Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men, in which he looked millions of years ahead. He told of different men and of strange civilisations（文明）, broken up by long 'dark ages' in between. In his view, what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men. In 2,000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth or Last Men.
However, most of our ideas about the future are really very short-sighted. Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years. But the next hundred ? The next thousand? The next million? That's much more difficult.
When men and women lived by hunting 50,000 years ago, how could they even begin to picture modern life? Yet to men of 50,000 years from now, we may seem as primitive（原始的）in our ideas as the Stone-Age hunters do to us. Perhaps through the spundels and ballalators, these words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas that we simply can't think of .
So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future ? Here are two reasons. First unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are. If we make the earth a poor place to live because. we are careless or greedy（贪婪） or quarrelsome,our grand-children will not bother to think of excuses for us.
Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we may arrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves. For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now. So set your imagination free when you think about the future .
53．A particular mention made of Stapledon's book in the opening paragraph ____________
A．serves as a description of human history
B．serves an introduction to the discussion
C．shows a disagreement of views
D． Shows the popularity of the book
54．The text discusses men and women 50,000 years ago and 50,000 years from now in order to show that _________.
A．human history is extremely long B．life has changed a great deal
C．it is useless to plan for the next 50 years
D．it is difficult to tell what will happen in the future
55．Spundels and ballalators are used in the text to refer to _________.
A．tools used in farming B．ideas about modern life
C．unknown things in the future D．hunting skills in the Stone Age
56．According to the writer of the text, imagining the future will _________.
A．serve the interests of the present and future generations
B．enable us to better understand human history
C．help us to improve farming
D．make life worth living
第二部分阅读理解(共两节，满分50分)
第一节阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
Mickey’s Goal
Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son’s soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son’s team in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.
With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son’s teammate, Mickey O’ Donnel. With shouts of “Kick it!” echoing（回响）across the playground, Mickey
turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted （沸腾）. O’ Donnel
had scored!m
Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a total hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome（综合症）and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.
The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, “I scored! I scored. Everybody won! Everybody won!” For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five salute and started chanting, “Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!” Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal
Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, “It was a tie. Everybody won.
1．What was the score of the soccer matchm
A．Two to two, equal to both the teams.
B．Three to one in Mickey’s team’s favor.
C．Two to one in the opposite team’s favor.
D．Everybody won because of Mickey’s goal.
2．What did the author worry about when Mickey scored and hugged his son?
A．The result of the match would fail his son.
B．His son would shout at Mickey for his goal.
C．Mickey would again hug the opposing players.
D．His son would understand Mickey’s wrong goal.
3．It can be inferred from the passage that________.
A．both teams liked and respected Mickey.
B．both teams were thankful to Mickey for his goal.
C．Mickey didn’t mind though his goal was wrong
D．Mickey was a kind-hearted boy and hoped everybody won.
4．The purpose of the author in writing the passage is _______.
A．to tell a joke to make readers laugh.
B．to suggest we should not mind losing .
C．to show enjoying a game is more than winning a game
D．to present his son’s fine qualities of understanding others
Mobile phones should be banned from cars altogether, according to Dr Hole, senior lecturer in psychology, Dr Hole has emphasized the worrying combination of mobile phones and cars in his new book, The Psychology of Driving.
Mobile phones, fatigue（疲劳）, eyesight, drugs and age are among the issues considered by Dr Hole as he examines the factors that influence on driving. The book explores the role of each of these elements in increasing the chances of an accident and was inspired by the author’s conversations with road safety experts across the country.
He says: “The government should have banned mobile phones in cars altogether. It has sent out the wrong message by forbidding hand-held phones because this gives the impression that hands-free phones are safe. The problem with mobile phones is not vehicular（车辆的）control and only having one hand on the wheel, but rather it is taking away attention from what is happening outside the car.”
Myths（荒诞的说法）about older people making worse drivers and claims（说法）about an improved reaction time among younger people are explored in the book. Questions about how drivers decide what to attend to while driving, the role of a driver’s expectations in determining what they see and how they respond to the road are among the areas covered in the book. Satellite navigation systems and new design aimed at transforming cars into a mobile office, are among the modern developments which he says now compete for driver’s attention behind the wheel.
Dr Hole says: “We need to be very careful about how we go about handling modern technology in cars, because we are opening a Pandora’s Box. When anyone is driving there is a lot of information outside the car and if there is too much going on inside, then there is a danger of overloading the driver.”
1. Dr Hole’s strong belief that mobile phones should be banned from cars lies in___________.
A. the inconvenience of having only one hand on the wheel caused by mobile phones
B. the correct message of getting rid of hand-held phones sent out by the government
C. the increase of chances of accidents
D. the advice given by some road safety experts
2. Which of the following is not included in his book?
A. Hand-free phones are safer than hand-held phones.
B. What drivers have to attend to while driving.
C. Whether older age and slower reaction is related.
D. Bad eyesight is one of the factors of causing an accident.
3. Which of the following is true?
A. Older people are better at preventing accidents.
B. younger drivers’ reaction time is relatively shorter.
C. It is a myth that some old people can still drive.
D. A driver’s expectations are not covered in the book.
4. What can we know from the underlined sentence?
A. What is going on outside is of equal importance to what inside.
B. Modern developments call for drivers’ attention behind the wheel.
C. Satellite navigation systems require more cars as mobile offices.
D. Modern technology is responsible for the distraction（分心）of one’s attention while driving.
I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route．He replied,“You mean fortunately．”He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided．
My attitude to the hill has now changed．I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following．This hill will exercise my heart and lungs．It will help me to lose weight and get fit．It will mean that I live longer．This hill is my friend．Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I call get the same value for free．I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill．
Problems are there to be faced and overcome．We cannot achieve anything with an easy life．Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree．Her activism and writing proved inspirational．She wrote，“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet．Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened，vision cleared，ambition inspired and success achieved.”
One of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity(逆境)．From time to time we all face hardships，problems．accidents、afflictions and difficulties．Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own．While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it．
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 193l he had both legs cut off following a flying accident．He was deter-mined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans．He was an inspiration to others during the war．He said,“Don't listen to any-one who tells you that you can’t do this or that．That's nonsense．Make up your mind，you'll never use crutches(拐杖)or a stick，then have a go at everything．Go to school，join in all the games you can．Go anywhere you want to．But never，never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
The biographies（传记）of great people are full of examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced．The common thread is that they did not become depressed．They chose their attitude．They chose to be positive．They took on the challenge．They won．
Nevertheless．there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity．
1. Which of the following is true according to the author of the passage?
A．Climbing hills on bicycles is the best way to take exercise．
B．People are silly to pay to go to the gym．
C．Those who want to achieve success can't expect to live all easy lire．
D．People's attitude towards adversity is the only factor that determines whether they will succeed．
2．By quoting what Douglas Bader said，the author intends to tell us“___________．”
A．Failure is the mother of Success．
B．A fall into the pit，a gain in your wit．
C．If you venture nothing，you will have nothing．
D．Nothing is difficult to the man who will try．
3．Following this passage，the author will further talk about___________．
A．how his friend helped him to change his attitude towards the adversity he faced
B．what steps to take to change your attitude towards the adversity you face
C．what great people have in common
D．why it is important to keep optimistic in face of adversity
4．Which of the following can best function as the title of the passage?
A．Face adversity with a smile B．Different attitudes towards adversity
C．Nothing is impossible D．Life is full of adversity
Australians have been warned they face a life or death decision over their water—drink recycled sewage(污水)or die．
With the drought(干旱)continuing，the country is set to be forced to use purified(净化的)waste water for drinking．even though there is great opposition to the measure．
Queensland has become the first state to introduce tile policy after a warning from its premier．
“I think in the end，because of the drought，all of Australia is going to end up drinking recycled purified water．”said Peter Beattie．
“These are difficult decisions，but you either drink water or you die．There’s no choice．It’s liquid gold．It’s a matter of life and death．”
Beanie said Australia's second largest state would become the first to use recycled water for drinking．
Water is recycled in Britain and pans of northern Europe along with the US and Israel．
But Australians have never liked the idea．
To try to change the way Australians think，Prime Minister．John Howard and Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull have adhered to Queensland’s move．
“I am very strongly for recycling and Mr．Beattie is right and I agree with him completely．”Howard said．
“Australian cities．all now facing water shortages because of the worst drought on record．must start to use recycled water．”added Turnbull．“All of our big cities have to widen tile range of water sources to include sources which are not dependent on rainfall．”
1．According to the passage，which of the following is TRUE?
A．Nobody disagrees to the idea of drinking recycled purified water
B．Australia’s second largest state has become tile first state to introduce the policy
C．No other countries but Australia decide to drink recycled water
D．The drought is tile worst one in tile droughts recorded in Australian history．
2．What call we learn from the last paragraph?
A．Australians have never like drinking purified waste water
B．Australians should develop more water sources to live through the hard time
C．Australians can’t depend upon rainwater，which is not suitable for drinking．
D．Australian government has no ability to solve the problem of water shortage
3．The underlined phrase“adhered to”in Paragraph 9 probably means
A．disliked B．gone against C．supported D．doubted
4．It can be inferred from what Premier Peter Beattie said that
A．he gives orders to drink purified waste water
B．It is painful for him to see his people drink recycled sewage
C．If the decision is made，people won’t survive the drought
D．It’s up to you to either make a life or death decision
FAT TIRE
BIKE TOURS
(FORMERLY MIKE’S TOURS—PARIS)
DAY BIKE TOUR
(Reservations（预订）not needed for this tour to visit Paris—you will love this tour!)
Whether you’re new or experienced, our goal is not to provide you with mind-bending dates and boring stories. Instead, we offer you the famous sites, all the education information, lots of unique and fascinating stories, fantastic photo options, a comfortable bike and excellent personal service from your guide. In fact, we want you to love Paris like we do and have a great time doing it!（4 hours）
€22 students, €24 adult (Day & Night combo €44 student, €48 adult)
| March1—May 14 |
11 am |
| May 15—July 31* |
11am and 3pm |
| August 1—November 30 |
11am |
*no tours July 25
NIGHT BIKE TOUR
（Reservations not needed for this tour to visit Paris—you will love this tour!）
Our Night Tour is the way to experience the “City of Light” at its best!
Ride through the Latin Quarter and witness the best nightlife in town. Pedal down the lle de la Cite, along the river and enjoy ice cream at Berthillon (Paris’s most famous ice cream shop). See the Louvre as never before (free concert often included) and relax onboard a boat trip on the Seine. Did we mention free wine is provided on the boat?
Make on mistake—this tour is 100% different form our Day Tour in both route and information. Over 65% of our customers take both tours and we hope you will too. Also, be sure to eat something before coming or the wine may give you an unexpected hit! (4.5 hours)
€26 students, €28 adult (Day & Night combo; €44 student, €48 adult)
| March1—May 31 |
Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 7pm |
| April 1—October 31* |
Everyday 7pm |
| November 1—November 15 |
Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 7pm |
*no tours June 21 & July 14
OUR HEADQUARTERS
0156581054/ www. FatTire Bike Tours Paris. Com/ info@Fat Tire Bike Tours Paris. Com?
1. According to the schedule, which day might be appropriate for a Day & Night Combo?
A. A Saturday in November. B. Any day in June.
C. A Friday in March. D. A Monday in May.
2. If a teacher and his five students plan to visit Paris during daytime, they must pay_________.
A. €268 B. €158 C. €134 D. €142
3. One may taste the best ice cream and enjoy free wine in___________.
A. the Day Bike Tour B. the Night Bike Tour
C. the Tour on the Seine D. the Tour to the Louver
4. The following statements are true EXCEPT___________.
A. For further information, one can call 0156581054.
B. One can attend free concert on the boat trip on the Seine.
C. The route of the Day Bike Tour is totally different from that of the Night Bike Tour.
D. No reservations are needed for attending both the Bike Tours.