Years after throwing a bottle-up note into a lake for a class project and just one year after his death, a man’s childhood message was found and returned to his mother.

Eleven years ago, a then 10-year-old boy, Joshua Baker, wrote the message, folded and put it in an empty container, his mother, Maggie Holbrook said. He died last February in a motor vehicle accident in California. He had recently returned after a serving in the Middle East as a US marine.

“ I think he was just letting us know he was Ok and keep doing what we are doing ,” Holbrook said.

The message surfaced in White Lake in late April, just days after the 11th anniversary（周年纪日）of its being thrown into the lake. It was found by one of Baker’s closest friends, Steve Lieder, she said. Lieder and two friends were chatting near the lake when Lieder looked down and saw the bottle. He broke it open and found the note inside.

“My name is Joshua Baker. I am 10. If you find this, put it on the news. The date is 4/16/98.”

They immediately took it to Holbrook, who said she is now having the note preserved and will display it in her home.

She can remember when her son wrote the message for the school project. She said she always wondered why he didn’t put it in the nearby Wolf River, which has a much stronger current.

“I still remember the day he wrote it,” Holbrook said. “ I couldn’t understand why he threw it in the lake. No one would never see it again. Now I know.”

49．What was Joshua Baker when he died in motor vehicle accident in California? 

A．An official   B．A soldier   C．A worker  D．A teacher

50．Who found the bottle according to the passage?

A．Joshua Baker’s mother       B．A fisherman

C．Joshua Baker’s friend        D．Joshua Baker’s mother’s friend

51．Which of the following statements is correct according to the passage?

A．The man threw the bottle into the lake without any purpose.

B．The man didn’t put the bottle into the nearby river because it had a strong current.

C．Not until recently did his mother understand why he put the bottle into the lake .

D．The man made the bottle-up note so as to let his parents know he was OK.

52．The best title for this passage would be ____.

A．A man’s Bottle Message Found After His Death

B．A Ridiculous and Unbelivable Bottle Message

C．A Strange Bottle-up Note Appearing In a Lake

D．An Important Childhood Message 11 Years After His Death

The host poured the tea into the cup and placed it on the small table in front of his guests, who were a father and daughter, and put the lid on the cup with a clink. Apparently thinking of something, he hurried into the inner room, leaving the thermos on the table. His two guests heard a chest of drawers opening and a rustling.

   They remained sitting in the parlor, the ten-year-old daughter looking at the flowers outside the window, the father just about to take his cup, when the crash came, right there in the parlor. Something was hopelessly broken.

   It was the thermos, which had fallen to the floor. The girl looked over her shoulder abruptly, startled, staring. It was mysterious. Neither of them had touched it, not even a little bit. True, it hadn’t stood steadily when their host placed it on the table, but it hadn’t fallen then.

   The crash of the thermos caused the host, with a box of sugar cubes in his hand, to rush back from the inner room. He gawked at the steaming floor and blurted out, “It doesn’t matter! It doesn’t matter!”

   The father started to say something. Then he muttered, “Sorry, I touched it and it fell.”

   “It doesn’t matter,” the host said.

Later, when they left the house, the daughter said, “Daddy, did you touch it?”

“No. But it stood so close to me.”

“But you didn’t touch it. I saw your reflection in the windowpane. You were sitting perfectly still.”

The father laughed. “What then would you give as the cause of its fall?”

The thermos fell by itself. The floor is uneven. It wasn’t steady when Mr. Li put it there. Daddy, why did you say that you… ?”

“That won’t do,” girl. It sounds more acceptable when I say I knocked it down. There are things which people accept less, the more you defend them. The truer the story you tell, the less true it sounds.”

The daughter was lost in silence for a while. Then she said, “Can you explain it only this way?”

“Only this way,” her father said.

56. The underlined words “ blurted out” in Paragraph 4 means “ _______”.

    A. said quietly    B. said mysteriously   C. said quickly    D. said patiently

57. The location of the thermos before it fell was __________.

A. on the floor of the inner room

B. on the windowpane

C. on a small table in the parlor

D. behind the father and daughter

58. It can be inferred from the story that the father _________.

A. didn’t know Mr. Li very well

B. didn’t think Mr. Li would believe the truth

C. was sorry that he told the truth

D. was a stubborn man

59. You can infer from the story that the daughter_______.

A. thought her father should tell the truth

B. knew why the thermos fell

C. knocked over the thermos

D. understood why her father did so

60. The story shows us that ___________.

A. people rarely tell the truth

B. if you defend yourself, people will believe you

C. people should take the blame for something that they didn’t do

D. you can’t always make people believe the truth

       The Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, was crowded. People were waiting in long lines at checkout counters to pay for small things that would be next-morning treasures under someone’s Christmas tree.

       The woman standing in cashier Jeffrey Kandt’s line seemed to be living on the edge of subsistence（生计）. Her clothes were worn and her hands were those of a person who’d worked hard for what she had. She held a single item in her arms as she patiently waited to move to the front of the line — a Sony CD player. She had saved all year for this. With tax, the total would be close to $ 220.

       As the woman got close to the cashier, she suddenly shouted, “Where’s my money? All of my money for my son’s gift! Oh no!”

       “Why my line?” Kandt thought as he watched the poor woman searching through her clothes. He was going to have to call his manager to avoid the sale but it would mean a long wait for the customers behind her. “I am going to go home late tonight,” Kandt thought.

       Then an amazing thing happened. At the back of the line, a man took out his wallet, pulled out $100 and passed it forward. As the cash moved up the line, a twen5ty-dollar bill was added here, and a ten-dollar bill was added there. When the collection finally reached the register, Kandt counted $ 220.

       Strangers had fulfilled a poor woman’s Christmas wish.

       The poor in his line at the Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, had come together on Christmas Eve, 2002.

60．According to the passage, the woman’s Christmas wish was to ______.

       A．collect $ 220 for her family                   B．buy her son a CD player as a gift

       C．buy enough food for her family             D．organize a big party for her son

61．Which of the following statements is TRUE about Jeffrey Kandt when the woman couldn’t find her money?

       A．He was impatient and wanted to go home.

       B．He wanted to see whether the woman had money or not.

       C．He wanted the woman to stand in another line.

       D．He didn’t think about the customers waiting behind the woman.

62．What does paragraph 5 mainly talk about?

       A．a description of a man standing in the line                                                      

       B．the cashier, Jeffery Kandt

       C．the collection of $ 220

       D．a reason why the strangers collected he money

63．What can we learn from the passage?

       A．The woman collected money by herself.

       B．The woman seemed to be poor, but in fact had lots of money.

       C．Strangers in the line volunteered to help the woman.

       D．The woman had never ay money.

Many people take it for granted that black is a color of bad things while white should always mean something good. This may be because, in their opinion, black is related to darkness and white to purity. However, that is not always the case. Did you know that the same one colour may mean differently in different places of the world?

In the English-speaking world, black is the colour of mourning. People wear black clothes at the funeral. Red is concerned with danger or bloodshed (流血). Yellow is the word for fear. If you are afraid, you are yellow. Yet none of these sayings is true outside the English-speaking world. In China and Korea white is the colour of mourning. In Russia, China and some other countries, red stands for beauty, life and excellence. In Italy and Germany, you are yellow with anger, not with fear.

Even within the English-speaking area it is not difficult to find colour contradictions (矛盾). A redcap in the United States is a porter in a railway station. In Britain, however, a redcap is a military policeman. Both names are logical because both men wear red caps. Similarly, the British term for an American white collar worker is sometimes called a black-coated worker.

One does not have to cross an area to find color differences. Would you rather be red-blooded? If we go back to the origin, we find that both terms are logical as both names suggest. The expression "blueblood" comes from Spain, where some noble families proudly said that they had "blue blood". But then why "blue" blood? Because they were fairskinned, and it is only natural that their blood vessels (血管) stood out appearing blue.

56. Yellow is concerned with anger in _______.             

A. Russia            B. Britain           C. Germany              D. China

57. The two meanings of the term "redcap" form a difference in _______.     

A. pronunciation            B. climate          C. logical relationship   D. custom

58. Both Britain and America would probably agree that _______.         

A. black is the color of mourning

B. a black-coated worker is employed in an office

C. red stands for beauty and excellence

D. a redcap is a porter in a station

59. The best title for this passage is _______.        

A. The Origin of Blue Blood

B. The Development of the Symbolic Use of Colors

C. Colors that Carry Bad Meanings

D. The Meaning Concerned With Certain Colors

60. When some Spanish called themselves "blueblood", they actually meant _______.  

A. they had heart trouble and their faces looked blue

B. they came from a noble family

C. they had blue blood in their vessels

D. they were fairskinned

“What’s in a name?” According to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, there is not too much. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But Shakespeare may have been wrong. In most cultures, names matter a great deal.

Americans choose names for their children with care. Parents usually think about the impression a name gives, not its meaning. Most Americans would consider a “Jennifer” more attractive than a “Bertha”, for example. The last name, or, surname, must also be considered when choosing a first and middle name. A name like Lester Chester Hester would sound poetic, but odd. Parents would avoid names that remind them of people they don’t like. On the other hand, people might name their children after a respected elderly relative or even a famous person. The popularity of certain names can change with each new generation. Names that were once common, like Fanny or Elmer, sound old-fashioned today. But other names---like John and David, Mary and Sarah---have stood the test of time and continue to be favorites.

People in America don’t always call their friends and relatives by their given names. Instead, they often use nicknames. Sometimes nicknames are short forms of a longer name. For instance, a girl named Elizabeth may be called Lisa, Beth or Betsy. As children grow up, they may decide for themselves which nickname they wish to be called. Some people just go by the initials of their first and middle names, like B.J. or R.C. And of course, people may call their children or their sweethearts other special nicknames. Often they have a “sweet” flavor, like Honey or Sugar.

What’s in a name? A world of significance. So if you’re choosing an English name for yourself, take care to choose a good one. A made-up name could sound strange to native English speakers. And a translation of your Chinese name may not make an appropriate name, either. But a good name can leave a positive and lasting impression. As an American politician once said, “In real life, unlike in Shakespeare, the sweetness of the rose depends upon the name it bears.”

41. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 2 mean?

A.People change names in order to be popular with the new generation.

B.Names will change by themselves in order to be popular.

C.Some names may no longer be popular among the new generation.

D.No names can stand the test of time.

42. When choosing names, you should stick to the following principles except that __________.

A.the impression a name gives is more important than its meaning

B.you can name after a well-known person

C.surname should be paid attention to

D.you can create a name that is special

43. The word “initial” in paragraph 3 probably means __________.

A. nickname　　　 B. the first letter　　 　C. short form　　　 D. title

44. The author will name a newly born baby girl __________.

A. Bertha　　　 B. Fanny　　　　 C. Yunyun　　　 D. Elizabeth

45. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Names have great significance to Americans.

B. Names change when time goes by.

C. Chinese people should be careful when choosing their English names.

D. Roses smell sweet by any other name.

（Xinhua）2007-11-23 22:33

The first picture of the moon captured by China’s first lunar orbiter, Chang’e-l, is expected to be ready for publication within three days, the country’s space administration said on Friday.

Data of the original picture taken by the satellite has now been transmitted back to Earth, the China National Space Administration（CNSA）said.

On Tuesday, the stereo camera aboard Chang’e-l was put into operation and afterward, the satellite sent back its first batch of data for the moon picture.

“The data is currently being processed and analyzed to produce the first real picture of the moon,” said a CNSA official. “The picture would need official assessment before it could be published in accordance with international practice.”

The image’s processing and production would take two to three days, the official said, adding that the camera could cover the whole moon surface within a month.

By 8 am on Friday, Chang’e-l had orbited the moon 189 times and was working properly at a stable altitude of 200 kilometers, its final working orbit.

The satellite adjusted its position to point its probing equipment towards the moon on Monday. Since it entered the moon’s orbit on November 7 it has gone through a number of tests.

Monday’s maneuvers also positioned the probe’s solar panel towards the sun for power generation and the directional antenna（天线）towards the Earth for data transmission.

The 2350-kg satellite carries eight probing facilities, including a stereo camera and interferometer, an imager and gamma/ x-ray spectrometer（光谱仪）, a laser altimeter（激光高度计）, a microwave detector, a high-energy solar particle detector and a low-energy ion detector.

The satellite aims to fulfill four scientific objectives. They include a three-dimensional（立体的）survey of the moon surface, analysis on the abundance and distribution of elements on the lunar surface, an investigation of the characteristics of lunar regolith（土被）and the powdery soil layer on the surface, and an exploration the circumstance between the Earth and the moon.

Chang’e-l, named after a mythical Chinese goddess who, according to the legend, flew to the moon, blasted off a Long March 3A carrier rocket at 6:05 pm on October 24 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern Sichuan Province.

The satellite traveled nearly two million kilometers in its 15-day flight to the moon before it reached its final working orbit.

Chang’e-l was designed to stay on its final working orbit for one year. Scientists estimated the smooth operations and precise maneuvers may have saved 200 kg of fuel and helped prolong the probe’s lifespan.

51. The best title for the article is ______.

A. Chang‘e-l to be launched successfully

B. China to publish the 1^st picture of moon in 3 days

C. Chang’e-l has taken a lot of pictures of the moon

D. Chang’e-l to stay on its final working orbit for one year

52. According the article, the first picture of the moon taken by Chang’e-l, may be ready for publication on ______.

A. November, the twenty-third, 2007      B. November, the twentieth, 2007

C. November, the twenty-fifth, 2007      D. November, the twenty-second, 2007

53. Which of the following is not right according to the article?

A. Chang’e-l had traveled two million kilometers before it reached its final working orbit.

B. The satellite aims to stay on its final working orbit for one year.

C. The satellite is going to fulfill four scientific objectives.

D. By 8 am on Friday, Chang’e-l had orbited the moon 189 times.

54. We can infer from the passage that ______.

A. the satellite has been working properly since its launch

B. the satellite has finished all the tasks designed by the scientists

C. the satellite will stay on the moon for a year

D. the satellite called Chang’e-l was named after a mythical Chinese goddess

55. The article is most probably taken from ______.

A. a travel brochure                  B. a science book

C. a newspaper or an Internet Page      D. a fashion magazine

The quality of drinking water in Shanghai will meet European Union standard by 2010 and, a decade later, citizens in Shanghai will drink the best water in the world.

These were the goals set out by the Shanghai Water Authority. With the city’s population expected to increase only slightly and the economy to boom by 2020, Chen Yin, and official with the water authority, said Shanghai’s water consumption will not increase from its present amount.

Zhang Yue, director of the Urban Construction Division under the Ministry of Construction, said, “Shanghai is the first city in the country to publicize these ambitions. They will not be easy to achieve.”

He said water saving will help keep the sustainable development of China’s economy.

Saving one cubic meter of water means saving the city’s infrastructure（基础设施）costs by 10,000 Yuan. Last year, Shanghai saved 300 million cubic meters of water either from readjustment of industrial structure or the employment of new technology.

“The aim is to arouse public awareness of the seriousness of water shortages,” Chen said. “The abundant surface water and amount of rain of the city are so misleading that they result in improper use of water.”

Shanghai lacks drinkable water. The Huangpu River, which supplies 80 percent of the city’s drinkable water, is nearing exhaustion.

The city, therefore, has been exploring new sources from the Yangtze River and growing forests along it to conserve quality water.

Besides penning regulations, the authority is popularizing technology among the public to efficiently cut the amount of water used.

At present, the city has 600，000 family toilets, each using 13 liters of water per flush. These are to be renovated（整修）to use only 9 liters of water per flush.

The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households – at a cost of 40 Yuan each.

In three years, all the toilets will be renovated, which saves the city nearly 15 million Yuan every year in water conservation.

Another task the city is engaged in is the treatment of sewage（污水）to improve the water environment.

At present the city can only treat 44 percent of its daily 5.04 million tons of waste water. To meet the total demand, 27 more sewage treatment factories are to be established with an estimated investment of 18 billion Yuan.

46．People in Shanghai get their daily water mainly from         now.

A．the underground      B．the rain            C．the Yangtze River     D．the Huangpu River

47．According to the passage, some people have the wrong opinion of using water because      .

A．the renovating of family toilets will save plenty of water

B．about half of waste water has been treated already

C．advanced technology makes people use water as much as possible

D．there is plenty surface water and large amount of rain at present

48．The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households to          .

A．make people’s living more convenient    B．improve people’s living standards

C．ease employment pressure                    D．meet the total demand of water

49．Which group of measures are all mentioned in the passage to save water?

a．improve drinking water quality               b．change some industrial structure

c．introduce or use some new technology   d．speed the economic development of Shanghai

e．renovate some family toilets                   f．build more sewage treatment factories

A．a, b, c, d             B．b, c, e, f              C．b, c, d, e             D．a, b, e, f

50．We can infer from the passage that          .

A．the boom of economy will need a larger amount of water in the future

B．citizens today in Shanghai drink the best quality of water in the world

C．not everyone today in Shanghai is aware of water shortage

D．all the family toilets will be renovated to save water within 3 years

The Union Army will be remembered as winning the Civil War. Yet Darwin’s Theory of Evolution may change as Newton’s Three Laws of Motion. Unlike history or basic mathematics, the world of science changes infinitely.

Science is unique because every day something new is discovered, often changing or challenging older theories. Science, from quarks and leptons to the galaxy clusters（星系）of our universe, holds immeasurable secrets that are exposed every day. With each new discovery the human race decodes a few more words of the ancient scroll that is the universe. Day by day, we decipher（译解）the code of the universe. Unlike history and literature which can be explored only so far, science is endless. Its beauty is that it represents the past, the present, and the future; there may always be something new to discover.

No matter how well humans understand the universe, science will still have a long future. This fact has been proved clearly to me by the diverse modifications（修正）I have witnessed in science in just my 17 years. In less than two decades, I have witnessed an enormous advance in technology as well as general knowledge of science. Surgeries that were thought complex at my birth are now routine, and computers once classified as advanced are out of date. Pluto, which during my childhood was considered a planet of our solar system, has been reclassified.

If such dramatic developments can occur in such a short time, who knows what the world will be like by the next century? This makes science distinctive; the realization that a more efficient technique to solve the world’s most thorny troubles may be just around the bend. Perhaps an efficient way will soon be discovered to kill certain cancer cells or get rid of HIV. Science is enthralling（迷人的）because the answers to these troubles that upset the world today exist and could be discovered at any moment.

51．According to the passage, the charm of science is that           .

A．it can cure kinds of cancers and AIDS now

B．it makes complex computer easy to use

C．it develops endlessly and will find solutions sooner or later

D．it helps human race decodes a few more ancient words

52．What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A．Some theories or opinions that seem true in some time may be incomplete.

B．Humans today have already understood the universe quite well.

C．The author is an experienced scientist in the field of universe.

D．Surgeries and computers stand for the advanced development of science.

53．The author quoted Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and Newton’s Three Laws of Motion because             .

A．their theories have been out of date already

B．their theories prove wrong today

C．some basic theories maintain unchangeable

D．science would change infinitely, some famous theories included

54．What will the future world be like in the author’s opinion?

A．No thorny troubles will exist any longer.

B．Fast developing science makes the future world beyond imagination.

C．Diseases such as cancers and HIV will disappear.

D．Science will develop as fast in next century as present.

55．The author writes the article mainly to           .

A．describe the fascination of the developing science

B．state how complex science is developing

C．distinguish the new theories from the old ones

D．imagine the convenient future life provided by science

The USA, New York –Whales and dolphins are facing increasing threats from climate change, according to a new report published by WWF and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society（WDCS）.

The report “Whales in hot water?” draws attention to the growing impacts of climate change on whales. They range from changes in sea temperature and the freshening of the seawater because of the melting of ice and increased rainfalls, to a sea level rise, loss of icy polar habitats and the decline of krill populations in key areas. Krill, a tiny shrimp that is dependent on sea ice, is the main source of food for many of the great whales.

The speeding up of climate change adds greatly to trouble from other human activities, such as chemical and noise pollution, which kills some 1000 whales every day.

“Whales and dolphins have an ability to adapt to their changing environment,” said Mark Simmonds, International Director of Science at WDCS. “But the climate is now changing at such a fast pace that it is unclear to what extent whales and dolphins will be able to adjust.”

Climate change impacts are currently greatest in the Arctic and the Antarctic. According to the report, cetaceans that rely on polar, icy waters for their home and food resources are likely to be greatly affected by the reduction of sea ice cover.

WDCS and WWF are urging governments to cut global production of CO2 by at least 50 percent by the middle of this century. The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change showed it was possible to stop global warming if the world’s emissions start to decline before 2015.

46. What’s the type of literature of this passage?

A. Story      B. Announcement.      C. News      D. Novel

47. From the passage, we can learn that whales mainly feed on ______ .

A. dolphins      B. krill      C. sea horses      D. sharks

48. Which of the following has the same meaning as the underlined word “decline”?

A. increase      B. reduce      C. rise      D. fall

49. In what place is climate change greatest?

A. The pacific ocean      B. Asia.

C. Two polar areas.      D. Equator.

50. Which of the following is not right according to the passage?

A. Climate change will lead to the changes in sea temperature.

B. Climate change will result in the freshening of the sea water.

C. Climate change will have a bad effect on human activities and whales.

D. Human beings will forever have no ability to stop global warming

Computers are helpful because they offer a wide range of functions and services that are not available anywhere else. There are four main uses: word processing, Internet/ communications, digital video/ audio composition, and desktop publishing.

The word processing capabilities of computers are amazing. They can automatically correct your spelling and grammar mistakes. The cutting and pasting features are incredibly simple and very useful for revision. Having a digital backup is an added benefit. All of these things help writers get the job done. With desktop publishing, you can create page layouts（页面布局）for entire books on your home computer.

The Internet is one of the greatest inventions created by humans. It is a huge network of computers, each with the ability to contact any of the others. Vast amounts of information can be found on the Internet. It is the ultimate form of media, a combination of newspaper, radio and television. Using the Internet, any two people anywhere can communicate for free, whether it is by text or voice. New uses are being found for the Internet every day.

Audio/ video editing and composition have been made much easier by computers. Cutting and pasting no longer involve using scissors and tape on large reels of film. It no longer costs thousands of dollars of equipment to make a film or to compose music. Now musicians can compose their own songs and publish them without having to obtain a record contract. Film-makers can produce work from their own homes. Anybody who owns a computer can now enter the field of media production.

Internet/ communications, digital video and audio composition, and desktop publishing are features only offered on computers. With the aid of computers, humankind is entering a new era of civilization.

41. This passage is mainly talking about ______.

A. amazing word processing capabilities　　 B. the new era of civilization

C. the ultimate form of media　　 D. main uses of computers

42. According to the passage, which of the following uses have the features of easy cutting and pasting?

A. Internet/ communications and audio/ video composition

B. Word processing and desktop publishing.

C. Audio/ video editing and composition.

D. Audio/ video editing and word processing.

43. As used in the third paragraph, the word “ultimate” is closest in meaning to “______”.

A. original　　 B. best　　 C. basic　　 D. extreme

44. In which of the following patterns of organization is this passage　

written?

A. Introduction, listing of main features, conclusion.

B. Effect, analysis of causes, conclusion.

C. Topic, listing of examples, restatement of the topic.

D. Argument, contrasting opinions, author’s attitude.

45. We can infer from the conclusion of the passage that ______.

A. computers will in time bring human beings into a new era

B. computers will fully control the human society

C. the computers become more and more popular in our life.

D. the 21^st century will be an age of computers