第一篇Ethnic Tensions in Belgium

　　Belgium has given the world Audrey Hepburn Rene Magritte (surrealist artist)， the saxophone(薩克斯管)and deep-fried potato chips that are somehow called French.

　　But the story behind this flat， twice-Beijing-size country is of a bad marriage between two nationalities living together that cannot stand each other. With no new government， more than a hundred days after a general election， rumors run wild that the country is about to disappear.

　　“We are two different nations， an artificial state. With nothing in common except a king， chocolate and beer.” Said Filp Dewinter， the leader of the Flemish Bloc， the extreme-right Flemish party.

　　Radical Flemish separatists like Mr Dewinter want to divide the country horizontally along ethnic and economic lines： to the north. Flanders—where Dutch (known locally as Flemish) is spoken and money is increasingly made; to the south. French-speaking Wallonla， where today old factories dominate the landscape.

　　The area of present-day Belgium passed to the French in the 18th century. Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815. Belgium was given to the kingdom of the Netherlands， from which it gained independence as a separate kingdom in 1830.

　　Since then， it has struggled for cohesion(結(jié)合)。Anyone who has spoken French in a Flemish city quickly gets a sense of the mutual hostility that is part of daily life there.

　　But there are reasons Belgium is likely to stay together， at least in the short term.

　　The economies of the two regions are tightly linked， and separation would be a financial nightmare.

　　But there is also deep resentment in Flanders that its much healthier economy must subsidize(補(bǔ)貼)the south， where unemployment is double that of the north. French speakers in the south， meanwhile， favor the status quo(現(xiàn)狀)。

　　Belgium has made it through previous threats of division. Although some political analysts believe this one is different， there is no panic just now.

　　“We must not worry too much.” said Baudouln Bruggeman， a 55-year-old school-teacher.“ Belgium has survived on compromise since 1930. You have to remember that this is Magritte's country， the country of surrealism. Anything can happen.”

　　36【題干】Who was Magritte?

　　A.A French novelist

　　B.A saxophonist

　　C.A separatist

　　D.A surrealist artist

　　【答案】D

　　【解析】Belgium has given the world Audrey Hepburn Rene Magritte (surrealist artist)， the saxophone(薩克斯管)and deep-fried potato chips that are somehow called French.

　　37.【題干】when did Belgium become an independent kingdom?

　　A.in 1800

　　B.in 1830

　　C.in 1815

　　D.in 1930

　　【答案】B

　　【解析】Belgium was given to the kingdom of the Netherlands， from which it gained independence as a separate kingdom in 1830.

　　38【題干】Which statement about Belgium is NOT true?

　　A.it is twice as big as Beijing.

　　B.it has two major ethnic groups.

　　C.it has gone through quite a few threats of division.

　　D.it has no government.

　　【答案】D

　　【解析】the story behind this flat， twice-Beijing-size country(A) is of a bad marriage between two nationalities living together(B) that cannot stand each other.(C) With no new government，(D) more than a hundred days after a general election， rumors run wild that the country is about to disappear.

　　39【題干】what does the passage mainly talk about?

　　A.Surrealist artists.

　　B.Belgium's economy.

　　C.Cultural clashes in Belgium.

　　D.Music in Belgium.

　　【答案】C

　　【解析】

　　40【題干】The word “stand” in Paragraph 2 means_____.

　　A.handle

　　B.meet

　　C.combine

　　D.bear

　　【答案】D

　　【解析】“But the story behind this flat， twice-Beijing-size country is of a bad marriage between two nationalities living together that cannot stand(忍受) each other. With no new government， more than a hundred days after a general election， rumors run wild that the country is about to disappear.

　　第二篇：ElectricBackpack

　　Backpacksare convenient.They can hold your books，your lunch，and achange ofclothes，leaving your hands free to do other things.Someday，if youdont mindcarrying a heavy load，your backpacks might also power your MP31player，keep yourcell phone running，and maybe even light your wayhome.

　　LawrenceC.Rome and his colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia2and the Marine Biological Laboratory in WoodsHole3，Mass.4，have invented abackpack that makes electricity from energyproduced while its wearer walks.Inmilitary actions，search-and-rescueoperations，and scientific fieldstudies，people rely increasingly on cellphones，global positioning system (GPS)5 receivers，night-vision goggles，andother battery powered devices to get aroundand do their work.The backpackselectricity- generating feature coulddramatically reduce the amount of awearer‘s load now devoted to spare batteries，report Rome and his colleaguesinthe Sept.9 Science6.

　　Thebackpacks electricity-creating powers depend onsprings used to hang a clothpack from its metal frame.The frame sits againstthe wearer‘s back，and the whole pack moves upand down as the person walks.Agear mechanism converts vertical movements of thepack to rotary motions of anelectrical generator，producing up to 7.4 watts.

　　Unexpectedly，testsshowedthat wearers of the new backpack alter their gaits in response to thepacksoscillations，so that they carry loads more comfortably and with lesseffortthan they do ordinary backpacks.Because of that surprising advantage，Romeplans to commercialize both electric and non-electric versionsof the backpack.

　　The backpackcould be especially useful orsoldiers，scientists，mountaineers，and emergencyworkers who typically carryheavy backpacks.For the rest of us，power-generatingbackpacks could make itpossible to walk，play video games，watch TV，and listen tomusic，all at the sametime.Electricity-generating packs arent on the marketyet，but if you do get one eventually，just make sure to look both ways beforecrossing thestreet!

　　1.Backpacks are convenient because

　　答案： yourhands are freed to do other things.

　　2.What is the most important feature of the backpack invented byLawrence C.Romeand his colleagues?

　　答案： Itproduces electricity forelectronic devices while the wearer walks.

　　3.The word “springs” inParagraph 3 means .

　　答案： a lengthof metal woundaround，which returns to its original shape after

　　being pushed.

　　4.Accordingto Paragraph 4，what does Rome plan to do?

　　A To makethe backpackmore comfortable for the wearer.

　　答案： To putthe backpack on the market.

　　5.What isimplied in “if you do getoneeventually，just make sure to took both ways before crossing thestreet!”?

　　答案：Enjoyingelectronic devices while walking may invite traffic accidents.