If you want to see climate change, head north and keep going until you run out of globe. That is easier said than done. The Arctic (北极) is home to few people and covered in ice much of the year. But those who make their way to the icy seas of the Arctic Ocean will see a part of the planet that is warming and changing faster than anywhere else.
In September, scientists announced at the National Snow and Ice Data (数据) Center that Arctic summer sea ice had fallen to its second lowest level since 1979, and probably long before that. The Arctic has lost an area of ice greater than the area of all U.S. states east of the Mississippi River. And what ice remains appears to be getting thinner and weaker.
Nick Toberg and Till Wagner are polar ice scientists who are doing sea ice fieldwork. “There is plenty of data to suggest that the ice is becoming thinner as well as smaller in area,” they say.
The changes happening in the Arctic are a warning for the entire world . As polar expert Walt
Meier puts it, “What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic.”
Some scientists worry that Arctic sea ice may be going from a downward spiral (螺旋线) to a “death spiral”, one from which there is no escape. As more ice melts (融化), more dark open water appears. The darkness absorbs (吸收) more heat, which speeds up the pace of melting.
Until recently, many scientists thought it might take until the end of the century for the North Pole to become completely ice free during the summer. Now some believe it could happen by 2030 or even earlier. “The melting is happening faster in the real world than it has in the models,” says Nick Toberg. The purpose of the first paragraph is to tell readers __________.
| A．it’s difficult to arrive at the Arctic |
| B．it is too cold for people to live in the Arctic |
| C．what caused the climate change in the Arctic |
| D．we can see the most obvious climate change in the Arctic |
From the second paragraph we can learn Arctic summer sea ice __________.
| A．is still decreasing |
| B．began reducing in 1979 |
| C．fell to its lowest level in September |
| D．is equal to the Mississippi River |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A．The changes don’t affect the Arctic at all. |
| B．The changes will only happen in the Arctic. |
| C．The changes happening in the Arctic will stop. |
| D．The changes will also affect other parts of the world. |
Nick Toberg may agree that __________.
| A．the ice in the North Pole will stop melting |
| B．the ice in the North Pole is melting faster than expected |
| C．the ice in the North Pole will melt before 2030 or even earlier |
| D．the ice in the North Pole will not disappear until the end of the century |
C
Today， we have a world economy. Canadian businesses and workers must compete with businesses and workers in other countries.
Every year， more Canadian factories are closing or moving。 They cannot compete with factories in countries where wages（工资） are low. In the future, there will be fewer jobs for factory workers in Canada.
Many Canadian businesses are trying to spend less money. For example, they are hiring more part-time workers and more temporary(临时的) workers. They are employing fewer permanent(永久的)full-time workers. More services, fewer goods. Canada’s economy is changing. Businesses are making fewer goods(for example: shoes and radios). But Canadian businesses are providing more services to people.
In the future, there will be more jobs for people who provide services. For example: sales people, waiters and waitresses, home health care workers, bakers and cooks.
There will be fewer jobs for other kinds of workers(for example: farmers , miners , fishermen, forestry workers and factory workers).Many new jobs will be in small businesses with 20 or 30 employees. Technology machines are changing the way people work. Business are using many machines (for example: computers and robots).
Businesses will need fewer workers. And some jobs will disappear. Many grown-ups will have to go back to school or train for new jobs. Workers will not stay in the same job for their lifetime. The population of Canada is changing.
Today, many Canadians are in their 30s and 40s. They need goods and services. As they get older, they will need different goods and services.
Canadians come from many cultures. They have different customs and religions. Employers and workers must learn to work with many different people.
44. World economy means_________ to Canada.
A. closing and moving B. competition
C. low wages D. improvement
45. Which of the following will be fewer in the future in Canada?
A. Restaurants B. Shops C. Doctors D. Farmers
46. Businesses will need fewer workers because_____________.
A. the owners can’t afford them
B. some jobs will disappear
C. machines will take the place of workers in many ways
D. the workers will have to be trained for new jobs
47. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
.A. Many people who come from different cultures will work together.
B. All Canadians have the same culture and religion
C. Different cultures will do good to Canada
D. Many Canadians will change their jobs in the future.
B
A new computer treatment is being used to deal with obesity in children. Connected to a small dining set, consisting of (包括) scales and a plate, a mini computer teaches children how to eat and reminds them when to stop.
“In very fat people, hunger signals from the stomach to the brain stop functioning. But the new computer system teaches the children how to receive these messages again,” says Dr. Julian Hamilton-Shield, the Bristol University senior lecturer leading the treatment trials.(实验)。
The computer , called a Mandometer, records and stores the weight loss from the plate when children eat. As the food is leaving the plate , a curve( 曲线)is produced on the computer screen suggesting whether the child is eating too quickly.
“Children with weight problems often eat too quickly. We want them to eat steadily稳定地） and slowly and the system teaches them to slow down. It’s a bit like retraining, ” says Hamilton-Shield.
Obesity now represents (代表) one of the major threats to the future health of children. About one in five boys and one in four girls aged two to fifteen in England are overweight. But so far no treatments have proven effective in treating children.
The Mandometer was developed in Sweden, but at present is experiencing further development at the University of Bristol, with $ 224,400 in funds from BUPA-a global health and care organization. The system could be on the market in two years’ time. At first, it would be managed by medical clinics(诊所).
40. The text is mainly written to explain____________.
A. how a new computer treatment dealing with obesity works.
B. why child obesity becomes a topic of people
C. how to lose weight with the help of computers.
D. why a computer is effective(有效的) in dealing with child obesity.
41. The word” functioning” in paragraph 3 probably means________.
A. eating B. working C. lasting D. losing
42. Obesity threatens the health of children , which__________.
A. people have not cared about
B. is nothing compared with other diseases.
C . has led to many deaths
D. is very serious
43. What can we learn from the text?
A. The Mandometer will be put into market once it proves effective.
B. The Mandometer is cheap enough for every family to afford
C. The Mandometer is still not perfect
D. Slow eating is sure to make people lose weight.
第二部分阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30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。
A
In 1901, H.G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book describing a trip to the moon. When the explorers(探险者)landed on the moon, they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities. They expressed their surprise to the “moon people” they met. In turn, the “moon people” expressed their surprise. “Why,” they asked, “are you traveling to outer space when you don’t even use your inner space?”
H.G. Wells could only imagine travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings really did land on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the “moon people” asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.
Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The “Chunnel”—a tunnel(隧道)connecting England and France, is now complete.
But what about underground cities? Japan’s Taisei Corporation is designed a network of underground systems, called “Alice Cities.” The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome(太阳能穹顶)would cover the whole city.
Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth’s space. The surface, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness. H.G. Wells’ “moon people” would agree. Would you?
36.. The explorers in H. G. Wells’ story were surprised to find that the “moon people” ____.
A. knew so much about the earth
B. understand their language
C. lived in so many underground cities
D. were ahead of them in space technology
37.. What does the underlined word “it ”(paragraph 2)refer to?
A. Discovering the moon’s inner space.
B. Using the earth’s inner space.
C. meeting the “moon people ”again.
D. Traveling to outer space.
38.. What sort of underground systems are already here with us?
A. Offices, shopping areas, power stations.
B. Tunnels, car parks, shopping areas.
C. Gardens, car parks, power stations.
D. Tunnels, gardens, offices.
39.. What would be the best title for the text?
A. Alice Cities-cities of the future
B. Space travel with H.G. Wells
C. Enjoy living underground
D. Building down, not up
E
President Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama has already made China extremely angry and stirred up Tibet advocates who thought it should have come sooner. China says Tibet is part of it, and that the meeting represents an unwanted intrusion(侵犯) into its own affairs. Many Americans still see the Dalai Lama as the representative of a people treated cruelly by Chinese rule. Many Tibetans are dissatisfied with Chinese rule, and this has led to widespread rioting(暴乱) over the past few years. Theywantself-determination; fair enough. But that seems to be the only story about Tibet that is ever told. The other story is — Looking at growth, standard of living, infrastructure(基础设施), and GDP, one thing is clear: China has treated Tibetans amiably.
Since 2001, Beijing has spent $45.4 billion on development in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). The effect: double-digit GDP growth for the past nine years. About a third of the money went to infrastructure investment, including the train connecting Beijing to Lhasa. The train provides an opportunity for Tibetan goods to be sold outside of the region and for a massive increase in number of tourists, reaching more than 5.5 million in 2009 — up from close to 2 million in 2005, the year before the train. While Tibetan independence groups like Free Tibet raise concerns about the increase in tourism, Hillman，a Tibet expert, points out that “tourism is an important industry that can benefit local Tibetans.”
Infrastructure improvements have not only helped grow the economy but also have aided in modernizing remote parts of Tibet, an area with 3 million people about twice the size of France.
Though Tibet is seriously puzzled by the "special contradiction" of the Dalai Lama, the central government stressed the need for Tibet to develop using the "combination of economic growth, well-off life, a healthy eco-environment, and social stability and progress" and The government is offering Tibetans the same bargain it has offered the rest of the country: in exchange for a great rise in living standards, the government requires citizens to stop having the right to free worship and free speech. Even if Tibetan residents never signed the contract, they have benefited from its policy—a fact Obama might keep in mind when he meets the Dalai Lama.
67. What does the underlined word “amiably” in the first paragraph mean?
A. rudely B. kindly C. politely D. coldly
68. According to the writer’s viewpoint it can be inferred that .
A. it doesn’t matter much to the Chinese government whether Tibetan problems exist
B. all the Americans agree with their president Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama
C. Hillman and Free Tibet hold different attitudes towards the increase in tourism
D. the Tibet Autonomous Region is an area of dense(稠密的) population
69. What can be learnt about the writer from the passage? The writer ______ .
A. urges the Chinese government to promote economy in Tibet
B. has an obvious political trend
C. describes what a happy life Tibetans are living to the public
D. states the facts as they are
70. The writer’s attitude towards the economical policy of the Chinese government in Tibet is ____ .
A. positive B. negative C. doubtful D. pessimistic
D
For John and Amy Cervantes, birthdays have always been a big deal — a welcome excuse to celebrate life. When their eldest son, Alex, turned three, in 2005, they invited 20 friends to a nearby park and hired a clown to paint faces and make balloon animals.
Not long after that, the couple were brainstorming ways to teach Alex about giving to others. “That’ s when a spark went off,” says Amy. “We wanted to do something that would have a strong effect on our community, that wasn’t already being done, and that our young children could participate in. I started wondering what less fortunate kids do on their birthdays. The next day, we called a local shelter.” What they learned is that homeless children typically don’t do anything to celebrate. No cake. No gifts. No party.
Several weeks later, the family threw a party at the shelter for the children who had birthdays that month. They decorated, served cake, and led 50 kids in the uncertain situation. Alex helped fill and pass out goody bags and presents. Since that first party, the couple have turned their simple idea into Birthday Blessings, a nonprofit that hosts monthly parties at ten shelters in and around Charlotte, North Carolina. The group also delivers baby supplies to new moms in the shelters. And it considerately sends treats to elementary schools so homeless kids can celebrate their birthdays with friends.
To date, Birthday Blessings has thrown more than 500 parties and handed out over 22,000 favors to nearly 4,000 homeless children. The idea is spreading fast, with additional chapters set to start in Atlanta, Cincinnati, and northeast Indiana. Birthday Blessings is operated entirely by volunteers with Amy, a stay-at-home mom, in charge. John attempts his career as an investment adviser while setting up the group’s similar network and running its capital campaign. The charity will take almost anything — toys, baby items — as long as it’s not used. “These kids never get anything new,” John says. “It makes a big difference to them psychologically.”
Being part of this“labor of love,” as Amy puts it, is already making an impression on the boys. When Alex turned seven, his grandparents sent a birthday check. “The first thing he said when he opened it,” Amy recalls, “was that he wanted to give half to the birthday kids.”
63. “a spark went off,” in Para 2 is closest in meaning to_______ .
A. Something was burning B. there was a little hope
C. they were excited.D. some good idea flashed into their mind.
64. The couple held a party at the shelter because_____ .
A. The children had birthdays that month
B. They felt sympathy for the homeless children
C. They wanted to make good impression on the children
D. They wanted to show that they were generous and kind
65. From the passage we can learn_______ .
A. The homeless children typically receive gifts and eat cakes on their birthdays
B. The group carefully sends treats to all the children in elementary schools
C. Birthday Blessings has performed different activities to aid the homeless children.
D. The couple are responsible for their own community in North Carolina
66. Which would be the best title for the passage?
A. Labor of Love B. Nonprofit Organization
C. Warm-hearted Volunteers.D. Fortunate Children