(2013·江苏，C)
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 his brain, the consequence can be death.
Other airbreathing animals also suffer this decompression(减压)sickness if they surface too fast: whales, for example. And so, long ago, did ichthy osaurs (鱿). 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 study of ichthyosaur 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 decompression over the 150 million years. To this end, he and his colleagues traveled the world's naturalhistory museums, looking at hundreds of ichthyosaurs from the Triassic 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 ichthyosayurs had suffered the bends before they died, but not a single Triassic specimen(标本)showed evidence of that sort of injury.
If ichthyosaurs did evolve an antidecompression means, they clearly did so quickly—and, most strangely, they lost it afterwards. But that is not what Dr Rothschild 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 surfaced to escape a predator (捕食动物)such as a large shark. One of the features of Jurassic oceans was an abundance of large sharks and crocodiles, both of which were fond of ichthyosaur lunches. Triassic oceans, by contrast, were mercifully sharkand crocodilefree. In the Triassic, then, ichthyosaurs were top of the food chain. In the Jurassic 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 pressure. |
The purpose of Rothschild'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 |
Rothschild's finding stated in Paragraph 4 ________.
| A．confirmed his assumption |
| B．speeded up his research process |
| C．disagreed with his assumption |
| D．changed his research objectives |
Rothschild might have concluded that ichthyosaurs ________.
| A．failed to evolve an antidecompression means |
| B．gradually developed measures against the bends |
| C．died out because of large sharks and crocodiles |
| D．evolved an antidecompression means but soon lost it |
The world of the science-fiction 3-D film Avatar is so perfect that the line between fact and fiction has bec
ome somewhat blurred (模糊) .
Movie-goers have admitted being annoyed by depression at not being able to visit the planet Pandora. Set in the future when Earth's resources have been used up, director James Cameron's film tells the story of a company trying to exploit a rare mineral on a new planet. The humans clash with the natives — a peace-loving race of 7-foot-tall, blue-skinned creatures called the Na'vi, who exist in perfect harmony with nature.
Fans have flooded the Internet with their confused feelings. On the site Avatar Forums (论坛), the topic "Ways to deal with the depression of the dream of Pandora not being able to come true" has more than 1,000 posts. In a similar forum, Louis, one user, wrote: "When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed grey. It just seems so meaningless. I still don't really see any reason to keep doing things at all. I live in a dying world." On the Avatar site Naviblue, a fan calling himself Jorba has even asked others to join him in starting a real Na'vi tribe.
This fantasy world, with its wonderful plants and animal life, is brought to life by using impressive special effects. Many people believe that 2010 is the break
through year for the technology helped by 3-D movies such as Avatar. "It has taken the best of our technology to create this virtual world and real life will never be as perfect as it seems on screen. It makes real life seem more imperfect."What is the best title of the text?
| A．A blockbuster movie: Avatar |
| B．The Avatar effect: movie-goers feel depressed after watching Avatar |
| C．2010: a breakthrough year for. 3-D movies |
| D．Pandora: a perfect world |
We can infer that Louis after watching the film Avatar.
| A．will cherish his present life more |
| B．feels disappointed about the real world |
| C．will intend to create a real Na'vi tribe |
| D．is proud of living on the earth |
Thanks to the success of Av'atar, .
| A．3-D technology will probably develop quickly in 2010 |
| B．most people look forward to living on another planet |
| C．many more science-fiction films will be made in the coming years |
| D．people have become more realistic about life |
The underlined word "virtual" probably means .
| A．unreal | B．true | C．perfect | D．practical |
According to the passage the natives on the planet are .
| A．not harmony with the nature | B．blue-haired race |
| C．peace-loving creatures | D．fond of fighting with human race |
"A survey was conducted in Shanghai where interviewees were asked if they wanted to be a factory worker. One percent of all people interviewed said “YES," Wang Hongjun, a technician, said, raising his voice for dramatic effect. "But I can tell you, only a small part of that 1 percent are telling the truth."
I've met colorful people like Wang all over China. They are cynical (玩世不恭的) yet warmhearted, plain spoken but smart. And many of them are confined (局限于) to work in factories.
Wang is a top technician but also represents manual factory workers, who are China's most important natural resource. Their energy is powering China's economic boom, and their muscle is turning the wheel of the world's factory.
But does their unskilled labor give their life meaning? At school, did they tell their friends: "When I grow up I want to work in a factory making socks?" Did you?
Factory work has always been a stepping-stone from farm life to the city and
a modern life. It's been happening for centuries, but today, with our space-age technology, it's outdated. Earning 1,200 yuan ($169) per month working in a factory is better than that on a farm, but as Wang points out, it's not a dream career. There should be better ways to earn your rice.
Many modern factories no longer have production line workers. Robots do the assembly (装配). People just do the monitoring. In this age of technology, in which China is now working smarter and not just harder, why are people still standing in production lines?
But life is cheap in China. So why not continue to exploit the low-cost labor situation and keep the economy growing fast, some entrepreneurs may ask.
But have these businessmen ever labored in a factory?How many people surveyed really like to be factory workers?
| A．One percent | B．Only a small part |
| C．Only a small part of that one percent | D．The writer didn’t mention it. |
Which is NOT the writer's opinion of factory workers?
| A．cynical | B．unimportant |
| C．warmhearted | D．plain spoken |
Wang Hongjun is a person who is .
| A．difficult to get along with |
| B．humorous but serious |
| C．cynical but warmhearted, plain spoken but smart |
| D．full of energy but doesn't want to work hard |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Factory workers make contributions to China's economic boom. |
| B．Working in a factory is better than that on a farm. |
| C．Factory workers are satisfied with their living conditions. |
| D．Some entrepreneurs exploited the low-cost labor situation. |
The writer uses to begin the passage.
| A．a lot of figures | B．many examples |
| C．some dialogue | D．the result of a survey |
TIJUANA, Mexico – A powerful earthquake swayed (摇动) buildings from Los Angeles to Tijuana, killing two people in Mexico, blac
king out cities and forcing the evacuation (疏散) of hospitals and nursing homes. One California city closed off its downtown due to unstable buildings.
The 7.2-magnitude quake centered just south of the US border near Mexicali was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit region in decades.
"It sounds like it's felt by at least 20 million people," USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said. "Most of Southern California felt this earthquake."
Sunday afternoon's earthquake hit hardest in Mexicali, a commerce center along Mexico's border with California, where authorities said the quake was followed by at least 20 smaller aftershocks, including ones of magnitudes 5.1, 4.5 and 4.3.
"It has not stopped trembling in Mexicali," said Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo on Monday.
Escobedo said one man was killed when his home collapsed just outside of Mexicali and another died when he rushed into the street in panic and was struck by a car. At least 100 people were injured in the city, most of them struck by falling objects. Power was out in virtually the entire city.
Susan Warmbier was putting away groceries in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista when her husband asked, "Is the house moving?"
Elsewhere in San Diego, there were reports of shattered windows, broken pipes and water main breaks in private buildings, but no reports of injuries, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Maurice Luque said. Coronado Bridge over San Diego Bay was briefly closed as a precaution.
Across the border in Tijuana, Mexico, the quake caused buildings to sway and knocked out power in some areas. No tsunami warning was issued, but hundreds of people on Tijuana's crowded beach feared the worst and fled when they felt the ground shake. What's the best title of the passage?
| A．A strong quake in Mexico, but no tsunami |
| B．A strong quake kills 2 in Mexico, frightens US states |
| C．A strong quake, downtowns closed off |
| D．A strong quake, buildings collapses |
The 7.2-magnitude quake .
| A．centered just south of the Mexico |
| B．was felt by 20 million people in Mexico |
| C．was felt by most of Southern California |
| D．was the strongest earthquakes to hit region in centuries |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Some cities had power failure after the quake. |
| B．One of the cities closed off its downtown because of the swaying buildings. |
| C．Many smaller quakes happened after the 7.2-magnitude one. |
| D．Hundreds of people on the beach died because of the tsunami. |
People got injured mostly .
| A．because they were in panic |
| B．because the power was out in the whole city |
| C．because of the falling objects |
| D．because they were buried under the falling objects |
Coronado Bridge over San Diego Bay was briefly closed .
| A．to avoid further dangers |
| B．by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department |
| C．as a reminding of the quake |
| D．to prevent the bridge from destroying |
There’s talk today about how as a society we’ve become separated by colors, income, city vs suburb, red state vs blue．But we also divide ourselves with unseen dotted lines．I’m talking about the property lines that isolate us from the people we are physically closest to: our neighbors．
It was a disaster on my street, in a middle-class suburb of Rochester Town, several years ago that got me thinking about this．One night, a neighbor shot and killed his wife and then himself; their two middle-school children ran screaming into the night．Though the couple had lived on our street for seven years, my wife and I hardly knew them．We’d see them jogging together．Sometimes our children would share cars to school with theirs．
Some of the neighbors attended the funeral（葬礼）and called on relatives．Someone laid a single bunch of yellow flowers at the family’s front door, but nothing else was done to mark the loss．Within weeks, the children had moved with their grandparents to another part of the town．The only indication that anything had changed was the “For Sale” sign in front of their house．
A family had disappeared, yet the impact on our neighborhood was slight．How could that be? Did I live in a community or just in a house on a street surrounded by people whose lives were entirely separate? Few of my neighbors, I later learned, knew others on the street more than casually; many didn’t know even the names of those a few doors down．
Why is it that in an age of low long-distance expenses, discount airlines and the Internet, when we can create community anywhere, we often don’t know the people who live next door? Maybe my neighbors didn’t mind living this way, but I did．I wanted to get to know the people whose houses I passed each day – not just what they do for a living and how many children they have, but the depth of their experience and what kind of people they are．
What would it take, I wondered, to break through the barriers between us? I thought about childhood sleepovers（在外过夜）, and the familiar feeling and deep understanding I used to get from waking up inside a friend’s home．Would my neighbors let me sleep over and write about their lives from inside their own houses?
72．The underlined word “this” in the second paragraph probably refers to the talk about ____．
A．how a society is divided by dotted lines
B．the property lines separating us from our neighbors
C．the couple’s death
D．understanding each other between neighbors
73．Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the author’s description?
A．The husband killed himself．
B．The couple had the habit of jogging together．
C．Their children moved to live with grandparents after the couple’s death．
D．The author never knew the couple until they died seven years later．
74．From the last paragraph, we can infer that the author _____ in his childhood．
A．had once slept in the open air outside
B．had slept in his friend’s home more than once
C．had slept at home but woke up to find himself inside his friend’s home
D．used to live in his friend’s home
75．Following the last paragraph, the author will perhaps _____．
A．leave his home and began his writing career
B．sleep in the open air and write about his experiences
C．sleep in his neighbors’ homes and write about their family lives
D．interview his neighbors and write about their houses
Cellphone users in the United States have contributed more than $11 million to Haitian earthquake relief through text messages in what is being called as an unexpected mobile response to a natural disaster．
The Mobile Giving Foundation called it a “mobile-giving record” for funds raised for a single cause．Donations are rising swiftly, as former President Bill Clinton and other politicians urge the American people to give．
Jim Manis, chief officer of the organization helping to manage cellphone donations, said it was receiving up to 10,000 text messages per second．The foundation said more than $11 million has been donated．
Cellphone users can donate $5 to Haiti-born hip-hop musician Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund by texting the word “Yele” to 501501, or they can donate $10 to other nonprofit organizations, such as the American Red Cross, by texting the word “Haiti” to a specified number, like 90999．
The donation is charged to a user’s cellphone bill．
The American Red Cross said it has received more than $ 9 million in donations from more than 900,000 mobile phone users．
“It’s beyond our imagination that we’ve received this amount,” said spokeswoman Nadia Pontif．
Jean’s fund had raised $2 million via text messages, according to Give on the Go, Yele’s mobile application service provider．
The giving is also being fueled by the popularity of websites like Facebook and Twitter, where users are urging one another to make donations using cellphones．
Wireless carriers(无线运营商) Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc．, Sprint and T-Mobile USA, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG, have waived(免收) fees for customers wishing to send mobile donations．Carriers are also letting users know they are not taking a cut of the donations．
“There are no text messaging fees and 100% of the $10 donation goes to the American Red Cross, and every carrier is working through a solution to push those funds out faster．” Verizon said in a statement．
68．A mobile phone user can donate some money to Haiti by texting the word _____ ．
A．“Yele” to 501501 to donate $10
B．“Haiti” to 90999 to donate $10
C．“Yele” or “Haiti” to 501501 to donate $ 5
D．“Haiti” to the American Red Cross to donate $ 5
69．The underlined word “fueled” in the ninth paragraph most probably means “_____ ”．
A．protected B．discouraged C．inspired D．reflected
70．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Facebook and Twitter are two relief organizations from the USA．
B．Many American politicians force Americans to give donations to Haiti．
C．The American Red Cross expected to receive much more donations．
D．Carriers have promised not to take a share from the donation．
71．Which may be the best title for the passage?
A．U．S．Texting Raises $11 Million for Haiti Earthquake
B．An Unexpected Terrible Earthquake Hit Haiti
C．The American Red Cross Offers Help to Haiti
D．Wireless Carriers Donate $11 Million to Haiti