Strange stones of Costa Rica
One of the strangest mysteries in archacology was discovered in the Diquis River Delta, in southern Costa Rica. Since the 1930s, hundreds of stone balls have been found. They range in size from a few centimeters to over two metres in diameter.
Who made these perfect spheres(球体) and how they made them remains a mystery. Some researchers believe the stones were made by extreme heating followed by cooling. People could have polished the spheres with sand or leather. The ancient Costa Ricans had no written language so there is no written record of just how they made the spheres.
Almost all are made of granite (花岗岩), a hard stone created by volcanoes. The granite quarries(采石场) were 25 to 30 miles away from the largest stones, which weigh more than 10 tons each. Nobody knows how people moved them..
Many of the stones have been found near the remains of houses or graves. Some believed that the stones contained hidden treasures and a few have been smashed but nothing has been found inside. Despite these losses, the National Museum of Costa Rica has recorded 130 spheres. However, many stones are not included because they have been removed from their original sites and used as ornaments(装饰) in homes, gardens and churches. Clearly, there are also many stones that lie undiscovered.The stones were discovered ___ .
| A．near the volcanoes |
| B．in southern Costa Rica |
| C．in a grave |
| D．in churches |
The writer ___ in the passage.
| A．admires the spheres very much |
| B．doesn’ t believe the spheres were once made by humans |
| C．tells us a discovery |
| D．thinks highly of the spheres |
The underlined word ”polished” refers to “___”.
| A．buried |
| B．wrapped |
| C．made shining |
| D．made big |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．The stone balls found in the Diquis River Delta are all very huge. |
| B．The stone balls were unearthed from the graves. |
| C．The local people show great interest in the stone balls. |
| D．There are a lot of treasures in the stone balls. |
The passage mainly tells us ___ .
| A．the stones are of great value. |
| B．the stones proved to be made by non-humans. |
| C．the stones are mystery. |
| D．the stone are ornaments. |
| ENTRY-EXIT INSPECTION AND QUARANTINE THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA HEALTH AND QUARANTINE DECLARATION FORM ON ENTRY Name: Shirley_Booth Sex: Male√Female Birth Date: 1959_yy_02_mm Nationality（Region）: American Time of Arrival: 17:20_hh_ Place of arrival: Shenzhen From（Country/Region）: USA Passport No．: CA5728019 Vehicle/ Ship/Flight No．: Flight_UA_3625 Seat No．: 16E Destination: Changsha,_Hunan 1．Please list the countries and cities（towns） that you have visited in the past 4 weeks: New_York,_Paris,_Tokyo_and_Hong_Kong 2．The contact address and telephone number in the next  14 days:Changsha_Friendship_Hotel 3．Please mark “√” before the items of following symptoms or illness if you have any now． FeverCoughOther disease Shortness of breath Difficulty breathing 4．Have you had close contact with any probable or suspected H1N1 case in the past 14 days?Yes√No 5．Please mark “√”before the items of following articles if you bring any of them． AnimalAnimal productsPlantPlant products √Biological productsWaste and used clothingSoil I hereby declare that all the information given above is true and correct． Date: April_16,_2009 Signature: Shirley_Booth Note: 1． For the health of all, please give true and correct information; 2． You will be sued according to related laws if you give the false information; 3． No entry shall be allowed without the declaration; 4． Body temperature: 37°C |
When does one need to fill in this form?
A．Permis sions for a foreigner to take the Chinese nationality． |
| B．Entry to China from other countries or regions． |
C．Exit to other c ountries or regions from China． |
| D．Anyone planning to take animals to China from other countries or regions． |
The underlined word “sued” can be taken the place of by _____．
| A．charged | B．sentenced |
| C．prevented | D．analyzed |
Which of the following statements is false according to the form?
| A．It was not by ship that Shirley Booth came to China． |
| B．Shirley Booth went to at least three continents during March16-April 16, 2009． |
| C．Shirley Booth brought some biological products with her． |
| D．From the form we know Shirley Booth was not in good health． |
A technique that controls immediate gas explosions by spraying them with large droplets of water is being tested by scientists at the University of Wales, United Kingdom．Instead of using the traditional fine water sprays when a gas leak is detected, the researchers have discovered that large droplets help to draw in some of the force of any explosion and provide a better way of controlling fire．
The research is based on studies made of the Piper Alpha oil rig（油井） explosion that occurred in the North Sea nine years ago killing 167 workers．The Welsh team found that by covering the gas-leak area with water droplets, the explosion and its e
ffect can be greatly reduced．
Dr Gerand Thomas, a good lecturer in physics at the university’s Center for Explosion Studies, said that it was impossible to deal with gas explosions in the same way as fires because the whole event may only last a quarter of a second and normal water sprays do not have time to be effective．
Using the droplets of water to hold explosions resulted in the water being turned into a mist that allows some force of the explosion to be reduced．The mist slows down the combustion（燃烧） process and can stop a large amount of the gas igniting （点火,燃烧）, thus greatly reducing damage by limiting pressure development．With such a system, the operator has to decide at what point after a gas leak to activate the sprays．
The Center for Explosion Studies is the first of its kind in the UK and has been purposely-built for the study and implication of industrial explosions on land and sea．Research is developed to the causes of accidental explosions and they might be prevented．Full-sized imitative buildings can be built at the center where explosions and fires are created to test preventative equipment using sensors to monitor their efficiency．
Another area that the Welsh researchers have been looking at is how materials respond to explosions．The center also carries out research requested by individual customers．Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Piper Alpha Oil Rig Explosion |
| B．Large Droplets of Water |
| C．A New Way of Controlling Gas Explosions |
| D．The center for Explosion Studies |
The research finds that _____ in holding immediate explosion．
| A．small water sprays are better than large droplets of water |
| B．small water sprays are not as good as large droplets of water |
| C．both small water sprays and large droplets of water are good |
| D．neither small water sprays nor large droplets of water is good |
Dr Geraint Thomas implies that ______．
| A．normal water sprays can put out fire effectively |
| B．gas explosions break out more quickly than fires |
| C．fires are easier to be held than explosions |
| D．gas explosions break out so quickly that there is no way to control it |
Which of the following is not included in the research area of the Center for Explosion Studies?
| A．To test the result of gas explosion． | |
| B．To get some implications of industrial explosions on land and sea． | |
C．To find out how materials respond to explosions． |
D．To find out when material respond to explosions． |
New evidence shows that getting enough Vitamin D may be the most important thing you can do for your health．
You know the usual prescription for good health: a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, regular exercise, no smoking．Now add this: Spend a little more time in the sun．
Huh? That may sound like medical heresy（反面观点）．After all, we've been warned for decades about the dangers of the sun: wrinkles, age spots and the increasing threat of skin cancer．But new and impressive medical evidence suggests that sunlight is beneficial．The vitamin D it prompts our bodies to make may prevent cancer, protect against heart disease and ward off a long list of disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and gum disease．It is even showing promise as a treatment for heart disease and some cancers．
Long recognized as vitally important for bone building （it's needed for calcium absorption）, vitamin D has now achieved superstar status among nutrients．While all doctors may not agree, many experts are confident enough of its wide-ranging powers to urge that we get much more of it, from the sun and from supplements, as even the best diet in the world may not give us enough．Which of the following is NOT the usual way of keeping healthy?
| A．To do exercise now and then． |
| B．To eat plenty of fruits and vegetables． |
| C．To avoid staying in the sun for a long time． |
| D．To keep away from cigarettes． |
What does the underlined word “prompts” in the third paragraph mean?
| A．causes | B．forces | C．motivates | D．encourages |
According to the passage, vitamin D ________．
| A．can be got by doing regular exercise |
| B．can be used to prevent some cancers |
| C．can be got from the sunlight |
| D．can be used to remove the wrinkles |
The passage is most likely from a（an） ________．
| A．advertisement | B．news report |
| C．magazine | D．medical prescription |
What secret force drives us into the arms of one person, while pushing us away from another who might appear e
qually desirable to any fair observer? Of the many factors influencing our idea of the perfect mate, one of the most telling is our “lovemap” ---- a group of messages formed in our brains that describes our likes and dislikes．It shows our preferences in hair and eye color, in voice, smell, body build．It also records the kind of personality that attracts us, whether it’s the warm and friendly type or the strong silent type．In short, we fall for and go after those people who most clearly fit our lovemap．And this lovemap is determined in childhood．By age eight, the pattern for our ideal mate has already begun to float around in our brains．
The mother has special influence on her sons: she not only gives them clues to what they will find attractive in a mate, but also influences how they feel about women in general．So if she is warm and nice, her sons are going to think that’s the way women are．They will likely grow up warm and responsive lovers and also be helpful around the house．
Just as mothers influence their son’s general feelings toward women, fathers influence their daughter’s general feelings about men．If a father lavishes praise on his daughter and shows that she is a worthwhile person, she’ll feel very good about herself in relation to men．But if the father is cold, critical or absent, the daughter will tend to feel she’s not very lovable or attractive．
While the mother determines in large part what qualities attract us in a mate, it’s the father ----- the first male in our lives ----- who influences how we relate to the opposite sex．Fathers have a great effect on their children’s personalities and chances or marriage happiness．What is the proper title for this passage?
| A．Why we love who we love | B．What is a lovemap |
| C．Different influence from parents | D．Ideal mate in the mind |
A perfect mate is a person who ____．
| A．is fair to everyone | B．is the most desirable |
| C．fits one’s lovemap | D．is perfect in everything |
If the husband hardly does any housework, ____．
| A．his mother must be warm | B．his father must be critical |
| C．his mother must be cold | D．his wife can’t be attractive |
The passage leads to a belief that ____．
| A．parents’ personalities decides the children’s lovemap |
| B．mothers have no influence on daughters’ marriage life |
| C．fathers care more about children’s marriage happiness |
| D．mothers influence children’s choices of perfect mates |
D
In the atmosphere,carbon dioxide actd rather like a one-way mirror or the glass in the roof of a greenhouse which allows the sun's rays to enter but prevents the heat from excaping.
According to a weather expert's prediction,the atmosphere will be 3 warmer in the year 2050 than it is today, if man continues to burn luels at the present rate. If this warming up took place,the ice caps in the poles would begin to melt,thus raising sea level several meters and severely flooding coastal cities.Also，the increase in atmospheric temperature would lead to great changes in the climate of the northern hemisphere(半球),psooicbly resulting in an alteration of earth's chief food growing zones.
In the past,concern about a man - made warming of the earth has concentrated on the Arctic because the Antarctic is much colder and has a much thicker ice sheet.But the weather experts are now paying more attention to West Antarctic,which may be affected by a warming on the scale that will possibly take place in the next fifty years from on burning of fuels.
Satellite pictures showthat large areas of Antarctic ice are already disappearing.The evidence available suggests that a warming has taken place.This fits the theory that carbon dioxide warms the earth.
However,most of the fuel is burnt in the northern hemisphere,where temperatures seem to be falling.Scientists conclude,therefore,that up to now natural influences on the weather have exceeded those caused by man.The question is:Which natural cause has most effect on the weather?
One possibility is the variable behavior of the sun.Astronomers at one research station have studied the hot spots and cold spots(that is,the relatively less hot spots) on the sun. As the sun rotates(旋转),every 27.5 days,it presents hotter or colder faces to the earth,and different aspects to different parts of the earth.This seems to have a considerable effect on the distribution of the earth's atmospheric pressure,and consequently on wind circulation.The sun is also variable over a long term:its heat output goes up and down in cycles,the latest trend being downward.
Scientists are now finding mutual relations between models of solar weather interactions and the actual climate over many thousands of years ,including the last Ice Age.The problem is that the models are predicting that the world should be entering a new Ice Age and it is not.
One way of solving this theoretical difficulty is to assume a delay of thousands of years while the solar effects overcome the inertia(不活动，惰性) of the earth's climate.If this is right,the warming effect of carbon dioxide might thus be serving as a useful counter balance to the sun's diminishing heat.
68.It can be concluded that a concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would ___.
A.mean a warming - up im the Arctic
B.raise the temperature of the earth's surface
C.prevent the sun's rays from reaching the earth's surface
D.account for great changes in the climate in the northern hemiphere
69.Although the fuel consumption is greater in the northern hemisphere,temperatures there seem to be falling.This is _______.
A.mainly because the levels of carbon dioxide are rising
B.partly due to variations in the output of solar energy
C.possibly because the ice caps in the poles are melting
D.exclusively due to the effect of the inertia of the earth's climate
70.On the basis of their models,scientists are of the opinion that ________.
A.the climate of the world should be becoming cooler
B.the new Ice Age will be delayed by the greenhouse effect
C.the man - made warming effect helps to increase the solar effects
D.it will take thousands of years for the inertia of the earth's climate to take effect