Scientists are uncovering the secrets of two port cities lost under the waters o

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Scientists are uncovering the secrets of two port cities lost under the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, a researcher said yesterday.
Herakleion and Menouthis were rich and proud cities until something reduced them to rubble (碎石) and buried them in the mud beneath 30 feet of sea water, French underwater explorer Franck Goddio said at the American Geophysical Union conference.
“This is a mystery that is ongoing,” said Goddio, a founder of the European Institute of Marine Archeology, a Paris-based underwater research organization backed by the wealthy Hilti Foundation of Liechtenstein(列支敦士登基金会).
The destruction of the twin port cities has haunted Goddio ever since he happened upon the site about 15 miles from Alexandria while exploring sunken ships from Napoleon’s fleet.
Goddio and his group of expert divers, marine archeologists(海洋考古学家) and others, are using high powered vacuums, satellite navigation systems and sophisticated sonar(声纳) to excavate(挖掘) the sunken cities from underneath a carpet of silt about one meter (three feet) high.
Walls of shops, remains of streets and gold artifacts have been found and recovered.
Some experts believe that the port cities were destroyed by a series of massive earthquakes, much like the quakes scientists believe felled Troy(特洛伊城), Jericho and other ancient cities. The uniform direction of the collapsed columns and walls suggest an earthquake, Goddio said, but no fault lines have been found nearby.
Other researchers believe a massive wave, caused by either an offshore earthquake or a distant underwater landslide, could explain the catastrophe. Still others think rising seas and a shift in the Nile River outlet doomed the cities.
“The argument, as you can see, continues,” Goddio said.
小题1:The reason why the two port cities disappeared under the waters of Mediterranean Sea is that ______.

A．the two port cities were destroyed by huge earthquakes

B．the disappearance of the two port cities was caused by underwater landslide

C．rising seas and a shift in the Nile River outlet doomed the cities

D．the story didn’t tell us at all

小题2: From the story we can draw a conclusion that _______.

A．the two port cities were famous for their wealth and the mystery

B．the two cities belonged to France

C．some mysterious creatures from other planets destroyed the two cities

D．the American Geophysical Union conference was once held in one of the two cities

小题3: This article is probably from _______.

A．a scientific magazine

B．a report to the government

C．a school text book

D．a scientific report in a newspaper

答案

小题1:D
小题2:B
小题3:D

解析

本文报道了人们对法国地中海中的两座城市沉如海底的各种推测。
小题1:推断题。文章只对城市下沉的原因作了一些推测但未作出结论。由此可推知此题答案为D。
小题2:推断题。根据文章中所提到的与之相关的名称，如：French underwater explorer Franck Goddio, a Paris-based underwater research organization, Napoleon’s fleet可推知此题答案为B。
小题3:推断题。文章讨论地中海中的两座城市下沉的原因，显然与地质科学有关，故选D。注意不宜选A，一个显然的因素是第1段中出现的yesterday。

举一反三

Beldon and Canfield are two seashore towns, not far apart. Both towns have many hotels, and in summer the hotels are full of holiday-makers and other tourists.
Last August there was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel in Beldon. The next day, this news appeared on page two of the town’s newspaper. The Beldon Post:
FIRE AT SEABREEZE
Late last night firemen hurried to the Seabreeze Hotel and quickly put out a small fire in a bedroom. The hotel manager said that a cigarette started the fire. We say again to all our visitors： “Please don’t smoke cigarettes in bed.” This was Beldon’s first hotel fire for five years.
The Canfield Times gave the news in these words on page one：
ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE
Last night Beldon firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the Seabreeze Hotel. An angry holiday-maker said, “An electric lamp probably started the fire. The bedroom lamps are very old at some of these hotels. When I put my bedside light on, I heard a funny noise from the lamp.” We are glad to tell our readers that this sort of adventure does not happen in Canfield.
What are the facts, then? It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident. There was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel last August: that is one fact. Do we know anything else? Yes, we know that firemen went to the hotel.
Now what do you think of the rest of the “news” ?
小题1:Which of the following best gives the main idea of this text?

A．Beldon and Canfield are both good places for tourists in summer.

B．A fire broke out night in Seabreeze Hotel last summer.

C．It was not easy to find out exact truth from newspapers.

D．Two newspapers gave reports on the same matter.

小题2:Which of the following are probably facts?
a. The fire broke out in a bedroom at the hotel.
b. A cigarette started the fire.
c. An old lamp started the fire.
d. The fire broke out at night.
e. There has never been a fire in Canfield.

A．b and c

B．a and d

C．c and e

D．a and c

小题3:The Canfield Times used the headline like this in order to make its readers think _______.

A．hotels in Beldon often catch fire

B．hotels in Beldon don’t often catch fire

C．this was the second fire at the Seabreeze Hotel

D．Beldon was a good place except that hotels there are not quite safe

小题4:The Canfield newspaper gave a report just the opposite to the Beldon Post by saying that _______.

A．the bedroom lamps were very old at the Seabreeze Hotel

B．the bedroom lights made funny noise when the fire took place

C．the firemen failed to save clothing, bedclothes and other things

D．such accidents never happened in Canfield for the past 5 years

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MONTREAL (Reuters) – Crossing the US-Canada border（边界）to go to church on a Sunday cost a US citizen ＄10,000 for breaking Washington’s strict new security（安全）rules.
The expensive trip to church was a surprise for Richard Albert, who lives right on the Canadian border. Like the other half-dozen people of Township 15, crossing the border is a daily occurrence for Albert. The nearby Quebec village of St. Pamphile is where they shop, eat and go to church.
There are many such situations in these areas along the largely unguarded 5,530-mile border between Canada and the US-which in some cases actually runs down the middle of streets or through buildings.
As a result, Albert says he did not expect any problems three weeks ago when he returned home to the US after attending church in Canada, as usual. The US customs（海关）station in this area is closed on Sundays, so be just drove around the locked gate, as he had done every weekend since the gate appeared last May, following a tightening of border security. Two days later. Albert was told to go to the customs office, where an officer told him be had been caught on carnera crossing the border illegally（非法）.
Ottawa has given out special passes to some 300 US citizens in that area so they can enter the country when Canadian customs stations are closed, but the US stopped a similar program last May. That forces the people to a 200-mile detour along hilly roads to get home through another border checkpoint.
Albert has requested that the customs office change their decisions on the fine, but he has not attended a Sunday church since. “I feel like I’m living in a prison,” he said.
小题1:We learn from the text that Richard Albert is .

A．an American living in Township 15	B．a Canadian living in a Quebec village
C．a Canadian working in a customs station	D．an American working in a Canadian church

小题2:Albert was fined because he .

A．failed to obey traffic rules	B．broke the American security rules
C．worked in St. Pamphile without a pass	D．damaged the gate of the customs office

小题3:The underlined word “detour” in paragraph 5 means .

A．a drive through the town	B．a race across the fields
C．a roundabout way of travelling	D．a journey in the mountain area

小题4:What would be the best title for the text?

A．A Cross-country Trip	B．A Special Border Pass
C．An Unguarded Border	D．An Expensive Church Visit

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Three months after the government stopped issuing（发放）or renewing permits for Internet cafes because of security（安全）concerns, some cafe owners are having financial（经济的）concerns of their own.
The permits were stopped suddenly three months ago by the government until new safeguards could be put in place to prevent misuse of the information superhighway, but for cafe owners it’s a business breakdown with no fix in sight.
“I handed in a request to open up an Internet cafe and received the conditions,” said the businessman Obeidallah. “I rented a place in the Sharafiah district at SR45,000 and prepared the place with equipment that cost me more than SR100,000. When I went to the local government after finishing everything, I was surprised to find that they’d stopped issuing permits for Internet cafes.”
Having an Internet cafe without Internet is much like having a coffee shop without coffee. “I’m avoiding closing the place, but it’s been more than three months with the situation ongoing as it is.” Obeidallah said. “Who will bear the losses caused by the permit issue?”
The decision took many cafe owners by surprise. “I asked to open an Internet cafe, and I was handed a list of all the things that were needed to follow through, such as a sign for the place, filling out forms,” said Hassan Al-Harbi.
“I did all that was asked and rented a place. And after the Haj vacation I went to the local government and they surprised me, saying that there are new rules that forbid the issuing of any more Internet cafe permits and that one can’t even renew his permit. I’ve lost more than SR80,000,” Al-harbi added.
As for the government, officials say a method to deal with it is on the way. But security concerns come before profit（盈利）.
小题1:The government stopped issuing or renewing permits for Internet cafes .

A．to prevent misuse of new safeguards in Internet cafes

B．to make cafe owners earn less profit from their business

C．to stop the use of the information superhighway on Internet

D．to make sure of the proper use of the information superhighway

小题2:The government’s decision led to the fact that many cafe owners .

A．suffered heavy financial losses

B．asked to open up Internet cafes

C．continued to operate Internet cafes

D．asked the government for payment

小题3:The underlined phrase in the last paragraph “on the way” means .

A．to be studied

B．to be put into practice

C．to be changed

D．to be improved

小题4:The cafe owners found the government’s decision .

A．surprising and unacceptable

B．understandable and acceptable

C．reasonable but surprising

D．surprising but acceptable

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You are a German living in Berlin. One day you’ re walking down the street, minding your own business, when suddenly a stranger comes up with a smile on his face. After stopping you, he holds a small electronic device (装置) close to his face and speaks slowly into it, saying, in English," Can you tell me where I can buy some sauerkraut?" What should you do? (a) Run away; (b) Call the police; or (c) Listen closely for the device to say in German," Konnen Sie mir bitte sagen, welches sauerkraut haufen kann?"
The most proper answer would be (c) because the person in front of you is only a tourist trying to enjoy himself. The device is said to be the world’s first portable(便携的) translator — a hand-held microcomputer that at the same time translates one spoken language into another. The four-pound, battery-operated product is called the Voice, and it is the invention of Advanced Products and Technologies, an American electronics company. When the Voice is introduced in the Unite States in late April — at a price of (1,500 — it will be used to translate spoken English into Italian, German, French and Spanish. The product comes with separate cartridges(盒式存储器) for each of the four languages, which can be changed when the user travels from one country to another. It will be sold in Europe soon after the US introduction, with cartridges that translate Italian, German, French and Spanish into English.
The Voice uses a microchip(微型集成电路片) to translate languages. It is Started by voice command and produces voice output through a built-in speaker. When the user makes a statement or asks a question, the Voice immediately repeats what has been said in another language.
小题1: The device held by the stranger is probably a kind of________.

A．a two-way radio	B．language translator
C．easily-carried speaker	D．a multi-functioned computer

小题2:. What does the last sentence of the first paragraph mean?

A．Can you tell me where I can buy some sauerkraut?

B．Can I ask for some information from the police?

C．Would you like to try my device?

D．Would you not run away if I ask you where to buy some sauerkraut?

小题3:When the stranger says," Can you tell... sauerkraut?" he is ________.

A．learning German from his device

B．asking you the way to the sauerkraut shop

C．making fun of you with his device

D．testing his device for fun

小题4:Which of the following is not mentioned in the text?

A．The price of the hand-held microcomputer.

B．The function of the product Voice.

C．The producer pf the small electronic device.

D．The number of the device sold to the European countries.

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NEWS BRIEF
●Prime Minister Tony Blair new allegations(指控) on Thursday that he misled Parliament and the public in making the case for the war in Iraq after he disclosed his chief legal adviser’s written opinion raising questions about the legality(合法) of the war.
●U.S. Forest Service officials are reminding people to stay off Forest Service roads that are closed. The fine for disobeying the rule of road closures is a maximum of ＄5,000 fine and/ or six months in prison. Those who enter the area and cause road damage may also be required to pay for repairs.
●In a second study presented at the meeting, scientists from the UK and Denmark showed that even a few days of high temperatures can severely reduce production of crops such as wheat, soybeans, rice and groundnuts, if it occurs when the plants are flowering.
●A bomb exploded in Thailand’s mainly Muslin south on Sunday, killing two policemen and wounding three others, a day after Thailand’s queen condemned those behind a 15-month wave of violence(暴力).
●Mechanicsburg 3, West York 1: Ken Stamper and Rusty Bowman had seven kills each, and Ryan Warfield had six to lead the Wildcats past the Bulldogs, 25-11, 25-15, 15-25, 25-23, in a non-league match.
小题1:The news brief covers _____________.

A．war, law, violence, culture and agriculture

B．sports, war, violence, politics and climate

C．politics, culture, violence, climate and sports

D．violence, sports, politics, law and agriculture

小题2:From the news brief, we can learn that ____________.

A．the Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats by 3-1 in a non-league match

B．Forest Service roads are closed for repairs before they are opened again

C．quite a few violent accidents happened in Tailand before the latest one

D．the British people think the decision made by Blair about the war is of legaliry

小题3:According to the U.S. Forest Service officials, those who enter the area and damage the closed roads __________.

A．shall have to pay a $ 5,000 fine for the repairs to them

B．shall be fined or put in prison, and may pay for the repairs

C．shall be fined $ 5,000 and kept in prison for six months

D．shall pay a fine and repair the roads as a punishment

小题4:The study of the scientists from the UK and Denmark is about ____________.

A．the importance of climate and the growth of crops

B．the damage caused by high temperatures to some crops

C．the relationship between crops flowering and high temperatures

D．the effect of high temperatures on the production of some crops

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