It is one of the greatest mysteries of nature. In case you haven’t noticed, all living things follow very definite, individual rhythms, all as regular as a clock, but what makes them regular?
Though many scientists maintain that these rhythms are the result of some outside force like gravity or radiation or both, the results of most scientific researches agree with other scientists who believe that each living thing has its own built-in biological “time clock.”
Take the mystery of migration for example. Scientists can’t really explain why many species of birds migrate in the autumn even though the temperature is still summery. The birds just seem to snub the comfortable weather that they are having. When a certain time comes, they travel south by the thousand. In spring time, they migrate northwards even though there probably is snow still covering the ground when they finally arrive. Something said “go,” and they did.
Animals that hibernate (冬眠) are obeying individual time clocks, too. When their clock indicates the time to take a winter’s nap, they do, and nothing can stop them. At a certain time in the spring, they wake up and come out regardless of the weather outside.
Plants appear to have yearly rhythms, such as the sprouting of seeds, and they also have daily rhythms. Notice sometimes that plants raise their leaves in daylight and lower them at night.
If you live along the California coast, you can easily observe a demonstration of this mysterious clock functioning regularly. There, from February to September, the highest tides occur exactly every fourteen and four-fifths days, and during these high tides, but at no other time, small silvery fish called grunions surf-ride a wave to the beach. There the female deposits her eggs in the sand and the male fertilizes them; then both hitch a wave-ride back to the sea. Exactly fourteen and four-fifths days later, never before or after, the tiny eggs hatch, and the high tide carries the new babies out to sea.
72. According to the passage, the mysterious rhythms result from ______.
A. the influence of gravity on living species
B. the effect of radiation on living species
C. the influence of a mysterious outer force on living species
D. the internal mechanism inside the living species
73. The underlined word “snub” in the third paragraph probably means ______.
A. fight B. ignore C. symbolize D. criticize
74. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
A. Hibernating animals are obeying an internal time clock.
B. The positioning of the leaves of some plants is due to the daily rhythms.
C. The internal clock functioning is demonstrated in the reproducing habits of grunions.
D. The yearly hibernation is more because of the weather influence than the biological functioning.
75. The passage is mainly about ______.
A. the rhythms of life
B. the reasons of mysterious hibernation
C. strange behaviors of species
D. the timing for different events in the world of species
The need to feed a growing population is putting much pressure on the world’s supply of water. With 97% of the world’s water too salty to be drunk or used in agriculture, the worldwide supply of water needs careful management, especially in agriculture. Although the idea of a water shortage seems strange to someone fortunate enough to live in a high rainfall country, many of the world’s agricultural industries experience water shortages from time to time.
Although dams can be built to store water for agricultural use in dry areas and dry seasons,
the costs of water redistribution(重新分配) are very high. Not only is there the cost of the engineering itself, but there is also an environmental cost to be considered.Where valleys are flooded to create dams, houses are lost and wildlife homes destroyed. Besides, water may flow easily through pipes to fields, but it cannot be transported from one side of the world to the other.Each country must therefore rely on the management of its own water to supply its farming
requirements.
This is particularly troubling for countries with agricultural industries in areas dependent on irrigation. In Texas, farmers' overuse of irrigation water has resulted in a 25% reduction of the water stores. In the Central Valley area of southwestern USA, a huge water engineering project provided water for farming in dry valleys, but much of the water use has been poorly managed.
Saudi Arabia's attempts(尝试) to grow wheat in desert areas have seen the pumping of huge quantities of irrigation water from underground reserves(水库). Because there is no rainfall in these areas, such reserves can only decrease, and it is believed that fifty years of pumping will see them run dry.
72. From the first two paragraphs we learn that _____.
A. much of the world’s water can be used by us right now
B. people in high rainfall countries feel lucky to be there
C. the costs of water redistribution should be considered
D. water can be easily carried through pipes across the world
73. Which of the following is TRUE?
A. The water stores in Texas have been reduced by 75%.
B. Most industries in the world suffer from water shortages.
C. Underground water in Saudi Arabia might run out in 50 years.
D. Good management of water resulted from the Central Valley project.
74. What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
A. Steps to improving water use management.
B. Ways to reduce the costs of building dams.
C. Measures to deal with worldwide water shortages.
D. Ways to deal with the pressure on water supply.
75. The text is mainly about _____.
A. water supply and increasing population
B. water use management and agriculture
C. water redistribution and wildlife protection
D. water shortages and environmental protection
What's the furthest you have ever cycled? Perhaps you cycle to school or to work, or maybe at most a short cycling trip with friends? How would you feel about spending months on the road travelling on your own from the UK to China, by bike?
For the British cyclist Pete Jones, camping in the wild and cycling long distances through inhospitable terrain are his second nature. An experienced explorer through places such as the Tianshan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau, Mr. Jones is currently taking a great journey across the Eurasian continent from Britain to China.
Having lived on and off(断断续续地) in Xinjiang for three years, and having visited the country many times since 1992, Pete Jones is no stranger to China. But he says many people there are puzzled by his strong love for cycling, asking why he would choose to cycle when he can afford a car. Indeed, while there are about 400 million bicycles in China, where it has long been the preferred means of transport, rapid economic growth has caused an rapid development in car ownership.
Edward Genochio, another British cyclist who completed a 41,000km trip to China and back, said one of his goals was to "tell people cycling is a safe, sustainable and environmentally friendly means of getting about."
In the UK, the last few years have seen a rise in the number of people choosing two wheels over four, with some estimates(估计) saying the number of people cycling to work has almost doubled in the last five years.
Politicians also see cycling as a way to prove that they are concerned about the environment, with people such as London mayor Boris Johnson often riding to work by himself. But we may have to wait some time before we see him emulating(效仿) Pete Jones in attempting to cycle all the way to China.
68. From this passage we can know the following EXCEPT that _____.
A. Pete Jones has travelled through the Tianshan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau
B. in the past few years more UK people have changed their means of transport to work
C. most Chinese people can understand why Pete Jones is so crazy about cycling
D. Edward Genochio is a cyclist from Britain who has been to China by riding a bike
69. We can infer from the passage that _____.
A. Pete Jones’s desire for cycling led to his staying in China for three years
B. now the number of Chinese people owning cars is larger than those owning bikes
C. London mayor Boris Johnson will emulate Pete Jones to cycle to China in the future
D. Both British common people and politicians see riding bikes as a good means of transport
70. The underlined phrase “inhospitable terrain” in the second paragraph most probably means
______.
A. places where you can find modern cities B. places that are unsuitable for people to live in
C. places where there are many people D. places that are far away from modern cities
71. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Pete Jones has come to China many times by riding the bicycle.
B. More Chinese people own private cars as a result of economic growth.
C. More British people prefer bicycles as they can’t afford to drive now.
D. Before long, more people will ride bicycles to China following Pete and Edward.
A volcaniceruptioninIcelandhassentashacrossnorthernEurope. Airlines have stopped or changedtheflightsacrosstheAtlanticOcean,leavinghundredsofpassengersstuckinairports.
Grimsvotnisoneofthelargestandmostactivevolcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvom different is that it lies under a huge glacier(冰川) of ice up to 12 meters thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer(层) of water between the glacier and the volcano. This layer of water puts pressure on the volcano, keeping it still. As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava(岩浆) from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what happened today.
Now, airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. According to KLM, one of Europe's biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane's engines, causing damage to the plane.
The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp,
glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them
from eating ash-covered grass or the sharp object. w_
64. What makes Grimsvotn different from other volcanoes?
A. It is below ice. B. It lies under the sea.
C. It is the largest volcano. D. Its lava affects the airlines.
65. _____ keeps Grimsvotn still.
A. The slow flow of water B. The low water temperature
C. The thick glacier D. The water pressure
66. Which of the following is the result of the volcanic eruption?
A. People stop traveling in Europe. B. Airlines suffer from the loss of planes.
C. It is dangerous for animals to eat out. D. Farmers have lost many of their animals.
67. This text is most probably taken from_____.
A. a research paper B. a newspaper report
C. a class duty report D. a geography textbook
Everyone knows the smart black-and-white dog that sits on top of a red doghouse with his best friend ---- a bird called Woodstock.
Created by the American cartoonist Charles Schulz in 1950, the clever dog is loved by generations of kids and adults. He speaks more than 20 languages and appears daily in 26,000 newspapers around the world.
When Snoopy first appeared, he was no different from other pet dogs. But two years later, he had begun to speak in thought bubbles with simple words and sounds. By 1957 he could walk on two legs and was going to school with his master, Charlie Brown, who fails at just about everything. Later he learned to use the typewriter.
Snoopy has done lots of jobs. He has been a bow-tie wearing lawyer, a tennis player, an Olympic figure skater, a world famous grocery checkout clerk, a pilot and even the first astronaut on the moon.
However, Snoopy has always dreamed of being a famous writer. The beginning of his story is always, “It was a dark and stormy night…” Unfortunately for him no one has ever wanted to publish the story.
In love, Snoopy is as much of a failure as Charlie Brown is at baseball. He easily falls in love but always has his heart broken. He eats to forget, but it never works.
Snoopy is an insightful(有洞察力的), feel-good and sometimes sad dog. If you think a little about his words, you might find them full of life lessons. Among his most famous lines are “To live is to dance, to dance is to live.” And “Yesterday I was a dog. Today I’m a dog. Tomorrow I’ll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There’s so little hope for advancement.”
60. From the passage, we can learn that ________.
A. Snoopy is always a sad dog
B. Snoopy can't speak in the beginning
C. Snoopy often dreams of true love
D. Snoopy is a real smart pet dog
61. Snoopy has done all the following jobs EXCEPT ________.
A. a lawyer B. a player C. a clerk D. a writer
62. It can be inferred that Snoopy ________.
A. has many bird friends and relatives B. is a well-known writer and clerk
C. has been unfortunate since it was born D. is very popular in the whole world
63. The underlined word “advancement” in the last paragraph probably means ________.
A. success B. progress C. growth D. popularity
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A straight-A student got a C in cooking class and didn't like it. She didn't like it so much that her dad filed a complaint in court about it. He says that the teacher, who is white, discriminated against（歧视） his daughter, who is black. He hopes to have her grade changed from a C to an A and asks for uncertain ecnomic damages.
Virginia Brown is in the ninth grade at Ashley High School. Since her first year in school, she has had perfect attendance and all her grades have been A's. Virginia's father said her heart was broken when she got the C.
"She cried the whole weekend," he said. "She wouldn't come out of her room. Her eyes were
red and puffy. My little girl hasn’t been this upset since her cat got killed by a car when she was 6 years old."
Virginia is a model student. She's the class monitor. She's on the swim team, the volleyball team, and the track team. She also goes to the chess club. She is a member of the Girl Scouts and sings in her church choir.
The home economics teacher is 28-year-old Jessica Smith. This is her first year teaching. Ms. Smith said that discrimination was clearly not the truth. “Some of my best friends are African-Americans," she said. “This isn’t a black and white problem. Everybody in America wants to sue（控告） everybody else. I’m going to sue them for defamation（诽谤） of character and whatever else my lawyer comes up with.”
56. Mr. Brown was upset because ________.
A. his daughter did a poor job in cooking class
B. he was not satisfied with Ms. Smith’s work
C. he thought the teacher looked down on his daughter
D. he was afraid his daughter couldn’t go to a good university
57.According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?
A.Virginia Brown is an excellent student.
B.Ms. Smith is an experienced teacher.
C.Virginia Brown feels sad about the grade.
D.The father isn't happy with the teacher.
58. Ms. Smith was _____ about Mr. Brown’s accusation(指控).
A. worried B. angry C. calm D. afraid
59. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Black Girl Discriminated by White Teacher
B. Straight-A Girl Poor at Cooking
C. School Girl Puts Her Teacher to Court
D. Students And Teachers Are Equal