, was awarded a Founder's Youth Award for Leadership．She is only 13 years old, but she has accomplished a lot．In 2005, she founded "RandomKid．" Since then, the nonprofit organization has raised more than $10 million to help kids in 48 states in the U．S．a(chǎn)nd in 19 other countries develop funding solutions to real-world problems．One place helped by RandomKid was a school built in Cambodia to enable 300 kids to go to school．The organization has also helped fix a school for 200 kids in Slidell, Louisiana, and provided interactive play centers that serve more than 500 kids in hospitals in Iowa．In faraway places like Africa, RandomKid has provided money for the purchase of water pumps．
Talia never thought that the organization she founded would be as successful as it has become．"I did a project called TLC, which meant Trick or Treat for the Levy Catastrophe, where kids would trick-or-treat for coins along with getting candy," she told me．"My goal was to raise $1 million．That seemed really high, but when you reach a goal, you always wind up reaching higher--and we actually raised $10 million．" The money RandomKid raised provided help to the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita．
56．The World of Children organization was created to _____．
A．a(chǎn)nswer questions from chilren     B．match the Adults’ Nobel Prize
C．give awards to chilren in poor areas    D．honour anyone who has helped kids in need
57．Talia Leman was honourd by the World of Children _____．
A．because of her sucessful work in RandomKid
B．because she gave the organization over $10 million
C．because of her solutions to the many world affairs
D．because she was chairman of RandomKid
58．In order to help kids, the organization RandomKid has done all the following EXCEPT _____．
A．building a school in Asia  
B．providing play centers for sick children
C．solving the water-drinking problem for African children
D．helping 300 Cambodian kids to go to school in America
59．How did the kids in RandomKid collect money?
A．They got paid by working at a building project at weekends．
B．They called at houses and threatened to play tricks if they receive nothing．
C．They gave performances to passers-by by playing trick-or treat games．
D．They helped a project called TLC sell candy after school．

Scientists in Israel have discovered a new way to test for water pollution by "listening" to what the plants growing in water have to say．By shining a laser beam(激光束) on the tiny pieces of algae(海藻) floating in the water, the researchers said they hear sound waves that tell them the type and amount of pollution in the water．
"It is a red light, telling us that something is beginning to go wrong with the quality of water," said Zvy Dubinsky, an aquatic biologist at Israel's Bar Ilan University．"Algae is the first thing to be affected by a change in water quality．"
As water sources deteriorate worldwide, the testing of algae could be used to monitor water quality faster, more cheaply and more accurately than techniques now in use, Dubinsky said．The secret is to measure the rate of photosynthesis(光合作用) in the algae, meaning the plant's ability to transform light into energy．During photosynthesis, plants also release oxygen into the air．
Dubinsky's technique is easy to perform because of the over-abundance of algae in the planet's water．Most of the oxygen in the atmosphere comes from algae．A prototype tester shoots a laser beam at water samples to stimulate photosynthesis in the algae．But not all of the laser's heat is used．
Depending on the condition of the algae and the rate of photosynthesis, some of the heat is shot back into the water, creating sound waves, Dubinsky said．With a special underwater microphone, researchers are able to analyze the strength of the sound waves and determine the health of the algae and the condition of the surrounding water．
"Algae suffering from lead poisoning, like waste discharged from battery and paint manufacturing plants, will produce a different sound than those suffering from lack of iron or exposure to other toxins," said researcher Yulia Pinchasov．
72．To study water quality, scientists choose algae mainly because       ．
A．a(chǎn)lgae is most easily affected by pollution
B．most oxygen is produced by algae
C．the amount of algae is decreasing
D．a(chǎn)lgae is a kind of plant floating in the water
73．When Dubinsky studied water quality, he mainly focused on       ．
A．the amount of laser used by algae
B．the rate of photosynthesis in the algae
C．the condition of the algae
D．the heat of laser used by algae
74．After the study, scientists proved that       ．
A．the increase in population is caused by lack of water
B．global warming causes water resources to reduce worldwide
C．a(chǎn)lgae can show the type and amount of pollution in the water
D．a(chǎn)lgae is dying out in the ocean around the world
75．What would be the most suitable title for the passage?
A．Water pollution is reduced with the growth of algae
B．Pollution makes it hard for plants to make photosynthesis
C．Water pollution affects the growth of marine plants
D．Scientists listen to plants to find pollution

The devastation of Typhoon Morakot over Taiwan and eastern China is a reminder that the northwest Pacific is the most dangerous region in the world for tropical storms．The worst of these are typhoons, which are the same as hurricanes in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, or cyclones in the Indian Ocean and Australia．They all have winds of more than 118km/h (73mph) spinning around a central core．
These storms start off as a mass of thunderstorms in the tropics outside the Equator．Given the right conditions, they form a bigger and more organised storm and feed off warm seas at more than 26．5C (80F) to get the fuel that they need to become a fully-fledged(羽毛豐滿的) typhoon, hurricane or cyclone．Each storm is like a heat engine, extracting heat from the warm, humid air over the sea and turning it into phenomenal amounts of energy — equivalent to about 200 times the entire world’s electrical generating capacity．But warm, moist air is not enough — these storms also need slack winds aloft, because strong high-altitude winds can rip off the top of the storm clouds and send the entire storm tumbling（翻跟頭）．
The damage from tropical storms often comes from their winds, or the storm surges from the sea as the winds pile up water into a huge battering ram(沖擊夯) that floods coastlines．But the devastation from Typhoon Morakot came from its unbelievable rainfall — about a year’s average rain in some places — that set off landslides and mudslides．
45．According to the first paragraph, the common point among typhoons,hurricanes and cyclones is _______．
A．that they all come from the oceans
B．that they all have winds of over 118km/h spinning around a central core
C．that they all cause great damage
D．that they all can generate electricity
46．Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A．Typhoon Morakat devestates Taiwan and eastern China
B．How is the typhoon formed?
C．Typhoon Morakot was how to devestate the areas it travelled
D．How terrible is Typhoon Morakat!
47．The devastation from Typhoon Morakot is mainly from ______．
A．its wind                  B．its rainfall      
C．landslides and mudslides      D．the storm
48．It can be inferred from the passage that ______．
A．Taiwan is off the northwest Pacific
B．the damage from tropical storms often comes from their winds
C．tropical storms often happen
D．tropical storms only need warm, moist air

HARTLAND, Wis. (AP) — Lauren Panos was surprised when she walked into her ninth-grade English class in the fall and saw there were no boys.
Her parents had not told her they had enrolled her in a new all-girls class at Arrowhead High School in Hartland. Panos still isn't sold on the idea.
"All the girls there, they can talk out of turn," the 14-year-old said. "We are bored of tasks and it's really upsetting."
More public school systems are looking at separating boys and girls, whether for certain classes or by total schools, after the federal government opened the door last fall. Supporters say separating students by sex helps them learn better and allows boys and girls to explore subjects they may not otherwise take.
"Boys just make a bigger trouble in the class," Panos' classmate, Alyson Douglas, 15, said “I likes not worrying about boys causing disruptions.”
Presently, nationwide, at least 253 public schools offer single-sex classes and 51 schools are entirely single sex, according to the National Association for Single Sex Public Education. In1995, just three public schools offered single-sex classes.
Critics of same-sex classrooms argue that proven methods of improving education should be carried out instead of one that divides boys and girls.
"Too many schools feel they can carry out a social experiment with students' education with really the weakest of theories," said Emily Martin, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Women's Rights Project.
Single-sex schools are an "illusionary(錯(cuò)覺的) silver bullet," said Lisa Maatz, director of public policy and government relations for the American Association of University Women. They distract(分散) from real problems and do not offer proven solutions such as lower class sizes and enough funding, she said.
"I would suggest that for many of our kids and families, especially in Milwaukee, it's a question of choice," Spence said. "We have a series of choices in Milwaukee and I just think this should be one additional choice."
66．What surprised Lauren Panos was that_______ when she walked into the class.
A．her classmates were all boys.          B．her classmates were all girls.
C．the boys were all absent from class.     D．she went into the wrong class.
67．From what Panos said we can learn that ______.
A．Panos thinks that the idea is very good for they can talk freely.
B．Panos doesn’t accept the fact that girls in her class have to finish many tasks.
C．Panos doesn’t like the idea that boys and girls are in separate classes.
D．Panos prefers to study in a class in which there are only boys.
68．The underlined word “disruptions” in the fifth paragraph most probably means ______.
A．trouble         B．danger   C．interest        D．happiness
69．Critics don’t support the idea of single-sex schooling mainly because_______.
A．boys will cause more trouble and girls will hate studying.
B．single-sex schooling that is not a proven idea can leave out key problems
C．it doesn’t help students develop fully and healthily
D．it can excite students to explore the unknown
70．The passage is probably taken from_________.
A．a(chǎn) newspaper                   B．a(chǎn) magazine   
C．a(chǎn) book of education          D．A TV programme

HONG KONG-----Hong Kong Disneyland is too crowded,a senior Chinese tourism official said today,hinting that another Disney Park is necessary to accommodate demand from China’s huuge population.
The comments by Shao Qiwei,director of China’s State Administration of Tourism, came a day after Shanghai’s mayor Han Zheng said the city was preparing to build China’s second Disney theme park.
“China has a very large population.We now have 1.3 bullion people. The market is very large.As far as I know,Hong Kong Disneyland is now very crowded.”said Shao,whose comments were broadcast on Hong Kong’s Cable TV.
The Hong Kong theme park,which opened in September,was widely criticized in January when it turned away hundreds of Lunar New Year holiday makers from mainland China because the park was full. Chaos(混亂) erupted when angry crowds tried to force their way into the park.
The embarrassing incident prompted a public apology from Hong Kong Disneyland Managing Director Bill Ernest and a dressing down from Hong Kong’s leader Donald Tsang.Authorities are carefully studying the issue of overcrowding in preparation for the possible building of the Disney park in Shanghai.Shao said.
The official Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday that no agreement has been reached on the park in Shanghai,quoting senior vice president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Leslie Goodman. Hong Kong Disneyland is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Co. and the local government, which shouldered the bulk of the park’s construction fees.
68.Why is it necessary to build a Disney park in Shanghai?
A.Hong Kong Disneyland can’t meet the need of the large population.
B. Hong Kong Disneyland is too small and very crowded.
C.Hong Kong Disney Park was criticized by tourists.
D. Hong Kong Disneyland is far from the mainland.
69.Hundreds of visitors from mainland China got angry because_____.
A.the services in the park were not as good as expected.
B.they were not allowed to go into the park.
C.the park was too crowded.           D. chaos happened at the entrance to the park.
70.The building of a Disney park in Shanghai_____.
A.has been agreed to by The Walt Disney Co.      B.is financed by The Walt Disney Co.
C.willl be in the charge of the Shanghai government.
D.remains to be discussed with The Walt Disney Co.

BUKHANNON, West Virginia—Two rescue teams slowly moved along a two-mile path on Monday night to the site of a coal mine explosion that trapped 13 miners, who had not been heard from since the early morning accident.
Meanwhile, at a nearby church, more than 250 family members and friends gathered, waiting for updates（最新報(bào)道）on the rescuers’ progress.
The miners were trapped at about 6:30 and many families weren’t informed of the accident until about 10 a.m-more than three hours after it happened. “It’s very upsetting, but you’ve got to be patient, I guess,” said John Helms, whose brother, Terry, was trapped in the mine.
The trapped miners were about 260 feet underground and about 10,000 feet from the Sago Mine’s entrance, said Roger Nicholson, general counsel from International Coal Group.
At a late night news conference, Nicholson said one team had advanced about 4,800 feet in the four hours since entering the mine just before 6 p.m. Another team entered the mine about 30 minutes later.
He said the crew was very experienced, with some members having worked underground for 30 to 35 years. The miners were equipped with about one hour of breathable oxygen each. The company has not released the names of the miners.
The teams test the air about every 500 feet, and have to disconnect (remove) the power to the phones they use to communicate with the surface before doing that. “We don’t want to be energizing anything if it’s in an atmosphere with burnable gases,” Kips said. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. High levels of carbon monoxide were detected shortly after the explosion, which delayed rescue efforts, but those levels have since subsided（減退）, authorities said.
53. According to the passage, we can infer that ______.
A. all the miners who were trapped underground were still alive
B. communication with the trapped miners was cut off
C. the two rescue teams entered the mine at the same time
D. the rescue started as soon as the accident happened
54. If the first team advanced at an average speed, they could dig about ______ per hour.
A. 1,000 feet          B. 2,400 feet           C. 1,200 feet                D. 4,800 feet
55. Where can the passage be seen?
A. In a magazine.                                     B. In a newspaper.       
C. In a science book..                            D. On an advertisement.
56. Which of the following shows the position where the miners were trapped?

NANJING, June 13,2009 (Xinhua) – China will see the longest total solar eclipse (日食) in 500 years on July 22, a scientist said Saturday.

The most important time of the total eclipse was expected to
begin from 9:00 a.m. to 9:38 a. m. (Beijing Time), said Wang
Sichao, a research fellow with the Nanjing – based Purple
Mountain Observatory under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
“The total eclipse will l ast up to six minutes, which is the longest
one that can be seen in China in almost 500 years from 1814 to 2309,” Wang said.
He said viewers in parts of eleven provinces in China's southwestern, central-southern and eastern areas, such as Tibet, Hunan and Jiangsu, will be able to witness the total solar eclipse, while in most parts of Shanghai, viewers can see the spectacular phenomenon. For viewers in other provinces, including Beijing, they can observe a partial eclipse, he said.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon is caught between the sun and the earth while each of them moves along their fixed orbits. In a total solar eclipse, the sun, the moon and the earth are directly aligned as the sun swings into the cone of shadow cast by the moon.
Wang said the next total solar eclipse that can be seen in China will fall on March 20 th, 2034.     "But it can only be seen remote provinces, such as Tibet and Qinghai. It cannot not be compared with the upcoming one -- in terms of duration and number of cities that can see the eclipse," he added. The last total solar eclipse visible in China took place on Aug. 1 last year. It was observed in northwest China and lasted two minutes in Yiwu County of northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the best place to see the phenomenon.
72．According to the report, the total eclipse on July the 22 nd will last         .
A．over a month                                                    B．a(chǎn)bout 38 minutes
C．a(chǎn)bout 6 minutes                                              D．less than 30 minutes
73．Viewers can possibly witness the total solar eclipse in            .
A．Liaoning                   B．Sichuan                    C．Beijing                      D．Xinjiang
74．When a total solar eclipse happens,          .
A．the moon goes into the shadow cast by the sun
B．the earth stays between the sun and the moon
C．the sun temporarily moves into the moon’s orbit
D．the sun is in a line with the moon and the earth
75．Which is the best title for this report?           .
A．China to witness longest total solar eclipse in 500 years
B．The most important total solar eclipse will favor China
C．The beginning time of the total solar eclipse is expected
D．China has been the best place to witness the solar eclipse

On the night of May, 7,1942, a plane took off from an Air Force base in England to stop German fighters over the English Channel. The pilot of the plane was Captain Thomas Nash. Looking eastward, Nash saw twelve orange lights in a row, moving at an extremely high speed. As an experienced flyer, he had never seen anything like them. Thinking that they might be a new German weapon, he decided to follow them. But when he swung the plane around and headed directly for the lights, they disappeared.
Captain Nash may have been the first to see such orange lights but he wasn’t the last. His experience was repeated several times by pilots during World War Ⅱ in Europe and the Far East. What were they? No one knows for sure, but there is an interesting theory to explain them. According to this theory, the orange lights are space animals – animals specially adapted to life in the upper atmosphere just as some creatures are adapted to life at the bottom of the sea. These space animals, the theory says, live so far up in the atmosphere that they are invisible from the earth. They feed in part on the air and partly on energy from sunlight. Being almost pure energy themselves, they can give light at night. During the day they become invisible.
Before World WarⅡ, continues the theory, there was little radiated (輻射) energy available on the earth’s surface. Then came the development of rockets, atomic reactor (核反應(yīng)堆), and hydroelectric (水力發(fā)電的) plants. The space creatures are attracted by these sources of energy. At night when no energy is sent from sunlight, they go down into the lower levels to search a meal. They may even come into the scope of human eyesight. This explains the fact that they have been sighted now and then from the earth since 1942.
54．Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?
A．The secret of nature can be completely explained.
B．Captain Nash may have been the first to see the lights in space.
C．Captain Nash saw twelve orange lights moving at a high speed.
D．According to an interesting theory, the orange lights are space animals.
55．The strange orange lights were first seen         .
A．from the ground                                  B．from a rocket ship
C．during World War I                             D．during World WarⅡ
56．The theory says that during the daytime the space animals        .
A．can’t be seen                                       B．shine brightly in the sky
C．can be seen from the earth                    D．visit the earth’s surface
57．If the space theory is true, the creatures go down to the lower places in order to         .
A．make connection with man                   B．search for man – made energy
C．a(chǎn)ttract curiosity                                   D．escape detection

D
LONDON—Archaeologists have discovered a smaller prehistoric(史前) site near Britain’s famous circle of standing stones at Stonehenge.
Researchers have named the site “Bluehenge” after the color of the 27 Welsh stones that were laid to make up a path. The stones have disappeared, but the path of holes remains.
The new circle, unearthed over the summer by researchers from Sheffield University, represents an important find, researchers said Saturday. The site is about a mile away from Stonehenge.
Bluehenge, about 80 miles southwest of London, is believed to date back to about the time Stonehenge was built, about 5,000 years ago.
Mike Parker Pearson of Sheffield University said he believed the path and stonehenge itself were linked to rituals(儀式) of life and death.
Mike Parker suggested that the ancient funerary rituals began at a different circle site known as “Wood-henge”, which represented the world of the living. The bodies of the dead were then brought down the River Avon to Bluehenge, which represented death, and were finally carried along a ceremonial route known as the Avenue to Stonehenge.
Bournemouth University Professor Tim Darvill, an expert on Stonehenge, told Britain’s Dail Mail that Bluehenge “adds to the richness” of the ancient site’s story.
“This henge is very important because it forms part of the picture of ceremonial monuments in the area and puts Stonehenge into context,” Darvill was quoted(引述) as saying. “It’s no longer Stonehenge standing alone, but it has to be seen in context with the landscape.”
53．How many henges are mentioned in this passage?
A．Two  B．Three       C．Four  D．Five
54．Who believed the Stonehenge is related to ancient ritual of death?
A．Archaeologists from London       B．Welsh researchers
C．Mike Parker Pearson                   D．Professor Tim Darvill
55．What does the underlined sentence “It’s no longer Stonehenge standing alone, but it has to be seen in context with the landscape.” in the last paragraph mean?
A．Stonehenge has noting to do with Bluehenge
B．Woodhenge represented the world of living in ancient times.
C．Bluehenge represented death
D．Stonehenge, Woodhenge and Bluehenge should be studied together
56．From the passage we can learn that ______.
A．researchers have named the site “Bluehenge,” because they have found blue huge stones there
B．funerary rituals were carried out along the path starting from Woodhenge, River Avon to Bluehenge, finally Stonehenge.
C．Bluehenge is 1 mile away from London
D．Bluehenge dates back to 2000 BC