Most of us are used to seasons. Each year, spring follows winter, which follows autumn, which follows summer, which follows spring. And winter is colder than summer. But the earth goes through temperature cycles over much longer periods than those that we experience. Between 65,000 and 35,000 years ago, the planet was much colder than it is now. During that time the temperature also changed a lot, with periods of warming and cooling. Ice melted during the warm periods, which made sea levels rise. Water froze again during the cold periods.
A new study from Switzerland, sheds light on where ice sheets melted during the ice age. It now seems that the ice melted at both ends of the earth, rather than just in either northern or southern regions.
This surprised the researchers from the University of Bern. Scientists have long assumed that most of the ice that melted was in the Northern hemisphere(半球) during the 30,000-year long ice age. That belief was held because the North Pole is surrounded by land, while the South Pole is surrounded by the Antarctic Ocean. It is easier for ice sheets to grow on land. If surrounded by sea the ice can easily just slip into the ocean instead of building up.
The researchers used a computer model to look at ways the ice could melt and how it might affect sea levels. They compared these results to evidence of how temperatures and currents actually changed during that time. The model showed that if it was only in the Northern hemisphere that ice melted, there would have been a bigger impact(影响) on ocean currents(洋流) and sea temperatures than what actually happened. Studies suggest that melting just in the Southern hemisphere would have been impossible, too. The only reasonable conclusion, the scientists could make, was that ice melted equally in the North and the South.
It is still a mystery as to what caused the temperature changes that caused the ice to melt.The North Pole is surrounded by land, while the South Pole is surrounded by the Antarctic Ocean. So scientists thought that ________.
| A．most of the ice melted in the Northern hemisphere |
| B．most of the ice melted in the Southern hemisphere |
| C．The North Pole is colder than South Pole |
| D．The South Pole is colder than North Pole |
We can infer from the passage ________.
| A．the ice can easily just slip into the ocean |
| B．volcanoes caused the ice to melt |
| C．melting just in the Northern hemisphere would have been impossible |
| D．researchers often use the computer models help their research work. |
The scientists are not sure ________.
| A．how long the ice age lasted |
| B．where ice sheets melted during the ice age |
| C．what caused the temperature changes |
| D．what the earth is made up of |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．A computer model |
| B．Studies show ice melted equally in the North and the South during the ice age |
| C．Most of the ice melted in the Northern hemisphere during the 30,000-year long ice age. |
| D．A survey result |
Being considered a leader in our society is indeed of high praise. Leadership means power, commands, respect and, most important, encourages achievement. Unlike vitamin C, leadership skills can’t be easily swallowed down. They must be carefully cultivated.
Different from popular belief, most good leaders are made, not born. They learn their skills in their everyday lives. But which do they develop? How do they (and how can you ) get others to follow?
Always give credit. Many leaders note that the most efficient way to get a good performance from others is to treat them like heroes. Giving public credit to someone who has earned it is the best leadership technique in the world. It is also an act of generosity (慷慨) that’s never forgotten.
Giving credit is more effective than even the most constructive criticism (批评), which often hurts rather than helps. Kenneth Blanchard, the author of The One-Minute Manager, agrees. “Catch people doing something right!” he says. Then tell everyone about it.
Take informed risk. (冒险). “The best leaders know that taking a risk is not a thoughtless exercise,” says management adviser Marilyn Machlowitz. “Sky divers don’t go up in an airplane without checking the parachutes beforehand.”
Because the idea of risk also carries with it the possibility of failure, many of us usually wait for others to take charge. But if you want to be a leader, you must learn to fail --- and not die a thousand deaths. Pick yourself up and start all over again.
Encourage enthusiasm.（热情） “When people understand the importance of work, they lend their mental strengths,” says Lee Ducat. But when they get excited about the work, all their energy gets poured into the job. That’s a great force! Is this the best way to create excitement? Be enthusiastic yourself - You will be followed by everyone.
69. The underlined word “cultivated”(paragraph 1）roughly means ______．
A. encouragedB. compared C. examined D. developed
70. The part “Always give credit” tells us that a leader should ______．
A. give helpful criticism
B. regard others as real heroes
C. praise people for their good performances
D. praise everyone
71. To be a good leader, you should ______．
A. not be afraid of any risks B. think twice before taking risks
C. try to avoid any possible failures D. know what a thoughtless exercise is
72. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Leadership Is of Skills and Techniques
B. Leadership Is Very Important
C. Not Many Can Be Leaders
D. How to Be a Leader
In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bicycles to work every day. In New York, some bike riders have even formed a group called Bike for a Better City. They declare that if more people rode bicycles to work, there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown part of the city and so less dirty air from car engines.
For several years this group has been trying to get the city government to help bicycle riders. For example, they want the city to draw special lanes（车道）for bicycles only on some of the main streets, because when bicycle riders must use the same lanes as cars, there are accidents. Bike for a Better City feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes.
But no bicycle lanes have been drawn. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea—they say it will slow traffic. Some storeowners on the main streets don’t like the idea—they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business.
The city government has not yet decided what to do. It wants to keep everyone happy. On weekends, Central Park—the largest place of open ground in New York—is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bicycles only.
But Bike for a Better City says that this is not enough and keeps fighting to get bicycle lanes downtown.
65. In New York, a group of bike riders______.
A. are keeping practising for health
B. have no cars of their own
C. are complaining（埋怨）there are not enough buses
D. are trying to settle the problem of air pollution
66. The bike riders suggest that______.
A. bicycles should be used instead of cars
B. bicycle lanes should be drawn
C. fewer buses or cars should be used
D. the number of special lanes should be increased
67. The advantage of the special lanes is that______.
A. they will make cars and buses run slowly
B. they will make it easier for bike riders to go to parks
C. they will make the city more beautiful
D. the lanes will prevent accidents
68. The government has not decided whether special lanes should be drawn______.
A. so that everyone is disappointed
B. because there are different opinions
C. because most people travel by train
D. because Bike for a Better City is not strong enough
Every year, it costs British students more and more to attend university. Students are graduating with larger and larger debts. So is a college degree really worth it?
In 2006, the UK government started to allow universities in England and Wales to charge British students tuition fees (学费). As a result, more than 80 percent of students in England and Wales now take out a student loan (贷款) in order to go to university.
They use the loan to pay for tuition fees and living expenses. Although the interest on student loans is quite low, it begins as soon as the student receives the loan.
The average student in England and Wales now graduates from university with a debt of around $12,000 (122,952yuan). It means graduates have to struggle to pay rent on a flat, because they have to start paying back the student loan when they reach the April after graduating. If you start to earn over $ 15,000 (153,639yuan) a year, the government takes repayments directly from your monthly salary.
You might think that a person with a degree would find it easy to get a well-paid job. However, most people in “white collar jobs” seem to have a degree, so there is a lot of competition. Also, British companies tend to value work experience over a piece of paper.
All of the above is beginning to make British people question whether a university degree is really worth the money. Even before the credit crisis started, the BBC stated: “The number of British students at UK universities has fallen for the first time in recent history, from 1.97 million in 2007 to 1.96 million last year (2008).”
“Student poverty” is now considered a real problem. Meanwhile, the British universities offer more and more of the available places to richer international students rather than poorer British students. What does the future hold for British higher education?
61. What makes British students question the worth of a university degree?
A. Higher university expenses. B. Lower education quality.
C. A higher interest rate on student loans D. Grater difficulty obtaining student loans.
62. According to the article, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. University tuition fees in all parts of Britain have been on the rise since 2006.
B. Interest on a student loan starts as soon as the student receives it.
C. People have always questioned the worth of a university degree.
D. University graduates need to pay off their loans right upon graduation.
63. Which of the following is NOT a factor that concerns a British university graduate?
A. Fierce competition in the job market. B. The burden of a large debt.
C. Lack of experience. D. Fewer job openings.
64. What is the title of this passage?
A. Student poverty B. Is college worth it?
C. The UK government started to charge students tuition fees.
D. British students use the loan to pay for tuition fees and living expenses.
Mozart was one of the greatest composers who ever lived. He was born in Salzburg,
Austria, in 1756. Even when he was very young, Mozart loved music. His father, who was the leader of an orchestra, was very happy that his son was so interested in music. When Mozart was three years old, he learned to play the harpsichord, which is a kind of piano. Mozart began to compose music at the age of five, and his father took him to play in front of the kings and queens of Europe.
At one concert, one of the violinists was missing from the orchestra. Mozart picked up a violin and played the music without a mistake. Mozart’s father and the other players in the orchestra were surprised. Mozart had never been taught to play the violin! Mozart continued travelling around Europe with his father, who was his teacher in everything. He composed many pieces for the piano, the violin, and later for full orchestra.
Mozart could write down a piece of music even if he had heard it only once. One day, he went to hear a group of people singing in a big church in Rome. The song was very special. The church leader said that people could sing the song only once a year, and only in his church. No one else was allowed to have the music. Mozart listened to the song. Although it was very difficult and long, Mozart went back home and wrote down the whole piece from memory. The head of the church heard about this, and instead of being angry with Mozart, he gave him a prize.
When Mozart grew up, people were not so interested in him. He worked as a teacher and pianist, but he did not make much money. In 1791, at the age of 35, he died. He was so poor that there was not enough money for him to have a proper grave. No one knows where he is buried.
43. The story is mainly about ____.
A. Mozart and his music
B. a leader of an orchestra
C. the life of a great composer
D. the head of a church in Rome.
44. Mozart’s father helped Mozart a lot by ____.
A. teaching him about music
B. giving him a violin to play with
C. sending him to a music school
D. giving him a lot of money
45. When Mozart was only three years old, he ____.
A. went to Rome B. began to sing C. began to compose music D. played the harpsichord.
46. Mozart had a very good _____.
A. violin B. grave C. memory D. orchestra
47. Although Mozart was one of the world’s greatest composer, ____.
A. he died poor B. he did not teach anyone.
C. he did not know many famous people
D. he couldn’t play the piano or violin
Thanksgiving Day is a very special day for people in the United States. In that country they celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday in November. Canadians also celebrate Thanksgiving Day, but they do it on the second Monday of October. In Britain, where the festival is called “ Harvest Festival”, people celebrate earlier in the year, in September.
A harvest is the fruit you take from the trees and the crops you take from the ground. In North America, Europe, and England, harvest time for most fruit and crops is in the special day of the year. They thank God for the good things that have happened during the year and for the good harvest they have had. People usually take small boxes of fruit, flowers, and vegetables to their churches to show their thanks.
The first thanksgiving service in North America took place on 4 December 1610 when 38 English people arrived in America to make their home in the new country. They held this service not to thank God for the harvest, but to thank God for their safe journey. The next year, many more English people arrived. They had a bad winter, but fortunately the harvest was good. They decided to celebrate with a big meal. They shot and killed small animals to eat and cooked everything outside on large fires. About 90 Indians also came to the meal. Everyone ate at tables outside their houses and played games together. The festival lasted three days.
A Thanksgiving Day celebration was held every year for a long time, but not always on the same day of the year. Then, in 1789, President George Washington named 26 November as the Day of Thanksgiving. Almost a hundred years later, President Abraham Lincoln changed the date, and said that the last Thursday in November should be Thanksgiving Day.
Nowadays, North Americans around the world get together with their families on this day to eat good food and have a happy time.
39. The story is about ____.
A. festivalsB. an American festival
C. English people in America D. giving thanks for everything
40. The last Thursday in November in November is ____.
A. a festival in every country in the world
B. Thanksgiving Day in the United States
C. the day farmers pick fruit from the trees
D. the day the first English People came to America
41. On thanksgiving Day people ____.
A. plant their crops. B. celebrate a safe journey
C. thank God for a good harvest
D. harvest their fruit and crops.
42. At the first thanksgiving service in North America, the people ____.
A. shot a lot of small animals
B. thanked God for a safe journey
C. thanked God for a good harvest
D. had a big dinner outside their houses.