The largest land animal remaining on the earth, the African elephant is of much importance to African ecosystem. Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment. As a giant plant-eater, it significantly shapes the forest-and-savanna (大草原) surroundings in which it lives, therefore deciding the conditions of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat.
It is the elephant’s great desire for food that makes it both a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and underbushes, as well as pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces in not only deep tropical forests but also the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth, which attract a variety of other plant-eaters.
Take the rain forests for example. In their natural state, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants create open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large-hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small-sized plant-eaters to obtain their food as well.
Scientists are worried now that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant dies out, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Disappearance of African elephants. |
| B．Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants. |
| C．The effect of African elephants' search for food. |
| D．The eating habit of African elephants. |
The African elephant influences the ecosystem in the following ways except that .
| A．it creates open areas in deep tropical forests as well as woodlands |
| B．it pulls off the branches and leaves, shutting out the sunshine |
| C．its eating habit can be made use of by large-hoofed and small-sized animals |
| D．it encourages some kinds of plants growing in an indirect way |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A．Numerous grown plants are the favorites of plant-eaters. |
| B．The extinction of the African elephant has nothing to do with the ecosystem. |
| C．Quantities of plants are consumed by African elephants, including branches and underbushes. |
| D．The forest floor in rain forests is scarcely dotted with new shoots. |
The passage is developed mainly by .
| A．presenting the changes in time order |
| B．making comparisons and giving examples |
| C．classifying similarities and differences |
| D．showing the effect and then explaining the reasons |
She is only 12 years old but lives only with her younger sister. Her parents are far away from home, and she has to take care of her younger sister. She is He Can, a student at Anqing Jiangzhen Middle School in Anhui, one of the “stay-at-home children” in her town. To make money, these kids’ parents go to big cities to find jobs. Their children have to stay at home because they have to go to school.
He Can’s parents left home when she was only four. They only come back for the Spring Festival every year. Because she had to live with different relatives at different times, He Can went to eight different primary schools.
“I used to complain,” she said. “But later I understood my parents. They have to go away to make a better life for us.” He Can said her frequently (频繁地) changing life also has a good side.
“When I went to a new school, I had to try to make friends,” said He Can. “I became outgoing. Now I’m not afraid of talking to people.”
He Can said her relatives were kind to her. They taught her how to cook and wash clothes.
When He Can was going to start junior high school, her parents agreed to let her live out with her younger sister. She rents a house near the school. Sometimes their grandmother comes over and helps them.
Every day, He Can gets up at 6:00 am and cooks breakfast. Then the two girls go to school. They have supper at 6:00 pm. Then He Can does chores and helps her sister take a shower. She usually goes to bed at 9:30 pm.
Though busy, He Can is still a top student in her class. She said the secret is never to put things off until tomorrow.
“I think my life is OK,” she said. “But if possible, I would like my parents to settle down (安顿下来) and live with us.”Why does He Can live only with her younger sister?
| A．Because their parents don’t like them. |
| B．Because their parents have to work in a big city. |
| C．Because they enjoy living by themselves. |
| D．Because their schools are too far away from their home. |
Where did He Can live before she started junior high school?
| A．In her relatives’ houses. | B．In her own house. |
| C．In a house she rented. | D．In her school. |
What does He Can think of changing schools so often?
| A．She hates it and complains a lot about it. |
| B．She thinks it good for her growth. |
| C．She enjoys it because she can make more friends. |
| D．She thinks it bad for her studies. |
What is He Can’s secret of being top at studies though busy?
| A．She often asks her relatives for help. |
| B．She exercises a lot to make herself stronger. |
| C．She gives her sister some work to do. |
| D．She tries to finish everything before going to bed. |
Have you seen the film Star Wars? If you have, you’ll know what an energy–gun is, and a light–sword too. The gigantic space ship in Star Wars can destroy a whole planet in a second or two, and it does so. Fortunately, it isn’t our planet; it belongs to a distant system, far out in space.
The great empty spaces of the universe are no problem in star Wars. The fighters know how to fold space over, like a sheet of paper, so that very distant stars are brought close together; they call it “hyperspace”. This means, of course, that their ships don’t have to creep along at the speed of light. If they did that, they would take years, even centuries, to reach the battlefield. Hyperspace allows them to travel as “supralight” speed and get there in a couple of hours. It’s good clean fun (健康无害的娱乐) though.
We certainly don’t know all about physics yet, but we do have the work of Albert Einstein. He asked us to believe that nothing could travel faster than light through an empty space --- but don’t let that miserable idea spoil the film for you, even though all our observations up to now have shown that Einstein was dead right --- forget it. Sit back and watch those energy–shells blow up the hated enemy. The Star Wars princess is extremely beautiful.
The more we “discover”, the more we must admire Einstein. He knew it all before us --- by about 1910 in fact. We observe certain very high speed particles (微粒), and they behave exactly as Einstein predicted they would. We can give them a speed almost equal to light, but they never quite reach light speed. He predicted that a very fast–moving object, as it flashed by a stationary observer(静止的参照物), would seem to have much greater weight than usual. And that, too, was proved correct.
So far as scientific theory or evidence is concerned, there is no such thing as hyperspace, no such speed as supralight. Space is as we know it, and light speed is the highest possible speed. “But,” say the story-writers, “that’s only true at present. We don’t know all about physics yet. Who knows --- who knows if there isn’t another set of facts just waiting to be discovered; another universe perhaps, just round the corner?”
Einstein seems to have been prepared for that too. In his theories he emphasized the word “relative”. Everything --- speed, weight, time, etc. --- is relative to something else. Nothing, by itself is real or absolute. So if there is another universe somewhere, we shall only know about it relative to ourselves. So far there’s no sign of it. But for the future, well, who knows?
51．What is the purpose of science – fiction stories and films?
They point out the way ahead, and scientists are grateful.
They encourage us in our searching for the truth.
They show us what the future universe will be like.
They are written and made to entertain us.
52．If you see Star Wars, what might spoil it for you, according to the passage?
A．Einstein’s theories.
B．The uncomfortable surroundings of the theatre.
C．The ugly actress and actors.
D．The rude audience.
53．Einstein predicted that the increase in weight .
applies only to big things, like huge space–ships
is apparent only to the stationary observer
is a real increase
remains even after the objective has stopped moving
54．Einstein’s theories emphasized .
A．everything is relative to something else B．the universe is infinite (无限的)
C．light speed is the highest possible speed D．there is another universe somewhere
55．Although Einstein did not observe the behavior of high–speed objects, .
his theories predicted they travels at light speed
his theories predicted them with great accuracy
he knew they would be discovered
he predicted them in the year 1910
第三部分：阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节：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。
In 1997, a group of twenty British women made history. Working in five teams with four women in each team, they walked to the North Pole. Apart from one experienced female guide, the other women were all ordinary people who had never done anything like this in their lives before. They managed to survive in an environment which had defeated several very experienced men during the same time period.
The women set off as soon as they were ready. Once on the ice, each woman had to ski along while dragging a sledge weighing over 50 kilos. This would not have been too bad on a smooth surface, but for long distances, the Arctic ice is pushed up into huge piles two or three meters high, and the sledges had to be pulled up one side and carefully let down the other so that they didn’t become damaged. The temperature was always below the freezing point and sometimes strong winds made walking while pulling so much weight almost impossible. It was also very difficult for them to put up their tents when they stopped each night.
In such conditions, the women were making good progress if they covered fourteen or fifteen kilometers a day. But there was another problem. Part of the journey was across a frozen sea with moving water underneath the ice and at some points the team would drift back more than five kilometers during the night. That meant that after walking in these very severe conditions for ten hours on one day, they had to spend part of the next day covering the same ground again. Furthermore, each day it took three hours from waking up to setting off and another three hours every evening to set up the camp and prepare the evening meal.
So, how did they manage to succeed? They realized that they were part of a team. If any one of them didn’t pull her sledge or get her job done, she would endanger the success of the whole expedition. Any form of selfishness could result in the efforts of everyone else being completely wasted, so personal feelings had to be put on one side. At the end of their journey, the women agreed that it was mental effort far more than physical fitness that got them to the North Pole.
41.What was so extraordinary about the expedition?
A.There was no one to lead it.
B.The women did not have any men with them.
C.It was a new experience for most of the women.
D.The women had not met one another before.
42.On the expedition, the women had to be careful to avoid ________.
A. falling over on the ice B. being left behind
C. damaging the sledges D. getting too cold at night
43.It was difficult for the women to cover 15 kilometers a day because _________.
A. they got too tired B. the ice was moving
C. they kept getting lost D. the temperature were too low
44.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text?
A. Weather conditions. B. Protective clothing.
C. Preparing food. D. Feelings and relationships.
45.What is the main message of the text?
Motivation and teamwork achieve goals.
Women are mentally stronger than men.Severe conditions encourage people to succeed.
Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.
One of the traditions which is now a necessary part of Christmas is that of Father Christmas, or Santa Claus. According to the modern legend, he is a magical figure who visits all the children of the world during the night before Christmas Day, leaving presents which they find the next morning. He flies through the night sky in a sledge pulled by reindeer, and enters houses by climbing down chimneys. This strange legend is based on the life of a man called Nicholas, but in fact we know very little about him. Historians think he was a Christian bishop(主教) in Turkey in about 285－350 A. D. One of the stories about him is that he helped three poor girls. No one would marry them because they were so poor. To provide them with money for their weddings, Nicholas secretly dropped some gold coins down the chimney of their house. After Nicholas died, he was made a saint(圣人) by the church. (The name Santa Claus thus comes from St Nicholas.) His feast day was celebrated in December, and parents started giving their children secret presents from St Nicholas. Over the years, this custom became part of our Christmas traditions.
Recently, a psychologist has claimed that Father Christmas is “the perfect fantasy” for children. According to Professor Anthony Clare, children love the character of Father Christmas because he is like an ideal father: he loves children and gives them presents, but he never criticizes them, is never angry, and children do not even need to thank him for the presents. Other writers, however, point out that Father Christmas can be a frightening character to some children. Jane Bidder says that some children are terrified of this fat, bearded old man. It can certainly confuse many children. As parents, we warn our children to be careful of strangers and never to let them into the house, and yet we tell children that a strange man will come into their bedroom at night! Some children can become very worried about this idea and fear that he is a kind of burglar.
Most children, however, understand from their parents and from the media that Father Christmas is basically a benign character, and look forward to his annual visit with joy and excitement.
46. The main point of the first paragraph is that ________.
Father Christmas is an important part of Christmas
the tradition of Father Christmas is a modern idea
Father Christmas is a magical figure who can fly
the legends about Father Christmas are not true
47. The writer mentions details such as Father Christmas’s sledge, the reindeer and the way he climbs down chimneys because he/she ____________.
wants to make it clear that these things are impossible
is describing the history of St Nicholas
wants everyone to believe that Father Christmas is real
is explaining the modern legend of Father Christmas
48. Why does the writer mention the story about St Nicholas helping three poor girls?
It shows us that historians know very little about him.
This story explains why parents give secret presents to children.
It supports the writer’s main point that Father Christmas is based on an untrue story.
This story explains why we celebrate Christmas in December.
49. In the last paragraph, the word “benign” means _________.
A. religious B. friendly C. frightening D. unreal
50. The best title for this passage would be __________.
A. Is Father Christmas Dangerous? B. The True History of St Nicholas
C. The Legend of Santa Claus D. The Traditions of Christmas
If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life, one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have. Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment.
Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other responsibilities that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal（叙旧）with the friends, relatives and acquaintances we already have.
Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!
Are there any people you could call right now and be sure to receive a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count onto help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?
|
If you haven’t seen much of them lately, is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?
If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is that you have got too busy. take a good look at how you spend your time. Compare it with your real values and priorities（优先考虑的事）in life. Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?If you have become too busy for friends, why has this happened? Are you seeking material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other human beings? Have you allowed your time to be over spent because you never say “No” to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be appointed to others? If so, why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?
Examine whether the way you are now spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities. Make sure that you schedule adequate time for the things that are truly most important to you.
If you really want to keep friends in your life, make a space in your schedule, and a space in your heart for them.
1．In this passage the author mainly discusses ______ .
A．how to balance friendship and work.
B．how to spend our spare time.
C．whether we should keep friendship.
D．whether we should invite friends to dinner regularly.
2．Which of the following doesn’t indicate a good relationship?
A．You have someone to count on when you are in trouble.
B．You have someone to have close talks with.
C．You have fun when you are with someone.
D．You feel depressed with others in life.
3．The reason why you have become too busy for friends may be the following EXCEPT that_____.
A．you spend too much time seeking material toys in your life
B．you feel it difficult to keep friendship
C．you stick to doing everything all by yourself
D．you never refuse whatever other people ask you to do
4．Which would be the best title for the text?
|
A．Too busy for Friendship? B．Too busy with work?
C．How to Spend Your Time D．How to Make New Friends
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