US researchers have found traces of an ancient lake on Mars recently, increasing hopes of discovering evidence that billions of years ago the Red planet hosted life.

　 The lake, which dates back some 3.4 billion years, appears to have covered as much as 80 square miles and was up to 1,500 feet deep, said the team from the University of Colorado.

　 “This is the first clear evidence of shorelines on the surface of Mars,” said Boulder’s research associate, Gaetano Di Achille, in a study published in the latest edition of Geophysical Research Letters.

　 “The identification of the shorelines and accompanying geological evidence allows us to calculate the size and volume of the lake, which appears to have formed about 3.4 billion years ago.”

　 Analysis of the images has shown the water carved out the canyon (溪谷) in which it was found, which then opened out into a valley depositing (使淤积) sediment (沉积) which formed a delta(三角洲).

　 “Finding shorelines is a great discovery to us,” said assistant professor Brian Hynek, adding it showed the lake existed at a time when Mars was thought to have been cold and dry.

　 Scientists believe the oldest surfaces on Mars formed during the wet and warm era known as the Noachan epoch, about 4.1 billion to 3.7 billion years ago.

　 The newly discovered lake is believed to date from the Hesperian era and postdates the end of the warm and wet period on Mars by 300 million years, according to the study.

　 Scientists believe deltas next to the lake may well hold secrets about past life on Mars as such places on Earth have become the natural deposits of organic carbon and other markers of life.

68. The size of the lake found on mars is_____.

　 A. 80 square miles　　　　　　　　　　 B. 1,500 square miles　

C. 3.4 billion square miles D. 300 million square miles

69. When the lake existed, the weather on Mars was_____.

A. hot and wet　 B. wet and warm　 C. cold and dry　 D. cold and wet

70. Why do scientists think deltas near the lake may hold secrets about past life on Mars?

A. Because similar places on Earth have become natural deposits of markers of life.

B. Because someone has put secrets about past life on Mars there.

C. Because past life has been found in other deltas on Mars.

D. Because some people are said to have already seen life marks there.

71. Which of the following statements is Not true according to the passage?

A. The Noachan epoch was a wet and warm era.

B. The lake might have existed 3.4 billion years.

C. The discovery can’t fully prove that the Mars once hosted life.

D. The lake traces prove that there exists life on Mars now.

　 I was reading these interesting stories behind a group of great logos (标志) in the world. Personally Nike is my favorite one—it’s so simple. And I liked the stories behind them, which made me forget all other things. McDonald’s, Apple, Mercedes Benz and Adidas own great logos as well, and they are among my favorites.

Nike

In the Greek myth, Nike is the goddess of victory and the source of inspiration for soldiers. This logo represents the wing in the famous statue of the Greek goddess. Nike’s logo was designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971 for $ 35, and was registered as a trademark in 1995.

McDonald’s

The logo was designed in 1962 by Jim Schindler to resemble the archshaped(拱形的) signs on the side of the company’s then walk-up hamburger stand. Later on, the two golden arches were combined together to form the M. The McDonald’s name was added to the logo in 1968.

Apple

There are different stories behind Apple’s logo. The first logo was a reference to the religious story of Adam and Eve, in which the apple represented the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. One year later, the second logo was designed in 1977 by Steven Jobs and Ronald Wayne, and it described Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. This logo didn’t stay long. One year later it was replaced almost immediately by graphic designer Rob Janoff’s “ rainbow apple”, a rainbow- colored silhouette (轮廓) of an apple with a bite taken out of it. And then the rainbow- colored apple was replaced by the one- colored logo in 1998. It has not been changed so far.

Mercedes Benz

The Mercedes Benz logo, which was originally created by Gottlieb Daimler in 1909, consists of a simple description of a three- pointed star that represents its rule of the land, the sea and the air. The company was founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. Marcedes is the name of Maybach’s elder daughter, while Benz came as a result of a combination with Benz, Cie.and DMG in 1926.

Adidas

The Adidas logo, which was created by the founder of the company Adi Dassler, represents mountains, pointing towards the challenges that are seen ahead and goals that can be achieved. The logo was used for the first time in 1976.

64. What does the author think of the stories of the great logos?

A. They are boring　　　　　　　 B. They are out of date.

C. They are attractive　　　　　　 D. They are practical

65. What does Nike’s logo stand for?

A. The goddess of victory　　　　　 B. The source of inspiration for soldiers

C. The statue of the Greek goddess　　 D. The wing of the Greek goddess.

66. We can learn that Apple’s present logo is______.

A. the religious story of Adam and Eve　 B. a bitten apple with only one color

C. Newton’s sitting under an apple tree　　 D. the rainbow- colored bitten apple

67. Which of the following time orders describes the births of the great logos?

A. Mercedes Benz – McDonald’s – Nike – Apple.

B. Nike – McDonald’s – Apple – Mercedes Benz.

C. McDonald’s – Apple – Nike – Mercedes Benz.

D. Nike –Mercedes Benz –McDonald’s – Apple,

    I appreciate how biking to work allows me to be outside for at least a small part of my day. I’m a senior program director. If I didn’t bike to work, I’d spend my weekdays almost entirely indoors—underground tunnel. On the bike, I get trees, air and a great way to get to know city neighborhoods. Of course, I also get bad weather and city traffic. But it’s worth the trade-off. The weather’s not often bad, and rain and snow have their charms.

    I’ve been cycling to work since the late 1990s. I started when the city was doing some construction in the subways and rerouting passengers, which would have lengthened my trip considerably. I tried riding my sister- in- law’s bike to work one day and liked it, so I bought my own. Even though I hadn’t biked since I was a child, I got back into it right away.

  I bike during all four seasons. In summer, I wear shorts and a T- shirt and carry a messenger bag over my shoulder for my lunch and anything else I need. Once at the office, I change into business- casual clothes. In winter, I wear layers and a thin hat under my helmet. A cold winter day can be the best time to be on a bicycle. When the air is clear, free of oppressive summer haze, the city can look beautiful.

  Biking to work also comes in handy during the workday itself. I have a rack (网架) on the back of my bike that accommodates panniers that allow me to pick up groceries. During work hours, a colleague will occasionally need to send or retrieve documents by messenger. If I have the time, I volunteer. Pedaling 30 blocks and back is a nice way to take a break from work—and to save the office a few bucks on messenger fees.

  I’m sure that some people thinking my mode of transportation might be afraid of Midtown traffic. I’m no hero; I don’t want to get hurt riding to work. It just takes time getting used to it. There’s a risk, but all travel has risks. They’re worth it to me.

 60. Which is the reason for the author cycling to work?

   A. To save money                   B. To lose weight

   C. To smell the roses outside         D. To protect the environment

 61. What made the author began to ride a bike to work?

   A. The author bought his own bike.

   B. His sister- in- law lent him a bike.

   C. There were few bikes on the street then.

   D. The subway construction in the city was under way.

 62. The underlined phrase “come in handy” most probably means ______ ?

   A. useful       B. available      C. valuable     D. economical

 63. In the last paragraph, the author implies that _______.

  A. He is not a hero.                 B. He will go on cycling to work.

  C. All travel has risks.               D. He is afraid of Midtown traffic.

   The cruelty and inhumanity (残暴) of the war is just as cruel an inhumane through the eyes of a horse. Or at least in the eyes of Joey, the star of War Horse (《 战马》). The film has come out in cinemas on February 28, 2012 on the Chinese mainland.

  The story starts on a farm in Devon, southwest England. The Narracott family—Dad, Mum, and their teenage son Albert – rent the farm. When Dad buys a beautiful horse, Albert falls in love with him. He trains him and names him Joey. They become as close as it is possible for a human and an animal to be.

  But World War I breaks out. Dad has to sell the horse to an English Army officer to pay the rent. Joey and Albert can no longer be together. Albert promises Joey that they’ll find each other again one day. Then Albert goes on a journey to search for his friend.

   But the four years of war are about Joey’s journey. He starts as the mount (坐骑) of the English officer. Then he becomes a German workhorse. He is given to a French teenager and her grandpa. He has to face the tanks on the front line. The story ends in a sunset scene on the battlefield. Albert has become a soldier. The two are reunited.

  Battle scenes are part of the story , but the movie’s Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg said that War Horse is not a war movie.

   “I consider it to be a love between a horse and a young man… It’s about the connectivity (联系) that an animal can bring to human characters,” Spielberg said.

  Roger Moore of the Chicago Tribune said Spielberg manages in the film to “measure a man by how he acts toward animals”.

   In one scene, a British soldier and a German soldier join hands to vindicate Joey.

   “ Men on opposing (对立的) sides of war find their shared humanity in their love of animals in War Horse, I appreciated this work.” Moore concluded.

56. Why did Albert’s father sell the horse to an English Army officer?

  A. to make money for his son’s school fees.    B. to earn the officer’s admiration.

  C. to pay the rent of the farmland.  D. The family could not afford the horse’s cost.

57. According to the director’s description, which statement is true?

  A. The movie was just talking about war.

 B. The movie reflected the love between the human being and animal.

 C. The movie fully represented human’s cruelty.

 D. The key role of the movie was only the young man.

58. The underlined word “vindicate” refers to ______.

  A. rescue           B. support          C. beat          D. catch

59. Judging from the last paragraph, what’s Moore’s attitude towards the movie?

  A. Doubtful.     B. Negative.      C. Neutral.      D. Supportive.

　 Travis laughed as he tore at the wrapping paper on his birthday present. He was so 36 ! Finally, he would have the coolest pair of name-brand basketball shoes.

　 All the guys on his team were wearing the name-brand shoes of a popular basketball 37 , Chuck Hart. 38_ Hart was criticized for his poor sportsmanship and infamous 39_ , he was a great player. In fact, Travis wasn’t thinking about Hart’s behavior; he had only expected to see Hart’s 40 on the side of the box. He realized that something was 41 as he tore away the last piece of paper. Not Hart’s. The new shoes were the name-brand of another player, Robert Ryann, who was 42 for his amazing work in the community.

　 Travis’s hands 43 ; his heart stopped. It wasn’t that the Ryann shoes weren’t nice, but what would his friends think?

　 They were the wrong shoes and Travis would be 44 　by the other players. When he looked up into his dad’s eyes, however, Travis knew he 45 tell him. “Thanks, Dad. I was really hoping for shoes,” Travis said as he pulled the shoes out of the box.

　 Next morning his dad drove him to school. When they 46 in front of his destination, Travis slowly opened the car door. Just then, his dad stopped him.

　 “Hey, Travis, wait a minute…” his dad said 47 “Travis, I know those aren’t the shoes you had hoped for, but I saw the names of the two guys and made a(n) 48 . The guy whose name is on those shoes,” he said, pointing down at Travis’s feet, “is someone I 49 . Do you know how often Ryann has found himself in 50 ? ”

　 “ No,” Travis said.

　 “ Never. He’s never talked back to his coach or started a fight, and he’s a team player. You could have acted like a(n) 51　 when you didn’t get the shoes you wanted, Travis, 52 you were polite and made the best of it. You have honor, like the guy whose name is on these shoes. I’ m hoping that someday, your 53 will be on the coolest pair of shoes I’ll ever see.”

　 When Travis looked down at his feet, he saw the shoes 54　 . His dad had used his mind and heart to give the son a thoughtful 55　 .

36. A. surprised　　 B. ashamed　 　　　　 C. excited　　 　　　　　 D. worried

37. A. team　　　 　　 B. player　　 　　　　　 C. coach　　 　　　　　 D. game

38. A Unless　　　 　　 B. If　　　　　 C. Because　 　　　　　 D. Although

39. A. skill　　　　 B. performance　 　　 C. behavior　 　　　　　　 D. action

40. A. name　　　 B. photo　　　　 　 C. sign　　　 　　　　　　 D. model

41. A. strange　　 　　 B. wrong　　　 C. true　　　 　　　　　 D. funny

42. A. known　　 　　 B. encouraged　 C. adopted　　 　　　　　 D. influenced

43. A. fell　　　　 　　 B. froze　　　　 C. shook　　　 　 D. folded

44. A. questioned　 　　 B. noticed　　　 C. teased　　　 　 D. attacked

45. A. mustn’t　　 　 B. needn’t　　　 C. wouldn’t　 　　　　　 D. couldn’t

46. A. pulled up　　 B. put up　　　 　　　 C. took up　　 　　　　　 D. turned up

47. A. peacefully　 B. hesitantly　　 　　 C. delightedly　 　 D. naturally

48. A. choice　　　 B. effort　　　 　　 C. comment　 　　　　　 D. mistake

49. A. believe　　 　　 B. miss　　 　　　　　　 C. admire　　 　　　　　　 D. remember

50. A. danger　　　 B. anger　　 　　　　 C. sorrow　　 　　　　 D. trouble

51. A. teammate　 　　 B. adult　　 　　　　　　 C. kid　　　　 　　　　　 D. student

52. A. so　　　　 　　 B. and　　　 　　　　　　 C. but　　　　 　　　　　 D. or

53. A. honor　　　 　　 B. courage　 　　　　　　 C. name　　 　　　　　　 D. belief

54. A. clearly　　　 B. carefully　 　　　　 C. patiently　 　　　　　　 D. differently

55. A. gift　　　　 　　 B. smile　　　 　　　　　 C. wish　　 　　　　　　 D. lesson

 --- My family plans to pay a visit to Mount Tai this weekend.

--- ______. It’s really worth visiting.

A. Great        B. My God       C. Congratulations    D. I don’t think so.

 What really _____ is not failure itself, but the attitude we have towards it

A. matters        B. applies         C. stresses         D. functions

--- When shall we restart our project?

---Not until we _____ our plan.

A. will finish　　 B. are finishing　　 C. are to finish　　 D. have finished　

 A new lab is being built in our school and it’ll be accessible to the students when ______ next year

 A. completing     B. being completed    C. to be completed    D. completed

A lot of research and studies have shown that Trench oil, taken out from kitchen waste,______ the increase of cancers.

A appeals to    B. attends to      C. contributes to    D. devotes to