For hundreds of years humans have dreamed of finding life on distant planets.Now the hope of discovering real evidence of life has greatly increased.
NASA's Mars detector（探测器）,Opportunity,succeeded in finding signs that water once existed on the planet.Opportunity landed on Mars in January.Scientists now believe that the planet could once have supported life.
This discovery was chosen by Science,one of the world's leading magazines,as the most important scientific achievement of 2004 last Friday.
“This little,wheeled,one-armed box went around another planet and has done something no human has ever managed,” according to Science.“It has discovered another place in the universe where life could once have existed.
“Although we still can't say that life could have existed in this environment,it is now certain that there was water on Mars,”said Steve Squyres,one of the scientists working on the Mars mission.The evidence comes from pictures and chemical readings taken by Opportunity.It includes marks on rocks like those caused by following water on Earth and salty chemicals like those found in dried-out sea-beds.Scientists said the new evidence proved beyond doubt that water has existed on Mars.But it is still unknown whether the water was like an ocean or just ice.
While Opportunity has not found any signs of life,the presence of water means life is possible.“In everything we know about life on Earth,there is no example without liquid water,” Squyres said.“So water is important for the search for life on Mars.”
Researchers agree that a future mission（任务） should bring back physical samples（样品）.But some scientists worry about the risk that this could introduce dangerous foreign creatures to Earth.“The problem here is how to get the samples back,”Squyres replied.“I think it is our responsibility to limit any risk.”What proved that water existed on Mars?
| A．The physical samples with salty chemicals. |
| B．The marks on rocks and salty chemicals. |
| C．Scientific achievements of 2004. |
| D．Creatures from Mars. |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．It is now certain that there was water on Mars. |
| B．The water on Mars was like an ocean. |
| C．Evidence of life on Mars has been found. |
| D．Search for life on Mars is a great risk to humans. |
How did scientists draw the conclusion that there was water on Mars?
| A．The world's leading magazine has announced the fact. |
| B．Scientists have taken many pictures and chemical readings on the Mars. |
| C．Astronauts have got some rocks from Mars. |
| D．Scientists have made a study of the pictures and readings sent back by Mars detector. |
It can be inferred that,if the creatures from Mars came to earth,_________.
| A．they would be kind to humans |
| B．they would be cruel to humans |
| C．they would be a great danger to Earth |
| D．it would be hard to say whether it would be good news or bad news |
Several animal species including gorillas in Rwanda and tigers in Bangladesh could risk extinction if the impact of climate change and extreme weather on their habitats is not addressed, a UN report showed on Sunday.
Launched on the sidelines of global climate negotiations in Durban, the report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization shows how higher temperatures, the rise in sea levels, deforestation and excessive land use have damaged the habitats of certain species, especially in Africa.
“Many ecosystems have already been stressed by increasing population, historical and recent deforestation, unsustainable management practices and even invasive (入侵的) species,” Eduardo Rojas-Briales, assistant director general at the FAO's forestry department, said at the launch of the report.
The most affected areas include mountains, isolated islands and coastal areas, which limit the possibilities for animals to migrate elsewhere and create new habitats.
“The remaining populations become surrounded in very small ecosystems, they have inbreeding (近亲交配) problems ... and at the end these species may disappear,” he added.
Other examples of affected animals included elephants in Mali, lions in the Serengeti and crocodiles in Malawi.
The report said an estimated 20-30 percent of plant and animal species will be at higher risk of extinction due to global warming and a significant proportion of native species may become extinct by 2050 as a consequence.
Other consequences could include the spread of invasive species and infectious diseases, it said.
The report urges more focus on restoration of damaged ecosystems, especially those key to dealing with climate change such as mangroves(红树林), inland waters, forests, savannahs(非洲大草原) and grasslands.
The FAO also called for the creation of migration corridors for animals in areas where their movement was limited.
The organization said while more resources were flowing to biodiversity conservation, more action at the government and policy level was needed.
It also urged local communities to develop projects that mitigate the impact of climate change on wildlife, naming eco-tourism activities as an example.What does the author tell us in Paragraph 2?
| A．The theme of global climate negotiations in Durban. |
| B．The subject of research done by Eduardo Rojas. |
| C．Causes of damage done to ecosystems. |
| D．Harmful effects of damage done to ecosystems. |
Why are animals living in mountains, islands and coastal areas most affected?
| A．They are frequently attacked by invasive species and infectious diseases. |
| B．They have difficulty finding enough food for survival. |
| C．They can hardly find mates to produce their young. |
| D．They have little chance of moving to other places. |
To avoid extinction of some animal species, the UNFAO suggested all the following ways EXCEPT ______.
| A．restoring damaged ecosystems |
| B．limiting world population growth |
| C．creating movement channels for animals |
| D．urging governments and local communities to take action |
What does the underlined word “mitigate” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．increase or further improve something. |
| B．Make full use of something. |
| C．Make something become less serious. |
| D．Move from one place to another. |
What would serve as the best title for the passage?
| A．Animals at risk due to climate change. |
| B．Global warming and its consequences. |
| C．Climate change and ecotourism. |
| D．Solutions to animal distinction. |
When something goes wrong, it can be very satisfying to say, "Well, it's so-and-so's fault. "or "I know I'm late, but it's not my fault; the car broke down. " It is probably not your fault, but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation, you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner's key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don't rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about-creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don't have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on "whose fault it is." Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success.According to the passage, winners ______.
| A．meet with fewer difficulties in their lives |
| B．deal with problems rather than blame others |
| C．have responsible and able colleagues |
| D．blame themselves rather than others |
The underlined word “remedy” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．avoid | B．accept | C．improve | D．consider |
When your colleague brings about a problem, you should ______.
| A．find a better way to handle the problem |
| B．blame him for his lack of responsibility |
| C．tell him to find the cause of the problem |
| D．ask a more able colleague for help |
When problems occur, winners take them as______.
| A．excuses for their failures | B．barriers to greater power |
| C．challenges to their colleagues | D．chances for self-development |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Winner's Secret. | B．A Winner's Achievement. |
| C．A Winner's Opportunity. | D．A Winner's Problem. |
阅读下面的短文，并根据短文后的要求答题(请注意问题后的词数要求)。
In 2009, the number of hungry people in the world reached one billion for the first time. It is difficult not to be shocked by the fact that more than one in seven people on the planet do not have enough to eat. By the end of this year, more than 35 million people will have died as a result of . Hunger kills more people per year than AIDS and malaria(疟疾 ) combined.
The UN calculates that almost two-thirds of the world's hungry people are in Asia. More than a quarter are in sub-Saharan Africa. Almost all of the rest are in Latin America, North Africa and the Caribbean. In the richest regions of the world there are only a small number of people who don't have enough to eat. There are many reasons for world hunger. They include wars, droughts, floods and the overuse of farming land. All of them affect food production. But the most important reason is, quite simple, poverty—which has increased recently due to the economic effects of the financial crisis of 2008.
Although many people point out that there would be less hunger if the global population were smaller, few people would argue that there is not enough food to go around. The basic problem seems to be not a lack of food, but its distribution. In the last 50 years, global food production has risen even more quickly than the global population and there are of course many areas of the world where people generally have more than enough food. Overweight is a far bigger problem than hunger there.What's the main topic of the passage? (no more than 3 words )
Where do most of the hungry people live? (no more than 3 words)
Fill in the blank in Para. 1 with proper words. (no more than 5 words )
What does the underlined word "they"(line 4, paragraph 2 ) probably refer to? (no more than 6 words)
What is the suggested way to reduce hunger in Paragraph 3? (no more than 8 words )
Recently, university students around the world were asked to volunteer in a global experiment called Unplugged. It was designed to see how young people would react if they were asked to observe a total media ban by unplugging all forms of media devices for 24 hours．
Unplugged is being run by Dr. Roman Gerodimos, a lecturer in Communication and Journalism at Bournemouth University．During the experiment, Dr. Gerodimos said there were already signs of how much the exercise affected volunteers．He said：“They’re reporting withdrawal symptoms, overeating, feeling nervous, isolated and disconnected．”
During their 24-hour test, three of the experiment’s participants were followed around by a BBC reporter plus cameraman．They were asked to write down 100 lines about their day offline, but of course, they all waited until the next day when they had access to their laptops．
Elliot Day wrote：“Today, my whole morning routine was thrown up into the air．Despite being aware of the social importance of the media, I was surprised by how empty my life felt without the radio or newspapers．”
From Caroline Scott, we read：“I didn’t expect it, but being deprived of the media for 24 hours resulted in my day-to-day activities becoming so much harder to carry out than usual…I didn’t break out in a cold sweat like our lecturer expected us all to, but It’s not something I would like to do again！”
And Charlotte Gay wrote：“I have to say the most difficult item for me to be without has been my mobile；not only is it a social device, it’s my main access point of communication．”
Earlier in the year, a UK government study found that in the UK we spend about half our waking hours using the media, often plugged into several things at once．So, with technology continuing to develop at an alarming rate, how much time will you set aside for sleep in the future?What can we learn about the volunteers?
| A．Volunteers didn’t write down about their day offline． |
| B．Volunteers weren’t allowed to use any media for 24 hours． |
| C．Volunteers were followed around by Dr Roman Gerodimos． |
| D．Only volunteers in the UK took part in Unplugged experiment． |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the participants’ feelings？
| A．Anxious． | B．Lonely | C．Bored． | D．Despaired． |
Which of the following is true of Caroline Scott？
| A．The media ban affected his temperature． |
| B．His work went on smoothly without the media． |
| C．His work was carried on hard without the media． |
| D．His life was empty without the radio or newspapers． |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．People should use the media devices reasonably． |
| B．People can easily survive the media devices addict． |
| C．People can spend more time sleeping in the future． |
| D．People spend about half the time using the media devices． |
The text is most probably a ．
| A．newspaper ad | B．book review | C．news report | D．science fiction story |
In modem society there is a great deal of argument about competition．Some value it highly，believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity．Others say that competition is bad, that it sets one person against another and that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people．
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied(依赖)on how well they performed at tennis and other skills．For them，playing well and winning are often life-and-death affair. In their single-minded pursuit(追求)of success，the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten．
However，while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed，others take an opposite attitude．In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players，they strongly blame competition．Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society．Teaching these young people，I often observe in them a desire to fail．They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success .By not trying，they always have an excuse：“I may have lost，but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.’’ What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost，that would mean a lot．Such a loss would be a measure of their worth．
Clearly，this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves．Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others．Both are afraid of not being valued．Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve(缓解)can we discover a new meaning in competition．What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．Competition helps to set up self-respect． |
| B．Opinions about competition are different among people． |
| C．Competition is harmful to personal quality development． |
| D．Failures are necessary experiences in competition． |
Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
| A．It pushes society forward． |
| B．it builds up a sense of duty． |
| C．It improves personal abilities． |
| D．It encourages individual efforts． |
The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means________．
| A．those who try their best to win |
| B．those who value competition most highly |
| C．those who are against competition most strongly |
| D．those who rely on others most for success |
What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a “desire to fail”?
| A．One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others’． |
| B．One’s success in competition needs great efforts． |
| C．One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills． |
| D．One’s success is based on how hard he has tried． |
Which point of view may the author agree to?
| A．Every effort should be paid back． |
| B．Competition should be encouraged． |
| C．Winning should be a life—and—death matter． |
| D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition． |
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