Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion.

Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, where as if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary(當(dāng)代的) societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illnesses than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often “go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.

When older people become senile (衰老的) or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent (療養(yǎng)的) hospitals have been built. These are often profit making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply “dumping (倒垃圾的) grounds” for the dying in which “care” is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under skilled personnel.

1. The author believes that the population explosion results from _______.

A. an increase in birthrates                        B. the industrial development

C. a decrease in death rates                         D. human beings’ cultural advances

2. It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures _______.

A. it was a moral responsibility for the families to keep alive the aged people who could    not work

B. the survival of infants was less important than that of their parents in times of starvation

C. old people were given the task of imparting the cultural wisdom of the tribe to new generations

D. death was celebrated as a time of rejoicing for an individual freed of the hardships of life

3. According to the passage, which of the following statements about the old people in the  United States is true?

A. Many of them live on social security money which is hardly enough.

B. Minority of them remain in a state of near poverty after their retirement.

C. When they reach a certain age, compulsory retirement is necessary and beneficial.

D. With the growing inflation, they must suffer more from unbearable burdens than ever.

4. The phrase “this need” in paragraph 3 refers to ________.

A. prolonging the dying old people’s lives

B. reducing the problems caused by the retired people

C. making profits through caring for the sick or weak people

D. taking care of the sick or weak people

5. Which of the following best describes the author’s attitude toward most of the nursing homes and convalescent hospitals?

A. Sympathetic.        B. Approving.         C. Optimistic.        D. Critical.

The new minister is taking measures aimed at        the economy to full strength.

       A．seizing     B．restoring C．striking     D．casting

 --- I’ve read another book this week.

   --- Well, maybe _______ is not how much you read but what you read that is important.

A. this                 B. that              C. there                D. it

   Greece is one of the most beautiful countries of the world. Millions of tourists visit this place every year.

In Greece the bus is the most convenient and preferred means of traveling. There are intercity buses operated by KTEL that interconnect various cities of Greece, and there are international buses operated by OSE that connect Greece to other European cities.

   Every tourist must visit Greece at least once in life. This country is really a vacation heaven. It is the perfect blend(融合) of history and art with adventure and romance. You can dive into deep blue waters, climb up the mountains or enjoy ancient architecture and history.

    Buses in Greece are cheap and very comfortable. All bus stations display schedules of buses on every route. Conductors and drivers are very polite and helpful. Travelers never face any trouble locating and boarding buses to their destinations. Tourists can always ask the conductor to inform them about their stop, so that they can get down at the right stop. Everyone here is more than happy to help tourists.

   Athens, the capital of Greece, has three bus terminals(終點站). Buses to different parts of Greece leave from different terminals. Air-conditioned express buses also operate between major cities. They are faster and more comfortable than other buses. Tourists can choose guided Greece bus tours. These tours are the perfect way of exploring this great country.

Buses in Greece are also a great way of saving bucks on the journey. The long-distance bus system is very cheap. Buses save a lot of money to cover long distances, cheaper than taxis or cars. They are also the best means of interacting with local people. You can sit next to a native of Greece and get some information about the place.

1. The company KTEL offers bus services         .

   A. from Greece to other countries      B. to different cities in Greece

C. to tourist attractions in Greece       D. from Greece to its bordering countries

2. It can be inferred from Para. 3 that the Greeks are        .

   A. generous       B. hard-working     C. warm-hearted    D. economical

3. If you are a tourist to Greece from overseas, you’d better choose     .

A. taxis          B. guided Greece bus tours   

C. cars           D. air-conditioned express buses

4. The underlined word “bucks” in the last paragraph probably refers to      .

   A.  trouble       B. energy           C. time           D. money

B.用括號中所給的詞語將下列句子譯成英語。 (共5小題；每小題2分，計10分)

96. 那個男孩堅持說他沒有偷錢。（insist）   ______________________________________________________________________________

97. 如果你聽了我的建議，你就不會考試不及格了。(take one’s advice)

______________________________________________________________________________

要不是有你的幫助，我們就不可能提前完成工作。(without / but for)

  ______________________________________________________________________________

99. 為灑出的牛奶哭泣是沒有用的/覆水難收。（it is no use…）

_______________________________________________________________________________

100. 他覺得要改掉吸煙的習(xí)慣很難。（it作形式賓語）  _______________________________________________________________________________

Medicine shouldn’t be kept _______ it is accessible to children.

A. in which   B. in that     C. which        D. where

IV、閱讀理解（共20小題；每小題2分，共40分）

閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中選出最佳選項。

Perhaps you do not know it, but there is something wonderful at your fingertips. You can make people happier, healthier and more hard-working just by touching their arms or holding their hands.

    Doctors say that body contact(接觸) is a kind of medicine that can work wonders. When people are touched, the quantity of hemoglobin (血紅蛋白) — a type of matter that produces the red color in blood increases greatly. This results in more oxygen (氧氣) reaching every part of the body and the whole body benefits. In experiments, bottle-fed baby monkeys were separated from their mothers for the first ten days of life. They became sad and negative. Studies showed the baby monkeys were more probable to become ill than other babies that were allowed to stay with their mothers.

    Human babies react (反應(yīng)) in much the same way. Some years ago, a scientist noticed that some well-fed babies in a clean nursery (托兒所) became weak. Yet babies in another nursery were growing healthily, even though they ate less well and were not kept as clean. The reason, he concluded, was that they often had touches from nurses.

    Experiments show that most people like being touched. And nearly all doctors believe touch helps to reduce patients' fear of treatment. Of course there is time when a touch is not welcome. But even if we don’t like being touched, a smile can make us feel better. Smiling increases blood flow and starts the production of “happy brain” chemicals.

    So let’s have a big smile and don’t forget to keep in touch.

1. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. People may not understand the importance of touching.

B. People may work harder because of body contact.

C. Your fingertips can do something wonderful.

D. Everyone knows that body contact can make people happier.

2. According to the passage, ______.

A. not all the people like being touched

B. touches from doctors and nurses have nothing to do with treatment

C. new-born baby monkeys should stay away from their mothers

D. human brains need oxygen and blood supply now and then

3. The word “benefits” in the second paragraph probably means ______.

A. to be useful or helpful    B. to get something useful or helpful   C. to be ill     D. to be hurt

4. The best title for the passage might be ______.

A. Why People Touch      B. Smile and Touch C. Wonders of Touch    D. Touch or Not

   It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On his arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.

   The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品雜貨），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.

   I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.

   People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole. And it has influenced（影響）us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting(持久的，永久的).

52. Why was the bike so important to the couple?

A. The man’s job was bike racing. B. It was their only possession(財產(chǎn)).

C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed.  D. They used it for work and daily life.

53. We can infer from the text that ____________.

A. the couple worked 60 hours a week. B. people were busy before Christmas

C. a wonderful stranger bought a bike.        D. life was hard for the young family.

54. How did people get to know the couple’s problem?

A. From radio broadcasts.     B. From a newspaper. 

C. From TV news.      D. From a stranger.

55. What do the couple learn from their experience?

A. Strangers are usually of little help.   B. One should take care of their bike.

C. News reports make people famous.        D. An act of kindness can mean a lot.

第二卷

第二節(jié)：短文改錯(共10小題；每小題1分，滿分10分)

Dear Jim,

I’d like to tell you something more about our                            76._______

school sports meeting. It was holding on Oct. 6, which                  77._______

was a fine day.  There were over 1,000 students                   78._______

and teachers attend it. Wang Lin, a student from                       79._______

my class won the 100-meter race. He finish the                      80._______

race in 12.6 seconds and broke in the school record.                  81._______

The sports meet was really success. That was                            82._______

because we were all trying to do my best. Although                  83._______

I was not one of the winner, I was proud of                                 84._______

that we had done.                                         85._______

Looking forward to receiving your letter.

                                                 Yours,

                                                  Li Ping

 — I’m afraid that I can’t finish reading the novel within three days.

  —__________.

A. That’s right               B. Not at all       C. Take your time          D. Please go ahead