38. A. broken out B. exploded C. recorded D. brought about 39. A. hindered B. imposed C. happened D. hit 40. A. participated B. invested C. followed D. pursued 41. A. a large sum of B. a great deal of C. a large number of D. a large amount of
42. A. damaged B. injured C. harmed D. wrecked 43. A. not only the acts of nature B. not only the nature of acts C. not only acts of the nature D. not the only acts of nature 44. A. feared B. surprised C. confused D. afraid 45. A. the bad storm did B. do the bad storms C. the storms did badly D. the bad storms do Ⅲ. Reading Comprehension (50 points)
Task l (2 points each, 10 points in all)
Directions: After reading the following passage, you will find 5 questions or unfinished statements (No.46 through No. 50). For each question or statement there are 4 choices. You should make the correct choice and put the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.
Who takes care of the elderly in the United States today？ The fact is that family members provide over 80% of the care that elderly people need. In most cases the elderly live in their own homes: A very small percentage of America‘s elderly live in nursing homes.
Samuel Preston, a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, studied how the American family is changing. He reported that by the time the average American couple reaches about 40 years of age, their parents are usually still alive. The statistics show the change in lifestyles and responsibilities of aging (老龄化) Americans. The average middle-aged couple can look forward to caring for elde