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We’ve used the wind as an energy source for a long time. The Babylonians and Chinese were using wind power to pump water for irrigating crops 4,000 years ago, and sailing boats were around long before that. Wind power was used in the Middle Ages, in Europe, to grind(磨碎) corn, which is where the term “windmill” comes from.

We can use the energy in the wind by building a tall tower, with a large propellor（螺旋桨） on the top. The wind blows the propellor round, which turns a generator to produce electricity. We tend to build many of these towers together, to make a “wind farm” and produce more electricity. The more towers, the more wind, and the larger the propellors, the more electricity we can make. It's only worth building wind farms in places that have strong, steady winds, although boats and caravans（大篷车）increasingly have small wind generators to help keep their batteries charged.

The best places for wind farms are in coastal areas, at the tops of rounded hills, open plains and gaps in mountains — places where the wind is strong and reliable. Some are offshore. To be worthwhile, you need an average wind speed of around 25 km/h. Most wind farms in the UK are in Cornwall or Wales. Isolated places such as farms may have their own wind generators. In California, several “wind farms” supply electricity to homes around Los Angeles.

The propellors are large, to obtain energy from the largest possible volume of air. The blades can be angled to cope with varying wind speeds. Some designs use vertical turbines (垂直涡轮机), which don’t need to be turned to face the wind. The towers are tall, to get the propellors as high as possible, up to where the wind is stronger. This means that the land beneath can still be used for farming. 

1.The first paragraph aims to introduce to us _______.

A. the function of wind power             B. the source of wind power

C. the nations using wind power               D. the history of using wind power

2.The best places for building the wind farm are places where _______.

A. boats and caravans can often be seen       B. isolated farms don’t have enough electricity

C. there are less human activities            D. the wind is strong and reliable

3.We can infer from the passage that _______.

A. wind farms will not take up too much farming land

B. wind farms need no fuel because wind is free

C. the blades can be angled to turn to face the wind wherever it comes from

D. the higher and larger the towers are, the stronger the wind is

4.What can be a suitable title for the passage?

  A. Where to build a wind farm.            B. ABC of the using of wind energy.

  C. How to make best use of wind.          D. Wind energy is the best energy.

The writing of Shakespeare are today little read by young people in Britain. His young readership is limited to those who choose to study literature at university.

Shakespeare’s work, together with most other classics, is seen as remote, and written in a 400-year- old version of English that is about as inviting as toothache.

Still, in British schools, it is necessary to study the poet, and when something is made compulsory, usually the result is boredom, resentment（憎恨） or both.

This was my experience of the classics at school. But when I reached my late teenage years, I had a change of heart. Like every other young person since the dawn of time, the world confused me. I wanted answers, so I turned to books to find them.

I went on to take a PhD in literature and have taught it in Britain and China. I have never regretted it. There is something in literature that people want, even if they don’t read books. You see this in the popularity of TV and movie adaptations of great works, the recent film version of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice being a case in point. These popular adaptations may help increase people’s interest in the classics.

Reading a simplified Romeo and Juliet may perhaps lead to a reading of Shakespeare’s actual plays. If that is the case, then I welcome the trend. But do not make the mistake of thinking that it is the same thing. Shakespeare is a poet. His greatness is in his language. Reading someone else’s rewriting of his works is like peeling a banana, throwing away the fruit, and eating the skin. Take on the original. It really is worth the effort.

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

   A. The language used in classics is no longer in use today.

   B. British students usually find compulsory reading dull.

C. Only those studying literature read Shakespeare’s works.

D. For British people, Shakespeare’s works are no longer classics.

2.According to the passage, the writer _____ .

A. has liked literary classics since an early age

B. was forced to read the classics for a PhD

C. turned to literature to seek answers in his teens

D. thinks only people who read books like literature

3.The underlined phrase “a case in point” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to “_____”.

A. a great hit                

B. a good example

C. a movie adaptation         

D. a popular phenomenon

4.What does the writer intend to tell us in the last paragraph?

A. The fruit of a banana is more useful than its skin.

B. The rewriting trend does more harm than good.

C. Readers should try to read the original versions.

D. Readers need to learn the language in the classics.

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项中，选出一个最佳答案

It has been difficult to sit on the bench for the majority of my high school basketball career. I watch my team from the baseline and   1why I am not good enough to be on the floor.   2endless hours of work and devotion, pushing myself through drill after drill, the   3thing I want is to be a cheerleader（啦啦队队长）. The feeling of   4is sometimes very powerful and drives me to   5on the spot. I often feel as though my efforts are wasted and my time is eaten away, devoted to   6.

It is   7to be a spectator （旁观者）for the game I love, knowing that no one has enough faith to give me the chance to   8. Tears well up, but I hold them back and stabilize （使安定）myself. I shouldn’t be so   9over something so silly.

Away from the game, it’s easier to put my thoughts together,   10letting my emotions drive my reasoning. I consider   11I am where I am. I have played basketball my whole life. I have a passion for the   12and always have. There is nothing like the thrill of   13: the swish of the net, the sweat rolling off my cheeks, even the bruises （伤疤）are battle wounds worn   14after every game.

Even if I don’t play much, I take part in every  15. I am part of a team of girls who   16

together like a family. I am there for them,   17they are for me.

The decision isn’t difficult when I consider the   18that being a part of a team brings me — and not just any team, but my team. I   19basketball and my teammates. When I think about that, my view from the   20really isn’t so bad after all.

1.A. say              B. laugh          C. wonder         D. guess

2.A. Before           B. after          C. During         D. Since

3.A. first            B. next           C. other          D. last

4.A. toughness        B. sadness        C. hopelessness   D. worthlessness

5.A. fight            B. quit           C. retire         D. separate

6.A. anything         B. something      C. everything     D. nothing

7.A. heartbreaking    B. hardworking    C. outstanding    D. easy-going

8.A. rest             B. shine          C. win            D. think

9.A. sorry            B. nervous        C. upset          D. afraid

10.A. other than      B. rather than    C. more than      D. less than

11.A. what            B. how            C. why            D. whether

12.A. sport           B. music          C. art            D. science

13.A. watching        B. waiting        C. learning       D. playing

14.A. proudly         B. painfully      C. luckily        D. bravely

15.A. game            B. practice       C. discussion     D. decision

16.A. live            B. stick          C. join           D. compete

17.A. if              B. because        C. though         D. as

18.A. kindness        B. relation       C. joy            D. way

19.A. love            B. thank          C. help           D. miss

20.A. court           B. bench           C. stadium         D. floor

 Before the economic crisis came, John had sensed that the firm was to be ruined and he _____ just in time.

     A.pulled up      B.pulled out            C.pulled off            D.pulled down

 — Why didn’t you tell me the truth that day?

    — I _____, but you _____ for Fuzhou when I went to see you.

   A. did; would leave                      B. would; have left

   C. would have; had left                  D. had; left