Many gardeners believe that “talking” to their plants helps them grow---it turns out that they may not be crazy after all. According to the scientists from the University of Exeter, plants may keep communicating with each other through a secret “unseen” language.
For their experiment, the scientists picked a cabbage plant that is known to send out a gas when its surface is cut. In order to get video evidence of the communication, they changed the cabbage gene by adding the protein---luciderase(虫荧光素酶), which is what makes fireflies(萤火虫) glow in the dark.
When the changed cabbage plant was in full bloom, they cut a leaf off with a pair of scissors, and almost immediately, thanks to the luciderase, they could see the plant sending out “methyl jasmonate(茉莉酸甲酯)”.
While this was a known fact, what was surprising was the fact that the minute this gas began to give out, the nearby cabbage plants seemed to sense some kind of danger and started to send out a gas that they normally have to keep predators(捕食者) like caterpillars(毛虫) away.
What the scientists are not sure is whether the plants are trying to warn the other leaves or the near plants about the danger---something that will require further research However, the team, which is led by Professor Nick Smirnoff, is quite excited about the findings because this is the first time it has been proved that plants do not live a passive life, but actually move, sense and even communicate with each other.
However, before you get all concerned, they are quite sure that plants do not feel the pain when they are cut, since they do not have nerves---so go ahead and bite into that juicy carrot!What’s the best title of the passage?
| A． Plants Can Send Some Gas |
| B． Plants Can Communicate with Each Other |
| C． The “Unseen” Language of Plants |
| D． Plants Can’t Feel Pain |
What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 1 mean?
| A． Gardeners | B． Plants |
| C． Scientists | D． Fireflies |
When the plant sent out methyl jasmonate, which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
| A． The nearby cabbage plants seemed to sense some kind of danger. |
| B． The nearby cabbage plants started to send out a gas. |
| C． The nearby cabbage plants tried to warn the near plants. |
| D． The nearby cabbage plants communicated through a secret language. |
According to the experiment, plants ________________.
| A． don’t live a passive life |
| B． can feel pain when they are cut |
| C． can warn the other leaves about danger |
| D． can talk with each other |
Catherine Destivelle is a rock star. She loves rock, but she can’t sing or play the guitar! She is a rock climber and a big star in France and Italy. She is the most famous woman climber in the world because she often climbs without ropes. She climbs in many countries but most often in the French Alps near Chamonix, where she lives. She started climbing near her home in Paris when she was five. Then, at fourteen, she joined the French Alpine Club to learn more, but immediately she climbed better and more quickly than the older members of the club. She won her first competition in Italy in 1995.
Three years ago she found a new route up the Dru Mountain near Chamonix. The climb took eleven days and for four days the snow was so heavy that she could not move. Last year other climbers tried to follow the new Destivelle Route, but they failed. They are going to try again this year.
People always ask her about her climbing. She says, “I climb because I’m in love with mountains. I like touching the rock and reading the face of the rock. I like it a lot. I felt at home on the side of a mountain. I prepare well before I go, so I’m never worried.”
Catherine chooses new mountains from books—like buying from a shopping catalogue (目录)! “I see a nice mountain and I go to climb it!” Her next mountain is in Pakistan. She is going there next month. “It’s much bigger than the Dru, so it’s going to take longer to climb. An American climber, Jeff Lowe, is coming with me to help.”
59．Catherine Destivetle is called “a star” because ________.
A. she won a competition in 1995 B. she loves rocks
C. she’s a famous woman climber D. she found a new route up to the Dru Mountain
60．She had great trouble finding a new route up the Dru Mountain because ________.
A. she lost her way B. the climb took 11 days
C. she needed help from an American climber D. there was heavy snow
61．On the side of a mountain she feels ________.
A. worried B. easy and happy
C.optimistic D. well
62．We can infer from the passage people often ask her “________”.
A. Why do you like climbing?
B. Are you in love with an American climber?
C. Do you enjoy reading books on mountains?
D. What do you do before you go climbing?
When the school year starts, it can be difficult to get up early．After a few early mornings, extreme tiredness might make you feel like you’re going to fall over．The amazing thing is that you probably manage to stay awake all day long and into the night．But how?
A chemical in the brain called dopamine（多巴胺）might be part of the answer．According to new research, dopamine is what keeps people who don’t get enough sleep from conking out．The chemical also has a complicated influence on your ability to think and learn when you don’t get enough sleep．
To study sleep loss and its effect on the brain, scientists rounded up 15 healthy volunteers．The scientists tested each person’s memory and ability to pay attention twice: once after a good night’s sleep and once after being kept up all night long．During the tests, the scientists measured levels of dopamine in the brains of the volunteers．
The results showed that when the volunteers stayed up all night, dopamine levels 
increased in the brain．Higher levels of dopamine kept the volunteers awake even though they felt tired．Some people are amazingly able to think clearly and react quickly, even when they haven’t had much sleep．Other people have a really hard time paying attention when tired, and their reactions are slow．All of these may be re
lated to the dopamine levels．However, the researchers found that higher levels of dopamine don’t remove the trouble that people have thinking and learning while sleep-deprived （缺乏睡眠的）．
55．The underlined phrase “conking out” in the second paragraph probably means ．
A．staying awake B．falling asleep C．paying attention D．falling over
56．With a higher level of dopamine, one ．
A．will not dream dreams at night B．may have trouble in falling asleep
C．can still stay awake after staying up D．can do better in learning and working
57．We can infer from the last paragraph that ．
A．not all people can react quickly after they stay up late
B．dopamine in our brain does not work when we are sleeping
C．lack of sleep has no influence on one’s learning and thinking ability
D．the higher the dopamine levels are, the less quickly one reacts
58．The passage is developed by ．
A．setting up a point and discussing it
B．giving examples and drawing a conclusion
C．pointing out similarities and differences
D．showing a fact and explaining the cause
第二部分: 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中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该项涂黑。
Science summer camps are one of the best ways to improve creativity of students and teach them a practical approach towards science and its applications （应用）．Students taking part in the camps can learn to appreciate science and technology at an early age, to be better positioned for further learning and finally better prepared to face challenges．Apart from theories, scientific experiments and discussions are encouraged at these camps．
The science summer camps are usually held between June and August and it’s good for parents to start planning their children’s summer camps at least 6 to 7 months in advance．This period of time provides an opportunity for them to do proper research and save money．With more than 2,000 summer camps in the US, there is a wide variety for parents to choose from．If the child doesn’t like biology, there is no point sending him to an anatomy （解剖学） science camp．Likewise （同样地）, if one thinks that his child limits himself to books throughout the school year, he should try and choose camps which provide students with an opportunity to move out in the open and be physically active．To make the task easier, there are many websites which provide online resource materials to help parents select a summer camp that fits the needs of their children．
Generally, a science summer camp costs between $ 150 and $ 500, depending on where the camp is located, how long it lasts and of course what subject it covers．Some of them also provide scholarships （奖学金） for bright students to encourage them．
51．A science summer camp offers students ．
A．chances to be well prepared for future study
B．chances to research and save money
C．ways to get online resource materials
D．chances to live independently
52．What does the underlined word “them” in the second paragraph refer to?
A．Students B．Organizers C．Scientists D．Parents
53．We can infer （推断） from the second paragraph that ．
A．it’s important for children to relax at the summer camps
B．online resource materials can help to o
rganize a summer camp
C．proper camps should be chose
n for children according to their needs
D．different parents should be chosen for children according to their needs
54．What do the costs of a science summer camp depend on?
A．Organizers’ efforts and suggestions． B．Location, time and content．
C．Students’ likes and dislikes． D．Effects and benefits．
Rescuers have found the bodies of over 130 people killed in two ferry disasters in Bangladesh．The accidents happened during a storm that hit the country on April 21．Hundreds more are missing or feared dead．
The two ferries sank in different rivers near the capital city of Dhakfi as strong winds and rain hit the South Asian country．The government has since banned all ferries and other boats from traveling at night during the April-May stormy season. One of the ferries，MV Mitali，was carrying far more people than it was supposed to. About 400 passengers fitted into a space made for just 300，police said．The second ferry carried about 100 passengers．
“The number of deaths is certain to rise．”said an official in charge of the rescue work．“No one really knows how many people were on board the ferry or how many of them survived.” Ferries in Bangladesh don’t always keep passenger lists，making it difficult to determine the exact number of people on board． Besides the ferry accidents，at least 40 people were killed and 400 injured by lightning strikes，falling houses and trees and the sinking of small boats． Storms are common this time of year in Bangladesh，as are boating accidents．Ferry disasters take away hundreds of lives every year in a nation of 130 million people． Officials blame these river accidents on a lack of safety measures, too many passengers in boats and not enough checks on weather conditions．Ferries are a common means of transport in Bangladesh．It is a country covered by about 230 rivers．Some 20,000 ferries use the nation’s Waterways every year．And many of them are dangerously overcrowded．Since 1977, more than 3,000 people have died in some 260 boating accidents．
63．________ passengers was MV Mitali designed to carry?
A.500 B.100 C.400 D.300
64．Officials blame boating accident on ________
A. strong winds． B. bad weather conditions．
C. the blockages of waterways． D. the lack of safety measures．
65．Which of the following statements is NOT true of the two ferry disasters?
A. They were overcrowded． B. They sank on April 21．
C. The exact number of deaths could be easily determined．
D. They sank somewhere near Dhaka．
Suppose a key man in your firm had just met with a terrible accident．The doctor tell you that this man upon whom you depend for directing sales, checking your books or for performing some other important roles, will be laid up for months, You’d have to replace him, wouldn’t you? And probably at a pay about equal to his ?
Then you would be faced with double paying for one job because stopping the pay of an injured man would simply be out
of the question．
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59．The above is most probably________．
A．a report B．a letter C．an announcement D．an advertisement
60．Whom might the writing be mainly for?
A．An important person in a firm． B．An employee of a firm．
C．The boss of a company． D．Readers of a newspaper．
61．Why would the pay be doubled?
A．Because two persons are doing one job of the same．
B．Because the important job is worth double pay．
C．Because it is necessary that the injured person should be paid．
D．Because the double pay is for two persons．
62．Travelers Insurance Company ________ for a person insured．
A．will pay for all the cost of treatment
B．will pay the weekly income or even that of lifetime
C．won’t get much from the firm
D．will provide everlasting pension as well as medical expense
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