The scene in the Hollywood movie The Day After Tomorrow, when global warming could soon turn the global climate into a new ice age, may never occur, according to a new research.
The next ice age could be 15,000 years away, say European scientists who last month announced a continuous record of 740,000 years of climate data obtained from the Antarctic ice.
Scientists from 10 nations have now almost completely drilled through a 3,000-meter depth of ice high in the Antarctic mainland. They figure out that the area, where summer temperatures can fall to – 40℃, has at least 900,000 years of snowfalls, kept as neatly as the growth rings of a tree. And the ice and air caught in each layer(层) have begun to answer questions about the climates in the past..
The results show that there have been eight ice ages in the past 740, 000 years and eight warmer periods. And by comparing the pattern of global conditions today with those of the past, the researchers reported in Nature that the present warm period could last another 15, 000 years.
Research suggests that there is a very close connection between greenhouse gas levels and global average temperatures. It also shows that carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) levels are the highest for at least 440,000 years.
"If people say to you: ‘the greenhouse effect is a good thing because we would go into an ice age otherwise,’ our data say no, a new ice age is not hanging over our heads,” said Eric Wolff from the British Antarctic Survey. "Now we have eight examples of how the climate goes in and out of ice ages… and you can learn what the rules are that go into the climate models that tell us about the future."
Scientists found that whenever temperatures rose in the frozen record, so did carbon dioxide level. "In 440,000 years we have never seen greenhouse gas get as thick as it is today," said Dr Wolff.In drilling through the ice in Antarctica, scientists have found that______.
| A．the lowest temperature there is – 40℃ |
| B．the depth of ice is 3,000 meters |
| C．the ice has existed for 15,000 years |
| D．snowfalls are kept in certain patterns |
The information of the global climate conditions in the past can be obtained through______.
| A．separating carbon dioxide from the air |
| B．examining the growth rings of trees |
| C．comparing temperatures in different areas |
| D．studying the ice and air caught in each layer |
We can infer from Eric Wolff's words that_______.
| A．there is something wrong with the data |
| B．greenhouse effect is always a bad thing |
| C．a new ice age will not come in the near future |
| D．greenhouse gas will get thick in the future |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Research over the Antarctic area. |
| B．Warm period to last about 15, 000 years. |
| C．Report on the eight ice ages in the past. |
| D．Hollywood movies and the global climate. |
第三部分：阅读理解（共16小题；每小题1.5分，满分24分）
阅读下列短文，然后从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
You’ve no doubt heard people say how much they “need” a holiday, when what they really mean is that they want one. Certainly, people working under pressure feel a very strong desire to escape from work and become less tight during holidays, and experience a changed environment.
However, work for many people today is office work and mental, rather than physical tasks. These people may seek much more energy-taking activities while on holiday, rather than simply lying on a beach.
Once people become used to going on holiday, taking holidays becomes a habit. For many people the holiday is one of the last things to be given up, and indeed many workers have chosen to spend some of their last pay when being on holiday. It may give them a “lift” in facing some difficulties in life.
Most of us also enjoy showing off the lovely tans --- dark skins we get from a holiday. So many tourists are now able to afford holidays in the sun that tans have become quite common; although we join a tan together with health, it has been fully shown that too much sunshine will result in high danger of skin problems, as well as drying out one’s skin and leading to more lines on your face later in life.
56.According to the passage above, more and more people choose to have holidays because they __________.
A. love working outdoors all the time
B. want to get away from work
C. love enjoying the beauties of nature
D. become rich and want a better life
57. When office people have holidays, they often _________ .
A. lie on the beach and enjoy sunshine
B. spend more than they can afford
C. think about their work on the beach
D. choose to do more physical exercise
58 The word “lift” in the last sentence of the third paragraph may _______
A. cheer someone up
B. help someone find a job
C. be the last thing not to be given up
D. bring good luck to someone
59 At the end of the passage the writer tries to tell the reader _________.
A. the importance of getting sunshine
B. the bad effect of being on holiday
C. the result of getting sun tanned
D. the healthy look of being tanned
SINGAPORE—It seems the financial crisis isn’t all hopeless: one in four people are glad the world’s economy turned down like it did, because it helped them realize more in life, according to a global survey.
Market research firm Synovate surveyed around 11400 people across the world and found more than half had permanently changed their attitudes toward money over the last 12 months. Another 47 percent, however, said they were looking forward to being able to spend freely again.
“The psychology of global depression has changed the way many people do things,” Jenny Chang, managing director in Taiwan (China), said in a statement. “They are making life-changing decisions based on the current global depression, such as postponing marriage, having children, moving house, changing jobs or pursuing higher education. Even in a relatively effect-free economy like Taiwan’s.”
A quarter of all respondents led by Malaysians said they were glad the world had an economic crisis as it has helped them realize what’s really important in their lives.
Nearly 60 percent said they would try their best to control their spending so that it doesn’t go back to what it used to be before the downturn, and over two-thirds are more interested in increasing their savings than reducing their debt.
The majority of respondents—over 80 percent—believed their generation had a responsibility to leave their country better off for the younger generation, even if it involved dramatically changing their lifestyles.
With the relatively high unemployment in the US, Synovate’s US-based Claire Peerson Braverman said, Americans who had lost one or more incomes in the family, had to make some of the most difficult decisions concerning money each day.
62. What information did Market research firm Synovate want to get by making the survey?
A. The effects of global depression on people’s money and life attitudes.
B. The loss people suffered in the global depression.
C. The number of people who like global depression.
D. The influence of economical crisis on the US.
63. What can be inferred from the article?
A. The global depression had no effects on economy in Taiwan of China at all.
B. Global depression led some people to give up their higher education.
C. More people will spend their money more carefully after the global depression.
D. Some people felt glad about the global depression for the benefits it brought them.
64. What does the underlined world “it” in the fifth paragraph refer to?
A. Habit of spending money. B. Global depression.
C. Responsibility for the country. D. Attitude towards life.
65. What is the theme of this article?
A. The economic crisis made more people try to save more money.
B. The situation of unemployment in the US became more serious.
C. Lots of people put off some important events in their life for the economic crisis.
D. Economic crisis helped people change their ideas about money and life.
Even as Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda wrapped up a tired appearance before Congress，the head of the world’s largest automaker wasn’t leaving his problems behind．
Toyota faces a criminal investigation by federal lawyers in New York．The company is now being investigated．Its US dealerships in difficulty now are facing repairs to potentially millions of customer cars that have been recalled．The company is offering customers money back for rental cars and other expenses．
Its lawyers are busy preparing to cope with lawsuits．A new hearing will be conducted. And the cost to Toyota’s reputation is only now starting．
Despite back-to-back hearings this week，left to be said were a better explanation for slow actions to deal with the faults and believable promises that the problems that led to sudden，unintended accelerations will be fixed．
Toyoda said those changes were being made nearly around the clock，but during three hours of often tense questions and answers he repeated that there was no link to the vehicle’s electronic systems．
Many drivers making complaints against Toyota and the government say their acceleration problems had nothing to do with floor mat interference(油门踏板故障)or sticky gas pedals(刹车)．Outside experts have suggested electronic problems.
House lawmakers expressed serious criticism on Toyoda，the grandson of the company’s founder．
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA)is seeking records on Toyota’s recalls and is conducting its own review on whether electronics were behind the car faults．NHTSA also continues to look into steering complaints from drivers of the popular Corolla model．
Toyota has recalled 8．5 million cars，more than 6 million of them in the United States．
It may be a while before car buyers believe that Toyota really makes safe cars．
Toyota’s January sales already fell 16 percent even as most other automakers jumped back from last year’s bad results．Analyst Koji Endo of Advanced Research Japan in Tokyo said he expects February sales，due out next week，to be down 30 percent to 40．Toyota’s sales problem could continue beyond that．
It will take some time to feel the full effect of this，he said．
58．The best title for this passage is___________．
A．Toyota is in trouble B．Toyota is under hearing
C．Toyota is finished D．Toyota is still running
59．What is the purpose of the hearing?
A．America hopes that Toyota apologizes to the US customers．
B．America wants to get Toyota out of the US market．
C．America wants to help Toyota out of difficulty．
D．America hopes that Toyota admits their cars have electronic system problem．
60．Why does Toyota recall cars and offer customers money back for rental cars and other expenses?
A．It tries to avoid the maximum damages to the company．
B．It is big company and has means to fix every problem．
C．It’s part of post service．
D．It’s a way to compete in auto market．
61．The last sentence of this passage indicates______________.
A．Analyst Koji Endo is fully confident about Toyota
B．Toyota could meet a worse situation
C．Toyota would get out of trouble sooner or later
D．Toyota would build up a better reputation among its customers
True love and kindness is needed in this world. It comes from appreciating the object, and rejoicing in the object, wanting the object to be happy and well, but holding it lightly, not tightly. And this goes for possessions too. You are in an extremely materialistic society in which the possession of more and bigger and better is held up as the total criteria(标准) for being happy.
What we own is not the problem; it’s our attitude towards our possessions. If we have something and we enjoy it, that’s fine. If we lose it, then that’s OK. But if we lose it and we are very attached to it in our heart, then that’s not fine. It doesn’t matter what the object is, because it’s not the object which is the problem. The problem is our own inner grasping mind that keeps us bound to the wheel, and keeps us suffering. If our mind was open and could just let thing flow naturally, there would be no pain. Do you understand? We need our everyday life to work on this, to really begin to see the greed of attachment in the mind and gradually begin to lessen and lessen it.
There is a famous story of a coconut, which is said to be used in India to catch monkeys. People take a coconut and make a little hole just big enough for a monkey to put its paw through. And inside the coconut, which is nailed to a tree, they have put something sweet. So the monkey comes along, sees the coconut, smells something nice inside, and he puts his hand in. he catches hold of the sweet inside, so now he has a fist. But the hole is too small for the fist to get out. When the hunters come back, the monkey is caught. But of course, all the monkey has to do is let go. Nobody’s holding the monkey except the monkey’s grasping greedy mind. Nobody is holding us on the wheel; we are clinging to it ourselves. There are no chains.
54. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. Clinging Causes the Pain B. Don’t Learn from the Monkey
C. Giving Up is Holding D. Possessions are Pains
55. According to the first paragraph, which of the following statements is true?
A. The world now is lacking in true love.
B. Owning more means being happier in today’s society.
C. Today’s society is very realistic.
D. The society needs better criteria.
56. According to the passage, the monkey is caught because___________ .
A. the hunter is cleverer than the monkey
B. the monkey wants to eat the sweet
C. the hole is too small for the monkey’s fist
D. the monkey doesn’t know giving up
57. Why did the author tell the story of the monkey?
A. Because he liked monkeys very much.
B. Because the story is very interesting.
C. Because he wants to explain the idea further.
D. Because he wants to make the passage attractive.
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。
Struggling in the US? Move to China!
I graduated from the university with a degree of civil engineer. It is a good field but my heart was not in it. I wanted to be an actor or work in the entertainment industry…living a creative life. My choice of civil engineering was really a mistake but I realized too late. As soon as I graduated, I move straight to Los Angeles----the home of the film and television industry!
For three years, I tried to get a job in that field. I often worked as an extra in movies and TV shows----standing in the background while actors are in the foreground. This was fun for a while, but I wanted a real acting job, where I was speaking! Sadly, in Los Angeles, there is too much competition. Every race and age is represented: old, young, black, white, Asian, and thousands of blondish-red haired Midwestern types like me. Being an extra couldn’t make enough money for me to live in LA. I had to do something else for money.
After three years of trying, I gave up my dream of being an actor and started a different career. I then tried network-marketing, but in the end, that failed. Seven years after graduating from college, I was still in debt, still searching for a satisfactory life. I decided to go back to civil engineering.
However, I was starting to get very disappointed with my life. Why is life not like what I expected?
I expected to have made a lot of money, gotten married, with a house and nice cars, kids, time freedom, etc. Millions of people lead lives with their dreams shelved, existing but not really living. I want my life to be different, more satisfactory, more alive. America was not providing that for me…
In addition, America was too expensive----always worrying about money was a headache. I wanted a life filled with adventure, romance, friendships, successes, and dreams realized.
…
I decided to move to China.
51. How can we describe the writer’s attitude toward life?
A. Practical. B. Passive. C. Disappointed. D. Positive.
52. What does the underlined sentence mean?
A. A lot of people are living but they are not enjoying their life.
B. A lot of people are living with dreams though their life is not that enjoyable.
C. A lot of people give up their dreams and yet are living a good life.
D. A lot of people don’t have dreams, nor do they want to live either.
53. What did the writer do before he finally decided to move to China?
A. Engineer
extramarketingengineer. B. Extramarketingengineer.
C. Engineerextramarketing . D. Extraengineermarketing.
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