A letter to Edward，a columnist
Dear Mr. Expert,
I grew up in an unhappy and abusive(虐待) home. I always promised myself that I’d get out as soon as possible. Now, at age 20, I have a good job and a nice house, and I’m really proud of the independence I've achieved.
Here’s the problem: several of my friends who still live with their parents wish they had places like mine—so much so that they make mine theirs.
It started out with a couple of them spending the weekends with me. But now they seem to take it for granted that they can show up any time they like. They bring boyfriends over, talk on the phone and stay out forever.
I enjoy having my friends here sometimes—it makes the place feel comfortable and warm—but this is my home, not a party house. I was old enough to move out on my own, so why can’t I seem to ask my friends to respect my privacy(隐私)?
Joan
Edward’s reply to Joan
Dear Joan,
If your family didn’t pay attention to your needs when you were a child, you probably have trouble letting others know your needs now.
And if you’ve gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere(气氛), you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict（冲突）you grew up with—or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy. You need to understand that in true friendship it’s okay to put your own needs first from time to time.
Be clear about the message you want to send. For example, “I really love your company（陪伴） but I also need some privacy. So please call before you come over. ”
Edward
59. We can learn from the first letter that Joan ___________.
| A．takes pride in her friends |
| B．lives away from her parents |
| C．knows Mr. Expert quite well |
| D．hates her parents very much |
60. We can infer from the first letter that __________.
| A．Joan thinks her friends more important than her privacy |
| B．Joan doesn’t like the parties at all |
| C．Joan’s friends visit her more often than expected |
| D．Joan dislikes the boyfriends her friends bring over |
61. In Mr. Expert’s opinion, the reason why Joan can’t tell her friends her feelings is that _________.
| A．she is afraid of hurting her friends |
| B．she does not understand true friendship |
| C．her family experience stops her from doing so |
| D．she does not put her needs first |
62. The second letter suggests that Mr. Expert __________.
| A．is concerned about Joan’s problem |
| B．warns Joan not to quarrel with her friends |
| C．encourages Joan to be brave enough |
| D．advises Joan on how to refuse people |
With the World Cup always held in the European off-season in June and July, when the tiny nation of Qatar beat out USA Australia, Japan and South Korea, as the venue（地点）of the 2022 World Cup Soccer, there were gasps of surprise from the fans – it was not just because of the size of the competitors, but also the fact that Doha sees an average top temperature of 41 degrees Celsius in June and July with the possibility of top temperatures as high as 50°C.
Since the World Cup cannot be moved to the ‘cooler’ season in January or to a neighboring country with milder weather, Qatar has to figure out a solution to make the game more comfortable. A team of engineering scientists from Qatar University (QU) have taken a more high-tech approach to solving the problem – they've reportedly developed a type of artificial "cloud" designed to float above the World Cup venues and provide fans and players with relief from the blazing sun.
The artificial clouds system was invented by a team led by Dr Saul Abdul Ghani, Head of the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at QU, who told Gulf News that the "clouds" would be made from a lightweight carbon structure carrying a giant envelope of material containing helium（氦）gas. The "cloud" would also feature solar panels on its upper surface to power engines that allow the cloud to be moved via remote control. While the country officials have promised to improve some of the issues with solar-powered stadiums capable of reducing the temperatures inside, to a comfortable 20℃, there is still concern of how the players will be able to function in the practice fields.
The system would initially cost around US$500,000, with prices coming down with commercial scale production. However, since Qatar needs to find a solution, the money is probably to the issue. The bigger question is, will this team of scientists actually be able to conjure up（兑现）something that they have promised? We will all find out in about eleven years!By mentioning “the European off-season”, the author tells us.
| A．why the World Cup is held |
| B．where the host countries of the World Cup are |
| C．where the World Cup is usually held |
| D．when the World Cup is held |
The artificial clouds system aims to.
| A．carry a giant envelope of material containing helium gas |
| B．air-condition the venues via artificial cloud system |
| C．feature solar panels on its upper surface |
| D．allow the cloud to be moved via remote control |
Which of the following is NOT promised for 2022 World Cup by Qatar?
| A．The tournament season. |
| B．The tournament venues. |
| C．The comfortable temperature for training grounds. |
| D．The comfortable temperature for the matches. |
About how much US dollars are estimated if four artificial clouds float above stadiums?
| A．$ 1,600,000 | B．$ 2,500,000 |
| C．$500,000 | D．$ 2,200,000 |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of this passage?
| A．Will the 2020 World Cup Be Held in the Middle East? |
| B．Qatar’s 2022 World Cup in High Temperature |
| C．Will Man-Made Clouds Provide Shade at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar? |
| D．Artificial Clouds at High Cost Promising Comfortable Season |
Susan Sontage（1933—2004）was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature. For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything---to read every book worth reading ,to see every movie worth seeing .When she was still in her early 30s, publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review, she appeared as the symbol of American culture life ,trying hard to follow every new development in literature, film and art .With great effort and serious judgement. Sontage walked at the latest edges of world culture.
Seriousness was one of Sontage’s lifelong watchwords(格言), but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poor-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasure of pop culture. In “Notes Camp”, the 1964 essay that first made her name ,she explained what was then a little-known set of difficult understandings, through which she could not have been more famous .“Notes on Camp”. she wrote, represents “a victory of ‘form’ over ‘content’, ‘beauty’ over ‘morals’”.
By conviction（信念）she was a sensualist（感觉论者）, but by nature she was a moralist （伦理学者）,and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s , it was the latter side of her that came forward. In illness as Metaphor —published in 1978, after she suffered cancer—she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed personalities（被压抑的性格）, a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact , re-examining old positions was her life long habit.
In America, her story of a 19th century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California, won the National Book Award in 2000. But it was as a tireless all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame. “Sometimes,” she once said，“I feel that, in the end, all I am really defending is the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness.” And in the end, she made us take it seriously too.The underlined sentence in paragraph 1 means Sontag_________.
| A．was a symbol of American cultural life |
| B．developed world literature, film and art |
| C．published many essays about world culture |
| D．kept pace with the newest development of world culture |
She first won her name through ___________.
| A．her story of a Polish actress |
| B．her book illness as Metaphor |
| C．publishing essays in magazines like partisan Review |
| D．publishing the essay “Notes Camp” |
As for Susan Sontag’s lifelong habit , she __________.
| A．misunderstood the idea of seriousness |
| B．re-examined old positions |
| C．argued for an openness to pop culture |
| D．preferred morals to beauty |
Susan Sontag’s lasting fame was made upon___________.
| A．tireless, all-purpose cultural view |
| B．her lifelong watchword----seriousness |
| C．publishing books on morals |
| D．enjoying books worth reading and movies worth seeing |
According to the passage, Susan Sontag__________.
| A．was a sensualist as well as a moralist |
| B．looked down upon the pop culture |
| C．thought content was more important than form |
| D．blamed the victim of cancer for being repressed |
Every human being has a unique arrangement of the skin on his fingers and this arrangement is unchangeable. Scientists and experts have proved the uniqueness of finger-prints and discovered that no exactly similar pattern is passed on from parents to children, though nobody knows why this is the case.
The ridge（脊状）structure on a person's fingers does not change with growth and is not affected by surface injuries. Burns, cuts and other damage to the outer part of the skin will be replaced in time by new one which bears a reproduction of the original pattern. It is only when the inner skin is injured that the arrangement will be destroyed. Some criminals make use of this fact to remove their own finger-prints but this is a dangerous and rare step to take.
Finger-prints can be made very easily with printer's ink. They can be recorded easily. With special methods, identification can be achieved successfully within a short time. Because of the simplicity and economy of this system, finger-prints have often been used as a method of solving criminal case. A suspected man may deny a charge but this may be in vain. His finger-prints can prove who he is even if his appearance has been changed by age or accident.
When a suspect leaves finger-prints behind at the scene of a crime, they are difficult to detect with the naked eye. Special techniques are used to "develop" them. Some of the marks found are incomplete but identification is possible if a print of a quarter of an inch square can be obtained.Scientists and experts have proved that the pattern of a human being's finger skin__ ___
| A．is similar to his mother's |
| B．is valuable to himself only |
| C．is like that of others with the same type of blood. |
| D．is different from that of all others |
If your fingers are wounded by knife, fire or other means, the structure of skin will____.
| A．be changed partly |
| B．be replaced by a different one |
| C．be the same when the wound is recovered |
| D．become ugly |
Some criminals remove their own finger-prints by ____.
| A．using printer's ink |
| B．injuring the inner skin |
| C．damaging the outer skin |
| D．damaging the color |
Finger-prints have often been used as a method of solving criminal case because it_____.
| A．is complicated but reliable |
| B．is simple and not expensive |
| C．is expensive but easy to do |
| D．can bring a lot of money |
It is ________for a criminal to deny his crime when finger-prints are used to identify him.
| A．worth trying | B．successful | C．useful | D．useless |
Could we "terraform" Mars—that is, change its frozen, thinaired surface into something more friendly and Earthlike? Should we? The first question has a clear answer: Yes, we probably could. Spacecraft, including the ones now exploring Mars, have found evidence that it was warm in its youth，with rivers flowing into vast seas. And right here on Earth, we've learned how to warm a planet: just add greenhouse gases to its atmosphere. Much of the CO2 that once warmed Mars is probably still there，in frozen dirt and polar ice caps, and so is the water.
Most of the work in terraforming，says NASA scientist Chris Mackay, would be done by life itself. "You don't build Mars," Mackay says. "You just warm it up and throw some seeds." Powerful greenhouse gases could be produced from elements in dirt and air on Mars and blown into the atmosphere； by warming the planet, they would release the frozen CO2 , which would quicken the warming and increase atmospheric pressure to the point where liquid water could flow. Meanwhile, says botanist James Graham of the University of Wisconsin, human settlers could seed the red rock with a succession (系列) of ecosystems, first bacteria and lichens (地衣)，which survive in Antarctica, later mosses (苔藓)，and after one thousand years or so，redwoods. Getting breathable oxygen levels out of those forests，though，could take thousands of years.
However, Mars is in no immediate danger. Some space scientists recently recommended going to the moon or an asteroid (小行星)first，and pointed out the space agency lacks the funds to go anywhere. It didn't estimate the cost of gardening a dead planet. What is the most essential to make Mars fit for living?
| A．Turn ice into flowing water. |
| B．Clean the dirty atmosphere. |
| C．Make the atmosphere more suitable. |
| D．Go to the moon or an asteroid first. |
What does the author think of the idea of terraforming Mars?
| A．We could do it. | B．We couldn't do it. |
| C．We should do it. | D．We shouldn't do it. |
In the botanist's opinion, man needs to ______ .
| A．enable Mars to clean its atmosphere |
| B．build a greenhouse on Mars |
| C．send some people to settle on Mars |
| D．cultivate ecosystems from lower to higher life form |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Making Mars the New Earth. |
| B．A Good Way to Change the Universe. |
| C．Humans' Great Power. |
| D．Terrible Science and Technology. |
We already know the fastest, least expensive way to slow climate change ： Use less energy. With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets.
Not long ago， my wife，PJ， and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is heating up even faster than predicted only a few years ago，and that the consequences could be severe if we don't keep reducing emissions (排放)of carbon dioxide ( CO2) and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere.
We decided to try an experiment. For one month we recorded our personal emissions of CO2. We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we went on a strict diet. The average US household produces about 150 pounds of CO2 a day by doing commonplace things like turning on air conditioning or driving cars. That's more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses. But how much should we try to reduce?
For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers： How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. In his book， he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the melting of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. "To stay below that point, we need to reduce CO2 emissions by 80 percent," he said.
Good advice, I thought. I'd opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind. We'd gotten so used to keeping our air conditioning going around the clock. I'd almost forgotten the windows even opened. We should not let this happen again. It's time for us to change our habits if necessary. Why did the author and his wife try a new diet?
| A．To take special kinds of food. |
| B．To respond to climate change. |
| C．To lose weight. |
| D．To improve their health. |
The underlined words "tipping points" most probably refer to ______ .
| A．freezing points | B．burning points |
| C．melting points | D．boiling points |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______ .
| A．it is necessary to keep the air conditioning on all the time |
| B．it seems possible for every household to cut emissions of CO2 |
| C．the average US household produces about 3,000 pounds of CO2 a month |
| D．the average European household produces about 1, 000 pounds of CO2 a month |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Saving Energy Starts at Home |
| B．Changing Our Habits Begins at Work |
| C．Changing Climate Sounds Reasonable |
| D．Reducing Emissions of CO2 Proves Difficult |