At the______ of the century, Shanghai is developing at a rapid speed.

A. turn    B. change    C. age   D. time

At the______ of the century, Shanghai is developing at a rapid speed.

1. A.
   turn
2. B.
   change
3. C.
   age
4. D.
   time

The definition of the standard kilogram is almost entirely wrong. Getting that definition right is a challenge that has tried the patience and intelligence of scientists for decades.

Scientists use just seven basic units to define all the other quantities we use — quantities such as speed or electric power. All of those basic units except the kilogram are themselves defined according to natural properties（屬性）that are beyond human control.

For example, the standard second (time) is defined as a specific number of vibration（振動(dòng)）of a type of radiation sent out by atoms of a special metal. The standard metre (length), in turn, is defined as the length of the path light travels under certain conditions.

Not so the kilogram. This orphan of the basic unit family is simply the mass of a small platinum-iridium alloy cylinder（鉑—銥合金筒）locked away in a container maintained by the International Bureau of Weights & Measures in Sevres, France, near Paris. Official bodies around the world have copies of the cylinder.

Embarrassingly, the last time the copies were brought to Sevres for a checkup in the 1980s, officials found that some copies had gained about 20 parts per billion in weight compared to the master cylinder since the previous checkup in the 1940s. This implies that the master cylinder itself may be an inconstant standard.

Several efforts in several different countries are under way to redefine the kilogram according to basic physical quantities such as counting the actual number of atoms of a specific substance in a kilogram or the electromagnetic（電磁的）force that balances a kilogram mass against gravity. A project of the latter type at the laboratories in Gaithersburg, Md., hopes eventually to define mass by means of electrical units.

So far, none of these redefinition projects has borne fruit. They require the very accuracy of measurement and control of experimental conditions. The slightest influence — even a tiny change in weather — can ruin results. You’ve got to hand it to scientists who are willing to devote many years to such painstaking — but extremely important — research.

Compared with other basic units, the kilogram is ____.

    A. as accurate as other basic units        

B. not universally accepted in the world

    C. not defined according to natural properties

    D. defined in the same way as other basic units

The author introduced the examination of copies of a platinum-iridium alloy cylinder in the 1980s to indicate that ____.

    A. the causes of weight changes had been found

    B. such kind of checks had been carried out regularly

    C. the changes in weight challenged the definition of the kilogram

    D. the consequences of such changes were great in research

According to the passage, to define the weight of mass by means of electrical units ____.

    A. is the only way to redefine the kilogram scientifically

    B. has been accepted as the only possible redefinition project

    C. is not as complicated as people understand

    D. has been considered by some scientists as a better approach

Which of the following cannot be concluded from the passage?

A. Scientists will achieve success in redefining the kilogram in the near future

B. Some scientists are trying to redefine the kilogram according to basic physical quantities.

C. The redefining of the standard kilogram is quite complicated and can be affected by a number of factors.

D. A number of experiments are being carried out to redefine the kilogram.

The type of things we remember are different. Although we tend to remember good things in our lives, bad things have a way of sneaking up (悄悄接近) on us. One such thing I remember happened when I was 10 years old.
I decided to ride my bicycle over a near-by stream. I carefully planned the adventure, and asked my friends to go there and have a watch. This was going to be my moment! I started riding down the hill, picking up speed and then pulled up on the handlebars (自行車把手) at the precise moment and landed face-first into the muddy stream! That painful moment is one that I will never forget. As long as I live, I will remember the pain and embarrassment at that moment. When we do something stupid or thoughtless, it has a way of sticking with us. Fortunately, good momories have a way of over-riding the bad ones. I have memories that I gladly remember, like what happened today.
I had my first conversation with my son today. It was not anything profound. It was a simple connection between father and son. It was one of those bonding moments that you can’t plan or force. They just happen on their own. I was walking into the living room where my son sat in bed watching television attentively. Then he looked up at me and pointed to the television and babbled (含糊的說) something. I asked him if he was watching SpongeBob (海綿寶寶) and he nodded his head and said,“Yes”. It was at that moment that his eyes lit up and it was as if we both realized we had communicated. And how happy I was! Sure, at eighteen months, he probably did not realize what communication was like, but his joy at that moment was evident. It was a moment I will remember all my life.
Good or bad, memories can last a lifetime. As for an unpleasant memory, though we can’t forget it we can get lessons from it and it is like a mirror that will warn us against making such mistakes again. As for a good memory, we should try our best to enjoy it during our lifetime. Such moments are the treasures that we store up forever.
【小題1】The author will always remember what happened when he was ten because he          .

The quality of drinking water in Shanghai will meet European Union standard by 2010 and, a decade later, citizens in Shanghai will drink the best water in the world.
These were the goals set out by the Shanghai Water Authority. With the city’s population expected to increase only slightly and the economy to boom by 2020, Chen Yin, and official with the water authority, said Shanghai’s water consumption will not increase from its present amount.
Zhang Yue, director of the Urban Construction Division under the Ministry of Construction, said, “Shanghai is the first city in the country to publicize these ambitions. They will not be easy to achieve.”
He said water saving will help keep the sustainable development of China’s economy.
Saving one cubic meter of water means saving the city’s infrastructure（基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施）costs by 10,000 Yuan. Last year, Shanghai saved 300 million cubic meters of water either from readjustment of industrial structure or the employment of new technology.
“The aim is to arouse public awareness of the seriousness of water shortages,” Chen said. “The abundant surface water and amount of rain of the city are so misleading that they result in improper use of water.”
Shanghai lacks drinkable water. The Huangpu River, which supplies 80 percent of the city’s drinkable water, is nearing exhaustion.
The city, therefore, has been exploring new sources from the Yangtze River and growing forests along it to conserve quality water.
Besides penning regulations, the authority is popularizing technology among the public to efficiently cut the amount of water used.
At present, the city has 600，000 family toilets, each using 13 liters of water per flush. These are to be renovated（整修）to use only 9 liters of water per flush.
The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households – at a cost of 40 Yuan each.
In three years, all the toilets will be renovated, which saves the city nearly 15 million Yuan every year in water conservation.
Another task the city is engaged in is the treatment of sewage（污水）to improve the water environment.
At present the city can only treat 44 percent of its daily 5.04 million tons of waste water. To meet the total demand, 27 more sewage treatment factories are to be established with an estimated investment of 18 billion Yuan.
41．People in Shanghai get their daily water mainly from _______now.
A．the underground                          B．the rain     
C．the Yangtze River                         D．the Huangpu River
42．According to the passage, some people have the wrong opinion of using water
because      .
A．the renovating of family toilets will save plenty of water
B．a(chǎn)bout half of waste water has been treated already
C．a(chǎn)dvanced technology makes people use water as much as possible
D．there is plenty surface water and large amount of rain at present
43．The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households to          .
A．make people’s living more convenient     
B．improve people’s living standards
C．ease employment pressure      
D．meet the total demand of water
44．Which group of measures are all mentioned in the passage to save water?
a．improve drinking water quality
b．change some industrial structure
c．introduce or use some new technology    
d．speed the economic development of Shanghai
e．renovate some family toilets    
f．build more sewage treatment factories
A．a(chǎn), b, c, d                       B．b, c, e, f                       
C．b, c, d, e              D．a(chǎn), b, e, f
45．We can infer from the passage that          .
A．the boom of economy will need a larger amount of water in the future
B．citizens today in Shanghai drink the best quality of water in the world
C．not everyone today in Shanghai is aware of water shortage
D．a(chǎn)ll the family toilets will be renovated to save water within 3 years