Forty years ago, Rachel Carson died and the Pittsburgh area lost perhaps its most influential citizen. A native of a Pennsylvania College for Women graduate, Carson published “Silent Spring” in 1962, a work that launched the modern environmental movement and led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as the passage of our major environmental laws.
However, there has been a puzzling and troubling trend in recent years: an attack on her theory by conservatives and the agrochemical (农用化学品) industry. For example, Rush Limbaugh gave the following quiz: “Who caused more deaths: Adolf Hitler or RachelCarson?” Limbaugh's answer was Carson, due to the approximately 100 million deaths from malaria (疟疾) since 1972, the year in which the pesticide (杀虫剂）DDT was banned for use in the United States in part as a result of “Silent Spring.”
Therefore, on this 40th anniversary of Carson's death, we need to take a scientific look at the myths that remain about pesticides.
Myth 1: Pesticide usage has declined since 1962. In fact, pesticide usage has more than doubled since 1962, and the global pesticide industry currently uses over 2.5 million tons of pesticides each year. Even DDT is still used abroad.
Myth 2: Pesticides are safe. In fact, as Carson warned us, these poisonous chemicals are unsafe since they are designed to kill biological organisms, but are often not specific in their targets. Pesticide exposure can cause skin irritation, headache, cancer and even death. According to the WHO, over 25 million people a year in developing countries suffer severe acute pesticide poisonings with over 20,000 deaths.
Of the 80,000 pesticides and other chemicals in use today, 10 percent are recognized as carcinogens (致癌物质). According to recent studies, brain cancer rates are five times higher in homes with “no-pest” strips and six times higher in homes where pets wear flea collars (杀蚤颈圈). Our homes have pesticide concentrations 10 to 100 times higher than outdoors.
So, if Carson were with us today, still battling the agrochemical industry that spent millions of dollars, what would she be advocating? I feel confident that she would be a strong supporter of a new principle of chemical assessment. 
Simply put, this principle requires producers of pesticides to prove that they are safe and necessary before they are put on the market. Our current system puts the burden of proof on government and scientists to prove that a pesticide is dangerous and poses an “unacceptable risk” before it can be pulled from the market.
57. Limbaugh attacked Carson because he thought that _____.
A. “Silent Spring” had caused in part the 100 million deaths from malaria
B. she was supporting the production of poisonous pesticides
C. “Silent Spring” was originated from Hitler’s writings
D. she had not cared for the 100 million deaths from malaria
58. Which of the following is the content of Myth 1?
A. The production of pesticides has doubled during the past 40 years.
B. 2.5 million tons of pesticides have been produced since 1962.
C. The usage of pesticides has been dropping since 1962.
D. Pesticides have become less poisonous since 1962.
59. The author mentions “flea collars” in the sixth paragraph to indicate _____.
A. pesticides contribute to the development of cancer
B. the close connection between them and dog cancer rates
C. the medical effect of flea collars on dogs
D. flea collars contribute to high pesticide concentrations indoors
60. What is the suggested new practice of chemical assessment?
A. Government should prove a pesticide is unsafe.
B. Scientists should be responsible for writing assessment reports.
C. Producers of pesticides should provide proof of their safety.
D. A special committee should be set up for chemical assessment.
C
Of all the things we eat and drink, water is the most important. Not all people realize this, but it is quite true. The human body can live without food for a long time, but two or three days without water usually result in death.
Many people do not understand how much water the human body needs, but many people do not drink enough, especially in the hot weather. Most people drink when they are thirsty but often need more water after exercises.
65 to 70 percent of the human body is water. Water is important in several different ways. Most people need five to seven litres of water every day, but we need not drink this amount because a lot comes from the food we have. If we don’t have enough water, however, we will feel tired and many become ill. Do you know what the best drink is? Yes, you are right. Cold water!
64．Do most people drink five litres of water every day?
A. Yes, because water is the most important
B. No, because what we eat contains water
C. Yes, because we can’t live without water
D. No, because we are not thirsty
65．How much water are there in the human body?
A. About three fourths of the human body is water.
B. Nearly a half of the human body is water.
C. Less than a half of the human body is water.
D. Almost one fourth of the human body is water.
66．When do we need more water?
A. In cold weather or after exercises.
B. In hot weather or after exercises.
C. Before breakfast, lunch and supper.
D. When we feel tired or become ill.
67．Which of the following is not right?
A. Cold water is the best drink.
B. Few people understand how much water the human body needs.
C. Not all the people realize water is the most important.
D. When we feel tired or become ill, we never need any water.
B
About a year ago, I went to stay at a Detroit hotel. I didn’t want to carry too much money with me, so I asked the desk clerk to put a hundred- dollar bill in the safe for me.
The next morning, however, the clerk said he knew nothing about my money. I didn’t have any proof that I had given the man the money. There was nothing I could do but go to the nearest lawyer.
The lawyer advised me to return to the hotel with him and give another hundred-dollar bill to the clerk. This I did. An hour later, I went back to the desk and asked for my money. Since I had the lawyer as an eyewitness to the second hundred-dollar bill, the clerk could not say he knew nothing about it.
Another hour later, I put the second part of the lawyer’s plan into action. This time both the lawyer and I went to the hotel. I asked for the hundred-dollar bill once again, and when the clerk insisted he had already given it to me, I denied（否认）it. The lawyer said to him, “I saw this gentleman give you a hundred dollars. If you don’t hand it over immediately, I’ll be forced to call the police.”
The clerk realized he had been tricked, so he gave me back the first hundred-dollar bill.
“I don’t know how to thank you enough for getting my money back,” I said to the lawyer. And what you suppose he answered?
He said, “Oh, don’t thank me. That will be a hundred dollars, please.”
60. The man went to a Detroit hotel one day to___________.
A. get his money backB. put a hundred-dollar bill in the safe
C. ask to be a desk clerk D. stay for the night
61. The hotel clerk at last returned the first hundred-dollar bill to the man because _________.
A. he knew the lawyer’s plan very well
B. he found the lawyer tricking him
C. he didn’t want to get into trouble with the police
D. he wanted to give the man a surprise
62. Which of the following statements is true?
A. The man didn’t get his 200 dollars back.
B. The lawyer was happy that the man got both his bills back.
C. The lawyer asked for 100 dollars.
D. The man thanked the lawyer by paying him some money.
63．The man was _______.
A. wise B. foolish C. happy D. sad
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
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。
A
Maybe your class in school has given a play. People throughout the world like to act in plays. In Japan, actors perform in Kabuki plays. The word “Kabuki” is made up of three Japanese words meaning song, dance and ability.
Kabuki actors do not look like the actors in American plays. American actors dress and look like real people. In Kabuki plays, the actors wear bright-colored robes and wigs. Their robes are very large, and their wigs do not look like real hair.
American actors wear make-up, but their make-up does not often hide their faces. Kabuki actors paint their faces chalk white. They draw black eyebrows above their real eyebrows. They outline their eyes in black or red. Their mouths are bright red. They look as if they are wearing masks.
An actor performing in an American play must make his face look happy, sad or angry. Make –up helps the Kabuki actor show his feelings. If an actor is going to show anger, he paints dark blue or red lines on his face. His make-up makes him look angry.
American and Kabuki actors perform in different ways. But they both try to please the people who watch them.
56．From the story we may know that .
A．Kabuki actors are afraid to show their real faces.
B．American actors don’t wear make-up.
C．make-up helps a Kabuki actor show his feelings
D．Kabuki actors make up to make the audience angry.
57．To show anger, a Kabuki actor paints .
A．dark blue or red lines on his face B．hair on his head
C．his costume blue D．his eyebrows black
58．The text is mainly about.
A．how the Japanese sing and dance B．why actors look sad or happy
C．a kind of Japanese play D．make-up in plays
59．Why do Kabuki actors wear so much make-up?
A．they do not want anyone to know who they are.
B． It helps them show their feelings in a play.
C．They think it makes them prettier.
D．They want to cover up their true feelings.
E
By far the most common difficulty in studying is simple failure to get down to regular concentrated work. This difficulty is much greater for those who do not work to a plan and have no regular routine (规律性事务) of study. Many students just do a bit of this subject or that, as the mood takes them, or letting their set work pile up until the last possible moment.
Few students work to a set timetable. They say that if they did work out a timetable for themselves they would not keep to it, or would have to change it frequently, since they can never predict from one day to the next what their activities will be.
No doubt some students are more willing to accept a regular routine than others. There are many who shy away from a self-controlled weekly timetable, and dislike being tied down to a fixed program of work. Many able students state that they work in cycles. When they become interested in a topic they work on it attentively for three or four days at a time. On other days they avoid work completely. It has to be admitted that we do not fully understand the motivation to work. Most people over 25 years of age have become used to routine, and the majority of real productive workers set aside regular hours for the more important areas of their work. The “tough-minded” school doesn’t fully accept the idea that good work can only be done naturally, under the influence of inspiration.
Those who believe that they need only work and study as the fit takes them have a mistaken belief either in their own talent or in the value of “freedom”. In fact, freedom from control and discipline leads to unhappiness rather than to “self-expression” or “personality development”. Our society insists on regular habits, timekeeping and punctuality (准时), and whether we like it or not, if we mean to make our way in society, we have to meet its demands.
57．The most widespread problem in applying oneself to study is ______.
A．changing from one subject to another
B．the failure to keep to a set timetable of work
C．the unwillingness to follow a systematic plan
D．working on a subject only when one feels like it
58．Which of the following is true?
A．Many students are not interested in using self-controlled timetable.
B．Many students don’t like being told to study to a fixed timetable.
C．Most people of over 25 years of age don’t work to a set timetable.
D．Tough-minded people agree that good job is done naturally
59．The underlined part “as the fit takes them” in paragraph 4 means ______.
A．when they have the energy B．when they are in the mood
C．when they feel fit D．whey they find conditions are suitable
60．A suitable title for the passage might be ______.
A．Attitudes to Study B．A study Plan
C．The Difficulties in Studying D．Study and Self-discipline
D
Wives, children and parents left behind in the countryside by migrant workers need special assistance, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference said yesterday.
Adult males moving to work in cities, is causing a challenge to the traditional function of bringing up children and supporting the elderly, said Shen Shuji, who is also an official with the All-China Women’s Federation.
Shen recommended certain measures, including a special policy to guarantee educational opportunities for such children, accelerating (加速) the establishment of pension (养老金) and medical care systems in rural areas, and encouraging enterprises and non-governmental organizations to help such families.
The rights and welfare of migrant workers themselves have called much attention in recent years. The government has made policies to protect their rights.
The number of children aged between 6 and 16 in this situation is more than 20 million nationwide, accounting for more than half of the country’s total. Some of the children have both their parents in cities and have to be taken care of by grandparents or other family relatives.
Without enough care from parents, many of them become problem children, Shen said. Wives left at home by their husband have to face hard work, loneliness and a lack of a sense of security. In many cases long-term separation ends up with divorce.
There is still no pension system in China’s countryside. Traditionally, the elderly in rural areas are supported by their children with low incomes.
But the exodus of their children has left many old people in a difficult situation. They have to continue to work in farms while taking care of their grandchildren, Shen said.
The country should gradually scrap (消除) the decades-old bi-polar system separating rural and urban areas, which prevent farmers from enjoying the equal rights.
53．What is the key to solving the problem that wives, children and parents are left behind in the
countryside?
A．Migrant workers should have a higher pay.
B．More profitable policies for migrant workers should be carried out.
C．The government should try to make the countryside catch up with the city.
D．Everyone should give his hand to help migrant workers.
54．We can infer from the passage that ______.
A．enough efforts have been made to improve the situation in the countryside.
B．families in the countryside are often very large.
C．all the children can go to school before long.
D．there is a long way to go before solving the problem
55．Which of the following is NOT the problem of adult males moving to work in cities according to the passage?
A．The broken marriage. B．More problem children.
C．Lack of labour force. D．More deserted land.
56．The underlined word “exodus” probably means ______.
A．poverty B．missing C．absence D．illness