Around 200 million years ago, the earth was 18 degrees warmer than it is now. That might be a bit hot for humans, but it was just right for the giant dinosaurs that wandered about the earth during the Mesozoic (中生代的) era. A new study found that planteating dinosaurs may have contributed to the warming of the earthby releasing significant amounts of methane (甲烷)．
The study, published in science journal Current Biology, focused on sauropods, longnecked herbivores (食草动物) that munched (用力咀嚼) on the top of trees. They were the largest of the dinosaurs; food broke down in their stomachs for long periods of time. The researchers estimate that a sauropoda released 2,675 liters of methane per day—adding up to a large amount of the greenhouse gas being pumped from dinosaur's gut into the atmosphere.
Plant eaters naturally release methane as part of their digestive process. The larger the animal, the more methane it produces. Methane, a greenhouse gas, traps heat and remains in the atmosphere for approximately 915 years, which warms the atmosphere.
Today, some animals, such as cattle, goats and sheep, produce large amounts of methane as a byproduct to their food digestion. Methane is also released from human—influenced sources such as landfill, agricultural activities, coal mining and other industrial practices—which all contribute to today's climate change, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The researchers estimate that earth's sauropods would have produced about 520 million tons of methane per year—similar to the total amount of methane produced today by natural and manmade sources. However, the researchers warn that their numbers are estimates based on multiple assumptions about the digestive systems and populations of dinosaurs.
The author of the study David Wilkinson says the emission of methane from dinosaurs would have been just one of the causes of warm climate during the Mesozoic era. Other causes include gases produced from volcanoes, swamps, shallow seas and so on. Still, Wilkinson says，“ The amount of methane from dinosaurs is large enough to have a measurable effect.”Scientists think dinosaurs may have led to the global warming because ________.
| A．they ate everything they found |
| B．they usually had a good appetite |
| C．they released a lot of methane |
| D．there were too many dinosaurs on earth |
What do we know about dinosaurs from Paragraph 2?
| A．Sauropods fed on plants. |
| B．Sauropods were of medium size. |
| C．Dinosaurs used to live on trees. |
| D．Dinosaurs digested food quickly. |
Which of the following activities doesn't produce methane?
| A．Coal is dug out by machine. |
| B．Trees and flowers are planted. |
| C．Goats digest grass under the tree. |
| D．Food is being processed in the factory. |
How does the author make his writing reliable?
| A．By listing some facts. |
| B．By making predictions. |
| C．By citing figures. |
| D．By using mind pictures. |
David Wilkinson seems to believe that ________.
| A．methane had little effects on the earth |
| B．many other factors contributed to warm climate |
| C．other causes for warm climate were worth considering |
| D．dinosaurs were mainly to blame for global warming |
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题，每题2分，满分30分）
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Was Princess Diana murdered? The verdict(判决) is no. according to an inquiry(调查) held into the cause of her death over the last six months.
The big question was whether the deaths of Diana and her boyfriend Dodi A1 Fayed in a deadly car crash in 1997 had been accidental, or whether there was some kind of conspiracy(阴谋) to have them killed.
Dodi’s father Mohamed A1 Fayed, owner of London’s world-famous department store Harrods, has insisted for the last decade that the pair were murdered by spies of the British state who did not want them to marry. But his theories now look to have been blown out of the water. The court found that Princess Diana and her boyfriend were not murdered but killed due to the “gross, carelessness” of her driver and the paparazzi(偷拍的摄影记者). Her driver was drunk at the time of the crash and the paparazzi had been running after their car.
So is this the end of the Diana story? British taxpayers may hope so. The inquiry has cost them about ￡10m (140m RMB). “Thank God it’s over”, was the headline in The Guardian newspaper. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said it was time to “draw a line” under the death of the Princess. But Mohamed AI Fayed has refused to accept the judgment. He says the result will come as a “blow” to millions of his supporters around the world, and has not ruled out starting another investigation.
Whatever happens, next, the special place Princess Diana has in the hearts of people around the world is not likely to be forgotten.
56. According to the text, the inquiry focuses on _______.
A. what caused the deaths of Diana and her boyfriend
B. who were the paparazzi
C. how much British taxpayers paid for the case
D. whether the driver was drunk then .
57. By saying the underlined “his theories now look to have been blown out of the water”, the author means that ________.
A. Mohamed lacks confidence in the case
B. Mohamed feels disappointed at the result
C. Mohamed’s idea seems to be believable
D. Mohamed’s idea possibly proves to be wrong
58. Similar to The Guardian newspaper, UK Prime Minister ________.
A. felt sorry for the deadly car crash B. questioned the purpose of Dodi’s father
C. stood for the court’s judgment D. blamed the paparazzi for their bad behavior
What kind of car will we be driving in 2010? Rather different from the type we know today, with the next 20 years bringing greater change than the past 50．The people who will be designing the models of tomorrow believe that environmental problems may well accelerate the pace of the car’s development. Today they are students on the transport design course at London’s Royal College of Art.
Their vision is of a machine with three wheels instead of four, electrically powered, environmentally clean, and able to drive itself along “intelligent” roads equipped with built-in power supplies. Future cars will pick up their fuel during long journeys from a power source built into the road, or store it in small quantities for travelling in the city.
Instead of today’s seating arrangements—two in front, two or three behind, all facing forward--- the 2010 car will have a versatile interior with adults and children in a family circle.
This view of the future car is based on a much more sophisticated road system, with strips built into motorways to supply power to vehicles passing along them, cars will not need drivers, because computers will provide safe driving control and route finding. All the driver will have to do is say where to go and the computer will do the rest. It will become impossible for cars to crash into one another. The technology already exists for the car to become a true automobile.
71．What kind of car will we be driving in 2010?
A．Three wheeled. B．Electrically powered.
C．With a versatile seating arrangement D．All of the above.
72．How long will a volunteer be required to spend?
A．A few hours every day. B．A couple of hours each day.
C．One or two hours every two weeks. D．A few days per week.
73．What does the word “versatile” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A．having many different kinds of skill
B．easily able to change from one direction to another
C．easily able to change from one kind of activity to another
D．having many different uses
74．In paragraph 4 “with strips built into motorways to supply power to vehicles passing along them” means “there are many ____”.
A．traffic lights to control the speed of future cars
B．street posts to indicate directions for drivers
C．power sources along the street are able to supply power to automobiles
D．stop marks along the street to stop cars
75．What is the main idea of the passage?
A．Future cars are completely different from the automobiles we know today.
B．The design of future cars will be more sophisticated.
C．Because of the new type of cars, our future environment will become cleaner.
D．The road system will become more sophisticated than it is today.
C
“She was born for the camera,” said a photographer who shot Liu Yifei’s picture when she was only eight.
Over the past year, Liu, an 18-year-old Chinese American, has shot to fame while playing Wang Yuyan in Jin Yong's "Eightfold Path of the Heavenly Dragon"（《天龙八部》）. Millions of teenagers have been drawn in by her light smile and beautiful long hair. Many magazines have described her as one of the most charming young actresses of 2004. People say that Liu will be even bigger this year.
"She is so beautiful on TV. She has the special character to give flesh and blood to the fairy-like and beautiful Wang Yuyan," said Yang Mingwei, a Senior 2 boy and Liu’s fan from Wuyi High School in Fujian.
Currently Liu is filming the TV series "The Return of the Condor Heroes"（《神雕侠侣》）, another Jin Yong novel. In the show to be aired this year, Liu plays the Little Dragon Girl.
Liu is now a grade three student at the Beijing Film Academy, the star factory of China. But some people say that her success is only down to her beauty. When she returned to China with her mother at the age of 14, she did originally work as a model. It was when a director saw her picture on an advertisement board on the street that her opportunity to work in TV arose.
"A pretty face does not last forever. To be a good actress you must work hard and have a professional attitude," Liu said. Every day she spends hours practising all the kungfu kicks and punches for the show.
"There have been times during filming when I have remained hanging in the air on wires for half a day as the director keeps trying to get the perfect take," said Liu recently.
66. In the first paragraph, the photographer commented on Liu’s .
A. beauty B. talent as an actress
C. promising future D. special character
67. What does the underlined word “aired” probably mean?
A. Flown B. Broadcast C. Published D. Recorded
68. From Yang Mingwei, we learned that he meant LiuYifei .
A. worked hard when playing Wang Yuyan B. is more beautiful than WangYuyan
C. did a good job in playing WangYuyan D. was very lucky to play WangYuyan
69. Which of the following about Liu Yifei is true according to the passage?
A. She thinks her beauty contributes to her success.
B. She has become a citizen of the US.
C. She graduated from the Beijing Film Academy months ago.
D. She failed to improve her English when studying in America.
70. In which part of a newspaper can you read the above passage?
A. National news. B. Business. C. Advertisement. D. Famous people.
Li Shizhen was born in Hubei Province. His father was a doctor. He learned a lot about medical herbs（草药）from his father and read many medical books. At the age of 23 he became a doctor. He often treated（治疗）poor people’s illness, so many peasants and fishermen made friends with him.
The year he was 35 Li Shizhen began to write the COMPENDIUM OF MATERIA MEDICA. He walked all over famous mountains which grew medical plants to learn their shapes（形状）, the conditions in which they grew and collected all sorts of specimens（标本）. He spent 27 years in writing the book.
THE COMPENDIUM OF MATERIA MEDICA with over 1,000,000 words, describes（描述）1,800 kinds of medical plants. When the work had just been ready for printing and publishing（出版）, Li Shizhen passed away.
The COMPENDIUM OF MATERIA MEDICA introduces not only medical herbs growing China but also many foreign medicines. After its publication the books reached foreign countries. It was translated into English, French, and Russian and became an important piece of literature in international medical research.
61. Why did many peasants and fishermen make friends with Li Shizhen? Because
he__________.
A. was much concerned（关心）for the poor B. had a sweet manner
C.was a famous doctor D. read many medical books
62. His Compendium of Materia Medica describes__________.
A. over 1,000,000 words B. 1,800 kinds of medical stories
C. a lot of medical work D. many foreign medical stories
63. Before his book could be____________he had died.
A. printed and published B. introduced abroad
C. translated into foreign languages D. completed finally
64. The word “literature” in the article means__________.
A. work of different science B. letters from foreign countries
C. hope for the better future D. books on a special subject
65. What’s the Chinese name of the COMPENDIUM OF MATERIA MEDICA?
A. 本草钢目 B. 四库全书 C. 天工开物 D. 齐民要术
第三部分：阅读理解（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。
Who doesn’t love sitting beside a cozy fire on a cold winter’s night? Who doesn’t love to watch flames（火苗）curling up a chimney? Fire is one of man’s greatest friends, but also one of his greatest enemies. Many big fires are caused by carelessness. A lighted cigarette was thrown out of a car or train window or a broken bottle lying on dry grass can start a fire. Sometimes a fire can start on its own. Wet hay（草）can begin burning by itself. This is how it happens: the hay starts to rot（腐烂）and begins to give off heat which is trapped inside it. Finally, it bursts into flames. That’s why farmers cut and store（贮存）their hay when it’s dry.
Fires have destroyed whole cities. In the 17th century, a small fire which began in a baker’s shop burnt down nearly every building in London. Moscow was set on fire during the war against Napoleon. This fire continued burning for seven days. And, of course, in 64 A. D. a fire burnt Rome. Even today, in spite of modern fire - fighting methods, fire causes millions of pounds’ worthy of damage each year both in our cities and in the countryside.
It has been wisely said that fire is a good servant but a bad master.
56. The writer considers it ____ to sit beside a fire on a cold winter night.
A. nice B. dangerous C. unhappy D. painful
57. Which of the following describes the way how hay begins burning on its own?
A. wet hay becomes dry gives off heat burns
B. dry hay gets too much heat from the sun gives out heat starts to burn
C. wet hay begins to rot gives out heat starts to burn
D. dry hay gives off heat starts to rot starts to burn
58. Many big fires are caused __________.
A. by cigarette B. by their own
C. by dry grass D. by people’s carelessness
59. how many examples did the writer give to show fires can destroy the whole city ?
A. One B. Two C. Three D. Four
60. Which of the following statement is not true ?
A. Fires still cause much damage now although there are modern fire-fighting methods.
B. Fires cause less damage in the country than in the city.
C. Fire can be man’s good friend and also great enemy.
D. One should be careful not to throw a lighted cigarette everywhere.