These days, it's easy to fly across oceans for vacation. Centuries ago, however, crossing the open seas 
required thorough and accurate planning, handmade boats, and courage. Scientists and historians have long been looking for clues to explain who crossed which oceans first. When it comes to the trip between Polynesia (玻利尼西亚中太平洋群岛) and South America, chickens may have been among the first ocean voyagers, according to new evidence.
After studying an ancient chicken bone, anthropologists (人类学家) from the University of Auckland in New Zealand now say that people and chickens traveled from Polynesia to what is now Chile (智利) by about 620 years ago. By then, the Inca people were already living in South America, but the Polynesians would have been the first to get there by sea. Previous theories claimed that European explorers and their chickens sailed to South America first -- but those voyagers didn't arrive until about a century later.
In 2002, archaeologists dug up 50 chicken bones from a site in Chile called El Arenal. The team from New Zealand analyzed one to these bones. According to their calculations, the bone is about 650 years old.
The researchers also compared the genetic material, or DNA, from the South American chicken bone with DNA from 11 chicken bones that had been found on the Polynesian islands of Tonga and American Samoa. These islands are 6,000 miles west of Chile. The bones found on the Polynesian islands are been 600 and 2,000 years old.
Results of the comparisons showed that the chicken bones from both the Polynesian and South American sites had part of DNA in common. The researchers found the same part of DNA in feathers of two living chickens in Chile that belong to a modem breed that lays blue eggs. That DNA evidence suggests a close relationship among the chickens.
"However, the weight of scientific evidence is now behind the hypothesis (假设) that it was seafaring ( 航海) Polynesians who sailed from the islands to South America and returned," says archaeologist Patrick V. Kirch of the University of California, Berkeley.
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．It was difficult for ancient people to travel between Polynesia and South America. |
| B．The first people who lived in Chile and Polynesia. |
| C．Valuable chicken bones have been found in Chile. |
| D．Chickens -- the first to travel between Polynesia and South America. |
When did the first European explorers reach South America?
| A．About 520 years ago. | B．About 2.000 years ago. |
| C．About 600 years ago. | D．About 620 years ago. |
People found that chickens were among the first to travel from Polynesia to South America by _____.
| A．comparing the colors of eggs laid by chickens from the two places |
| B．comparing the DNA of chicken bones dug up on the Polynesian islands and that of the chicken bones from South America |
| C．studying some previous theories |
| D．asking the natives of South America |
What do we learn from the passage?
| A．European explorers and their chickens were the first to sail to South America. |
| B．Chickens in South America have the same ancestors as those in Polynesia. |
| C．In ancient times, a 6,000-mile channel separated Polynesia from South America. |
| D．Before the Polynesians arrived in South America, the Inca people had lived there. ' |
London: What could possibly he wrong with planting trees? The benefits are obvious: they firm the soil, absorb extra water and take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
However, it now turns out that planting trees could add to global warming. Tree roots do a great job of keeping soil firmly on the ground and out of the wind's power. The problem is that some of those dust clouds play an important part in taking in carbon dioxide.
Huge dust storms blow out over the oceans from dry parts of North Africa and central Asia. Tons of dust are lifted and left as a thin film over the ocean surface.
Dust from China is carried east and left in the Pacific Ocean. If a tree-planting program there is successful and the dust supply reduced, the final result may be that less carbon dioxide gets locked away in the ocean.
Andy Ridgwell, an environmental scientist from the University of East Anglia, has spent the past few years studying dust and says his work shows clearly the complexity of the system and the importance of not working uselessly with it without understanding the results. For this reason the need is to focus on cutting carbon dioxide giving off rather than dealing with the land surface aimlessly.
An American scientist, Robert Jackson, has shown that when native grassland areas are occupied by trees, carbon is lost from the soil. "We are studying why the soil carbon disappears, but one theory is that trees do a lot more of their growing above ground compared to grasses, so less carbon goes directly into the soil from trees. " said Jackson.
In wet areas of the world, the gain from trees absorbing carbon dioxide above ground seems to be outweighed by the loss of carbon from the soil below ground.
Countries that plan to combat global warming by planting trees may have to think again. Solutions to environmental problems are often more complex than they first appear, and understanding the Earth's climate is a very great challenge.
64. People usually hold the opinion that _______.
A. huge dust storms can destroy carbon dioxide
B. huge dust storms can destroy the oceans on the earth
C. planting trees could reduce global warming
D. planting trees is the only way to control huge dust storms
65. Andy Ridgwell, the environmental scientist, believes that _______.
A. environmental problems are more complex than expected
B. trees shouldn't have been planted in dry places
C. dust plays a more important part than trees
D. carbon dioxide is harmful to everything
66. Robert Jackson's experiment proves that _______.
A. carbon can turn grass into dust
B. trees hold more carbon than grass
C. less carbon can make trees grow faster
D. grassland areas should be covered by forests
67. The underlined word "combat" in the last paragraph means _______.
A. learn about B. give up C. live with D. fight against
Channel Islands
The two main islands, Jersey and Quernsey, are remarkable in that they present a combination of enjoyment, peace and quiet. Neither island is very big (only ten miles long) and so all parts of these coasts are easily reached from the main centers -- St. Helier and St. Peter Port. In both these towns and particularly in Jersey's St. Helier are the amusements of really big resorts (度假胜地). The nearness of France gives a continental atmosphere; the weather here is far better than that of any other part of England. The other three islands, Jethou, Hern and Sark are small and quiet.
Isles of Scilly
The islands are really small and quiet; the weather is warm but windy. The islands are excellent for those who enjoy exploring small inlets (水湾), creeks (小溪) and bays on foot, or better, in a boat.
Isle of Wight
he island is 24 miles across and therefore quite large. The scenery is good and varied. The resorts are neither overlarge nor showy. The island has the best sunshine record in Britain.
Isle of Man
An island with a unique atmosphere -- it is different from England, Scotland or Wales. Thirty miles long, with good roads and good public transport, the mountains, hills and deep valleys are easily reached. Douglas is a major British resort and other holiday places are lively.
60. If you want to drive to the mountains and hills, you would choose
A. the Isle of Man B. the Isle of Wight C. Jersey D. the Isles of Stilly
61. If you want to be fairly sure you would have a lot of sunshine on holiday, you would choose ____.
A. the Channel Islands B. the Isle of Man
C. the Isle of Wight D. the Isles of Scilly
62. It can be concluded from Paragraph One that _______.
A. the Channel Islands consist of two islands
B. the Channel Islands are really ideal resorts
C. Jersey and Quernsey are excellent for those who enjoy exploring nature
D. there are many resorts in Jethou, Hem and Sark
63. In which way are the Channel Islands different from all the other places in England?
A. The coasts are easily reached from the main centers.
B. There are more islands there.
C. The weather is far better.
D. The crowds there can enjoy more entertaining but quieter holidays.
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。
The host poured the tea into the cup and placed it on the small table in front of his guests, who were a father and daughter, and put the cover on the cup. Apparently thinking of something, he hurried into the inner room, leaving the thermos (热水瓶) on the table. His two guests heard a cupboard opening.
They remained sitting in the sitting room, the ten-year-old daughter looking at the flowers outside the window, the father just about to take his cup, when the crash came, right there in the sitting room. Something was hopelessly broken.
It was the thermos, which had fallen to the floor. The girl looked over her shoulder, shocked, staring. It was mysterious. Neither of them had touched it, not even a bit. True, it hadn't stood steadily when their host placed it on the table, but it hadn't fallen then.
The explosion caused the host to rush back. Gawking at the steaming floor, the host said "It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter!"
The father started to say something. Then he said softly, "Sorry, I touched it and it fell."
"It doesn't matter," the host said.
When they left the house, the daughter said, "Daddy, did you touch it?"
"No. But it stood so close to me. "
"But you didn't touch it. I saw your reflection in the window glass. "
The father laughed. "What then would you give as the cause of its fall?"
"The thermos fell by itself. The floor is not smooth. Daddy, why did you say that you …"
"That won't do, girl. It sounds more acceptable when I say I knocked it down. There are things which people accept less the more you defend them. The truer the story you tell, the less true it sounds. "
The daughter was lost in silence for a while. Then she said, "Can you explain it only in this way?"
"Only in this way," her father said.
56. Which statement is a possible theme of this story?
A. People rarely tell the truth.
B. You can't always make people believe the truth.
C. If you defend yourself, people will believe you.
D. People should take the blame for what they didn't do.
57. It can be inferred from the story that the father _______.
A. didn't know the host well B. felt satisfied that he didn't tell the truth
C. was sorry that he told the truth D. didn't think the host would believe the truth
58. From the story we know that the daughter ________.
A. thought her father should tell the truth B. didn't know why the thermos fell
C. knocked over the thermos D. strongly objected to her father's explanation
59. The underlined "gawking at" probably means _______.
A. staring at with anger B. looking at curiously
C. glancing at hopelessly D. looking at in a dull way
Disposing (处理) of waste has been a problem since humans started producing it. As more and more people choose to live close together in cities, the waste-disposal problem becomes increasingly difficult.
During the eighteenth century, it was usual for several neighboring towns to get together to select faraway spot as a dump site. Residents or trash haulers (垃圾拖运者) would transport house hold rubbish, rotted wood, and old possessions to the site. Periodically (定期的) some of the trash was buried and the rest was buried .Me unpleasant sights and smells caused no problem because nobody lived close by.
Factories, mills, and other industrial sites also had waste to be disposed of. Those located on rivers often just dumped the unwanted remains into the water. Others built huge burners with chimneys to deal with the problem.
Several facts make these choices unacceptable to modern society. The first problem is space. Dumps, which are now called landfills, are most needed in heavily populated areas. Such areas rarely have empty land suitable for this purpose. Property is either too expensive or too close to residential (住宅区的) neighborhoods. Long-distance trash hauling has been a common practice, but once farm areas are refusing to accept rubbish from elsewhere, cheap land within trucking distance of major city areas is almost nonexistent.
Awareness (意识) of pollution dangers has resulted in more strict rules of waste disposal. Pollution of rivers, ground water, land and air is a price people can no longer pay to get rid of waste. The amount of waste, however, continues to grow.
Recycling efforts have become commonplace, and many towns require their people to take part. Even the most efficient recycling programs, however, can hope to deal with only about 50 percent of a city's reusable waste. The most suitable title for this passage would be
| A．Places for Disposing Waste | B．Waste Pollution Dangers |
| C．Ways of Getting Rid of Waste | D．Waste Disposal Problem |
During the 18th century, people disposed their waste in many ways EXCEPT for__________.
| A．burying it | B．recycling it. |
| C．burning it | D．throwing it into rivers |
What can be inferred from the fourth paragraph?
| A．Farm areas accept waste from the city in modern society. |
| B．There is cheap land to bury waste in modern society. |
| C．It is difficult to find space to bury waste in modem society. |
| D．Ways to deal with waste in modem society stay the same. |
The main purpose of writing this article is to________.
| A．draw people's attention to waste management |
| B．warn people of the pollution dangers we are facing |
| C．call on people to take part in recycling programs |
| D．tell people a better way to get rid of the waste |
What's On
Stage
An acrobatic(杂技) soul: To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the China Acrobatic Troupe will present "The Soul of China", where the seemingly impossible is made real. Chills(寒战) will run down your spine (脊柱) as you watch breathlessly as performers take their art and their bodies to the edge
Time: 7:30p. m,Septemberl3—19
Place: Capital Theatre,22 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District
Exhibitions
Joint show: A group ink painting exhibition is running at the Huangshicheng Art Gallery in Beijing.
About 50 works by 25 young artists including Ge Yun and Yu Yang are on display.
Time: 9 a.m. —5 p.m.until September 10
Place: Huangshicheng Gallery, 136 Nanchizi Dajie, Dongcheng Distirct
Oil paintings: The Wanfung Art Gallery will host a joint show of oil paintings by 10 young and middle — aged artists. On display are more than 30 of their latest works, which capture(捕捉) he wonderous variety of life in unique(独特的) styles.
Time: 9 a.m. —4 p.m.until September 15
Place: 136 Nanchizi Street, Dongcheng District
Literature (文学) museum: The National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature offers an in —depth study of the evolution of Chinese contemporary literature from 1919 to 1949.
Time: 9 a.m. — 4 p.m, daily
Place: 45 Anyuan Donglu, Chaoyang District(Shaoyaoju area)
Conarts
Beijing rocks: "The Fashionow Night of Chinese Rock" is set to bring rock fans out by the thousands next month. Nine Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert, including older generation bands, middle generation and some recent arrivals. The audience(听众) will be given a chance to decide what songs they want to hear, which is sure to bring a storm.
Time: September 16
Place: The Olympic Center
Belgium Orchestra (管弦乐队): La Petite Bande, the Baroque Orchestra of Belgium, will perform in Beijing at the Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities as part of activities across the world to commemorate(纪念) the 250th anniversary of Bach' s death.
Time: 7:30 p.m. September l1—14
Place: Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of NationalitiesWhat do you think of the acrobatic show mentioned here?
| A．When you watch it, you will certainly feel cold. |
| B．Something strange will puzzle everyone, including scientists. |
| C．Unexpected things will make you excited and surprised. |
| D．Even the bravest ones will be too frightened to go on watching. |
The most characteristic thing about the Fashionow Night of Chinese Rock is that_________.
| A．it will let the audience choose the performers and the music |
| B．it is to bring thousands of rock fans out of their homes |
| C．it will certainly cause a rock storm throughout China |
| D．it is to be held in memory of one of the greatest musicians |
Suppose it is September 14 today, how marry activities can people choose to attend?
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
On the whole, we can conclude__________.
| A．people in Beijing prefer modem culture to something traditional |
| B．there are usually more cultural activities in September than in any other month |
| C．most of the cultural activities in Beijing are for foreign visitors only |
| D．we can enjoy a large variety of cultural activities in Beijing |