______ apple fell from the tree and hit him on ______ head.

A. An; the     B. The; the     C. An; 不填     D. The; 不填

     The scene in the Hollywood movie The Day After Tomorrow, where global warming could soon turn the global climate (氣候) into a new ice age, may never occur, according to new research.

    The next ice age could be 15,000 years away, say European scientists who last month announced a continuous record of 7.40,000 years of climate data (數(shù)據(jù)) obtained from the Antarctic ice.                         

     Scientists from 10 nations have now almost completely drilled through a 3,000-meter.depth of ice high in the Antarctic mainland. They figure out that the area where summer temperatures can fall to –40℃, has at least 900,000 years of snowfalls,, kept as neatly as the growth rings of a tree. And the ice and air caught in each layer(層) have begun to answer questions about the climates in the past..

     The results show that there have been eight ice ages in the past 740, 000 years and eight warmer periods. And by comparing the pattern of global conditions today with those of the past, the researchers reported in Nature that the present warm period could last another 15, 000 years.

     Research suggests that there is a very close connection between greenhouse gas levels and global average temperatures. It also shows that carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) levels are the highest for at least 440,000 years.         

     "If people say to you: the greenhouse effect is a good thing because we would go into an ice age otherwise, our data say no, a new ice age is not hanging over our heads,” said Eric Wolff from the British Antarctic Survey. "Now we have eight examples of how the climate goes in and out of ice ages… and you can learn what the rules are that go into the climate models that tell us about the future."

     Scientists found that whenever temperatures rose in the frozen record, so did carbon dioxide level. "In 440,000 years we have never seen greenhouse gas get as thick as it is today," said Dr Wolff.

48. In drilling through the ice in Antarctica, scientists, have found that______.

     A. the lowest temperature there is －40℃     B. the depth of ice is 3,000 meters

     C. the ice has existed for 15,000 years          D. snowfalls are kept in certain patterns

49. The information of the global climate conditions in the past can be obtained through______.

     A. separating carbon dioxide from the air     

   B. examining the growth rings of trees

     C. comparing temperatures in different areas

     D. studying the ice and air caught in each layer

50. We can infer from Eric Wolff's words that_______.

     A. there is something wrong with the data     B. greenhouse effect is always a bad thing

     C. a new ice age will not come in the near future

     D. greenhouse gas will get thick in the future

51. What would be the best title for the passage?

     A. Research over the Antarctic area.                    B. Warm period to last about 15, 000 years.

     C. Report on the eight ice ages in the past.    D. Hollywood movies and the global climate.

    Over the last 70 years, researchers have been studying happy and unhappy people and finally found out ten factors that make a difference. Our feelings of well-being at any moment are determined to a certain degree by genes. However, of all the factors, wealth and age are the top two.

    Money can buy a degree of happiness. But once you can afford to feed, clothe and house yourself, each extra dollar makes less and less difference.

    Researchers find that, on average, wealthier people are happier. But the link between money and happiness is complex. In the past half-century, average income has sharply increased in developed countries, yet happiness levels have remained almost the same. Once your basic needs are met, money only seems to increase happiness if you have more than your friends, neighbors and colleagues.

“Dollars buy status, and status makes people feel better,” conclude some experts, which helps explain why people who can seek status in other ways-scientists or actors, for example-may happily accept relatively poorly-paid jobs.

In a research, Professor Alex Michalos found that the people whose desires-not just for money, but for friends, family, job, health-rose furthest beyond what they already had, tended to be less happy than those who felt a smaller gap (差距)。Indeed, the size of the gap predicted happiness about five times better than income alone. “The gap measures just blow away the only measures of income.” says Michalos.

       Another factor that has to do with happiness is age. Old age may not be so bad“Given all the problems of aging, how could the elderly be more satisfied？”asks Professor Laura Carstensen.

       In one survey, Carstensen interviewed 184 people between the ages of 18 and 94, and asked them to fill out an emotions questionnaire. She found that old people reported positive emotions just as often as young people, Some scientists suggest older people may expect life to be harder and learn to live with it, or they’re more realistic about their time running out, older people have learned to focus on things that make them happy and let go of those that don’t.

       “People realize not only what they have, but also that what they have cannot last forever,” she says. “A goodbye kiss to a husband or wife at the age of 85, for example, may bring far more complex emotional responses than a similar kiss to a boy or girl friend at the age of 20.”

72.According to the passage, the feeling of happiness        .

A.is determined partly by genes                  B.increases gradually with age

C.has little to do with wealth                      D.is measured by desires

72.Some actors would like to accept poorly-paid jobs because the jobs      .

A.make them feel much better                        B.provide chances to make friends

C.improse their social position                    D.satisfy their professional interests

74.Aged people are more likely to feel happy because they are more       .

A.optimistic                  B.successful               C.practical                   D. emotional

75.Professor Alex Michalos found that people feel less happy if         .

A.the gap between reality and desire is bigger     B.they have a stronger desire for friendship

C.their income is below their expectation            D.the hope for good health is greater

The manager had fallen asleep where he ______, without undressing.

A. was laying          B. was lying          C. had laid             D. had lied

     He wishes the holiday season would end already . His back aches , his red suit feels like a spacesuit , his cheeks have gone tight from smiling for 12 hours —and still the kids keep coming and coming , like ants at a picnic . As Christmas becomes more commercialized (商業(yè)化) across the U. S. and Canada , so must Santas . As the holiday begins earlier each year, so must its spokesmen .

     The questions from children these days are harder than ever . Now, with thousands of children expecting a father or mother serving in Iraq or Afghanistan , the questions are as heart-breaking as they are unanswerable . For example , “Can you please bring Daddy home from the war in time for Christmas morning ?”

     Santas also have a pretty good chance of getting sued (指控). A professional Santa Claus in Canada told a story : A Santa had a girl on his knee , and he commented , “You have nice eyes and nice hair .” The girl later said it was sexual harassment (騷擾) . When a Santa feels anxious , he often shows it in the same ways ordinary people do : The Santas were always seen to hang around at the dinner table when the show ended . Many of them just sleep in bed for several days and don’t see other children again .

56.In the first paragraph , “spokesmen” refers to        .

    A.businessmen                          B.political leaders

    C.organizers of the activities     D.Santa Clauses

57.The passage implies that the job of Santa Claus is        .

    A.well-paid     B.very hard     C.worth doing     D.dangerous

58.According to the third paragraph, Santas may sometimes be blamed for        .

    A.doing something against the law               B.hanging around the dinner table

    C.being lazy and sleeping in bed for days          D.not playing their roles as expected

59.What would be the best title for the passage ?

    A.Christmas : Not a Good Festival for Santas           B.Is Santa Claus Really Alive ?

    C.A Christmas Story                                          D.What Does Santa Claus Do for Children ?

    For centuries,the only form of written correspondence (通信)was the letters, letters were, and are, sent by some form of postal service, the history of which goes back a long way .Indeed, the Egyptians began sending letters from about 2000 BC,as did the Chinese a thousand years later.

   Of course, modern postal service now are much more developed and faster, depending as they do on cars and planes for delivery. Yet they are still too slow for some people to send urgent documents (緊急文件)and letters.

   The invention of the fax (傳真) machine increased the speed of delivering documents even more. When you send a fax，you are sending a copy of a piece of correspondence to someone by telephone service. It was not until the early 1980s that such a service was developed enough for businesses to be able to fax documents to each other.

   The fax service is still very much in use when copies of documents require to be sent ,but, as a way of fast correspondence, it has been largely taken the place of by email ,Email is used to describe messages sent form one computer user to another.

   There are advantages and disadvantages with emails. If you send some one an email , then he will receive it extremely quickly .Normal postal services are rather slow as far as speed of delivery is concerned.

    However, if you write something by email, which you might later regret ,and send it immediately, there is no chance for second thoughts. At least, if you are posting a letter you have to address and seal(封)the envelope and take it to the post box.There is plenty of time to change your mind .The message is think before you email!

41.We can learn from the text that__________.

A.email is less popular than the fax service        

B.the postal service has over the years become faster

C. the postal service has over the years become slower

D. the fax service has a history as long as the postal service does

42.It can be inferred from the text that_________.

A. the fax service had been fully developed by the 1980s

B. letters have been used in China for about 1,000 years

C. the fax machine was invented after the 1980s

D. letters have been used in Egypt for about 2,000 years

43.In the last paragraph, the writer mentions "think before you email" to show that________.

A. you may regret if you don’t your envelope         B. you may regret before you send something by email

C. you’d better not send your email in a hurry     D. you need plenty of time to send an email

44.The text mainly deal with_________.

A. the progress in correspondence                      B. the advantage of fax machines

C .the advantage of emails                                 D. the invention of fax machines

While attending a conference, I returned to my hotel room late one evening. The overhead light outside my door was burned out and I had  1  finding the keyhole. When I  2  to open the door, I  3  around the wall for a light switch. I found a plate where a switch was  4  installed... but no switch! 

Not discouraged easily, I remembered  5  a lamp by the bed when I deposited my luggage  6  in the day. I found the bed in the  7  and then the lamp, but when I switched it on, nothing  8 ! I thought that perhaps if I opened the curtains I might be able to use whatever light comes in from the  9  to find another lamp. So I  10  my way slowly across the room to the curtains and... no drawstring! I finally stumbled（跌跌撞撞地走）around  11  I found a desk lamp which actually  12 !

That evening I discovered in a whole new way just how dark the world  13  be and how   necessary light is! But even more necessary than  14  light is the light that shines from people --the light of  15  and faith. Because, for many people, the world is a dark and  16  place. For someone today just may be stumbling in discouragement or sadness or fear and in  17   of some light. So let your light shine. Whatever light you  18  may be a beacon of hope and encouragement. And if you feel that your light is  19  a candle in a forest remember -- there isn’t enough darkness in all the world to  20  the light of one small candle.

1. A. confidence        B. respect             C. adimiration      D. difficulty

2. A. managed             B. failed              C. wished             D. meant

3. A. touched               B. felt                  C. sensed             D. looked

4. A. already                   B. never               C. still                D. once

5. A. equiping             B. producing        C. spotting           D. removing

6. A. later                   B. earlier             C. lower              D. upper

7. A. light              B. dark               C. room               D. corner

8. A. happened            B. operated          C. fired               D. developed

9. A. machine              B. street               C. room              D. car

10. A. wound              B. forced             C. made               D. lost

11. A. after                  B. until                    C. while                      D. since

12. A. helped               B. affected                 C. worked            D. inspired

13. A. can                   B. shall                    C. will                D. must

14. A. mental              B. psychological     C. electrical         D. physical

15. A. existence           B. love                       C. truth               D. wisdom

16. A. lonely               B. colourful          C. friendly            D. complex

17. A. short                B. favour            C. face                D. need

18. A. make                       B. offer                   C. take                D. contribute

19. A. not more than    B. other than        C. no more than    D. rather than

20. A. put out              B. give out           C. get over                 D. set up

　　The plan: turn Mars into a blue world with streams and green fields, and then fill it with creatures (生物) from the earth. This idea may sound like something from a science fiction (科幻小說(shuō)), but it is actually being taken seriously by many researchers.

　　This suggested future for the “red planet” will be the main topic for discussion at an international conference hosted by NASA (美國(guó)宇航局) this week. Leading researchers as well as science fiction writers will attend the event. It comes as NASA is preparing a multi?billion?dollar Mars research programme. “Turning Mars into a little earth has long been a topic in science fiction,”said Dr Michael Meyer, NASA’s senior scientist for astrobiology (太空生物學(xué)). “Now, with scientists exploring the reality, we can ask what are the real possibilities of changing Mars.”

  Most scientists agree that Mars could be turned into a little earth, although much time and money would be needed to achieve this goal.

　　But many experts are shocked by the idea. “We are destroying our own world at an unbelievable speed and now we are talking about ruining another planet,” said Paul Murdin, of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK. Over the past months, scientists have become increasingly confident they will find Martian life forms. Europe and America’s robot explorers have found proof that water, mixed with soil, exists in large amounts on the planet.

  In addition, two different groups of scientists announced on March 28 that they had found signs of methane (甲烷) in the Martian atmosphere (大氣). The gas is a waste product of living creatures and could be produced by microbes (微生物) living in the red planet’s soil.

　　But scientists such as Dr Lisa Pratt, a biologist at Indiana University, say that these microbes will be put in danger by the little earth project. “Before we have even discovered if there is life on Mars, we are talking about carrying out projects that would destroy all these native lifeforms, all the strange microbes that we hope to find buried in the soil,” said Dr Pratt. This view is shared by Monica Grady, a planetary scientist at the Natural History Museum, London. “We cannot risk starting a global experiment that would wipe out the precious information we are looking for.” she said， “This is just wrong.”

5. The passage is about________.

A. a plan turning Mars into a little earth

B. the necessity of changing Mars

C. Mars supporting life

D. finding water in the Mars

6. Which of the following is NOT the reason why some scientists are against the plan?

A. The project would wipe out all the native lifeforms on the Mars.

B. The project will cost too much money and work.

C. We would ruin Mars.

D. We are destroying our own world at an unbelievable speed. 

7. We can infer from the passage that________.

A. water is a crucial factor for life

B. the project will have little effect on the native lifeforms supposed to live on the Mars

C. Monica Grady is in favour of carrying out the little earth project

D. the idea turning Mars into a little earth is nothing but a science fiction

8. Which of the following supports the conclusion of microbes living in the Mars’s soil?

A. Scientists found liquid water in the Mars.

B. Scientists found signs of methane in the Martian atmosphere.

C. Scientists found a lot of good soil on the Mars.

D. Scientists found some creatures living on the Mars.

       Transportation and communication networks bring people together. Yet sometimes people themselves create barriers(障礙) to transportation and communication. In some countries, laws stop people from moving freely from place to place. Over the centuries, many groups of people have been denied the freedom to travel because of their race, religion, or nationality. In the Middle Ages, for example, Jews were often forbidden to move about freely within certain cities. South Africa's government used to require black Africans to carry passes when they travel within the country. Some governments require all citizens to carry identification papers and to report to government officials whenever they move.

   Countries set up customs posts at their borders. Foreign travellers must go through a customs inspection before they are allowed to travel in the country. Usually travellers have to carry special papers such as passports and visas(簽證). Some countries even limit the number of visitors to their country each year.  Others allow tourists to visit only certain areas of the country, or they may require that travellers be with an official guide at all times during their stay.

    Many of those barriers to travel also act as barriers to communication.

When two governments disagree with each other on important matters, they usually do not want their citizens to exchange news or ideas freely. Countries often try to keep military or industrial information secret.

     Today, people have the ability to travel, to communicate, and to transport goods more quickly and easily than ever before. Natural barriers that were difficult or dangerous to cross a hundred years ago can now be crossed easily. The barriers that people themselves make are not so easy to overcome. But in spite of all the different kinds of barriers, people continue to enjoy travel and the exchange of goods and ideas.

6. The examples in paragraph 2 are used to tell the readers that _______

     A. people have been allowed to travel freely within the country

     B. people have not been permitted to travel freely for various reasons

     C. travellers have to carry special papers such as　passports and visas

     D. customs posts are necessary at the borders of　the countries

7. Some governments limit the freedom of communication because___

     A.  they intend to keep their national secrets unknown to others

     B.  they think such freedom will lead to wars

     C.  they often disagree with each other on important matters

     D.  they want to show their authority over communication

8. We may learn from the passage that _______

     A. people do not care about the removal of barriers between countries

     B. people can not remove the obstacles made by themselves

     C. man-made barriers are sometimes harder to overcome than natural ones

     D. barriers should be taken for granted as they always exist

9. Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage?

      A. Barriers Made by People                B. Functions of Communication

      C. Restrictions on Transportation            D. Progress of Human Society

10．Which is NOT mentioned as the possible limits some countries put on foreign visitors?

A. They have to get a visa before they enter the country.

B. Only a limited number of visitors are allowed to enter the country every year.

C. Not every part of the country is open to foreign tourists.

D. They have to report to government officials when they come to a new place.

Students are being forced to take additional exams to get into leading universities because good A-levels do not always indicate the brightest candidates.

Sixth-formers applying to courses such as medicine and law are being asked to sit American-style aptitude（智能）tests, which are designed to assess（評(píng)價(jià)）thinking skills, among fears that too many A-level candidates are getting top grades. Last year, almost one in six students applying to universities such as Oxford and Cambridge from independent schools had to sit additional test to secure a place.

Head teachers criticized the move, which they said would pile more pressure on schools and students. But universities insisted that the reforms were unavoidable, because A-level exams were no longer an accurate barometer（標(biāo)準(zhǔn)）of ability.

In 1986, 40 percent of students starting at Oxford achieved straight. As at A-level, Mike Nicholson, its admissions director, said that this year almost every candidate offered a place would get perfect grades. It meant the university had to stage additional test to identify the most able candidates. “The ability to achieve three A grades is no longer the end-point in the admissions process,” he said. “The potential to achieved three A grades will allow them to enter the race for a place.”

Oxford is not the only university turning to aptitude tests. At Cambridge, the number of students taking the university’s Thinking Skills Assessment shot up 26 percent to more than 3,000. A survey of 16,830 sixth formers applying to higher education from private schools last year showed that 2,860 had to sit at least one exam.

Earlier this year, the National Foundation for Educational Research recommended that most sixth formers should sit SAT tests — a standard reasoning exam widely used in American colleges —to make it easier to pick out the best candidates.

5．What is the attitude of head teachers to the reform?

       A. Approving.               B. Doubtful.          C. Opposed.           D. Neutral（中立的）

6．Which British university first started to use aptitude tests to pick out the best candidates?

       A. Harvard.                  B. Oxford.             C. Cambridge.              D. Washington D.C.

7．What can we know about the A-level system?

       A. It can indicate the brightest candidates.

B. It was designed to assess students’ thinking abilities.

C. It is longer an accurate way to assess students’ abilities.

D. It was recommended by the National Foundation for Educational Research.

8．What can we infer from the passage?

       A. The reform is more popular in American colleges than in British ones.

       B. The reform will be applied by all universities in the future.

       C. Universities used to depend on the A-level system to choose the best students.

       D. Passing additional tests will allow the student to enter Oxford, regardless of whether he or she gets As.

9．What is the passage mainly about?

       A. How to get into leading universities.

       B. The disadvantages of the A-level system.

       C. Different ways to identify students’ abilities.

       D. Universities using extra exams to choose students.