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British scientists are breeding a new generation of rice plants that will be able to grow. in soil containing salt water. Their work may enable abandoned farms to become productive farms once more.
Tim Flowers and Tony Yeo, from Sussex University’s School of Biological Sciences,. have spent several years researching how crops, such as rice, could be made to grow in water that has become salty. The pairs have recently begun a three-year programme, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, to establish which genes enable some plants to survive salty conditions. The aim is to breed this capability into crops, starting with rice.
It is estimated that each year more than 10 million hectares (公顷) of agricultural land are lost because salt gets into the soil and stunts(防碍生长) plants. The problem is caused by several factors. In the tropics, mangroves that create swamps (沼泽) and traditionally formed barriers to sea water have been cut down. In the Mediterranean, a series of droughts have caused the water table to drop, allowing sea water to seep (渗透) in. In Latin America, irrigation often causes problems when water is evaporated by the heat, leaving, salt deposits behind.
Excess salt then enters the plants and prevents them functioning normally. Heavy concentrations of minerals in the plants stop them drawing up the water they need to survive.
To overcome these problems. Flowers and Yeo decided to breed rice plants that take in very little salt and store what they do absorb in cells that do not affect the plants’ growth. They have started to breed these characteristics into a new rice crop, but it will take about eight harvests before the resulting seeds are ready to be considered for commercial use.
Once the characteristics for surviving salty soil are known, Flowers and Yeo will try to breed the appropriate genes into all manners of crops and plants. Land that has been abandoned to nature will then be able to bloom again, providing much needed food for the poorer countries of the world.
4. Which of the following statements about Flowers and Yeo is true?
A. They are students at Sussex University.  B. They are rice breeders.
5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of the problem discussed in the passage?
A. Natural barriers to sea water have been destroyed.
B. The water table has gone down after droughts.
C. Sea level has been continuously rising.
D. Evaporation of water leaves salt behind.
6. The word "affect" in Paragraph 5 could be best replaced by________.
A. influence               B. effect               C. stop                    D. present
7. The attitude of the author towards the research project is________.
A. positive                B. negative            C. suspicious             D. indifferent

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Lack of exercise is considered a risk factor for cancer. There is considerable evidence that inactivity is connected with increased risk for lung cancer, breast cancer, etc.
In the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, more than 32,000 people (25,000 men and 7,000 women) were given a preventive medical examination that included a machine exercise test to measure physical fitness. They were given a physical fitness score, with one being the lowest and five being the highest fitness level. Then these people were followed for an average of 8 years. During this time, 179 men and 44 women died of cancer.
Data from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study show people have lower rates of cancer with higher levels of physical fitness. Studies from the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas suggest that men with high fitness levels are less likely to die of cancer.
The Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study also found that fitness level was more important than weight in predicting longevity (长寿). While results showed that fitness and normal weight are the ideal combination, researchers found that men who were fat but performed well in the machine performance had just a slightly increased all-cause death rate, including cancer, compared to the more slim men. The fat, but fit, men particularly lived longer than the slim, but flabby (肌肉松弛的), men.
These statistics called for a warning to the overweight: The first health goal for the overweight should be to become as fit as possible at their current weight.
67. The text mainly talks about________.

A.the effect of exercise on reducing chances of cancer
B.how to lose weight effectively
C.different ways to keep slim
D.fat men live longer than slim ones

68. What’s Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A.The study on the life of the overweight.
B.The study on the relationship between taking exercise and cancer.
C.The study on the ways of losing weight.
D.The study on the effects of machine exercise.

69. Which of the following is NOT true according to Paragraph 4?

A.Fitness levels have more effects than weight on people’s longevity.
B.A man who is fit and has normal weight is most likely to live longer.
C.Slim men are more likely to live longer.
D.Fat people who like exercising are also likely to live longer.

70. The author thinks the most important thing for the overweight is to ______.

A.increase their fitness levels B.choose to eat vegetables
C.be on a diet D.ask for help from doctors

Just when scientists think they have discovered and recorded every species of insect that crawls the earth they find something new. Earlier this month, Peter Jager, the head of Frankfurt’s Senckenberg Research Institute reported the discovery of a unique eyeless spider.
The creature that has a leg span (跨度) of six centimeters and a body size of just twelve millimeters was found in a cave inside the tiny nation of Laos, in Southeast Asia. It was identified as a member of the Huntsman spider, a large family that consists of 1100 species. However, the other members of the family all have eyes. The spider is the first one that has no eyes. They believe that the kind of spider has adapted to the fact that they do not really need the eyes to such a degree that they have dispensed with them altogether.
But they are not the only creature to have done that. Over the years, scientists have discovered completely blind cave fish, and even a freshwater crab, which happens to live in the same cave as this eyeless spider!
Surrounded by Burma and China on the northwest, Vietnam on the east, Cambodia on the south and Thailand on the west, the landlocked nation of Laos is filled with a large number of new and exotic (新奇的) species. In the last few years researchers have discovered the Saola—never-before-seen antelope-like creature, a small deer species called muntjacs, a tiny stripped rabbit and a rock rat that was thought to have been extinct 11 millions years ago. In addition to that it is also home to over one hundred species of large mammals ranging from tigers to macaques and over 165 species of amphibians (两栖动物) and reptiles like the terrible King cobra and the noisy Tokay gecko, a permanent resident inside most Laos households.
64. Which of the following is the best title of passage?

A.Laos full of a large number of exotic species
B.Laos popular with plenty of strange species
C.Every species of insect discovered and recorded by scientists
D.World’s first eyeless spider discovery in Southeast Asia.

65. What does the second paragraph mainly tell us about the unique eyeless spider?

A.The eyesight, identification and family members.
B.The size, identification and the reason for being eyeless
C.The body, species and living environment
D.The size, identification and the species

66. The underlined part “dispensed with” (in 2nd Para) means _________.

A.got rid of B.put up with C.carried away D.taken no notice of

Worried about how many calories you will get in that piece of pizza, chocolate cake or bag of chips? A new iphone application Mealsnap may help. Users just need to take a picture of the meal with the phone, and it will give a calorie read-out almost immediately.
Mealsnap was developed by DailyBurn, a health social network that focuses on helping its users lead healthier lifestyles. It has created several other health and diet-related iphone applications. The applications gives users a quick reply. To do that, it matches the taken picture to a databank containing the calorie information of nearly 500,000 kinds of food. Users then get the range of calories for the meal that is photographed.
We started with something simple — an apple. A couple of minutes later the application replied that it was an apple and between 64 and 96 calories. More impressive was the reply we received after sending a photo of mixed salad bowl. Mealsnap replied that the bowl contained “yellow rice with corn, boiled eggs and beans” and that the food was between 532 and 798 calories.
Mr. Smith, director of DailyBurn, said that usual calorie counting needed a long time, but that the application made it easier to know the calories in food. That’s why it is so popular among those who are trying hard to lose weight.
In addition, Mealsnap can serve as a food diary. No need to write down what they’ve eaten, the photos will be stored. Then users can keep a visual log (记录). Mr. Smith said: “It’s like a food journal, but easier. All you do is to take the picture. The simple act of recording something can cause a psychological change that can help people on their health journey. Knowing the calorie range makes me think more about what I’m eating.
60. The purpose of DailyBurn is to _______.

A.help people have a healthy life
B.make iphone more popular
C.help people find ways to lose weight
D.persuade people to buy iphone products

61. We can know from the passage that Mealsnap is ________.

A.a camera B.a phone C.a calculator D.an application

62. What can be learned from the third paragraph?

A.Mealsnap can also tell what the food is.
B.Mealsnap is only useful for simple things.
C.The result of Mealsnap isn’t always right.
D.Mealsnap needs a long time to show the calorie range.

63. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A.Mealsnap iphones work as a health signal
B.Mealsnap iphones offer you a health signal
C.Mealsnap iphones — the best-selling phones
D.Mealsnap iphones count your calories

I never thought I would have a life-changing experience at Wal-Mart.
Although my thoughts were only on speed, the checkout line I was standing in wasn’t moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier. There stood a man in his seventies, wearing glasses and a nice smile. I thought, well, he’s an old guy!
For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before scanning the items. Sure, his words were the usual, “How’s it going?” But he did something different—he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation.
I thought it was odd (古怪的). I have grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of robotic conversational habit. After a while, you don’t give any thought to the question and just say something back. I could say, “I just found out I have six months to live,” and someone would reply, “Have a great day!”
But that wasn’t the end. He gave them the change, walked around the counter, and extended his right hand in an act of friendship. He looked the customers in the eyes. “I sure want to thank you for shopping here today,” he told them. “You have a great day. Bye-bye.”
The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless. There were smiles and some sheepish grins (咧嘴一笑). All had been touched by his simple gesture—and in a place they never expected. They would gather their things and walk out, smiling.
Of course, he did the same to me and I got to know his name, Marty.
56. The checkout line the writer was standing in moved slower than expected because ________.

A.the cashier couldn’t work as fast as others
B.there were some big purchases
C.the cashier did more than scanning the items
D.the writer was not patient enough

57.According to the writer, when common people ask you “How’s it going?”________.

A.they don’t really care what you may answer
B.they are just practicing their conversation ability
C.they are asking about your private information
D.they don’t expect to hear any negative answers

58.What was most customers reaction on Marty’s behaviors?

A.They thought it priceless. B.They were in some way moved.
C.They thought it awful and odd. D.They felt somewhat annoyed..

59.What does the writer intend to express through the text?

A.Our everyday life is always full of surprises.
B.Most customers enjoy being treated this way.
C.Being different is a good way of doing business.
D.A little positive action can make a big difference.

[1] Scientist proves better busy than doing nothing, research has found. Keeping the mind occupied with tasks—no matter how meaningless—keeps off negativeemotions, the study found.
[2] However, the bad news is that humans seem born to be lazy in order to save energy, according to Professor Christopher Hsee, a behavioural scientist at Chicago University.
[3] In a study 98 students were asked to complete two surveys. After they had completed the first they were made to wait 15 minutes to receive the next one. They were given a choice of either handing in the first survey nearby or at a more distant location they had to walk to. Whichever choice they chose, they received a chocolate bar. Two-thirds (68 per cent) chose to take a shortcut. Those who had taken the walk reported feeling happier than those who had stayed put. Prof Hsee concluded __________________ helped keep people happy.
[4] He said the findings, reported in the journal Psychological Science, had policy guidance. "Governments may increase the happiness of idle(闲散的)citizens by having them build bridges that are actually useless", he suggested.
[5] At the individual level, he advised: "Get up and do something. Anything. Even if there really is no point to what you are doing, you will feel better for it." He added, "By the way, thinking deeply or busy with self-reflection counts as keeping busy, too. You do not need to be running around—you just need to be busy, either physically or mentally."
What is the purpose of the text? (no more than 8 words)
____________________________________________________________________________
Why did two-thirds (68 per cent) choose to take a shortcut? (no more than 8 words)
____________________________________________________________________________
Fill in the blank in Paragraph 3 with proper words. (no more than 2 words)
____________________________________________________________________________
What does the word “it” in Paragraph 5 probably refer to? ( no more than 2 words)
____________________________________________________________________________
What is the main idea of the last paragraph? (no more than 10 words)
____________________________________________________________________________

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