When in Paris，never miss the Eiffel Tower!

In 1887 when the construction of the Eiffel Tower started，more than 300 celebrities including famous writer Maupassant were against the building of this ugly tower．But two years later，the Eiffel Tower became the most classic architecture in the exhibition that year．And now after over 100 years since its building，the tower can bring more than 1.5 billion euros to Paris annually．Almost every visitor to Paris will come to Eiffel to have a bird’s eye view for the city．Maybe，such an astonishing change is also beyond the expectation of its designer，Gustave Eiffe1．

Below is some information about visiting the Tower.

    Address：Champ de Mars，5 av Anatole France，7e

    Tel：0892701239

    Tickets：To take the lift to the top，the price for adults and children are 15 and 10．50 euros each；to take the lm to the 2^nd floor，the price for adults and children are 9 and 4．50 euros each；to take the stairs to the 2^nd floor，the price for adults and children are 5 and 3 euros each；and to take the lift to the top from the 2^nd floor costs 6 euros．

Opening hours：The Eiffel Tower is open every single day of the year．From 17 June to 28 August，the lifts and stairs open from 9：00 to midnight．During the rest of the year，the lifts open from 9：30-23：00 and the stairs open from 9：30-18：30．

Website：www．tour-eiffel．fr

21．What do we know about the Eiffel Tower?

A．The tower was completed in 1887．    B．The designer was quite sure of its SUCCESS．

C．The tower brings great profits to Paris． D．Its design was popular from the beginning．

22．To get to the top of the Tower，how much does an adult Pay at least?

A．6 euros．                  B．9 euros．     C．11 euros．     D．15 euros．

23．If you want to overlook Paris at night on October l^st，you can______．

A．take lifts to the top           B．take stairs first and then lifts

C．take stairs to the top   D．take lifts first and then stairs

Norm lives in a rural area some distance from the nearest city and a much longer distance from the nearest big hospital so when his wife got cancer several years ago Norm was faced with a four and a half hour drive to where she could be treated．That meant lots of expense for meals，fuel，hotels and so on but in the end the cancer took his wife anyway．

Norm was obviously very stricken by his wife’s passing but he was also very angry because he realized that other people were facing the same sorts of hardships．He wanted to do something but he didn’t want to give money to the charities(慈善机构)that support cancer research because he didn’t know how much of it would actually get to the researchers．What he did was start to hold parties．

About every three weeks on Saturday evenings there is a party in Norm’s garden．Neighbours，friends and relatives come and bring snacks and drinks；many bring instruments，there is music and lancing and at some point during the evening Norm tells about a family he has found who are having difficulties meeting the cost of supporting a cancer patient undergoing treatment far from home．Then a honey-pail is passed around and the money collected，every cent of it，goes directly to that family．

Norm’s passion to help the families of other cancer patients was born out of his grief but Norm’s personal loss has resulted in an act of kindness that honours the memory of the wife he has lost．He makes the world a better place．

24．What do we know about Norm’s wife?

A．She died for lack of money．                B．She worked in a distant hospital．

C．She lost the battle against cancer．        D．She took good care of her family．

25．How does Norm help others?

A．By giving money to charities．       B．By supporting cancer researchers．

C．By telling stories to his friends．              D．By raising money through parties．

26．At Norm’s party，the“honey-pail”is used to contain______．

A．snacks    B．drinks    C．honey   D．money

27．Through what he does，Norm probably wants to____________．

A．remember his wife                   B．hide his anger

C．regain his personal loss                   D．change the world

  As the 2016 Presidential election is approaching，US high school students have become more interested in the election．They hope to have a say in deciding the next US president．

    Wilentz said the country needs change．“Even though I will not be old enough to vote in the next presidential election，my voice matters.” Wilentz said.“Discussions I may have with my peers, debates with teachers and communication with my parents allow me to be heard and give my opinions meaning．”

    Jean，a former vote director，said teenagers should be paying attention to the presidential election because many high school students will be of voting age by election time．She said candidates have views and positions on certain topics that may affect teens’lives．

    Ohayon is concerned about issues that younger Americans face，such as the cost of college education．Ohayon said，“It is my responsibility to try to persuade my parents and other adults to concern themselves with the issues important to the younger generation while voting．”

Jean said teenagers can also influence the election in other ways by getting involved in campaigns．She suggests that teenagers who actually believe in one of the candidates find the local offices for a campaign and volunteer．Campaign volunteers arrange materials，wave signs and go into neighborhoods to drop off brochures and try to get the word out．

28．What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．The USA needs some changes．                B．Teenagers make the final decision．

C．U．S．Presidential election approaches．     D．Teenagers show interest in election．

29．Which of the following opinions will Jean agree with?

A．Teens are old enough to vote．            B．Debates help teens’views heard．

C．Parents should consider kids’views．          D．Candidates’views may affect teens’lives．

30．Which candidate might Ohayon advise his parents to vote for?

A．One against increasing income tax．           B．One for improving campus security．

C．One against lowering university fees．           D．One for lowering unemployment rate．

31．How can teenagers influence the election?

A．By voting for a candidate．                   B．By volunteering in campaigns．

C．By fighting for rights to vote．                 D．By taking lead in the election．

The Israeli farmers who pioneered the revolutionary technology known as drip irrigation weren’t trying to solve one of the world’s most urgent problems．They were just trying to survive．They lived in the desert，and they didn’t have enough water to grow their crops．

In its simplest form，it was little more than a pipe with holes in it．But behind each hole was a hi-tech dripper that let out just the fight amount of water．Snaked along a row of crops so that the holes were positioned directly above the roots，the pipe could direct each precious drop of water directly to the plants，getting a bigger harvest while using a very small amount of the water．

Over time，the farmers improved upon the technology，perfecting the drippers that regulated the flow of water，and connecting the pipelines to computers that could determine exactly how much water each plant needed and when．

If the global population kept growing，the rest of the world would increasingly resemble their little community in the desert．So they began selling their irrigation systems in other parts of the world，eventually expanding to more than 110 countries．Netafirm，the company says it’s lifting people out of poverty and conserving water at a time when the importance of doing so has never been clearer．

The mass adoption of drip irrigation won’t save the world by itself．To avoid the coming catastrophe，nearly everybody will，in some way，have to do more with less，perhaps through accepting and using other new technologies．Otherwise，it’s going to get ugly．

32．Why is drip irrigation called“the revolutionary technology”?

A．It saves the world all by itself．      B．It is controlled by computers．

C．It makes irrigation more effective．   D．It provides deserts with water．

33．What does“one of the world’s most urgent problems”in Paragraph l refer to?

A．Lacking water．  B．Lacking labor．    C．Lacking food． D．Lacking energy．

34．How does the drip irrigation help farmers with crops?

A．By drilling holes on the pipes．             B．By regulating water via drippers.

C．By snaking pipes along the crops．               D．By placing pipes just above roots.

35．Which of the following will be the best slogan for Netafirm to sell the irrigation systems?

A．Less water；More harvest．                        B．New technology；New world．

C．More grain；Less starvation．                D．Water saving；World surviving．

It’s Nice to be Home

36  I have been fortunate enough to make trips to many countries．They were wonderful adventures filled with new sights and experiences．And my wife and I have another trip in the planning stages．

We're home now and have settled back into our daily routine of life．37  I find that when I am at home，particularly for a while when we have just returned from a trip，I feel very comfortable．Perhaps it is because everything around me is familiar and the daily routine is so much the same I can move through it almost without thinking．38 Perhaps it is because we can have meals at home instead of always being in restaurants，although it's nice to let someone else do the cooking，and because I can sleep in my own bed．There are times I think it would be nice to simply stop travelling and stay home and I'm stile I would be very comfortable if that were to happen． 39

Yet I guess I am probably a restless soul because I know that after I have been home for a while I will start to think about other places we might go and other things we want to see．We will travel again and we feel fortunate to be able to do so．40 Still，one of the best things about travelling for me is coming home．I'm very comfortable here at home even if it is difficult to say exactly why．

A．I like to travel very much．

B．I enjoy local food while travelling．

C．I like being home，for whatever reason．

D．Perhaps it is because our friends are here．

E．And I enjoy my daily life at home so much．

F．We want to see as much of the world as we can．

G．It’s lucky that my wife and I both love travelling．