Energy independence has a nice ring to it．Doesn’t it? If you think so, you’re not alone, because energy independence has been the dream of American president for decades, and never more so than in the past few years, when the most recent oil price shock has been partly responsible for kicking off the great recession.
“Energy independence” and its rhetorical （修辞的） companion “energy security” are, however, slippery concepts that are rarely though through．What is it we want independence from, exactly?
Most people would probably say that they want to be independent from imported oil．But there are reasons that we buy all that old from elsewhere.
The first reason is that we need it to keep our economy running．Yes, there is a trickle（涓涓细流）of biofuel（生物燃料）available, and more may become available, but most biofuels cause economic waste and environmental destruction.
Second, Americans have basically decided that they don’t really want to produce all their own oil．They value the environmental quality they preserve over their oil imports from abroad．Vast areas of the United States are off-limits to oil exploration and production in the name of environmental protection．To what extent are Americans really willing to endure the environmental impacts of domestic energy production in order to cut back imports?
Third, there are benefits to trade．It allows for economic efficiency, and when we buy things from places that have lower production costs than we do, we benefit．And although you don’t read about this much, the United States is also a large exporter of oil products, selling about 2 million barrels of petroleum products per day to about 90 countries.
There is no question that the United States imports a great deal of energy and, in fact, relies on that steady flow to maintain its economy．When that flow is interrupted, we feel the pain in short supplies and higher prices．At the same time, we obtain massive economic benefits when we buy the most affordable energy on the world market and when we engage in energy trade around the world.What does the author say about energy independence for America?
| A．It sounds very attractive． |
| B．It ensures national security． |
| C．It will bring oil prices down |
| D．It has long been everyone’s dream. |
Why does America rely heavily on oil imports?
| A．It wants to expand its storage of crude oil（原油）. |
| B．Its own oil reserves are quickly running out. |
| C．It wants to keep its own environment undamaged. |
| D．Its own oil production falls short of demand． |
What does the author say about oil trade?
| A．It proves profitable to both sides． |
| B．It improves economic efficiency． |
| C．It makes for economic prosperity． |
| D．It saves the cost of oil exploration． |
D
A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below l6℃. Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate. Without the forest cover，these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere，warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns，potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world.In the past hundred years，humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources（资源）：land for crops，wood for paper and other products，land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example，a lot of carbon dioxide（二氧化碳）in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly，when people cut down trees，generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly，cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now，but in the long run it actually reduces the world’s wood supply. Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25％ of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However，fewer than l％ of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests.
57. Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they_____________ A. reflect more heat into the atmosphere
B. bring about high rainfall throughout the world C. rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than l6℃ D. reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth
58. What does the word “this” underlined in the third paragraph refer to? A. We will lose much more than we can gain.
B. Humans have begun destroying rainforests. C. People have a strong desire for resources. D. Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests.
59. It can be inferred from the text that . A. we can get enough resources without rainforests B. there is great medicine potential in rainforests C. we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land D. the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns
60. What might be the best title for the text? A. How to Save RainforestsB. How to Protect Nature C. Rainforests and the EnvironmentD. Rainforests and Medical Development
C
The following are four kinds of medicine. How to use the medicine is very important. Never take some by mistake.
| Take the medicine with water, followed by one tablet every eight hours, as required. For further nighttime and early morning, take two tablets at bedtime. Do not take more than six tablets in 24 hours. For children between six and twelve years old, give half the adult dosage（剂量）. For children under six years old, go to your doctor for advice. Reduce dosage if nervousness, restlessness or sleeplessness takes place. |
| Each pill of the medicine taken three times every day for fourteen-year- olds. As usual, a pill at 6:00a.m. before breakfast, one before 11:00 and one before sleep. Not for children under six years old and old persons with heart attack. |
| The medicine for a person with a fever. Once two pills a day before sleep for adults. Don’t take the medicine without fever. Half for children under 12 years old. For children with a high fever, go to see a doctor at once. |
| The medicine taken three times a day, once five pills for adults with a cold. Half of the pills for children under 14 years old. Take the medicine before breakfast, lunch, supper or before sleep. |
54. If a little child under six has a fever, it’s suggested that he ________.
A. take two tablets before sleep B. stop to take another pill
C. take one tablet before sleep D. go to see a doctor
55. Obviously a kind of medicine mentioned above isn’t proper for ________, judging from the information.
A. children over twelve years old B. some adults of 18 years old
C. some old persons with heart attack D. neither adults nor children
56. When an adult has a cold, he had better __________.
A. have as many as fifteen pills a day B. have twice a day
C. have four times a day D. have nine pills a day
B
London Underground
The world’s first subway was built in London in 1863. At the time, the government was looking for a way to reduce traffic problems in the city of London. The poor areas of the city were so crowded with people that it was almost impossible for horse carriages to get through. The city officials were interested in trying to make it possible for workers to live outside of London and travel easily to work each day. If people had a cheap and convenient way that they could depend on to go to and from work, they would relocate their homes outside of the city. This would help ease(减轻) the pressure of too many people living in the poor parts of London. From these problems, the idea of the London Underground, the first subway system was born.
The plans for building the Underground met with several problems and delays, but the fast track was finally opened in January 1863. A steam train pulled the cars along the fast underground track which was 6 kilometers (3. 7 miles) long. About 30,000 people got on the subway the first day. Riders were treated to comfortable seats (standing up while the train was moving was not allowed), and pleasant decorations inside each of the cars. However, the smoke from the engine soon filled the air in the tunnels with ash and soot(煤灰), as well as chemical gases. Fans had to be put in the tunnels later to keep the air clean enough for people to breathe. Even with its problems, riding in the Underground did catch on. It carried 9 million riders in its first year.
50. What led the British government to build the London Underground？
A. Traffic jams and pollution. B. Population and pollution.
C. Overcrowding and traffic jams. D. The poverty and subway problems.
51. How did the London Underground solve the smoke problem？
A. It made the tunnels larger.
B. It put fans in the tunnels.
C. It cleaned the chemical gases in the tunnels.
D. It reduced the number of passengers riding in the train.
52. The underlined phrase “catch on” most probably means “______”.
A. be troublesome B. become popular and fashionable
C. keep up with D. seize
53. Which of the following is TRUE？
A. To relocate the workers’ homes outside London，the government built the subway.
B. There were so many problems and delays that in 18th century the first subway opened.
C. The subway greatly eased the pressure of traffic.
D. There were not enough seats for the passengers the first day the subway opened.
四：阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，共30分）。
阅读下列短文，从短文后各题的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
A
A beautiful woman took a plane on business. She found her seat and sat down next to a young man. The man was just thinking of making a few dollars on the plane. When he saw the woman, he got an idea.
“Hey! Would you like to play a game?” he asked the woman. “No, thank you. I just want to take a nap (打盹),” the woman answered. “It’s really easy. All you have to do is to answer the questions that I ask you. If you don’t know the answer, you give me five dollars. If I don’t know the answer to your question, then I’ll give you five dollars.” “No,” the woman still refused. “OK. If I don’t know the answer to your question, I’ll give you five hundred dollars. How about that?” the man said. Then the woman became interested and decided to join in the game.
“OK. How many moons does Jupiter (木星) have?” asked the young man. The woman reached into her purse and took out a five-dollar bill. “What goes up the mountain with three legs and comes back with four?” the woman asked. Then the young man took out his computer and searched the Internet for an answer. Minutes later, the young man handed five hundred dollars to the woman.
After a few hours, the young man really wanted to know the answer to the question. So he asked the woman, “What is the answer to your question?” The woman reached into her purse and handed the young man a five-dollar bill.
46. Why did the man ask the woman to play a game?
A. He wanted to show his kindness.
B. He wanted to have a pleasant journey.
C. He wanted to earn some money from it.
D. He wanted to make friends with the woman.
47. How much did the woman get at the end of the story?
A. $ 500. B. $ 5. C. $ 10. D. $ 490.
48. What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. The woman told the man the answer to her question.
B. The woman gave the man’s money back to him.
C. The woman asked the man another question.
D. The woman didn’t know the answer, either.
49. We can learn from the story that the woman is ______.
A. clever B. friendly C. polite D. Honest
E
Astronauts’ meals have come a long way from the free-dried powders and semi-liquid pastes of decades ago, now US scientists want to grow vegetables in mini-greenhouses on the moon.
Scientists say they are looking forward to a time when residents of future lunar or even Martian outsteps will be able to dine on fresh vegetables. Paragon Space Development Corporation has unveiled what it called the first step toward growing flowers—and eventually food-oh the moon.
This is a sealed greenhouse that looks like a bell jar encased in a 46-cm triangular aluminum frame. It is designed to safely land a laboratory plant on the lunar surface, and protect it while it grows.
The miniature greenhouse is to be launched into space by Odyssey Moon Ltd, a participant in the Google Lunar X Prize. This competition offers $20 million to any entrant who can launch, hand and operate a rover on the lunar surface.
Paragon officials say future testing of the “Lunar Oasis” will be driven by Odyssey’s flight schedule, which will not happen until 2012 at the earliest.
When it does lift off the greenhouse will contain the seeds of Brassica, a hardy plant related to Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Because Brassica goes from seed to flower in just 14 days, it can complete its life cycle in single lunar night.
“Coloizing the Moon or Mars seems so far away, but it is important that we do this research now, ” Paragon president Jane Poynter said.
“It takes a long time to get a lot of research, and to get integrated, reliable efficient systems before colonists move in,” she said.
57．The article is written mainly to________.
A．predict the astronauts’ meals in the future
B．introduce an experiment “Lunar Oasis”
C．tell us the future development of astronomy
D．focus on the human’s great progress
58．The article implies that_________.
A．astronauts can grow flowers in space at present
B．Paragon and NASA will carry out the test separately
C．Lunar Oasis is a series of experiments carried out in space
D．the earliest testing of the Lunar Oasis may be in 2012
59．The underlined word “colonists” in the last paragraph probably has the meaning of________.
A．plants B．wild beasts C．human beings D．scientists
60．The sees of Brassica will be contained in the greenhouse mainly because__________
A．their life cycle is much shorter
B．they are more nutritious than other food
C．they are related to Brussels sporouts and cabbage
D．they are very delicious