【正文】 ________ the villagers could get away. No one survived it. A． after B． as C． since D． before 25． — What terrible weather! It ________ for ten days, more or less. — The rain season will last about a month. A． rains B． is raining C． rained D． has been raining 26． He said he had never seen her before, ________ was not true. A． it B． that C． which D． what 27. The wallet ________ several days ago was found ________ in the rubbish. A． stealing。 a 22． The room was empty_______ a puter and a desk. A． except B． without C． except for D． besides 23． A big earthquake________ Pakistan on October 8 , 2021, ________ over 70,000 people. A． strikes。 21． You know, ________ knowledge of ________puter is necessary to a secretary(秘書 ). A． a。 / B． the。 killing B． struck。 lie B． stolen。 managed B． succeed。 Anna lived on the side of a valley. One winter, there was a very big flood, and a lot of houses 36 Anna39。 A Education is required and free for every child in the United States. Most children start school by the age of six. They attend eight years of elementary school and four years of high school (or secondary school ).The money for free public schools es from taxes, and each state is responsible for its own educational system .State legislatures (立法機(jī)關(guān) ) set the educational requirements but leave the management of the schools in the hands of the local munities .Most states require their children to go to school until a certain age. This age varies from 16 to 18 years according to the laws of the individual state. The Federal government contributes funds to the states for additional schools and schools services. After graduation from high school, a student can start his higher education in two –year college, a fouryear college, a university or a specialized professional schooleither public or private. Most colleges admit students on the basis of their highschool records. The cost of a college education is expensive in private universities, but it is much less in those supported by states and cities. Many students receive scholarships from the schools, the government, or private foundations and anizations. More than 50 percent of the college students work to help pay their college expenses. Only 2 percent of the population of the country cannot read and write. 5 Where does the money for public schools e from ? A. From the Federal government. B. From the state legislatures. C. From taxes. D. From the parents of the school children. 5 What is the educational system in the United States based on ? A. The Federal government B. Individual school C. Individual state D. Local munities 5 What percentage of the population is illiterate (文盲 ) ？ A. 50 B. 2 C. 4 D. 6 5 How are college expenses of most students paid ? A. They won earnings from parttime work . B. Scholarship from the schools, the government or private foundations. C. Taxes . D. Both A and B. B Today, roller skating is easy and fun． But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer. One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball（化裝舞會） . He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room. Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud o