Just as mankind has always had a desire to fly, the human race has wanted to swim under the water since prehistoric times. Pictures of primitive devices to enable people to breathe underwater have been found dating from 3000 years ago, but our dream of moving freely beneath the ocean waves for long periods of time was only realized about 60 years ago, when French diving legend Jacques Cousteau developed the first practical Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus(SCUBA). Since then the sport of SCUBA diving has gone from strength to strength.

Lovers of SCUBA diving like the feeling of weightlessness, the peace and quiet under the water, the ability to move in three dimensions and the sense of adventure they get while on a dive. SCUBA divers often travel to some of the most beautiful and remote places in the world in the search for rare underwater flora and fauna(動、植物). Palau, The Red Sea, The Maldives and Hawaii have many of the most popular diving sites, but recreational divers often have to make do with less exotic local destinations, like the North Sea in Britain.

SCUBA diving is not without its dangers, however. The mixture of nitrogen and oxygen divers breathe underwater, combined with the pressure under the water can be deadly if a diver rises too quickly to the surface, causing a condition called ‘the bends’. Divers can also get lost or trapped when diving on wrecks, and fatalities(死亡)are particularly common in cave diving, where divers add to the dangers of diving by swimming through underground caves filled with water. Diving can also be harmful to the underwater environment. However with proper precautions diving can open up a whole new world, far from the stresses of daily life.

63. What is the writer trying to do in the text?

A. Advertise some popular diving sites.

B. Describe how to dive underwater.

C. Warn people against diving in the sea.

D. Give information about SCUBA diving.

64. What can the reader learn from the text?

A. There is uncertainty about SCUBA diving safety.

B. Divers have caused a lot of damage to the environment.

C. SCUBA diving is an old sport with a long history.

D. Divers always face the pressures in their life.

65. How might the writer describe SCUBA diving?

A. Interesting.   B. Relaxing.   C. Frightening        D. Unpleasant.

66. What do you think the author is most likely to suggest if he continues to write?

A. Getting out to dive underwater.   B. Stopping damaging environment.

C. Making better use of SCUBA.     D. Getting over the troubles of daily life.

Bicycles for rent could become as common as newspaper stands and mail boxes on Germany’s street corners if a scheme launched by Deutsche Bahn is successful.

  The German rail operator has launched a bicycle-hire scheme designed for simple one-way trips.

  “It’s a new concept,”said Andreas Knie, head of the project.

  Users must first register with Call-A-Bike at a cost of 15 euros（US$14.7）. With a simple phone call, they can hire one of the many bikes parked outside stations, at a cost of 3 to 5 cents per minute. At the end of their journey, they ring a computer and tell it where the bike is parked.

  The bikes are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

  No one will be breaking speed records with Call-A-Bike bicycles. They weigh in at 25 kilograms, at least double the weight of a normal bicycle, though they do have eight gears（齒輪）.

  “They are pretty heavy, but we don’t want people taking them on the train or into the subway,” Knie said.

  They are also designed with parts that do not fit a normal bicycle. Even the screws are irregular and the bike looks so odd that thieves would stand out.

  Vandalism and theft have led to the downfall of previous schemes which date back to Amsterdam’s 1966“White Bike”scheme.

  In that short-lived experiment, anti-establishment groups painted bikes white and left them around the Dutch capital.

  However, many were taken permanently and repainted, while the police took away others on the basis that ownerless bikes were street rubbish.

  Copenhagen, Vienna and Helsinki also have free bike schemes, in which users deposit a coin in Copenhagen’s case 20 crowns（US$2.50）―to free a bike from a rack.

  “The advantage these schemes have is ease of use. But because they’re so cheap, people tend to hold on to the bikes and then there are none on the streets,”the person in charge said.

  Oslo is also planning a bike-hire system where users will pay a symbolic fee of 50 Norwegian crowns（US$6.50）for unlimited use in the city for a year.

  Users will buy an electronic identity card as a key that will register when the bike is parked or taken from a rack.

59. How many European countries have already launched the free bike schemes?

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

60.What can be learned about Amsterdam’s 1966“White Bike”scheme?

A. The bicycles were twice as heavy as a normal bicycle.

B. A heavy rain stopped the scheme from being carried out.

C. Some bicycles were damaged or stolen and the scheme failed.

D. The police ended the scheme for traffic safety

61.What can be inferred from the text?

A. Bicycles for rent have become as common as newspaper stands and mail boxes on Germany’s street corners.

B. The bikes in Germany are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

C. German bicycles for rent are designed specially so that they will draw people’s attention.

D. Germany has taken some measures to stop the bicycles for rent from being taken away.

62.Which do you think is the best title?

  A. Free Bicycles for Europeans.                        

B. Tough Transporters.

  C. Customer is King.                                       

D. Unpractical Scheme.

The New York Times is now better than ever－All the more reasons to order home delivery now.

NEW－Separate sections（版面）for the Arts, Monday through Thursday, and Sports 7 days a week that you can pull out, take with you or pass along.

NEW－The Dinning In, Dinning Out section, Wednesday, a banquet（宴會）of great meals you can make yourself order up or eat out.

NEW－The House & Home section, Thursday, filled with useful, interesting features（特別報道）and articles about making the most of all sorts of living spaces.

NEW－An Enlarged, two-part Weekend section, Friday with more ideas about movies, shows, art exhibitions, outdoor and indoor recreation.

   Latest news and sports results daily. And of course, daily world and national news, Sunday’s special sections and all the other great features you’ll continue to find in the Times.

Find out just how much you can obtain from the Times every day.

Call 1－800－311－1969 or use the postage-paid order card to order convenient home delivery at 50％ OFF our regular price.

56. If you want to find out the more information of films you should _________.

A. call 1-800-311-1969             B. go over the House and Home section

C. read the Art section                    D. read Weekend section

57. From the passage we know that _______.

A. the Times sells at a lower price than before

B. the Times has improved a great deal and everyone likes to read it

C. many of the good features of the Times remain unchanged

D. you will learn everything by reading the Times every day

58. The owner of the passage advertises ________.

A. to introduce the new sections

B. to announce the new sections of the Times

C. to make known his new plan of the Times

D. to persuade people to buy the Times

If you have ever been discouraged because of failure, please read on. For often, achieving what you   36   to do is not the important thing. Let me explain.

Two brothers decided to dig a   37   hole behind their house. As they were working, a couple of older boys stopped by to   38  .

"What are you doing?" asked one of the visitors.

       "We plan to dig a hole all the way through the earth!" one of the brothers   39   excitedly.

The older boys began to laugh,   40   the younger ones that digging a hole all the way through the earth was   41  . After a long   42  , one of the diggers picked up a jar full of spiders, worms and a wide variety of insects. He   43   the lid and showed the wonderful contents to the scoffing (嘲笑，嘲諷)   44  .  

Then he said quietly and   45  , "Even if we don't dig all the way through the earth, look what we found along the way!"

Their   46   was far too ambitious, but it did   47   them to dig. And that is what a goal is for --- to cause us to move in the   48   we have chosen;   49  , to set us to digging!

But not every goal will be fully   50  . Not every job will end successfully. Not every relationship will endure. Not every hope will come to pass. Not every love will last. Not every endeavor will be completed. Not every dream will be   51  .

But when you   52   your aim, perhaps you can say, "Yes,   53   look at what I found along the way! Look at the wonderful things which have come into my life because I tried to do something!"

It is in the   54   that life is lived. And I believe it is joy in the journey, in the end, that truly   55   .

The advertisement company_______ a mass audience.

A. was intended to target with                         B. intended the advertisement to target 

C. intended the advertisement to be targeted     D. was intended to be targeting

___ of their bad habits, the boys ____from being dependent on their parents to____ for others.  

A. Having rid of, have switched, sacrificing    B. To rid , are switching, sacrifice 

C. Rid, switched, sacrificing                         D.Having been rid, are switched ,sacrifice

With their reputation ______,food companies need to ______ their image.

A. ruining, promote  B. ruined, polish up   C. to ruin, improve   D.to be ruined, change

Although the Roma couldn’t be forced to pay taxes, they couldn’t vote ______they agreed to ______a government.

A.unless, submit to                       B.until, correspond to 

C.when, resign to                         D.while, compromise to

________should the young _______illegal behavior.

A.On no account, take in                  B.Under no circumstances., take to

C.In no way, take after                    D.With no means, take on

The emperor asked his officials to interpret his dream, _____ he gave the instruction ______a group of officials should go on his behalf to find more about Buddha.

A.in which, what    B.when, which        C.where, which       D.after which, that