When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possible and head for safety. But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm. These people are willing to risk (冒……危險(xiǎn)) being killed by floods or 100-kilometer-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.

　　“Storm chasing (追逐) ” is becoming an increasingly popular hobby (喜好), especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July. A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to 1 000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop.

　　Although anyone can do it, storm chasing is extremely dangerous. The power of a big storm can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds. Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain. If you are a beginner,it is much safer to join a group for storm-chasing vacations during the storm season.

　　Even then, storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement. “Storm chasing is 95% driving, ” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm-chasing. “Sometimes you can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen, and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers. ”

　　However, for storm chasers, it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm, it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life, ”says Jasper Morley. “Every storm is an example of the power of nature. It is the greatest show on Earth. ”

(1) For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to________.

[　　]

A．head straight for the center of the storm

B．get into the car for safety

C．wait patiently for the storm to develop

D．collect information about a coming storm

(2) Beginners of storm chasing are advised

[　　]

A．not do drive in a heavy rain

B．to do it in an organized way

C．not to get too close to a storm

D．to spend more time on it in summer

(3) By saying “it is all worth it” in the last paragraph, the author means that________.

[　　]

A．storm chasing costs a lot of money

B．storm chasing is worth hours of wait-ing

C．efforts in storm chasing are well paid

D．a(chǎn) storm presents the greatest show on Earth

(4) What can we learn from the text?

[　　]

A．Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment.

B．Many storm chasers get killed in the storms.

C．Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world

D．Storm chasing is only fit for young peo-ple.

Imagine a classroom missing the one thing that's long been considered a necessary part to reading and writing ? Paper. No notebooks, no textbooks, no test paper. Nor are there any pencils or pens, which always seem to run out of ink at the critical (關(guān)鍵的) moment.

A "paperless classroom" is what more and more schools are trying to achieve.

Students don't do any handwriting in this class. Instead, they use palm (手掌) size, or specially-designed computers. The teacher downloads texts from Internet libraries and sends them to every student's personal computer.

Having computers also means that students can use the Web. They can look up information on any subject they're studying ? from maths to social science.

High school teacher Judy Herrell in Florida, US, described how her class used the Web to learn about the war in Afganistan (阿富汗) over one year ago.

"We could touch every side of the country through different sites ? from the forest to refugee camps (難民營)," she said. "Using a book that's three or four years old is impossible."

And exams can go online too. At a high school in Tennessee, US, students take tests on their own computers. The teacher records the grades on the network for everyone to see and then copies them to his own electronic grade book.

A paperless classroom is a big step towards reducing the waste of paper. High school teacher Stephanie Sorrell in Kentucky, US, said she used to give about 900 pieces of paper each week to each student.

"Think about the money and trees we could save with the computers," she said.

But, with all this technology, there's always the risk (危險(xiǎn)) that the machines will break down. So, in case of a power failure or technical problems, paper textbooks are still widely available (可用的) for these hi-tech students.

What does the part of the last sentence in the first paragraph, “run out of ink at the critical

moment”, mean?

   A. Pens may not write well at the critical moment.

　 B. Pens get lost easily, so you may not find them at the critical moment.

　 C. Pens may have little or no ink at the critical moment.

　 D. Pens use ink, while pencils don't.

In a paperless classroom, what is a must?

　 A. Pens. B. Computers. C. Information. D. Texts.

The high school teacher, Judy Herrell, used the example of her class to show that _______.

　 A. the Web could take them everywhere B. the Web taught them a lot

　 C. the Web is a good tool for information

　 D. the Web, better than the textbooks, can give the latest and comprehensive (全面的) information

The paperless classrooms will benefit _____ the most.

　 A. students B. teachers C. trees D. computers

What does the phrase in the last paragraph, “break down”, mean?

　 A. Break into pieces. B. Stop working. C. Fall down. D. Lose control.

Imagine a classroom missing the one thing that's long been considered a necessary part to reading and writing ? Paper. No notebooks, no textbooks, no test paper. Nor are there any pencils or pens, which always seem to run out of ink at the critical (關(guān)鍵的) moment.

A "paperless classroom" is what more and more schools are trying to achieve.

Students don't do any handwriting in this class. Instead, they use palm (手掌) size, or specially-designed computers. The teacher downloads texts from Internet libraries and sends them to every student's personal computer.

Having computers also means that students can use the Web. They can look up information on any subject they're studying ? from maths to social science.

High school teacher Judy Herrell in Florida, US, described how her class used the Web to learn about the war in Afganistan (阿富汗) over one year ago.

"We could touch every side of the country through different sites ? from the forest to refugee camps (難民營)," she said. "Using a book that's three or four years old is impossible."

And exams can go online too. At a high school in Tennessee, US, students take tests on their own computers. The teacher records the grades on the network for everyone to see and then copies them to his own electronic grade book.

A paperless classroom is a big step towards reducing the waste of paper. High school teacher Stephanie Sorrell in Kentucky, US, said she used to give about 900 pieces of paper each week to each student.

"Think about the money and trees we could save with the computers," she said.

But, with all this technology, there's always the risk (危險(xiǎn)) that the machines will break down. So, in case of a power failure or technical problems, paper textbooks are still widely available (可用的) for these hi-tech students.

1. What does the part of the last sentence in the first paragraph, “run out of ink at the critical

moment”, mean?

   A. Pens may not write well at the critical moment.

　 B. Pens get lost easily, so you may not find them at the critical moment.

　 C. Pens may have little or no ink at the critical moment.

　 D. Pens use ink, while pencils don't.

2. In a paperless classroom, what is a must?

　 A. Pens. B. Computers. C. Information. D. Texts.

3.The high school teacher, Judy Herrell, used the example of her class to show that _______.

　 A. the Web could take them everywhere B. the Web taught them a lot

　 C. the Web is a good tool for information

　 D. the Web, better than the textbooks, can give the latest and comprehensive (全面的) information

4.The paperless classrooms will benefit _____ the most.

　 A. students B. teachers C. trees D. computers

5.What does the phrase in the last paragraph, “break down”, mean?

　 A. Break into pieces. B. Stop working. C. Fall down. D. Lose control.

 

閱讀理解：

　　A new study reported in a medical magazine concludes that even smokers who reach their 70sare likely to live longer if they stop smoking. Researchers say that they have got some of the strongest evidence (證據(jù)) that it's never too late to stop smoking.

　　The study was based on a five-year follow-up of 7178 people over the age of 65 who lived in Boston, New Haven and Washington counties in Iowa. The reporter showed former smokers ran about the same risk (危險(xiǎn)) of death from heart disease as those who never smoked. Women who stopped smoking faced about the same cancer-death risk as those who never smoked, but men who gave up smoking still had a 50% higher risk. The men's extra risk of cancer largely disappeared if they had not smoked for more than 20 years.

　　The discovery does not agree with the widely - known belief that by the time smokers reach old age, their habit has already hurt them, and those who continue to live healthily are probably immune (免疫) to the dangers of cigarettes.

1．A new study proved (證明) that ________.

[　　]

A．It is too late for the old to give up smoking

B．It is good for health to stop smoking at any age

C．It is useless for young people to give up smoking

D．A person who smokes can reach 70

2．The new study was probably carried out by ________ scientists.

[　　]

3．Women who stopped smoking ________.

[　　]

A．had the same chance of catching cancer as women never smoked.

B．had more trouble with their hearts than other women

C．would never catch cancer

D．a(chǎn)lways faced cancer death

4．Generally speaking, people believe that ________.

[　　]

A．a(chǎn)n old person who is still healthy has never smoked

B．a(chǎn) healthy person has never smoked

C．a(chǎn)n old person who is still healthy must have stopped smoking

D．a(chǎn)ny healthy persons must have stopped smoking

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

[　　]

A．Stop Smoking When You Are Old

B．Stop Smoking at Any Age

C．Smoking Is Bad for the Old

D．Smoking Is Bad for the Young