The dress is two sizes ____for me．Would you please show me another one?

         A．larger         B．too large C．more large        D．very large

Most of us are used to seasons. Each year, spring follows winter, which follows autumn, which follows summer, which follows spring. And winter is colder than summer. But the earth goes through temperature cycles over much longer periods than those that we experience. Between 65,000 and 35,000 years ago, the planet was much colder than it is now. During that time the temperature also changed a lot, with periods of warming and cooling. Ice melted during the warm periods, which made sea levels rise. Water froze again during the cold periods.

A new study from Switzerland, sheds light on where ice sheets melted during the ice age. It now seems that the ice melted at both ends of the earth, rather than just in either northern or southern regions.

This surprised the researchers from the University of Bern. Scientists have long assumed that most of the ice that melted was in the Northern hemisphere(半球) during the 30,000-year long ice age. That belief was held because the North Pole is surrounded by land, while the South Pole is surrounded by the Antarctic Ocean. It is easier for ice sheets to grow on land. If surrounded by sea the ice can easily just slip into the ocean instead of building up.

The researchers used a computer model to look at ways the ice could melt and how it might affect sea levels. They compared these results to evidence of how temperatures and currents actually changed during that time. The model showed that if it was only in the Northern hemisphere that ice melted, there would have been a bigger impact(影响) on ocean currents(洋流) and sea temperatures than what actually happened. Studies suggest that melting just in the Southern hemisphere would have been impossible, too. The only reasonable conclusion, the scientists could make, was that ice melted equally in the North and the South.

It is still a mystery as to what caused the temperature changes that caused the ice to melt.

The North Pole is surrounded by land, while the South Pole is surrounded by the Antarctic Ocean. So scientists thought that ________.

A. most of the ice melted in the Northern hemisphere

B. most of the ice melted in the Southern hemisphere

C. The North Pole is colder than South Pole

D. The South Pole is colder than North Pole

We can infer from the passage ________.

A. the ice can easily just slip into the ocean              

B. volcanoes caused the ice to melt

C. melting just in the Northern hemisphere would have been impossible

D. researchers often use the computer models help their research work.

The scientists are not sure ________.

A. how long the ice age lasted                   

B. where ice sheets melted during the ice age

C. what caused the temperature changes

D. what the earth is made up of

Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. A computer model                         

B. Studies show ice melted equally in the North and the South during the ice age

C. Most of the ice melted in the Northern hemisphere during the 30,000-year long ice age.

D. A survey result

M When Paul was a boy growing up in Utah, he happened to live near a copper smelter(炼铜厂), and the chemicals that poured out had made a wasteland out of what used to be a beautiful forest. One day a young visitor looked at this wasteland and called it an awful area. Paul knocked him down. From then on, something happened inside him.

Years later Paul was back in the area, and he went to the smelter office. He asked if they had any plans or if they would let him try to bring the trees back.. The answer from that big industry was “No.”

Paul then went to college to study the science of plants. Unfortunately, his teachers said there weren't any birds or squirrels to spread the seeds. It would be a waste of his life to try to do it. Everyone knew that, he was told. Even if he was knowledgeable as he had expected, he wouldn’t get his idea accepted.

Paul later got married and had some kids. But his dream would not die. And then one night he did what he could with what he had. As Samuel Johnson wrote, “It is common to overlook what is near by keeping the eye fixed on something remote. Attainable good is often ignored by minds busied in wide ranges.” Under the cover of darkness, he went secretly into the wasteland and started planting.

And every week, he made his secret journey into the wasteland and planted trees and grass. For fifteen years he did this against the plain common sense. Slowly rabbits appeared. Later, as there was legal pressure to clean up the environment, the company actually hired Paul to do what he was already doing.

Now the place is fourteen thousand acres of trees and grass and bushes, and Paul has received almost every environmental award Utah has. It took him until his hair turned white, but he managed to keep that impossible vow he made to himself as a child.

When Paul was a boy, _____.

he had decided never to leave his hometown

the economy of Utah depended wholly on the copper smelter

no laws were made to protect the environment against pollution

he had determined to stop the copper smelter polluting the area

Why did Paul go to college to study the science of plants?

He wanted to find out the best way to save the area himself.

He was interested in planting trees since he was young.

He wanted to get more knowledgeable people to help him.

He thought his knowledge would make his advice more persuasive.

What does the underlined phrase “the plain common sense” probably refer to?

That it was impossible for trees to grow on the wasteland.

That his normal work and life would be greatly affected.

That no one would like to join him in the efforts.

That he had to keep everything he did secret.

The message of the passage is that _____.

action speaks louder than words

perseverance(持之以恒) will work wonders

God helps those who help themselves

many hands make light work

It is said that those＿(吃得最多的)are the the least heal thy(Who).

BEIJING, Nov. 26—U.S. dollar hit another record low against the euro on Friday, with the European currency climbing above $1.32 for the first time. The green-back fell to its lowest in nearly five years against the yen the same day.

By 1943 EST, the dollar was trading at US$1.3265 per euro, compared with US$1.3270 in thin late New York trade. It was at 102.55 yen, little changed from New York after touching 102.37, a level not seen since March 2000, in London.

Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki repeated his warning against dollar weakness, threatening to take action against sudden moves, but market participants said such verbal intervention (口头干涉) had long lost its clout.

Traders were expecting market liquidity to remain thin on Friday because of the extended U.S. holiday.

In such thin trading, many said a fall in the dollar past 102 yen and US$1.33 per euro was a real possibility.

Referring to recent currency movements as “brutal”, European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet, who is the most vocal European policymaker on dollar weakness, is due to make comments in Rio de Janeiro, along with ECB council member and Spanish central bank governor Jaime Caruana.

Introduced in 1999 as the common currency for 12 European countries, the euro initially(最初) dropped against the dollar but has risen some 60 percent since hitting an all-time low of 82 U.S. cents in October 2000.

What does “the green-back” refer to in the first paragraph?

A. U.S. dollar                                           B. Another record

C. The euro                                              D. European currency

How did Sadakazu Tanigaki feel about dollar weakness?

A. Excited                    B. Puzzled             C. worried                    D. Disappointed

The underlined word “brutal” probably means ______.

A. cruelty                            B. help                 C. criticism                   D. apology

According to some people, it was possible for the dollar to trade ______.

A. at 1.3265 per euro                                 B. at 1.32 per euro

C. at 1.3270 per euro                                 D. at 1.331 per euro

The English Corner in Zhongshan Park is where people         1.___________

go to practise their speaking English. Every Sunday afternoon   2.___________

they gather around, talk to each other in English. Among          3.___________

they are students, teachers, doctors, and so on. I first went to an 4.___________

English Corner when I was in Junior Grade Two. I went there on      5.___________

every Sunday and chat with some people in English. In the     6.___________

past three years I had never been absent. I’m sure I’ve made          7.___________

some progresses in my listening and speaking. And I have         8.___________

made many friends there. The English Comer is really good         9.___________

place. I hope that more friends will join in us.                  10.___________

时下，很多学生带手机上学。为此，某英语报在你校组织了一场讨论。讨论的主题：中学生是否有必要带手机去学校。请你根据下表提供的信息，给报社写一封信，客观地介绍讨论情况。

注意：

1．信的开头已为你写好。

2．词数：100左右。

3．参考词汇：攀比：vie with…  在校园内：on the campus

Dear editor:

I’m writing to tell you about the discussion we’ve had about whether it is necessary for middle school students to carry mobile phones to school.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Taiwan police cannot decide whether to treat it as an extremely eleven act of stealing or an even cleverer cheat . Either way , it could be the perfect crime (犯罪), because the criminals are birds—horning pigeons !

The crime begins with a telephone message to the owner of a stolen car : if you want the car back, pay up then, the car owner is directed to a park, told where to find a bird cage and how to attach money to the neck of the pigeon inside . Carrying the money in a tiny bag , the pigeon flies off .

There have been at least four such pigeon pick-ups in Changwa. What at first seemed like the work of a clever stay-at-home car thief, however , may in face be the work of an even lazier and more inventive criminal mind—one that avoid (避免)not only colleting money but going out to steal the car in the first place . Police officer Chen says that the criminal probably has pulled a double trick: he gets money for things he cannot possibly return . Instead of stealing cars , he lets someone else do it and then waits for the car-owner to place an ad (启事) in the newspaper asking for help .

The theory is supported by the fact that , so far , none of the stolen cars have been returned . Also, the amount of money demanded-under 3,000 Taiwanese dollars –seems too little for a car worth many times more .

Demands for pigeon-delivered money stopped as soon as the press reported the story. And even if they start again, Chen holds little hope of catching the criminal . “We have more important things to do, ” he said .

1．After the car owner received a phone call. He          

A．went to a certain pigeon and put some money in the bag it carried

B．gave the money to the thief and had his car back in a park

C．sent some money to the thief by mail

D．told the press about it

2．The “lazier and more inventive” criminal refers to          .

A．the car thief who stays at home     

B．one of those who put the ads in the paper

C．one of the policemen in Changwa  

D．the owner of the pigeons

3．The writer mentions the fact that “none of the stolen cars have been returned” to show       .

A．how easily people get fooled by criminals

B．what Chen thinks might be correct

C．the thief is extremely clever

D．the money paid is too little

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

A．criminals            B．pigeons

C．the stolen cars    D．demands for money

5．We may infer from the text that the criminal knows how to reach the car owners because     .

A．he reads the ads in the newspaper  

B．he lives in the same neighborhood

C．he has seen the car owners in the park 

D．he has trained the pigeons to follow them

B

Domestic (驯养的) horses now pull ploughs, race in the Kentucky Derby, and carry police. But early horses weren’t tame (驯服的) enough to perform these kinds of tasks. Scientists think the first interactions humans had with horses were far different from those today.

Thousands of years ago, people killed the wild horses that lived around them for food. Over time, people began to catch the animals and raise them. This was the first step in domestication.

As people began to tame and ride horses, they chose to keep those animals that had more desirable characteristics. For example, people may have chosen to keep horses that had a gentle personality so they could be ridden more easily. People who used horses to pull heavy loads would have chosen to keep stronger animals. Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’ genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced, they passed the characteristics on to their young. Each new generation of houses would show more of these chosen characteristics.

Modern day horse breeds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication. The Shetland horse is one of the smallest breeds—typically reaching only one meter tall. With short, strong legs, the animals were bred to pull coal out of mine shafts (矿井) with low ceilings. Huge horses like the Clydesdale came on the scene around 1700. People bred these heavy, tall horses to pull large vehicles used for carrying heavy loads.

The domestication of horses has had great effects on societies. For example, horse were important tools in the advancement of modern agriculture. Using them to pull ploughs and carry heavy loads allowed people to farm more efficiently. Before they were able to ride horses, humans had to cross land on foot. Riding horses allowed people to travel far greater distance in much less time. That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another. The new from of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world.

Before domestication horses were ______.

A. caught for sports                B. hunted for food  

C. made to pull ploughs             D. used to carry people

The author uses the Shetland horse as an example to show ______.

A. it is smaller than the Clydesdale horse       B. horse used to have gentle personalities

C. some horses have better shaped than others

    D. horses were of less variety before domestication

Horses contributed to the spread of culture by ______.

A. carrying heavy loads           B. changing farming methods

C. serving as a means of transport     D. advancing agriculture in different areas

The passage is mainly about _______.

A. why humans domesticated horses     B. how humans and horses needed each other

C. why horses came in different shapes and sizes

D. how human societies and horses influenced each other

To face the music

Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life of the people and develop in their own way. Our expression today is “to face the music”.

When someone says, “well, I guess I’ll have to face the music,” it does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you didn’t do this or that. Sour music indeed, but it has to be faced. At sometime or another, every one of us has had to face the music, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you.” and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!

The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Looper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on the stage. When they got their cue to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that was exactly what they did — facing the orchestra which was just below them. And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of an audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” come to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.”

Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced an inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny enough to pass the inspection? Still the men had to go out and face the music of the band as well as the inspection. What else could they do? 

Another army explanation is more closely related to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. As, for example when a man is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse.

How many ways does the phrase “to face the music” comes from?

A. 1        B. 2        C. 3       D. 4

What’s the meaning of “to face the music?”

A. To face something far less pleasant.

B. To face the stage.

C. To face the back of one’s horse.

D. To face one’s leader.

Which of the following is a situation of facing the music?

A. When we are playing basketball.  

B. When we are making a speech.

C. When we are having a party.

D. When we are talking with somebody. 

The underlined word “hostile” means _______. 

A. unfriendly               B. dislike        C. unkind                     D. unnecessary