If a diver surfaces too quickly, he may suffer the bends. Nitrogen (氮) dissolved (溶解) in his blood is suddenly liberated by the reduction of pressure. The consequence, if the bubbles (气泡) accumulate in a joint, is sharp pain and a bent body — thus the name. If the bubbles form in his lungs or brain, the consequence can be death.
Other air-breathing animals also suffer this decompression (减压) sickness if they surface too fast: whales, for example. And so, long ago, did ichthyosaurs (鱼龙). That these ancient sea-animals got the bends can be seen from their bones. If bubbles of nitrogen form inside the bone they can cut off its blood supply. This kills the cells in the bone, and consequently weakens it, sometimes to the point of collapse. Fossil(化石)bones that have caved in on themselves are thus a sign that the animal once had the bends.
Bruce Rothschild of the University of Kansas knew all this when he began a suty of ichthyosaurs bones to find out how widespread the problem was in the past. What he particularly wanted to investigate was how ichthyosaurs adapted to the problem of decompession over the 150 milllion years. To this end, he and his colleagues traveled the world’s natural-history museums, looking at hundreds of ichthyosaurs from the Trassic period and from the later Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
When he started, he assumed that signs of the bends would be rarer in younger fossils, reflecting their gradual evolution of measures to deal with decompression. Instead, he was astonished to discover the opposite. More than 15% of Jurassic and Cretaceous ichthyosaurs had suffered the bends before the died, but not a single Trassic specimen showed evidence of that sort of injury.
If ichthyosaurs did evolve an anti-decompression means, they clearly did so quickly — and, most strangly, they lost it afterwards. But that is not what Dr Rothchild thinks happened. He suspects it was evolution in other animals that caused the change.
Whales that suffer the bends often do so because they have sufaced to escape a predator (捕食动物) such as a large shark. One of the features of the Jurassia oceans was an abundance of large sharks and crocodiles, both of which were fond of ichthyosaurs lunches. Trassic oceans, by contrast, were mercifully shark-and crocodile-free. In the Trassic, then, ichthyosaurs were top of the food chain. In the Jurrasic and Cretaceous, they were prey (猎物) as well as predator —and often had to make a speedy exit as a result.Which of the following is a typical symptom of the bends?
| A．A twisted body. |
| B．A gradual decrease in blood supply. |
| C．A sudden release of nitrogen in blood. |
| D．A drop in blood presure. |
The purpose of Rothchild’s study is to see .
| A．how often ichthyosaurs caught the bends |
| B．how ichthyosaurs adapted to decompression |
| C．why ichthyosaurs bent their bodies |
| D．when ichthyosaurs broke their bones |
Rothchild’s finding stated in Paragrapg 4 .
| A．confirmed his assumption | B．speeded up his research process |
| C．disagreed with his assumption | D．changed his research objectives |
Rothchild might have concluded that ichthyosaurs .
| A．failed to evole an anti-decompression means |
| B．grdually developed measures against the bends |
| C．died out because of large sharks and crocodiles |
| D．evoled an anti-decompression means but soon lost it |
D
An “apple-polisher” is one who gives gifts to win friendship or special treatment. It is not exactly a bribe（贿赂）, but is close to it.
“Apple-polishing” is as old as human society, but the phrase itself is recent, about 50 years old. It comes from the schoolroom. For a long time, some schoolboys would leave a shiny（有光泽的，发光的） apple on the teacher’s desk. They would rub and polish the apple to give it a bright shine, so as to make it look more tasty. Such a gift, the students hoped, might make the teacher shut her eyes to their poor work and give them a good mark.
All sorts of people are apple-polishers, including politicians and people in high offices—almost everybody.
There are other phrases meaning the same thing as “apple-polishing”— “soft-soaping” or “buttering-up”. A gift is just one way to “soft-soap” somebody, or to “butter him up”.
Another way that is just as effective as apple-polishing is flattery, giving someone high praise — telling him how good he looks, or how well he speaks, or how wise he is. Flattery, of course, is the cheapest kind of “apple polishing”.
To flatter another costs you nothing and you can give it as freely as you want. And you can always find somebody eagerly looking for it.
53. An “apple-polisher” is one who ________.
A. tries to please someone to get favor
B. bribes with money to get something
C. is really friendly to everyone around him
D. plants apple trees and polishes his apples every day
54. Why did the students polish the apple for their teacher?
A. They hoped that she would not pay attention to them.
B. They didn’t want her to wash the apple by herself.
C. They wished to draw her attention.
D. They longed for her giving them a good mark.
55. According to the passage, the cheapest way to please someone is ________.
A. to flatter him B. to bribe him
C. to talk freely with himD. to play jokes on him
56. The author seems to suggest that ________.
A. nobody likes to be flattered B. very few people apple-polish others
C. apple-polishing is a kind of bribe D. many people like to be soft-soaped
C
“The pen is more powerful than the sword.” There have been many writers who used their pens to fight things that were wrong. Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of them.
She was born in the U.S.A. in 1811.One of her books not only made her famous but has been described as one that excited the world，and was helpful in causing a civil war and freeing the enslaved race. The civil war was the American Civil War of 1861，in which the Northern States fought the Southern States and finally won.
This book that shook the world was called "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Begun as a serial for the Washington anti-slavery weekly, the National Era, it focused public interest on the problem of slavery, and was deeply controversial(争议的). In writing the book, Stowe drew on her personal experience: she was familiar with slavery, the anti-slavery movement, and the underground railroad, because Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio, where Stowe had lived, was a slave state.
There was a time when every English-speaking man, woman, and child has read this novel that did so much to stop slavery. Not many people read it today, but it is still very interesting. The book has shown us how a warm-hearted writer can arouse（唤起）people's sympathies（同情）. The author herself had neither been to the Southern States nor been a slave. The Southern Americans were very angry at the book, which they said did not at all represent（描述）true state of affairs, but the Northern Americans were wildly excited over it, and were so inspired by it that they were ready to go to war to set the slaves free.
Following publication of the book, she became well- known, speaking against slavery both in America and Europe.
In 1862, when she visited President Lincoln, it was said that he greeted her as “the little lady who made this big war”: the war between the states.
49. Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe was________when her world famous book was published.
A. about sixty years old B. around fifty years old
C. in her forties D. around twenty years old
50. What do we learn about Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe from the text?
A. she had been living in a state where slaves were kept.
B. she herself encouraged the Northern Americans to go to war to set the slaves free.
C. she was better at writing than at swinging a sword.
D. she had once been a slave.
51. Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book caused the civil war because________.
A. she wrote so well that Americans loved her very much.
B. she disclosed the terrible wrongs that had been done to the slaves in the Southern States.
C. the Southern Americans hated the book, while the Northern Americans liked it.
D. the book had been read by many Americans.
52. What can we learn from the text?
A. it isn’t necessary to use weapons to fight things that were wrong.
B. A writer is more helpful in a war than a soldier.
C. We must understand the importance of literature and art.
D. No war can be won without such a book as Uncle Tom's Cabin
B
Every year 2. 2 million tons of oil are put into the ocean and this oil has terrible effects on ocean life, including the coastlines where the off washes up onto shore. Some of the largest spills(溢出) in history were caused by oil tankers(油轮) running into each other or by an oil tanker sailing into shallow water and hitting the bottom of the ocean. 
After these spills, officials try to discover who or what was at fault to help prevent similar accidents in the future.
One of the worst oil spills in history happened along the Alaskan（阿拉斯加） coastline in 1989. In this accident, 42,000 tons of oil spilled from a tanker which resulted in terrible damage to this sensitive natural area. In this spill, the tanker's captain, who was tired from overwork and drinking alcohol, had gone to take a rest. He gave control of the ship to the third mate. The third mate was unfamiliar with the path the ship took, and he ran the ship onto a natural underwater rock wall near the Alaskan coast. Damaged by the rock, the ship leaked(泄漏) oil out into the ocean. More than 1,600 kilometers of coastline were affected by the oil spill. Some scientists who studied nature in the area guessed that 580,000 birds and 5,500 others died when the oil covered their skin. As well, smaller shellfish and other sea creatures were later eaten by seals, whales, and other animals.
The most oil ever spilled was in 1990. As part of the Iraq war plan, 900,000 tons of oil were let out into the Persian(波斯的) Gulf by Iraq. The oil also damaged 650 kilometers of the coastline of both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In some places, oil on the water was 43 centimeters thick. Water birds, water plants, and baby fish were all seriously affected. The long-term effects of this act on the food chain in the area are bound to（肯定会） cause problems far into the future.
45. Oil spills have terrible effect on________.
A. ocean life B. the coastline
C. both ocean life and the coastline D. the bottom of the ocean
46. Why did the third mate run the tanker aground(搁浅地) in this accident?
A. He was tired. B. He did not know the area well.
C. He was drunk. D. He was talking on the phone.
47. According to the writer, ________.
A. the accident along the Alaskan coastline was the worst oil spill in history
B. Iraq poured oil into the the Persian Gulf on purpose
C. the effects of Iraq’s act in the Persian Gulf War have been seen fully
D. oil put into the sea by Iraq in the war was the worst accident in history
48. Which of the following is the best title for this text?
A. The Worst Oil Spill B. Pollution
C. The Persian Gulf War D. Oil Spill
第二部分：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。
A
Three lawyers and three engineers are traveling by train to a conference. At the station, the three lawyers each buy tickets and watch as the three engineers buy only a single ticket.
"How are three people going to travel on only one ticket?" asked one of the three lawyers.
"Watch and you'll see," answers one of the engineers.
They all board the train. The lawyers take their seats, but all three engineers cram into a restroom and close the door behind them. Shortly after the train has departed, the conductor comes around collecting tickets. He knocks on the restroom door and says, "Ticket, please" The door opens just a crack and a single arm emerges with a ticket in hand. The conductor takes it and moves on. The lawyers saw this and agreed it was quite a clever idea.
So after the conference, the lawyers decide to copy the engineers on the return trip and save some money. When they get to the station, they buy a single ticket for the return trip. To their astonishment, the engineers don't buy a ticket at all.
"How are you going to travel without a ticket," asks one perplexed lawyer.
"Watch and you'll see," says one of the engineers.
When they board the train the three lawyers cram into a restroom and the three engineers cram into another one nearby. The train departs. Shortly afterward, one of the engineers leaves his restroom and walks over to the restroom where the lawyers are hiding .He knocks on the door and says, "Ticket, please." By copying the engineers, one lawyer put out a single arm with a ticket in his hand. The engineer came back to his restroom with the ticket. Then the conductor was coming this way...
41. The engineers and the lawyers travel together________.
A. to attend a meeting B. to test who are clever
C. to see how clever the engineers are D. to save money
42. How many tickets do they buy on the two-way trip? .
A. 4 B. 5 C. 7 D. 8
43. The underlined word “perplexed” can be replaced by ________.
A. excited B. surprised C. puzzled D. touched
44. Which of the following would be the best title for the joke?
A. Three Lawyers and Three Engineers B. Train Tickets
C. In the RestroomD. Tickets, Please
附加题：阅读理解（共5小题；每小题3分，满分15分。把答案涂到答题卡上）
The pen is more powerful than the sword（利剑）. There have been many writers who use their pens to write things that were wrong. Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of them.
She was born in the U. S. A. in 1811. One of her books not only made her famous but has been described as one that excited the world, and was helpful in causing a civil war and freeing the enslaved race. The civil war was the American Civil War of 1861, in which the Northern States fought the Southern States and finally won.
This book that shook the world was called Uncle Tom's Cabin. There was a time when every English-speaking man, woman, and child had read this novel that did so much to stop slavery. Not many people read it today, but it is still very interesting, if only to show how a warm-hearted writer can arouse people's sympathies. The author herself had neither been to the Southern States nor seen a slave. The Southern Americans were very angry at the book, which they said did not at all represent the true state of affairs, but the Northern Americans were widely excited over it, and were so inspired by it that they were ready to go to war to set the slaves free.
61. Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe became famous for__________.
A. one of her books B. she was a very heartedly person
C. she was a kind wife D. she worked for the war
62. How old was Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe when her world famous book was published?
A. About sixty years old. B. Over fifty years old.
C. In her forties. D. Around twenty years old.
63. What do we learn about Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe from the passage?
A. Before the civil war she had been a slave.
B. Before the civil war she had lived in the north of America.
C. She had a good school education.
D. She was better at writing than swinging a sword.
64. Why could Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's book cause a civil war in America? Because_______.
A. she disclosed(揭露) the terrible wrongs done to the slaves in the Southern States
B. she wrote so well that the Americans loved her very much
C. the Americans were too excited when they reads the book
D. the Southern Americans hated the book, while the Northern Americans liked it
65. What can we learn from the passage?
A. No war can be won without such a book as Uncle Tom's Cabin.
B. We must understand the importance of literature and art.
C. We needn't use weapons to fight things that are wrong.
D. A writer is more helpful in war than a soldier.