Aboutayearago,acouplewiththree-优题课

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

C
　　The curtain on the 2008 US presidential election finally rose last month as Requblican Senator(参议员) John McCain and Democratic Senator Barack Obama were formally selected as candidates of the two major parties.This may be one of the hardest decisions voters have to make between two appealing candidates.The big question for voters,as they face both an economic downturn and international threats,is :who will they elect? A young first - term senator promising change and new ideas,or a longtime senator with strong military experience and a reputation as a maverick(特立独行的人)？
　　American voters have never seen a candidate quite like Obama.He has a white mother from the US and a black fater from Kenya who left the family when Obama was very young.He spent part of his youth in Indonesia.
　　However,McCain has a very different life story.
　　He grew up in a Navy family and was a daring pilot during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. When Obama was in kindergarten in Indonesia,McCain's plane was shot down over Ietenam and he became a prisoner of war.McCain could have been set free if he disowned America but he refused and so was held for five years.
　　"We need a president who is very,very old,"McCain joked at his age as many others do.If elected,he would be 72 when he takes office and the oldest man to step in.
　　So in the end,the election may depend on several factors that are hard to judge:Will Obama's race matter to a significant number of voters ? Will workingclass whites who tended to support his primary (党内初选) oponent,Hillary Clinton,vote for Obama? And perhaps most important of all,will uncertain voters be more attracted to Obama's vision or to McCain's experience?
　　Whatever happens,one thing is clear,however:Whoever walks into the White House on January 20,2009,will find huge challenges waiting for him in the Oval Office,both at home and abroad.
　　64.______makes the result of the election hard to predict.
　　　A.Whether working class whites care about Obama's inexperience
　　　B.The economic trouble the country now faces
　　　C.Who uncertain voters will finally decide to vote for
　　　D.McCain being too old to govern the country
　　65.The appeal in Obama as a presidential candidate lies in _________
　　　A.his multi - cultural background
　　　B.his belife in tradition
　　　C.his inexperience in politics
　　　D.his fantastic promises
　　66.The word "disown" in Paragraph 6 means closest to ______.
　　　A.flee from
　　　B.turn his back on
　　　C.not keep it private
　　　D.expose secrets about
　　67.The challenges that will face the new preident______.
　　　A.are not mentioned in the text
　　　B.include buklding a strong party and a friendly image
　　　C.refer to the problems of immigrants and economy
　　　D.refer to the problems of economy amd international relations

B
Capturing the Memories
　　Almost everyone has heard of MySpace.com.It allows friends to connect with each other.But did you ever wonder where the idea for this website came from? It is modeled after high school yearbooks.
　　A yearbook is a book used to record memories of a specific class.For example,I graduated from Manchester West High School in 2001.My yearbook is dedicated(献给) to my senior class.In this book you will find a picture of all my classmates.
　　Alongside your picture,you can put a quote that is important to you.Next to the quote and your photo is a list of your school and sports activities.Later in the book are pages dedicated to teams and organizations.For example,the girls football team has a page of pictures and memories.
　　After you receice the yearbook,you go around and have your friends sign it and write letters to you.This will remind you about the many adventures you had with your friends. Although, 40 years ago,a girl wrote a loving message in my father's yearbook but when he showed me it,he didn't remember who the girl was!
　　But the yearbook is the final memory for seniors,so it will often be the one reminder of your high school years that you carry with you throughout life.In my mother's yearbook she still has,pressed between the pages,the flower her date gave her at her senior prom. That was in 1967.
　　High school is a magical time.It is when we experience many of the important moments of your lives.Our first kiss.Driving for the first time.Our first big success.Out first major hearbreak.Unlike MySpace,which can constantly be updated,a yearbook captures these special moments in our lives and holds on to them forever so that we may never forget.Because,honestly , we will never want to.
　　60.What does the passage mainly focus on?
　　　A.The characteristics of MySpace.com.
　　　B.The members who set up MySpace.com.
　　　C.The differences between MySpace.com and a yearbook.
　　　D.The introduction to yearbooks.
　　61.All of the following will be included in a school yearbook except ______.
　　　A.some interesting stories of famous actors
　　　B.a picture of classmates
　　　C.an activity of playing table tennis
　　　D.some significant successes
　　62.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
　　　A.People keep a yearbook just for fun.
　　　B.The yearbook follows the example of MySpace.com.
　　　C.A yearbook can help you remember the great moments you shared with classmates.
　　　D.The yearbook is more popular than MySpace.com in American high school.
　　63.The word "captures" in the last paragraph most probably means ______.
　　　A.arrests B.gains C.preserves D.films

第三部分阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（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。
A
　　Soon it may be harder to stop and smell the roses.
　　Growing levels of air pollution from power plants and automobiles have reduced flower fragrances (芬芳) by up to 90 percent in the US.That is compared with pre-industrial levels,a new study has found.
　　The trend is unpleasant for human noses,but may be life - threatening for bees and butterflies.
　　"Many insects find flowers by folowing the scent(香味) produced by those flowers," said the studies lead author Jose D.Fuentes,an environmental scientist at the University of Virginia.
　　"The increasing pollution makes it difficult for them to locate the flowers and feed on their nectar(花蜜)."
　　Scientists have alrady known that flowers produce scent molecules(分子) that bond with pollutants.The process breaks down the plants' sweet smell.
　　With more pollution in the air,the scent molecules don't remain effective as long and travel shorter distances on the wind.
　　The new study suggests that in the mid - 19th century,when pollution levels were first recorded,scent molecules would have been able to travel some 1,000 to 1,200 meters.
　　Today,in the polluted air found downwind of large cities,scentst may only make it some 200 to 300 meters.
　　The report was recently published in the journal,Atmospheric Environment.
　　Bee farmers have reported that bee populations are dropping dramatically in many parts of the world in recent years. Could these missing scents be a factor?
　　Scientists trying to hind the cause of bee population declines have blamed bacteria,pesticides,and even cellphone radiation.
　　Jay Evans,an entomologist(昆虫学者) at the US Department of Agriculture's bee research laboratory,was interested in the new study.But he says he hasn't seen bee behavior that suggests trouble with scents.
　　"Over the last couple of summers I don't think the bees in this area were bringing in much less food,"he said.
　　"It might be that they had to work harder,but it seems like as long as there were bees to collect food they were finding flowers somewhere."
　　But Fuentes fears that the fading smell of flowers may stress insects that are already faced with other threats.
　　"The effects shown in these studies will simply exacerbate whatever the bees are going through right now,"he said.
　　"It's something that is really worthwhile paying attention to."
　　56.What's the passage mainly about?
　　　A.How greatly air plooution affects our lives.
　　　B.Effects of air pollution on bee populations.
　　　C.Measures to fight air pollution.
　　　D.The rapid decline of bee populations in the world.
　　57.According to the passage,Jay Evans probably agrees that ______ .
　　　A.bees are the insect that suffers most from air pollution
　　　B.bees are at risk of dying out owing to air pollution
　　　C.the fading smell of flowers doesn't affect bees so greatly as was thought
　　　D.as is often the case,bees fail to locate the flowers because of the missing scents
　　58.The word"exacerbate" in the last paragraph but one probably means ______.
　　　A.worsen B.improve C.get rid of D.decrease
　　59.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
　　　A.The more air pollution there is in a region,the greater the destruction of the flower scents.
　　　B.Bacteria,pesticides,and cellphone radiation are blamed for causing the decline of bees.
　　　C.The scent molecules produced by flowers in a less polluted environment oculd travel longer and farther.
　　　D.Air pollution does more harm to insects such as bees and butterflies than human beings.

D
　　Build the highway and watch the town grow.At first a few shops appear and maybe a restaurant.Then a hotel opens. Eventually new house are built. A village is born.
　　This is also how the virtual world has developed. Think of the Internet as the road carrying information between two computers.Think of the World Wide Web as the village. At first it is just a place on the virtual road where travelers meet. More travelers come bringing new kinds of information. New travelers come bringing new kinds of information.New villages are started.
　　Every willage has a founder.Tim Berners-Lee is the man who wrote the software programme that led to the foundation of the Word Wide Web.How did he get the idea? He tells us on his own web site. "One of the things computers were not able to do was store in formation from different sources. The dream behind the Web is of a common space in which we communicate by sharing information."
　　In 1991 his programmmes were placed on to the Internet.Everyone was welcome to use them.
　　Tim Berners-Lee could have followed the Microsoft route by forming a company to sell the programmes he invented. Or he could have joined another company. But in his view the Web is a language,not a pproduct. Charging a gee for using his programmes would have slowed the growth of the Web.And other companies would make similar products to compete. Instead of one World Wide Web there would be several smaller Webs. Each would use incompatible (不相容的) software. They Web is valuable because it uses a common computer language to reach people and share information. Competing webs would lose this value.Imagine if somebody sent you a bill every time you spoke a world of English.
　　In 1994 Tim Berners-Lee formed the World Wide Web Consortium,or W3C.More than 200 leading companies and laboratories are represented by W3C. Together they make sure that everyone, no matter what their equipment or solftware,can work equally on the Web.
　　"The Web can help people to understand the way that others live and love. It helps us understand the humanity of people," he says.
　　68.The writer's purpose in writing the first two paragraphs is to ______.
　　　A.give us some idea of the Internet
　　　B.give us some idea of the Web
　　　C.tell us how the idea of Web started
　　　D.tell us the idea of the Web is wonderful
　　69.Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in order to _____
　　　A.place his programmers on the Internet
　　　B.stop smaller webs appearing
　　　C.help people to form a web site
　　　D.let people share all kinds of information
　　70.According to the text,the disadvantage of competing webs is that they would ______.
　　　A.slow the development of the Web
　　　B.destroy the whole web system
　　　C.lose the value of information
　　　D.waste a lot of money

A．knocking	B．shouting
C．beating	D．laughing

A．warm	B．sad
C．upset	D．angry