All too often , a choice that seems sustainable（可持续的）turns out on closer examination to be problematic. Probably the best example is the rush to produce ethanol（乙醇）for fuel from corn . Corn is a renewable resource —you can harvest it and grow more, almost limitlessly. So replacing gas with corn ethanol seems like a great idea.
One might get a bit more energy out of the ethanol than that used to make it, which could still make ethanol more sustainable than gas generally, but that’s not the end of the problem. Using corn to make ethanol means less corn is left to feed animals and people, which drives up the cost of food. That result leads to turning the fallow land — including, in some cases, rain forest in places such as Brazil — into farmland, which in turn gives off lots of carbon dioxide（CO2）into the air. Finally, over many years, the energy benefit from burning ethanol would make up for the forest loss. But by then, climate change would have progressed so far that it might not help.
You cannot really declare any practice “sustainable” until you have done a complete lift-cycle analysis of its environmental（环境的）costs. Even then, technology and public policy keep developing, and that development can lead to unforeseen and undesired results. The admirable goal of living sustainable requires plenty of thought on an ongoing basis.What might directly cause the loss of the forest according to the text?
| A．The growing demand for energy to make ethanol. |
| B．The increasing carbon dioxide in the air. |
| C．The greater need for farmland. |
| D．The big change in weather. |
The underline word “it” in the second paragraph refers to
| A．the energy benefit | B．the forest loss |
| C．climate change | D．burning ethanol |
The author thinks that replacing gas with corn ethanol is
| A．impractical | B．acceptable | C．admirable | D．useless |
What does the author mainly discuss in the text?
| A．Technology. | B．Sustainability. |
| C．Ethanol energy. | D．Environmental protection. |
第三部分：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。
The ancient Greeks made a list of places they thought people should see. This list was named the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The only one of the ancient wonders that still exists is the Great Pyramid of Giza. Pyramids were built as tombs for the leaders of Egypt called Pharaohs.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is special because people do not know for sure if it existed. It was located on the bank of the Euphrates River.
The Statue of Zeus was built to honor the Greek god Zeus. It was made of wood and decorated with gold and ivory. Unfortunately, the statue was destroyed by a fire.
In addition to Zeus, the Greeks also built a very big statue to honor the Greek sun god, Helios. This wonder is known as the Colossus of Rhodes(罗德港巨人雕像). It is about the same size as the Statue of Liberty.
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus(阿耳忒弥斯神庙) in what is now Turkey was built to honor the goddess of hunting, nature, and fertility. The temple was made of marble and had many bronze statues. The temple was later burned down.
Another wonder was the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. This tomb was built for King Mausolus of Caria. Later, several earthquakes damaged it. However, it remained longer than any of the wonders, other than the Great Pyramid.
The Pharos of Alexandria was a lighthouse. A large mirror inside it was used to reflect sunlight to help warn ships getting close to the Egyptian shoreline. It was later ruined by earthquakes.
1. Which of the following countries didn’t have one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World?
A. Greece. B. China. C. Egypt. D. Turkey.
2. Based upon the passage, which of the following is only a wonder built for a practical use?
A. the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. B. the Pharos of Alexandria.
C. the Colossus of Rhodes. D. The Statue of Zeus.
3. Why can’t people visit most of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the Ancient World?
A. They no longer exist. B. They are imaginary.
C. It is dangerous to go to those places. D. They are well guarded.
第II卷（非选择题共35分）
第四部分任务型阅读 (共10小题，每小题1分, 满分10分)
根据所读内容在文章后图表中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。注意：每空1个单词。
Literature (文学) is a term used to describe written as well as spoken material. Generally speaking, it is often used to describe anything from creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama and fiction.
Then why read literature, since it is often imaginary and seems unconnected with real life?
A lot of us read literature for pleasure and relaxation. It’s always pleasant to read some interesting books, such as comedies and novels, in our spare time. In a modern life full of pressure, it is our common desire to read some imaginary works and seek relaxation from the stress in life.
Reading literature is more than fun; it also enables us to get knowledge. As a general rule, literature stands for a language or a people, and it often gives us an insight (洞察力) into the traditions, customs, beliefs, attitudes and values of the age in which it was written.
Sometimes literature can even offer us new, creative ways to have a better understanding of the world. It helps us make sense of the world around us. It introduces us to new worlds of experiences. We enjoy the comedy and the tragedy of poems, stories and plays; and we may even grow through our literary journey with books. Finally, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it. In a sense, we explore the human condition and analyze (分析) how and why people think the way they think and feel the way they feel. Literature enables us to think analytically and promotes (促进) open minds. We see the world through the eyes of different cultures and in turn learn the ways to deal with things that happen around.
So we can definitely say literature is of great importance to us. Why not get going with one poem, drama or fiction at once?
| Topic |
(71) should we read literature? |
| Definition |
It describes anything, whether written or spoken, by using (72) . |
| Types |
(73) , drama and fiction |
| (74) to read literature |
· To get pleasure and relaxation to get rid of pressure in (75) . · To get (76) to make us learn about traditions, customs, beliefs, attitudes and values of the age in which it was written. · To offer people ways to understand (77) of the world, to (78) literary works, to grow through the literary journey, to discover meaning in literature, and even explore (79) humans think and feel. · To help us think analytically and make us (80) our minds. |
| Suggestion |
Reading literature. |
Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old, making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen. While I was growing up, we lived a very hard life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At fourteen, I was hit by a car and doctors said I would never walk again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I could walk again if I wanted to badly enough. She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school—walking on my own!
When the Great Depression(大萧条) hit, my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support the both of us. At that moment, I was determined never to be poor again.
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real turning point occurred on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra $2 for each child. That was too expensive for the average American family. I told my wife that I was going to open a motel (汽车旅馆) for families that would never charge extra for children. There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Not surprisingly, mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business, we experienced a lot of challenges. But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my soul, I never doubted we would succeed. Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world—Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $1 billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situations. But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.
1. What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?
A. His terrible experience in the hotel.
B. His previous business success of various levels.
C. His mom’s support.
D. His wife’s suggestion.
2. Which of the following best describes Kemmons’ mother?
A. Modest, helpful and hard-working. B. Loving, supportive and beautiful.
C. Careful, helpful and strong-willed. D. Strict, sensitive and supportive.
3. Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?
A. Self-confidence, hard work, higher education and a poor family.
B. Mom’s encouragement, clear goals, self-confidence and hard work.
C. Clear goals, mom’s encouragement, a poor family and higher education.
D. Mom’s encouragement, a poor family, higher education and opportunities.
What science fiction once told of other worlds far away is now a fact. Astronomers prove another solar system like ours with some planets in the constellation (星座) Andromeda ( 仙女座).
Geoffrey Marcy is a professor of astronomy and physics at San Francisco State University and says, “What we have found now, for the first time ever, is indeed a fully-grown system of planets around the star Upsilon Andromeda. It appears to have three planets, one close in, one at a middle distance, and one farther out.” The star is slightly larger than our sun. The planets are huge, like our Jupiter(木星)
Marcy’s partner in this research, Debra Fischer, describes the solar system, “Here’s the inner planet that goes around every 46 days, the middle planet that goes around every 242 days, and then the outer planet that goes around every three and a half to four years.”
Astronomically, it’s not far away, 44 light years. The sun of that solar system, Upsilon Andromeda, is so near and bright that it can be seen by using no equipment during summer and fall.
For twelve years astronomers searched the skies in the belief that if our sun has planets around it, surely others do, too. Geoffrey Marcy says, “And then starting three and a half years ago, we began finding for the first time planets singly, one planet here around one star.”
“When I look up at the stars now at night, I can imagine easily that every one of them has planets around them,” says Debra Fischer.
It was a tremble in the star that led Marcy to the planets. “The star rocks around due to the gravity of the planet much like a dog owner gets pulled around by a little dog.”
Can they support life? We don’t know, because present technology is not advanced enough to determine what the planets are made of. “That,” Marcy says , “is astronomy’s next challenge.”
1. What’s the relation between Andromeda (A), Upsilon Andromeda system (U) and the mentioned planets (P) ?
2. According to Debra Fischer, in the new solar system, ________.
A. the larger a planet is, the shorter it takes to go around the star.
B. it takes all the planets around three and a half to four years to go around the star
C. the planets move around the star at uneven speeds
D. the farther a planet is from the star, the longer it takes to go around the star
3. What led to Marcy’s discovery of the planets?
A. The tremble of Upsilon Andromeda.
B. That any planet has gravity.
C. That he believes any star has its planets.
D. that he found a dog owner was pulled by his dog.
4. We can infer that the scientists are .
A. to find means to communicate with the living beings on the planets
B. to find means to travel to the planets
C. soon to be able to answer the question of whether there is life on these planets
D. to find out whether the planets can support life.
The old camera Brownie picked up in a charity shop was a splendid find .But the undeveloped film still inside turned out to be even more of a treasure.
New owner Don Roccoforte had it developed and saw in it an attractive dark haired woman in her thirties with two young boys. He immediately determined to try to find out who they were.
A few weeks later the California-based camera collector received the news that left him stunned. The woman was his wife Jaqueline’s aunt in a picture taken around 50 years ago, and one of the boys, her cousin.
The couple have now unraveled（揭开）the astonishing coincidence ,which leads back to Mrs. Roccoforte’s native Lancashire, where many of her family still live. The camera was bought from a shop in Preston by Brownie, a friend of Mr. Roccoforte, who knew of his interest in photography and thought it would be an unusual gift.
Back in California, the contents of his new possession inspired Mr. Roccoforte’s curiosity. Recognizing the water in the background of the photo as a lake in Lancashire; he sent a copy to the local paper in Preston to see if any readers could help.
Another relative recognized the group as Winnie Bamber, still living in the area at the age of 81, her son Tony, Mrs. Roccoforte’s cousin, and Tony’s childhood friend, Mick Murphy.
Yesterday Mrs. Bamber was still gasping（惊讶地吸气）at the turn of events which has reunited two strands（分支）of her family.
She said she remembered taking the boys to the lake and losing the camera. The two boys, both now 58, still live near Preston.
Mrs. Roccoforte’s father is Winnie Bamber’s brother, Billy Charnley.
He and his wife moved to America in the 1960s. Their daughter met Mr. Roccoforte there and they married and moved to Preston for two years before returning to America.
1 Which of the following is the right order of what happened?
a. Don Roccoforte received a special present from his friend.
b. Another relative recognized Winnie Bamber and the two boys.
c. Winnie Bamber ,together with two boys ,went to take pictures at a lake.
d. Don Roccoforte sent a copy of the picture to a paper in Preston.
e. The film was developed.
f. The camera was lost.
g. Brownie bought an old camera in a shop.
A. c→f→b→a→d→g→e B. b→c→a→f→d→e→g
C. c→f→g→a→e→d→b D. a→c→b→f→e→g→d
2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Tony is the son of Winnie Bamber.
B. Billy Charnley’s daughter was married to Don Roccoforte.
C. Brownie married Winnie Bamber.
D. Mrs. Roccoforte is Winnie Bamber’s niece.
3. The underlined word “stunned” is closest in meaning to ________.
A. disappointed B. shocked C. worried D. satisfied
4. The best title for this passage would be ________.
A. The Film that Waited 50 Years to Be Developed
B. An Unusual Reunion after about Half a Century
C. A Special Present to a Special Friend
D. An Old Camera and the Beautiful Pictures Inside
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