简单单选
简单单选
Moderate Earthquake Strikes England
A moderate earthquake struck parts of southeastEnglandon 28 April 2007, toppling chimneys from houses and rousing residents from their beds. Several thousand people were left without power 1 in Kent County 2. One woman suffered minor head and neck injuries.
“It felt as if the whole house was being slid across like a fim-fair ride, 3” said the woman. The British Geological Survey said the 4.3-magnitude quake 4 struck at 8:19 a.m. and was centered under the English Channel 5, about 8.5 miles south ofDover 6 and near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel 7.
Witnesses said cracks appeared in walls and chimneys collapsed across the county. Residents said the tremor had lasted for about 10 to 15 seconds.
“I was lying in bed and it felt as if someone had just got up from bed next to me,” said Hendrick van Eck, 27, of Canterbury 8 about 60 miles southeast of London. “I then heard the sound of cracking, and it was getting heavier and heavier 9. It felt as if someone was at the end of my bed hopping up and down. ”
There are thousands of moderate quakes on this scale around the world each year, but they are rare inBritain. The April 28 quake was the strongest inBritainsince 2002 when a 4.8-magnitude quake struck the centralEnglandcity ofBirmingham 10.
The country’s strongest earthquake took place in theNorth Seain 1931, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale 11. British Geologicisd Survey scientist Roger Musson said the quake took place on 28 April in an area that had seen several of the biggest earthquakes ever to strike Britain, including one in 1580 that caused damage in London and was felt in France. 12 Musson predicted that it was only a matter of time 13 before another earthquake struck this part ofEngland. However, people should not be scared too much by this prediction, Musson said, as the modern earthquake warning system ofBritainshould be able to detect a forthcoming quake and announce it several hours before it takes place. This would allow time for people to evacuate and reduce damage to the minimum.
词汇：
moderate /"mɔdərit/ adj．中等的
topple /"tɔpl/ v．倾倒，震倒
tremor /"tremə(r)/n．震动
fun-fair n．公共露天游乐场
forthcoming /fɔ:θ"kʌmiŋ/ adj．即将来临的
geological /dʒiə"lɔdʒikəl/ adj．地质的
magnitude /"mægnitju:d/ n．值，强度量
rouse /rauz/ v．唤醒
hop /hop/ v．齐足跳起
scale /skeil/ n．震级
evacuate /i"vækjueit/ v．疏散
注释：
1. power：电力
2. Kent County：肯特郡［位于英格兰东南部］
3. It felt as if the whole house was being slid across like a fun-fair ride．它（地震）给人的感觉是整幢房子就像游乐场的滑行机一样在滑动。ride是游乐场供人玩乐的乘坐式的活动装置。as if是“好像……一样；仿佛”，例如：He treated me as if I were his son．他待我如同对待他的儿子一样。
4. the 4.3-magnitude quake：里氏4.3级地震
5. English Channel：英吉利海峡
6. Dover：多佛尔［英格兰东南部港口城市］
7. Channel Tunnel：海峡隧道。Channel Tunnel（常简称为Chunnel）是连接英法两国的海峡隧道。
8. Canterbury：坎特伯雷［英格兰东南部城市，中世纪时曾是zōng jiāo 朝圣圣地］
9. it was getting heavier and heavier：爆裂声越来越响
10. Birmingham：伯明翰［英格兰中部城市］
11. the Richter scale：里氏震级表。美国地震学家Charles Francis Richter (1900-1985)于1935年制定了地震震级表。
12. British Geological Survey scientist Roger Musson said the quake took place on 28 April in an area that had seen several of the biggest earthquakes ever to strike Britain, including one in 1580 that caused damage in London and was felt in France．英国地质勘测所的科学家Roger Musson说，4月28日发生地震的地区曾经遭受过几起英国最大的地震，其中的一次发生在1580年，那次地震蹂躏了伦敦，并波及法国。
13. a matter of time：时间问题。又如：It"s not a matter of money．这个不是钱的问题。
The country"s strongest earthquake took place in Londonin 1580.
A:Right B:Wrong C:Not mentioned
Britain no longer dominates Anglophone education. Students want more, and the old empire is happy to give it to them. A good name and a British campus are no longer enough to pull in high-paying overseas recruits. The competition within the world of English-language higher education is growing increasingly intense. Today’s international students don’t automatically head to the United States or the United Kingdom; they consider a slew of factors before making their pick. Already, Britain is starting to suffer as it finds itself in a fierce three-way contest for market share.
On the one hand, U.S. colleges are recovering fast in overseas recruitment. On the other, a batch of commonwealth countries is coming on strong and eating into Britain’s market share. Consider Singapore, which four years ago set out to lure branches of foreign colleges. The number of overseas students there has since climbed 46 percent. And in the first three years of the decade, the number of foreign students in New Zealand almost quadrupled. Then there’s Australia. Foreigners now make up about a quarter of its entire student body. Australia shows that the secret to success often has as much to do with government policy as with academic philosophy. Lavish grants can offset the Brits’ and the Americans’ edge in prestige. Foreign students at state-run schools in Singapore now get an 80 percent discount. An engineering degree that costs about $30,000 a year at Harvard runs just $2,000 at the University of Malaya, thanks to heavy subsidies.
The biggest factor today seems to be the prospect of employment. A degree from an Australian university now puts graduates on the fast track to permanent residency. And London offers an automatic 12-month work permit to most overseas recruits. But Britain can’t do anything about its location. Why go all the way to the United Kingdom -- or to the United States -- when there’s now a good English- language college just a few hours’ flight from Shanghai or Mumbai But few countries can match Australia’s main selling point. Its sunny outdoors image works strongly to its advantage among international students. Yet no country can afford to throw in the towel. Cuts in government spending have forced colleges to look elsewhere for money. Overseas recruits have thus become an increasingly critical source of cash: in Britain the average university now looks to foreign students to provide at least 10 percent of its income.
Other trends could soon make things even more desperate. Today China is one of the biggest sources of traveling students. But for how much longer The country is now busy developing its own elite institution and ordinary colleges. If this trend continues, the developed world is going to lose its largest client. The scramble for business in the Anglo world is already ferocious(激烈的), while the market is expanding. Just wait till it starts to contract.
According to the text, "no country can afford to throw in the towel" probably means ______.
A:No country can admit to be defeated by Australia. B:No country has the resources to beat Australia. C:No country can imitate Australia’s outdoor image. D:No country has the same advantages with Australia.
Britain no longer dominates Anglophone education. Students want more, and the old empire is happy to give it to them. A good name and a British campus are no longer enough to pull in high-paying overseas recruits. The competition within the world of English-language higher education is growing increasingly intense. Today’s international students don’t automatically head to the United States or the United Kingdom; they consider a slew of factors before making their pick. Already, Britain is starting to suffer as it finds itself in a fierce three-way contest for market share.
On the one hand, U.S. colleges are recovering fast in overseas recruitment. On the other, a batch of commonwealth countries is coming on strong and eating into Britain’s market share. Consider Singapore, which four years ago set out to lure branches of foreign colleges. The number of overseas students there has since climbed 46 percent. And in the first three years of the decade, the number of foreign students in New Zealand almost quadrupled. Then there’s Australia. Foreigners now make up about a quarter of its entire student body. Australia shows that the secret to success often has as much to do with government policy as with academic philosophy. Lavish grants can offset the Brits’ and the Americans’ edge in prestige. Foreign students at state-run schools in Singapore now get an 80 percent discount. An engineering degree that costs about $30,000 a year at Harvard runs just $2,000 at the University of Malaya, thanks to heavy subsidies.
The biggest factor today seems to be the prospect of employment. A degree from an Australian university now puts graduates on the fast track to permanent residency. And London offers an automatic 12-month work permit to most overseas recruits. But Britain can’t do anything about its location. Why go all the way to the United Kingdom -- or to the United States -- when there’s now a good English- language college just a few hours’ flight from Shanghai or Mumbai But few countries can match Australia’s main selling point. Its sunny outdoors image works strongly to its advantage among international students. Yet no country can afford to throw in the towel. Cuts in government spending have forced colleges to look elsewhere for money. Overseas recruits have thus become an increasingly critical source of cash: in Britain the average university now looks to foreign students to provide at least 10 percent of its income.
Other trends could soon make things even more desperate. Today China is one of the biggest sources of traveling students. But for how much longer The country is now busy developing its own elite institution and ordinary colleges. If this trend continues, the developed world is going to lose its largest client. The scramble for business in the Anglo world is already ferocious(激烈的), while the market is expanding. Just wait till it starts to contract.
A:No country can admit to be defeated by Australia. B:No country has the resources to beat Australia. C:No country can imitate Australia’s outdoor image. D:No country has the same advantages with Australia.
Passage Two
Country music is an American popular-music style. In its current form, country music is a combination of two separate musical traditions: the styles of the Southeastern states and the music of the Southwest, especially Texas. Both styles influenced and were influenced by the blues and by the black rural dance music.
The first country artists to be widely known achieved popularity in the late 1920s. The music of these performers was heard throughout tile south during the 1920s and 30s on radio programs.
By the 1950s, country music had become a significant force in pop music. Regular appearances on the radio show made stars of many performers. The singer-songwriter Hank Williams wrote four million-seller songs in 1950, seven in 1951, and four more in 1953.
By the 1970s, "some country musicians began combining country music with electric instruments, creating a country rock sound.
A:Hank Williams, A Great Singer and Songwriter. B:The Influence of Blues and Black Music. C:A Brief Introduction to Country Music. D:Country Music Combined With Electric Instruments.
Passage Two
Country music is an American popular-music style. In its current form, country music is a combination of two separate musical traditions: the styles of the Southeastern states and the music of the Southwest, especially Texas. Both styles influenced and were influenced by the blues and by the black rural dance music.
The first country artists to be widely known achieved popularity in the late 1920s. The music of these performers was heard throughout tile south during the 1920s and 30s on radio programs.
By the 1950s, country music had become a significant force in pop music. Regular appearances on the radio show made stars of many performers. The singer-songwriter Hank Williams wrote four million-seller songs in 1950, seven in 1951, and four more in 1953.
By the 1970s, "some country musicians began combining country music with electric instruments, creating a country rock sound.
A:Hank Williams, A Great Singer and Songwriter. B:The Influence of Blues and Black Music. C:A Brief Introduction to Country Music. D:Country Music Combined With Electric Instruments.
Passage Two Country music is an American popular-music style. In its current form, country music is a combination of two separate musical traditions: the styles of the Southeastern states and the music of the Southwest, especially Texas. Both styles influenced and were influenced by the blues and by the black rural dance music. The first country artists to be widely known achieved popularity in the late 1920s. The music of these performers was heard throughout tile south during the 1920s and 30s on radio programs. By the 1950s, country music had become a significant force in pop music. Regular appearances on the radio show made stars of many performers. The singer-songwriter Hank Williams wrote four million-seller songs in 1950, seven in 1951, and four more in 1953. By the 1970s, "some country musicians began combining country music with electric instruments, creating a country rock sound.
What do you think can be a proper title of this passage（）A:Hank Williams, A Great Singer and Songwriter. B:The Influence of Blues and Black Music. C:A Brief Introduction to Country Music. D:Country Music Combined With Electric Instruments.
I am one of the many city people who are always saying that given the choice we would prefer to live in the country away from the dirt and noise of a large city. I have managed to convince myself that it weren’t for my job I would immediately head out for the open spaces and go back to nature in some sleepy village buried in the country. But how realistic is the dream
Cities can be frightening places. The majority of the population live in massive tower blocks, noisy, dirty and impersonal. The sense of belonging to a community tends to disappear when you live fifteen floors up. All you can see from your window is sky, or other blocks of flats. Children become aggressive and nervous—cooped up at home all day, with nowhere to play; their mothers feel isolated from the rest of the worlD．Strangely enough whereas in the past the inhabitants of one street all knew each other, nowadays people on the same floor in tower blocks don’t even say hello to each other. Country life, on the other hand, differs from this kind of isolated existence in that a sense of community generally binds the inhabitants of small villages together. People have the advantage of knowing that there is always someone to turn to when they need help. But country life has disadvantages too. While it is true that you may be among friends in a village, it is also true that you are cut off from the existing and important events that take place in cities. There’s little possibility of going to a new show or the latest movie. Shopping becomes a major problem, and for anything slightly out of the ordinary you have to go on and expedition to the nearest large town. The city-dweller who leaves for the country is often oppressed by a sense of unbearable stillness and quiet.
What, then, is the answer The country has the advantage of peace and quiet, but suffers from the disadvantage of being cut off; the city breeds a feeling of isolation, and constant noise batters the senses. But one of its main advantages is that you are at the center of things, and that life doesn’t come to an end at half-past nine at night. Some people have found (or rather bought) a compromise between the two; they have expressed their preference for the “quiet life” by leaving the suburbs and moving to villages within commuting distance of large cities. They generally have about as much sensitivity as the plastic flowers they leave behind— they are polluted with strange ideas about change and improvement which they force on to the unwilling original inhabitants of the villages.
What then of my dreams of leaning on a cottage gate and murmuring “morning” to the locals as they pass by I’m keen on the idea, but you see there’s my cat, Toby, I’m not at all sure that he would take to all that fresh air and exercise in the long grass, I mean, can you see him mixing with all those hearty males down the farm No, he would rather have the electric imitation-coal fire any evening.
We get the impression from the first paragraph that the author
A:used to live in the country B:used to work in the city C:works in the city D:lives in the country
A:A judge from the host country. B:An official from the host country. C:A Greek sportsman. D:A sportsman from the host country.
