Half of the world’s population lives in areas affected by Asian monsoons（季风）, but monsoons are difficult to predict. American researchers have put together a 700-year record of the rainy seasons, which is expected to provide guidance for experts making weather predictions.
Every summer, moist（潮湿的）air masses, known as monsoon, produce large quantities of rainfall in India, East Asia, Indonesia, Northern Australia and East Africa, which are pulled in by a high pressure area over the Indian Ocean and a low pressure area to the south.
According to Edward Cook, a weather expert at Columbia University in New York, the complex nature of the climate systems across Asia makes monsoons hard to predict. In addition, climate records for the area date to 1950, too recent and not detailed enough to be of much use. Therefore, he and a team of researchers spent more than fifteen years travelling across Asia locating trees old enough to provide long-term records. They measured the rings（年轮）or circles, inside the trunks of thousands of ancient trees at more than 300 sites.
Rainfall has a direct link to the growth and width of rings on some kinds of trees. The researchers developed a document—a Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas（地图集）. It shows the effect of monsoons over seven centuries, beginning in the 1300s.
Professor Cook says the tree-ring records show periods of wet and dry conditions. “If the monsoon basically fails or is very weak one year, the trees affected by the monsoon at that location might put on a very narrow ring. But if the monsoon is very strong, the trees affected by that monsoon might put on a wide ring for that year. So, the wide and narrow ring widths of the tree chronology（年表）that we developed in Asia provide us with a measure of monsoon variability. ” Armed with such a sweeping set of data, researchers say they now can begin to refine climate computer models for predicting the behavior of monsoons.
“There has been widespread famine and starvation and human dying in the past in large droughts. And on the other hand, if the monsoon is particularly heavy, it can cause extensive flooding,” said Eugene Wahl, a scientist who is with America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s paleoclimate（古气侯）branch studying weather patterns over the history of the Earth. “So, to get a knowledge of what the regional moisture patterns have been, dryness and wetness over such a long period of time in great detail, I would call it a kind of victory for climate science.”What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．A breakthrough in monsoon prediction. |
| B．The necessity of weather forecast. |
| C．The achievements of Edward Cook. |
| D．The effects of Asian monsoons. |
It is difficult for experts to predict Asian monsoons because______.
| A．it is hard to keep long-term climate records |
| B．they are formed under complex climate systems |
| C．they influence many nations |
| D．there is heavy rainfall in Asia |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The trees affected by monsoon grow fast if the monsoon is weak. |
| B．The Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas has a monsoon record for about 1,300 years. |
| C．Long and detailed climate records can offer useful information for monsoon research. |
| D．The rainfall might be low although the monsoon is strong in monsoon- |
affected areas.According to Professor Cook, the rings of the trees_________.
| A．determine the regional climate |
| B．have a great influence on the regional climate |
| C．offer people information about the regional climate |
| D．reflect all kinds of regional climate information |
What do we know about the research according to Eugene Wahl?
| A．It will help people prevent droughts and floods. |
| B．It should include information about human life in the past. |
| C．It has analysed moisture models worldwide. |
| D．It is a great achievement in climate science. |
Which of the following best describes the tone of this passage?
| A．Friendly. | B．Pessimistic. |
| C．Humorous. | D．Matter-of-fact. |
Determined to make school more related to the workplace, Roosevelt High School in Portland, Oregon, developed a school-to-work program. In their first year, students are offered some job pathways in natural resources, human services, health care, business, arts and communication. The following year, each student chooses one of the pathways and examines it in depth, spending three hours a week watching someone on the job. Such a program is also in practice in some other states.
The school-to-work program is built around a partnership(伙伴关系). For example, Eastman Kodak, a major employer（雇主） in Colorado, introduces students to business by helping them construct（建设） a model city using small pieces of wood. “The children use the models to decide on the best place to set up schools,” says Lucille Mantelli , director for Eastman Kodak in Colorado. Kodak introduces math by teaching fifth graders to use their pocket money properly. They also provide one-on-one job watching experiences and offer chances of practice for high school juniors and seniors. “Students come to the workplace two or three hours a week,” explains Mantelli. “They do the job for us. We pay them and they get school credits (学分). We also give them our views on their performance and developmental opportunities.”
In these partnerships, everybody wins. The students tend to（倾向于） take more difficult courses than students in schools that don’t offer such programs. Business benefits（获益） by having a better prepared workforce needed in future years. “It’s a way for us to work with the school systems to develop the type of workforce we’ll need in future years,” Mantelli continued. “We need employees who understand the basics of reading and writing. We need them to be good at math and to be comfortable working on a team.”
“Our theory is that they can learn as much outside the classroom as in. All students have the ability to change the world, not just to live in it. To do that, they have to know how to solve problems and use critical（批判的）thinking skills. We need to encourage them to dream about jobs that go beyond what they see today,” concludes（得出结论） a school-to-work program organizer.
58. Using the example of Eastman Kodak in Colorado, the writer shows us ____.
A. what the school decides to do
B. why the students get paid for their jobs
C. where the students have their math class
D. what role the business plays in the program
59. The main purpose of the school-to-work program is to _____.
A. offer students more difficult courses
B. introduce new job opportunities to schools
C. improve relations between students and teachers
D. make what students learn in school related to the workplace
60. According to the text, Lucille Mantelli is ____.
A. a math teacher B. a school designer
C. a company manager D. a program organizer
61. What does the writer mean by saying “…everybody wins.” (Paragraph 3)?
A. Students get school credits by taking examinations.
B. Both students and business benefit from the program.
C. The working conditions of the company have improved greatly.
D. Every teacher and student gets paid for working outside the school.
GUATEMALA CITY（Reuters）--A fish that lives in mangrove swamps（红树沼泽）across the Americas can live out of water for months at a time, similar to how animals adapted（适应）to land millions of years ago, a new study shows.
The Mangrove Rivulus, a type of small killifish, lives in small pools of water in a certain type of empty nut or even old beer cans in the mangrove swamps of Belize, the United States and Brazil. When their living place dries up, they live on the land in logs (圆木), said Scott Taylor, a researcher at the Brevard Endangered Lands Program in Florida .
The fish, whose scientific name is Rivulus marmoratus, can grow as large as three inches. They group together in logs and breathe air through their skin until they can find water again.
The new scientific discovery came after a trip to Belize.
“We kicked over a log and the fish just came crowding out,” Taylor told Reuters in neighboring Guatemala by telephone. He said he will make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year.
In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating.
Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at a time, while lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in an inactive state. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulus and remain active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at Canada’s University of Guelph.
Further studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time.
“These animals live in conditions similar to those that existed millions of years ago, when animals began making the transition（过渡）from water onto land,” Wright said.
54. The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that _______.
A. likes eating nuts B. prefers living in dry places
C. is the longest living fish on earth
D. can stay alive for two months out of water
55. Who will write up a report on mangrove Rivulus?
A. Patricia Wright. B. Researchers in Guatemala.
C. Scientists from Belize D. Scott Taylor.
56. According to the text, lungfish can _______.
A. breathe through its skin B. move freely on dry land
C. remain alive out of water D. be as active on land as in water
57. What can we say about the discovery of Mangrove Rivulus?
A. It was made quite by accident.
B. It was based on a lab test of sea life.
C. It was supported by an American magazine.
D. It was helped by Patricia Wright.
Tales From Animal Hospital
David Grant
David Grant has become a familiar face to millions of fans of Animal Hospital.Here Dr Grant tells us the very best of his personal stories about the animals he has treated，including familiar patients such as the dogs Snowy and Duchess，the delightful cat Marigold Serendipity Diamond. He also takes the reader behind the scenes at Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital as he describes his day，from ordinary medical check-ups to surgery(外科手术). Tales From Animal Hospital will delight all fans of the program and anyone who has a lively interest in their pet，whether it be cat，dog or snake!
￡14.99 Hardback 272pp Simon Schuster
ISBN0751304417
Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer
Michael White
From the author（作者）of Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science，comes this colorful description of the life of the world’s first modern scientist. Interesting yet based on fact，Michael White‘s learned yet readable new book offers a true picture of Newton completely different from what people commonly know about him. Newton is shown as a gifted scientist with very human weaknesses who stood at the point in history where magic(魔术)ended and science began.
￡ 18.99 Hardback 320pp Fourth Estate
ISBN 1857024168
Fermat’s Last Theorem
Simon Singh
In 1963 a schoolboy called Andrew wiles reading in his school library came across the world’s greatest mathematical problem, Fermat’s Last Theorem(定理). First put forward（提出） by the French mathematician（数学家） Pierre de Fermat in the seventeenth century，the theorem had baffled and beaten the finest mathematical minds，including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out the problem，and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecole Polytechnique. Through unbelievable determination Andrew Wiles finally worked out the problem in 1995. An unusual story of human effort over three centuries，Fermat’s Last Theorem will delight specialists（专家） and general readers alike.
￡ 12.99 Hardback 384pp Fourth Estate
ISBN 1857025210
50. What is Animal Hospital? _______.
A. A news story. B.A popular book C. A research report. D. A TV program.
51. In Michael White’s book，Newton is described as _______.
A. a person who did not look the same as in many pictures
B. a person who lived a colorful and meaningful life
C. a great but not perfect man D. an old－time magician
52. The person who finally proved Fermat’s Last Theorem is _______.
A.Simon Singh B. Andrew Wiles
C. Pierre de Fermat D. a French woman scientist
53. What is the purpose of writing these three texts? _______.
A. To make the books easier to read. B. To show the importance of science.
C. To introduce new authors. D. To sell the books.
IV阅读理解 32%
If you are a 30-plus plain Jane, or if you are not a local fresh graduate, get ready for the embarrassment(尴尬) in the job market. And you are just one of the millions to face discrimination（歧视）.
About 85 percent of the 3,424 people covered by a survey in 10 big cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, said discrimination in work and employment（就业） did exist. Also, the survey results given on Friday showed that 58 percent thought the problem to be severe（严重）.
Appearance, height and gender are the most discriminative categories（范畴）, the Beijing Morning Post reported.
Some requirements could be funny. The newspaper said Beijing citizen Zhang Meng, who had more than 10 years’ driving experience, failed to get a job because his possible employers considered his name to be “unlucky”.
“Meng”, they said, literally(字面上)means “rush” in Chinese, which made him more accident prone（倾向）than others.
Employers discriminate against people from certain regions or areas, such as Central China’s Henan Province, because of the bad impression they have about them. Beijing citizens, too, have their share of bad luck because they are generally considered lazy.
Cai Dingjian, a professor from China University of Political Science and Law, who headed the survey, said such requirements, which are not connected with the job itself, violate（侵犯）people’s equal right to look for a career. “It violates basic human rights,” he said to the newspaper.
Cai said governments should pay attention to such discriminations because they exist not only in companies, but are also practiced by them. One example is that civil servants(公务员) are usually required to have a pleasant personality.
Director of the labour law committee under the All China Lawyers Association
Jiang Junlu said the lack of related laws was at the root of all discriminations.
46. Zhang Meng failed to get a job because __________.
A. he had made more mistakes than others
B. he lacked driving experience
C. he was considered to have an unlucky name
D. he couldn’t find a pleasant employer
47. What is people’s response to discrimination in job market?
A. They think it is unfair but necessary due to the large population of China.
B. It does exist in certain regions, but is not so serious.
C. Something must be done to stop it by governments.
D. It is a local problem and isn’t worth much concern.
48. What can be an effective way to fight against discrimination according to the passage?
A. To fine companies which practice discrimination.
B. To make laws related to discrimination.
C. To stop more people moving into cities.
D. To train people those who are poor in skills.
49. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Discrimination not only exists in companies, but also in governments.
B. Employers nowadays concern more about appearance, height and gender.
C. People in Beijing will never worry about experiencing discrimination.
D. Requirements connected with the job itself should have been put in the first place.
When you enter a supermarket, you see shelves full of food. You walk between the shelves. You carry a shopping basket w
ith your food in it.
You probably hear soft, slow music as you walk between the shelves. If you hear fast music, you walk quickly. The supermarket plays slow music. You walk slowly and have more time to buy things.
Maybe you go to the meat department first. There is some meat on sale, and you want to find it. The manager of the supermarket knows where customers enter the meat department. The cheaper meat is at the other end of the meat department, away from where the customers enter. You have to walk by all the expensive meat before you find the cheaper meat. Maybe you will buy some of the expensive meat instead of the meat on sale.
The department selling milk and milk products such as butter and milk powder is called the dairy department. Many customers like milk that has only a little butter fat in it. One store has three different jars of low fat milk. One says “1 percent fat” on the jar. The second says “99 percent fat free”, the third says “Low fat” in big letters and “1%”in small letters. As you can see, all the milk has the same amount of fat. The milk is all the same. However, in this store the three jars of milk cost three different amounts of money. Maybe the customers will buy the milk that costs the most.
Most of the food in supermarkets is very pleasing. It all says “Buy me!” to the customers. The expensive meat says “Buy me” as you walk by. The expensive milk jar says “Buy me! I have less fat.”
77. The manager of the supermarket knows______.
A. which customers like low fat milk B. which customers like slow music
C. where customers enter the meat department D. where customers come from
78. When you walk by the expensive meat, maybe you will______.
A. buy some B. try to find fresh fruits C. look for low fat milk D. just walk on
79. There are three different jars of low fat milk and_____.
A. one has more fat than the other two B. they are almost the same amount of money
C. one has less fat than the others D. they all have the same amount of fat
80. Supermarket managers make the food pleasing so that_____.
A. there will be more buyers B. buyers will be proud
C. it is good and expensive D. they can raise the prices
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