The African elephant,the largest land animal remaining on earth,is of great importance to African ecosystem(生态系统).Unlike other animals,the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment.As a big plant-eater,it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna(大草原) surroundings in which it lives,therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat(栖息地).
It is the elephant’s great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat.In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day,it kills small trees and underbushes,and pulls branches off big trees.This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas.In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters.
Take the rain forests for example.In their natural state,the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor.By pulling down trees and eating plants,elephants make open spaces,allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor.In such situations,the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well.
What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species.If the elephant disappears,scientists say,many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna,greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Disappearance of African elephants. |
| B．Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants. |
| C．The effect of African elephants’ search for food. |
| D．The eating habit of African elephants. |
What does the underlined phrase “setting the terms” most probably mean?
| A．Fixing the time. |
| B．Worsening the state. |
| C．Improving the quality. |
| D．Deciding the conditions. |
What do we know about the open spaces in the passage?
| A．They result from the destruction of rain forests. |
| B．They provide food mainly for African elephants. |
| C．They are home to many endangered animals. |
| D．They are attractive to plant-eating animals of different kinds. |
The passage is developed mainly by______.
| A．showing the effect and then explaining the causes |
| B．pointing out similarities and differences |
| C．describing the changes in spare order |
| D．giving examples |
Car companies are developing vehicles that will plug into electric sockets，just like many laptops，digital cameras，cell phones and Mp4 do．Called“plug-in vehicles”，these cars will get most of their power from electricity. Their drivers won't have to stop at gas stations as often as usual．
The technology is more than just cool. In our car-filled world，plug-in vehicles could reduce the amount of gas we use，which keeps rising in cost now and then. Besides，driving around in these vehicles may even help the environment．Gas-burning cars produce a lot of greenhouse gas，which causes globe warming.
The first company-produced plug-in vehicles could hit the roads by 2010. But engineers still have a lot of work to do to make the technology practical and inexpensive．
Ba
tteries(电池) are the biggest challenge. In the plug-in-vehicle world，Li-ion(锂离子)batteries are getting the most attention．These batteries can store a large amount of energy in a small package，and they last a longer time between charges．Li-ion batteries can fit laptops，cell pho
nes，heart instruments and other similar pocket ones.
But because cars are so big and heavy, it would still require a suitcase-sized Li-ion batteries to power about 12km of driving．What's more，the batteries are much expensive．
“A car filled with batteries could go a long distance，”says Ted Bohn, an electrical engineer in Chicago．“But it couldn't pull any people．and it would cost $100,000．”
So researchers need to work out how to make batteries smaller and cheaper，among other questions.
“The answers don't exist yet，”Bohn says，“As a kid，I thought someone someplace knows the answer to everything．All of these questions haven't been decided．That's what engineering is about-making a guess，running tests and getting fine results．”
72．The passage mainly talks about of a new car
A．the developing B．the speed C．the appearance D．the batteries
72．Which is true according to the passage?
A．The“plug-in vehicles”will use electricity completely as driving power．
B．The new technology will help protect our environment．
C．The technology of using electricity as driving is quite practical now．
D．The biggest challenge of the new technology is that it will cost us more energy．
74．How does Bohn feel about the future of the technology according to the last paragraph?
A．Confident B．Puzzled． C．Worried． D．Disappointed．
75．According to the passage，the new technology is facing the following problems except that．
A．the new technology cannot come into use at present
B．the cost of the new technology is quite high
C．the government won't support the technology
D． the size of the batteries is too big at present
Deserts are found where there is little rainfall or where rain for a whole year falls in only a few weeks' time. Ten inches of rain may be enough for many plants to survive if the rain is spread throughout the year, If it falls, within one or two months and the rest of the year is dry, those plants may die and a dese
rt may form.
Sand begins as tiny pieces of rock that get smaller and smaller as wind and weather wear them down. Sand dunes (沙丘) are formed as winds move the sand across the desert. Bit by bit, the dunes grow over the years, always moving with the winds and changing the shape. Most of them are only a few feet tall, but they can grow to be several hundred feet high.
There is, however, much more to a desert than sand. In the deserts of the southwestern United States, cliffs (悬崖) and deep valleys were formed from thick mud that once lay beneath a sea more than millions of years ago. Over the centuries, the water dried up. Wind, sand, rain, heat and cold all wore away at the remaining rocks. The faces of the desert mountains are always changing –-very, very slowly ---as these forces of nature continue to work on the rock.
Most deserts have a surprising variety of life. There are plants, animals and insects that :have adapted to life in the desert. During the heat of the day' a visitor may see very few signs of living things, but as the air begins to cool in the evening, the desert comes to life. As the sun begins to rise again in the sky, the desert once again becomes quiet and lonely.
68. Many plants may survive in deserts when__________________.
A. the rain is spread out in a year B. the rain falls only in a few weeks
C. there is little rain in a year D. it is dry all the year round
69. Sand dunes are formed when___________________.
A. sand piles up gradually B. there is plenty of rain in a year
C. the s
ea has dried up over the years D. pieces of rock get smaller
70. The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that in a desert there is____________.
A. too much sand B. more sand than before
C. nothing except sand D. something else besides sand
71. It can be learned from the text that in a desert____________.
A. there is no rainfall throughout the year B. life exists in rough conditions
C. all sand dunes are a few feet high D. rocks are worn away only by wind and heat
A small piece of fish each day may keep the heart doctor away. That's the finding of an extensive study of Dutch men in which deaths from heart disease were more than 50 percent lower among those who consumed(消费) at least an ounce of salt water fish per day than those who never ate fish.
The Dutch research is one of three human studies that give strong scientific backing to the long-held belief that eating fish can provide health benefits, particularly to the heart.
Heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States , with more than 550, 000 deaths occurring from heart attacks each year . But researchers previously have noticed that the incidence (发生率)of heart disease is lower in cultures that consume more fish than Americans do. There are fewer heart disease deaths, for example, among the Eskimos of Greenland, who consume about 14 ounces of fish a day, and among the Japanese, whose daily fish consumption averages more than 3 ounces.
During the next two decades, 78 of the men died from heart disease. The fewest deaths were among the group who regularly ate fish, even at levels far lower than those of the Japanese or Eskimos. This relationship was true regardless of other factors such as age , high blood pressure , or blood cholesterol (胆固醇) levels .
64. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The Dutch research has proved that eating fish can help to prevent heart disease.
B. There is a low incidence of heart disease in countries like Japan and Greenland.
C. Among all the diseases heart disease is the most dangerous in America.
D. Heart doctors won’t call your house so long as 
you keep eating fish each day.
65. The underlined phrase “this relationship” refers to the connection between _______ and the incidence of heart disease.
A. the amount of fish eaten B. regular fish-eating
C. the kind of fish eaten D. people of different regions
66. The passage is mainly about __________________.
A. the high incidence of heart disease in some countries
B. the changes in people’s diet in the United States
C. the daily fish consumption of people in different cultures
D. the effect of fish eating regularly on people’s health
67. How many lives could probably be saved each year in the United States by eating fish according to the Dutch study?
A. 550, 000. B. 110,000. C. 275,000. D. 852.
Dear Mr. Thunders,
We would like to introduce ourselves. Our company was organized only two years ago, but we are one of the largest boat companies in California. As you know, your son bought a boat from us recently, and I think you know how pleased h
e is with our product. Also, John Webb, one of your son's friends, has bought a boat from us and, w
e understand, is very happy with his boat. We are always happy to know that our customers are satisfied. We are writing to you now because, as you know, your son has decided to buy a larger boat, and we need your signature on the loan(贷款) papers. The loan application has already been signed b
y Danny. As you will see, there is one form to fill out, and there are three contracts to sign. Danny's 26-foot boat was returned to our San Pedro Dock yesterday, and we are pleased to say that the new 36-foot "Challenger" will be delivered(送达) two weeks from today. It is being inspected by ou
r manager right now. The auto-pilot(自动领航仪) has already been installed by our mechanic. It looks as though everything will be ready in time for delivery. All we need are the signed contracts from you.
Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Tony Valention
59. This is a letter Mr. Thunders received from _______________.
A. Tony Valention in England B. a boat company in California
C. Danny, a salesman in California D. a bank manager in California
60. Tony wrote to Mr. Thunders to ______.
A. tell him to sign the contracts B. thank him for buying a new boat
C. tell about something of his company D. ask him to pay for his boat right away
61. The underlined word “installed” means “______”.
A. fixed B. checked C. bought D. removed
62. From the letter we can see that the boat company ______.
A. is a world-famous one B. is developing slowly
C.doesn't has a long history D. has to advise customers to buy its boats
63. Danny wants to change the 26-foot boat for a new 36-foot "Challenger" because _______.
A. the former one is broken down B. the new one has modern equipment
C. the former one doesn't work well D. the new one is a little larger
第三部分：阅读理解（每小题2分；共40分）
When many people are worried that there are no more heroes in the modern era，two university students who lost their lives to rescue drowning children have shown that heroes still exist．
According to the Inner Mongolia Morning Post，the tragedy（悲剧） occurred on the afternoon of December 14,2002 when three school students skating on a frozen lake in Qingcheng Park in Hohhot fell through the ice into the freezing water．
More than 20 university students who happened to be near the spot immediately went to the rescue of the children．Two children were quickly rescued，but the third died．The child's body was not found for three hours． Two of the rescuers，Liu Ye and Hao Longbiao，also died of cold and exhaustion．The body of Hao who took the lead in jumping into the lake was not found until the next day．
A student who was unwilling to tell his name said he and his classmates from the local college were taking photos at the lake． When they heard the children's cries for help， they went to the ice hole hand in hand to rescue the children． But the ice kept breaking， causing most of them to fall into the icy water．
Local residents held mourning ceremonies（祭奠仪式） at the lake．
Eight of the students were seriously affected by the freezing water and were being kept in hospital for further observation， but their lives were no longer in danger．
56． When the three students fell into water， the university students were ＿＿＿＿＿．
A． skating on the ice B． taking photos at the lake
C． having a picnic D． walking along the lake
57． Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？
A． Three students died on the same day in all．
B． Hao Longbiao’s body was found on December 14,2002．
C． The university students didn’t think it dangerous to save the drowning children in the lake．
D． Local residents were not brave in face of danger．
58． It can be inferred that ＿＿＿＿．
A． people think little of the two university students' death
B． the ice on the lake wasn't strong enough to skate on
C． some students regretted for what they had done
D． heroes don't agree with the steps of modern times