Scientists are working to develop crop plants that can reduce the amount of water used for agriculture．Almost sixty percent of the world’s fresh water taken from rivers, lakes and other water resources go toward watering fields．
Thomas Carter is a plant scientist and he leads a group of researchers．They have been using traditional methods to develop and test soybeans（大豆）that can grow well under dry conditions．Thomas started working on soybeans in 1981．His research has taken him to as far as China, where soybeans have been grown for thousands of years．Farmers in the United States, however, have grown soybeans for only about a century．Thomas says the soybeans they grow are genetically（基因方面）similar．More differences could protect crops against climate changes that can reduce production．Those changes include water shortages which could increase because of global warming．
Thomas and his members are working on a soybean seed collection, a collection of genetic material passed from one generation to the next．They studied more than two thousand five hundred examples from the collection which are from the home of soybeans, Asia．They searched for good seeds that could survive during hot and dry summers in the United States．Unfortunately, they found only five after a few days’ hard work．But what pleases them much is that these seeds produce four to eight ones more than normal soybeans under dry conditions．The yield（产量）depends on location and the environment．Scientists will also work on other crops that either use less water or use it better．
68．Thomas Carter and his research group do research on soybeans to ．
A．have them survive a sharp climate change
B．make them grow well under dry conditions
C．plant them all around the world
D．increase crop production and quality
69．According to the passage, climate changes can ．
A．reduce crop yield B．protect crops
C．destroy seeds D．change the genes of crops
70．Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A．Thomas and his group have made some achievements．
B．People know a little about the relationship between water and crops．
C．Seed collections depend on climate and the environment．
D．Some crops can grow well during cold and dry winters．
71．The passage is probably taken from ．
A．a report on how to save water B．a book on the environment
C．a science magazine D．an ad for agricultural products
It turns out that being voted “Most likely to succeed” in high school might actually be a good predictor of one’s financial and educational success in the future.
According to a University of Illinois professor who studies the sociology of education, high school sophomores who were rated by their teachers as having good social skills and work habits, and who participated in extracurricular activities in high school, made more money and completed higher levels of education 10 years later
than their classmates who had similar standardized test scores but were less socially adroit(熟练的)and participated in fewer extracurricular activiti
es.
Christy Lleras, a professor of human and community development, says that “soft skills” such as sociability, punctuality, conscientiousness(负责任) and an ability to get along well with others, along with participation in extracurricular activities, are better predictors of earnings and higher educational achievement later in life than having good grades and high standardized test scores.
“That’s not tosay that academic achiecement in high school doesn’t matter—it does,”Lleras said. “But if we only look at standardized test scores, we’re only considering part of the equation for success as an adult in a global marketplace. Academic achievement is part of the story, but it’s not the whole story. You’ve got to have the social skills and work habits to back th
ose achievements up.”
With the generational shift from a manufacturing-hased economy to a service-and-information-based one, employers value workers who can not only boast about their GPAs and SAT scores, but are also able to get along well with t
he public and co-workers, Lleras.
“I think we’ve known this intuitively for a long time that employers are looking for something beyond cognitive (认知的)skills” Lleras said. “Leadership now is not an individual thing , it’s how well you get along in a team and get people organized.” Which of the following is NOT considered as a “soft skill”?
A.Being able to make others at ease in a group.
B Being able to get to an appointment on time.
CAlways ticking to one’s own opinion.
D Being willing to take responsibility.. Now employers would prfe to hire someone who ________？
A earned high scores in standardized test in high school
B can work independently
C has high cognitive skills
D can cooperat well with other teammates .Christy Lleras would agree that a high school student should____.
A spend more time in extracurricular activities
B omit classes to take part in extracurricular activities
C pay more attention to standardized test scores
D keep a good balance between learning and relaxation
TODAY, Friday, November 12
JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms, Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen.
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco. Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High Street, from 8a. m. to 8p. m. Tel: 682—1158.
SATURDAY, November 13
JAZZ Lysis at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 
60p.
MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment fair price. Tel: 789—6749.
FAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse, Sheen Road, Richmond.
JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 80p.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion(手风琴). Tel: 789—4536
SUNDAY, November 14
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 a. m. to 8 p. m.
FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-members 70p. Tel: 688—4626.
HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen.
THE DERBY 
ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion. . Where and when can you hear the Norman Chop Trio?
| A．At the Bull’s Head on Sunday. |
| B．At the Derby Arms on Sunday. |
C．At the Bul l on Saturday. |
| D．At the Black Horse on Saturday. |
. Where and when can you hear the Mike Thomas Jazz Band?
| A．At the Derby Arms on Friday. | B．At the Black Horse on Friday. |
| C．At the Star and Garter on Saturday. | D．At the Derby Arms on Sunday. |
.You want to enjoy the electric accordion on Saturday. Which telephone number do you have to ring to find out what time it starts?
| A．789—6749. | B．789—4536. | C．682—1158. | D．688—4626. |
. You want to spend the Saturday by joining the entertainment with your family. Where should you go?
| A．Disco at The Lord Napier. | B．The sing-along at The Blac k Horse. |
| C．The electric accordion at The Derby Arms. | D．Jazz at The Bull’s Head. |
. You want to spend the same day at two different places and don’t want to cross any street. Which of the following is your best choice?
l’s Head.
B. The sing-along at The Black Horse and Folk Music at The Derby Arms.
C. Folk Music at The Derby Arms and Heavy Music with Tony Simon at The Bull.
D. Musical Hal lat The Star＆Garter and Disco at The Lord Napier.
Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go to their offi
ces or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening.
One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own.
Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one 
likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing some other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in 
one of
the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night. .Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．People who like country things prefer to live outside the city. |
| B．People who work in London prefer to live in the country. |
| C．Because of certain disadvantages of living outside London, some people who work in London prefer to live inside London. |
| D．Because of certain advantages of living outside London, many people who work in |
London prefer to live outside London. . One can use the same money for ________ to buy a little house with a garden in the
country.
| A．getting a small flat with a garden | B．having a small flat with a garden |
| C．renting a small flat without a garden | D．buying a small flat without a garden |
. When the flowers and vegetables in the garden come up, those _______ have the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
| A．who live in the country | B．who have spent time working in the garden |
| C．who have a garden of their own | D．who have been digging, planting and watering |
. People who think happiness lies in the town would feel that _______ if they had to live it outside London.
| A．their life was meaningless | B．their life was invaluable |
| C．they didn’t deserve a happy life | D．they were not worthy of their happy life |
. The underlined word rest in the last paragraph refers to ________.
| A．the rest time | B．the rest people |
| C．the rest of the country | D．the rest of the parks and of the sea |
Daniel Defoe (about 1660~1731) was an important novelist in the English literature(文学). When he was young, he served as a soldier and had been to Spain, Italy, France and Germany. At the same time, he went in for politics. He cared much about the development of capitalism(资本主义). He had written a lot of articles against it and he was put into prison twice for that. It was not until he was nearly sixty that he began to write the famous novel Robinson Crusoe, which was published in May, 1709. It spread so rapidly that the story was known to every household very soon.
Robinson Crusoe can be divided into three parts. The first part is about Crusoe’s three voyages, the second part about his hunting, hiding in caves farming and his hard struggles against nature on a small island, the third part about the things which happened after his return fro
m the island. The second part is the body of the novel, in which Robinson’s characters are clearly shown.
Defoe wrote his novel in a simple style and his language is easy to understand. His novel-writing set a milestone of the modern English novel. In his later part of life, he was in poor health and lived very poorly. He died on April 24th, 1731..Daniel Defoe was ______ and the writer of ______.
| A．an Englishman, “A Tale of Two Cities” | B．an American, “A Million Pound Note” |
| C．a Frenchman, “The Lost Necklace” | D．an Englishman, “Robinson Crusoe” |
. How old was he when he began to write his famous novel “Robinson Crusoe”?
| A．He was in his sixties. | B．He was in his fifties. |
| C．He was over 60. | D．He was sixty. |
. Robinson Crusoe can be divided into ______ parts and the first is about _______.
| A．two, his lonely life | B．three, his characters |
| C．three, his journeys by sea | D．four, his fame |
. “Every household” in this passage means ______.
| A．all members of a family | B．all people |
| C．every building | D．persons living in the same house |
.What was Defoe’s contribution(贡献) to the English literature?
| A．He wrote a very interesting story. |
| B．He made people happy while reading his story. |
| C．He set a milestone of the modern English novel. |
| D．He was active in politics and was against capitalism. |
Death Valley is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, covering a wide area with its alkali sand Almost 20 percent of this area is well below sea level, and Badwater, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the United States.
Long ago the Panamint Indians called this place “Tomesha”— the land of fire. Death Valley’s present name dates back to 1849, when a group of miners coming across from Nevada became lost in its unpleasantness and hugeness and their adventure turned out to be a sad story. Today Death Valley has been declared（宣告）a National Monument（纪念碑）and is crossed by several well-marked roads where good services can be found easily. Luckily the change created by human settlement has hardly ruined the special beauty of this place.
Here nature created a lot of surprise, almost like the sights on the moon, ever-changing as the frequent（频繁的）wind moves the sand about, showing the most unusual colors. One of the most surprising and variable（多变的）parts of Death Valley is the Devil’ s Golf Course, where it seems hard for one to tell reality from terrible dreams. Sand sculptures（沙雕）stand on a frightening ground, as evening shadows move and lengthen. .. _______ is the lowest place in the desert.
| A．Tomesha | B．Death Valley | C．Nevada | D．Badwater |
.. The present name of the valley comes from _______.
| A．an Indian name | B．the death of the miners |
| C．the local people | D．a National Movement |
.. From the passage we can learn that _______.
| A．no one had ever known the desert before the miners |
| B．it’s still not easy to travel across the desert |
| C．people can find gas-stations, cafes and hotels in the desert |
| D．people have changed the natural sight of the desert |
. Devil Golf Course is famous for _______.
| A．the frequent wind | B．the colors of the sand |
| C．dream-like sights | D．the sand sculptures |
. From the passage we can see that the writer _______ the Death Valley.
| A．appreciates | B．is fearful of | C．dislikes | D．is tired of |
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