Dear Alice,

   I have just got some good mews to tell to you.                           76. ______

I win a national prize for painting last week.                                  77. ______

My father was so pleasing that he suggested                                  78. ______

I go to England for a holiday. I’d like to staying                           79. ______

There for half a month, visiting place of interest                             80. ______

Or practicing my English as well. We’ve been                             81. ______

Writing to each for nearly a year now. I have                                82. ______

often dreamed of talk face to with you.                                         83. ______

I imagine you’ll be at vacation yourself by that                            84. ______

Time. Perhaps we could go out to do some                                   85. ______

sightseeing together.                           

Best,

                                  Lily

 Edward Wilson is America’s, if not the world’s, leading naturalist. In The Future of Life, he takes us on a tour of the world’s natural resources(資源). How are they used? What has been lost? What remains and is it able to continue with the present speed of use? Wilson also points out the need to understand fully the biodiversity(生物多樣性)of our earth.

    Wilson begins with an open letter to the pioneer in environment (環(huán)境) protection, Henry David Thoreau. He compares today’s Walden Pond with that of Thoreau’s day. Wilson will use such comparisons for the rest of the book. The problem is clear: man has done great damage to his home over the years. Van the earth, with human help, be made to return to biodiversity levels that will be able to support us in the future?

Biodiversity, Wilson argues, is the key to settling many problems the earth faces today. Even our agricultural crops can gain advantages from it. A mere hundred species(物種) are the basis of our food supply, of which but twenty carry the load. Wilson suggests changing this situation by looking into ten thousand species that could be made use of, which will be a way to reduce the clearing of the natural homes of plants and animals to enlarge farming areas.

At the end of the book, Wilson discusses the importance of human values in considering the environment. If you are to continue to live on the earth, you may well read and act on the ideas in this book.

72. We learn from the text that Wilson cares most about ______

A. the environment for plants                    B. the biodiversity of our earth

C. the wastes of natural resources             D. the importance of human values

A. Twenty.   B. Eighty.    C. One hundred     D. Ten thousand.

74. Wilson suggests that one way to keep biodiversity is to _______.

A. learn how to farm scientifically             B. build homes for some dying species

C. make it clear what to eat                      D. use more species for food

75. We can infer that the text is _______

A. a description of natural resources         B. a research report

C. a book review                                    D. an introduction to a scientist.

Holidays

68.   What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?

A. Choose the holiday in Devon. 

B. Go to the Snowdonia Centre

C Join the World Sea Trip of 2008

       D. Visit Acapulco and Hawaii

A. It provides chances of family gatherings.

B. It provides customers with good food.

       C. It offers a sport lesson.

       D. It offers comfortable room.

70. What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2008?

A. You can have free meals on deck every day.

B. You can sleep on a ship and tour many places.

C. You will have chances to watch and act in a play.

D. You have to do your own packing and unpacking.

A. food         B. rooms          C. body exercises            D. walking shoes

    It is often necessary to release a fish, that is, set it free after catching, because it is too small, or you just don’t want to take it home to eat. In some cases, releasing fish is a good measure that will help keep fish variety and build their population size. The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) encourages fishermen who practice catch-and-release fishing to use a few simple skills when doing so. The advice provided below will help make sure that the fish you release will survive (存活) to bite again another day.

―When catching a fish, play it quickly and keep the fish in the water as much as possible.

  Don’t’ use a net in landing the fish and release it quickly to prevent it from dying.

―Hold the fish gently. Do not put your fingers in its eyes. Don’t wipe the scales (魚鱗) off the   fish because it might cause it to develop a disease and reduce its chance of survival.

―Remove your hook (魚鉤) quickly. If the hook is too deep or hooked in the stomach, cut the   line and leave the hook in. The hook left inside will cause no serious problem to the fish.

―Take good care of the fish by moving it gently in water. Release the fish when it begins to   struggle and is able to swim.

―Do not hold fish in a bucket or some other containers and later decide to release it. If you are   going to release a fish, do so right away.

With a little care and by following the suggestions given above, you can give the released fish a better chance of survival.

64. People sometimes set a fish free after catching it because they _________

   A. don’t want it to die                B. hope it will grow quickly

   C. don’t want to have it as food         D. want to practice their fishing skills

65. Which of the following will probably make a fish ill?

   A. Taking the hook off it.             B. Removing its scales.

   C. Touching its eves                 D. Holding it in your hand.

66. A proper way to release a fish is to _________.

   A .move it in water till it can swim          B. take the hook out of its stomach

   C. keep it in a bucket for some time         D. let it struggle a little in your hand

67. What is the purpose of the test?

   A. To show how to enjoy fishing.          B. To persuade people to fish less often.

   C. To encourage people to set fish free.     D. To give advice on how to release fish.

More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple (菠蘿). The fruits that made it to the UK were green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within. Then in 1966, the Del Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves.

    The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green. It was slightly softer on the outside and had a lot of juice inside. But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known. In no time, the Del Monte Gold took the market by storm, rapidly becoming the world’s best-selling pineapple variety, and delivering natural levels of sweetness in the mouth, up until then only found in tinned pineapple.

    In nutrition (營(yíng)養(yǎng)) it was all good news too. This nice tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C(維生素C) than the old green variety. Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins, but also good against some diseases. People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit. The new type of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.

    Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep market to itself. But other fruit companies developed similar pineapples. Del Monte turned to law for help, but failed. Those companies argued successfully that Del Monte’s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock them out the market.

60. We learn from the text that the new type at pineapple is __________.

   A. green outside and sweet inside                     B. good-looking outside and soft inside

   C. yellowy-gold outside and hard inside            D. a little soft outside and sweet inside

61. Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?

   A. It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.         B. It was less sweet and good for health.

   C. It was developed by Del Monte.                  D. It was used as medicine.

62. The underlined word “fixture” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something _________.

   A. that people enjoy eating                              B. that is always present

   C. that is difficult to get                                 D. that people use as a gift

63. We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte _________.

   A. slowed other companies to develop pineapples

   B. succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself

   C. tried hard to control the pineapple market

   D. planned to help the other companies

Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.

    My earliest memories of my father are a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and his family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.

    On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor café. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?

    The next day dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.

56. Why did the author feel bitter about her father as a young adult?

A. He was silent most of the time.

B. He was too proud of himself.

C. He did not love his children.

D. He expected too much of her.

57. When the author went out with her father on weekend, she would feel         .

A. nervous                 B. sorry                C. tired              D. safe

A. More critical.          B. More talkative

C. Gentle and friendly.     D. Strict and hard-working.

59. The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to          .

A. the author’s son                               B. the author’s father

C. the friend of the author’s father         D. the café owner

After the birth of my second child, I got a job at a restaurant. Having worked with an experienced  36   for a few days, I was   37  to wait tables on my own. All went  38   that first week. When Saturday night came, I was luckily  39   the tables not far from the kitchen.   40   , I still felt a little hard to carry the heavy trays (托盤)。

   Before I knew it, the  41  was full of people. I moved slowly,   42  every step. I remember how  43   I was when I saw the tray stand near the tables, it looked different from the one I was  44   on. It had nice handles (手柄)，which made it  45   to move around. I was pleased with everything and began to  46  I was a natural at this job.

    Then, an old man came to me and said, “Excuse me, dear, my wife and I loved __47  you work. It seems your tray stand has been very  48   to you, but we are getting ready to  49   now, and my wife needs her  50  back.”

    At first his   51  did not get across. “What was he talking about!” Then I got it. I had set my trays on his wife’s orthopedic walker (助步器). I stood frozen as ice, but my face was  52  . I wanted to get into a hole and  53  .

    Since then, I have learned from many mistakes such as the one I just   54   , I have learned to be more  55  and not to be too sure of myself.

36. A. manager                 B. assistant            C. cook           D. waitress

37. A. promised                B. invited               C. allowed       D. advised

38. A. well                       B. quickly              C. safely          D. wrong

39 A. left                         B. given                 C. brought       D. shown

40. A. Therefore               B. However           C. Otherwise    D. Finally

41. A. kitchen                  B. street                 C. restaurant    D. table

43. A. angry                    B. calm                  C. sad             D. happy

44. A. fixed                     B. trained                C. loaded        D. waited

45. A. slower                   B. lighter                C. quieter       D. easier

46. A. believe                   B. agree                  C. regret        D. pretend

47. A. letting                   B. making                C. watching    D. having

49. A. rest                      B. order                   C. eat             D. leave

50. A. bag                      B. walker                 C. tray           D. coat

51. A. idea                      B. praise                  C. message     D. need

52. A. cold                     B. full of joy             C. pale            D. on fire

If you boss asks you to work in Moscow this year, he’d better offer you more money to do so ― or even double that depending on where you live now. That’s because Moscow has just been found to be the world’s most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.

       Using the cost of living in New York as a base, Mercer determined Moscow is 34.4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment(娛樂).

       A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs $4,000 a month; a CD $24.83, and an international newspaper $6.30, according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a hamburger(漢堡包) is a steal at $4.80.

       London takes the No.2 place, up from No.5 a year ago, thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar. Mercer estimates(估算) London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days. Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo, both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York, while No.5 Hong Kong is 19 percent more costly.

       Among North American cities, New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the world’s most expensive cities. But both have fallen since last year’s study ― New York came in 15^th, down from 10^th place, while Los Angeles fell to 42^nd from 29^th place a year ago. San Francisco came in a distant third at No. 54, down 20 places from a year earlier.

       Toronto, meanwhile, is Canada’s most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82^nd place worldwide. In Australia, Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No. 21 worldwide.

72. What do the underlined words “a steal” in Paragraph 3 mean?

   A. an act of stealing                       B. something delicious

   C. something very cheap                D. an act of buying

73. London has become the second most expensive city because of ______.

   A. the high cost of clothing            B. the stronger pound against the dollar

   C. its expensive transportation        D. the high prices of fast food meals

74. Which city is the third most expensive on the list?

   A. Tokyo.         B. Hong Kong.              C. Moscow.                  D. Sydney.

75. Which city has dropped most on the list in North America?

   A. New York.   B. Los Angeles.             C. San Francisco.   D. Toronto.

Far from the land of Antarctica(南極洲), a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.

       For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secret. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer.

       Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point.

       The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88℃ and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05℃. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.

       The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange thing made up of a protein(蛋白質(zhì)) never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.

       Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules(分子) held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content. It is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein. Or AFGP.

68. What is the text mainly about?

   A. The terrible conditions in the Antarctic.

   B. A special fish living in freezing waters.

   C. The ice shelf around Antarctica.

   D. Protection of the Antarctic cod.

69. Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?

   A. The seawater has a temperature of -1.88℃.

   B. It loves to live in the ice-salt mixture.

   C. A special protein keeps it from freezing.

   D. Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05℃.

70. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to?

   A. A type of ice-salt mixture.          B. A newly found protein.

   C. Fish blood.                               D. Sugar molecule.

71. What does “glycol-” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean?

   A. sugar                  B. ice                    C. blood                D. molecule

Tom was one of the brightest boys in the year, with supportive parents. But when he was 15 he suddenly stopped trying. He left school at 16 with only two scores for secondary school subjects. One of the reasons that made it cool for him not to care was the power of his peer(同齡人) group.

       The lack of right male(男性的) role models in many of their lives ― at home and particularly in the school environment(環(huán)境) ― means that their peers are the only people they have to judge themselves against.

       They don’t see men succeeding in society so it doesn’t occur to them that they could make something of themselves. Without male teachers as a role model, the effect of peer actions and street culture(文化) is all-powerful. Boys want to be part of a club. However, schools can provide the environment for change, and provide the right role models for them. Teachers need to be trained to stop that but not in front of a child’s peers. You have to do it one to one, because that is when you see the real child.

       It’s pointless sending a child home if he or she has done wrong. They see it as a welcome day off to watch television or play computer games. Instead, schools should have a special unit where a child who has done wrong goes for the day and gets advice about his problems ― somewhere he can work away from his peers and go home after the other children.

64. Why did Tom give up studying?

   A. He disliked his teachers.

   B. His parents no longer supported him.

   C. It’s cool for boys of his age not to care about studies.

   D. There were too many subjects in his secondary school.

65. What seems to have a bad effect on students like Tom?

   A. Peer groups.                      B. A special unit.

   C. The student judges.            D. The home environment.

66. What should schools do to help the problem schoolboys?

   A. Wait for their change patiently.

   B. Train leaders of their peer groups.

   C. Stop the development of street culture.

   D. Give them lessons in a separate area.

67. A teacher’s work is most effective with a schoolboy when he ______.

   A. is with the boy alone

   B. teaches the boy a lesson

   C. sends the boy home as punishment

   D. works together with another teacher