Passage One

　　At some 2300 miles in length， the Mississippi is the longest river in the United States。 At some 1000 miles， the Mackenzie is the longest river in Canada。 But these waterways seem mute in comparison to the world’s two longest rivers --- the Nile and the Amazon。 The Nile， which begins in central Africa and flows over 4100 miles north into the Mediterranean。 Host to one of the world’s great ancient civilizations along its shores， Calm and peaceful for most of the year， the Nile used to flood annually。 Their by creating， irrigating and caring new top soil to the nearby farmland on which ancient Egypt depended for a livelihood。 As a means of transportation， the river carried various vessels up and down its length。 A journey through the unconstructed part of this waterway today would pass by the splendid valley of the kings with tombs of many of these ancient monarchs， having stood for over 3000 years。 Great civilizations and intensive settlements are hardly associated with the Amazon。 Yet this 4000 mile-long south American river carries about 20% of the world’s fresh water， more than the Mississippi， Nile and the Mackenzie combined。 Other statistics are equally astonishing。 the Amazon is so wide at some points that from its center neither shore can be seen。 Each second the Amazon pours some 55 million gallons of water into the Atlantic。 There， at it’s mouth stands one island larger than Switzland。 Most important of all， the Amazon irrigates the largest tropical rainforest on earth。

　　9。 What can be found in the valley of the kings?

　　10。 In what way is the Amazon different from other big rivers?

　　11。 What does the speaker say about the Amazon?

　　Passage Two

　　How often do you say to people “I’m busy” or “I haven’t got time for that。” (12)It’s inevitable true that all of us live a life in the far slain， even though we know that being busy is not always particular healthy。 Growing-up in New Zealand， everything was always calm and slow， people enjoy the tranquility of a slower pace of life。 After I moved to the Tokyo and lived there in a number of years， (13) I got used to having a pilot to do lists。 And my calendar always looks like a mass with lots of things to do。 Return across it， I found myself feeling my timer with endless work meetings in social events。 Russian along as busy as it be。 Then， one day， (14) I came across a book， called in praise of slowness and realized that being busy is not only detrimental， but also has the danger of turning life into endless race。 So I started practicing various practical steps， mentioned by the author of the book， and began to revolt against every idea of being too busy。 It doesn’t mean that to do lists no longer exist， (15) but I become more aware of the important of slowing down and making sure that I enjoy the daily activities as I care about。 From now on， when someone asked how your life is， try your responding with the words like “exciting and fun”， instead of the culture norm that says busy。 Say if your experience that tranquility that follows。

　　12。 What does the speaker think is inevitable truth?

　　13。 What does the speaker about her life in Tokyo?

　　14。 What makes the speaker change her life style?

　　15。 What happened after the speaker changed her life style?