Scientists in the United States have developed a method that may help to predict earthquakes earlier. They say it could give people who live in deadly earthquake areas enough warning to leave before an earthquake hits.
Currently, the most modem systems for predicting earthquakes find them only a short time before the event. Like most strong earthquakes , the one that hit Southwestern China in May was not identified early enough for people to flee the area. That earthquake killed more than 69,000 people, which rated eight point zero in intensity.
But scientists who study earthquakes are reporting that new technology could measure very small changes in the Earth's surface. Their report was published this month in Nature magazine.
Fenglin Niu is a seismologist in Rice University in Houston, Texas. He and his team performed experiments along California's San Andreas Fault, an area famous for its many earthquakes. The team placed highly sensitive electrical devices about one kilometer below ground in two different places. The devices were able to measure even small changes in air pressure on the Earth's surface. The scientist says such changes are caused when rocks push together, forcing air out of small cracks in the rock. When this happens, seismic waves travel faster than usual through the rock.
The experiment was performed near Parkfield，California. Two earthquakes hit the area in late 2005. The first took place on December 25. A smaller earthquake struck five days later. The scientists noted changes in the Earth's surface about ten hours before the first earthquake struck. That earthquake rated three in intensity. They then found similar changes taking place two hours before the other earthquake struck five days later.
If additional tests confirm the changes are linked to earthquakes ，the scientists believe that their equipment could be used for early warning systems. A system that provides a warning signal ten hours before a major earthquake could help move people from the area and save lives.
The scientists now hope they can find earthquakes with even greater intensity by placing their equipment deeper in the ground. What is the best title for the passage?
| A．A new way to help predict earthquakes |
| B．The earthquake in Southwestern China |
| C．A better understanding of earthquakes |
| D．Early warning systems of earthquakes |
If the new way works, ______ .
| A．fewer earthquakes will break out |
| B．rescue workers can save more buried people in ruins |
| C．a warning can be given at least ten days before the major earthquake |
| D．fewer people will be killed in an earthquake |
The devices can predict the earthquake by ______ .
| A．reaching the center of the earthquake |
| B．detecting the temperature changes in the Earth's crust |
| C．measuring changes in air pressure on the Earth's surface |
| D．recording sound waves under the ground |
We can infer that ______ .
| A．the equipment is perfect enough to be used in practice |
| B．it is unknown if greater earthquakes can be predicted by the equipment |
| C．the deeper the equipment is placed, the less accurate the measurement is |
| D．the equipment has helped save many lives in the earthquake in Sichuan in May |
第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
第一节 阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项 (A，B，C，D) 中，选出最佳选项。
Once upon a time in a land far away, there was a wonderful old man who loved everything：animals, spiders, insects...
One day while walking through the woods the nice old man found a cocoon（茧）of a butterfly. He took it home. A few days later, a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged（露出） easily.
But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract（收缩） in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.
It never was able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were allowed to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.
And we could never fly.
56. What did the old man find when walking through the woods?
A. A cocoon of a butterfly. B. A butterfly.
C. A spider. D. A pair of scissors.
57. What would have happened to the butterfly without the old man’s help?
A. It would have died in the cocoon.
B. It would have become a true butterfly.
C. It would have been strong enough to go farther.
D. It would have stopped struggling through the cocoon.
58. The underlined word “cripple” in Paragraph 7 probably means ______.
A. disable B. climb C. enable D. beat
59. What can we learn from this story?
A. Man can never go against nature.
B. It’s necessary to live with some difficulties.
C. One cannot help others without thinking twice.
D. Mankind should take good care of insects.
Who’s in control of your life? Who is pulling your string? For the majority of us, it’s other people—society, colleagues, friends, family or our religious community. We learned this way of operating when we were very young, of course. We were brainwashed. We discovered that feeling important and feeling accepted was a nice experience and so we learned to do everything we could to make other people like us. As Oscar Wilde puts it, “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry(模仿), their passions a quotation.”
So when people tell us how wonderful we are, it makes us feel good. We long for this good feeling like a drug—we are addicted to it and seek it out wherever we can. Therefore, we are so eager for the approval of others that we live unhappy and limited lives, failing to do the things we really want to. Just as drug addicts and alcoholics live worsened lives to keep getting their fix (一剂毒品). We worsen our own existence to get our own constant fix of approval.
But, just as with any drug, there is a price to pay. The price of the approval drug is freedom—the freedom to be ourselves. The truth is that we cannot control what other people think. People have their own agenda, and they come with their own baggage and, in the end, they're more interested in themselves than in you. Furthermore, if we try to live by the opinions of others, we will build our life on sinking sand. Everyone has a different way of thinking, and people change their opinions all the time. The person who tries to please everyone will only end up getting exhausted and probably pleasing no one in the process.
So how can we take back control? I think there’s only one way—make a conscious decision to stop caring what other people think. We should guide ourselves by means of a set of values---not values imposed（强加）from the outside by others, but innate values which come from within. If we are driven by these values and not by the changing opinions and value systems of others, we will live a more authentic, effective, purposeful and happy life. What Oscar Wilde says implies that _____________.
| A．we have thoughts similar to those of others |
| B．most people have a variety of thoughts |
| C．other people’s thoughts are more important |
| D．most people’s thoughts are controlled by others |
What does the author try to argue in the third paragraph ?
| A．Changing opinions may cost us our freedom. |
| B．We may lose ourselves to please others. |
| C．We need to pay for what we want to get. |
| D．The price of taking drugs is freedom. |
In order to live a happy, effective and purposeful life, we should _________.
| A．care about others’ opinions and change opinions all the time |
| B．guide ourselves by means of values from the outside |
| C．stick to our own values |
| D．persuade others to accept our opinions |
It can be concluded from the passage that __________.
| A．it’s better to do what we like | B．we shouldn’t care what others think |
| C．we shouldn't change our own opinions | D．it’s important to accept others’ opinions |
It is well known that the Japanese people’s love of fish is almost as a bee’s interest in honey. As fish populations were decreasing, fishing companies were forced to fish further and further away from the shore. Then they had a big challenge－how to keep the fish fresh for longer. So they decided to keep the fish stored in freezers on the boats. But the public did not like frozen fish. So again the fishing companies had a new bigger challenge. What they decided to do was to have fish tanks on their boats. After catching fishes, they would put them in the tanks and keep them living there until they got back to shore. But in this protected environment, lacking predators (掠食者)，the fish stopped moving around. The Japanese public felt these dull fish did not taste fresh, which had an unpleasant effect upon sales. Once again the fishing companies had an even bigger challenge ...
Stop for a minute! Before we go any further, I would like to ask “What are your challenges? How do you handle an unexpected challenge?” May I think it this way that you should try to attack your challenges? Conquer（战胜） them with a Swiss Army knife. Take the most proper and simple tool that you can adopt to deal with your situation.
Now back to our story. How did the Japanese finally figure out the fresh fish problem？Sharks! You might think the same. Sharks were caught and put into the tanks with other fishes. Don’t sharks eat fish? Well, they do eat a few fish, but they did also keep more fish active and alert (警觉的). The fish stay fresh because they are challenged.
Now, try to keep yourself fresh by finding your own shark to offer yourself a challenge in your own business and career.The main reason for the fishing company to fish in the far sea was that .
| A．the fish resource near the shore was on the decrease |
| B．the fishes farther away from the sea tasted fresher |
| C．people would prefer eating fresh fishes to less fresh ones |
| D．it was getting harder and harder to keep fishes fresh |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Japanese people love honey as much as a bee does. |
| B．The fish kept in tanks didn’t sell well because of their taste. |
| C．The fish stored in the protected environment tasted the best. |
| D．The fish kept in tanks didn’t taste fresh because they died before reaching the restaurant. |
The underlined part of the last paragraph means “ .”
| A．If you went fishing, you might do as the fishing companies did |
| B．Try to find a big shark, and you will meet your challenge |
| C．To succeed in life, you should always be ready to meet challenges |
| D．Sharks are usually compared to the challenges in people’s life |
The purpose for the author to write the passage is to .
| A．tell the readers “no pains, no gains” |
| B．tell the readers how the Japanese keep the fish fresh |
| C．advise readers to look for challenges to make progress |
| D．advise readers to find something difficult to do |
Packaging is an important form of advertising. A package can sometimes motivate someone to buy a product. For example, a small child might ask for a breakfast food that comes in a box with a picture of a TV character. The child is more interested in the picture than in the breakfast food. Pictures for children to color or cut out, games printed on a package, or small gifts inside a box also motivate many children to buy products—or to ask their parents for them.
Some packages suggest that a buyer will get something for nothing. Food products sold in reusable containers are examples of this. Although a similar product in a plain container might cost less, people often prefer to buy the product in a reusable glass or dish, because they believe the container is free. However, the cost of the container is added to the cost of the product.
The size of a package also motivates a buyer. Maybe the package has “Economy Size” or “Family Size” printed on it. This suggests that the large size has the most products for the least money. But that is not always true. A buyer has to know how the product is sold and the price of the basic unit.
The information on the package should provide some answers. But the important thing for any buyer to remember is that a package is often an advertisement. The words and pictures do not tell the whole story. Only the product inside can do that. The underlined words “a buyer will get something for nothing” (Paragraph 2) most probably mean that _________.
| A．a buyer will not get what he wants | B．a buyer will gain more than he loses |
| C．a buyer will get what he pays for | D．a buyer will get something useful free of charge |
Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．On seeing a well-designed container, a buyer often neglects（忽略）what is inside it. |
| B．A buyer is also attracted by the size of the container. |
| C．Children are often made to buy a product by its package with attractive pictures. |
| D．Packaging is often a successful advertisement. |
What suggestion does the author give in the passage?
| A．The best choice for a buyer is to get a product in a plain package. |
| B．A buyer should get what he needs most. |
| C．Do not buy the product which is sold in a glass or dish. |
| D．A buyer should know that the quality of a container has little to do with the quality of the product. |
Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores (杂务). I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering, I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn’t sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule.
My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends. On the second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper … On the third day, … This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition（过渡）, that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough. But something was missing. 
A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students were going to Jamaica to work with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my new found “happiness” and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That’s all. My bags were packed and by the door.
The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to work one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work.
Now, it seems, the tables have turned. Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment (责任感) to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war. Most importantly, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I’ve gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!What did the writer expect to do after he retired?
| A．To stay away from busy schedules. | B．To write some great books. |
| C．To do some voluntary work. | D．To plan for his future. |
Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?
| A．He missed his students in that country. | B．He couldn’t refuse his colleague’s favor. |
| C．He was concerned about the people there. | D．He was not satisfied with his retired life. |
Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?
| A．My Retired Life. | B．Being the Head of a High School. |
| C．My Attitudes towards Life. | D．An Experience of Being a Volunteer. |
What does the writer think of his retired life now?
| A．Disappointing. | B．Troublesome. | C．Promising. | D．Meaningful. |
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