Fouryearsagomysweetmomwenttobe-优题课

Global warming may or may not be the great environmental crisis of the 21st century, but — regardless of whether it is or isn’t — we won’t do much about it. We will argue over it and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments(承诺) to avoid it. But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely they are to be observed.
Al Gore calls global warming an “inconvenient truth,” as if merely recognizing it could put us a path to a solution. But the real truth is that we don’t know enough to relieve global warming, and — without major technological breakthroughs — we can’t do much about it.
From 2003 to 2050, the world’s population is projected to grow from 6.4 billion to 9.1 billion, a 42% increase. If energy use per person and technology remain the same, total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions(排放) (mainly, CO2) will be 42% higher in 2050. But that’s too low, because societies that grow richer use more energy. We need economic growth unless we condemn the world’s poor to their present poverty and freeze everyone else’s living standards. With modest growth, energy use and greenhouse emissions more than double by 2050.
No government will adopt rigid restrictions on economic growth and personal freedom (limits on electricity usage, driving and travel) that might cut back global warming. Still, politicians want to show they’re “doing something.” Consider the Kyoto Protocol(京都议定书). It allowed countries that joined to punish those that didn’t. But it hasn’t reduced CO2 emissions (up about 25% since 1990), and many signatories(签字国) didn’t adopt tough enough policies to hit their 2008-2012 targets.
The practical conclusion is that if global warming is a potential disaster, the only solution is new technology. Only an aggressive research and development program might find ways of breaking our dependence on fossil fuels or dealing with it.
The trouble with the global warming debate is that it has become a moral problem when it’s really an engineering one. The inconvenient truth is that if we don’t solve the engineering problem, we’re helpless.
46. What is said about global warming in the first paragraph?
A. It may not prove an environmental crisis at all.
B. It is an issue requiring worldwide commitments.
C. Serious steps have been taken to avoid or stop it.
D. Very little will be done to bring it under control.
47. According to the author’s understanding, what is Al Gore’s view on global warming?
A. It is a reality both people and politicians are unaware of.
B. It is a phenomenon that causes us many inconveniences.
C. It is a problem that can be solved once it is recognized.
D. It is an area we actually have little knowledge about.
48. Greenhouse emissions will more than double by 2050 because of ________.
A. economic growth
B. wasteful use of energy
C. the widening gap between the rich and poor
D. the rapid advances of science and technology
49. The author believes that, since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, ________.
A. politicians have started to do something to better the situation
B. few nations have adopted real tough measures to limit energy use
C. reductions in energy consumption (消耗) have greatly cut back global warming
D. international cooperation has contributed to solving environmental problems
50. What is the message the author intends to convey?
A. Global warming is more of a moral issue than a practical one.
B. The ultimate solution to global warming lies in new technology.
C. The debate over global warming will lead to technological breakthroughs.
D. People have to give up certain material comforts to stop global warming.

President Coolidge’s statement, “The business of America is business,” still points to a very important truth today—that business organizations have more prestige in American society than any other kind of organization, including the government. Why do business institutions still possess this great prestige?
One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the idea of competition than other organizations in society. Since competition is seen as the main source of progress and development by most Americans, competitive business organizations are respected. Competition is not only good in itself; it is the means by which other basic American values, such as individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and hard work are protected.
Competition protects the individual freedom by making sure that there is no monopoly(垄断) of power. Compared with one and all-powerful government, many businesses compete against each other for benefit. If one business tries to take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to the competing business which treats its customers more fairly. Since there are many businesses competing for the customers’ dollars, they cannot afford to treat them unfairly and the customers would lose nothing.
A contrast(对比) is often made between business, which is competitive, and government, which is a monopoly. Because business is competitive, many Americans believe that it gives more support for freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people while business leaders are not. Many Americans believe that competition is as important, or even more important, as democracy(民主) in protecting freedom.
Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the idea of equal opportunities. Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to any person regardless of his or her social class background. Competitive success is commonly seen as the American choice of the higher social position which is not based on one’s family background. Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equal opportunities.
76. Which of the following is discussed as the main topic in the passage?
A. Competition in America’s business B. Freedom in America’s business
C. Americans’ different values D. Business against government
77. Americans believe that they can realize their personal values ________.
A. when given equal opportunities
B. through doing business
C. by protecting their individual freedom
D. by means of competition
78. The underlined word “prestige ” in the first paragraph probably means ________.
A．reputation B. opportunity C. equality D. competition
79. Who can benefit from business competition?
A. Businessmen who compete
B. Customers of those businesses
C. People with the idea of equality and freedom
D. Both business organizations and government
80. It could be inferred from that the author believe ________.
A. business in other countries are not as competitive as those in the USA
B. business problems are very important to the American government
C. the competition in business plays a very important role in America
D. American business is the most powerful one in the whole world

A young man named Charles Lyell had different ideas. He wrote a book about them called Principles of Geology. The earth，according to Lyell，was not only thousands of years old，it was millions of years old. As to the common belief that changes in the earth’s surface happen suddenly because of a single earthquake or flood，he said that this might happen once in a while，but usually these changes took place very slowly. He believed that the surface of the earth had been changing from the beginning of time. The changes，he said，were caused by the long-term action of the winds and seas，and by forces such as volcanoes breaking out under the earth’s surface. Once in a great while he thought，a mountain might appear for the first time after an earthquake. But usually mountains would rise slowly and steadily.
Professor Henslow was interested in Lyell’s ideas，but he did not actually believe them. Charles Darwin could not make up his mind about them. But they set him thinking along lines which would later change the beliefs of thoughtful people all over the world.
At Cambridge，Charles Darwin studied just enough to pass the examination，and received his college degree in 1831.During this time，he had become more and more interested in geology. At the end of the school year，he went to North Wales with one of his teachers to examine the rock formations (构成) and to search for fossils. Fossils are the remains of ancient living things. They are usually found fixed in rocks in the earth’s crust (地壳). Fossils may be of animals，such as fish，insects，birds，or humans. They may be of plants from tiny leaves to huge trees.
When a living creature dies，it usually decays (腐烂)or is eaten by animals. However，if it sinks into a riverbed or is quickly covered by the blowing sands of a desert storm，the bones are kept up in the earth. Over many years the soft inner parts of a bone disappear，leaving the inside hollow. Water containing mineral enters into the hollow. Slowly the mineral hardens and makes the bone hard and heavy，like stone.
71.According to Charles Lyell，it is mainlythat the earth has been formed like today’s shape.
A. from the beginning of time B. past some experiences of big flood
C. over a very long period of years D. because of several big earthquakes
72.Charles Lyell believed the fact that a mountain is formed .
A. more by seas than by volcanoes B. more slowly than suddenly
C. more by an earthquake than by winds D. more steadily than quickly
73.Unlike Professor Henslow，Charles Darwin .
A. never thought Lyell’s ideas were right
B. did made up his mind not to accept Lyell’s ideas
C. thought about what the world were then thinking about
D. thought over Lyell’s ideas and developed them
74.The main purpose of Darwin’s going to North Wales was to .
A. make a study of fossils
B. appreciate the rock formation
C. to do research work into dead animals
D. look for plants from tiny leaves to huge trees
75.In which order are fossils formed?
a. A living thing sinks into a riverbed or sands.
b. Water goes into a bone hollow together with mineral.
c. Something soft in a bone disappears.
d. The hardened mineral makes the bone hard.
e. The bone becomes hollow inside.
A.a b c d e B.c a b e d C.a c e b d D.e c d b a

第三部分：阅读(共两节，满分35分)
第一节：阅读理解(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A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
There was a tradition in Europe that if a dove flew around a house where someone was dying then his soul would be at peace. And there are legends(传说) which say that Satan (撒旦) can turn himself into any bird except for a dove. But it was Pablo Picasso who made the dove a modern symbol of peace when he used it on a poster for the World Peace Congress in 1949.
The rainbow is another ancient and universal symbol, often representing the connection between human beings and their gods. In Greek mythology(神话) it was associated with Iris, the goddess who brought messages from the gods on Mount Olympus. In Scandinavian mythology the rainbow was a bridge between the gods and the earth. In the Bible a rainbow showed Noah that the Biblical flood was finally over, and that God had forgiven his people. In the Chinese tradition, the rainbow is often taken as a common symbol for marriage.
Nowadays the rainbow is used by many popular movements for peace and the environment, representing the possibility of a better world in the future and promising sunshine after the rain.
The olive tree has always been a valuable source of food and oil. In Greek mythology, the goddess Athens gave the olive tree to the people of Athens who showed their thanks by naming the city after her. But no one knows for sure when or why it began to symbolize peace. There is probably a connection with ancient Greece. The winners of the Olympic Games were given crowns (冠) of olive branches. The symbolism may come from the fact that the olive tree takes a long time to produce fruit, so olives could only be grown successfully in long periods of peace. Whatever the history, the olive branch is a part of many modern flags symbolizing peace and unity. One well-know example is the United Nations symbol.
66. Which of the following is the most important in making the dove a modern symbol of peace?
A. Greek mythology B. The European tradition
C. Ancient legends D. Pablo Picasso
67. How many examples does the writer give to show the rainbow as a universal symbol of peace?
A. Six B. Three C. Four D. Five
68. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The olive branch was regarded as a symbol of peace because it was given as gift by the goddess Athene.
B. The name of the capital of Greece comes from the name of the goddess Athene.
C. Olive trees do not produce fruits when there are wars in the world.
D. The winners in the Olympic Games were given crowns of olive branches because they symbolized peace.
69. The United Nations takes the olive branch as its symbol because________.
A. it represents hope in the future
B. it has economic value for the world
C. it often gives prizes to countries
D. its duty is to keep peace and union
70. From the passage we can conclude that ______.
A. all the symbols mentioned above are based on traditional beliefs
B. all modern ideas come from Greek mythology
C. all the symbols mentioned above are used on flags
D. the UN has officially accepted the three symbols as symbols of peace

Speeding off in a stolen car, the thief thinks he has got a great catch. But he is in for an unwelcome surprise. The car is fitted with a remote immobiliser (锁止器), and a radio signal from a control centre miles away will ensure that once the thief switches the engine off, he will not be able to start it again.
The idea goes like this. A control box fitted to the car contains a mini-cellphone, a micro- processor and memory, and a GPS (全球定位系统) satellite positioning receiver. If the car is stolen, a coded cellphone signal will tell the control centre to block the vehicle's engine management system and prevent the engine being restarted.
In the UK, a set of technical fixes is already making life harder for car thieves. 'The pattern of vehicle crime has changed,’ says Martyn Randall, a security expert. He says it would only take him a few minutes to teach a person how to steal a car, using a bare minimum of tools. But only if the car is more than 10 years old.
Modern cars are far tougher to steal, as their engine management computer won't allow them to start unless they receive a unique ID code beamed out by the ignition (点火) key. In the UK, technologies like this have helped achieve a 31% drop in vehicle-related crime since 1997.
But determined criminals are still managing to find other ways to steal cars, often by getting hold of the owner's keys. And key theft is responsible for 40% of the thefts of vehicles fitted with a tracking system.
If the car travels 100 metres without the driver confirming their ID, the system will send a signal to an operations centre that it has been stolen. The hundred metres minimum avoids false alarms due to inaccuracies in the GPS signal.
Staff at the centre will then contact the owner to confirm that the car really is missing, and keep police informed of the vehicle's movements via the car's GPS unit.
51. What's the function of the remote immobilizer fitted to a car?
A .To allow the car to lock automatically when stolen.
B. To prevent the car thief from restarting it once it stops.
C. To help the police make a surprise attack on the car thief.
D. To prevent car theft by sending a radio signal to the car owner.
52. By saying 'The pattern of vehicle crime has changed' (Lines 1-2. Para. 3). Martyn Randall suggests that ____.
A. self-prepared tools are no longer enough for car theft
B. the thief has to make use of computer technology
C. it takes a longer time for the car thief to do the stealing
D. the thief has lost interest in stealing cars over 10 years old
53. What is essential in making a modern car tougher to steal?
A. A GPS satellite positioning receiver.　 B. A unique ID card.
C. A special cellphone signal.D. A coded ignition key.
54. Why does the tracking system set a 100-metre minimum before sending an alarm to the operations centre?
A. To give the driver time to contact the operations centre.
B. To allow for possible errors in the GPS system.
C. To keep police informed of the car's movements.
D. To leave time for the operations centre to give an alarm.
55. What will the operations centre do first after receiving an alarm?
A. Start the tracking system. B. Locate the missing car.
C. Contact the car owner.　 D. Block the car engine.

A．shouted	B．comforted
C．recalled	D．sighed

A．Cherish（珍惜） life	B．My happy childhood
C．Our small farmhouse	D．Mom’s music