Earthquakes are something that people fear．There are some places that have few or no earthquakes．Most places in the world，however，have them regularly（有规律的）．Countries that have a lot of earthquakes are usually quite mountainous（多山的）．

The most talked about earthquake in the United States was in San Francisco in 1906．Over 700 people died in it．The strongest one in North America was in 1964．It happened in Alaska．

Strong earthquakes are not always the ones that kill the most people．In 1755，one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded was felt in Portugal．Around 2,000 people died．

In 1923，a very strong earthquake hit the Tokyo，Yokohama area of Japan．A hundred and forty thousand people died．Most of them died in fires which followed the earthquake．

One of the worst earthquakes ever was in China in 2008．It killed a large number of people．The worst earthquake ever reported was also in China，in which 400,000 people were killed or injured．This earthquake happened in 1556．

Earthquakes worry people a lot．The reason is that we often do not know when they are coming．People can not prepare for it．

1.When and where was the worst earthquake ever reported？

A．1964;Alaska.       B．1556;China.        C．1923;Japan.        D．2008;China.

2.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．The stronger the earthquake is, the more people are killed.

B．Earthquakes often come unexpectedly（出乎意料地）.

C．Earthquakes can cause fires.

D．People still don’t know how to tell when an earthquake will come.

3.What may be talked about in the seventh paragraph?

A．How do earthquakes worry people?

B．What will people do to prepare for earthquakes?

C．How can we save people when earthquakes happen?

D．How do earthquakes happen?

On the morning of November 18, 1755, an earthquake shock Boston. John Winthrop, a professor at Harvard College, felt the quake and awoke. “I rose”, Winthrop wrote, “and lighted a candle, looked at my watch, and found it to be 15minutes after four.” John Winthrop hurried downstairs to the grandfather clock. It had stopped three minutes before, at 4:12. Except for stopping the clock, the quake had only thrown a key from the mantel(壁炉台) to the floor.
The clock had stopped because Winthrop had put some long glass tubes he was using for an experiment into the case for safekeeping. The quake had knocked the tubes over and blocked the pendulum(钟摆).Winthrop, therefore, had the key on the floor. The quake had thrown it forward in the direction of the quake’ s motion by a shock coming from the northwest, perhaps in Canada.
【小题1】What does “it” in the second paragraph refer to?

Standard English is the formal（正式的） English that you need to use when you write in coursework or in the exam. Standard English is the form of English you learn in school. All written English should be standard—that means it should be clear enough for anyone in Britain to understand it. Standard English developed as the main form of printed English in the 15th Century. At the time, every region of Britain used to spell words differently, but printers needed a fixed spelling.  Printers like Caxton chose the East Midlands dialect form which was used in London and the South East. Soon Standard English replaced（取代） all written dialect forms – the other forms of English spoken around the country. It also replaced French and Latin in law and in academic（学术的） work. In the 18th Century, people wrote dictionaries and grammar books which standardized spelling — Dr Johnson’s Dictionary of 1755 fixed many of the spellings we still use today. All written English should be Standard English — any grammar rules you learn are for Standard English and you will definitely need to learn them to avoid making mistakes in your work. The rules of Standard English mean using the correct forms of words with the correct spellings.
Avoid slang words（俚语）—words that your teachers or friends wouldn’t understand. You’ll lose marks if the examiners can’t understand what you say or write. Don’t use dialect words. Every region has words or phrases that are only used there. Don’t use them in your coursework, because you won’t be understood. Make sure you revise grammar and punctuation（标点） you have learned, and learn the list of commonly misspelled words you have made. Clichés are ideas or sayings which have been used so often that they’ve become boring and unoriginal. Phrases like, “As good as it gets” “At the end of the day” “In the fullness of time” are all clichés. So are images like, “as fierce as a lion” “as cunning as a fox”. If you use them you will sound boring and unimaginative— that could mean you lose marks for writing and speaking style. So avoid clichés.
1. What three things do you have to think about when using English? 
a. no slang word or dialect     b. no grammar and spelling mistake.  c. no phrase    
d. no cliché    e. no punctuation
A. abc.                  B. bcd.            C. ade.       D. abd.
2. What is standard English?
A. the English spoken by British people.
B. the English spoken by American people.
C. the English used in London.
D. the English spoken by British people in 15th Century.
3. What is the cliché according to the passage?
A. the English full of slang words. 
B. the boring ideas or sayings because of being used often.
C. the long phrases which are used often.
D. all the English which is used outside of London and the southeast of Britain.
4. Why do we need to use Standard English?
A. Because no one can understand dialect words.
B. Because there are many kinds of English in the world, we need Standard English to make communication easier.
C. Because local dialect belongs to certain region, not every one can understand it.
D. Because standard English has been used for a long time.
5. Which statement is true?
A. Written English should be formal and standard.
B. Standard English means people should use the words from Dr Johnson’s Dictionary.
C. All the spoken English should be Standard English.
D. Standard English replaced all written dialect forms in the 18th century.

On the morning of November 18, 1755, an earthquake shock Boston． John Winthrop, a professor at Harvard College, felt the quake and awoke. “I rose”, Winthrop wrote, “and lighted a candle, looked at my watch, and found it to be 15minutes after four.” John Winthrop hurried downstairs to the grandfather clock．It had stopped three minutes before, at 4:12．Except for stopping the clock, the quake had only thrown a key from the mantel（壁炉台）to the floor．
The clock had stopped because Winthrop had put some long glass tubes he was using for an experiment into the case for safekeeping． The quake had knocked the tubes over and blocked the pendulum（钟摆）．Winthrop, therefore, had the key on the floor． The quake had thrown it forward in the direction of the quake’s motion by a shock coming from the northwest, perhaps in Canada．
【小题1】What does “it” in the second paragraph refer to?

On the morning of November 18, 1755, an earthquake shock Boston． John Winthrop, a professor at Harvard College, felt the quake and awoke. “I rose”, Winthrop wrote, “and lighted a candle, looked at my watch, and found it to be 15minutes after four.” John Winthrop hurried downstairs to the grandfather clock．It had stopped three minutes before, at 4:12．Except for stopping the clock, the quake had only thrown a key from the mantel（壁炉台）to the floor．

The clock had stopped because Winthrop had put some long glass tubes he was using for an experiment into the case for safekeeping． The quake had knocked the tubes over and blocked the pendulum（钟摆）．Winthrop, therefore, had the key on the floor． The quake had thrown it forward in the direction of the quake’s motion by a shock coming from the northwest, perhaps in Canada．

1.What does “it” in the second paragraph refer to?

    A． the floor                           B． the key         C． the clock  D． the case

2.The text suggests that      ．

    A． earthquakes are common in Boston

    B． John Winthrop was a scientist

    C． John Winthrop often had difficulty in sleeping

    D． Harvard College was a center for earthquake researching

3.Which of the following is true?          .

    A．Some tubes were broken into pieces and stopped the old clock

    B．The professor lit a candle because of power failure

    C．Boston is in the southeast of Canada

    D．The shocks were slight in one way

4.John Winthrop put some tubes into this clock case because        ．

    A． he wanted to do an experiment

    B． he thought an earthquake was probably to happen soon

    C． he thought it safe for them to be put there

    D． he wanted to record the exam time of the earthquake．