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The long, lonely voyage of the Japanese ghost ship is over.
A US Coast Guard cutter poured cannon fire into an abandoned Japanese ghost ship that had been drifting since last year’s tsunami (海啸), sinking the vessel into waters more than 305 meters deep in the Gulf of Alaska and removing the danger it posed to shipping and the coastline on Thursday.
The cutter’s guns tore holes in the 164-foot Ryou-Un Maru, and then it began to take on water and lean to one side. In about four hours, the ship disappeared into the sea, said Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow.
The ship had no lights or communications system, and its tank was able to carry more than 7,570 liters of diesel fuel. Officials, however, didn’t know exactly how much fuel was aboard.
“It’s less risky than it would be running into shore or running into other ships,” coast guard spokesman Paul Webb said.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency studied the problem and decided it is safer to sink the ship than let the fuel evaporate and pollute the sea environment.
Ryou-Un Maru was probably among the first wave of the 1.5 million tons of garbage of refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, roofs and fishing nets heading toward North America since last March when a magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck Japan.
As the coast guard was ready to fire on the vessel, a Canadian fishing vessel, the 19-meter Bernice C, claimed the rights to save the ghost ship in international waters.
Plans to sink it were paused so the Canadian crew could have a chance to take the stricken ship. A Canadian official with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press that the Bernice C was unable to drag it.
Then the Canadian boat left, and once it was about 10 kilometers from the Japanese vessel, the Coast Guard began to fire, first with 25 mm shells, then a few hours later with ammunition (弹药)twice that size.
State officials have been working to test the danger of garbage including materials affected by a damaged nuclear power plant, to see if Alaska residents, seafood or wild animals could be affected.
1.The plan to fire on the Japanese ghost ship was paused because ____________.
A．the ghost ship was beyond the reach of the Coast Guard’s guns
B．state officials worried the ghost ship might give out radiation
C．the shells were not powerful enough to sink the ghost ship
D．a Canadian fishing boat wanted to save the ghost ship
2.What’s the right order of the events related to the ship of Ryou-Un Maru?
a. Its long, lonely voyage came to an end.
b. The US Coast Guard sank it into the sea.
c. The ship began to float across the Pacific Ocean.
d. A big tsunami was caused by great earthquakes.
e. Bernice C claimed rights to save the ghost ship.
A．d, c, e, b, a B．a, b, d, c, e C．c, e, d, a, b D．b, a, d, c, e
3.Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?
A．Japanese ghost ship arriving at US
B．Tsunami garbage heading to US
C．Japanese ghost ship polluting the Pacific
D．Cannon fire sinking Japanese ghost ship
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The long, lonely voyage of the Japanese ghost ship is over．
A US Coast Guard cutter poured cannon fire into an abandoned Japanese ghost ship that had been drifting since last year’s tsunami, sinking the vessel into waters more than 305 meters deep in the Gulf of Alaska and removing the danger it posed to shipping and the coastline on Thursday．
The cutter’s guns tore holes in the 164-foot Ryou-Un Maru, and then it began to take on water and lean to one side． In about four hours, the ship disappeared into the sea, said Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow．
The ship had no lights or communications system, and its tank was able to carry more than 7,570 liters of diesel fuel． Officials, however, didn’t know exactly how much fuel was aboard．
“It’s less risky than it would be running into shore or running into other ships,” coast guard spokesman Paul Webb said．
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency studied the problem and decided it is safer to sink the ship than let the fuel evaporate and pollute the sea environment．
Ryou-Un Maru was probably among the first wave of the 1．5 million tons of garbage of refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, roofs and fishing nets heading toward North America since last March when a magnitude-9．0 earthquake struck Japan．
As the coast guard was ready to fire on the vessel, a Canadian fishing vessel, the 19-meter Bernice C, claimed the rights to save the ghost ship in international waters．
Plans to sink it were paused so the Canadian crew could have a chance to take the stricken ship． A Canadian official with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press that the Bernice C was unable to drag it．
Then the Canadian boat left, and once it was about 10 kilometers from the Japanese vessel, the Coast Guard began to fire, first with 25 mm shells, then a few hours later with ammunition twice that size．
State officials have been working to test the danger of garbage including materials affected by a damaged nuclear power plant, to see if Alaska residents, seafood or wild animals could be affected．
1.Which of the following is NOT the reason for sinking the Japanese ship?
A．It had no lights or communications system.
B．It might be washed up onto the shore．
C．It was a danger to other passing ships．
D．The oil it carried could pollute the sea．
2.The plan to fire on the Japanese ghost ship was paused because ____________．
A．the ghost ship was beyond the reach of the Coast Guard’s guns
B．the shells were not powerful enough to sink the ghost ship
C．state officials worried the ghost ship might give out radiation
D．a Canadian fishing boat wanted to save the ghost ship
3.Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?
A．Japanese ghost ship arriving at US
B．Tsunami garbage heading to US
C．Cannon fire sinking Japanese ghost ship
D．Japanese ghost ship polluting the Pacific
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A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men aboard were able to swim to a small, desert-like island. Not knowing what else to do, the two survivors agreed that they had no alternativethan to pray to God.
However, to find out whose prayers were more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the island, and he was able to eat its fruit. But the other man’s parcel of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man became lonely and decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the island. But on the other side of the island, there was nothing.
Soon thereafter the first man prayed for a house, clothes and more food. The next day, like magic, all of these things were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship so that he and his wife could leave the island, and in the morning he found a ship docked at his side of the island.
The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island, considering the other man unworthy to receive God’s blessings since none of his prayers had been answered.
As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from Heaven booming, “Why are you leaving your companion on the island?”
“My blessings are mine alone since I was the one who prayed for them,” the first man answered. “His prayers were all unanswered and so he doesn’t deserve anything.”
“You are mistaken!” the voice rebuked him. “He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings.”
“Tell me,” the first man asked the voice, “what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?”
“He prayed that all your prayers would be answered.”
For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us. So what you do for others is more important than what you do for yourself.
1.The first man’s wife is _____.
A．a swimmer who got to the island by accident
B．an angel sent by God to keep him company
C．a survivor from another wrecked ship
D．a native person on the desert-like island
2.The underlined word “barren” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _____.
A．isolated B．unproductive C．fertile D．dry
3.Which of the following is true about the second man?
A．He didn’t deserve any blessing from God.
B．None of his prayers was answered by God.
C．He is not brave enough to tell God his needs.
D．His prayer helped his companion get out of trouble.
4.What’s the moral of the story?
A．Never judge a person by appearance.
B．Don’t lose heart in trouble.
C．Helping others is helping ourselves.
D．Greed is the root of all evil.
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In the early days of sea travel, seamen on long voyages lived exclusively on salted meat and biscuits. Many of them died of scurvy (坏血病), a disease of the blood which causes swollen gums (牙龈), livid white spots on the flesh and general exhaustion. On one occasion, in 1535, an English ship arrived in Newfoundland with its crew desperately ill. The men’s lives were saved by Iroquois Indians who gave them vegetable leaves to eat. Gradually it came to be realized that scurvy was caused by some lack in the sailors’ diet and Captain Cook, on his long voyages of discovery to Australia and New Zealand, established the fact that scurvy could be prevented by the supply of fresh fruit for the sailors.
Nowadays it is understood that a diet which contains nothing harmful may yet result in serious disease if certain important elements are missing. These elements are called “vitamins”. Quite a number of such substances are known and they are given letters to identify them, A, B, C, D, and so on. Different diseases are associated with shortages of particular vitamins. Even a slight lack of Vitamin C, for example, the vitamin most plentiful in fresh fruit and vegetables, is thought to increase significantly our susceptibility (敏感度) to colds and influenza.
The vitamins necessary for a healthy body are normally supplied by a good mixed diet, including a variety of fruit and green vegetables. It is only when people try to live on a very restricted diet, say during extended periods of religious fasting (斋戒), or when trying to lose weight, that it is necessary to make special supply to make up for the missing vitamins.
1.Scurvy is a disease that is caused by .
A.salted meat and biscuits B.exhaustion
C.lack of some essential substances D.need of fresh vegetables and fruits
2.To avoid such disease as scurvy, it’s better for us .
A.not to eat much salted meat
B.to supply our diet with various vitamin pills
C.to have more fresh fruit and vegetables
D.to develop a good dietary habit
3.Based on the passage we can safely conclude that if our diet is not comprehensive enough, .
A.vitamin pills are of no use
B.nutritious food might be unhealthy
C.vegetable leaves can be a good treatment
D.religious fasting may help out a lot
4.Which of the following sentences best expresses the main idea of the passage?
A.Shortages of Vitamin C may cause serious diseases.
B.Fresh fruit and green vegetables contain enough nutrition that is necessary for a healthy body.
C.Vitamins play a vitally important role in people’s health.
D.A good mixed diet normally supplies sufficient vitamins for us.
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Is it possible that the sinking of the Titanic was caused by a ghost? A lot of the story below is true… but did it really happen quite like this?
Our story begins not in the icy cold waters of the North Atlantic, but rather thousands of miles away in Egypt. It is here, perhaps, that we can find the start of the mystery of the Titanic, in the year 1910, in the great city of Cairo. One day, a famous professor of Egyptian history called Douglas Murray was staying in Cairo, when he was contacted by an American adventurer.
The American had something unusual to offer Murray, something that was certain to thrill him: a beautiful ancient Egyptian mummy case, containing the mummy of an Egyptian queen. It was over 3000 years old, but in beautiful condition — gold, with bright paintings on it. Murray was delighted with both the object and the asking price. He gave the man a cheque immediately.
The cheque was never cashed. That evening the American adventurer died. For his part, Murray arranged to have the treasure sent back to Britain. However, it was not long before he learnt more about the beautiful mummy case: On the walls of the tomb in which it had been discovered, there were messages which warned of terrible consequences to anyone who broke into the tomb. Murray was disbelieving of these warnings until a few days later, when a gun he was holding exploded in his hand, shattering his arm. The arm had to be cut off.
After the accident, Murray decided to return to his homeland. On the return journey, two of his companions died mysteriously, and two servants who had handled the mummy also passed away. The now-terrified Murray decided he would get rid of the cursed case as soon as he arrived in London. A lady he knew named Janet Jones said she would like it, so he gave it to her. Shortly afterwards, Jones’ mother died, and she herself caught a strange disease. She tried returning the mummy, but naturally Murray refused it. In the end, it was presented to the British Museum.
Even in the museum, the mummy apparently continued to cause strange events. A museum photographer died shortly after taking pictures of the new exhibit; and a manager also died for no apparent reason. In the end, the British Museum decided to get rid of the mummy too. They sold it to a collector in New York.
At the start of April 1912, arrangements for the transfer were complete, and the mummy began the journey to its new home. But the New Yorker never received the mummy or its case. For when the Titanic sank, one of the objects in its strong room was the mummy case. Or so they say.
1.In Paragraph 5, the underlined word “cursed” is closest in meaning to ________.
A. forgotten B. uncommon C. unlucky D. expensive
2.In what order did the following events occur?
a. The case was given to the British Museum.
b. Janet Jones caught a mysterious illness.
c. Murray’s arm was cut off.
d. The mummy case was sold to an American.
e. A man who took a picture of the case died.
f. Warnings were written on the tomb’s walls.
A. f, c, b, a, e, d B. c, f, b, a, e, d
C. d, f, b, c, a, e D. f, a, c, b, e, d
3.According to the passage, where is the Egyptian mummy now?
A. At the British Museum. B. In New York.
C. In Egypt. D. Under the sea.
4.What’s the main purpose of this passage?
A. To introduce an important historical event to readers.
B. To entertain readers with a story of mystery.
C. To warn readers about the dangers of mummies’ curses.
D. To inform readers about the true cause of the Titanic’s sinking.
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Nuclear radiation is said __________ the biggest health challenge in Japanese Earthquake over the past few months．
A．being B．to be C．to have been D．that it is
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阅读理解
Is it possible that the sinking of the Titanic was caused by a ghost? A plot of the story below is true ... but did it really happen quite like this?
Our story begins not in the icy cold waters of the North Atlantic, but rather thousands of miles away in Egypt. It is here, perhaps, that we can find the start of the mystery (谜) of the Titanic, in the year 1910, in the great city of Cairo.
One day, a famous professor of Egyptian history called Douglas Murray was staying in Cairo, when he was contacted by an American adventurer.
The American had something unusual to offer Murray, something that was certain to thrill him: a beautiful ancient Egyptian mummy case, containing the mummy of an Egyptian queen. It was over 3,000 years old, but in beautiful condition — gold, with bright paintings on it. Murray was delighted with both the object and the askingprice. He gave the man a cheque immediately.
The cheque was never cashed. That evening the American adventurer died. For his part, Murray arranged to have the treasure sent back to Britain. However, it was not long before he learnt more about the beautiful mummy case: On the walls of the tomb in which it had been discovered, there were messages which warned of terrible consequences to anyone who broke into the tomb. Murray was disbelieving of these warnings until a few days later, when a gun he was holding exploded in his hand, shattering his arm. The arm had to be cut off.
After the accident, Murray decided to return to his homeland. On the return journey, two of his companions died mysteriously, and two servants who had handled the mummy also passed away. The nowterrified Murray decided he would get rid of the cursed case as soon as he arrived in London. A lady he knew named Janet Jones said she would like it, so he gave it to her. Shortly afterwards, Jones' mother died, and she herself caught a strange disease. She tried returning the mummy, but naturally Murray refused it. In the end, it was presented to the British Museum.
Even in the museum, the mummy apparently continued to cause strange events. A museum photographer died shortly after taking pictures of the new exhibit, and a manager also died for no apparent reason. In the end, the British Museum decided to get rid of the mummy too. They sold it to a collector in New York.
At the start of April 1912, arrangements for the transfer were complete, and the mummy began the journey to its new home. But the New Yorker never received the mummy or its case. For when the Titanic sank, one of the objects in its strongroom was the mummy case. Or so they say.
1.In Paragraph 5, the underlined word “cursed” is closest in meaning to ________.
A．forgotten B．uncommon
C．expensive D．unlucky
2.In what order did the following events occur?
a．The case was given to the British Museum.
b．Janet Jones caught a mysterious illness.
c．Murray's arm was cut off.
d．The mummy case was sold to an American.
e．A man who took a picture of the case died.
f．Warnings were written on the tomb's walls.
A．f，c，b，a，e，d B．c，f，b，a，e，d
C．d，f，b，c，a，e D．f，a，c，b，e，d
3.According to the passage, where is the Egyptian mummy now?
A．At the British Museum. B．In New York.
C．In Egypt. D．Under the sea.
4.What is the main purpose of this passage?
A．To entertain readers with a story of mystery.
B．To introduce an important historical event to readers.
C．To warn readers about the dangers of mummies' curses.
D．To inform readers about the true cause of the Titanic's sinking.
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The big earthquake is _____ terrible blow to Japanese and people from all over the world feel _____ pity for them.
A. the; / B. a; the C. a; / D. a; a
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The big earthquake is _____ terrible blow to Japanese and people from all over the world feel _____ pity for them.
A. the; / B. a; the C. a; / D. a; a
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阅读理解
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？
A． The voyage through the wormhole is a considerable challenge．
B． A team of crime fighters uncovers a criminal plot in Big Hero．
C． President Coin pushes Katniss to protest Peeta．
D． Penguins have to wrestle with problems in District 13．
2.The similarity that exists in the four films is that ________．
A． each of them is a branch of film series
B． all of them are concerned with positive energy
C． they all have the best actors and actresses in the world
D． the four films all have something to do with exploration