What will man be like in the future——in 5000 or even 50,000 years from now? We can only make guesses, of course, but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today, for man is slowly changing all the time.
Let us take an obvious example. Man, even five hundred years ago, was shorter than he is today. Now, on average, men are about three inches taller. Five hundred years is relatively short period of time, so we may assume that man will continue to grow taller. Again, in the modern world we use our brains a great deal. Even so, we still make use of only about 20% of the brain’s capacity. As time goes on, however, we shall have to use our brains more and more, and eventually we shall need larger ones! This is likely to bring about a physical change to the head, in particular the forehead, will grow larger.
Nowadays our eyes are in constant use. In fact, we use them so much that very often they become weaker and we have to wear glasses. But over very long period of time it is likely that man’s eyes will grow stronger.
On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs. These, as a result, are likely to grow weaker. At the same time, however, our fingers will grow more sensitive because they are used a great deal in modern life.
But what about hair? This will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of time because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer. In the future, then, both sexes are likely to be bald.
Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at! This may well be true. All the same, in spite of all these changes, future man will still have a lot in common with us. He will still be a human being, with thoughts and emotions similar to our own. The passage mainly tells us that____.
| A．man’s life will be different in the future |
| B．future man will look quite different from us |
| C．man is growing taller and uglier as time passes |
| D．the functions of man’s organs(器官) will function as well as today |
Which of the following serves as the evidence that man is changing?
| A．Man’s hair is getting thinner and thinner. |
| B．Man has got stronger eyes now than he ever had. |
| C．Man has been growing taller over the past 500 years. |
| D．Man’s arms and legs have become lighter and weaker. |
The change in man’s size of forehead is probably because__________
| A．he makes use of only 20 % of the brain’s capacity. |
| B．the other 80% of his brain will grow in due（预定的） time. |
| C．his brain has grown larger over the past centuries. |
| D．he will use his brain more and more as time goes on. |
Which of the following is true about a human being in the future?
| A．He thinks and feels in different way. |
| B．He has smaller eyes and wears better glasses. |
| C．He is hairless because hair is no longer useful. |
| D．His fingers grow weaker because he doesn’t use them. |
It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
| A．future life is always predictable（可预测的） |
| B．human beings hope for a change in the future life |
| C．human beings will become less attractive in the future |
| D．Less use of a bodily organ may lead to its degeneration（衰退） |
Have you read " 'To Kill a Mockingbird’ The only novel by Harper Lee offers moral lessons about racial justice and respect．It tells the story of a young girl named Scout and her father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer．He defends a black man ．
Tom Robinson wrongfully accused of raping（强奸）
a white woman．In the end, an all-white- jury （陪审团）sentences Tom Robinson to death． The book is set in the American, South in the 1930s．
But it came out on July11th, 1960 as the civil rights movement in the United States was gaining strength.
Laws and customs in the South, however, still kept blacks and whites mostly separated．
A mockingbird is a land of gray songbird．The book
gets its title from something Atticus Finch was told in his
childhood when his father gave him a gun. Atticus Finch said, "I remember when my daddy first gave me that gun, he told me that I should never point at anything in the house, and that I could shoot all the blue jays I wanted, if I could hit them．But remember, it was a sin （罪过） to kill a mockingbird, for they don't hurt anyone, they just make music．"
Some people said, " 'To Kill a Mockingbird' treats racism in a way that is simplisite（过分单纯化的）, even offensive to blacks, and out of date in today's America．" Still, it has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold over forty million copies. It is often required reading in high schools. Harper Lee won a Pulitzer Prize in America in 1961 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom of the United States for her contribution to literature in 2007.
The story takes place in a town that Harper Lee called Maycomb. But she based the characters on real people she knew growing up．Since then her hometown Monroeville has changed a lot．A number of African-Americans serve m the local government．The courthouse, made famous by the book, is now a museum．A small shop and a fast-food restaurant called Mel's Dairy Dream have replaced Harper Lee's childhood home．
We can learn from the passage that Harper Lee __．
| A．has written more than-one novel in her life |
| B．lived in a town called Maycomb as a child |
| C．had been awarded two prizes in America by 2007 |
| D．likes a mockingbird very much that makes music |
According to the passage, __ in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” is compared to a Mockingbird．
| A．Harper Lee | B．Scout |
| C．Attricus Finch | D．Tom Robison |
What is the main idea of the 4th paragraph?
| A．A mockingbird doesn't hurt anyone at all． |
| B．To tell readers how the novel gets its title, |
| C．A mockingbird is a kind of gray songbird． |
| D．To kill a mockingbird is more than a hunting． |
We can infer from the passage that the novel "To Kill Mockingbird" __．
| A．was published about 60 years ago |
| B．was very popular in the late 1930s |
| C．has been read by millions of high school students |
| D．gets its title from a story told by Harper Lee's father |
Here is some information about several famous local bakeries(面包烤房) in Indiana, the US. They serve as a social gathering place for locals.
Maple Lane Bakery
At 8260 S. State Rd. Claypool, IN. (574) 566-2917, it offers a variety of cooked pies, cookies, and bread. With 20 years’ experience Maple Lane Bakery has specialized in the making of pies. The menu includes peach pie $7.19, berry pie $7.70, apple pie $7.19 and banana pie $6.99. Feel free to place an order at least 24 hours in advance.
Betty’s Cakes & Candy Shop
At 816 E. Winona Avenue Warsaw, IN. (574) 269-1231, it specializes in cakes and offers cookies and candies. The chocolate cookies are sold at $8.99 a dozen. Betty’s Cakes & Candy Shop, started half a century ago, specializes in wedding cakes and birthday cakes. Buying a cake from Betty’s will not disappoint you as they are always excellent.
Crepes’ Quality Bakery
At 217 S. Cavin Street Ligonier, IN. (260) 894-3024, this third generation bakery is located downtown Ligonier. It offers cookies and cupcakes, and specializes in rolls and bread. If you plan to buy cookies for the office or work area, you had better get there early as the building workers arrive just before 5:00 am waiting for the doors to open.
Olympia Candy Kitchen
At 136 N. Main Street Goshen, IN. (574) 533-5040, it has been welcoming visitors for almost a century in its unchanged location in downtown Goshen, Indiana. Its tradition began in 1912 when Greek Nicholas began making his own chocolates. Today this family-owned operation offers all kinds candies and boxed candies.
If you need an order, you should call ahead of time to see if they can meet your request.Which of the following pies is the most expensive?
| A．Peach pie. | B．Banana pie. |
| C．Apple pie. | D．Berry pie. |
If you want to order a birthday cake, you are advised to call _________.
| A．(574) 533-5040 | B．(574) 269-1231 |
| C．(260) 894-3024 | D．(574) 566-2917 |
Which of the following bakeries has the shortest history?
| A．Crepes’ Quality Bakery |
| B．Betty’s Cakes & Candy Shop |
| C．Olympia Candy Kitchen |
| D．Maple Lane Bakery |
The author wrote this passage mainly to __________.
| A．tell readers some travel information |
| B．persuade more people to eat pies |
| C．make the bakeries better known to readers |
| D．warn customers to order bakeries in advance |
Would it surprise you to learn that, like animals, trees communicate with each other and pass on their wealth to the next generation?
UBC Professor Simard explains how trees are much more complex than most of us ever imagined .Although Charles Darwin thought that trees are competing for survival of the fittest, Simard shows just how wrong he was. In fact, the opposite is true: trees survive through their co-operation and support, passing around necessary nutrition “depending on who needs it”.
Nitrogen（氮） and carbon are shared through miles of underground fungi（真菌） networks, making sure that all trees in the forest ecological system give and receive just the right amount to keep them all healthy. This hidden system works in a very similar way to the networks of neurons（神经元）in our brains, and when one tree is destroyed, it affects all.
Simard talks about “mother trees”, usually the largest and oldest plants on which all other trees depend .She explains how dying trees pass on the wealth to the next generation, transporting important minerals to young trees so they may continue to grow .When humans cut down “mother trees” with no awareness of these highly complex “tree societies” or the networks on which they feed, we are reducing the chances of survival for the entire forest.
“We didn't take any notice of it.” Simard says sadly .“Dying trees move nutrition into the young trees before dying, but we never give them chance.” If we could put across the message to the forestry industry, we could make a huge difference towards our environmental protection efforts for the future.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Old Trees Communicate Like Humans |
| B．Young Trees Are In Need Of Protection |
| C．Trees Contribute To Our Society |
| D．Trees Are More Complex Than You Think |
In Simard's opinion, trees _______
| A．compete for survival |
| B．protect their own wealth |
| C．depend on each other |
| D．provide support for dying trees |
We can learn from the passage that.
| A．“mother trees” are usually of no use to other trees. |
| B．Charles Darwin had the same thought as Simard. |
| C．if “mother trees” are cut down, the survival for the entire forest will be affected. |
| D．people know much about the complex “tree societies”. |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to .
| A．how “tree societies” work |
| B．how trees grow old |
| C．how forestry industry develops |
| D．how young trees survive |
Once upon a time, there was a lovely vegetable field, on which grew a very thick tree. Both the vegetables and the tree gave the place a wonderful appearance, which was the joy of the garden’s owner. What no one knew was that the vegetables in the field and the tree couldn’t stand each other. The vegetables hated the tree’s shadow, because it left them only just enough light to survive. The tree, on the other hand, hated the vegetables because they drank nearly all the water before it could get to him, leaving him with just enough to survive.
The situation became so extreme that the vegetables got totally fed up and decided to use up all the water in the ground so that the tree would dry up. The tree answered back by refusing to give the vegetables shadow from the hot midday sun, so they both began to dry up. Before long, the vegetables were really thin and the tree’s branches were drying up.
Neither of them thought that the gardener, on seeing his vegetable field becoming worse, would stop watering it. When he did that, both the tree and the vegetables really learned what thirst was. There seemed to be no solution, but one of the vegetables, a small courgette（小胡瓜）, understood what was going on, and decided to deal with it. Despite the little water and the unbearable heat, the little courgette did all he could to grow, grow...He managed to grow so big that the gardener started watering the field again. The gardener wanted to enter that beautiful big courgette in some gardening contest.
And so the vegetables and the tree realized that it was better to help each other than to fight. They should really learn how to live in harmony with those around them, doing the best they could. So they decided to work together, using both the shadow and the water in the best combination to grow good vegetables. Seeing how well they were doing, the gardener now gave the best of care to his vegetable field, watering it better than any other field for miles around.What is the problem between the tree and the vegetables?
| A．They looked down upon each other. |
| B．They didn’t leave water to each other. |
| C．They couldn’t stand each other. |
| D．They didn’t know how to protect themselves. |
What is the result of the fight between the tree and the vegetables?
| A．They grew taller and stronger. |
| B．They were both drying up. |
| C．The tree defeated the vegetables. |
| D．The vegetables defeated the tree. |
The courgette thought of ways to solve the conflict by .
| A．making peace with the tree |
| B．working together with other vegetables |
| C．entering the gardening contests |
| D．growing big enough |
What can we learn from this passage?
| A．We ought to live in harmony with others. |
| B．We ought to save as much water as possible. |
| C．We ought to learn from each other in some ways. |
| D．We ought to learn to respect each other. |
Which boy hasn’t dreamed of being a cool secret agent(特工)? The wonderful fighting and the world-saving adventures are much more colourful than most people’s everyday lives. Well, Cody Banks is just like any other boy, except that he is not just dreaming. He has a big secret his friends never know about. He was trained to be a spy(间谍) by a special CIA programme, which was made to look like a summer camp. He learned high-speed driving, hand-to-hand fighting and the use of high-tech tools.
After proving he could become a young hero by saving a baby from a runaway car, Banks gets his first real task. He must make friends with a popular girl at school, Natalie Connors. Then, he must spy on her father, a scientist who has developed a dangerous technology(技术). Banks must stop a group of bad people from forcing Natalie’s father into using the technology to endanger the world.
The CIA may have taught him first-class self-defence moves, but they didn’t show him how to talk to girls. Banks has zero ability when it comes to dealing with girls. How can he get around his problem and get an invitation to the girl’s upcoming birthday party? Will he finally become Natalie’s boyfriend and find out whatever he can do about her father’s work?
Agent Cody Banks has everything that young people are interested in: big explosions, breath-taking performances and funny girl-dating experiences. It was listed in No.2 in the American box office last week.
“This story is interesting and fun for the whole family to enjoy, and especially cool for young boys.” said Paul Perkins, a film reviewer in the US.What is Banks’s first real task?
| A．To test a high-tech tool |
| B．To watch a scientist secretly |
| C．To study a new technology |
| D．To save a baby from a car |
Banks wanted to go to Natalie’s birthday party to ______.
| A．meet her father |
| B．know more people |
| C．make friends with her |
| D．steal some information |
What is considered as a great danger in the text?
| A．The technology developed by Natalie’s father |
| B．An explosion set off by some bad people |
| C．The CIA’s training of boys for its task |
| D．Secret agents spying on scientists |
What is the purpose of the text?
A. Making known the work of the CIA.
B. Introducing a new film.
C. Showing the dark side of science.
D. Telling the story about a cool boy.