B
Far from the land of Antarctica, a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.
For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secret. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer.
Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point.
The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88℃ and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05℃. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.
The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange thing made up of a protein never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.
Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content, it is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein. Or AFGP.
55. What is the text mainly about?
A. The terrible conditions in the Antarctic.
B. A special fish living in freezing waters.
C. The ice shelf around Antarctica.
D. Protection of the Antarctic cod.
56. Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?
A. The seawater has a temperature of -1.88℃.
B. It loves to live in the ice-salt mixture.
C. A special protein keeps it from freezing.
D. Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05℃.
57. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
A. A type of ice-salt mixture. B. A newly found protein.
C. Fish blood. D. Sugar molecule.
58. What does “glyco-” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean?
A. sugar B. ice C. blood D. molecule
Here is some news of the future.
March 20, 2035
There was a lot of news around the life extension drugs that hit the market a decade ago. They didn't promise that you would like forever, but they gave you a chance to extend your life an extra five to ten years. Even though the life expectancy rate at birth has increased greatly, the life expectancy for seniors hasn't improved that much. Basically, you have a greater chance to become a senior, but you will not have a much longer lifespan, and this is where the anti-aging drugs intend to kick in. So, do the anti-aging drugs work? Well，it is too early to tell. But the sales so far are very good.
April 19, 2035
Of the total US population of 378 million, people over 65 years of age now make up 20% for the first time. The senior ratio of only 4.1% by year 1900, and 12.4% 30 years ago.
The number of people above 65 compared to those of what is considered working ages, between 15 and 64, is currently 33.7%. This is up from 18.5% since year 2005, which means that for every retired person there are now two workers, compared to four workers 30 years ago. The number of people above the age of 80 has grown to 23.8 million, making them 6.3% of the total population compared to 3.6% in 2005.
April 12, 2040
Although introduced in the market only five years ago, 10% of all hydrogen fuel now sold in the US is of the environmentally friendly Re-Hydro label, produced through eletrolysis(电解) based on a source of 100% renewable energy. Several producers have turned to producing Re-Hydro, mainly because of lower tax, which also keeps the price of Re-Hydro on the same level as regular hydrogen. Most analysts believe that Re-Hydro will be the dominating fuel in the future.According to News 1 we know that the life extension drugs ____.
| A．were first sold in the year 2025. |
| B．are made to make people live forever. |
| C．should be taken when people are young. |
| D．have greatly increased the life expectancy rate at birth. |
The sales of the life extension drugs so far clearly show that_____.
| A．people have no faith in them |
| B．people want to give them a try |
| C．they work very well for seniors |
| D．they have no effect on people’s health |
What can we learn from News 2?
| A．Many Americans will find it hard to find a job. |
| B．It’s very hard for seniors to pass the age of 80. |
| C．The US population has been increasing rapidly since 2005. |
| D．The US population has been aging rapidly since 2005. |
We can know from the passage that the fuel of the Re-Hydro label is ______.
| A．expensive | B．cheap | C．green | D．dangerous |
What can we infer from News 3?
| A．Re-Hydro will be widely used in the future. |
| B．The government discourages the production of Re-Hydro. |
| C．Producers are not interested in producing Re-Hydro. |
| D．Re-Hydro is more expensive than regular hydrogen. |
When I was learning calligraphy (书法), my teacher told me a story.
A calligrapher taught handwriting. One of his students who often practiced handwriting with old sheets of newspaper complained that he made very little progress though he had learned it with the calligrapher for a long time. His teacher said to him, “Try to use the best paper. Maybe you'll write better.”
The student did as he was told. It really worked. He made headway not long afterwards and felt curious. He asked his teacher about the reason. The calligrapher answered，“When you used old newspaper to practice handwriting, you would think you were writing a draft. It didn't matter if you wrote badly as old newspaper was plenty in supply. In that case you wouldn't pay much attention to it. Now you use the best paper and you'll treasure it. Each time you write you feel strongly about the rarity of chances and you'll devote to it with all your heart and soul; you'll do the handwriting much more attentively than practicing. Of course you've made rapid progress.”
Indeed, we spend our ordinary days just as they are worthless “old newspaper”．We don't care if we scrawl and waste it, thinking that it will come endlessly—the “old newspaper” is inexhaustible. In such a mood we may each day pass by opportunities but fail to catch any of them.
Life is not a military exercise but an actual war in which real weapons are used. In everyday life there's no chance for us to draft. That's because what we call “draft” actually is the answer sheet we write that cannot be changed.
Every day of our life is something new. Let us take every day as a sheet of the best paper.The calligrapher in the story told the student to write on the best paper because he thought ________.
| A．the student would practice more carefully on the best paper |
| B．it was comfortable to write on the best paper |
| C．the student had enough money to buy the best paper |
| D．the student could write more on the best paper |
The student didn't make much progress at first because ________.
| A．he didn't follow his teacher's advice |
| B．he was too poor to buy better paper to write on |
| C．he regarded his writing on old newspaper just as a draft |
| D．he was not used to the calligrapher's teaching manner |
We learn from the passage that ________.
| A．the student finally gave up |
| B．the student made rapid progress by practicing more carefully |
| C．the calligrapher was strict with his students |
| D．old newspaper is not useful |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．What teachers say is always true. |
| B．Success calls for attentiveness. |
| C．Handwriting is easy to practice. |
| D．New things are always better than old ones. |
The writer wants to tell us that ________.
| A．there are some good ways to practice handwriting |
| B．life is like old newspaper |
| C．we should learn from the student in the story |
| D．life will not give us a chance to draw a draft |
阅读表达 （满分10分）
[1]A researcher who helped make crops grow in dry land areas received the World Food Prize last week. Daniel Hillel was recognized for his work in developing what is called “micro-irrigation" or “drip irrigation." It has made farming possible in places where there is little rainfall or water.
[2]Daniel Hillel's farm near his home in Israel shows his ideas at work. “Each tree row is fed by these plastic tubes that drip water at the base of the tree." Watering plants drop by drop has changed agriculture by reducing the amount of water needed to grow crops.
[3]Farmers now depend on drip irrigation in many areas, including vineyards in Spain, onion fields in Africa, and even farms in the United States. Farmers in California grow about fifty percent of the fruits and vegetables of the continental United States. And the reason that is possible is because of these drip and micro-irrigation techniques.
[4]Daniel Hillel was born in California. After his father died, his mother moved the family to Palestine, where her parents lived. The area eventually became part of the state of Israel. Daniel Hillel got his start in dry land farming as a settler in Israel's Negev Desert in the 1950s. “The issue was efficient use of water because land is available and extensive while Water is limited."
[5]Desert farmers were not able to push water through irrigation canals to their crops the way farmers have since ancient times. So Mr. Hillel and others gave plants just what they needed, just where they needed it. The idea was to apply the water little by little. The method worked so well that soon Mr. Hillel was traveling the world, showing others _____.Why did Daniel Hillel win the World Food Prize? ( no more than15 words)
_____________________________________________________________________How did drip irrigation change agriculture? ( no more than12 words)
_____________________________________________________________________Fill in the blank in Paragraph 5 with proper words. ( no more than 5words)
_____________________________________________________________________What’s the main idea of the text? ( no more than 12 words)
________________________________________What does the underlined word “it” (Line3, Paragraph 1) probably refer to?
(no more than 3 words)
__________________________________________________________________
Clothes can make phone calls, play music, dial your pal's number, keep you warm during cold weather and operate your computer.
This is not a fantasy. A British company, called Electrotextiles, has created a wide range of clothes—clothes that have minds of their own! Scientists, working for the company, have invented a kind of fabric that can be blended (混合) with flexible electronic materials to create intelligent clothing. The results are electronic garments.
If you think the wearer has to be wired to different devices, think again. These designer clothes are wire-free, soft to touch and washable! Like any electronic device, these high-tech clothes have to be powered. Currently, a tiny nine-volt battery serves the purpose. But the researchers hope that in the near future the clothes will generate electricity by using body heat. These clothes are 100% shock proof, they say.
The Electrotextiles team has also created the world's first cloth keyboard. This keyboard can be sewn into your trousers or skirt. To use this device, you will have to sit down and tap on your lap! These “lap-tap” gadgets (器具)are all set to take over laptop computers!
Another useful garment is the shirt-cum-mobile phone. This handy invention enables drivers to chat comfortably with others at the wheel! Other popular electronic wear include the denim(牛仔布) jacket with flexible earphones sewn into the hood(风帽) and the electronic ski jacket with a built-in heater. The ski jacket is also programmed to send signals to a satellite. This technology is known as global positioning system and can be used to track lost skiers and wandering kids.
Having completed the cloth keyboard, scientists have already started to work on a new project—a necktie that can be used as a computer mouse. What is the next? Do you have any idea?The electronic garments are similar to other electronic devices in that________.
| A．they use electricity to generate power |
| B．they feel smooth and soft |
| C．they can be washed in water |
| D．they are made from flexible materials |
How will researchers improve these high-tech clothes?
| A．A tiny nine-volt battery will work. |
| B．The wearer will not get shocked. |
| C． Body heat will be used to generate electricity |
| D．They will get charged automatically. |
What does the underlined phrase “This handy invention” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
| A．The laptop computer. |
| B．The electronic ski jacket. |
| C．The shirt-cum-mobile phone. |
| D．The world's first cloth keyboard. |
If you are going on a ski adventure, which device do you need?
| A．The cloth keyboard. |
| B．The electronic ski jacket. |
| C．The necktie to be used as a mouse. |
| D．The denim jacket with earphones. |
The main purpose of the text is________.
| A．to advertise for an English company |
| B．to predict the future trend of science |
| C．to show how rapidly science develops |
| D．to introduce some intelligent clothing |
New rules for pubs and clubs, including a ban (禁令) on drinking games like the awful "dentist's chair", will be introduced in Britain this year to prevent the heavy drinking culture, which costs the country billions of pounds a year.
Other activities like "all you can drink for 10 pounds ", "women drink free" nights and speed drinking competitions will also be banned.
But, on the other hand, offers of cheap alcohol in supermarkets will not be affected, which is widely regarded as one of the main sources of Britain's problems with under-age and over-drinking.
Doctors and health experts argue that the government has failed to use its most effective weapon, the taxation(征税) of minimum price controls on alcohol.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said that the government and the industry had a duty to act on heavy drinking." These bans have a real impact on society, not to mention the lives of those who just want to enjoy a good night out," he said.
“The dentist's chair”, where drinks are poured directly into the mouth by others, was made famous by the celebrations of footballer Paul Gascoigne at Euro '96. That game and others that promote large consumption will be banned from April and publicans (酒店老板) will have to ensure free tap water is made available to the drinkers.
The government says over-drinking costs Britain up to 12 billion pounds a year and has announced that any pubs that go against the new mandatory code (强制性规定) will face severe punishment. For instance, publicans and vendors (小贩) could lose their licenses, be fined up to 20,000 pounds ($32,750) or face six months in prison.New rules for pubs and clubs will be introduced in Britain to ban heavy drinking because ________.
| A．people drink too much without paying taxes |
| B．drinking games are infamous |
| C．drinking competitions are very crazy |
| D．drinking in the country costs too much |
Some people believe when the tough new rules come into effect, ________.
| A．supermarkets will stop selling alcohol in low prices |
| B．“women drink free” nights will not be closed |
| C．over-drinking will still not be stopped |
| D．under-age people will not continue drinking |
What is probably the most effective way to control alcohol?
| A．bans | B．education | C．force | D．taxation |
According to the passage, “the dentist’s chair” is ________.
| A．a chair for the patient whose teeth should be treated |
| B．a drinking game made famous by the celebrations of footballers |
| C．a way to advertise different types of alcohol |
| D．to be banned in October this year |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Heavy drinking will be banned in Britain. |
| B．Over-drinking will be taxed. |
| C．Drinking in Britain will be banned. |
| D．12 billion pounds is spent on drinking. |