An earthquake is a trembling or shaking of the ground caused by the sudden release(释放) of energy stored in the rocks below the surface. Generally, earthquakes last only seconds. Strong ground shaking during a medium（中等的） to large earthquake generally lasts about 10 to 30 seconds. Aftershocks（余震）can occur once in a while for weeks or even months.

Many people think that there is an “earthquake season” or a kind of “earthquake weather”. As a matter of fact, there isn’t. Earthquakes can occur at any time of the year and at time of day or night. Earthquakes occur under all weather conditions-sunny, wet. or cold without any special weather tendency(倾向).

Also, you don’t need to worry that the ground will open up and swallow people when earthquakes occur. Open ground cracks may form during an earthquake, for example, to land sliding or ground falling. However, such cracks tend to be open gaps (they don’t “ swallow”) that a person could stand in afterwards.

The safest place in an earthquake is an open field because buildings and falling objects can injure or kill you. If you are indoors, when you feel the ground start to shake, take cover immediately under a table or strong piece of furniture, placing something between falling objects and yourself. Don’t attempt to use the stairs or an elevator to get out of the building.

1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Earthquakes usually last 10 to 30 seconds.

B．After a big earthquake, there are many more quakes.

C．Cracks in an earthquake are very dangerous.

D．What usually injures people during an earthquake are falling buildings.

2. The reason why there isn’t “earthquake weather” is that ____________.

A．an earthquake only lasts seconds and doesn’t happen frequently.

B．an earthquake can happen at any time and in any kind of weather.

C．when an earthquake happens is related to the weather

D．earthquakes don’t change with the seasons

3. The underlined word “swallow” in Paragraph3 probably means “___________”?

A．take sb. / sth. in	B．make sb. frightened
C．make room for sb. to stand in	D．make the ground slide

Stephen William Hawking was born on 8 January 1942 in Oxford, England. His parents’ house was in north London, but during the Second World War Oxford was considered a safer place to have babies. When he was eight, his family moved to St Albans, a town about 20 miles north of London. At eleven Stephen went to St Albans School, and then on to University College, Oxford, his father’s old college. Stephen wanted to do Mathematics, although his father would have preferred medicine. Mathematics was not available at College, so he did Physics instead. After three years and not very much work he was awarded a first class honours degree in Natural Science.

Stephen then went on to Cambridge to do research in Cosmology, there being no one working in that area in Oxford at the time. His supervisor was Dennis Sciama, although he had hoped to get Fred Hoyle who was working in Cambridge. After gaining his Ph. D, he became first a Research Fellow, and later on a Professorial Fellow at Gonville and Caius College. After leaving the Institute of Astronomy in 1973 Stephen came to the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, and since 1979 has held the post of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. The chair was founded in 1663 with money left in the will of the Reverend Henry Lucas, who had been the Member of Parliament for the University. It was first held by Isaac Barrow, and then in 1663 by Isaac Newton.

Professor Hawking has twelve honorary degrees, was awarded the CBE in 1982,and was made a Companion of Honour in 1989. He is the recipient of many awards, medals and prizes and is a Fellow of The Royal Society and a Member of the US National Academy of Sciences.

4. At his teenage, Stephen W. Hawking went to the same college as             .

A．Galileo	B．his father
C．Isaac Barrow	D．Isaac Newton

5. Which of the following shows the right order of what happened to Hawking?
a. He gained his Ph. D.
b. He went to Cambridge.
c. He was given a first class honour degree.
d. He began to hold the post of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics.
e. He went to St Albans School.

A．e-c-b-a-d	B．a-e-c-d-b
C．a-e-c-b-d	D．c-b-d-e-a

6. According to the passage, Stephen W. Hawking had never spent much time studying         .

A．Cosmology	B．Mathematics
C．Physics	D．Medicine

7. Before Stephen Hawking went to Cambridge,             .

A．there was no one studying Cosmology in England

B．there was no one studying Cosmology in Oxford

C．there were only a few scientists studying Cosmology in Oxford

D．Cosmology is widely studied in Britain

As a capital city full of art and history, London is an important political centre and a huge financial marketplace. Whatever you think about London, visiting as a tourist is very different from living there. Each part of London has its own character. Some parts are richer than others, or more industrial, or have better housing.

Let’s start with the centre, the “Square Mile”. This is the oldest part of London. In the past, it was where all financial business was done. Not many people live here, but 300,000 people work here every day.

Moving west, we come to the West End. This busy shopping and entertainment district is bursting with things to do. Take a walk down Oxford Street, and you will see big department stores like Selfridges and Harrods. Rents here are very high; a one-bedroom apartment may cost around 1,000 pounds a week. Further away is West London. This area is more residential(住宅的)and very fashionable.

The East End contains the Port of London, which historically is where many immigrants first arrived. Waves of French, Belgians, Jews, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis have all lived here. This makes the culture of this area very various. London won the bid to hold the Olympics in 2012, so many Londoners hope that housing, education and employment for many people in this area will improve.

It is difficult to be general about London. The city is made up of a " collection of villages”, each area with its own character and community. Put them all together, and you have London, an international capital.

8. Which of the following descriptions about Square Mile is NOT true?

A．It is the oldest part of London.

B．It is the center of London.

C．All financial business was once done there.

D．300, 000 people live there.

9. Tom, an American, wants to go shopping in London. He had better go to         .

A．the East End	B．the West End
C．the Port of London	D．the Square Mile

10. According to the passage, Harrods is                .

A．a department store	B．a residential area
C．a famous square	D．a small village

11. What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A．The East End is richer than other parts of London.

B．There must be many ships in the East End.

C．People living in the East End have good housing.

D．Most Londoners are satisfied with their government.

My husband David was waiting at the door when our daughter Laura and I pulled in the driveway. It wasn’t like him to be home so early. The disbelief on his face told me that something was up.

"Do you still have a job?"

"No. Redundant," he answered, looking away from me.

"OK. We’ll figure it out," I replied calmly.

I actually had no idea how we were going to figure it out. I immediately started to think of how we’d cut costs and who we should start to get in touch with. That night, after David had fallen asleep, I cried myself to sleep, and frequently sobbed in the shower in the days that followed.

I knew the loss of David’s income would have great effect on us. He had worked for the same insurance company for twenty-one years and was our main income. I work at home caring for Laura, and my freelance(自由职业者的)income is uncertain. We have debts, and job hunting takes time.

Still, I was more concerned about my husband’s emotional state than our financial situation. David’s sense of identity was tied to his job. He called his parents to tell them about losing his job, but didn’t say a word to anyone else for weeks. He told me that he felt like "a failure".

It was tough for me to watch David struggle with unemployment. One night a couple of weeks after he lost his job, David woke me just before midnight, sweating, pacing the bedroom floor and saying he felt funny. We spent the night in the emergency room waiting to see if he had a heart attack. Thankfully, it was just a serious anxiety attack. It was then that I knew I needed to do more to understand what my husband was going through. Here is what I learned from my own experience—and from talking to experts—on how to support your spouse through a job loss.

12. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word "Redundant" in Paragraph 3?

A．A piece of cake.	B．Out of question.
C．My treat.	D．Out of employment.

13. What did the writer do about her husband’s situation at first?

A．She always remained calm and gave him advice.

B．She appeared calm when in fact she was worried.

C．She began to write about her husband’s situation to the newspapers.

D．She went to consult some doctors.

14. What can we know about David?

A．He was fired by the company he had worked for twenty-one years.

B．He never thought himself "a failure" even when jobless.

C．He was aware of the family’s financial situation.

D．Upon leaving the job, he suffered a heart attack and had to consult the doctor.

15. What will be talked about in the next part of the passage?

A．What the writer did to help get some income.

B．How David suffered from the heart attack and the treatment.

C．How the writer supported David to get through the jobless period.

D．Why the insurance company fired David.