Section C 

Directions: Complete the following passage by using ONE word that best fits the context.

When Mrs. Joseph Groeger died recently in Vienna, Austria, people asked, "Why did she live to be 107?".   48     were provided by a survey conducted among 148 Viennese men and women who had reached the age of 100. Somewhat surprising was the fact   49     the majority had lived most of their lives in cities.   50     the city's image as an unhealthy place, yet city living often provides benefits that country living can lack. One factor seems to be important to the longevity (長壽) of those interviewed.

This factor is exercise. In the cities it is often faster to walk short distances than   51   wait for a bus. Even taking public transportation often requires some walking. Smaller apartment houses have   52    elevators (電梯), and so people must climb stairs. City people can usually walk to local supermarkets.  53     parking spaces are hard to find, there is often no alternative to walking.

    On the other hand, those who live in the   54     and suburbs do not have to walk every day. In fact, the opposite is often true. To go to school, work, or almost anywhere   55    , they must ride in cars.

    For the people living in the Nile Basin, the river is their life:. This 6,825 km waterway, whose watershed（流域） covers three million square kilometers, flows through mountains ,woodlands, lakes and deserts. Its potential for fishing, tourism and shipping is great—but so are its challenges.

Water shortage , already serious in Egypt and Sudan , will soon influence several other countries in the watershed as well. Today, about 160 million people depend on the Nile River for their living. Within the next 25 yeas ,the district's population is expected to double, adding to the demand brought about by growth in industry and agriculture. The frequent drought（干旱）adds to the urgency.

Water quality is also a problem. Precious soil is washed out to sea. Wastes from industry and agriculture create pollution. Higher concentrations of salt influence irrigated soils. Water-borne diseases continue unchecked. In areas where it's hot and damp, water hyacinths choke off lakes, dams and other sections of the river, making it difficult for fishing and other businesses to move forward.

Native people along the narrow area of farmland have watched the sand move closer day by day. They’ve seen the river change course, and their only source（來源） of water thickened with mud. They’re very poor and have few choices.

But a new program, the Nile Basin Initiative （NBI）， is offering very practical assistance. The program is more than just a water-management project. It’s a plan for the social and economic development of a vast district: it concentrates on the needs of the poorest of the poor and the environment that supports them.

    These are whole ecosystem problems, calling for united solutions（解決辦法）. Half the Nile Basin's countries are among the world's poorest nations；yet, somehow, they must find the  resources, skills and political will to overcome these challenges.

68. What are the great challenges the Nile Basin faces？

A. The development of .shipping industry.

B. Overfishing of native people.

C. Water shortage and water quality.

D. Increasing population and tourism.

69. The underlined word “hyacinths” （in Paragraph 3） refer to “          ”.

    A. animals                           B. plants                     C. rocks                                D. salts

70. The program NBI is mainly aimed at           .

    A. preventing water pollution                             B. changing the river course

C. improving living condition of the poor

D. preventing land from becoming desert

71. What would be the best title of this passage？

A. People's Life in Egypt and Sudan

B. Frequent Drought in Egypt and Sudan

C. The Poorest Countries in the Nile Basin

D. The Ecosystem Problems in the Nile Basin

  書面表達 （滿分25分）

法國一家拍賣公司于今年2月25日在巴黎公開拍賣從中國掠奪的鼠首和兔首銅像, 此舉激起中國人民的強烈憤慨。請你根據下表提示, 用英語寫一篇短文。

注意: 1.對所給要點, 逐一陳述, 可適當增加細節(jié), 使其連貫, 不簡單翻譯。

2.詞數: 150左右。開頭已給出, 不計入總詞數。

3.參考詞匯. auction n. & vt. 拍賣relic [C] n.文物, 遺物

Last month in Paris, a French company auctioned two brone sculptures ---- a rat’s head and a rabbits head captured from China, which has aroused great public concern in China.

---- Do you know why the sun looks much bigger on the horizon?

---- Well, well, ______. I’ ve never read about that.

A. you really have me there            B. that depends

C. I can’t tell you                    D. there is some doubt

—Our holiday cost a lot of money.

— Did it? Well, that doesn’t matterk#s^5*u ________ you enjoyed yourselves.

A. even if        B. in case        C. as far as       D. as long as

I failed in the final examination last term and only then ________ the importance of studies.

  A. I realized         B. I had realized      C. did I realize         D. had I realized

--- I’ve read another book this week.

   --- Well, maybe _______ is not how much you read but what you read that is important.

A. this                 B. that              C. there                D. it

C

       I don’t ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it’s like to work in a field dominated by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-time and the nature of black holes.

       At 19, when I began studying astrophysics, it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement--- jobs, research papers, awards --- was viewed through the lens of gender（性別）politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus right brain, or nature versus nurture（培育, I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind.

       Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations: I don’t talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn’t want to deal with gender issues. Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don’t study sociology or political theory.

       Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women’s college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how many of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I don’t dismiss those concerns. Still, I don’t tell them “war” stories. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And that’s a sight worth talking about.

72. Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?

She feels unhappy working in male-dominated fields.

She is not good at telling stories of the kind.

She finds space research more important.

She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination.

73. From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would attribute the author’s failures to ______.

her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist

the very fact that she is a woman

her involvement in gender politics

the burden she bears in a male-dominated society

74. Why does the author feel great satisfaction when talking about her class?

Her students’ performance has brought back her confidence.

Her female students can do just as well as male students.

More female students are pursuing science than before.

Female students no longer have to bother about gender issues.

75. What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?

A.  Women students needn’t have the concerns of her generation.

Women have more barriers on their way to academic success.

Women now have fewer problems pursuing a science career.

Women can balance a career in science and having a family.

Ⅱ. Grammar and Vocabulary 25%

Part A: Grammar 16%

25. ______ good knowledge of several languages is essential to ______ study of comparative literature because without it one can read books only in translation.

A. A…the                     B. A…/                                      C. The…the                     D. /…/

24．—Mind if I sit here?

— _________．

A.Suit yourself    B．Behave yourself    C．Never mind  D．Help yourself