*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The area south of the Thames at Greenwich has a long history. Throughout time different buildings have been constructed on the same site. The Palace of Placentia, an English Royal Palace built in 1447, no longer exists apart from a few remains under the present buildings. The grand buildings on the South Bank of the Thames at Greenwich were designed by Sir Christopher Wren, most famous for St. Paul's Cathedral. The buildings were finally completed in 1745, although some parts started to be used as early as 1705. They're now part of a university -- having served as a naval hospital and a naval college and the setting for several cinemas. But the buildings stand on a site which has a much longer history, of which now only a part remains that is below the ground. For nearly two hundred years, from around 1450 to 1650, Greenwich was one of the main royal palaces of England. Some of the most famous English rulers, such as Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, not only lived there, but also were born there. Henry VIII put an armory there, and there were also gardens, a great fountain and a mass of buildings. The Palace was also in a strategic location, because at the time either side of Greenwich on the Thames were important Royal Dockyards . Eventually, though, the Palace fell into disrepair. In 1664, the King at the time, Charles II, decided to replace it with completely new buildings in a modern style. Only a cellar from the former Royal Palace now remains, under one of the new buildings. Its red brick, typical of the 16th century, contrasts sharply with the white stone above it. Would you like to join us to have a good view of Greenwich? Question: According to the passage, when did the Palace of Placentia disappear from the ground? Options: A: In the late 1400s. B: In the early 1600s. C: In the late 1600s. D: In the early 1700s.
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: In July 1994 Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, was struck by 21 pieces of a comet . When the fragments landed in the southern part of the giant planet, the explosions were watched by scientists here on earth. But what if our own planet was hit by a comet? The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two fragments will probably hit the southern part of the Earth. The news has caused panic. On 17 July, a fragment four kilometers wide enters the Earth's atmosphere with a huge explosion. About half of the fragment is destroyed. But the major part survives and hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and an enormous wave is created and spreads. The wall of water rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometres an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned. The wave moves into the Indian Ocean and heads towards Asia. Millions of people are already dead in the southern part of the Earth, but the north won't escape for long. Tons of broken pieces are thrown into the atmosphere by the explosions. As the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later civilization has collapsed. No more than 10 million people have survived. Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a space fragment. The dinosaurs couldn't survive in the cold climate that followed and they became extinct. Will we meet the same end? Question: 56.Why does the author mention dinosaurs at the end of the passage? Options: A: Because they could only live in the warm climate B: Because their extinction indicates future disasters C: Because they once dominated the earth D: Because dinosaurs and humans never live in the same age
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: A town in Oxfordshire has become the first in the UK to have biomethane gas from human waste piped to their homes for gas central heating and cooking. Up to 200 families in Didcot now receive the gas via the national gas power system. Head of energy and technology at British Gas, Martin Orrill, said customers wouldn't notice any difference as the gas is purified to the highest standard and has no smell. The gas is produced at a sewage treatment works plant in Didcot. The entire process takes only less than three weeks, with the sewage being collected and sent first to settlement tanks. The solid waste material is then fed into digesters, where anaerobic bacteria digest the sewage, with the aid of enzymes to speed up the process. The digestion process produces methane, which can be burned to drive machines to produce electricity, or can be purified and fed into the gas network and piped to homes and businesses. British Gas says supplying the gas rather than electricity is far more efficient since around two-thirds of the energy is lost in producing electricity. Partners in the Didcot project, British Gas, Scotia Gas Networks, and Thames Water, all hope to expand the process to other towns, and other companies such as Ecotricity and United Utilities have also announced biomethane projects being planned. One of these projects, in Manchester, could be supplying 500 homes with biomethane by mid next year. Another British Gas project in Suffolk will provide gas from digestion of brewery wastes to around 235 families. The Didcot project cost PS2.5m and was influenced by promises of government aids aimed at encouraging companies to develop renewable technologies. An EU directive means the UK must ensure at least 15 percent of its energy is from renewable sources by 2020. The UK produces about 1.73 million tons of sewage annually. If all sewage treatment works in the UK were fitted with the technology, they could supply gas for up to 350,000 families. Question: What is the function of the enzymes? Options: A: To digest the solid waste material. B: To help get rid of anaerobic bacteria. C: To help purify the biomethane. D: To speed up the digestion process.
**Answer**
D