Global warming is when the earth heats up, the temperature rises. It happens when greenhouse gases ---carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide(二氧化氮), and methane(沼氣) trap heat and light from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere, which increases the temperature. This is like when heat is trapped in a car. On a very hot day, the car gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot. This is because the heat and light from the sun can get into the car, by going through the windows, but it can’t get back out. Once the light is inside the car, it is trapped and the heat builds up, just like it does in the earth’s atmosphere. This is what the greenhouse effect does to the earth. The heat and light can get through the atmosphere, but it can’t get out. As a result, the temperature rises.

   Sometimes the temperature can change in a way that helps us. The greenhouse effect makes the earth appropriate for people to live on. Without it, the earth would be freezing, or on the other hand it would be burning hot. We would not get the sun’s heat and light to make the night somewhat warm. During the day, especially during the summer, it would be burning because the sun would be up with no atmosphere to filter(過(guò)濾) it, so people, plants, and animals would be exposed to all the light and heat.

  Although the greenhouse effect makes the earth able to have people living on it, if there gets to be too many gases, the earth can get unusually warmer, and many plants, animals, and people will die. They would die because there would be less food(plants like corn, wheat, and other vegetables and fruits). This would happen because the plants would not be able to take in the heat. This would cause us to have less food to eat, but it would also limit the food that animals have. Gradually, people, plants, and animals would all die of hunger.

   People are doing many things to try stop global warming. One thing people are doing is carpooling. Carpooling is driving with someone to a place that you are both going to. This minimizes the amount of greenhouse gases put into the air by a car. Another thing that people are doing is being more careful about leaving things turned on like the television, computer, and the lights. A lot of people are taking time away from the television, and instead, they are spending more time outdoors. This helps our planet out a lot. Now, more people are even riding buses, walking to school, and riding their bikes to lower the amount of greenhouse gases in the air.

   Planting trees and recycling also help. If you recycle, less trash goes to the dump, and less trash gets burned. As a result, there are fewer greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Although adults do many things to help stop global warming, kids can do just as much.

68. By the example given in paragraph 1, the author wants to _______.

A. say that there are greenhouse gases in every car

B. show his feeling in a car in hot summer

C. tell us cars are causes of greenhouse gases

D. explain how greenhouse gases work

69. What is the effect of atmosphere?

A. It only traps the heat of the sun.

B. It makes the earth neither too hot nor too cold.

C. It works the same way as greenhouse gases.

D. It prevents all the light from the sun shining on the earth.

70. What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

A. Although greenhouse effect is necessary, too much of it causes us to die.

B. Human beings are likely to disappear from the earth.

C. Crops can’t take the heat if there is greenhouse effect.

D. If there is greenhouse effect, all the plants will die.

71. What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?

A. Why cars and buses pollute the air a lot.

B. What global warming is doing to the environment.

C. What kids can do to help stop global warming.

D. Who should be responsible for the environmental problems.

A Book Review—The Snake-Stone by Berlie Doherty

The setting: Urban England (the cities), but also rural England (the countryside) including remote English villages.

The theme: The main theme is a teenage research of self-discovery, in this case the search for a mother from whom the hero was separated at an early age. Its other concerns are love, getting on with others, being persistent and courageous and trying to deal with doubts, troubles and worries. As the book moves to a close, James’ swimming coach says to him: “You are not like a kid obeying instructions any more. You are diving like a young man who knows where he is going.”

The characters: James is the hero of the story. He is a championship diver, and has a comfortable life with his foster parents (養(yǎng)父母). Yet he also has the qualities to take him on a long journey to find his birth mother. The other characters in The Snake-Stone, James’ parents, his diving instructor, best friend, the villagers, people he meets on his journey, are pictured realistically.

The turning point: The turning point in the story comes while James’ foster parents are away in London, and he wonders about the identity of his birth mother. The only clue he has is a fossil, “the snake stone” which she left behind along with a note on which she had written: “Take good care of Sammie. It was written on a torn envelope with parts of an address still there.

The journey: Instead of going to London, James decides to find his birth mother. With help from his geography teacher, James sets out for the remote country village where his mother might be found. James has painful, challenging, but also humorous and happy travels. The mother he finally meets, Anne, has a minor yet powerful voice in the novel. He comes to understand why she left him at a stranger’s door fifteen years before. Although the meeting is not long, it leaves him with a feeling of completeness. As a journey of self-discovery The Snake-Stone also provides its readers with a happy ending. Its hero says, on returning to his foster parents, “I was home.”

64. What is the main theme of the novel?

       A. Life with foster parents.                                B. Life in the world of diving.      

    C. A travel around the country.               D. A journey of self-discovery.

65. What do the coach’s words in Paragraph 2 suggest?

       A. James is an independent young man.        B. James is a hopeful swimmer.

       C. James is an outgoing young man.                   D. James is a successful diver.

66. The snake stone in the novel is        .

      A. a stone with an address on it                         B. a gift from the swimming coach

       C. a clue left by the birth mother              D. a fossil left by the foster parents

67. It can be concluded that James’ journey is _________.

       A. boring                                     B. worthwhile

       C. comfortable                                D. disappointing

Top lists are lecturing people on everything from"100 books to read ". Aren't you just tired of being told what to do with your time?

Now you have a list to end all lists!

Take a look at the following two examples from the list of "101 things not to do":

Swim with Dolphins（海豚）？

   Swimming with dolphins is one of the world’s most profitable tourist activities. However, every dolphin will welcome having their busy ,tiring day interrupted by tourists screaming pushing around them in the water. Worse yet, when dolphins get too near to the boats loaded tourists, they could get caught up in ropes and killed by propellers(螺旋槳).

Here’s a little secret. Dolphins look like smiling at you, but actually they’re just opening mouths.

Go to See the Mona Lisa?

There must be something about the mysterious(神秘的)smile. The 6 million people who the lady in the Louvre every year can’t all be wrong after all. But they can be quite anno standing in front of you, holding up their cameras to prevent you from seeing anything. In fact hard for you to see the painting clearly because you have to stay away from it for security read. After queuing for hours, many tourists can remain in front of the painting only for 15 seconds most.

If the mysterious lady in the picture knew her fate, she wouldn’t just be smiling, she laughing.

So, still long to see the Mona Lisa? If you want to find out more about the list, read 101 Tings NOT to Do Before You Die. Visit www.not2dobeforeidie.co.uk and buy the book at a 20％ discount.

60. According to the passage, swimming with dolphins________.

      A. is the world’s most popular tourist activity

      B. can cause danger to dolphins

      C. will make tourists busy and tired

      D. gives fun to both tourists and dolphins

61. What does the author think about going to see the Mona Lisa?

      A. It is wrong to go and see the mysterious smile.

      B. Fifteen seconds in front of the painting is enough.

      C. It is not as satisfying as expected.

      D. Queuing for hours is worthwhile.

62. The list of “101 things not to do” is made most probably because its author_______.

      A. thinks it boring to do the things suggested by other lists

      B. wants to provide a list different from other lists

      C. intends to persuade people to read more lists

      D. believes other lists are not humorous enough

63. What is the main purpose of the passage?

      A. To recommend tourist activities.

      B. To comment on popular lists

      C. To introduce a website

      D. To advertise a book

　 One morning a few years ago, Harvard President Neil Rudenstine overslept. For this busy man, it was a sort of alarm: after years of non-stop hard work, he might wear himself out and die an early death.
　 Only after a week’s leave — during which he read novels, listened to music and walked with his wife on a beach — was Rudenstine able to return to work.
　 In our modern life, we have lost the rhythm between action and rest. Amazingly, within this world there is a universal but silly saying: “I am so busy.”
　 We say this to one another as if our tireless efforts were a talent by nature and an ability to successfully deal with stress. The busier we are, the more important we seem to ourselves and, we imagine, to others. To be unavailable to our friends and family, and to be unable to find time to relax — this has become the model of a successful life.
　 Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the guide telling us where to go, the food providing us with strength, the quiet giving us wisdom.
　 How have we allowed this to happen? I believe it is this: we have forgotten the Sabbath, the day of the week — for followers of some religions — for rest and praying. It is a day when we are not supposed to work, a time when we devote ourselves to enjoying and celebrating what is beautiful. It is a good time to bless our children and loved ones, give thanks, share meals, walk and sleep. It is a time for us to take a rest, to put our work aside, trusting that there are larger forces at work taking care of the world.
　 Rest is a spiritual and biological need; however, in our strong ambition to be successful and care for our many responsibilities, we may feel terribly guilty when we take time to rest. The Sabbath gives us permission to stop work. In fact, “Remember the Sabbath” is more than simply permission to rest; it is a rule to obey and a principle to follow.
56. The “alarm” in the first paragraph refers to “_______”.
A. a warning of danger　　　　 B. a spread of disease
C. a sign of age　　　　　　　 D. a signal of stress

57.According to Paragraph 4, a successful person is one who is believed to _______.
A. be busy working without time to rest
B. be able to work without stress
C. be more talented than other people

D. be more important than anyone else
58. Some people feel guilty when taking time to rest because they _______.
A. think that taking a rest means lacking ambitions
B. think that taking a rest means being lazy
C. fail to realize that religions force them to rest
D. fail to realize that rest is an essential part of life
59. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. It is silly for anyone to say “I am so busy.”
B. The Sabbath gives us permission to rest.
C. We should balance work with rest.
D. We should be available to our family and friends.

    That holiday morning I didn’t have to attend school. Usually, on holidays, Mother   36   me to sleep in. And I would certainly take full advantage of it. On this particular morning, ___37 ___ ,I felt like getting up early.

I stood by my window overlooking the ___38___, having nothing better to do. But as it turned out, I was soon to learn about something ___ 39 ___ in life.

As I watched several people go by, get into their cars and go off, I ___40___ an old man on a bicycle with a bucket on its ___41___ and a basket rags and bottles on its back-carriage. He ___42___ from one car to another, washing and cleaning them. From the water on the ground, it seemed that he had already ___43___ washing and cleaning about a dozen or more cars. He must have begun to work quite early in the morning.

Several thoughts ___44___my mind as I watched him work. He wasn’t well-dressed. He had on a pair of shorts and a(n) ___45___ T-shirt. The bicycle he rode was not by any means the kind modern ___46___would want to be seen riding on. But he seemed ___47___ with life. There he was, working hard at his small business, ___48___ at passers-by and stopping to chat now and then ___49___ elderly men and women on their way to the market nearby.

There was a noticeable touch of___50___ in the way he seemed to be doing things— ___51___the windscreen (擋風(fēng)玻璃), then standing back to admire it; scrubbing (擦凈) the wheels and ___52___, standing back to see what they look like after the scrub.

It was a ___53___ to learn, I felt. At no age need one have to beg for a ___54___if one has good health and is willing to work hard. For a while I felt ___55__ of myself. Young as I am—just sixteen, and there was this old man who must have been usefully engaged perhaps before the sun appeared above the horizon.

36．A．forces                   B．causes                  C．a(chǎn)llows                  D．forbids

37．A．otherwise              B．however                C．therefore               D．besides

38．A．market           B．bus stop               C．school                  D．parking lot

39．A．useful              B．surprising             C．a(chǎn)wful                     D．interesting 

40．A．a(chǎn)ssisted                  B．recognized             C．called                    D．noticed

41．A．back                    B．wheel                    C．handle                   D．seat

42．A．searched               B．moved                  C．left                        D．wandered

43．A．finished             B．started                  C．intended                 D．stopped

44．A．inspired                 B．slipped                  C．disturbed               D．crossed

45．A．a(chǎn)ttractive             B．simple                  C．shiny                    D．expensive

46．A．cyclists             B．businessmen          C．drivers                  D.  repairmen

47．A．busy                     B．careful                   C．content                 D．bored

48．A．pointing               B．looking                 C．laughing                D．waving

49．A．a(chǎn)bout                   B．with                    C．for                        D．like

50．A．pride                    B．respect                 C．sympathy              D．worry

51．A．covering               B．fixing                   C．replacing               D．cleaning

52．A．still                      B．a(chǎn)gain                   C．yet                        D．soon

53．A．fact                       B．subject                  C．skill                       D．lesson

54．A．business              B．success                 C．living                    D．right

55．A．a(chǎn)shamed               B．doubtful                C．fearful                   D．tired

 It doesn’t matter ________ you pay by cash or credit card in this store.

A. how               B. what                      C. whether                        D. why

 Maria has written two novels, both of _____ have been made into television series.
A. them                    B. which                         C. that                      D. what

Armed with the information you have gathered, you can_______ preparing your business plan.

　 A. set about B. set out C. set off D. set up

      Brown said he was by no means annoyed;_____ he was glad to be able to make himself clearly understood.

   A. all in all                 B. for one thing            C. by the way            D. on the contrary

Studying Wendy's menu, I found that many of the items are similar to______ of McDonald's.

   A. all              B. any                                C. ones                   D. those