备战2015年高考英语 6年高考真题分项版精解精析专题18 阅读理解之科普类（原卷版）Word版无答案（ 2014高考）

备战2015年高考英语 6年高考真题分项版精解精析专题18 阅读理解之科普类（原卷版）Word版无（ 2014高考） 一、(2014安徽卷)BRecordings of angry bees are enough to send big, tough African elephants running away, a new study says. Beehives (蜂窝)-either recorded or real-may even prevent elephants from damaging farmer's crops. In 2002, scientist Lucy King and her team found that elephants avoid certain trees with bees living in them. Today, Lucy wants to see if African honeybees might discourage elephants from eating crops. But before she asked farmer to go to the trouble of setting up beehives on their farms, she needed to find out if the bees would scare elephants away. Lucy found a wild beehive inside a tree in northern Kenya and set up a recorder. Then she threw a stone into the beehive, which burst into life. Lucy and her assistant hid in their car until the angry bees had calmed down. Next，Lucy searched out elephant families in Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya and put a speaker in a close to each family. From a distance, Lucy switched on the pre-recorded sound of angry bees while at the same time recording the elephants with a video camera. Half the elephant groups left the area within ten seconds. Out of a total of 17 groups, only one group ignored the sound of the angry bees. Lucy reported that all the young elephants immediately ran to their mothers to hide under them. When Lucy Played the sound of a waterfall (瀑布) instead of the angry bees to many of the same elephant families, the animals were undisturbed. Even after four minutes, most of the groups stayed in one place. Lucy is now studying whether the elephants will continue to avoid the sound of angry bees after hearing it several times. She hasn't tested enough groups yet to know, but her initial (最初 的) results were promising enough to begin trials with farmers. She has now begun placing speakers in the fields to see if elephants are frightened away. 60. We know from the passage that elephants may he frightened of . A. loud noises B. some crops C. video cameras D. angry bees 61. As mentioned in the passage, Lucy A. works by herself in Africa B. needs to test more elephant groups C. has stopped elephants eating crops D. has got farmers to set up beehives on their farms 62. Why did Lucy throw a stone into a wild beehive? A. To record the sound of bees. B. To make a video of elephants. C. To see if elephants would run away. D. To find out more about the behavior of bees. 63. Which of the following is true according to the passage? A. Young elephants ignore African honeybees. B. Waterfalls can make elephants stay in one place. C. Elephants do not go near trees with bees living in them. D. Farmers do not allow Lucy to conduct tests in their fields. (2014北京卷)DMultitasking What is the first thing you notice when you walk into a shop? The products displayed (展示) at the entrance? Or the soft background music? But have you ever notice the smell? Unless it is bad, the answer is likely to be no. But while a shop’s scent may not be outstanding compared with sightsand sounds, it is certainly there. And it is providing to be an increasing powerful tool in encouraging people to purchase. A brand store has become famous for its distinctive scent which floats through the fairly dark hall and out to the entrance, via scent machines. A smell may be attractive but it may not just be used for freshening air. One sports goods company once reported that when it first introduced scent into its stores, customers’ intension to purchase increased by 80 percent. When it comes to the best shopping streets in Pairs, scent is just as important to a brand’s success as the quality of its window displays and goods on slaes. That is mainly because shopping is a very different experience to what it used to be. Some years ago,the focus for brand name shopping was on a few people with sales assistants’ disproving attitude and don’t-touch-what-you-can’t-afford displays. Now the rise of electronic commerce (e-commerce) has opened up famous brands to a wider audience. But while e-shops can use sights and sounds, only bricks-and-mortar stores (实体店) can offer a full experience from the minute customers step through the door to the moment they leave. Another brand store seeks to be much more than a shop, but rather a destination. And scent is just one way to achieve this. Now a famous store uses complex man-made smell to make sure that the soft scent of baby powder floats through the kid department, and coconut (椰子) scent in the swimsuit section. A department store has even opened a new lab, inviting customers on a journey into the store’s windows to smell books, pots and drawers, in search of their perfect scent. 67. According to the passage, what is an increasingly powerful tool in the success of some brand store? A. Friendly assistant. B. Unique scents. C. Soft background music D. attractive window display. 68. E-shops are mentioned in the passage to _______ . A. show the advantages of brick-and-mortar stores B. urge shop assistants to change their attitude C. push stores to use sights and sounds D. introduce the rise of e-commerce 69. The underlined word “destination” in Paragraph 5 means _______ . A. a platform that exhibts goods B. a spot where travelers like to stay C.a place where customers love to go D. a target that a store expects to meet 70. The main purpose of the passage is to ______ . A. compare and evaluate B. examine and assess C. argue and discuss D.inform and explain 三(2014广东卷)D Scientists today are making greater effort to study ocean currents (洋流) . Most do it using satellites and other high-tech equipment. However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way --- by studying movements of random floating garbage. A scientist with many years’ experience, he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the shores of the northwest coast of the United States. There were so many shoes that people were setting up swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear. Ebbesmeyer found out in his researches that the shoes — about 60,000 in total — fell into the ocean in a shipping accident. He phoned the shoe company and asked if they wanted the shoes back. As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents. 41. The underlined phrase swap meets in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______________. A. fitting rooms B. trading fairs C. business talks D. group meetings 42. Ebbesmeyer phoned the shoe company to find out _____________. A. what caused the shipping accident B. when and where the shoes went missing C. whether it was all right to use their shoes D. how much they lost in the shipping accident 43. How did Ebbesmeyer prove his assumption? A. By collecting information from beachcombers. B. By studying the shoes found by beachcomber. C. By searching the web for ocean currents models. D. By researching ocean currents data in the library. 44. Ebbesmeyer is most famous for ___________________. A. traveling widely the coastal cities of the world B. making records for any lost objects on the sea C. running a global currents research association D. phoning about any doubtful objects on the sea 45. What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage? A. To call people's attention to ocean pollution. B. To warn people of shipping safety in the ocean. C. To explain a unique way of studying ocean currents. D. To give tips on how to search for lost objects on the beach. 四(2014湖北卷)C Working with a group of baboons (狒狒) in the Namibian desert, Dr. Alecia Carter of the Department of Zoology, Cambridge University set baboons learning tasks involving a novel food and a familiar food hidden in a box. Some baboons were given the chance to watch another baboon who already knew how to solve the task, while others had to learn for themselves. To work out how brave or anxious the baboons were, Dr. Carter presented them either with a novel food or a threat in the form of a model of a poisonous snake. She found that personality had a major impact on learning. The braver baboons learnt, but the shy ones did not learn the task although they watched the baboon perform the task of finding the novel food just as long as the brave ones did. In effect, despite being made aware of what to do, they were still too shy to do what the experienced baboon did. The same held true for anxious baboons compared with calm ones. The anxious individuals learnt the task by observing others while those who were relaxed did not, even though they spent more time watching. This mismatch between collecting social information and using it shows that personality plays a key role in social learning in animals, something that has previously been ignored in studies on how animals learn to do things. The findings are significant because they suggest that animals may perform poorly in cognitive (认知的) tasks not because they aren’t clever enough to solve them, but because they are too shy or nervous to use the social information. The findings may impact how we understand the formation of culture in societies through social learning. If some individuals are unable to get information from others because they don’t associate with the knowledgeable individuals, or they are too shy to use the information once they have it, information may not travel between all group members, preventing the formation of a culture based on social learning. 59. What is the first paragraph mainly about? A. The design of Dr. Carter’s research. B. The results of Dr. Carter’s research. C. The purpose of Dr. Carter’s research. D. The significance of Dr. Carter’s research. 60. According to the research, which baboons are more likely to complete a new learning task? A. Those that have more experience. B. Those that can avoid potential risks. C. Those that like to work independently. D. Those that feel anxious about learning. 61. Which best illustrates the “mismatch” mentioned in Paragraph 4? A. Some baboons are intelligent but slow in learning. B. Some baboons are shy but active in social activities. C. Some baboons observe others but don’t follow them. D. Some baboons perform new tasks but don’t concentrate. 62. Dr. Carter’s findings indicate that our culture might be formed through ______. A. storing information B. learning from each other C. understanding different people D. travelling between social groups 五(2014湖南卷)C The behaviour of a building’s users may be at least as important as its design when it comes to energy use, according to new research from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC). The UK promises to reduce its carbon emissions (排放)by 80 percent by 2050, part of which will be achieved by all new homes being zero-carbon by 2016. But this report shows that sustainable building design on its own — though extremely important- is not enough to achieve such reductions: the behaviour of the people using the building has to change too. The study suggests that the ways that people use and live in their homes have been largely ignored by existing efforts to improve energy efficiency (效率)，which instead focus on architectural and technological developments. ‘Technology is going to assist but it is not going to do everything,’explains Katy Janda, a UKERC senior researcher，‘consumption patterns of building users can defeat the most careful design. ’In other words，old habits die hard, even in the best-designed eco-home. Another part of the problem is information. Households and bill-payers don’t have the knowledge they need to change their energy-use habits. Without specific information，it’s hard to estimate the costs and benefits of making different choices. Feedback (反馈) facilities, like smart meters and energy monitors，could help bridge this information gap by helping people see how changing their behaviour directly affects their energy use; some studies have shown that households can achieve up to 15 percent energy savings using smart meters. Social science research has added a further dimension (方面)，suggesting that individuals’ behaviour in the home can be personal and cannot be predicted 一 whether people throw open their windows rather than turn down the thermostat (恒温器) , for example. Janda argues that education is the key. She calls for a focused programme to teach people about buildings and their own behaviour in them. 66. As to energy use, the new research from UKERC stresses the importance of________. A. zero-carbon homes B. the behaviour of building users C. sustainable building design D. the reduction of carbon emissions 67. The underlined word “which” in Paragraph 2 refers to”________.” A. the ways B. their homes C. developments D. existing efforts 68. What are Katy Janda’s words mainly about? A. The importance of changing building users, habits. B. The necessity of making a careful building design. C. The variety of consumption patterns of building users. D. The role of technology in improving energy efficiency. 69. The information gap in energy use _______. A. can be bridged by feedback facilities B. affects the study on energy monitors C. brings about problems for smart meters D. will be caused by building users’ old habits 70. What does the dimension added by social science research suggest? A. The social science research is to be furthered. B. The education programme is under discussion. C. The behaviour of building users is unpredictable. D. The behaviour preference of building users is similar. 六(2014江苏卷)C Most damagingly, anger weakens a person's ability to think clearly and keep control over his behaviour. The angry person loses objectivity in evaluating the emotional significance of the person or situation that arouses his anger. Not everyone experiences anger in the same way; what angers one person may amuse another.The specific expression of anger also differs from person to person based on biological and cultaral forces. In contemporary culture, physical expressions of anger are generally considered too socially harmful to be tolerated. We no longer regard duels(决斗) as an appropriate expression of anger resulting from one person's awareness of insulting behaviour on the part of another. Anger can be identified in the brain, where the electrical activity changes. Under most conditions EEG (脑电图) measures of electrical activity show balanced activity between the right and left prefrontal (额叶前部) areas. Behaviourally this corresponds to the general even-handed disposition (意向)that most of us possess most of the time. But when we are angry the EEG of the right and left prefrontal areas aren't balanced and. as a result of this, we're likely to react. And our behavioural response to anger is different from our response to other emotions, whether positive or negative. Most positive emotions are associated with approach behaviour: we move closer to people we like. Most negative emotions, in contrast, are associated with avoidance behaviour: we move away from people and things that we dislike or that make us anxious. But anger is an exception to this pattern. The angrier we are. the more likely we are to move towards the object of our anger. This corresponds to what psychologists refer to as offensive anger: the angry person moves closer in order to influence and control the person or situation causing his anger. This approach-and-confront behaviour is accompanied by a leftward prefrontal asymmetry (不对称 ) of EEG activity. Interestingly, this asymmetry lessens if the angry person can experience empathy (同感) towards the individual who is bringing forth the angry response. In defensive anger, in contrast, the EEG asymmetry is directed to the right and the angry person feels helpless in the face of the anger-inspiring sitaation. 61. The "duels" example in Paragraph 2 proves that the expression of anger . A. usually has a biological basis B. varies among people C. is socially and culturally shaped D. influences one's thinking and evaluation 62. What changes can be found in an angry brain? A. Balanced electrical activity can be spotted. B. Unbalanced patterns are found in prefrontal areas. C. Electrical activity corresponds to one's behaviour. D. Electrical activity agrees with one's disposition. 63. Which of the following is typical of offensive anger? A. Approaching the source of anger. B. Trying to control what is disliked. C. Moving away from what is disliked. D. Feeling helpless in the face of anger. 64. What is the key message of the last paragraph? A. How anger differs from other emotions. B. How anger relates to other emotions. C. Behavioural responses to anger. D. Behavioural patterns of anger. 七(2014辽宁卷)A A new study shows students who write notes by hand during lectures perform better on exams than those who use laptops(笔记本电脑). Students are increasingly using laptops for note-taking because of speed and legibility(清晰 度). But the research has found laptop users are less able to remember and apply the concepts they have been taught. Researchers performed experiments that aimed to find out whether using a laptop increased the tendency to make notes “mindlessly” by taking down word for word what the professors said. In the first experiment, students were given either a laptop or pen and paper. They listened to the same lectures and were told to use their usual note-taking skills. Thirty minutes after the talk, they were examined on their ability to remember facts and on how well they understood concepts. The researchers found that laptop users took twice as many notes as those who wrote by hand. However, the typists performed worse at remembering and applying the concepts. Both groups scored similarly when it came to memorizing facts. The researchers’ report said, “While more notes arc beneficial, if the notes are taken mindlessly, as is more likely the case on a laptop, the benefit disappears.” In another experiment aimed at testing long-term memory, students took notes as before but were tested a week after the lecture. This time, the students who wrote notes by hand performed significantly better on the exam. These two experiments suggest that handwritten notes arc not only better for immediate learning and understanding, but that they also lead to superior revision in the future. 21. More and more students favor laptops for note-taking because they can . A. write more notes B. digest concepts better C. get higher scores D. understand lectures better 22. While taking notes, laptop users tend to be . A. skillful B. mindless C. thoughtful D. tireless 23. The author of the passage aims to . A. examine the importance of long-term memory B. stress the benefit of taking notes by hand C. explain the process of taking notes D. promote the use of laptops 24. The passage is likely to appear in . A. a newspaper advertisement B. a computer textbook C. a science magazine D. a finance report 八(2014辽宁卷)CWould it surprise you to learn that, like animals, trees communicate with each other and pass on their wealth to the next generation? UBC Professor Simard explains how trees are much more complex than most of us ever imagined. Although Charles Darwin thought that trees arc competing for survival of the fittest, Simard shows just how wrong he was. In fact, the opposite is true: trees survive through their co-operation and support, passing around necessary nutrition “depending on who needs it”. Nitrogen(氮) and carbon are shared through miles of underground fungi(真菌) networks, making sure that all trees in the forest ecological system give and receive just the right amount to keep them all healthy. This hidden system works in a very similar way to the networks of neurons(神经元)in our brains, and when one tree is destroyed, it affects all. Simard talks about “mother trees”, usually the largest and oldest plants on which all other trees depend. She explains how dying trees pass on the wealth to the next generation, transporting important minerals to young trees so they may continue to grow. When humans cut down “mother trees” with no awareness of these highly complex “tree societies” or the networks on which they feed, we are reducing the chances of survival for the entire forest. “We didn’t take any notice of it.” Simard says sadly. “Dying trees move nutrition into the young trees before dying, but we never give them chance.” If we could put across the message to the forestry industry, we could make a huge difference towards our environmental protection efforts for the future. 29. The underlined sentence “the opposite is true” in Paragraph 2 probably means that trees . A. compete for survival B. protect their own wealth C. depend on each other D. provide support for dying trees 30. “Mother trees” are extremely important because they . A. look the largest in size in the forest B. pass on nutrition to young trees C. seem more likely to be cut down by humans D. know more about the complex “tree societies” 31. The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to . A. how “tree societies” work B. how trees grow old C. how forestry industry develops D. how young trees survive 32. What would be the best title for the passage? A. Old Trees Communicate Like Humans B. Young Trees Are In Need Of Protection C. Trees Are More Awesome Thart You Think D. Trees Contribute To Our Society 九(2014山东卷)DHow fit are your teeth? Are you lazy about brushing them? Never fear: An inventor is on the case. An electric toothbrush senses how long and how well you brush, and it lets you track your performance on your phone. The Kolibree toothbrush was exhibited at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. It senses how it is moved and can send the information to an Android phone or iPhone via a Bluetooth wireless connection. The toothbrush will be able to teach you to brush right (don’t forget the insides of the teeth!) and make sure you’re brushing long enough. “It’s kind of like having a dentist actually watch your brushing on a day-to-day basis,” says Thomas Serval, the French inventor. The toothbrush will also be able to talk to other applications on your phone, so developers could, for instance, create a game controlled by your toothbrush. You could score points for beating monsters among your teeth. “We try to make it smart but also fun,” Several says. Serval says he was inspired by his experience as a father. He would come home from work and ask his kids if they had brushed their teeth. They said “yes,” but Serval would find their toothbrush heads dry. He decided he needed a brush that really told him how well his children brushed. The company says the Kolibree will go on sale this summer, for $99 to $199, developing on features. The U.S. is the first target market. Serval says that one day, it’ll be possible to replace the brush on the handle with a brushing unit that also has a camera. The camera can even examine holes in your teeth while you brush. 56. Which is one of the feature of the Kolibree toothbrush? A. It can sense how users brush their teeth. B. It can track users’ school performance. C. It can detect users’ fear of seeing a dentist. D. It can help users find their phones. 57. What can we learn from Serval’s words in Paragraph 3? A. You will find it enjoyable to see a dentist. B. You should see your dentist on a day-to –day basis. C. You can brush with the Kolibree as if guided by a dentist. D. You’d like a dentist to watch you brush your teeth every day. 58. Which of the following might make the Kolibree toothbrush fun? A. It can be used to update mobile phones. B. It can be used to play mobile phone games C. It can send messages to other users D. It can talk to its developers. 59. What is Paragraph 5 mainly about? A. How Serval found out his kids lied to him. B. Why Serval thought brushing teeth was necessary. C. How Serval taught his kids to brush their teeth. D. What inspired Serval to invent the toothbrush 60. What can we infer about Serval’s children? A. They were unwilling to brush their teeth B. They often failed to clean their toothbrushes. C. They preferred to use a toothbrush with a dry head. D. They liked brushing their teeth after Serval came home. 61. What can we learn about the future development of the Kolibree? A. The brush handle will be removed. B. A mobile phone will be built into it. C. It will be used to fill holes in teeth D. It will be able to check users’ teeth 十(2014四川卷)D With around 100 students scheduled to be in that 9 am Monday morning lecture, it is no surprise that almost 20 people actually make it to the class and only 10 of them arc still awake after the first IS minutes; it is not even a surprise that most of them are still in their pyjamas (睡 衣). Obviously, students are terrible at adjusting their sleep cycles to their daily schedule. All human beings possess a body clock. Along with other alerting (警报) systems, this governs the sleep/wake cycle and is therefore one of the main processes which govern sleep behaviour. Typically, the preferred sleep/wake cycle is delayed in adolescents, which leads to many students not feeling sleepy until much later in the evenings. This typical sleep pattern is usually referred to as the "night owl" schedule of This is opposed to the "early bird" schedule, and is a kind of disorder where the individual tends to stay up much past midnight. Such a person has great difficulty in waking up in the mornings. Research suggests that night owls feel most alert and function best in the evenings and at night. Research findings have shown that about 20 percent of people can be classified as "night owls" and only 10 percent can be classified as "early birds" - the other 70 percent are in the middle. Although this is clearly not true for all students, for the ones who are true night owls this gives them an excellent excuse for missing their lectures which unfortunately fall before midday. 43. What docs the author stress in Paragraph I? A. Many students are absent from class. B. Students are very tired on Monday mornings. C. Students do not adjust their sleep patterns well. D. Students are not well prepared for class on Mondays. 44. Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 2? A. Most students prefer to get up late in the morning. B. Students don't sleep well because of alerting systems. C. One's body clock governs the sleep/wake cycle independently. D. Adolescents' delayed sleep/wake cycle isn't the preferred pattern. 45. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word "classified"? A. Criticised. B. Grouped. C. Organised. D. Named. 46. What docs the text mainly talk about? A. Functions of the body clock. B. The "night owl" phenomenon. C. Human beings' sleep behaviour. D. The school schedule of "early birds". 十一(2014四川卷)E Women are friendly. But men are more competitive. Why? Researchers have found it's all down to the hormone oxytocin (荷尔蒙催生素). Although known as the love hormone, it affects the sexes differently. "Women tend to be social in their behavior. They often share with others. But men lend to be competitive. They are trying to improve their social status," said Professor Ryan. Generally, people believe that the hormone oxytocin is let out in our body in various social situations and our body creates a large amount of it during positive social interactions (互动) such as falling in love or giving birth. But in a previous experiment Professor Ryan found that the hormone is also let out in our body during negative social interactions such as envy. Further researches showed that in men the hormone oxytocin improves the ability to recognize competitive relationships, but in women it raises the ability to recognize friendship. Professor Ryan's recent experiment used 62 men and women aged 20 to 37. Half of the participants(参与者)received oxytocin. The other half received placebo (安慰剂). After a week, the two groups switched with participants. They went through the same procedure with the other material. Following each treatment, they were shown some video pictures with different social interactions. Then they were asked to analyze the relationships by answering some questions. The questions were about telling friendship from competition. And their answers should be based on gestures, body language and facial expressions. The results indicated that, after treatment with oxytocin, men's ability to correctly recognize competitive relationships improved, but in women it was the ability to correctly recognize friendship that got better. Professor Ryan thus concluded: "Our experiment proves that the hormone oxytocin can raise people's abilities to better distinguish different social interactions. And the behavior differences between men and women are caused by biological factors (因素) that are mainly hormonal." 47. What causes men and women to behave differently according to the text? A. Placebo. B. Oxytocin. C. The gesture. D. The social status. 48. What can we learn from Professor Ryan's previous experiment? A. Oxytocin affects our behavior in a different way. B. Our body lets out oxytocin when we are deep in love. C. Our body produces oxytocin when we feel unhappy about others' success. D. Oxytocin improves our abilities to understand people's behavior differences. 49. Why did Professor Ryan conduct the recent experiment? A. To test the effect of oxytocin on the ability to recognize social interactions. B. To know the differences between friendship and competition. C. To know people's different abilities to answer questions. D. To test people's understanding of body language. 50. The author develops the text by______. A. explaining people's behaviors B. describing his own experiences C. distinguishing sexual differences D. discussing research experiments (2014天津卷) B A world-famous Canadian author, Margaret Atwood, has created the world’s first long-distance signing device(装置), the LongPen. After many tiring book-signing from city to city, Atwood thought there must be a better way to do them . She hired some technical experts and started her own company in 2004. Together they designed the LongPen. Here’s how it works: The author writes a personal message and signature on a computer tablet(手写板) using a special pen. On the receiving end, in another city, a robotic arm fitted with a regular pen signs the book. The author and fan can talk with each other via webcams(网络摄像机) and computer screens。 Work on the LongPen began in Atwood’s basement(地下室). At first, they had no idea it would be as hard as it turned out to be. The device went through several versions, including one that actually had smoke coming out of it. The investing finally completed, teat runs w ere made in Ottawa, and the LongPen was officially launched at the 2006 London Book Fair. From here , Atwood conducted two transatlantic book signings of her latest book for fans in Toronto and New York City. The LongPen produces a unique signature each time because it copies the movement of the author in real time. It has several other potential applications. It could increase credit card security and allow people to sign contracts from another province. The video exchange between signer and receiver can be recorded on DVD for proof when legal documents are used. “It’s really fun”, said the owner of a bookstore, who was present for one of the test runs. “Obviously you can’t shake hands with the author， but there are chances for a connection that you don’t get from a regular book signing.. The response to the invention has not been all favorable. Atwood has received criticism from authors who think she is trying to end book tours. But she said, “It will be possible to go to places that you never got sent to before because the publishers couldn’t afford it.” 41. Why did Atwood decide to invent the LongPen? A. To set up her own company B. To win herself greater popularity C. To write her books in a new way C. To make book signings less tiring 42. How does the LongPen work? A.It copies the author’s signature and prints it on a book. B. It signs a book while receiving the author’s signature. C. The webcam sends the author’s signature to another city. D. The fan uses it to copy the author’s signature himself. 43. What do we know about the invention of the LongPen? A. It has been completed but not put into use. B. The basement caught fire by accident. C. Some versions failed before its test run. D. The designers were well-prepared for the difficulty. 44. How could the LongPen be used in the future? A. To draft legal documents. B. To improve credit card security C. To keep a record of the author’s ideas. D. To allow author and fan to exchange videos 45. What could be inferred from Paragraphs 5 and 6? A. Atwood doesn’t mean to end book tours. B. Critics think the LongPen is of little use C. Bookstore owners do not support the LongPen D. Publishers dislike the LongPen for its high cost 十三(2014浙江卷 )C Last summer, two nineteenth-century cottages were rescued from remote farm fields in Montana, to be moved to an Art Deco building in San Francisco. The houses were made of wood. These cottages once housed early settlers as they worked the dry Montana soil; now they hold Twitter engineers. The cottages could be an example of the industry’ s odd love affair with “low technology,” a concept associated with the natural world, and with old-school craftsmanship (手艺) that exists long before the Internet era. Low technology is not virtual (虚拟的) —so, to take advantage of it, Internet companies have had to get creative. The rescued wood cottages, fitted by hand in the late eighteen-hundreds, are an obvious example, but Twitter’s designs lie on the extreme end. Other companies are using a broader interpretation (阐释) of low technology that focuses on nature. Amazon is building three glass spheres filled with trees, so that employees can “work and socialize in a more natural, park-like setting.” At Google’s office, an entire floor is carpeted in glass. Facebook’s second Menlo Park campus will have a rooftop park with a walking trail. Olle Lundberg, the founder of Lundberg Design, has worked with many tech companies over the years. “We have lost the connection to the maker in our lives, and our tech engineers are the ones who feel impoverished (贫乏的) , because they’re surrounded by the digital world,” he says. “They’re looking for a way to regain their individual identity, and we’ve found that introducing real crafts is one way to do that.” This craft based theory is rooted in history, William Morris, the English artist and writer, turned back to pre-industrial arts in the eighteen-sixties, just after the Industrial Revolution. The Arts and Crafts movement defined itself against machines. “Without creative human occupation, people became disconnected from life,” Morris said. Research has shown that natural environments can restore(恢复) our mental capacities. In Japan, patients are encouraged to “forest-bathe,” taking walks through woods to lower their blood pressure. These health benefits apply to the workplace as well. Rachel Kaplvin, a professor of environmental psychology, has spent years researching the restorative effects of natural environment. Her research found that workers with access to nature at the office—even simple views of trees and flowers—felt their jobs were less stressful and more satisfying. If low-tech offices can potentially nourish the brains and improve the mental health of employees then, fine, bring on the cottages. 50. The writer mentions the two nineteenth-century cottages to show that ________. A. Twitter is having a hard time B. old cottages are in need of protection C. early settlers once suffered from a dry climate in Montana D. Internet companies have rediscovered the benefits of low technology 51. Low technology is regarded as something that _______. A. is related to nature B. is out of date today C. consumes too much energy D. exists in the virtual world 52. The main idea of Paragraph 5 is that human beings ________. A. have destroyed many pre-industrial arts B. have a tradition of valuing arts and crafts C. can become intelligent by learning history D. can regain their individual identity by using machines 53. The writer’s attitude to “low technology” can best be described as ________. A. positive B. defensive C. cautious D. doubtful 54. What might be the best title for the passage? A. Past Glories, Future Dreams B. The Virtual World, the Real Challenge C. High-tech Companies, Low-tech Offices D. The More Craftsmanship, the Less Creativity 十四(2014重庆卷 )C The idea of being able to walk on water has long interested humans greatly. Sadly, biological facts prevent us ever accomplishing such a thing without artificial aid_we simply weigh too much， and all our mass pushes down through our relatively small feet, resulting in a lot of pressure that makes us sink. However, several types of animals can walk on water. One of the most interesting is the common basilisk Basilicus basilicus，a lizard (蜥蜴)native to Central and South America. It can run across water for a distance of several meters, avoiding getting wet by rapidly hitting the water’s surface with its feet. The lizard will take as many as 20 steps per second to keep moving forward. For humans to do this, we，d need huge feet that we could bring up to our ears in order to create adequate w hitting. ’’ But fortunately there is an alternative :cornflour. By adding enough of this common thickening agent to water (and it does take a lot)，you can create a “non-Newtonian” liquid that doesn’t behave like normal water. Now, if the surface of the water is hit hard enough, particles(粒子)in the water group together for a moment to make the surface hard. Move quickly enough and put enough force into each step, and you really can walk across the surface of an adequately thick Liquid of cornflour. Fun though all this may sound, it’s still rather messy and better read about in theory than carried out in practice. If you must do it, then keep the water wings handy in case you start to sink_and take a shower afterward! 44.Walking on water hasn’t become a reality mainly because humans______. A.are not interested in it B.have biological limitations C.have not invented proper tools D.are afraid to make an attempt 45.What do we know about Basilicus basilicus from the passage? A.It is light enough to walk on water. B.Its huge feet enable it to stay above water. C.It can run across water at a certain speed. D.Its unique skin keeps it from getting wet in water. 46.What is the function of the cornflour according to the passage? A.To create a thick liquid. B.To turn the water into solid. C.To help the liquid behave normally. D.To enable the water to move rapidly. 47.What is the author’s attitude toward the idea of humans’ walking on water? A.It is risky but beneficial. B.It is interesting and worth trying. IC.t is crazy and cannot become a reality. D.It is impractical though theoretically possible. 十五(2014重庆卷 )E It’s generally believed that people act the way they do because of their personalities and attitudes. They recycle their garbage because they care about the environment. They pay S5 for a caramel brul6e latte because they like expensive coffee drinks. It’s undeniable that behavior comes from our inner dispositions (性情)，but in many instances we also draw inferences about who we are, as suggested by the social psychologist Daryl Bern, by observing our own behavior. We can be strangers to ourselves. If we knew our own minds，why would we need to guess what our preferences are from our behavior? If our minds were an open book, we would know exactly how much we care about the environment or like lattes. Actually，we often need to look to our behavior to figure out who we are. Moreover, we don’t just use our behavior to learn about our particular types of character~we infer characters that weren’t there before. Our behavior is often shaped by little pressures around us, which we fail to recognize. Maybe we recycle because our wives and neighbors would disapprove if we didn't. Maybe we buy lattes in order to impress the people around us. We should not mistakenly believe that we always behave as a result of some inner disposition. Whatever pressures there can be or inferences one can make, people become what they do， though it may not be in compliance (符合)with their true desires. Therefore, we should all bear in mind Kurt Vonnegufs advice: “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be. ’’ 52.According to the passage, personalities and attitudes are commonly believed to __________. A.determine one’s behavior B.reflect one’s taste C.influence one’s surroundings D.result from one’s habits 53.Which of the following would Daryl Bern most probably agree with? A.The return of a wallet can indicate one’s honesty. B.A kind person will offer his seat to the old. C.One recycles plastics to protect the environment. D.One buys latte out of true love of coffee. 54.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in the passage? A.We fail to realize our inner dispositions. B.We can be influenced by outside pressures. C.Our behavior is the result of our true desires. D.Our characters can shape our social relationships. 55. What does the author mainly discuss in the passage? A.Personalities and attitudes. B.Preferences and habits. C.Behavior and personalities. D.Attitudes and preferences. (2013?新课标I卷)B The baby is just one day old and has not yet left hospital. She is quiet but alert (警觉). Twenty centimeters from her face researchers have placed a white card with two black spots on it. She stares at it carefully. A researcher removes the card and replaces it by another, this time with the spots differently spaced. As the cards change from one to the other, her gaze(凝视) starts to lose its focus - until a third, with three black spots, is presented. Her gaze returns; she looks at it for twice as long as she did at the previous card. Can she tell that the number two is different from three, just 24 hours after coming into the world? Or do newborns simply prefer more to fewer? The same experiment, but with three spots shown before two, shows the same return of interest when the number of spots changes. Perhaps it is just the newness? When slightly older babies were shown cards with pictures of objects(a comb, a key, an orange and so on), changing the number of objects had an effect separate from changing the objects themselves. Could it be the pattern that two things make, as opposed to three? No again. Babies paid more attention to squares moving randomly on a screen when their number changed from two to three, or three to two. The effect even crosses between senses. Babies who were repeatedly shown two spots became more excited when they then heard three drumbeats than when they heard just two; likewise(同样地) when the researchers started with drumbeats and moved to spots. 60. The experiment described in Paragraph 1 is related to the baby’s ______. A. sense of hearing. B. sense of sight. C. sense of touch. D. sense of smell. 61. Babies are sensitive to the change in ______. A. the size of cards. B. the colour of pictures. C. the shape of patterns. D. the number of objects. 62. Why did the researchers test the babies with drumbeats? A. To reduce the difficulty of the experiment. B. To see how babies recognize sounds. C. To carry their experiment further. D. To keep the babies’ interest. 63. Where does this text probably come from? A. Science fiction. B. Children’s literature. C. An advertisement. D. A science report. (2013?新课标?卷)C 【主旨大意】文章由巧克力与情绪的关系引出对一家巧克力公司CRF的发展的介绍史。 Given that many people's moods (情绪)are regulated by the chemical action of chocolate, it was probably only a matter of time before somebody made the chocolate shop similar to a drug store of Chinese medicine. Looking like a setting from the film Charlie&the Chocolate Factory, Singapore's Chocolate Research Facility (CRF) has over 100 varieties of chocolates.its founder is Chris Lee who grew up at his parents' corner store with one hand almost always in the jar of sweets. If the CRF seems to be a smart idea, that's because Lee is not merely a seasoned salesperson but also head of a marketing department that has business relations with big names such as Levi's and Sony. That idea surely results in the imagination at work when it comes to making different flavored(味道)chocolates. The CRF's produce is "green". made within the country and divided into 10 lines, with the Alcohol Series being the most popular. The Exotic Series一with Sichuan pepper, red bean (豆).cheese and other flavors一also does well and is fun to taste. And for chocolate snobs，who think that they have a better knowledge of chocolate than others, the Connoisseur Series uses cocoa beans from Togo, Cuba, Venezuela , and Ghana, among others. 44. What is good about chocolate? A. It serves as a suitable gift. B. It works as an effective medicine. C. It helps improve the state of mind. D. It strengthens business relations. 45. Why is Chris Lee able to develop his idea of the CRF? A. He knows the importance of research. B. He learns form shops of similar types. C. He has the support of many big names D. He has a lot of marketing experience. 46. Which line of the CRF produce sells best? A. The Connoisseur Series. B. The Exotic Series. C. The Alcohol Series. D. The Sichuan Series. 47. The words "chocolate snobs" in Paragraph 3 probably refer to people who A. are particular about chocolate B. know little about cocoa beans C. look down upon others D. like to try new flavors (2013?浙江) C The baby monkey is much more developed at birth than the human baby. Almost from the moment it is born, the baby monkey can move around and hold tightly to its mother. During the first few days of its life the baby will approach and hold onto almost any large, warm, and soft object in its environment, particularly if that object also gives it milk. After a week or so, however, the baby monkey begins to avoid newcomers and focuses its attentions on “mother” ---- the real mother or the mother-substitute(母亲替代物). During the first two weeks of its warmth is perhaps the most important psychological(心理 的) thing that a monkey mother has to give to its baby. The Harlows, a couple who are both psychologists, discovered this fact by offering baby monkeys a choice of two types of mother-substitutes ---- one covered with cloth and one made of bare wire. If the two artificial mothers were both the same temperature, the little monkeys always preferred the cloth mother. However, if the wire model was heated, while the cloth model was cool, for the first two weeks after birth the baby monkeys picked the warm wire mother-substitutes as their favorites. Thereafter they switched and spent most of their time on the more comfortable cloth mother. Why is cloth preferable to bare wire? Something that the Harlows called contact(接触的) comfort seems to be the answer, and a most powerful influence it is. Baby monkeys spend much of their time rubbing against their mothers’ skins, putting themselves in as close contact with the parent as they can. Whenever the young animal is frightened, disturbed, or annoyed, it typically rushes to its mother and rubs itself against her body. Wire doesn’t“rub”as well as does soft wire cloth. Prolonged(长时间的)“contact comfort” with a cloth mother appears to give the babies confidence and is much more rewarding to them than is either warmth or milk. According to the Harlows, the basic quality of a baby’s love for its mother is trust. If the baby is put into an unfamiliar playroom without its mother, the baby ignores the toys no matter how interesting they might be. It screams in terror and curls up into a fury little ball. If its cloth mother is now introduced into the playroom, the bay rushes to it and holds onto it for dear life. After a few minutes of contact comfort, it obviously begins to feel more secure. It then climbs down from the mother-substitute and begins to explore the toys, but often rushes back for a deep embrace(拥抱)as if to make sure that its mother is still there and that all is well. Bit by bit its fears of the new environment are gone and it spends more and more time playing with the toys and less and less time holding on to its “mother.” 50. Psychologically, what does the baby monkey desire most during the first two weeks of its life? A. Warmth B. Milk C. Contact D. Trust 51. After the first two weeks of their life, baby moneys prefer the cloth mother to the wire mother because the former is __. A. larger in size B. closer to them C. less frightening and less disturbing D. more comfortable to rub against 52. What does the baby monkey probably gain from prolonged “contact comfort”? A. Attention B. Softness C. Confidence D. Interest 53. It can be inferred that when the baby monkey feels secure,_____________. A. it frequently rushes back for a deep embrace when exploring the toys B. it spends more time screaming to get rewards C. it is less attracted to the toys though they are interesting D. it cares less about whether its mother is still around 54. The main purpose of the passage is to______________. A. give the reasons of the experiment B. present the findings of the experiment C. introduce the method of the experiment D. describe the process of the experiment (2013?大纲卷)E The oldest and most common source(来源) of renewaBle energy known to man, Biomass is one of the most important forms energy production in the United States and elsewhere. Since such a wide variety of Biomass materials is everywhere ---- from trees and grasses to agricultural and city ---- life wastes ----Biomass promises to play a continuing role in providing power and heat for millions of people around the world. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists(UCS), Biomass is a kind of renewaBle energy source that produces no carBon dioxide(二氧化碳), Because the energy it contains comes from the sun. When plant matter is Burned, it gives off the sun’s energy. In this way, Biomass serves as a sort of natural Battery(电池) for storing the sun’s energy. As long as Biomass is produced continuously ----with only as much grown as is used--- the “Battery” lasts forever. According to the Energy Information Administration, Biomass has Been one of the leading renewaBle energy sources in the United States for several years running through 2007, making up Between 0.5 and 0.9 percent of the nation’s total electricity supply. In 2008----although the numBers aren’t all in yet----wind power proBaBly took over first place Because of the rapid development of wind farms across the country. Producing power from Biomass helps reduce some 11 million tons of carBon dioxide each year. Some homeowners also try to make their own heat By using Biomass materials. Such practice may save homeowner’s money, But it also produces a lot of pollution. So, the Best way is to encourage power plants to use it. 72. Why is Biomass considered as “ a sort of natural Battery”? A. It Burns merely plant matter. B. It keeps producing electricity. C. It stores the energy from the sun. D. It produces zero carBon dioxide. 73. We learn from the text that in 2008 ______. A. Wind power would Be the leader of renewaBle energy. B. there was a rapid growth of electricity production C. Biomass might Become the main energy source D. 0.5~0.9 of power supply came from Biomass 74. Why does the author encourage power plants to use Biomass? A. To prevent the waste of energy. B. To increase production safety. C. To reduce pollution. D. To save money. 75. Where does the text proBaBly come from? A. A research plan. B. A science magazine C. A Book review. D. A Business report. In my family, there are three people. My father is (2013?北京卷)B TaIL Spin Two dolphins race around in a big pool in the Ocean Park. The smaller dolphin Grace, shown off a few of her tricks, turning around and waving hello to the crowd. The most amazing thing about her, however, is that she’s even swimming at all. She doesn’t have a tail. Grace lost her tail as a baby when she got caught up in a fish trap. When the dolphin arrived at the Ocean Park in December 2005, she was fighting for her life. “Is she going to make it?” Her trainer, Abbey Stone, feared the worst. Grace did make it --- but her tail didn’t. She ended up losing her flukes and the lower part of her peduncle. Over the past six years, she has learned to swim without her tail. Dolphins swim by moving their flukes and peduncle up and down. Grace taught herself to move another way---like a fish! She pushed herself forward through the water by moving her peduncles from side to side. The movement put harmful pressure on Grace’s backbone. So a company offered to create a man-made tail for her. The tail had to be strong enough to stay on Grace as she swam but soft enough that it wouldn’t hurt her. The first time Grace wore the artificial tail. She soon shook it off and let it sink in the bottom of the pool. Now, she is still learning to use the tail. Some days she wears it for an hour at a time, others not at all. “The tail isn’t necessary for her to feel comfortable,” says Stone, “but it helps to keep that range of motion(动作) and build muscles(肌肉).” Now, the dolphin is about to get an even happier ending. This month, Grace will star in Dolphin Tale, a film that focus on her rescue and recovery. Her progress has inspired more than just a new movie. Many people travel from near and far to meet her. Seeing Grace swim with her man-made tail gives people so much courage. 60. When Grace first arrived at the Ocean Park, her trainer worried about her . A. physical build B. potential ability C. chance of survival D. adaptation to the surroundings. 61. A man-made tail is created for Grace to _. A. let her recover faster B. make her comfortable C. adjust her way of swimming D. help her perform better tricks 62. The story of Grace inspires people to_ . A. stick to their dreams B. treat animals friendly C. treasure what they have D. face difficulties bravely (2013?北京卷)A EP Portable Heater We all know that the cost of heating our homes will continue to be a significant burden on the family budget. Now millions of people are saving on their heating bills with the EP Portable Heater. With over one million satisfied customers around the world, the new EP heats better and faster, saves more on heating bills, and runs almost silent. The EP has no exposed heating parts that can cause a fire. The outside of EP only gets warm to the touch so that it will not burn children or pets. The EP will not reduce oxygen in the room. With other heaters, you’ll notice that you get sleepy when the heat comes on because they are burning up oxygen. The advanced EP also heats the room evenly, wall to wall and floor to ceiling. it comfortably covers an area up to 350 square feet. Other heaters heat rooms unevenly with most of the heat concentrated to the center of the room. And they only heat an area a few feet around the heater. With the EP, the temperature will not vary in any part of the room. The EP comes with a 3-year warranty(保修) and a 60-day. no questions asked. Satisfaction guarantee. If you are not totally satisfied, return it to our expertise and your money will be given back to you. Now, we have a special offer for 10 days, during which you can enjoy a half price discount and a free delivery. if you order that, we reserve the right to either accept or reject order requests at the discounted price. Take action right now! 56. What is mainly discussed in paragraph 2? A. the heat of the EP B. the safety of the EP C. the appearance of the EP D. the material of the EP 57. From the passage, we can learn that the EP . A. doesn’t burn up oxygen B. runs without any noise C. makes people get sleepy D. is unsuitable for children and pets 58. The underlined word “evenly” in paragraph 4 probably means . A. continuously B. separately C. quickly D. equally 59. The main purpose of the passage is to . A. persuade people to buy the product B. advise people to save on heating bills C. report the new development of portable heaters D. compare the difference of different heart brands (2013?福建卷)B Your glasses may someday replace your smartphone, and some New Yorkers are ready for the switch. Some in the city can't wait to try them on and use the maps and GPS that the futuristic eyewear is likely to include. " I'd use it if I were hanging out with friends at 3 a. m. and going to the bar and wanted to see what was open," said Walter Choo, 40, of Fort Greene. The smartphone-like glasses will likely come out this year and cost between $250 and $600, the Times said, possibly including a variation of augmented(增强的) reality, a technology already available on smartphones and tablets (平板电脑) that overlays information onto the screen about one's surroundings. So, for example, if you were walking down a street, indicators would pop up showing you the nearest coffee shop or directions could be plotted out and come into view right on the sidewalk in front of you. " As far as a mainstream consumer product, this just isn't something anybody needs," said Sam Biddle, who writes for Gizmodo.com. " We're accustomed to having one thing in our pocket to do all these things," he added, "and the average consumer isn't gonna be able to afford another device (装置) that's hundreds and hundreds of dollars. " 60. One of the possible functions of the smartphone-like glasses is to ____. A. program the opening hours of a bar B. supply you with a picture of the future C. provide information about your surroundings D. update the maps and GPS in your smartphones 61. The underlined phrase "pop up" in the third paragraph probably means " ____". A. develop rapidly B. get round quickly C. appear immediately D. go over automatically 62. According to Sam Biddle, the smartphone-like glasses are ____. A. necessary for teenagers B. attractive to New Yorkers C. available to people worldwide D. expensive for average consumers 63. We can learn from the last two paragraphs that the smartphone-like glasses ____. A. may have a potential market B. are as common as smartphones C. are popular among young adults D. will be improved by a new technology (2013?广东卷)D While Jennifer was at home taking an online exam for her business law class, a monitor(监 控器)a few hundred miles away was watching her every move. Using a web camera equipped in Jennifer’s Los Angeles apartment, the monitor in Phoenix tracked how frequently her eyes moved from the computer screen and listened for the secret sounds of a possible helper in the room. Her Internet access was locked - remotely - to prevent Internet searches , and her typing style was analyzed to make sure she was who she said she was: Did she enter her student number at the same speed as she had in the past? Or was she slowing down? In the battle against cheating, this is the cutting edge and a key to encourage honesty in the booming field of online education. The technology gives trust to the entire system, to the institution and to online education in general. Only with solid measures against cheating, experts say, can Internet universities show that their exams and diplomas are valid - that students haven’t just searched the Internet to get the right answers. Although online classes have existed for more than a decade, the concern over cheating has become sharper in the last year with the growth of "open online courses." Private colleges, public universities and corporations are jumping into the online education field, spending millions of dollars to attract potential students, while also taking steps to help guarantee honesty at a distance. Aside from the web cameras, a number of other high-tech methods are becoming increasingly popular. Among them are programs that check students’ identities using personal information, such as the telephone number they once used. Other programs can produce unique exam by drawing on a large list of questions and can recognize possible cheaters by analyzing whether difficult test question are answered at the same speed as easy ones. As in many university classes, term papers are scanned against some large Internet data banks for cheating. 41. Why was Jennifer watched in an online exam? A. To correct her typing mistakes. B. To find her secrets in the room. C. To prevent her from slowing down. D. To keep her from dishonest behaviors. 42. The underlined expression cutting edge in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to______. A. advanced technique B. sharpening tool C. effective rule D. dividing line 43. For Internet universities, exams and diplomas will be valid if _____. A. they can attract potential students B. they can defeat academic cheating C. they offer students online help D. they offer many online courses 44. Some programs can find out possible cheaters by _____. A. checking the question answering speed B. producing a large number of question C. scanning the Internet test question D. giving difficult test question 45. Which of the following is the best title of this passage? A. The Advantages of Online Exams B. The High-tech Methods in Online Courses C. The Fight against Cheating in Online Education D. The War against the Booming of Online Education (2013?广东卷)B Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family, and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck. I’m not going to say luck,talent,and circumstances don’t come into play because they do. Some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence, and that’s just the reality of how life is. However,to succeed in life,one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical.And,in addition to that,in order to get really good at something,one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practicing.To become great at certain things,it’ll require even more time,time that most people won’t put in. This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you don’t enjoy what you do ,it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it. When you see people exhibiting some great skills or having achieved great success,you know that they have put in a huge part of their life to get there at a huge cost.It’s sometimes easy to think they got lucky or they were born with some rare talent,but thinking that way does you no good,and there’s a huge chance that you’re wrong anyway. Whatever you do,if you want to become great at it, you need to work day in and day out,almost to the point of addiction,and over a long period of time.If you’re not willing to put in the time and work,don’t expect to receive any rewards.Consistent, hard work won’t guarantee you the level of success you may want, but it will guarantee that you will become really good at whatever it is you put all that work into. 31. Paragraph 1 mainly talks about ________. A.the reasons for success B.the meaning of success C.the standards of success D.the importance of success 32. In Paragraph 2,the underlined word that refers to ______. A.being good at something B.setting a practical goal C.putting in more time D.succeeding in life 33.Successful people suggest doing what one loves because ______. A.work makes one feel pain B.one tends to enjoy his work C.one gives up his work easily D.it takes a lot of time to succeed 34.What can we infer from Paragraph 4? A.Successful people like to show their great skills. B.People sometimes succeed without luck or talent. C.People need to achieve success at the cost of life. D.It helps to think that luck or talent leads to success. 35.What is the main theme of the passage? A.Having a goal is vital to success. B. Being good is different from being great. C.One cannot succeed without time and practice. D.Luck,talent and family help to achieve success. (2013?湖北卷)D The technology is great. Without it we wouldn’t have been able to put a man on the moon, explore the ocean’s depths or eat microwave sausages. Computers have revolutionized our lives and they have the power to educate and pass on knowledge. But sometimes this power can create more problems than it solves. Every doctor has had to try their best to calm down patients who’ve come into their surgery waving an Internet print-out, convinced that they have some rare incurable disease, say, throat cancer. The truth is usually far more ordinary, though: they don’t have throat cancer, and it’s just that their throats are swollen. Being a graduate of the Internet “school” of medicine does not guarantee accurate self-health-checks. One day Mrs. Almond came to my hospital after feeling faint at work. While I took her blood sample and tried to find out what was wrong, she said calmly, “I know what’s wrong;I’ve got throat cancer. I know there’s nothing you doctors can do about it and I’ve just got to wait until the day comes.” As a matter of routine I ordered a chest X-ray. I looked at it and the blood results an hour later. Something wasn’t right. “Did your local doctor do an X-ray?” I asked. “Oh, I haven’t been to the doctor for years,” she replied. “I read about it on a website and the symptoms fitted, so I knew that’s what I had.” However, some of her symptoms, like the severe cough and weight loss, didn’t fit with it—but she’d just ignored this. I looked at the X-ray again, and more tests confirmed it wasn’t the cancer but tuberculosis (肺结核)—something that most certainly did need treating, and could be deadly. She was lucky we caught it when we did. Mrs. Almond went pale when I explained she would have to be on treatment for the next six months to ensure that she was fully recovered. It was certainly a lesson for her. “I’m so embarrassed,” she said, shaking her head, as I explained that all the people she had come into close contact with would have to be found out and tested. She listed up to about 20, and then I went to my office to type up my notes. Unexpectedly, the computer was not working, so I had to wait until someone from the IT department came to fix it. Typical. Maybe I should have a microwave sausage while I waited? 63. Mrs. Almond talked about her illness calmly because ______. A. she thought she knew it well B. she had purchased medicine online C. she graduated from a medical school D. she had been treated by local doctors 64. It was lucky for Mrs. Almond ______. A. to have contacted many friends B. to have recovered in a short time C. to have her assumption confirmed D. to have her disease identified in time 65. Mrs. Almond said “I’m so embarrassed” (Para. 7) because ______. A. she had distrusted her close friends B. she had caused unnecessary trouble C. she had to refuse the doctor’s advice D. she had to tell the truth to the doctor 66. By mentioning the breakdown of the computer, the author probably wants to prove ______. A. it’s a must to take a break at work B. it’s vital to believe in IT professionals C. it’s unwise to simply rely on technology D. it’s a danger to work long hours on computers (2013?江苏卷)C If a diver surfaces too quickly, he may suffer the bends. Nitrogen (氮) dissolved (溶解) in his blood is suddenly liberated by the reduction of pressure. The consequence, if the bubbles (气泡) accumulate in a joint, is sharp pain and a bent body—thus the name. If the bubbles form in his lungs or his brain, the consequence can be death. Other air-breathing animals also suffer this decompression (减压) sickness if they surface too fast: whales, for example. And so, long ago, did ichthyosaurs. That these ancient sea animals got the bends can be seen from their bones. If bubbles of nitrogen form inside the bone they can cut off its blood supply. This kills the cells in the bone, and consequently weakens it, sometimes to the point of collapse. Fossil (化石) bones that have caved in on themselves are thus a sign that the animal once had the bends. Bruce Rothschild of the University of Kansas knew all this when he began a study of ichthyosaur bones to find out how widespread the problem was in the past. What he particularly wanted to investigate was how ichthyosaurs adapted to the problem of decompression over the 150 million years. To this end, he and his colleagues traveled the world’s natural-history museums, looking at hundreds of ichthyosaurs from the Triassic period and from the later Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. When he started, he assumed that signs of the bends would be rarer in younger fossils, reflecting their gradual evolution of measures to deal with decompression. Instead, he was astonished to discover the opposite. More than 15% of Jurassic and Cretaceous ichthyosaurs had suffered the bends before they died, but not a single Triassic specimen (标本) showed evidence of that sort of injury. If ichthyosaurs did evolve an anti-decompression means, they clearly did so quickly—and, most strangely, they lost it afterwards. But that is not what Dr Rothschild thinks happened. He suspects it was evolution in other animals that caused the change. Whales that suffer the bends often do so because they have surfaced to escape a predator (捕食动物) such as a large shark. One of the features of Jurassic oceans was an abundance of large sharks and crocodiles, both of which were fond of ichthyosaur lunches. Triassic oceans, by contrast, were mercifully shark- and crocodile-free. In the Triassic, then, ichthyosaurs were top of the food chain. In the Jurassic and Cretaceous, they were prey (猎物) as well as predator—and often had to make a speedy exit as a result. 61. Which of the following is a typical symptom of the bends? A. A twisted body. B. A gradual decrease in blood supply. C. A sudden release of nitrogen in blood. D. A drop in blood pressure. 62. The purpose of Rothschild’s study is to see ______. A. how often ichthyosaurs caught the bends B. how ichthyosaurs adapted to decompression C. why ichthyosaurs bent their bodies D. when ichthyosaurs broke their bones 63. Rothschild’s finding stated in Paragraph 4 ______. A. confirmed his assumption B. speeded up his research process C. disagreed with his assumption D. changed his research objectives 64. Rothschild might have concluded that ichthyosaurs ______. A. failed to evolve an anti-decompression means B. gradually developed measures against the bends C. died out because of large sharks and crocodiles D. evolved an anti-decompression means but soon lost it (2013?江西卷)B When international aid is given, steps must be taken to ensure (确保)that the aid reaches the people for whom it is intended. The way to achieve this may not be simple. It is very difficult for a nation to give help directly to people in another nation. The United Nations Organization (UNO) could undertake to direct the distribution of aid. Here however rises the problem of costs. Also tied with this is time. Perhaps the UNO could set up a body of devoted men and women in every country who can speedily distribute aid to victims of floods and earthquakes. More than the help that one nation can give to another during a disaster; it would be more effective to give other forms of help during normal times. A common proverb says, “Give me a fish and I eat for day, teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime.” If we follow this wise saying, it would be right to teach people from less developed nations to take care of themselves. For example, a country could share its technology with another. This could be in simple areas like agriculture or in more complex areas like medical and health care or even in building satellites. Even small country is able to help less developed nations. Sometimes what is take for granted, like the setting up of a water purification plant or the administration of a school, could be useful for countries which are looking about to solve common problems. It does not cost much to share such simple things. Exchange students could be attached for a number of months or years and learn the required craft while on the site. They can then take their knowledge back to their homelands and if necessary come back form time to time to clear doubts or to update themselves. Such aid will be truly helpful and there is no chance of it being temporary or of it falling into the wrong hands. Many countries run extensive courses in all sorts of skills. It will not cost much to include deserving foreigners in these courses. Besides giving effective help to the countries concerned, there is also the build-up of friendships to consider. Giving direct help by giving materials may be effective in the short run and must continue to be given in the event of emergencies. However, in the long run what is really effective would be the sharing of knowledge. 61. According to the author, how could international aid reach the victims in time? A. By solving the cost problems B. By solving the transportation problems C. By setting up a body of devoted people in every country. D. By relying on the direct distribution of the UNO. 62. What does the author try to express in the underlined sentence? A. Providing food is vital B. Learning to fish is helpful C. Teaching skills is essential D. Looking after others is important. 63. The second paragraph is developed mainly _________. A. by example B. by process C. by comparison D. by contrast 64. Which aid is likely to fall into the wrong hands? A. A medical team. B. An exchange program. C. A water plant. D. Financial support. 65. What can we infer about international aid from the passage? A. It is facing difficulties. B. It is unnecessary during normal times C. It should be given in the form of materials D. It has gained support developed countries (2013?江西卷)A The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp. “So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name?” “Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack. “Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!” “Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale. “Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in. In those days, the area looked quite different ---- it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice. “‘You are clearing too much land,’ warned one old man. ‘ The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. ’ “‘Silly fool,’ said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’” “Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.” “What happened?” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire. “The land hit back ---- just as the old man warned,” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.” “What a stupid story,” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t …” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted (晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke. 56. The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to ________. A. courage B. assistance C. instruction D. challenge 57. Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story? A. To frighten them. B. To satisfy their curiosity. C. To warn them of the danger of the place. D. To persuade them to camp in the swamp. 58. Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man? A. The old man envied him. B. The old man was foolish C. He was too busy to listen to others. D. He was greedy for more crops. 59. Why did Tom scream and faint? A. He saw Dennis’s shadow B. He was scared by a plant C. His friends played a joke on him. D. The weather became extremely cold. 60. What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis? A. Grasp all, lose all. B. No sweat, no sweet. C. It is no use crying over spilt milk. D. He who makes no mistakes makes nothing. (2013?山东卷)C You can’t always predict a heavy rain or remember your umbrella. But designer Mikhail Belvacv doesn’t think that forgetting to check the weather forecast before heading out should result in you getting wet. That’s why he created lampbrella, a lamp post with its own rain sensing umbrella. The designer says he come up with the idea after watching people get wet on streets in Russia. “once, I was driving on a central Saint Petersburg street and saw the street lamps lighting up people trying to hide from the rain. I thought it would be appropriate to have a canopy(伞 蓬)built into a street lamp.” he said. The lampbrella is a standard-looking street lamp fitted with an umbrella canopy. It has a built-in electric motor which can open or close the umbrella on demand. Sensors(传感器)then ensure that the umbrella offers pedestrians shelter whenever it starts raining. In addition to the rain sensor, there’s also a 360?motion sensor on the biberglass street lamp which detects whether anyone’s using the lampbrella. After three minutes of not being used the canopy is closed. According to the designer, the lampbrella would move at a relatively low speed, so as not to cause harm to the pedestrians. Besides, it would be grounded to protect from possible lighting strike. Each lampbrella would offer enough shelter for several people. Being installed at 2 meters off the ground, it would only be a danger for the tallest of pedestrians. While there are no plans to take lampbrella into production, Belyacv says he recently introduced his creation one Moscow Department, and insists this creation could be installed on any street where a lot of people walk but there are no canopies to provide shelter. 66. For what purpose did Belyacv create the lampbrella? A. To predict a heavy rain B. To check the weather forecast C. To protect people from the rain D. To remind people to take an umbrella 67. What do we know from Belyacv’s words in Paragraph2? A. His creation was inspired by an experience B. it rains a lot in the city of Saint Petersburg C. Street lamps are protected by canopies D. He enjoyed taking walks in the rain 68. Which of the following show how the lampbrella works? A. motor?canopy?sensors B. Sensors?motor?canopy C. motor?sensors?canopy D. canopy?motor?sensors 69. What does paragraph 5 mainly tell us about the lampbrella? A. Its moving speed B. Its appearance C. Its installation D. Its safety 70. What can be inferred from the last paragraph? A. The designer will open a company to promote his product B. The lampbrella could be put into immediate production C. The designer is confident that his creation is practical D. The lampbrella would be put on show in Moscow (2013?四川)E Fear may be felt in the heart as well as in the head, according to a study that has found a link between the cycles of a beating heart and the chance of someone feeling fear. Tests on healthy volunteers found that they were more likely to feel a sense of fear at the moment when their hearts are contracting(收缩) and pumping blood around their bodies, compared with the point when the heartbeat is relaxed. Scientists say the results suggest that the heart is able to influence how the brain responds to a fearful event, depending on which point it is at in its regular cycle of contraction and relaxation. Sarah Garfinkel at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School said: "Our study shows for the first time that the way in which we deal with fear is different depending on when we see fearful pictures in relation to our heart." The study tested 20 healthy volunteers on their reactions to fear as they were shown pictures of fearful faces. Dr Garfinkel said, "The study showed that fearful faces are better noticed when the heart is pumping than when it is relaxed. Thus our hearts can also affect what we see and what we don't see - and guide whether we see fear." To further understand this relationship, the scientists also used a brain scanner(扫描仪) to show how the brain influences the way the heart changes a person's feeling of fear. “We have found an important mechanism by which the heart and brain ‘speak’to each other to change our feelings and reduce fear," Dr Garfinkel said. "We hope that by increasing our understanding about how fear is dealt with and ways that it could be reduced, we may be able to develop more successful treatments for anxiety disorders, and also for those for those who may be suffering from serious stress disorder." 47. What is the finding of the study? A. One's heart affects how he feels fear. B. fear is a result of one's relaxed heartbeat. C. fear has something to do with one's health. D. Ones fast heartbeats are likely to cause fear. 48. The study was carried out by analyzing _______. A. volunteers' heartbeats when they saw terrible pictures B. the time volunteers saw fearful pictures and their health conditions C. volunteers' reactions to horrible pictures and data from their brain scans D. different pictures shown to volunteers and their heart-brain communication 49. Which of the following is closest in meaning to "mechanism" in Paragraph 6? A. Order. B. system. C. machine. D. treatment. 50. This study may contribute to _______. A. treating anxiety and stress better B. explaining the cycle of fear and anxiety C. finding the sky to the heart-brain communication D. understanding different fears in our hearts and heads (2013?天津卷)A Guide to Stockholm University Library Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment. Zones The library is divided into different zones. The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading, and places where you can sit and work with your own computer. The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs. The ground floor is the zone where you can talk. Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work. Computers You can use your own computer to connect to the wi-fi specially prepared for notebook computers; you can also use library computers, which contain the most commonly used applications, such as Microsoft Office. They are situated in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor. Group-study Places If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others, you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor. Some study rooms are for 2-3 people and others can hold up to 6-8 people. All rooms are marked on the library maps. There are 40 group-study rooms that must be booked via the website. To book, you need an active University account and a valid University card. You can use a room three hours per day, nine hours at most per week. Storage of study material The library has lockers for students to store course literature. When you have obtained at least 40 credits (学分), you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year’s rental period. Rules to be followed Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library. Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls. Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library, but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you. 36. The library’s upper floor is mainly for students to ______. A. read in a quiet place B. have group discussions C. take comfortable seats D. get their computers fixed 37. Library computers on the ground floor ______. A. help students with their field experiments B. contain software essential for schoolwork C. are for those who want to access the wi-fi D. are mostly used for filling out application forms 38. What condition should be met to book a group-study room? A. A group must consist of 8 people. B. Three-hour use per day is the minimum. C. One should first register at the university. D. Applications must mark the room on the map. 39. A student can rent a locker in the library if he ______. A. can afford the rental fee B. attends certain courses C. has nowhere to put his books. D. has earned the required credits 40. What should NOT be brought into the library? A. Mobile phones B. Orange juice C. Candy D. Sandwiches (2013?天津卷)B Last night’s meteor (流星) shower left many people in the community dissatisfied and demanding answers. According to Gabe Rothschild, Emerald Valley’s mayor, people gathered in the suburbs of the city, carrying heavy telescopes, expecting to watch the brightly burning meteors passing through the sky. What they found instead was a sky so brightened by the city’s lights that it darkened the light of the meteors passing overhead. “My family was so frustrated,” admitted town resident Duane Cosby, “We wanted to make this an unforgettable family outing, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment.” Astronomers—scientists who study stars and planets—have been complaining about this problem for decades. They say that light pollution prevents them from seeing objects in the sky that they could see quite easily in the past. They call on people and the government to take measures to fight against it. There is yet a population besides professional and amateur star observers that suffers even more from light pollution. This population consists of birds, bats, frogs, snakes, etc. For example, outdoor lighting severely affects migrating (迁徙的) birds. According to the International Dark-Sky Association, “100 million birds a year throughout North America die in crashes with lighted buildings and towers.” Countless more animal casualties (伤亡) result from the use of artificial lighting. Clearly, people enjoy the benefits of lighting their evenings. But some scientists think it can be harmful for humans, too. They worry that exposure to light while sleeping can increase a person’s chances of getting cancer. Emerald Valley is only one community that is becoming aware of the negative effects of light pollution. For years, Flagstaff, Arizona, has enforced lighting regulations in its city in order to assist astronomers at the Lowell Observatory. Similar efforts have been made worldwide, and a movement is underway to remind us to turn off lights when we are not using them, so that other creatures can share the night. 41. It happened last night that _____. A. the city’s lights affected the meteor watching B. the meteors flew past before being noticed C. the city light show attracted many people D. the meteor watching ended up a social outing 42. What do the astronomers complain about? A. Meteor showers occur less often than before. B. Their observation equipment is in poor repair. C. Light pollution has remained unsolved for years. D. Their eyesight is failing due to artificial lighting. 43. What is the author concerned about according to Paragraph 4? A. Birds may take other migration paths. B. Animals’ living habits may change suddenly C. Varieties of animals will become sharply reduced D. Animals’ survival is threatened by outdoor lighting. 44. Lighting regulations in Flagstaff, Arizona are put into effect to _____. A. lessen the chance of getting cancer B. create an ideal observation condition C. ensure citizens a good sleep at night D. enable all creatures to live in harmony 45. What message does the author most want to give us? A. Saving wildlife is saving ourselves. B. Great efforts should be made to save energy. C. Human activities should be environmentally friendly. D. New equipment should be introduced for space study.. (2013?辽宁卷) C Here is an astonishing and signficant fact:Mental work alone can’t make us tired. It sounds absurd. But a few years ago, scientists tried to find out how long the human could labor without reaching a stage of fatigue(疲劳). To the amazement of these scientists, they discovered thett blood passing through the brain, when it is active, shows no fatigue at all! If we took a drop of blood from a day labourer, we could find it full of fatigue toxins(毒素) and fatigue products. But if we took blood from the brain of Albert Einstein, it would show no fatigue toxing at the end of the day. So far as the brain is concerned, it can work as well and swiftly at the end of eight or even twelve hours f efforts as at the beginning. The brain is totally tireless. So what makes us tired. Some scientists declare that most of our fatigue come from our mental and emotional(情感 的) attitudes. One of England’s most outstanding scientists. J. A. Hadfield,says,“The greater part of the fatigue from which we suffer is of mental origin. In fact,fatigue of purely physical origin is rare.” Dr. Brill, a famous American scientist, goes even further. He declares,“One hundred percent of the fatigue of a sitting worker in good health is due to emotional problems.” What kinds of emotions make sitting workers tired?Joy?Satifaction?No!A feeling of being bored,anger,anxiety,tenseness,worry,a feeling of nt being appreciated---those are emotions that tire sitting workers.Hard work by itself seldom causes fatigue.We get tired because our emotions produce nervousness in the body. 64.What surprised the scientists a few years ago? A.Fatigue toxinscould hardly be found in a labour’s blood. B.Albert Eistein didn’t feel worn out after a day’s work. C.The brain could wrk for many hours without fatigue. D.A mental worker’s blood was filled with fatigue toxins. 65.According to the authour,which of the following can make sitting worker tired, A.Challenge mental work. B.Unpleasant emotions. C.Endless tasks. D.Physical labor. 66.What’s the authour’s attitude towards the scientists’ ideas? A.He agrees with them. B.He doubts them C.He argues against them. D.He hesitates to accept them. 67.We can infer from the passage that in order to stay energic, sitting workers need to ______. A.have some good blood B.enjoy their work C.exercise regularly D.discover fatigue toxin (2013?辽宁卷) B Going green seems to be a fad(时尚) for a lot of people these days.Whether that is good or bad,we can’t really say, but for the two of us, going green is not a fad but a life style. On April 22,2011,we decided to be green every single day for an entire year. This meant doing 365 different things, and it also meant challenging ourselves to go green beyond the easy things. Rather than recycle and reduce our energy, we had to think of 365 diffenent things to do and this was no easy task. With the idea of going green every single day a year,Our Greean Year started. My wife and I decided to educate people about how they could go green in their lives and hoped we could show people all green things that could be done to help the environment. We wanted to push the message that every little bit helps. Over the course of Our Green Year, we completely changed our lifestyles. We now shop at organic(有机的) stores. We consume less meat,choosing green food. We have greatly reduced our buying we don’t need. We have given away half of what we owned through websites.Our home is kept clean by vinegar and lemon juice, with no chemical cleaners. We make our own butter, enjoying the smell of home-made fresh bread. In our home office anyone caught doing something ungreen might be punished. Our minds have been changed by Our Green Year. We are grateful for the chance to have been able to go green and educate others. We believe that we do have the power to change things and help our planets. 60. What might be the best title for the passage? A.Going green B.Protecting the planet C.Keeping Open-Minded D.Celebrating Our Green Year 61.It was difficult for the couple to live a green life for the whole year because_______. A.they were expected to follow the green fad B.they didn’t know how to educate other people C.they were unwilling to reduce their energy D.they needed to perform unusual green tasks 62. What did the couple do over the course of Our Green Year? A.They tried to get out of their ungreen habits. B.They ignored others’ ungreen behaviour. C.They chose better chemical cleaners. D.they sold their home-made food 63.What can we infer from the last paragraph? A.The government will give support to the green roject. B.The couple may continue ther project in the future. C.Some people disagree with the couple’s green ideas. D.Our Green Year is becoming a national campaign. (2013?重庆卷)C Almost every machine with moving parts has wheels, yet no one knows exactly when the first wheel was invented or what it was used for. We do know, however, that they existed over 5,500 years ago in ancient Asia. The oldest known transport wheel was discovered in 2002 in Slovenia. It is over 5,100 years old. Evidence suggests that wheels for transport didn’t become popular for a while, though. This could be because animals did a perfectly good job of carrying farming tools and humans around. But it could also be because of a difficult situation. While wheels need to roll on smooth surfaces, roads with smooth surfaces weren’t going to be constructed until there was plenty of demand for them. Eventually, road surfaces did become smoother, but this difficult situation appeared again a few centuries later. There had been no important changes in wheel and vehicle design before the arrival of modem road design. In the mid-1700s, a Frenchman came up with a new design of road—a base layer (层) of large stones covered with a thin layer of smaller stones. A Scotsman improved on this design in the 1820s and a strong, lasting road surface became a reality. At around the same lime, metal hubs (the central part of a wheel) came into being, followed by the pneumatic tyre(充气轮胎) in 1846. Alloy wheels were invented in 1967, sixty years after the appearance of tarmacked roads (柏油路). As wheel design took off, vehicles got faster and faster. 64. What might explain why transport wheels didn’t become popular for some time? A. Few knew how to use transport wheels. B. Humans carried farming tools just as well. C. Animals were a good means of transport. D. The existence of transport wheels was not known. 65. What do we know about road design from the passage? A. It was easier than wheel design. B. It improved after big changes in vehicle design. C. It was promoted by fast-moving vehicles. D. It provided conditions for wheel design to develop. 66. How is the last paragraph mainly developed? A. By giving examples. B. By making comparisons. C. By following time order. D. By making classifications. 67. What is the passage mainly about? A. The beginning of road design. B. The development of transport wheels. C. The history of public transport. D. The invention of fast-moving vehicles. 1.【2012全国II】(E) Make Up Your Mind to Succeed Kind-hearted parents have unknowingly left their children defenseless against failure. The generation born between 1980 and 2001 grew up playing sports where scores and performance were played down because “everyone’s winner.” And their report cards sounded more positive (正面的) than ever before. As a result, Stanford University professor Carol Dweck, PhD, calls them “the overpraised generation.” Dweck has been studying how people deal with failure for 40 years. Her research has led her to find out two clearly different mind-sets that have a great effect on how we react to it. Here’s how they work: A fixed mind-set is grounded in the belief that talent (才能) is genetic – you’re a born artist, point guard, or numbers person. The fixed mind-set believes it’s sure to succeed without much effort and regards failure as personal shame. When things get difficult, it’s quick to blame, lie, and even stay away from future difficulties. On the other hand, a growth mind-set believes that no talent is entirely heaven-sent and that effort and learning make everything possible. Because the ego (自尊) isn’t on the line as much, the growth mind-set sees failure as a chance rather than shame. When faced with a difficulty, it’s quick to rethink, change and try again. In fact, it enjoys this experience. We are all born with growth mind-sets. (Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to live in the world.) But parents, teachers, and instructors often push us into fixed mind-sets by encouraging certain actions and misdirecting praise. Dweck’s book, Mind-set: The New Psychology of Success, and online instructional program explain this in depth. But she says there are many little things you can start doing today to make sure that your children, grandchildren and even you are never defeated by failure. 57. What does the author think about the present generation? A. They don’t do well at school. B. They are often misunderstood. C. They are eager to win in sports. D. They are given too much praise. 58. A fixed mind-set person is probably one who ___ . A. doesn’t want to work hard B. cares a lot about personal safety C. cannot share his ideas with others D. can succeed with the help of teachers 59. What does the growth mind-set believe? A. Admitting failure is shameful. B. Talent comes with one’s birth. C. Scores should be highly valued. D. Getting over difficulties is enjoyable. 60. What should parents do for their children based on Dweck’s study? A. Encourage them to learn from failures. B. Prevent them from making mistakes. C. Guide them in doing little things. D. Help them grow with praise. 2.【2012四川卷】 A On a hill 600 feet above the surrounding land, we watch the lines of rain move across the scene, the moon rise over the hills, and the stars appear in the sky. The views invite a long look from a comfortable chair in front of the wooden house. Every window in our wooden house has a view, and the forest and lakes seldom look the same as the hour before. Each look reminds us where we are. There is space for our three boys to play outside, to shoot arrows, collect tree seeds, build earth houses and climb trees. Our kids have learned the names of the trees, and with the names have come familiarity and appreciation. As they tell all who show even a passing interest, maple(枫树)makes the best fighting sticks and white pines are the best climbing trees. The air is clean and fresh. The water from the well has a pleasant taste, and it is perhaps the healthiest water our kids will ever drink. Though they have one glass a day of juice and the rest is water, they never say anything against that. The seasons change just outside the door. We watch the maples turn every shade of yellow and red in the fall and note the poplars’(杨树)putting out the first green leaves of spring. The rainbow smelt fills the local steam as the ice gradually disappears, and the wood frogs start to sing in pools after being frozen for the winter. A family of birds rules our skies and flies over the lake. 41. What can be learned from Paragraph 2? A. The scenes are colorful and changeable. B. There are many windows in the wooden house. C. The views remind us that we are in a wooden house. D. The lakes outside the windows are quite different in color. 42. By mentioning the names of the trees, the author aims to show that ______ . A. the kids like playing in trees B. the kids are very familiar with trees C. the kids have learned much knowledge D. the kids find trees useful learning tools 43. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean? A. The change of seasons is easily felt. B. The seasons make the scenes change. C. The weather often changes in the forest. D. The door is a good position to enjoy changing seasons. 44. What is the main purpose of the author writing the text? A. To describe the beauty of the scene around the house. B. To introduce her children’s happy life in the forest. C. To show that living in the forest is healthful. D. To share the joy of living in the nature. 3.【2012辽宁卷】 D Inside the pleasingly fragrant cafe, So All May Eat(SAME) in downtown Denver ,the spirit of generosity(慷慨)is instantly noticeable :A donation box stands in place of a cash register. Customers here pay only what they can afford, no questions asked. A risky business plan, perhaps, but SAME Café has done one unchangeable thing in the Mile High City for six years: Open only at midday, the restaurant provides poor local can instead volunteer as waiters and waitresses, and dishwashers, or took after the buildings and equipment for the cafe. “It’s based on trust, and it’s working all right” , says co-owner Brad Birky , who started the café in 2006. With his wife Libby. Previously volunteering at soup kitchens, the Birkys were dissatisfied with the often unhealthy meals they served there. “We wanted to offer quality food in a restaurant where everyone felt comfortable ,regardless of their circumstances,” Birky says. SAME’s special lu nch menu changes daily and most food materials are natural and grown by local farmers. The café now averages 65 to 70 customers (and eight volunteers) a day. And the spirit of generosity behind the project appears to be spreading. In early 2007,one volunteer who had cleared snow for his meals during the long winter said goodbye to the Birkys,” He said he was going to New Orleans t o help with the hurricane clear up,” says Birky. 68.What can we learn about the soup kitchens the Birkys previously worked for? 68. What can we learn about the soup kitchens the Birkys prcviously worked for? A. . They refused to have volunteers. B. They offered low quality food. C. They provided customers with a good environment. D. They closed down because of poor management. 69. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE? A. . The customers who cannot pay can word as volunteers in stead. B. More volunteers will go to new Orleans for the hurricane cleanup. C. Many new cafes will be opened to offer free lunches in the town. D. The lunch menu has remained the same since the café was started. 70. The author’s attitude towards running such a café is_______ A. unfavorable B. approving C. doubtful D. cautious 4.【2012浙江卷】A Easter(复活节 ) is still a great day for worship, randy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs, but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies. And no, not because the kids like to pull their ears. The culprit is climate change, and some researchers found that rising temperatures arc having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US. Take the Lower Keys March rabbit, for instance. An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys, this species of cottontail is a great swimmer — it lives on the islands! — but it is already severely affected by development and now by rising levels. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an ocean level rise of only 0. 6 meters will send these guys jumping to higher ground and a 0.9-meter rise would wipe out their habitat (栖息地) completely. The snowshoe hare, on the other hand, has a color issue. Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators(捕食者). As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies arc being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring, making them an easier mark for predators. Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight, but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question. The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down. American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares, might be the firs' of these species to go extinct due to climate change. About 7-8 inches long, pikas live high in the cool, damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains. As global temperatures rise, they would naturally migrate (迁徙) to higher ground — but they already occupy the mountaintops. They can't go any higher. The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat beats up. The volcano rabbit has the same problem. These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher, so they are stuck in the middle. Scientists are concerned about their populations. Native to the US, pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1 pound and live in the American West. They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world. Their habitats have been destroyed by development. Several populations, such as the Columbia Basin pygmy, almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs. Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators, but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed. All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter. 41 The writer mentions Easter at the beginning of the passage in order to_______. A. show the importance of Easter Day B. introduce the issue about bunnies C. remind people of Easter traditions D. discuss the relationship between Easter and bunnies 42. The word "culprit" ( Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to______. A. criminal B. judge C. victim D. producer 43. According to the passage, some rabbits can now be easily Uncovered by predators because they_______ A. are exposed lo more skillful hunters B. have moved to habitats with fewer plants C. haven't adapted themselves to climate change D. can't change their fur color into white in the fall and the spring 44, The problem faced by volcano rabbets and rock rabbits is that________. A. both are affected by 1ess snow B. both are affected by rising sea levels C neither can find enough food 0. neither can migrate to higher places 45 Which best describes the writer's tone in the postage? A. Approving. B. Concerned. C. Enthusiastic. D. Doubtful. 5.【2012江苏卷】B Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan sees an epidemic (流行病) sweeping across Americas farmland. It has little to do with the usual challenges, such as flood, rising fuel prices and crop-eating insects. The country's fanners are getting older, and there are fewer people standing in line to take their place. National agricultural census (普查) figures show that the fastest-growing group of fanners is the part over 65. Merrigan is afraid the average age will be even higher when the 2012 statistics are completed. Merrigan, a former college professor, is making stops at universities across the country in hopes of encouraging more students to think about careers in agriculture. Aside from trying to stop the graying of .America's farmers, her work is made tougher by a recent blog posting that put agriculture at No.1 on a list of "useless" college degrees. Top federal agriculture officials are talking about the posting, and it has the attention of agricultural organizations across the country. “There couldn't be anything that's more incorrect," Merrigan said. "We know that there aren't enough qualified graduates to fill the jobs that are out there in American agriculture. In addition, a growing world population that some experts predict will require 70% more food production by 2050, she said. “I truly believe we're at a golden age of agriculture. Global demand is at an all-time record high, and global supplies are at all-time record lows," said Matt Rush, director of the Texas Farm Bureau. "Production costs are going to be valuable enough that younger people are going to have the opportunity to be involved in agriculture. " The Department of Agriculture has programs aimed at developing more farmers and at increasing interest in locally grown food. The National Young Farmers' Coalition has also been pushing for state and federal policy changes to make it easier for new farmers. Ryan Best, president of Future Fanners of America, has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the country and visiting with high school students about careers in agriculture. The 21 -year-old Best hopes his message-that this is a new time in agriculture-will motivate the next generation to turn around the statistics. Never before have we had the innovations ( 创新) in technology which have led to agriculture in this country being the most efficient it has ever been,” he said. “there’s really a place for everybody to fit in.” 59. What is the new challenge to American agriculture? A. Fewer and older farmers. B. Higher fuel prices. C. More natural disasters. D. Lower agricultural output. 60.Why is Merrigan visiting universities across the country? A. To draw federal agriculture officials' attention. B. To select qualified agriculture graduates. C. To clarify a recent blog posting. D. To talk more students into farming careers 61. According to Matt Rush, American agriculture will provide opportunities for younger people because__________. A. the government will cover production costs B. global food supplies will be even lower C. investment in agriculture will be profitable D. America will increase its food export 62. What do the underlined words "to turn around the statistics" in the last paragraph mean? A. To re-analyze the result of the national census. B. To increase agricultural production. C. To bring down the average age of farmers. D. To invest more in agriculture. 6.【2012天津卷】C The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smartphone, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic (怀旧的)skill. However, while today’s educators are using more and more technology in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful---both in school and in life. Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it’s important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand. Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks---both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate. In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student’s writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to know well they can write. “Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active which helps us access our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas.” Berninger said. Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe(转换) “those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “mind’s eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot(发现) spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct then over time. “In our computer age, some people believe that we don’t have to teach spelling because we have spell checks,” she said. “But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won’t have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer.” 46. What makes writing by hand a thing of the past? A. The absence of blackboard in classroom. B. The use of new technologies in teaching. C. The lack of practice in handwriting. D. The popular use of smartphones. 47. Berninger’s study published in 2009 ___________. A. focused on the difference between writing by hand and on a computer. B. indicated that students prefer to write with a pen and paper. C. found that good essays are made up of long sentences. D. discussed the importance of writing speed. 48. Which of the following best shows the role of spelling? A. Spelling improves one’s memory of words. B. Spelling ability is closely related to writing ability. C. Spelling benefits the translation from words into ideas. D. Spelling slows down finding exact words to express ideas. 49. What does “mind’s eye” in paragraph 5 mean? A. Window. B. Soul C. Picture. D. Imagination. 50. What conclusion could be drawn from the passage? A. Computers can help people with their choice of words. B. Spell checks can take the place of spelling teaching. C. Handwriting still has a place in today’s classrooms. D. Functional spelling ability develops fast in the fifth grade. 7.【2012北京卷】D Wilderness “In wilderness(荒野) is the preservation of the world.” This is a famous saying from a writer regarded as one of the fathers of environmentalism. The frequency with which it is borrowed mirrors a heated debate on environmental protection: whether to place wilderness at the heart of what is to be preserved. As John Sauven of Greenpeace UK points out, there is a strong appeal in images of the wild, the untouched; more than anything else, they speak of the nature that many people value most dearly. The urge to leave the subject of such images untouched is strong, and the danger exploitation(开发) brings to such landscapes(景观) is real. Some of these wildernesses also perform functions that humans need—the rainforests, for example, store carbon in vast quantities. To Mr.Sauven, these ”ecosystem services” far outweigh the gains from exploitation. Lee Lane, a visiting fellow at the Hudson Institute, takes the opposing view. He acknowledges that wildernesses do provide useful services, such as water conservation. But that is not, he argues, a reason to avoid all human presence, or indeed commercial and industrial exploitation. There are ever more people on the Earth, and they reasonably and rightfully want to have better lives, rather than merely struggle for survival. While the ways of using resources have improved, there is still a growing need for raw materials, and some wildernesses contain them in abundance. If they can be tapped without reducing the services those wildernesses provide, the argument goes, there is no further reason not to do so. Being untouched is not, in itself, a characteristic worth valuing above all others. I look forwards to seeing these views taken further, and to their being challenged by the other participants. One challenge that suggests itself to me is that both cases need to take on the question of spiritual value a little more directly. And there is a practical question as to whether wildernesses can be exploited without harm. This is a topic that calls for not only free expression of feelings, but also the guidance of reason. What position wilderness should enjoy in the preservation of the world obviously deserves much more serious thinking. 67. John Sauven holds that_____. A. many people value nature too much B. exploitation of wildernesses is harmful C. wildernesses provide humans with necessities D. the urge to develop the ecosystem services is strong 68. What is the main idea of Para. 3? A. The exploitation is necessary for the poor people. B. Wildernesses cannot guarantee better use of raw materials. C. Useful services of wildernesses are not the reason for no exploitation. D. All the characteristics concerning the exploitation should be treated equally. 69. What is the author’s attitude towards this debate? A. Objective. B. Disapproving. C. Sceptical. D. Optimistic. 70. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage? A. B. C. D. CP: Central Point P: Point Sp: Sub-point(次要点) C: Conclusion 8.【2012湖南卷】C Harvard researchers have created a tough, low-cost, biodegradable (可生物降解的) material inspired by insects’ hard outer shells. The material’s inventors say it has a number of possible uses and someday could provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. The material, made from shrimp (虾) shells and proteins produced from silk, is called “shrilk.” It is thin, clear, flexible and strong. A major benefit fo the material is its biodegradability. Plastic’s toughness and flexibility represented a revolution in materials science during the 1950s and ’60s. Decades later however, plastic’s very durability (耐用性) is raising questions about how appropriate it is for one-time products such as plastic bags, or short-lived consumer goods, used in the home for a few years and then cast into a landfill where they will degrade for centuries. What is the point of making something that lasts 1,000 years? Shrilk not only will degrade in a landfill, but its basic components are used as fertilizer (肥 料), and so will enrich the soil. Shrilk has great potential, the inventors said. Materials from which is made are plentiful in nature, found in everything ranging from shrimp shells, insect bodies to living plants. That makes shrilk low cost, and its mass production possible should it be used for products demanding a lot of material. Work on shrilk is continuing in the lab. The inventors said the material becomes flexible when wet, so they’re exploring ways to use it in wet environments. They’re also developing simpler production processes, which could be used for non-medical products, like for computer cases and other products inside the home. They’re even exploring combining it with other materials, like carbon fibers, to give it new properties. 66. Paragraph 1 of the passage is mainly about shrilk’s ____. A. remarkable design B. interesting name C. major features D. basic elements 67. What has become a concern about plastic? A. Using it properly. B. Producing it cheaply. C. Developing its properties quickly. D. Evaluating its contributions fairly. 68. According to the inventors, shrilk has great potential partly because ____. A. it can help plastic degrade B. it can be found in living things C. its mass production has been realized D. its raw materials are abundant in nature 69. What are they inventors doing in the lab? A. Replacing carbon fibers with shrilk. B. Testing shrilk’s use in wet conditions. C. Making shrilk out of used household goods. D. Improving shrilk’s flexibility for medical purpose. 70. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage? A. Recent Progress in Environmental Protection B. Benefits of Insects in Scientific Research C. The Harm of One-time Products D. A Possible Alternative to Plastic 9.【2012湖北卷】E Brrriiinnng. The alarm clock announces the start of another busy weekday in the morning. You jump out of bed, rush into the shower, into your clothes and out the door with hardly a moment to think. A stressful journey to work gets your blood pressure climbing. Once at the office, you glance through the newspaper with depressing stories or reports of disasters. In that sort of mood, who can get down to work, particularly some creative, original problem-solving work? The way most of us spend our mornings is exactly opposite to the conditions that promote flexible, open-minded thinking. Imaginative ideas are most likely to come to us when we’re unfocused. If you are one of those energetic morning people, your most inventive time comes in the early evening when you are relaxed. Sleepy people’s lack of focus leads to an increase in creative problem solving. By not giving yourself time to tune into your wandering mind, you’re missing out on the surprising solutions it may offer. The trip you take to work doesn’t help, either. The stress slows down the speed with which signals travel between neurons (神经细胞), making inspirations less likely to occur. And while we all should read a lot about what’s going on in the world, it would not make you feel good for sure, so put that news website or newspaper aside until after the day’s work is done. So what would our mornings look like if we wanted to start them with a full capacity for creative problem solving? We’d set the alarm a few minutes early and lie awake in bed, following our thoughts where they lead. We’d stand a little longer under the warm water of the shower, stopping thinking about tasks in favor of a few more minutes of relaxation. We’d take some deep breaths on our way to work, instead of complaining about heavy traffic. And once in the office—after we get a cup of coffee—we’d click on links not to the news of the day but to the funniest videos the web has to offer. 67. According to the author, we are more creative when we are _______. A. focused B. relaxed C. awake D. busy 68. What does the author imply about newspapers? A. They are solution providers. B. They are a source of inspiration. C. They are normally full of bad news. D. They are more educational than websites. 69. By “tune into your wandering mind” (in Para. 2), the author means “_______”. A. wander into the wild B. listen to a beautiful tune C. switch to the traffic channel D. stop concentrating on anything 70. The author writes the last paragraph in order to _______. A. offer practical suggestions B. summarize past experiences C. advocate diverse ways of life D. establish a routine for the future 10【2012江西卷】D For those who make journeys across the world, the speed of travel today has turned the countries into a series of villages(Distances between them appear no greater to a modern traveler than those which once faced men as they walked from village to village. Jet plane fly people from one end of the earth to the other, allowing them a freedom of movement undreamt of a hundred years ago. Yet some people wonder if the revolution in travel has gone too far. A price has been paid, they say, for the conquest (征服) of time and distance. Travel is something to be enjoyed, not endured (忍受). The boat offers leisure and time enough to appreciate the ever-changing sights and sounds of a journey. A journey by train also has a special charm about it. Lakes and forests and wild, open plains sweeping past your carriage window create a grand view in which time and distance mean nothing. On board a plane, however, there is just the blank blue of the sky filling the narrow window of the airplane. The soft lighting, in-flight films and gentle music make up the only world you know, and the hours progress slowly. Then there is the time spent being “processed” at a modern airport. People are conveyed like robots along walkways; baggage is weighed, tickets produced, examined and produced yet again before the passenger move again to another waiting area. Journeys by rail and sea take longer, yes, but the hours devoted to being “processed” at departure and arrival in airports are luckily absent. No wonder, then, that the modern high-speed trains are winning back passengers from the airlines. Man, however, is now a world traveler and can not turn his back on the airplane. The working lives of too many people depend upon it; whole new industries have been built around its design and operation. The holiday maker, too, with limited time to spend, patiently endures the busy airports and limited space of the flight to gain those extra hours and even days, relaxing in the sun. speed controls people’s lives; time saved, in work or play, is the important thing—or so we are told. Perhaps those first horsemen, riding free across the wild, open plains, were enjoying a better world than the one we know today. They could travel at will, and the clock was not their master. 71(What does the writer try to express in Paragraph1? A(Travel by plane has speeded up the growth of villages( B(The speed of modern travel has made distances relatively short( C(The freedom of movement has helped people realize their dreams( D(Man has been fond of travelling rather than staying in one place( 72(How does the writer support the underlined statement in Paragraph2? A(By giving instructions( B(By analyzing cause and effect( C(By following the order of time( D(By giving examples( 73(According to Paragraph 3, passengers are turning back to modern high-speed trains because______( A(they pay less for the tickets B(they feel safer during the travel C(they can enjoy higher speed of travel D(they don’t have to waste time being “processed” 74(What does the last sentence of the passage mean? A(They could enjoy free and relaxing travel( B(They needed the clock to tell the time( C(They preferred travelling on horseback( D(They could travel with their master( 75(What is the main idea of the passage? A(Air travel benefits people and industries( B(Train Travel has some advantages over air travel( C(Great changes have taken place in modern travel. D(The high speed of air travel is gained at a cost. 11.【2012山东卷】D For those who are tired doing the laundry, Samsung has found an answer: a washing machine that can tell you when your laundry is done via a smartphone app(application). Strange though it may seem — “my wife already does that” was a common response among attendees viewing the device when it was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week — Samsung is just one of many appliance makers racing to install (安装) a large number of internet-connected features in machines in an effort to make them “smart”. Last year, it was a refrigerator that tweeted. This year, it’s Wi-Fi-enabled laundry machines and fridges that can tell you when your groceries are going bad. The washers and dryers, available starting in the spring, connect to any smartphone through a downloadable application. The phone can then be used as a remote control, so the machines can be turned on and off while their owners is at work or on the bus. Samsung says it’s not just something new — the app connection actually has some practical uses. “If you started to dry clothes in the morning and forgot to take them out, you can go to your phone and restart your dryer for the time when come home, so your clothes are refreshed and ready to go,” said spokesperson Amy Schmidt. The company also says that with electricity rate(电价)varying depending on the time of day, more control over when the machines are used can help save money. Perhaps, but what they will probably really accomplish is what all good technologies do —enable laziness. Rather than getting up to check on whether the laundry is done, users will instead monitor it on their phones while watching TV. 72. What can be inferred from the common response of the attendees at the CES? A. The machine will be a big success. B. their wives like doing the laundry. C. The machine is unrelated to their life. D. This kind of technology is familiar to them. 73. What can we learn about the new laundry machines? A. They can tell you when your clothes need washing B. They can be controlled with a smartphone C. They are difficult to operate D. They are sold at a low price 74. We can conclude form Samsung’s statements that ___________. A. the app connection makes life easier B. it is better to dry clothes in the morning C. smartphone can shorten the drying time D. we should refresh clothes back at home 75. What is the main idea of the last paragraph? A. The laundry should be frequently checked B. Lazy people like using such machines C. Good technologies also cause problems D. Television may help do the laundry. 12.【2012安徽卷】E Welcome to your future life! You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. Your face is firm and young-looking. In 2035, medical technology is better than ever. Many people your age could live to be 150,so at 40, you’re not old at all. And your parents just had an anti-aging(抗衰老的) treatment. Now, all three of look the same age ! You say to your shirt , ”Turn red.” It changes from blue to red. In 2035, “smart clothes” contain particles(粒子) much smaller than the cells in your body. The particles can be programmed to change clothes’color or pattern. You walk into the kitchen . You pick up the milk ,but a voice says ,” You shouldn't drink that!” Your fridge has read the chip (芯片) that contains information about the milk , and it Knows the milk is old . In 2035, every article of food in the grocery store has such a chip . It’s time to go to work . In 2035, cars drive themselves. Just tell your “smart car” where to go. On the way , you can call a friend using your jacket sleeve . Such “smart technology” is all around you. So will all these things come true? “For new technology to succeed,” says scientist Andrew Zolli ,”it has to be so much better that it replaces what we have already.” The Internet is one example what will be the next? 72.We can learn from the text that in the future__________. A.people will never get old B.everyone will look the same C. red will be the most popular color D.clothes will be able to change their pattern 73. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4? A. Milk will be harmful to health. B. More drinks will be available for sale. C. Food in the grocery store will carry electronic information. D. Milk in the grocery store will stay fresh much longer. 74. Which of the following is mentioned in the text? A. Nothing can replace the Internet. B. Fridges will Know what people need. C. Jacket sleeves can be used as a guide. D. Cars will be able to drive automatically. 75.What is the text mainly about? A. Food and clothing in 2035. B. Future technology in everyday life. C. Medical treatments of the future. D. The reason for the success of new technology. 【2011高考真题精选】 1.(2011?陕西卷)D Ever since they were first put on the market in the early 1990s, gentically mondified (GM, 转基 因) foods have been increasingly developed and marketed in many countries in the word,mainly on the basis of their promise to end the worldwide food crisis. But can GM technology solve world hunger problems? Even if it would ,is it the best solutiorr? Despite what it promiises,GM technology actually has not increased the production potential of any corp. In fact Studies show that the most crown GM croo. GM soybeans, has suffered reduced productivity. For instance, a report than analysed nearly two decades of research on mojor GM food crops shows that GM engineering has failed to significantly increase US crop production. Something else, however, has been on the rise, While GM seeds are expensive, GM companics tell farmers that they will make good profits by saving money on pesticides(杀虫剂). On the contrary, US government data show that GM crops in the US have produced an overall increase in pesticide use compared to traditional crops. “ The promise was that you could use less chemicals and boost production. But nether is true,” said Bill Christison, President of the US National Farm Coalition. At the same time, the authors of the book World Hunger: Twelve Myths argue that there actually is more than enough food in the world and that the hunger crisis is not caused by production, but by problems in food distribution and politics. These indeed deserve our efforts and money. Meanwhile, the rise in food prices results from the increased use of crops for fuel rather than food, according to a 2008 World Bank report. As a matter of fact ,scientists see better ways to feed the world. Another World Bank report concluded that GM crops have little to offer to the challenges of worldwide poverty and hunger, because better ways out are available, among which “green” farming is supposed to be the first choice. 57.The author develops the second paragraph mainly . 【C】 A. by classification B. by comparison C. by example D. by process 58. What does the underlined word “boost ” in the third paragraph probably mean? 【D】 A. Control. B. Evaluate C. Obtain. D. Increase. 59. GM companies promise farmers that they will benefit from ______________. 【B】 A. practicing “green” farming B. use of less chemicals C. fair distribution of their crops D. using more crops for fuel 60. Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author towards GM technology? 【C】 A. Optimistic B. Defensive C. Disapproving D. Casual 2.(2011?重庆卷)C Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt. thIn the early 16 century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546. Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out. Though the belief in the merit of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice thneighbor ever since the 18 century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War ?. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea: clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far? Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease.On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist(免疫学家)，encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground. th64. The kings of France and England in the 16 century closed bath houses because . A. they lived healthily in a dirty environment. B. they thought bath houses were too dirty to stay in C. they believed disease could be spread in public baths D. they considered bathing as the cause of skin disease 65.Which of the following best describes Henry IV’s attitude to bathing? A. Afraid. B. Curious. C. Approving. D. Uninterested. 66. How does the passage mainly develop? A. By providing examples. B. By making comparisons. C. By following the order of time. D. By following the order of importance. 67. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage? A. To stress the role of dirt. B. To introduce the history of dirt. C. To call attention to the danger of dirt. D. To present the change of views on dirt. 【答案】CA CD 3.(2011?湖南卷)C A recent study of ancient and modern elephants has come up with the unexpected conclusion that the African elephant is divided into two distinct (不同的) species The discovery was made by researchers at York and Harvard universities when they were examining the genetic relationship between the ancient woolly mammoth and mastodon to modern elephants—the Asian elephant, African forest elephant and African savanna elephant Once they obtained DNA sequences (序列) from two fossils (化石)，mammoths and mastodons the team compared them with DNA from modern elephants. They found to their amazement that modern forest and savanna elephants are as distinct from each other as Asian elephants and mammoths. The scientists used detailed genetic analysis to prove that the African savanna elephants and the African forest elephants have been distinct species for several million years. The divergence of the two species took place around the time of the divergence of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths. This result amazed all the scientists. There has long been debate in the scientific community that the two might be separate species but this is the most convincing scientific evidence so far that they are indeed different species. Previously, many naturalists believed that African savanna elephants and African forest elephants were two populations of the same species despite the elephants’ significant size differences. The savanna elephant has an average shoulder height of 3.5metres while the forest elephant has an average shoulder height of 2.5metres. The savanna elephant weighs between six and seven tons, roughly double the weight of the forest elephant. But the fact that they look so different does not necessarily mean they are different species. However, the proof lay in the analysis of the DNA. Alfred Roca, assistant professor in the department of Animal Sciences at the University of Minois, said, “We now have to treat the forest and savanna elephants as two different units for conservation purpose. Since 1950 all African elephants have been conserved as one species. Now that we know the forest and savanna elephants are two very distinct animals, the forest elephant should become a bigger priority (优先)for conservation purpose .” 66. One of the fossils studied by the researchers is that of ________. A. the Asian elephant B. the forest elephant C. the savanna elephant D. the mastodon elephant 67. The underlined word “divergence” in paragraph 4means “________” A. evolution B. exhibition C. separation D. examination 68. The researcher’s conclusion was based on a study of the African elephant’s ____________ A. DNA B. height C. weight D. population 69. What were Alfred Roca’s words mainly about? A. The conversation of African elephants. B. The purpose of studying African elephants C. The way to divide African elephants into two units D. The reason for the distinction of African elephants 70. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage? A. Naturalist’s Belief about Elephants. B. Amazing Experiment about Elephants C. An Unexpected Finding about Elephants D. A Long scientific Debate about Elephants C 科普文:African elephant 有两个不同的种类 66. fossils 定位，找到第三段第一句，有两种fossils，mam和mas，选项D 67. 文中divergence of the two species指代前文the Ase and the Afe have been distinct species, divergence与distinct同义替换，对应选项C 68. conclusion, based on定位，找到倒数第二段最后一句lay in 与based on 同义替换， 答案:A 69. AR定位，找到倒数第一段，从AR的话中，第一句for conservation purpose, 最后一 句for conservation purpose确定A 70.文章首句点明全文主旨，答案:C 4.(2011?江西卷)D Why should mankind explore space? Why should money, time and effort be spent exploring and researching something with so few apparent benefits? Why should resources be spent on space rather than on conditions and people on Earth? These are questions that, understandably, are very often asked. Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup(基因构成) as human beings. What drove our ancestors to move from the trees into the plains, and on into all possible areas and environments? The wider the spread of a species, the better its chance of survival. Perhaps the best reason for exploring space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible. Nearly every successful civilization has explored, because by doing so, any dangers in surrounding areas can be identified and prepared for. Without knowledge, we may be completely destroyed by the danger. With knowledge, we can lessen its effects. Exploration also allows minerals and other potential (潜在的) resources to be found. Even if we have no immediate need of them, they will perhaps be useful later. Resources may be more than physical possessions. Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration. The techniques may have medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives. We have already benefited from other spin-offs including improvements in earthquake prediction, in satellites for weather forecasting and in communications systems. Even non-stick pans and mirrored sunglasses are by-products (副产品) of technological developments in the space, the chance to save ourselves might not exist. While many resources are spent on what seems a small return, the exploration of space allows creative, brave and intelligent members of our species to focus on what may serve to save us. While space may hold many wonders and explanations of how the universe was formed or how it works, it also holds dangers. The danger exists, but knowledge can help human being to survive. Without the ability to reach out across space, the chance to save ourselves might not exist. While Earth is the only planet known to support life, surely the adaptive ability of humans would allow us to live on other planets. It is true that the lifestyle would be different, but human life and cultures have adapted in the past and surely could in the future. 71. Why does the author mention the questions in Paragraph1? A. To express his doubts. B. To compare different ideas. C. To introduce points for discussion. D. To describe the conditions on Earth. 72. What is the reason for exploring space based on Paragraph2? A. Humans are nature-born to do so. B. Humans have the tendency to fight. C. Humans may find new sources of food. D. Humans don’t like to stay in the same place. 73. The underlined word“spin-offs” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to______. A. survival chances B. potential resources C. unexpected benefits D. physical possessions 74. What makes it possible for humans to live on other planets? A. O ur genetic makeup. B. Resources on the earth.. C. The adaptive ability of humans. D. By-products in space exploration. 75. Which of the statements can best sum un the passage? A. Space exploration has created many wonders. B. Space exploration provided the best value for money. C. Space exploration may help us avoid potential problems on Earth. 5.(2011?江苏卷)A We know the famous ones—the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells —but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper(雨刮器),Shouldn’t we know who they are? Joan Mclean think so. In fact, Mclean, a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range, feels so strongly about this matter that she’s developed a course on the topic. In addition to learning “who”invented”what”, however, Mclean also likes her students to learn the answers to the”why” and ”how” questions. According to Mclean,”When students learn the answers to these questions, they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try.” So,just what is the story behind the windshield wiper? Well,Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to Mew York City.The day was cold and stormy, but Anderson still wanted to see the sights ,so she jumped aboard a streetcar. Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the winshield,she found hersefe wondering why there couldn’t be a buolt-in devic for cleaing the window. Still wondering about this when she returned home to Birmingham, Alabama, Anderson started drafting out solutions. One of her ideas, a lever(操作 杆)on the inside of a vehicle that would contral an arm on the outside, became the first windshield wiper. Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations，It’s hard to imagine driving without Garrett A.Morgan’s traffic light. It’s equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J.Blodgett’s innovation that makes glass invisible, Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses? 56.By mentionong “traffic light”and “windshield wiper”,the author indicates that countless inventions are . A.beneficial,because their inventors are famous B. beneficial,though their inventors are less famous C.not useful, because their inventors are less famous D. not useful, though their inventors are famous 57.Professor Joan McLean’s course aims to_____. A. add colour and variety to students’ campus life B. inform students of the windshield wiper’s invention C. carry out the requirements by Mountain University D. pre[are students to try theie own invention 58(Tommy Lee’s invention of the unbreakable umbrella was _________. A. not eventually accepted by the umbrella producer B. inspired by the story behind the windshield wiper C. due to his dream of being caught in a rainstorm D. not related to Professor Joan McLean’s lectures 59. Which 0f the following can best serve as the title of this passage? A How to Help Students to Sell Their Inventions to Producers? B How to Design a Built-in Dervice for Cleaning the Window? C Shouldn’t We Know Who Inventd the Windshield Wiper? D Shouldn’t We Develop Invention Courses in Universities? 6.(2011?江苏卷)C According to the US government, wind farms off the Pacific coast could produce 900 gig watts of electricity every year.Unfortunately,the water there is far too deep for even the tallest windmills(see picture)to touch bottom. An experiment under way off the coast of Norway,however,could help put them anywhere. The project, called Hywind,is the world’s first large-scale deepwater wind turbine(涡轮发电 机).Although it uses a fairly standard 152-ton,2.3-megawatt turbine,Hywind represents totally new technology. The turbine will be fixed 213 feet above the water on a floating spar(see picture),a technology Hywind’s creator,the Norwegian company StatoilHydro,has developed recently. The steel spar, which is filled with stones and goes 328 feet below the sea surface, will be tied to the ocean floor by three cable(缆索);these will keep the spar stable and prevent the turbine from moving up and down in the waves.Hywind’s stability(稳定性)in the cold and rough sea would prove that even the deepest corners of the ocean are suitable for wind power. If all goes according to plan, the turbine will start producing electricity six miles off the coast of southwestern Norway as early as September. To produce electricity on a large scale, a commercial wind farm will have to use bigger turbines than Hywind does, but it’s difficult enough to balance such a large turbine so high on a floating spar in the middle of the ocean. To make that turbine heavier, the whole spar’s to design a new kind of wind turbine, one whose gearbox(变速箱) sits at sea level rather than behind the blades (see picture ) Hywind is a test run, but the benefits for perfecting floating wind-farm technology could be extremely large. Out at sea, the wind is often stronger and steadier than close to shore, where all existing offshore windmills are planted. Deep-sea farms are invisible from land, which helps overcome the windmill-as-eyesore objection. If the technology catches on, it will open up vast areas of the planet’s surface to one of the best low-carbon power sources available. 63. The Hywind project uses totally new technology to ensure the stability of _______. A. the cables which tie the spar to the ocean floor B. the spar which is floating in deep-sea water C. the blades driven by strong and steady sea wind D. the stones filled in the spar below the sea surface 64. To balance a bigger turbine high on a flatting spar, a new type of turbine is to be designed with its gearbox sitting ____________. A. on the sea floor B. on the spar top C. at sea level D. behind the blades 65. Wide applications of deepwater wind power technology can ____________. A. solve the technical problems of deepwater windmills B. make financial profits by producing more turbines C. settle the arguments about environmental problems D. explore low-carbon power resources available at sea 7.(2011?湖北卷)B Howling is a behavior commonly observed among a wolf nark. An animals, wolves work together to hunt and rely on howling was an important means of communication each other. There are different explants of a wolf’s howl and it appears that there may be more to discover. One theory is that wolves howl to bend better together. It’s almost as if howling together helps the pack stay together. Perhaps something similar to people feeling a sense of involvement with each other when singing a song together . But this theory may be wrong, explains Fred H. Harington, a professor who studies wolf behavior. Indeed, there have been tines when wolves have been seen one moment howling in a exhorts, and the next, quarreling anions each other. It appears that usually the lowest-tanking menthes of the pack may actually be “punished” for Joining in the churs at times. So is howling a way to strcagthen a social boad or just a way to reconfirm status among its members? ——Why do welves howl for sure? What is cleat, however, is that howling is often used among packmates to locate each other. Hunting grounds are distant and it happens that woloves may separate from one another at times. When this happens, howling appcars to be an ercellent means of gathering. Howling, interestingly, is a contagious behaviour. When one wolf starts to howl, very likely others will follow. This is often seen to occat in the morning, as if wolves were doing some sotr of “roll rall”where wolves all howl togeter to howl, very likely others will follow. This is often seen to occar in the morning, as if wolves were doing w some sotr of “roll call”where wolves all howl together to repotr their pteence. 55.What the por similarity between wolves’ how humaes ting in chorus? A.The act of calling each other. B.the sense of accomplishment. C.The act of hunting for something. D.The sense of belonging to a group. 56.Why does Harrington think the“secial boad”theory may be wrong? A.Wolves separate from each other after howling. B.Wolves tend to protect their hunting grounds. C.Wolves sometimes have quarrels after howling together. D.Wolves of low rank are encouraged to join in the chorus. 57.Reseatchers are sure that wolves often howl to______. A.show their ranks B. C.repotr the missing ones D.express their lonelingess 58.“Howling… is a contagious behaviour”(in the last paragraph)means_______. A.howling is a signal for hunting B.howling is a way of communication C.howling aften occurs in the morning D.howling spreads from one to another 【答案】DCBD 8.(2011?湖北卷)E Which are you more likely to have wath you at sny given mement—your cell phone or your wallet? Soon you may be able to throw your wallet away and pay for things with a quick wave of your smart phone over an electroue scannet. In January, Starbucks announced that customers could start using their phones to buy coffee in 6,800 of its states. This is the first pay by phone practice in the U.S., but we’re likely to see more witeless payment alternatives as something called ucar field communcation(NFC)GETS IN TO America’s consumet electanies. Last Deccmbet some new smart phanes which cantain an NFC chip were introduced to the midlit. Already in use in part of Asia and Europe, NFCtheir plan a few incees live a payment tetminal a one a few ptaht need to be worked out, like who will get to collect the profitable trunsacian(交 易)fees. Although some credit card providers have been experimenting with wave and pay systems that use NFC enabled credit cards, cellphone service providers truay try to mused their way into the point of sale (POS)market. Three big gellphone service providers have formed a joinf tenture(合资企业)that will go into opention over the next i15 months. Its goal is“to lead the U.S. payments industry from cards to mobile phone.” The other big NFC sue, apart from how paymeats will be processed, is security, For instance, what’s to stop a thief from digitally pickpocketing you? “We’re still not at the point where an attacker can just brush against yee in a crowd and steal all the money out of your phone,”says Jimmy Shah. A mobile security rescarcher, “Usera may also be able to set transaction timeits,requiring a password to be enteced for larger putchases. Bus siness? Keep in mund you lost your smart phone, it can be located on a located on a map and remotely ned Plus, your phone can be password protected, Your wallet isn’t. 67.What is predicted to happen in the U.S.? A.The expansion of cellphone companices. B. The boom of pay by phone business. C. The dissppearanceof credit cards. D. The increase of Starbucks sales.s 68.The NFC technology can be used to________. A. ensure the safety of shoppers B. collect transaction fees easily C. make purchase faster and smpler D. improve the quality of cellphones 69.Three cellphone service providers form a joint venture to__________. A. strengthen their relationship B .get a share in the payments industry C .sell more cellphones D. test the NFC teehnoingy 70.According to the what can users do if they lose their smart phones? A. Stop the luneting of niet phones. B .Stop a passwant. C .Cat all the money out of their phones. D. Can large purchases. 【答案】BCBA 9.(2011?广东卷)B Can dogs and cats live in perfect harmony in the same home? People who are thinking about adopting a dog as a friend for their cats are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found a new recipe of success. According to the study, if the cat is adopted before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. Two-thirds of the homes interviewed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog. However, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals were just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals aggression, while a dog doing the same signals submission. In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behaviour. They are learning how to talk each other’s language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk ‘dog’, and dogs can learn how to talk ‘Cat’. What’s interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn to read each other’s body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than was preciously suspected. Once familiar with each other’s presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together in the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom(梳理) each other. The significance of this research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets----to people who don’t get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance. 31. The underlined word swimmingly in paragraph1 is closest in meaning to______. A. early B.sweetly C.quickly D. smoothly 32. Some cats and dogs may fight when_________. A. they are cold to each other B. they look away from each other C. they misunderstand each other’s signals D. they are introduced at an early age 33. What is found surprising about cats and dogs? A. They eat and sleep together B. They observe each other’s behaviors C. They learn to speak each other’s language D. They know something from each other’s voice 34. It is suggested in paragraph 4 that cats and dogs_______. A. have common interests B. are less different than was thought C. have a common body langage D. are less intelligent than was expected 35. What can we human beings learn from cats and dogs? A. We should learn to live in harmony B. We should knows more about animals C. We should live in peace with animals D. We should learn more body languages Passage 1 (10?安徽B篇) Have you ever wondered? Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east? It can take five hours to go west-east from New York(NY) to London bur seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon known as the jet(喷射) stream. The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. The planes moving at a constant air speed thus go faster in the west-east direction when they are moving with the wind than in the opposite direction. What would happen if the gravity on Earth was suddenly turned off? Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures(建筑物) float away? What happened would depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth. The Earth is moving at quite a speed, moving at over a thousand miles per hours. If you turn something around your head on a string(细绳), it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string. Then it flies off in a straight line. ‘Switching off’ gravity would be like letting go of the string. Things not attached to the Earth would fly off in a straight line. People in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling. Most things outside would fly off into space. 60.What information can we get from the first passage? A.It is jet stream that affects how fast airplanes fly B.Planes go slower when they are moving with the wind C.It takes more time to fly from NY to London than from London to NY D.The yet stream always blows from the east to the west across the Atlantic nd61.The word”shoot”underline in the 2 passage probably means “ ” A.send for B.move quickly C.come out D.grrow quickly 62.It can be inferred that without gravity . A.buildings and other structures would float away B.trees and buildings would not easily fly off C.something around your head would not fly away D.everything outside buildings would fly off into space 63.Where can we most probably read in the text A.In a reseach paper B.In a short story C.In a travel magazine D.In a student’s book Passage 2 (10?安徽E篇) The need to feed a growing population is putting much pressure on the word’s supply of water.With 97% of the word’s water too salty to be drunk or used in agriculture,the wordwide supply of water needs carefull management，especially in agriculture .Although the idea of a water shortage(短缺) seems strange to someone fortunate enough to live in a high rainfall country,many of the word’s agriculture industries experience constant water shortages. Although dams can be built to store water for agriculture use in dry areas and dry seasons,the costs of water redistribution(重新分配) are very high.Not only is there the cost of the engineering itself,but there is also an envitonmental cost to be considered.Where valleys(山谷) are flooded to create dams,houses are lost and wildlife homes destroyed.Besides,water may flow easily through pipes to fields,but it cannot be transported from one side of the world to the other.Each country must therefore rely on the management of its own water to suply its farming requirements. This is particularly troubling for countries with agricultural industries in areas dependent on irrigation(灌溉).In Texas,farmers’ overuse of irrigation water has resulted in a 25% reduction of the water stores.In the Central Vally area of southwestern USA,a huge water engineering project provided water for farming in dry valleys,but much of the water use has been poorly managed. Saudi Arabia’s attempts to grow wheat in desert areas have seen the pumping of huge quantities of irrigation water from underground reserves.Because there is no rainfall in these areas, such reseWhich of the folloeing is true? The water stores in Texas have been reduced by 75,. B.Most industries in the world suffer from water shortages. C.The underground watet in Saudi Arabia might run out in 50 years. D.Good management of water use resulted from the project in the Central Valley. What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows? Steps to improving water use management. B.Ways to reduce the cost of building dams. C.Measures to deal with worldwide water shortages. D.Approaches to handling the pressure on water supply. The text is mainly about________. water supply and increasing population B.warer use management and agriculture C.water redistribution and wildlife protection D.water shotages and environmental protection rves can only decrease,and it is believed that fifty years of pumping will see them run dry. 72. From the first two paragraphs we learn that . A. much of the word’s water is available for use B. people in high rainfall countries feel lucky C. the costs of water redistribution should be considered D. water can be easily carried through pipes across rhe world Passage 3 (10?江苏D篇) Imagine，one day，getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours，and then，after a full day of work，going back home to Beijing and having dinner there( Sounds unusual，doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic，with the development of China’s high—speed railway system(And that’s not a11(China has an even greater high—speed railway plan—to connect the country with Southeast Asia，and eventually Eastern Europe( China is negotiating to extend its own high?-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 1 0 to 15 years，eventually reaching London and Singapore( China has proposed three such projects(The first would possibly connect Kunming with Singapore via Vietnam and Malaysia(Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan，and possibly to Germany(The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe( If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward，people could zip over from London to Beiling in under two days( The new system would still follow China’s high—speed railway standard(And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour，almost as fast as some airplanes( China’s bullet train(高速客车)，the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou，already has the World’s fastest average speed(It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours( Of course，there are some technical challenges to overcome(There are so many issues that need to be settled，such as safety，rail gauge(轨距)，maintenance of railway tracks(So，it’s important to pay attention to every detail( But the key issue is really money(China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on domestic railway expansion( China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital investment(Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development( It’11 be a win-win project. For other countries，the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business，tourism and so on，not to mention the better communication among those countnes( For China，such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources，but would also help develop China’s far west(We foresee that in the coming decades，millions of people will migrate to the western regions，where the land is empty and resources unused(With high-speed trains，people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for a11(And they’11 trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries( 67(China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because ( A(China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions B(China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways C(China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries D( the foreign countries involved will develop their railway transportation，business and tourism 68(According to the passage，the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is ( A(technical issues B(safety of the systemC(financial problems D(maintenance of railway tracks 69(Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude towards China’s high-speed railway plan? A(Critical( B(Reserved( C(Doubtful D. Positive( 70(Which of the following might be the best title for the passage? A(New Railway Standards B(Big Railway Dreams C(High—speed Bullet Trains D(International Railway Network 选B. 贯穿全文须知这只是一个梦想 Passage 4 (10?全国?C篇) Along the river banks of the Amazon and the Orinoco there lives a bird that swims before it can fly, flies like a fat chicken, eats green leaves, has the stomach of a cow and has claws(爪)on its wings when young .They build their homes about 4.6m above the river ,an important feature(特 征)for the safety of the young. It is called the hoatzin. In appearance，the birds of both sexes look very much alike with brown on the back and cream and red on the underside .The head is small, with a large set of feathers on the top, bright red eyes, and blue skin. Its nearest relatives are the common birds, cuckoos. Its most striking feature ,though, is only found in the young. Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and another at the end of each wing tip .Using these four claws ,together with the beak(喙),they can climb about in the bushes, looking very much like primitive birds must have done. When the young hoatzins have learned to fly ,they lose their claws. During the drier months between December and March hoatzins fly about the forest in groups of 20 to 30 birds, but in April, when the rainy season begins, they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes. 63(What is the text mainly about? A(Hoatzins in dry and rainy seasons. B(The relatives and enemies of hoatzins. C(Primitive birds and hoatzins of the Amazon. D(The appearance and living habits of hoatzins. 64(Young hoatzins are different from their parents in that ( A(they look like young cuckoos B(they have claws on the wings C(they eat a lot like a cow D(they live on river banks 65(What can we infer about primitive birds from the text? A(They had claws to help them climb. B(They could fly long distances. C(They had four wings like hoatzins. D(They had a head with long feathers on the top. 66(Why do hoatzins collect together in smaller groups when the rainy season comes? A(To find more food. B(To protect themselves better. C(To keep themselves warm. D(To produce their young. Passage 5 (10?湖南C篇) People from East Asia tend to have more difficulty than those from Europe in distinguishing facial expressions — and a new report published online in Current Biology explains why. Rachael Jack, University of Glasgow researcher, said that rather than scanning evenly(均匀 的) across a face as Westerners do, Easterners fix their attention on the eyes. "We show that Easterners and Westerners look at different face features to read facial expressions," Jack said. "Westerners look at the eyes and the mouth in equal measure, whereas Easterners favor the eyes and neglect (忽略) the mouth." According to Jack and her colleagues, the discovery shows that human communication of emotion is more complex than previously believed. As a result, facial expressions that had been considered universally recognizable cannot be used to reliably convey emotion in cross-cultural situations. The researchers studied cultural differences in the recognition of facial expressions by recording the eye movements of 13 Western Caucasian and 13 East Asian people while they observed pictures of. expressive faces and put them into categories: happy, sad, surprised, fearful, disgusted, angry, or neutral. They compared how accurately participants read those facial expressions using their particular eye movement strategies. It turned out that Easterners focused much greater attention on the eyes and made significantly more errors than did Westerners. "The cultural difference in eye movements that they show is probably a reflection of cultural difference in facial expressions," Jack said. "Our data suggest that whereas Westerners use the whole face to convey emotion, Easterners use the eyes more and mouth less." In short, the data show that facial expressions are not universal signals of human emotion. From here on, examining how cultural factors have diversified these basic social skills will help our understanding of human emotion. Otherwise, when it comes to communicating emotions across cultures, Easterners and Westerners will find themselves lost in translation. 66. The discovery shows that Westerners . A. pay equal attention to the eyes and the mouth B. consider facial expressions universally reliable C. observe the eyes and the mouth in different ways D. have more difficulty in recognizing facial expressions 67. What were the people asked to do in the study? A. To make a face at each other. B. To get their faces impressive. C. To classify some face pictures. D. To observe the researchers' faces. 68. What does the underlined word "they" in Paragraph 6 refer to? A. The participants in the study. B. The researchers of the study. C. The errors made during the study. D. The data collected from the study. 69. In comparison with Westerners, Easterners are likely to . A. do translation more successfully B. study the mouth more frequently C. examine the eyes more attentively D. read facial expressions more correctly 70. What can be the best title for the passage? A. The Eye as the Window to the Soul B. Cultural Differences in Reading Emotions C. Effective Methods to Develop Social Skills D. How to Increase Cross-cultural Understanding Passage 6 (10?江西D篇) Modern inventions have speeded up people’s loves amazingly. Motor-cars cover a hundred miles in little more than an hour, aircraft cross the world inside a day, while computers operate at lightning speed. Indeed, this love of speed seems never-ending. Every year motor-cars are produced which go even faster and each new computer boats (吹嘘) of saving precious seconds in handling tasks. All this saves time, but at a price. When we lose or gain half a day in speeding across the world in an airplane, our bodies tell us so. We get the uncomfortable feeling known as jet-lag; our bodies feel that they have been left behind on another time zone. Again, spending too long at computers results in painful wrists and fingers. Mobile phones also have their dangers, according to some scientist; too much use may transmit harmful radiation into our brains, a consequence we do not like to think about. However, what do we do with the time we have saved? Certainly not relax, or so it seems. We are so accustomed constant activity that we find it difficult to sit and do nothing or even just one thing at a time. Perhaps the days are long gone when we might listen quietly to a story on the radio, letting imagination take us into another world. There was a time when some people’s lives were devoted simply to the cultivation of the land or the care of cattle. No multi-tasking there; their lives went on at a much gentler pace, and in a familiar pattern. There is much that we might envy about a way of life like this. Yet before we do so, we must think of the hard tasks our ancestor faced: they farmed with bare hands, often lived close to hunger, and had to fashion tools from wood and stone. Modern machinery has freed people from that primitive existence. 68. The new products become more and more time-saving because . A. our love of speed seems never-ending B. time is limited. C. the prices are increasingly high. D. the manufactures boast a lot. 69. What does “the days” in Paragraph 3 refer to ? A. Imaginary life B. Simple life in the past. C. Times of inventions D. Time for constant activity. 70. What is the author’s attitude towards the modern technology? A. Critical B. Objective. C. Optimistic. D. Negative. 71. What does the passage mainly discuss? A. The present and past times. B. Machinery and human beings. C. Imaginations and inventions. D. Modern technology and its influence. Passage 7 (10?辽宁C篇) Too much TV-watching can harm children’s ability to learn and even reduce their chances of getting a college degree, new studies suggest in the latest effort to examine the effects of television on children. One of the studies looked at nearly 400 northern California third-graders. Those with TVs in their bedrooms scored about eight points lower on math and language arts tests than children without bedroom TVs. A second study ,looking at nearly 1000 grown-ups in New Zealand, found lower education levels among 26-year –olds who had watched lots of TV during childhood. But the results don’t prove that TV is the cause and don't ride out that already poorly motivated youngsters (年轻人)may watch lots of TV. Their study measured the TV habits of 26-year-olds between ages5 and 15. These with college degrees had watch an average of less than two hours of TV per week night during childhood, compared with an average of more than 2 1/2 hours for those who had no education beyond high school. In the California study, children with TVs in their rooms but no computer at home scored the lowest while those with no bedroom TV but who had home computers scored the highest. While this study does not prove that bedroom TV sets caused the lower scores, it adds to accumulating findings that children shouldn't have TVs in their bedrooms 64. According to the California study, the low-scoring group might _________. A. have watched a lot of TV B. not be interested ted in math C. be unable to go to college D. have had computers in their bedrooms 65. What is the researchers' understanding of the New Zealand study results? A. Poorly motivated 26-year-olds watch more TV. B. Habits of TV watching reduce learning interest. C. TV watching leads to lower education levels of the 15-year-olds. D. The connection between TV and education levels is difficult to explain 66. What can we learn from the last two paragraphs? A. More time should be spent on computers. B. Children should be forbidden from watching TV. C. 'IV sets shouldn't be allowed in children's bedrooms, D. Further studies on high-achieving students should be done 67. What would be the best title for this text? A. Computers or Television B. Effects of Television on Children C. Studies on TV and College Education D. Television and Children's Learning Habits Passage 8 (10?山东D篇) Batteries can power anything from small sensors to large systems. While scientists are finding ways to make them smaller but even more powerful, problems can arise when these batteries are much larger and heavier than the devices themselves. University of Missouri(MU) researchers are developing a nuclear energy source that is smaller, lighter and more efficient. “To provide enough power, we need certain methods with high energy density(密度)”，said Jae Kwon, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at MU. “The radioisotope(放射 性同位素) battery can provide power density that is much higher than chemical batteries.” Kwon and his research team have been working on building a small nuclear battery, presently the size and thickness of a penny, intended to power various micro / nanoelectromechanreal systems (M/NEMS). Although nuclear batteries can cause concerns, Kwon said they are safe. “People hear the word ‘nuclear’ and think of something very dangerous,” he said, “However, nuclear power sources have already been safely powering a variety of devices, such as pace-makers, space satellites and underwater systems.” His new idea is not only in the battery’s size, but also in its semiconductor(半导体). Kwon’s battery uses a liquid semiconductor rather than a solid semiconductor. “The key part of using a radioactive battery is that when you harvest the energy, part of the radiation energy can damage the lattice structure(晶体结构) of the solid semiconductor,” Kwon said, “By using a liquid semiconductor, we believe we can minimize that problem.” Together with J. David Robertson, chemistry professor and associate director of the MU Research Reactor, Kwon is working to build and test the battery. In the future, they hope to increase the battery’s power, shrink its size and try with various other materials. Kwon said that battery could be thinner than the thickness of human hair. 71. Which of the following is true of Jae Kwon? A. He teaches chemistry at MU. B. He developed a chemical battery. C. He is working on a nuclear energy source. D. He made a breakthrough in computer engineering. 72. Jae Kwon gave examples in Paragraph 4_________. A. to show chemical batteries are widely applied. B. to introduce nuclear batteries can be safely used. C. to describe a nuclear-powered system. D. to introduce various energy sources. 73. Liquid semiconductor is used to _________. A. get rid of the radioactive waste B. test the power of nuclear batteries. C. decrease the size of nuclear batteries D. reduce the damage to lattice structure. 74. According to Jae Kwon, his nuclear battery _______. A. uses a solid semiconductor B. will soon replace the present ones. C. could be extremely thin D. has passed the final test. 75. The text is most probably a ________. A. science news report B. book review C. newspaper ad D. science fiction story Passage 9 (10?上海C篇) The 2012 London Olympics had enough problems to worry about. But one more has just been added - a communications blackout caused by solar storms. After a period of calm within the Sun, scientists have detected the signs of a flesh cycle of sunspots that could peak in 2012, just in time for the arrival of the Olympic torch in London. Now scientists believe that this peak could result in vast solar explosions that could throw billions of tons of charged matter towards the Earth, causing strong solar storms that could jam the telecommunications satellites and interact links sending five Olympic broadcast from London. "The Sun's activity has a strong influence on the Earth. The Olympics could be in the middle of the next solar maximum which could affect the functions of communications satellites," said Professor Richard Harrison, head of space physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire. At the peak of the cycle, violent outbursts called coronal mass ejections (日 冕物质抛射) occur in the Sun's atmosphere, throwing out great quantities of electrically-charged matter. " A coronal mass ejection can carry a billion tons of solar material into space at over a million kilometres per hour. Such events can expose astronauts to a deadly amount, can disable satellites, cause power failures on Earth and disturb communications," Professor Harrison added. The risk is greatest during a solar maximum when there is the greatest number of sunspots. Next week in America, NASA is scheduled to launch a satellite for monitoring solar activity called the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which will take images of the Sun that are 10 times clearer than the most advanced televisions available. The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory helped to make the high-tech cameras that will capture images of the solar flares (太阳耀斑) and explosions as they occur. Professor Richard Hold away, the lab's director, said that the SDO should be able to provide early warning of a solar flare or explosion big enough to affect satellite communications on Earth "If we have advance warning, we'll be able to reduce the damage. What you don't want is things switching off for a week with no idea of what's caused the problem," he said. 72. The phrase "communications blackout" in paragraph 1 most probably refers to during the 2012 Olympics. A. the extinguishing of the Olympic torch B. the collapse of broadcasting systems C. the transportation breakdown in London D. the destruction of weather satellites 73. What can be inferred about the solar activity described in the passage? A. The most fatal matter from the corona falls onto Earth. B. The solar storm peak occurs in the middle of each cycle. C. It takes several seconds for the charged matter to reach Earth. D. The number of sunspots declines after coronal mass ejections. 74. According to the passage, NASA will launch a satellite to _________. A. take images of the solar system B. provide early warning of thunderstorms C. keep track of solar activities D. improve the communications on Earth 75. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage? A. Solar Storms: An Invisible Killer B. Solar Storms: Earth Environment in Danger C. Solar Storms: Threatening the Human Race D. Solar Storms: Human Activities to Be Troubled Passage 10 (10?四川B篇) Boiler rooms are often dirty and steamy, but this one is clean and cool. Fox Point is a very new47-unit living building in South Bronx, one of the city’s poorest areas. Two-thirds of the people living there are formerly (以前) homeless people, whose rent is paid by the government. The rest are low-income families. The boiler room has special equipment, which produces energy for electricity and heat. It reuses heat that would otherwise be lost to the air, reducing carbon emissions(碳排放)while also cutting costs. Fox Point is operated by Palladia, a group that specializes in providing housing and services to needy, people. Palladia received support from Enterprise Community Partners (ECP), which helps build affordable housing by providing support to housing developers. ECP has created national standards for healthy, environmentally (环境方面) clever and affordable homes which are called, the Green Communities Standards. These standards include water keeping, energy saving and the use of environmentally friendly building materials. Meeting the standards increases housing construction costs by 2%, which is rapidly paid back by lower running costs. Even the positioning of a window to get most daylight can help save energy. Michael. Bloomberg, New York's mayor, plans to create 165,000 affordable housing units for500,000 New Yorkers. Almost 80% of New York City’s greenhouse-gas emissions come from buildings, and 40% of those are caused, by housing.. So he recently announced that the city’s Department of Housing and Preservation and Development (DHPD) , whose duty is to develop and keep the city’s supply of affordable housing, will require all its new projects to follow ECP’s green standards. Similar measures have been taken by other cities such as Cleveland and Denver, but New York’s DHPD is the largest city developer of affordable housing in the country. 45. What is the purpose of describing the boiler room in the first paragraph? A. To explain the measures the city takes to care for poor people. B. To suggest that affordable housing is possible in all areas. C. To show how the environment-friendly building works. D. To compare old and new boiler rooms. 46. What is an advantage of the buildings meeting the Green Communities Standards? A. Lower running costs. B. Costing less in construction. C. Less air to be lost in hot days. D. Better prices for homeless people. 47. It can be learned from the text that, A. New York City is seriously polluted B. people’s daily life causes many carbon emissions in New York City C. a great number of people in New York City don't have houses to live in D. some other cities have developed more affordable housing than New York City 48. What is the main purpose of this text? A. To call on people to pay more attention to housing problems. B. To prove that some standards are needed for affordable housing. C. To ask society to help homeless people and low-income families. D. To introduce healthy, environmentally clever-and affordable housing. (10?浙江C篇) The term “multitasking” originally referred to a computer’s ability to carry out several tasks at one time. For many people, multitasking has become a way of life and even a key to success. In fact, some excellent mental aerobic exercises (大脑训练) involve engaging the brain in two or more challenging activities at a time. Although checking e-mail while talking on a phone and reading the newspaper may be second nature for some people, many times multitasking can make us less productive, rather than more. And studies show that too much multitasking can lead to increased stress, anxiety and memory loss. In order to multitask, the brain uses an area known as the prefrontal cortex (前额叶脑皮层). Brian scans of volunteers performing multiple tasks together show that as they shift from task to task, this front part of the brain actually takes a moment of rest between tasks. You may have experienced a prefrontal cortex “moment of rest” yourself if you’ve ever dialed (拨电话) a phone number and suddenly forgotten who you dialed when the line is answered. What probably occurred is that between the dialing and the answering, your mind shifted to anther thought or task, and then took that “moment” to come back. Research has also shown that for many volunteers, job efficiency (效率) declines while multitasking, as compared to when they perform only one task at a time. Multitasking is easiest when at least one of the tasks is habitual, or requires little thought. Most people don’t find it difficult to eat and read the newspaper at the same time. However, when two or more attention-requiring tasks are attempted at one time, people sometimes make mistakes. We often don’t remember things as well when we’re trying to manage several details at the same time. Without mental focus, we may not pay enough attention to new information coming in, so it never makes it into our memory stores. That is one of the main reasons we forget people’s names---even sometimes right after they have introduced themselves. Multitasking can also affect our relationships. If someone checks their e-mail while on the phone with a friend, they may come off as absent-minded or disinterested. It can also cause that person to miss or overlook key information being passed on to them. 49. Why are some mental aerobic exercises designed to engage people in multitasking? A. To make them more productive. B. To reduce their stress and anxiety. C. To develop their communication skills. D. To help them perform daily tasks more easily. 50. According to Paragraph 2, why may a person suddenly forget who has called? A. He may leave his prefrontal cortex temporarily damaged. B. He is probably interrupted by another task. C. He is probably not very familiar with the person he has called. D. He may need a rest between dialing and speaking. 51. People tend to make mistake when ____. A. they perform several challenging tasks at a time. B. new messages are processed one after another C. their relationships with others are affected D. the tasks require little thought 52. What is the main idea of the passage? A. Multitasking has become a way of life. B. Multitasking often leads to efficiency decline. C. Multitasking exercises need to be improved. D. Multitasking enables people to remember things better. Passage 1 (09?上海C篇) “Get your hands off me, I have been stolen,” the laptop, a portable computer, shouted. That is a new solution to laptop computer theft: a program that lets owners give their property a voice when it has been taken. The program allows users to display alerts on the missing computer’s screen and even to set a spoken message. Tracking software for stolen laptops has been on the market for some time, but this is thought to be the first that allows owners to give the thief a piece of their mind. Owners must report their laptop missing by visiting a website, which sends a message to the model: a red and yellow “lost or stolen” sign appears on its screen when it is started. Under the latest version(版本)of the software, users can also send a spoken message. The message can be set to reappear every 30 seconds, no matter how many times the thief closes it.” One customer sent a message saying,’ You are being tracked. I am right at your door’,” said Carrie Hafeman, chief executive of the company which produces the program, Retriever. In the latest version, people can add a spoken message. For example, the laptop’s speakers will say: “Help, this laptop is reported lost or stolen. If you are not my owner, report me now.” The Retriever software package, which costs $29.95 but has a free trial period, has the functions of many security software programs .Owners can remotely switch to an alternative password if they fear that the thief has also got hold of the access details. If a thief accesses the internet with the stolen laptop, Retriever will collect information on the internet service provider in use, so that the police can be alerted to its location. Thousands of laptops are stolen every year form homes and offices, but with the use of laptops increasing, the number stolen while their owners are out and about has been rising sharply. Other security software allows users to erase data remotely or lock down the computer. 72. The expression “to give the thief a piece of their mind “can be understood as “_______” A. to give the thief an alert mind B. to express the owners’ anger to the thief C. to remind the thief of this conscience D. to make the thief give up his mind 73. Different from other security software, Retriever can . A. record the stealing process B. help recognize the lost laptop C. lock down the computer remotely D. send a spoken message 74. One function of the program is that it allows the owner to at a distance. A. change some access details for switching on the laptop B. turn on the laptop by using the original password C. operate the laptop by means of and alternative password D. erase the information kept in the stolen laptop 75. Which of the following can best summarize the main idea of the passage? A. With no Retriever, thousands of laptops are stolen every year. B. A new soft ware provides a means to reduce laptop theft. C. Retriever has helped to find thieves and lost computers. D. A new program offers a communication platform with the thief. Passage 2 (09?安徽C篇) Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best. For example, to absorb heat from the sun to heat water, you need large, flat, black surfaces. One way to do that is to build those surfaces specially, on the roofs of buildings. But why go to all that trouble when cities are rub of black surfaces already, in the form of asphalt (柏油) roads? Ten years ago, this thought came into the mind of Arian de Bondt, a Dutch engineer. He finally persuaded his boss to follow it up. The result is that their building is now heated in winter and cooled in summer by a system that relies on the surface of the road outside. The heat-collector is a system of connected water pipes. Most of them ran from one side of the street to the other, just under the asphalt road. Some, however, dive deep into the ground. When the street surface gets hot in summer, water pumped through the pipes picks up this heat and takes it underground through one of the diving pipes. At a depth of 100 metres lies a natural aquifer (蓄水层) into which several heat exchangers (交换器) have been built. The hot water from the street runs through these exchangers, warning the ground-water, before returning to the surface through another pipe. The aquifer is thus used as a heat store. In winter, the working system is changed slightly. Water is pumped through the heat exchangers to pick up the heat stored during summer. This water goes into the building and is used to warm the place up. After performing that task, it is pumped under the asphalt and its remaining heat keeps the road free of snow and ice. 64. Which of the following is true according to the first two paragraphs? A. Arian de Bondt got his idea from his boss. B. Large, flat, black surfaces need to be built in cities. C. The Dutch engineer's system has been widely used. D. Heat can also be collected from asphalt roads. 65. For what purpose are the diving pipes used? A. To absorb heat from the sun. B. To store heat for future use. C. To turn solar energy into heat energy. D. To carry heat down below the surface. 66. From the last paragraph we can learn that __ A. some pipes have to be re-arranged in winter B. the system can do more than warming up the building C. the exchangers will pick up heat from the street surface Passage 3 (09?安徽E篇) A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below l6?. Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate. Without the forest cover，these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere，warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns，potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world. In the past hundred years，humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources(资源):land for crops，wood for paper and other products，land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example，a lot of carbon dioxide(二 氧化碳)in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly，when people cut down trees，generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly，cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now，but in the long run it actually reduces the world’s wood supply. Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25, of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However，fewer than l,of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests. 72. Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they . A. reflect more heat into the atmosphere B. bring about high rainfall throughout the world C. rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than l6? D. reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth 73. What does the word “this” underlined in the third paragraph refer to? A. We will lose much more than we can gain. B. Humans have begun destroying rainforests. C. People have a strong desire for resources. D. Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests. 74. It can be inferred from the text that A. we can get enough resources without rainforests B. there is great medicine potential in rainforests C. we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land D. the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns 75. What might be the best title for the text? A. How to Save Rainforests B. How to Protect Nature C. Rainforests and the Environment D. Rainforests and Medical Development Passage 4 (09?北京C篇) How Room Designs Affect Our Work and Feelings Architects have long had the feeling that the places we live in can affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviors, But now scientists are giving this feelings an empirical(经验的, 实证的)basis. They are discovering how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep people focused, and lead to relaxation. Researches show that aspects of the physical environment can influence creativity. In 2007, Joan Meyers-Levy at the University of Minnesota, reported that the height of a room’s ceiling affects how people to think. Her research indicates that the higher callings encourage people to think more freely, which may lead them to make more abstract connections. Low ceilings, on the other hand, may inspire a more detailed outlook. ’s ability In addition to ceiling height, the view afforded by a building may influence an occupantto concentrate. Nancy Wells and her colleagues at Cornell University found in their study that kids who experienced the greatest increase in greenness as a result of a family move made the most gains on a standard test of attention. Using nature to improve focus of attention ought to pay off academically, and it seems to, according to a study led by C. Kenneth Tanner, head of the School Design ,Planning Laboratory at University of Georgia. Tanner and his team found that students in classrooms with unblocked views of at least 50 feet outside the window had higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts and maths than did students whose classrooms primarily overlooked roads and parking lots. Recent study on room lighting design suggests that dim(暗淡的)light helps people to loosen up. If that is true generally, keeping the light low during dinner or at parties could increase relaxation. Researchers of Harvard Medical School also discovered that furniture with rounded edges could help visitors relax. So far scientists have focused mainly on public buildings. “We have a very limited number of ’studies, so were almost looking at the problem through a straw(吸管), ”architect David Allison says. “How do you take answers to very specific questions and make broad, generalized use of tthem? Tha’s what we're all struggling with. ” 64. What does Joan Meyers-Levy focus on in her research? A. Light B. Ceilings C. Windows D. Furniture. 65. The passage tells us that____. , A. the shape of furniture may affect peoples feelings B. lower ceilings may help improve students’ creativity C. children in a dim classroom may improve their grades D. Students in rooms with unblocked views may feel relaxed 66. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that _______. A. the problem is not approached step by step B. the researches so far have faults in themselves C. the problem is too difficult for researchers to detect D. research in this area is not enough to make generalized pattens 67. Which of the following shows the organization of the passage? CP: Central Point P: point Sp: Sub—point(次要点)C: Conclusion Passage 5 (09?湖北B篇) Three years ago, five parrots were set free in a wild place of Arizona, thousands of miles from the Channel Islands in Jersey sher they had been looked after by zookeepers. No evolutionary strategies informed them how to behave in this new Landscape of mountainous pine forest unoccupied by their king for 50 years. To the researchers’ surprise, they failed to make contact with a group of wild parrots imported from Mexico and set free at the same time. Within 24 hours the reintroducing ended in failure, and the poor birds were back in cages, on their way to the safety of the Arizona reintroduction programme. Ever since then, the programme has enjoyed great success, mainly because the birds now being set free are Mexican birds illegally caught in the wild, confiscated (没收) on arrival north of the border, and raised by their parents in the safety of the programme. The experience shows how little we know about the behaviour and psychology(心理) of parrots, as Peter Bennett, a bird researcher, points out:” Reintroducing species of high intelligence like parrots is a lot more difficult. People like parrots, always treating them as nothing more than pers or valuable ‘collectables’. ” Now that many species of parrot are in immediate danger of dying out, biologists are working together to study the natural history and the behaviour of this family of birds. Last year was an important turning point: conservationists founded the World Parrot Trust, based at Hayle in Cornwall, to support research into both wild and caged birds. Research on parrots is vital for two reasons. Forest, as the Arizona programme showed, when reintroducing parrots to the wild, we need to be aware of what the birds must know if they are to survive in their natural home. We also need to learn more about the needs of parrots keot as pets, particularly as the Trust’s campaign does not attempt to discourage the practice, but rather urges people who buy parrots as pets to choose birds raised by humans. 55. What do we know about the area where the five parrots were reintroduced? A. Its landscape is new to parrots of their king. B. It used to be home to parrots of their kind. C. It is close to where they had been kept. D. Pine trees were planted to attract birds. 56. The reintroducing experience three years ago shows that man-raised parrots ______. A. can find their way back home in Jersey B. are unable to recognize their parents C. are unable to adapt to the wild D. can produce a new species 57. Why are researches on parrots important according to the passage? A. The Trust shows great concern for the programme. B. We need to knows more about how to preserve parrots C. Many people are interested in collecting parrots. D. Parrots’ intelligence may someday benefit people. 58. According to the passage, people are advised_______. A. to treat wild and caged parrots equally B to set up comfortable homes for parrots C. not to keep wild parrots as pets D. not to let more parrots go to the wild Passage 6 (09?四川E篇) All too often, a choice that seems sustainable(可持续的)turns out on closer examination to be problematic. Probably the best example is the rush to produce ethanol(乙醇) for fuel from corn. Corn is a renewable resource —you can harvest it and grow more, almost limitlessly. So replacing gas with corn ethanol seems like a great idea. One might get a bit more energy out of the ethanol than that used to make it, which could still make ethanol more sustainable than gas generally, but that’s not the end of the problem. Using corn to make ethanol means less corn is left to feed animals and people, which drives up the cost of food. That result leads to turning the fallow land –including, in some cases, rain forest ) into in places such as Brazil—into farmland, which in turn gives off lots of carbon dioxide (CO2 the air. Finally, over many years, the energy benefit from burning ethanol would make up for the forest loss. But by then, climate change would have progressed so far that it might not help. You cannot really declare any practice “sustainable” until you have done a complete life-cycle analysis of its environmental(环境的) costs. Even then, technology and public keep developing, and that development can lead to unforeseen and undesired results. The admirable goal of living sustainably requires plenty of thought on an ongoing basis. 57. What might directly cause the loss of the forest according to the text? A. The growing demand for energy to make ethanol B. The increasing carbon dioxide in the air C. The greater need for farmland D. The big change in weather. 58. The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to “ ” A. the energy benefit B. the forest loss C. climate change D. burning ethanol 59. The author thinks that replacing gas with corn ethanol is . A. impractical B. acceptable C. admirable D. useless 60. What does the author mainly discuss in the text? A. Technology B. Sustainability C. Ethanol energy D. Environmental protection Passage 7 (09?天津D篇) Next time a customer comes to your office, offer him a cup of coffee. And when you’re doing your holiday shopping online, make sure you’re holding a large glass of iced tea. The physical sensation(感觉) of warmth encourages emotional warmth, while a cold drink in hand prevents you from making unwise decisions—those are the practical lesson being drawn from recent research by psychologist John A. Bargh. Psychologists have known that one person’s perception(感知) of another’s “warmth” is a powerful determiner in social relationships. Judging someone to be either “warm” or “cold” is a primary consideration, even trumping evidence that a “cold” person may be more capable. Much of this is rooted in very early childhood experiences, Bargh argues, when babies’ conceptual sense of the world around them is shaped by physical sensations, particularly warmth and coldness. Classic studies by Harry Harlow, published in 1958, showed monkeys preferred to stay close to a cloth “mother” rather than one made of wire, even when the wire “mother” carried a food bottle. Harlow’s work and later studies have led psychologists to stress the need for warm physical contact from caregivers to help young children grow into healthy adults with normal social skills. Feelings of “warmth” and “coldness” in social judgments appear to be universal. Although no worldwide study has been done, Bargh says that describing people as “warm” or “cold” is common to many cultures, and studies have found those perceptions influence judgment in dozens of countries. To test the relationship between physical and psychological warmth, Bargh conducted an experiment which involved 41 college students. A research assistant who was unaware of the study’s hypotheses(假设), handed the students either a hot cup of coffee, or a cold drink, to hold while the researcher filled out a short information form: The drink was then handed back. After that, the students were asked to rate the personality of “Person A” based on a particular description. Those who had briefly held the warm drink regarded Person A as warmer than those who had held the iced drink. “We are grounded in our physical experiences even when we think abstractly,” says Bargh. 51. According to Paragraph 1, a person’s emotion may be affected by ______. A. the visitors to his office B. the psychology lessons he has C. his physical feeling of coldness D. the things he has bought online 52. The author mentions Harlow’s experiment to show that ______. A. adults should develop social skills B. babies need warm physical contact C. caregivers should be healthy adults D. monkeys have social relationships 53. In Bargh’s experiment, the students were asked to ______. A. evaluate someone’s personality B. write down their hypotheses C. fill out a personal information form D. hold coffee and cold drink alternatively 54. We can infer from the passage that ______. A. abstract thinking does not come from physical experiences B. feelings of warmth and coldness are studied worldwide C. physical temperature affects how we see others D. capable persons are often cold to others 55. What would be the best title for the passage? A. Drinking for Better Social Relationships. B. Experiments of Personality Evaluation. C. Developing Better Drinking Habits. D. Physical Sensations and Emotions. Passage 8 (09?浙江C篇) Plants can’t communicate by moving or making sounds, as most animals do. Instead, plants Produce volatile compounds, chemicals that easily change from a liquid to a gas. A flower’s sweet smell, for example, comes from volatile compounds that the plant produces to attract insects such as Bugs and bees. Plants can also detect volatile compounds produced by other plants. A tree under attack by Hungry insets, for instance, may give off volatile compounds that let other trees know about the Attack. In response, the other trees may send off chemicals to keep the bugs away ---- or even Chemicals that attract the bugs’ natural enemies. Now scientists have created a quick way to understand what plants are saying: a chemical Sensor(传感器)called an electronic nose. The “e-nose” can tell compounds that crop plants make When they’re attacked Scientists say the e-nose could help quickly detect whether plants are being Eaten by insects. But today the only way to detect such insects is to visually inspect individual Plants. This is a challenging task for managers of greenhouses, enclosed gardens than can house Thousands of plants. The research team worked with an e-nose than recognizes volatile compounds. Inside the device, 13 sensors chemically react with volatile compounds Based on these interactions, the e-nose gives off electronic signals that the scientists analyze using computer software. To test the nose, the team presented it with healthy leaves from cucumber, pepper and tomato plants, all common greenhouse crops. Then scientists collected samples of air around damaged leaves from each type of crop, These plants had been damaged by insects, or by scientists who made holes in the leaves with a hole punch(打孔器). The e-nose, it turns out, could identify healthy cucumber, pepper and tomato plants based on The volatile compounds they produce, It could also identify tomato leaves that had been damaged. But even more impressive, the device could tell which type of damage ---- by insects or with a hole Punch ---- had been done to the tomato leaves. With some fine-tuning, a device like the e-nose could one day be used in greenhouses to quickly spot harmful bugs, the researchers say. A device like this could also be used to identify fruits that are perfectly ripe and ready to pick and eat, says Natalia Dudareva, a biochemist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. who studies smells of flowers and plants. Hopefully, scientists believe, the device could bring large benefits to greenhouse managers in the near future. 49. We learn from the text that plants communicate with each other by____. A. making some sounds B. waving their leaves C. producing some chemicals D. sending out electronic signals 50. What did the scientists do to find out if the e-nose worked? A. They presented it with all common crops. B. They fixed 13 sensors inside the device. C. They collected different damaged leaves. D. They made tests on damaged and healthy leaves. 51. According to the writer, the most amazing thing about the e-nose is that it can___. A. pick out ripe fruits B. spot the insects quickly C. distinguish different damages to the leaves D. recognize unhealthy tomato leaves 52 We can infer from the last paragraph that the e-nose_____. A. is unable to tell the smell of flowers B. is not yet used in greenhouses C. is designed by scientists at Purdue D. is helpful in killing harmful insects Passage 9 (09?重庆C篇) Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature .However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment. Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses(球场) in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas. There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control. Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free. 64. Which of the following is the author most probably in favor of? A. Cycling around a lake. B. Motor racing in the desert. C. Playing basketball in a gym. D. Swimming in a sports center. 65. What do we know about golf from the passage? A. It is popular in Portugal and Spain. B. It causes water shortages around the world. C. It pollutes the earth with chemicals and wastes. D. It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green. 66. The author uses power walking as an example mainly because______. A. it is an outdoor sport B. it improves our health C. it uses fewer resources D. it is recommended by experts 67. The author writes the passage to_______. A. show us the function of major sports B. encourage us to go in for green sports C. discuss the major influence of popular sports D. introduce different types of environment-friendly sports Passage 10 (09?重庆E篇) A recent study, while showing a generally positive attitude toward science, also suggests a widespread worry that it may be “running out of control”, This idea is dangerous. Science can be a force for evil as well as for good. Its applications can be channeled either way, depending on our decisions. The decisions we make, personally or collectively, will determine the outcomes of science. But here is a real danger. Science is advancing so fast and is so strongly influenced by businesses that we are likely to believe whatever decisions we come to will make little difference. And, rather than fighting for the best possible policies, we may step back and do nothing. Some people go even further. They say that despite the moral and legal objections(反对), whatever is scientifically possible will be done-somewhere , sometime. They believe that science will get out of control in the end. This belief is dangerous too, because it fuels a sense of hopelessness and discourages then from making efforts to build a safer world. In our interconnected world, the lack of agreement in and out of the world of science can lead to the failure to control the use of science. Without a common understanding, the challenges of “controlling” science in this century will be really tough. Take human cloning for example. Despite the general agreement among scientists on its possible huge impact(影响) on traditional moral values, some countries still go ahead with the research and development of its related techniques. The outcomes are hard to predict. Therefore, discussions on how science is applied should be extended far beyond scientific societies. Only through the untied efforts of people with hope, can we be fully safe against the misuse of science and can science best serve mankind in the future. 72. What can we conclude from the recent study? A. People think highly of science. B. People hold mixed opinions about science. C. Science is getting dangerously out of control. D. Science is used for both good and bad purposes. 73. According to the passage , what will happen if we hold that science is getting beyond control? A. The development of science will hopelessly slow down. B. Businesses will have even greater influence on science. C. The public will lose faith in bringing about a bright future. D. People will work more actively to put science under control. 74. The discussion should reach beyond scientific societies because_______ A. scientists have failed to predict the outcomes B. the ties between different areas need strengthening C. united efforts are necessary for the development of science D. people need to work together to prevent the bad use of science 75. What is the main idea of the passage? A. Science and its applications bring us many dangers. B. The development of science mostly lies in people's attitudes. C. Mankind can largely take control of science with their efforts. D. The future of science will be influenced by the dangerous ideas. Passage 11 (09?福建D篇) Find Which Direction Is South Do you have a good sense of direction? If not, please take with you a compass. But if you forget to take a compass, you can still find your way. It’s never a good idea to imagine that the family member who was entrusted(委托)with the job of map-reading actually knows where the family is. You can tell by the slightly confused load on their faces that nothing on the ground seems to match the map. Never mind. The shu is shining and it’s still morning. If you don’t know the exact time, you can still find out where south is, but you’ll need to be patient. ?Find a straight sick and put it in the ground in a place where you can mark its shadow. ?Try to position the stick as vertically(垂直)as you can. You can check this by making a simple plumb line (铅锤线)with a piece of string and weight. You haven’t got any string? OK, use a thread from your clothes with a button tied at the end to act as a weight. ?Mark the end of the shadow cast by the stick. ?Wait approximately half an hour and mark the end of the shadow again. ?Keep doing this until you have made several marks. ?The mark nearest the stick will represent the shortest shadow, which is cast at midday, when the sun is highest in the sky and pointing to the exact south. ?Pick a point in the distance along the line between the shortest shadow and the stick. ?That point is south of where you are. ?Now you can turn the map, like you did before, and find which way you should be travelling. 68. To find the direction, we ought to be patient probably because A. it is not easy to find a proper stick B. it is not easy to position the stick C. it takes hours to make the marks D. it takes about half an hour to make the marks 69. The passage would probably be most helpful to . A. those who draw maps B. those who get lost C. those who make compasses D. those who do experiments 70. Which of the following pictures best shows the way of finding the direction of south? 71. The author presents this passage by . A. telling an interesting story B. describing an activity in a lively way C. testing an idea by reasoning D. introducing a practical method Passage 12 (09?湖南C篇) People diet to look more attractive. Fish diet to avoid being beaten up, thrown out of their social group, and getting eaten as a result. That is the fascinating conclusion of the latest research into fish behavior by a team of Australian scientists. The research team have discovered that subordinate fish voluntarily diet to avoid challenging their larger competitors. “In studying gobies we noticed that only the largest two individuals, a male and female, had breeding (繁殖) rights within the group,” explains Marian Wong. “All other group members are nonbreeding females, each being 5-10% smaller than its next largest competitor. We wanted to find out how they maintain this precise size separation.” The reason for the size difference was easy to see. Once a subordinate fish grows to within 5-10% of the size of its larger competitor, it causes a fight which usually ends in the smaller goby being driven away from the group. More often than not, the evicted fish is then eaten up. It appeared that the smaller fish were keeping themselves small in order to avoid challenging the boss fish. Whether they did so voluntarily, by restraining how much they ate, was not clear. The research team decided to do an experiment. They tried to fatten up some of the subordinate gobies to see what happened. To their surprise, the gobies simply refused the extra food they were offered, clearly preferring to remain small and avoid fights, over having a feast. The discovery challenges the traditional scientific view of how boss individuals keep their position in a group. Previously it was thought that large individuals simply used their weight and size to threaten their subordinates and take more of the food for themselves, so keeping their competitors small. While the habits of gobies may seem a little mysterious, Dr. Wong explains that understanding the relationships between boss and subordinate animals is important to understanding how hierarchical (等级的) societies remain stable. The research has proved the fact that voluntary dieting is a habit far from exclusive to humans. “As yet, we lack a complete understanding of how widespread the voluntary reduction of food intake is in nature,” the researchers comment. “Data on human dieting suggests that, while humans generally diet to improve health or increase attractiveness, rarely does it improve long-term health and males regularly prefer females that are fatter than the females’ own ideal.” 65. When a goby grows to within 5-10% of the size of its larger competitor, it . A. faces danger B. has breeding rights C. eats its competitor D. leaves the group itself 66. The underlined words “the evicted fish” in Paragraph 3 refer to . A. the fish beaten up B. the fish found out C. the fish fattened up D. the fish driven away 67. The experiment showed that the smaller fish . A. fought over a feast B. went on diet willingly C. preferred some extra food D. challenged the boss fish 68. What is the text mainly about? A. Fish dieting and human dieting. B. Dieting and health. C. Human dieting. D. Fish dieting. Passage 13 (09?湖南D篇) Andrew Ritchie, inventor of the Brompton folding bicycle, once said that the perfect portable bike would be “like a magic carpet…You could fold it up and put it into your pocket or handbag”. Then he paused: “But you’ll always be limited by the size of the wheels. And so far no one has invented a folding wheel.” It was a rare — indeed unique — occasion when I was able to put Ritchie right. A 19th-century inventor, William Henry James Grout, did in fact design a folding wheel. His bike, predictably named the Grout Portable, had a frame that split into two and a larger wheel that could be separated into four pieces. All the bits fitted into Grout’s Wonderful Bag, a leather case. Grout’s aim: to solve the problems of carrying a bike on a train. Now doesn’t that sound familiar? Grout intended to find a way of making a bike small enough for train travel: his bike was a huge beast. And importantly, the design of early bicycles gave him an advantage: in Grout’s day, tyres were solid, which made the business of splitting a wheel into four separate parts relatively simple. You couldn’t do the same with a wheel fitted with a one-piece inflated (充气的) tyre. So, in a 21st-century context, is the idea of the folding wheel dead? It is not. A British design engineer, Duncan Fitzsimons, has developed a wheel that can be squashed into something like a slender ellipse (椭圆). Throughout, the tyre remains inflated. Will the young Fitzsimons’s folding wheel make it into production? I haven’t the foggiest idea. But his inventiveness shows two things. First, people have been saying for more than a century that bike design has reached its limit, except for gradual advances. It’s as silly a concept now as it was 100 years ago: there’s plenty still to go for. Second, it is in the field of folding bikes that we are seeing the most interesting inventions. You can buy a folding bike for less than ?1,000 that can be knocked down so small that it can be carried on a plane — minus wheels, of course — as hand baggage. Folding wheels would make all manner of things possible. Have we yet got the magic carpet of Andrew Ritchie’s imagination? No. But it’s progress. 69. We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the Brompton folding bike . A. was portable B. had a folding wheel C. could be put in a pocket D. looked like a magic carpet 70. We can learn from the text that the wheels of the Grout Portable . A. were difficult to separate B. could be split into 6 pieces C. were fitted with solid tyres D. were hard to carry on a train 71. We can learn from the text that Fitzsimons’s invention . A. kept the tyre as a whole piece B. was made into production soon C. left little room for improvement D. changed our views on bag design 72. Which of the following would be the best title for the text? A. Three folding bike inventors B. The making of a folding bike C. Progress in folding bike design D. Ways of separating a bike wheel Passage 14 (09?江苏A篇) When women sit together to watch a movie on TV, they usually talk simultaneously(同时的) about a variety of subjects, including children, men, careers and what' s happening in their lives. When groups of men and women watch a movie together, the men usually end up telling the women to shut up. Men can either talk or watch the screen -- they can' t do both -- and they don' t understand that women can. Besides, women consider that the point of all getting together is to have a good time and develop relationships -- not just to sit there like couch potatoes staring at the screen. During the ad breaks, a man often asks a woman to explain the plot and tell him where the relationship between the characters is going. He is unable, unlike women, to read the subtle body language signals that reveal how the characters are feeling emotionally. Since women originally spent their days with the other women and children in the group, they developed the ability to communicate successfully in order to maintain relationships. For a woman, speech continues to have such a clear purpose: to build relationships and make friends. For men, to talk is to relate the facts. Men see the telephone as a communication tool for sending facts and information to other people, but a woman sees it as a means of bonding. A woman can spend two weeks on vacation with her girlfriend and, when she returns home, telephone the same girlfriend and talk for another two hours. There is no convincing evidence that social conditioning, the fact that girls' mothers talked them more, is the reason why girls talk more than boys. Psychiatrist Dr Michael Lewis, author Social Behaviour and Language Acquisition, conducted experiments that found mothers talked to and looked at, baby girls more often than baby boys. Scientific evidence shows parents res the brain bias of their children. Since a girl' s brain is better organized to send and receive speech , we therefore talk to them more. Consequently, mothers who try to talk to their sons are usually pointed to receive only short grunts in reply. 56.While watching TV with others, women Usually talk a lot because they A. are afraid of awkward silence with their families and friends B. can both talk and watch the screen at the Same time C. think they can have a good time and develop relationships D. have to explain the plot and body language to their husbands 57. After a vacation with her girlfriend, a woman would talk to her again on the phone for hours in order to . A. experience the happy time again B. keep a close tie with her C. recommend her a new scenic spot D. remind her of something forgotten 58. What does the author want to tell us most? A. Women' s brains are better organized for language and communication B. Women love to talk because they are more sociable than men. C. Men do not like talking because they rely more on facts. D. Social conditioning is not the reason why women love talking. 59. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? A. Women Are Socially Trained to Talk B. Talking Maintains Relationships C, Women Love to Talk D. Men Talk Differently from Women Passage 14 (09?江苏D篇) Have you ever noticed the colour of the water in a river or stream after a heavy rainfall? What do you think caused this change in colour? It is soil that has been washed into the river from the riverbank or from t}le nearby fields( Components of Soft Soil is made up of a number of layers(层)，each having its own distinctive colour and texture(The upper layer is known as the litter(It acts like a blanket(limiting temperature changes and reducing water loss(The topsoil layer is made up of small particles of rock mixed with rotten plant and animal matter called humus(腐殖质)，which is black and gives the topsoil its dark colour(This layer is usually rich in nutrients，oxygen，and water(Below the topsoil is the subsoil， a layer that contains more stones mixed with only small amounts of organic matter(This layer is lighter in colour because of the lack of humus(Beneath the soil lies a layer of bedrock( Soil forms from the bottom up(Over time bedrock is attacked by rain, wind，frost, and snow(It is gradually broken down into smaller particles in a process called weathering(Plants begin to grow，and rotten materials enrich the topsoil(Most of the soil in Eastern Canada(for example(Was formed from weathered rock that was exposed when the ice disappeared l2(000 years ag0( Water Beneath the Soil Surface water collects and flows above the ground in lakes(ponds(and rivers(Once in the soil or rock，it is called groundwater(Gravity pulls groundwater through the soil in a process called percolation(渗透)(Eventually the water reaches a layer called the water table(Under this is bedrock through which water cannot percolate( As water percolates downward，it dissolves organic matter and minerals from the soil and carries them to deeper layers(This causes a serious problem because plants require these nutrients for growth. Soil pH Soil can be acidic(neutral(or basic(The pH of the soil is determined by the nature of the rock from which it was formed(and by the nature of t}le plants that grow and rot in it( The acidity of rain and snow can lower the pH of the groundwater that enters the soil(By burning fossil fuels such as coal，oil and gasoline，humans have been contributing to higher levels of acidity in many soils(When fossil fuels are burned(gases are released into the air and then fall back to earth as acid rain(Acid soil increases出e problem of carrying nutrients to lower soil levels(As nutrients are removed，soil is less fertile(Plants grow more slowly in acidic soil，and also become easily attacked by diseases( 67(The layer of soil that provides necessary nutrients for plant growth is called( A(1itter B(topsoil C(humus D(subsoil 68(According to the text(which of the following is NOT true? A(Soil forms from weathered rock on the earth surface( B(The deeper layer of soil is darker in colour than t}le surface soil( C(Air pollution is partially responsible for acid soil( D(Groundwater tends to carry away nutrients for plant growth( 69(We can infer from the passage that the water table lies ( A(between the topsoil layer and the subsoil layer B(in the subsoil layer above bedrock C(between the subsoil layer and bedrock D(in the bedrock layer beneath the subsoil 70(The underlined word “dissolve” is used to express the idea that organic matter and minerals from soil are ( A(rushed away into the river B(cleaned and purified by water C(destroyed and carried away by water D(mixed with water and become part of it Passage 16 (09?江西B篇) The surprising experiment I am about to describe proves that air is all around you and that it proves down upon you. Air pressure is a wonderful force. When you swim underwater, you can feel water push down your body. The air all around you does the same. However, your body is so used to it that you do not notice this. The pressure is caused by a layer of air called the atmosphere. This layer surrounds the Earth, extending to about five kilometers above the Earth’s surface. The following experiment is an easy one that you can do at home. But make sure that you are supervised, because you will need to use matches. Now foe the experiment～ What you need ?A hard-boiled egg without the shell ?A bottle with a neck slightly smaller than the egg ?A piece of paper ?A match Metheod 1) Check that the paper will sit firmly on the neck of the bottle. 2) Tear the paper into strips and put the strips into the bottle. 3) Light the paper by dropping a burning match into the bottle. 4) Quickly sit the egg on the neck of the bottle. Result Astonishingly, the egg will be sucked into the bottle. Your friends will be amazed when you show them the experiment. But be careful when you handle matches. Why it happened As the paper burns, it needs oxygen and uses up the oxygen (air) in the bottle. The egg acts as a seal in the neck of the bottle, so no more air can get inside. This reduces the air pressure inside the bottle. The air pressure must equalize, so more air from outside must enter the bottle. The outside air pressure against the egg and then the egg is pushed into the bottle! The proves that air is all around and that it is pressing down on it. 60. Why is there the need to take care when you are doing the experiment? A. The bottle could break. B. You need to light the paper with a match. C. The egg needs to be shelled. D. The egg has to be perfectly placed on the neck of the bottle. 61. In the experiment, the burning inside the bottle can___. A. equalize the air pressure inside and outside B. make a seal in the neck of the bottle C. finish up the oxygen inside the bottle D. produce more oxygen inside the bottle 62. How did the egg put into the bottle, A. The oxygen inside the bottle sucked the egg in. B. It became salt without the shell. C. The neck of the bottle was wide enough. D. The outside air pressure forced it into the bottle. 63. The experiment is carried cut to prove ______. A. water pushes on your body when you swim underwater. B. the earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere. C. the pressure of air around us has a powerful force. D. the air pressure is not equalized around us. Passage 17 (09?辽宁C篇) A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports. Grirmsvom is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvom different is that it lies under a huge glacier(冰川) of ice up to 12 maters thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer(层)of water between the glacier and the volcano This layer of water puts pressure on the volcano, keeping it stable, As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava(岩浆) from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what happened today. Now, airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. According to KLM. one of Europe’s biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane’s engines, causing damage to the plane. The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp. Glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them from eating ash- covered grass to the sharp object. 64. What makes Grimsvom different from other volcanoes? A. It is below ice. B. It lies under the sea C. It is the largest volcano D. It is lava affects the airlines 65. What keeps Grimsvotn still? A. The slow flow of water B. The low water temperature C. The thick glacier D. The water pressure 66. Which of the following is the result of the volcanic eruption? A. People stop traveling in Europe B. Airlines suffer from the loss of planes C. It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside D. Farmers have lost many of their animals 67. This text is most probably taken from_ A. a research paper B. a newspaper report C. a class presentation D. a geography textbook. Passage 18 (09?全国?C篇) GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – A fish that lives in mangrove swamps(红树沼泽)across the Americas can live out of water for months at a time, similar to how animals adapted(适应)to land millions of years ago, a new study shows. The Magrove Rivulus, a type of small killifish, lives in small pools of water in a certain type of empty nut or even old beer cans in the mangrove swamps of Belize, the United States and Brazil. When their living place dries up, they live on the land in logs(圆木)，said Scott Taylor, a researcher at the Brevard Endangered Lands Program in Florida. The fish, whose scientific name is Rivulus marmoratus, can grow as large as three inches. They group together in logs and breathe air through their skin until they can find water again. The new scientific discovery came after a trip to Belize. “We kicked over a log and the fish just came crowding out,” Taylor told Reuters in neighboring Guatgemala by telephone. He said he will make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year. In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating. Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at time, while lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in an inactive state. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulus and remain active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at Canada’s University of Guelph. Further studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time. “These animals live in conditions similar to those that existed millions of years ago, when animals began making the transition(过渡)from water onto land,” Wright said. 49. The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that _______. A. likes eating nuts B. prefers living in dry places C. is the longest living fish on earth D. can stay alive for two months out of water 50. Who will write up a report on Mangrove Rivulus? A. Patricia Wright B. Researchers in Guatemala C. Scientists from Belize D. Scott Taylor 51. According to the text, lungfish can________ A. breathe through its skin B. move freely on dry land C. remain alive out of water D. be as active on land as in water 52. What can we say about the discovery of Mangrove Rivulus? A. It was made quite by accident B. It was based on a lab test of sea life C. It was supported by an American magazine D. It was helped by Patricia Wright Passage 19 (08?宁夏、海南、全国?B篇) More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple(The fruits that made it to the UK were green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within(Then in 1996, the Del Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves( The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green(It was slightly softer on the outside and had a lot of juice inside(But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known(In no time,the Del Monte Gold took the market by storm, rapidly becoming the world’s best-selling pineapple variety,and delivering natural levels of sweetness in the mouth,up until then only found in tinned pineapple( In nutrition (营养) it was all good news too(This nice-tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C(维生素C)than the old green variety(Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins,but also good against some diseases(People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit(The new type of pineapple was selling fast,and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater( Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep the market to itself(But other fruit companies developed similar pineapples. Del Monte turned to law for help,but failed(Those companies argued successfully that Del Monte’s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock them out of the market( 60(We learn from the text that the new type of pineapple is ________( A(green outside and sweet inside B(good-looking outside and soft inside C(yellowy-gold outside and hard inside D(a little soft outside and sweet inside 61(Why was the new type of pineapple selling well? A(It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice( B(It was less sweet and good for health( C(It was developed by Del Monte( D(It was used as medicine( 62(The underlined word“fixture”in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something________( A(that people enjoy eating B(that is always present C(that is difficult to get D(that people use as a gift 63(We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte________( A(allowed other companies to develop pineapples B(succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself C(tried hard to control the pineapple market D(planned to help the other companies Passage 20 (08?宁夏、海南C篇) Do’s and Don’ts in Whale(鲸) Watching The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has developed guidelines for whale watching in Johnstone Strait,where killer whales are found on a daily basis each summer(It is strongly recommended that vessel(船只) operators follow these guidelines for all kinds of whales( Approach whales from the side,not from the front or the back( Approach no closer than 100 metres,then stop the boat but keep the engine on( Keep noise levels down—no horns,whistles or racing of engines( Start your boat only after the whales are more than 100 metres from your vessel( Leave the area slowly,gradually moving faster when you are more than 300 metres from the whales( Approach and leave slowly,avoiding sudden changes in speed or direction( Avoid disturbing groups of resting whales( Keep at low speeds and remain in the same direction if travelling side by side with whales( When whales are travelling close to shore,avoid crowding them near the shore or coming between the whales and the shore( Limit the time spent with any group of whales to less than 30 minutes at a time when within 100 to 200 metres of whales( If there is more than one vessel at the same observation spot,be sure to avoid any boat position that would result in surrounding the whales( Work together by communicating with other vessels,and make sure that all operators are aware of the whale watching guidelines( 64(For whom is this text written? A(Tour guides( B(Whale watchers( C(Vessel operators( D(Government officials( 65(When leaving the observation areas,the vessel should _____( A(move close to the beach B(increase speed gradually C(keep its engine running slowly D(remain at the back of the whales 66(When going side by side with whales, the vessel should ( A(keep moving in the same direction B(surround the whales with other boats C(travel closer and closer to the shore D(take a good viewing position 67(What is the shortest safe distance from the whales? A(400 metres( B(300 metres( C(200 metres( D(100 metres( Passage 21 (08?江苏B篇) We experience different forms of the Sun’s energy every day.We can see its light and feel its warmth.The Sun is the major source of energy for our planet.It causes the evaporation (蒸发) of water from the oceans and lakes.Sunlight also provides the energy used by green plants to make their own food.These green plants then provide food for all organisms(生物) on the Earth. Much of the energy that comes from the Sun never reaches the Earth’s surface.It is either reflected or absorbed by the gases in the upper atmosphere.Of the energy that reaches the lower atmosphere,30% is reflected by clouds or the Earth’s surface.The remaining 70% warms the surface of the planet,causes water to evaporate,and provides energy for the water cycle and weather.Only a tiny part,approximately 0.023%,is actually used by green plants to produce food. Many gases found in the atmosphere actually reflect heat energy escaping from the Earth’s surface back to the Earth.These gases act like the glass of a greenhouse in that they allow energy from the Sun to enter but prevent energy from leaving.They are therefore called greenhouse gases. When sunlight strikes an object,some of the energy is absorbed and some is reflected.The amount reflected depends on the surface.For example,you’ve probably noticed how bright snow is when sunlight falls on it.Snow reflects most of the energy from the Sun,so it contributes to the low temperatures of winter.Dark-coloured surfaces,such as dark soil or forest,absorb more energy and help warm the surrounding air. 59.According to the passage,the root cause for weather changes on the Earth is . A.the atmosphere surrounding the Earth B.water from oceans and lakes C.energy from the Sun D.greenhouse gases in the sky 60.Only a small part of the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s surface because most of it is . A.absorbed by the clouds in the lower atmosphere B.reflected by the gases in the upper atmosphere C.lost in the upper and lower atmosphere D.used to evaporate water from the oceans and lakes 61.We learn from the passage that . A.all living things on the Earth depend on the Sun for their food B.a forest looks dark in winter because it absorbs solar energy C.only 0.023% of the energy from the Sun is made use of on the Earth D.greenhouse gases allow heat energy to escape from the Earth’s surface Passage 22 (08?北京B篇) Domestic (驯养的) horses now pull ploughs, race in the Kentucky Derby, and carry people. But early horses weren’t tame (驯服的) enough to perform these kinds of tasks. Scientists think the first interactions humans had with horses were far different from those today. Thousands of years ago, people killed the wild horses that lived around them for food. Over time, people began to catch the animals and raise them. This was the first step in domestication. As people began to tame and ride horses, they chose to keep those animals that had more desirable characteristics. For example, people may have chosen to keep horses that had a gentle personality so they could be ridden more easily. People who used horses to pull heavy loads would have chosen to keep stronger animals. Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’ genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced, they passed the characteristics on to their young. Each new generation of horses would show more of these chosen characteristics. Modern-day horse breeds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication. The Shetland horse is one of the smallest breeds—typically reaching only one meter tall. With short, strong legs, the animals were bred to pull coal out of mine shafts (矿井) with low ceilings. Huge horses like the Clydesdale came on the scene around 1700. People bred these heavy, tall horses to pull large vehicles used for carrying heavy loads. The domestication of horses has had great effects on societies. For example, horses were important tools in the advancement of modern agriculture. Using them to pull ploughs and carry heavy loads allowed people to farm more efficiently. Before they were able to ride horses, humans had to cross land on foot. Riding horses allowed people to travel far greater distances in much less time. That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another. The new form of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world. 59. Before domestication horses were ______. A. caught for sports B. hunted for food C. made to pull ploughs D. used to carry people 60. The author uses the Shetland horse as an example to show ______. A. it is smaller than the Clydesdale horse B. horses used to have gentle personalities C. some horses have better shapes than others D. horses were of less variety before domestication 61. Horses contributed to the spread of culture by ______. A. carrying heavy loads B. changing farming methods C. serving as a means of transport D. advancing agriculture in different areas 62. The passage is mainly about _______. A. why humans domesticated horses B. how humans and horses needed each other C. why horses came in different shapes and sizes D. how human societies and horses influenced each other Passage 23 (08?辽宁D篇) Far from the land of Antarctica (南极洲), a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod. For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secrets. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer. Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point. The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88? and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05?. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture. The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange things made up of a protein(蛋白质) never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point. Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules(分子) held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content，it is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein,or AFGP. 68. What is the text mainly about? A. The terrible conditions in the Antarctic. B. A special fish living in freezing waters. C. The ice shelf around Antarctica. D. Protection of the Antarctic cod. 69. Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature? A. The seawater has a temperature of -1.88?. B. It loves to live in the ice-salt mixture. C. A special protein keeps it from freezing. D. Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05?. 70. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to? A. A type of ice-salt mixture. B. A newly found protein. C. Fish blood. D. Sugar molecule. 71. What does “glyco-” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean? A.Sugar. B. Ice. C. Blood. D. Molecule. Passage 24 (08?湖北E篇) Downing the last drop of an expensive famous brand HO as well as remembering to throw the 2 empty bottle in the recycling bin, makes you feel pretty good about yourself, right? It shouldn’t.Even when the bottles are recycled, there are all kinds of other consequences of swallowing bottled water, says Melissa Peffers, the air-quality program manager for Environmental Defense. The containers are often filled in faraway lands, then shipped from abroad, and stored in refrigerators at your local store.Compare that with the influence on environment of turning on your tap, filling a glass, and drinking up! Anyone who is choosing bottled water for health reasons is misguided, says Peffers, “Most bottled water is just tap water.” And what comes out of your tap is carefully monitored to follow the strict rules.Consider another fact that bottled water is surprisingly expensive, especially when compared with the alternative, which is almost free, and it is astonishing that America’s desire for bottled water seems impossible to satisfy, reaching nearly 30 billion bottles a year. “My parents’ generation never had bottled water,” says Isabelle Silverman, an Environmental Defense legal adviser.She has made a commitment to going bottle free.“You don’t need to fetch it home from the store, and it’s cheaper,” she adds. Bottled water’s role as a status symbol needs to change, Peffers points out.So when a waiter at an expensive restaurant offers “And what’s your drink?” that’s no reason to forget your conviction(信念).“Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I’ll have tap.’Say it loud enough that the other tables nearby can hear you,” Peffers says.“And then spend that money on a dessert.” 77.In the first paragraph, the underlined sentence “It shouldn’t.” suggests that people _______. A.shouldn’t feel pleased with finishing the water in the bottle B.shouldn’t feel good about drinking an expensive brand HO 2 C.shouldn’t be content with just recycling empty bottles D.shouldn’t be satisfied with drinking only bottled water 78.According to the author, tap water is _______. A.as safe as bottled water B.more likely to be polluted C.healthier than bottled water D.less convenient than bottled water 79.The underlined part “going bottle free” (in Para.4) means “_______”. A.making bottled water free B.abandoning bottled water C.recycling used water bottles D.providing free water containers 80.Why does Peffers ask people to say “I’ll have tap.” loudly? A.To encourage them to set an example for others to follow. B.To advise them to save the money for one more dessert. C.To remind them to be aware of their social status. D.To persuade them to speak confidently in public. Passage 25 (08?江西A篇) Despite the fact that it has never been seen,almost everyone is familiar with the legendary unicorn(独角兽)(Descriptions of unicorns have been found dating from ancient times(The great philosopher Aristotle theorized that there were two types of unicorn— the so-called Indian Ass and the Oryx, a kind of antelope(Unicorns are often used in the logo of a noble family, town council or university as their special sign(Even Scotland is represented by a unicorn( According to the legend, anyone attempting to catch a unicorn had to be extremely cautious as it has a reputation for being very fierce(A clever trick suggested by unicorn-trappers, in order to catch this magnificent beast without being hurt by its horn, was for the hunter to stand in front of a tree and then to move quickly behind it as the unicorn charged(Hopefully, the creature could then be captured when its horn was stuck in the tree( When hollowed out and used as a drinking-cup, the unicorn’s horn was said to have the power to offer protection against poison(It was believed that nobody could be harmed by drinking the contents of a unicorn’s horn(Right up until the French Revolution in 1789, the French court was said to have used cups made of “unicorn” horn in order to protect the king.In addition, the horn was said to have medicinal value, so much so that it could be sold for more than ten times the price of the same weight of gold(What, then, was “unicorn” horn? We know at times the rhino (犀牛) was confused with this legendary creature(A drinking-cup supposedly made of “unicorn” horn was discovered to be made of the horn of a rhino( 56(Which of the following is TRUE of the unicorn? A(It was not historically recorded. B(Its horn was first used in France. C(It was similar to the Indian Ass and the Oryx. D(It could be the symbol of a university. 57(To catch a unicorn, the unicorn-trappers had to try all of the following EXCEPT __ _ _( A(tempting the unicorn to attack B(making use of the tree as a protection C(hiding quickly behind the unicorn D(having the unicorn horn stuck in the tree 58(The last paragraph is mainly about __ __( A(the properties of the unicorn horn B(the users of the unicorn horn C(the price of the unicorn horn D(the comparison between the unicorn horn and the rhino horn 59(In the last paragraph, the word “unicorn ” is in quotation marks (引号) because ____ _( A(the cup is designed only for a royal family B(the unicorn does not exist in reality C(the unicorn is the rarest animal in the world D(the medicinal value of the horn is appreciated Passage 26 (08?江西E篇) Most people, when they travel to space, would like to stay in orbit for a few days or more(And this stands to reason, if you’re paying $20,000 for your trip to orbit! So in order for tourism to reach its full potential there’s going to be a need for orbital accommodation—or space hotels(What would a space hotel actually be like to visit? Hotels in orbit will offer the services you expect from a hotel—private rooms, meals, bars(But they’ll also offer two unique experiences: impressive views—of Earth and space—and the endless entertainment of living in zero gravity—including sports and other activities that make use of this( The hotels themselves will vary greatly—from being quite simple in the early days to huge luxury structures at a later date(It’s actually surprising that as later as 1997, very few designs for space hotels were published(This is mainly because those who might be expected to design them haven’t expected launch costs to come down far enough to make them possible( Lots of people who’ve been to space have described vividly what it’s like to live in zero gravity(There are obviously all sorts of possibilities for dancing, gymnastics, and zero-G sports(Luckily, you don’t need to sleep much living in zero gravity, so you’ll have plenty of time for relaxing by hanging out in a bar with a window looking down at the turning Earth below( Of course all good things have come to an end, unfortunately. And so after a few days you’ll find yourself heading back though you’ll be much more expert at exercising in zero gravity than you were when you arrived(You’ll be thinking how soon you can save up enough to get back up again—or maybe you should change jobs to get to work in an orbiting hotel! 72(When traveling in space, most people would like to stay in orbit for a few days because _______( A(It is expensive to travel in space B(they would find the possible life in other star systems C(they could enjoy the luxury of space hotels D(they want to realise the full potential of tourism 73(Which of the following is a unique experience that space hotels will offer? A(The gravitational pull. B(The special views( C(The relaxation in a bar( D(The space walk( 74(Which of the following is NOT discussed in the passage? A(When was the space traveling made possible? B(What are the unique experiences that space hotels will offer? C(Why were there not many published designs for space hotels? D(How can the travelers enjoy themselves in space hotels? 75(This passage is mainly about ________( A(traveling in space B(the ways of living in space hotels C(zero gravity and space hotels D(the description of space hotels Passage 27 (08?陕西D篇) Runners in a relay(接力) race pass a stick in one direction. However, merchants passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road. The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of cities and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 B. C. to about A.D.1300, when sea travel offered new routes(路线).It was sometimes called the world’s longest highway. However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe. The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from Central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft(嫁接) different trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to worldwide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web. The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathways for learning, diplomacy(外交), and religion (宗教). 53. It’s probable that traders along the Silk Road needed . A. to remember the entire trade route B. to know the making of products C. to receive certain special training D. to deal with a lot of difficulties 54. The Silk Road became less important because . A. it was made up of different routes B. silk trading became less popular C. sea travel provided easier routes D. people needed fewer foreign goods 55. New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people . A. learned from one another B. shared each other’s beliefs C. traded goods along the route D. earned their living by traveling 56. What is the best title for the passage? A. The Silk Road:Past and Present B. The Silk Road:East Meets West C. The Silk Road:Routes Full of Dangers D. The Silk Road:Pathways for Learning Passage 28 (08?陕西E篇) Did you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s? The average women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s. Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent(聪明的) than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain consists of “grey matter” and “white matter”. While men have more of the latter ,the amount of “thinking” brain is almost exactly the same in both sexs. It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time. When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time. There are other important differences between two sexes. As white matter is the key to spatial(空间的) tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. “A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher. That may explain one of life’s great mysteries:Why men refuse to ask for directions … and women often need to! The differences begin when fetuses(胎儿) are about nine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children as young as one. A boy would try to climb a barrier (障碍物) before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills. It may all go back to our ancestors(祖先) ,among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research. If all this disappoints you, it shouldn’t. “The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it,” says a biologist. 57. Which of the following is TRUE according to the first paragraph? A. Women’s brain is 10% less than men’s. B. Grey matter plays the same role as white matter. C. Grey matter controls thinking in the brain. D. Both sexes have the same amount of white matter. 58. What can we infer from the second and third paragraphs? A. Women prefer doing many things at a time. B. Men do better dealing with one job at a time. C. Women do not need to tell directions. D. Men have weaker spatial abilities. 59. Which of the following do you agree with according to the fourth paragraph? A. Young boys may be stronger than young girls. B. More women take up jobs requiring speech skills. C. Women may have stronger feelings than men. D. Our ancestors needed more spatial skills. 60. What is the writer’s attitude in writing this passage? A. Defensive. B. Persuasive. C. Supportive. D. Objective. Passage 29 (08?天津C篇) Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by something truly fishier—the shark(鲨鱼). Research by a British biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms. Lauren Smith, 24, is close to completing her study on shark’s ability to sense pressure. If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behaviour of sharks to predict bad weather. Miss Smith had previously studied the behaviour of lemon sharks in the Bahamas. She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish, for further research at Aberdeen University. Her work—thought to be the first of its kind to test the pressure theory—resulted from the observation that juvenile blacktip sharks off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001. Miss Smith said: “I’ve always been crazy about traveling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks.” “I was delighted to have been able to research in the area for my degree. I know there’s so much more we need to understand—but it certainly opens the way to more research.” It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balance system. At the Bimini Shark Lab in the Bahamas, Miss Smith fixed hi-tech sensors to sharks to record pressure and temperature, while also tracking them using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology. In Aberdeen, she was able to study the effects of tidal(潮汐的) and temperature changes on dogfish—none of which were harmed. She also used a special lab which can mimic(模拟) oceanic pressure changes caused by weather fronts. She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research. 44.The passage is most probably taken from _____. A. a short-story collection B. a popular science magazine C. a research paper D. a personal diary 45. What do we learn from the first four paragraphs of the passage? A. Sharks may be used to predict bad weather. B. Sharks’ behaviour can be controlled. C. Michael Fish is not qualified for his job. D. Lauren Smith will become a weather forecaster. 46. Lauren Smith conducted her research by _______. A. removing hair cells from a shark’s balance system B. measuring the air pressure of weather fronts C. recording sharks’ body temperature D. monitoring sharks’ reaction to weather changes 47. What is the passage mainly about? A. A popular way of forecasting weather. B. A new research effort in predicting storms. C. Biologists’ interest in the secrets of sharks. D. Lauren Smith’s devotion to scientific research. Passage 30 (08?全国?D篇) Something in chocolate could be used to stop coughs and lead to more effective medicines,say UK researchers. Their study found that theobromine,found in cocoa,was nearly a third more effective in stopping coughs than codeine,which was considered the best cough medicine at present. The Imperial College London researchers who published their results online said the discovery could lead to more effective cough treatments.“While coughing is not necessarily harmful(有害 的) it can have a major effect on the quality of life,and this discovery could be a huge step forward in treating this problem,”said Professor Peter Barnes. Ten healthy volunteers(志愿者) were given theobromine,codeine or a placebo,a pill that contains no medicine,during the experiment.Neither the volunteers nor the researchers knew who received which pill.The researchers then measured levels of capsaicin,which is used in research to cause coughing and as a sign of how well the medicines are stopping coughs. The team found that,when the volunteers were given theobromine,the capsaicin needed to produce a cough was around a third higher than in the placebo group.When they were given codeine they needed only slightly higher levels of capsaicin to cause a cough compared with the placebo. The researchers said that theobromine worked by keeping down a nerve activity(神经活 动),which causes coughing.They also found that unlike some standard cough treatments,theobromine caused no side effects such as sleepiness. 53.According to Professor Barnes,theobromine . A.cannot be as effective as codeine B.can be harmful to people’s health C.cannot be separated from chocolate D.can be a more effective cure for coughs 54.What was used in the experiment to cause coughing? A.Theobromine. B.Codeine. C.Capsaicin. D.Placebo. 55.We learn from the text that volunteers in the experiment . A.were patients with bad coughs B.were divided into three groups C.received standard treatments D.suffered little side effects 56.Which of the following would be the best title for the text? A.Codeine:A New Medicine B.Chocolate May Cure Coughs C.Cough Treatment:A Hard Case D.Theobromine Can Cause Coughs Passage 31 (08?重庆B篇) While all my classmates seem to be crazy about a one-way ticket to Mars(火星), I’d rather say Mars is totally unsuitable for human existence.People won’t have enough food supplies there,and the terrible environment would make it impossible for them to live a long life.Besides,the journey won’t be safe.Can anybody explain to me just why people would go to Mars,never to return? Steve Minear,UK Here are the things you can think of:the desire to explore a foreign and unique environment,the excitement of being the first humans to open up a new world,the expectation of fame and glory....For scientists there is another reason.Their observations and research will probably lead to great scientific achievements. Donal Trollop,Canada There are already too many people on the Earth.I think that sometime before the end of the century,there will be a human colony(殖民地) on Mars.It will happen when people finally realize that two-way trips to the red planet Mars are unnecessary.Most of the danger of space flight is in the launches(发射) and landings.Cutting the trip home would therefore reduce the danger of accidents,save a lot of money,and open the way to building an everlasting human settlement in another world. Enough supplies can be sent on ahead.And every two years more supplies and more people will be sent to the new colony.Mars has all the materials for a colony to produce or make everything it needs,and Mars is far more pleasant than the other planets in the outer space. Paul Davies,USA 60.The main purpose of Steve Minear’s writing is . A.to report his classmates’ discussion B.to invite an answer to his question C.to explain the natural state of Mars D.to show his agreement on going to Mars 61.Which of the following best states Donal Trollop’s idea? A.There is a plan to send humans to Mars. B.There are many reasons for going to Mars. C.Scientists become famous by doing research on Mars. D.It is possible to build an Earth-like environment on Mars. 62.Paul Davies points out that . A.humans need only a one-way ticket to Mars B.two-way trips to Mars will be made safe soon C.it is easy to reduce the danger and cost of flights to Mars D.it is cheap to build an everlasting human settlement on Mars 63.What does Paul Davies think of human existence on Mars? A.Humans will have to bring all they need from the Earth. B.Humans will find Mars totally unsuitable for living. C.Humans can produce everything they need. D.Humans can live longer in the colony on Mars. Passage 32 (08?重庆D篇) Seeing a volcano erupt(喷发) is a wonderful experience,and you can really feel the heat by climbing to the summit(山顶) of Pacaya for a close-up view.There are guided tours every day up this highly active volcano from Antigua.Giving travelers a chance to see Mother Nature at her most powerful. Pacaya is an easy drive from Antigua,a beautiful city with many colorful houses along its old streets that are turned into art-works during its Holy Week festival.No matter when you come to Antigua,you won’t miss the Pacaya-tour companies. But climbing Pacaya is no easy job:it is 2,560 metres high,and reaching the summit takes two to three hours of seemingly one-step-forward and two-step-back movements.As you climb,you hear the dull sounds of eruptions high above.Steaming,hot remains from recent eruptions begin to line the path as you near the active summit:the McKenney Cone(火山锥).Just as though you were going to walk over to the edge of the cone,the road turns to the left and up to the relative safety of the old,inactive summit. Many tours are timed so that you arrive at the cone of the volcano in plenty of time for sunset and the full contrast between the erupting red lava(熔岩) and the darkening sky.On a good day the view from the summit is extremely exciting.The active mouth boils,sending red lava over its sides,and once in a while shoots hot streams up to 100 metres into the air.There is a strong bad smell in the air even if you take care to be upwind of the cone.As evening turns deeper into the night,the burning lava quietly falls down the side of the volcano.For you,too,it is time to get down. 68.What is the main purpose of this passage? A.To attract tourists to Pacaya. B.To describe the beauty of Pacaya. C.To introduce guided tours to Pacaya. D.To explain the power of nature at Pacaya. 69.Antigua is a city . A.where people can enjoy cultural festivals B.where the daring Pacaya tour starts C.that gives a close-up view of Pacaya D.that is famous for its tour companies 70.Climbing to the McKenney Cone,people will . A.walk directly to the active summit B.hear the continuous loud noise from above C.make greater efforts than to other summits D.see a path lined with remains of earlier eruptions 71.Many tours are timed for people to . A.get down the mountain in time when night falls B.avoid the smell from the upwind direction of the cone C.enjoy the fantastic eruption against the darkening sky D.appreciate the scenery of the 2,560-metre-high mountain Passage 33 (08?湖南B篇) Most young architects—particularly those in big cities—can only dream about working in a building of their own.And making that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want,which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner,Brian Bell.Their building is a former automobile electrical-parts firm in Atlanta.From the outside,it looks too old,even something horrible,but open the door and you are in a wide,open courtyard,lined on three sides with rusting(生锈的) walls. In 2000,Yocum and Bell found this building in the city’s West End.Built in 1947,the structure had been abandoned years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down.But the price was right,so Yocum bought it.He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition(拆除),pulling rubbish out through the roof,because it was too dangerous to go inside the building.The demolition was hard work,but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do,and“to treasure what was there—the walls,the rust,the light,”Yocum said.“Every season,more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops.It’s like an art installation(装置) in there—a slow-motion show.” Since the back building had been constructed without windows,an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard,and skylights were installed in the roof.The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife.A sort of buffer(缓冲) zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom,a kitchen and a mechanical room,and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond. Yocum and Bell,who have just completed an art gallery for the city,feel that the experience from the decoration of their building,focusing on the inside rather than the outside,has influenced their work.It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less. 60.According to the passage,it is for most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their own. A.easy B.unnecessary C.unrealistic D.common 61.Yocum bought the old building because . A.it was a bargain to him B.it was still in good condition C.it was located in the city center D.it looked attractive from the outside 62.Working on the old building,Yocum and Bell . A.pulled rubbish out through the roof B.removed the skylights from the bathroom C.presented a slow-motion show in an art gallery D.built a kitchen at the back part of the old building 63.It can be inferred from the passage that Yocum and Bell . A.benefited a lot from pulling down the roof B.turned more old buildings into art galleries C.got inspiration from decorating their old building D.paid more attention to the outside of the art gallery 64.The main idea of the passage is that . A.people can learn a lot from their failures B.it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building C.people should not judge things by their appearance D.creative people can make the best of what they have Passage 34 (08?福建D篇) The global energy crisis is approaching.What can we do?Here are some steps you can take. Cooling puts the greatest stress on your summer energy bill and the power grid(电网).Just as a tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage,a yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort.Clean or replace filters monthly or as needed. For central air conditioning systems and room air conditioners,look for the ENERGY STAR,the federal government’s symbol for energy efficiency.For central air,purchase the system with the highest possible Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio(SEER). Use energy-efficient ceiling fans either alone or with air conditioning. Ceiling fans do a great job of circulating air.When used with air conditioning,fans allow you to raise the thermostat(恒温器) and cut costs.Ceiling fans cool people,not rooms,so before you leave,turn off the ceiling fan. Let a programmable thermostat“remember for you”to automatically adjust the indoor climate with your daily and weekend patterns to reduce cooling bills by up to 10 percent.You can come home to a comfortable house without wasting energy and creating pollution all day while you are at work. Try to make your home airtight enough to increase your comfort,make your home quieter and cleaner and reduce your cooling costs up to 20 percent. Cut your air conditioning load,and reduce pollution by planting leafy trees around your home and fixing reflective bricks on your roof. Close blinds or shades on south- and west- facing windows during the day,fix shading equipment to avoid heat build-up. Turn off everything not in use:lights,TVs,computers.And use fluorescent bulbs(荧光灯)，which provide bright,warm light while using at least two-thirds less energy,producing 70 percent less heat and lasting up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs(白炽灯). Drive the car that gets better gas mileage whenever possible if you own more than one vehicle.If you drive 12,500 miles a year,switching 10 percent of your trips from a car that gets 20 miles per gallon to one that gets 30 mpg will save you more than $65 per year. Carpool.The average U.S.commuter(乘车上班族)could save about $260 a year by sharing cars twice a week with two other people in a car that gets 20.1 mpg—assuming the three passengers share the cost of gas. 68.According to the passage,the thermostat is used to . A.make rooms quieter B.control room temperature C.turn off the air conditioner D.reduce room air pollution 69.We can conclude from the passage that the author probably discourages . A.planting leafy trees around your home B.turning off the ceiling fan before you leave your house C.keeping your south-facing windows open during the day D.using fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs 70.According to the passage,you can save fuel by . A.using energy-efficient ceiling fans B.sharing cars with others on workdays C.turning off everything not in use D.reducing 10% of your car trips every year 71.This passage is mainly about . A.energy-saving tips B.fuel-saving tips C.do it yourself tips D.environment-protecting tips Passage 35 (08?福建E篇) A new study has found no evidence that sunscreen,commonly used to reduce the risk of skin cancer,actually increases the risk. Researchers from the University of Iowa based their findings on a review of 18 earlier studies that looked at the association between sunscreen use and melanoma(黑素 瘤).They said that they found flaws in studies that had reported associ- ations between sunscreen use and higher risk of melanoma. Most health experts believe that by protecting the skin from the harmful effects of the sun,sunscreen helps prevent skin cancer,which is increasing in incidence(发生率)faster than any other cancer in the United States. But questions have been raised about sunscreen and whether it may have the opposite effect,perhaps by allowing people to remain exposed to the sun longer without burning. The researchers said that among the problems with some earlier studies is that they often failed to take into account that those people most at risk for skin cancer—people with fair skin and freckles(雀斑)，for example—are more likely to use sunscreen.As a result,it may appear that sunscreen users get cancer more often. The studies,which generally relied on volunteers to recall their sunscreen use, were also unable to prove how well the products had been applied,said the new study. 72.The underlined word“flaws”in the 2nd paragraph most probably means . A.evidences B.facts C.faults D.failures 73.People with fair skin and freckles . A.seldom use sunscreen B.are more in danger of skin cancer C.can be free from the harm of the sun D.often expose themselves to the sun 74.We can learn from the passage that . A.sunscreen users get skin cancer more often B.the volunteers have proved the effect of sunscreen C.the new study was based on the experiences of volunteers D.the number of skin cancer patients is increasing in America 75.Which of the following can be the best title for this passage? A.Sunscreen to Prevent Skin Cancer B.Sunscreen to Increase Skin Cancer C.Skin Cancer Caused by Sunscreen D.Skin Cancer Caused by Freckles