Taking the union of wine cups is considered as the most important part of a typical Chinese wedding .

The SOLAS Convention in its successive forms is generally regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the ______of merchant ships.

A.pollution

B.economization

C.safety

D.efficiency

Of all modern instruments, the violin is apparently one of the simplest. It consists in

essence of a hollow, varnished wooden sound box, or resonator, and a long neck, covered

with a fingerboard, along which four strings are stretched at high tension. The beauty of

design, shape, and decoration is no accident: the proportions of the instrument are

(5) determined almost entirely by acoustical considerations. Its simplicity of appearance is

deceptive. About 70 parts are involved in the construction of a violin, Its tone and its

outstanding range of expressiveness make it an ideal solo instrument. No less important.

however, is its role as an orchestral and chamber instrument. In combination with the

larger and deeper-sounding members of the same family, the violins form. the nucleus

(10)of the modern symphony orchestra.

The violin has been in existence since about 1550. Its importance as an instrument

in its own right dates from the early 1600's, when it first became standard in Italian

opera orchestras. Its stature as an orchestral instrument was raised further when in 1626

Louis XIII of France established at his court the orchestra known as Les vingt-quatre

(15)violons du Roy (The King's 24 Violins), which was to become widely famous later in

the century.

In its early history, the violin had a dull and rather quiet tone resulting from the fact

that the strings were thick and were attached to the body of the instrument very loosely.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, exciting technical changes were inspired

(20)by such composer-violinists as Vivaldi and Tartini. Their instrumental compositions

demanded a fuller, clearer, and more brilliant tone that was produced by using thinner

strings and a far higher string tension. Small changes had to be made to the violin's

internal structure and to the fingerboard so that they could withstand the extra strain.

Accordingly, a higher standard of performance was achieved, in terms of both facility

(25)and interpretation. Left-hand technique was considerably elaborated, and new fingering

patterns on the fingerboard were developed for very high notes.

The word "standard" in line 12 is closest in meaning to

A．practical

B．customary

C．possible

D．unusual

Considered as a continuous body of fluid, the atmosphere is another kind of ocean. Yet, in view of the total amount of rain and snow on land areas in the course of a year, one of the most amazing water facts is the very small amount of water in the atmosphere at any given time. The volume of the lower seven miles of the atmosphere--the realm of weather events- is roughly four times the volume of the world's oceans. But the atmosphere contains very little water. It is chiefly in the form. of invisible vapor, some of which is carried over land by air currents. If all vapor suddenly fell from the air onto the earth's surface, it would form. a layer only about one inch thick. A heavy rainstorm on a given area may use up only a small percentage of the water from the air mass that passes over. How, then, can some land areas receive more than 400 inches of rain per year? How can several inches of rain fall during a single storm in a few minutes or hours? The answer is that rain yielding air masses are in motion, and as the driving air mass moves on, new moist air takes its place.

The basic source of most water vapor is the ocean, evaporation, vapor transport, and precipitation (陈雨) make up the continuous movement of water from ocean to atmosphere to land and back to the sea. Rivers return water the sea. In an underground arc (弧) of the cycle, flowing bodies of water discharge some water directly into rivers and some directly to the sea.

What might have been discussed before this passage?

A．The ocean.

B．The earth.

C．The rainfall.

D．The atmosphere.

The richness of our languages is considered by many to be the distinctive and crowing achievement in human evolution. Language provides us for the means to communicate ideas, emotions and【M1】______ knowledge and express our cultural identity. In Europe different languages are a fact of life. The European Union considers the diversity of tongues as an inalienable component of our cultural heritage; but【M2】______ the principle of language equality is present in Europes founding treaties. Preserving linguistic diversity has been at heart of its policy【M3】______ from the very beginning. However, linguistic diversity demands a sustain and substantial investment. For example, the European【M4】______ institutions spend considerable portions of their operational budgets on translation and interpretation services. For European industry and business language diversity is a challenge or an asset, as the【M5】______ Commission has recently pointed out in its first Communication ever on a new strategic framework for multilingualism. What is sure that【M6】______ early investment in multilingual communication technologies can provide rapid access to new and emerging markets anywhere in the world—the factor that is vital for the long-run success of Europe. The【M7】______ ability to access and use information across the languages is vital for【M8】______ citizens, governments, and commerce. And human languages technologies can play an important role for enabling easy【M9】______ communication between people, administrations and businesses. The European Union, in collaboration with the Member States, have sponsored over the last 20 years several R&D actions which【M10】______ have contributed to building expertise, resources and a pan-European language infrastructure.

【M1】

听力原文： The climate of the west coast is the most moderate in Canada. Summers are cool and fairly dry and winters are mild, cloudy and wet. Even in mid-winter, average temperatures are usually above freezing.

The central plain from the Rocky Mountains to Great Lakes is characterized by cold winters, short but hot summers, and light snow and rain. Tile large water-surfaces of Central and Eastern Canada produce considerable modification in the climate. Southern Ontario and Quebec experience cold, damp winters and hot, humid summers.

Most of Atlantic Canada has a humid climate owing to its maritime character. Nevertheless, it experiences weather systems arriving from the dry, continental interior as well as from the sea. The combined influence of these systems creates some of the most variable day-to-day weather conditions to be encountered anywhere in Canada.

The north-central part of Canada is usually snow-covered for more than half of the year, with a frost-free period of barely two months. Rain is relatively light. Further north, on the islands along the Arctic coast and round Hudson Bay, the land. is always frozen. Average temperatures stay above freezing for only a few weeks of the year. The Arctic Islands and the northern border of the mainland do not have a summer season of the kind known in Southern Canada.

(33)

A．The Arctic coast.

B．The west coast.

C．The east coast.

D．The central plain.