---- Why does the lake smell terrible?

---- Because large quantities of water ____________.

　　 A.have polluted　　　　　　 B. is being polluted　　　

　　 C. have been polluted　　　 D. has been polluted

 Many students find ________ jobs during their summer holidays.

     A. terminal        B. temporary        C.permanent         D. fragile

2012年中秋、国庆双节齐至, 加上高速免费政策, 人们纷纷驾车回家或出游, 高速公路的交通压力倍增。

下图是一幅反映长假期间交通堵塞问题的漫画。请根据你对这幅漫画的理解用英语写一篇短文。短文应包括以下内容：

    1. 这幅漫画描述了什么内容?               2. 产生这种现象的原因有哪些?

    3. 你对解决这个问题有何建议?(至少两点)

注意：

    1. 根据漫画内容和文字提示适当发挥想象。

    2. 词数120左右。开头已经写好, 不计入总词数。

    3. 作文中不得提及考生所在学校和本人姓名。

    提示词：高速免费政策toll-free road policy

During the Mid-autumn Festival and National Day, many people experienced heavy traffic jams on expressways.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

阅读下面短文，根据以下提示：1）汉语提示；2）首字母提示；3）语境提示，在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词，并将该词完整地写在右边相对应的横线上。所填单词要求意义准确，拼写正确。

Last Sunday I went to do some reading in your library.

       Over the time I was there, I found s________ unpleasant. Therefore,                  76. ________

I’d like to voice my opinions, ______, I hope, would be of help for               77. ________

you to _______（创造）a more comfortable place for readers. First, there are      78. ________

few new books on the shelf. Second, most books are not sorted in p______        79. ________

order, making it difficult for readers to find _______ they want quickly.            80. ________

Third, the librarians didn’t offer good service. I_______, they were                       81. ________

chatting. In _______, they took no notice of the fact that a light                          82. ________

wasn’t _______. Leave this state of affairs to stay the same, and I’m                     83. ________

afraid there will be fewer and fewer _______. So, I suggest your                84. ________

_______ (改变) all these as soon as possible for the sake of readers.                      85. ________

The recent crash landing （强行着陆）of Russian spacecraft Phobos-Grunt has focused attention on the increasing amount of space junk orbiting the planet. So does this mean the Earth has been getting lighter? The BBC's Radio 4 programme More or Less turned to a group of Cambridge University academics for the answer.
   There are factors that are causing Earth to both gain and lose mass(物体的质量) over time, according to Dr Chris Smith, a medical microbiologist and broadcaster who tries to improve the public understanding of science.
    By far the biggest contributor to the world's mass is the 40,000 tonnes（公吨） of dust that is falling from space to Earth a year, says Dr Smith. "The Earth is acting like a giant vacuum cleaner（真空吸尘器）powered by gravity in space, pulling in particles of dust,"
   Another much less significant reason the planet is gaining mass is because of global warming.

"NASA has calculated that the Earth is gaining about 160 tonnes a year because the temperature of the Earth is going up. If we are adding energy to the system, the mass must go up," says Dr Smith.
    This means that in total between 40,000 and 41,000 tonnes is being added to the mass of the planet each year.
   Population growth and new buildings are not a factor, he says, because both of these are actually made up of existing matter on the planet.
   But overall, Dr Smith has calculated that the Earth - including the sea and the atmosphere - is losing mass. He points to a handful of reasons.
   For instance, the Earth's core （核心）is like a giant nuclear reactor （反应堆）that is gradually losing energy over time, and that loss in energy translates into a loss of mass. But this is a tiny amount - he estimates no more than 16 tonnes a year.
    But there are some gases such as hydrogen escaping from the atmosphere. Dr Smith says, " The Earth is losing about three kilograms of hydrogen gas every second. It's about 95,000 tonnes every year.”
   "The other very light gas this is happening to is helium（氦）and there is much less of that, so it's about 1,600 tonnes a year of helium that we lose."

72. We can learn from the text that Phobos-Grunt most probably _________.

   A. faced dangers when travelling in space             B. was forced to land by a terrorist

   C. bumped into a satellite                          D. exploded while taking off

73. What can we know about Dr Chris Smith?

   A. He is more interested in broadcasting than science.

   B. He is one of the broadcasters of BBC’s Radio 4.

   C. He never thought the earth would become light.

   D. He hopes more people can understand science

74. The underlined word “this” in the last paragraph refers to the fact that_______.

   A. the weight of the Earth is changing                

B. gases escape from the atmosphere  

   C. dust is falling from space to the Earth              

D. the Earth is getting even warmer

75. We can learn from the text___________.

   A. the Earth lost much less energy in the past 

B. humans can sense the weight loss of the Earth

   C. the Earth will become heavier in the near future

D. the Earth can suck up the particles of dust in space

I learnt about the Pygmalion effect (皮格玛丽翁效应) when I was 7 years old at Riverdale School in Palmerston North and I copied Melissa Crawford’s answers in a spelling test. Before that I was average at school but after that, because Melissa Crawford was smart, and I got all the right answers, I got put in all the smart kids groups.

From then I did really well at school because it was believed by the teachers that I would and I also got grouped with the smart kids. This experience that occurred at my primary school shows just how important the Pygmalion effect is in terms of being around mentors (导师) that expect that you' re going to do well and also being around people who are smart.

The Pygmalion effect is one principle you want to use if you want to make money fast. Have mentors that expect you will make money fast and as an extra boost hang around, copy and learn from other people who are also making money fast.

Yesterday this site had over 5000 unique visitors and the traffic to it is increasing all the time. A year ago I contacted a group of people who got lots of traffic in their sites and I learnt from them. Truthfully I don’t know if they expected me to start getting decent traffic to websites but 1 imagined they did so they might as well have.

So there you have it the Pygmalion effect.

P. S. My grammar and spelling are not that great nowadays but that's actually completely irrelevant (不相关的) when it comes to getting lots of visitors to your site.

68. When did the author learn about the Pygmalion effect?

A . Before he took the spelling test.                B. When he did badly in exams.

C. After he cheated in the spelling test.                 D. After he finished primary school.

69. The author got grouped with the smart kids because ______.

A. he did better than expected                        B. he did better than all the others at school

C. Melissa Crawford was smart                       D. he was an average pupil at school

70. What does the underlined word “contacted” mean in the passage?

A. lost touch with                                B. made friends with

C. got in touch with                            D. was concerned about

71. From the passage we can infer that ______.

A. the author was busy-meeting visitors every day         B. there was lots of traffic in his city

C. the author's grammar was poor at school               D. the author opened a website himself

Siri is the name of a new talking virtual(虚拟的) assistant feature on the latest iPhone that can tell you when you have an appointment, where to find a Thai restaurant and what the pollen count (花粉计数)will be.

I have friends who have the phone and love to ask Siri, "What's the meaning of life?" She has an answer, which is impressive. Maybe it takes a circuit board to recognize the special quality of life. But frankly, her answer sounds a little robotic.

Siri, which is a name for the California company that developed her, speaks in an electronically warm, friendly, female voice. So do most on-board navigations systems, voicemail prompts(提示), directory assistance greetings and Julie, the voice of Amtrak's automated reservation system.

Why are the voices that come from our machines often female?

Professor Clifford Nass said that humans develop a preference for female voices that begins when we overhear our mothers speaking while we wait in their wombs(子宫).

We hear our mothers say in a soft voice, "I love you" over our heads, so a woman's voice conveys comfort and security. We might hear a man's voice somewhere in the background asking, "Have you seen my shoes? or “Hey, where are the spoons?"

Researchers say that while a man's voice can sound "authoritative", a woman's voice may be taken as more friendly and cooperative.

Rebecca Zorach, director of the Social Media Project at the University of Chicago's Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, says that companies are probably only choosing the voices that focus groups and market surveys like most. "It's casting," she says.

But I don't want to begin any campaigns for more male mechanical voices. I prefer to think that the increase of the application of female robotic voices reflects some of the progress women have won in the struggle for equality. Women have achieved so much in so many ways, you can hear it everywhere.

64. The author mentioned Siri to prove that ________.

A. it can tell you the meaning of life.             B. most mechanical voices are female

C. it is a new application on the iPhone           D. it can let out a robotic sound

65. What can’t a female voice usually suggest?

  A. Love.       B. Safety.       C. Kindness.       D. Authority.

66. By saying “It’s casting”, Rebecca means __________.

  A. females play a key role in mechanical voices

  B. females are cleverer than males in some aspects

  C. females like talking with others more than males

  D. females know more about what people need

67.In the last paragraph, the author thinks that _______.

  A. women have much sweeter voices than men

  B. women have made progress in robot designing

  C. women have won more equal rights in society

  D. women are still prejudiced in robotic field

A group of students in Japan have created an eerily (怪异的) realistic robot baby to motivate young people to start planning a family and boost the country's birth rate. The automated doll developed at the University of Tsukuba, called Yotara, giggles (咯咯地笑) and "wakes up" when a rattle(拨浪鼓) is shaken.
      He can become angry and doze off (打瞌睡)like a real baby and smiles when his stomach is rubbed. The robot can also sneeze and have a runny nose, thanks to a heated water pump system. The students of the Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences created the robot with touch sensors. A projector beams ( 照射) the facial features onto a warm silicon balloon which makes up Yotara's face. The robot's facial expressions and body movements change according to pressure applied to different parts of its body.

The information collected through touch sensors under the silicon skin is processed by a special programme. It then changes the baby's expression projected onto the balloon-face from behind. Its head with a bonnet(童帽), a colourful blanket covers the robot's limbs which stimulate wiggling with the help of a geared motor. "We wanted to create a new type of robot that is soft, cuddly and cute," said project leader Hiroki Kunimura.
     "We'd like people to experience the innocent, joyful expressions typical of small babies. Through this experience, it would be great if some people started feeling that they wanted to have their own baby, if they started feeling that working is not everything."
      Japan's birth rate is among the lowest in the developed world at 1.37%, compared to 2.12% in the United States and l.84% in Britain. According to a ministry of labor and welfare report, Japan is facing serious economic consequences with over a quarter of its citizens expected to be aged over 65 by 2015. The population is expected to shrink by a third within 50 years if the birth rate does not increase.

60. What is the purpose of creating such a robot baby in Japan according to the text?

A. To increase Japan's birth rate.               B. To give small children a great deal of pleasure.
C. To comfort the young people who are lonely.   D. To help old people who live alone.

61. It can be inferred from the text that ____.

A. the robot baby's head is covered with a bonnet and a colourful blanket
B. some people think working is everything in Japan
C. Japan's birth rate is the lowest in the world
D. people would like to experience the innocent, joyful expressions typical of small babies

62. What is Japan's problem according to the author?

A. Most young people don't want to have a family.    

B. Japan's birth rate is increasing at present.
C. The lifetime of Japanese will decrease in future.    

D. Japan will lack workforce by 2015.

63. From the text we can learn that Yotara _________.

   A. can react at what you say to him                B. show no emotion of human beings

   C. is controlled by the pressure on it               D. can cough and have a runny nose

A patent is the tool that can be used to prevent people from making, selling, offering to sell or importing the patented items without permission. According to the patent law, any person who “invents any new and useful process, machine, or composition (成分) of matter, or any new and useful improvement may obtain a patent.”

The law has described the limits of the field of subject matter that can be patented, and thus it has been held that the laws of nature, physical phenomena, and abstract ideas are not patentable subject matter. A patent cannot be obtained upon just an idea or suggestion.

In order for an invention to be patentable it must be new as described in the patent law, which also states that an invention cannot be patented if: “(a) the invention was known or used by others in this country”, or “(b)the invention was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country”, (c) the invention was in public use or on sale in this country more than one year before the application for patent”.

Moreover, even if the subject matter sought to be patented is not exactly shown by the previous art, and involves one or more differences over the most nearly similar thing already known, a patent may still be refused. The subject matter sought to be patented must be fully different from what has been used or described before in the area of technology related to the invention. For example, the substitutions of one color for another, or changes in size, are not patentable.

56. We can learn from the text that a patent       .

     A. is a legal limit to the spread of most new inventions

     B. serves as an effective tool to protect inventors’ rights

     C. proves necessary when people want to invent something

     D. is a permit for using a new invention by the inventor

57. Which of the following can not be patented according to the patent law?

     A. A new computing tool.                                     B. A new packaging for a product.

     C. A new waste treatment method.               D. A new economic theory.

58. We can infer from the text that       .

      A. it’s not easy to put new inventions into production

      B. there are strict criteria for applying for a patent       

C. a patent will not be applicable in some countries

      D. the patent law differs greatly between countries

59. The author writes this text in order to tell us       .

      A. there are few inventions that can be patented          

B. how to avoid failing to get a patent for a new invention

     C. what can or can’t be patented under the patent law

     D. how to bring the patent law into force

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

It has been 3 years since John died in an accident. He was my big brother who   36   looked after me when I was young. I am   37   today for all of the special times we had as running partners，and times    38    driving to different races，where we had so many   39   about life in general. I   40   these talks terribly at this time of the year.

However，I am so happy he   41   with me the   42   of his faith. He was always so   43    to people，and I had been with him many times   44   we pulled over to help someone in need，sharing a smile and helping them get back    45   the road. So I was not   46   when he told me of the time when he was   47    in college. It was the end of the month. To make matters worse，it was Friday and he had no   48    in his pocket for the weekend. Payday was Monday and he had no gas money to get home to   49   my dad and no money to buy food but he had faith that helping others    50   helping yourself.

On his way home from classes that day，as he was driving along，he noticed a guy ahead of him    51    his lumber (木材) all over the road as he turned the corner. John   52    right over and helped him load the lumber back into his truck. The guy was so thankful and   53    his hand to Mark，and in it was one hundred dollars. John couldn’t believe his   54  . He told him that was unnecessary but the man    55   and off he drove.

I still think of John sitting there telling me that story, with tears in his eyes, and how faithful he was.

36. A. hardly　 　       B. always                  C. sometimes                      D. never

37.   A. thankful             B. successful         C. cheerful                   D. hopeful

38. A. spared            B. wasted               C. saved                             D. spent 

39. A. questions         B. arguments      C. conversations           D. differences

40. A. remember           B.miss                   C. keep                        D. fear

41. A. offered              B. told                C. shared                     D. had

42. A. record            B. story               C. belief                       D. secret

43. A. careful                   B. grateful             C. powerful                 D. helpful      

44. A. when          B. while                 C. until                        D. because

45. A. for                          B. on                     C. in                  D. from

46. A. pleased            B. worried             C. excited                     D. surprised

47. A. still　                 B. yet                    C. even                        D. never

48. A. money              B. food                 C. paper                      D. key

49. A. change             B. see                    C. attend                      D. persuade

50. A. explains                     B. follows              C. means                      D. agrees

51. A. carry              B. place                 C. arrange                    D. lose

52. A. pushed            B. moved               C. walked                    D. pulled

53. A. raised             B. offered              C. held                        D. shook

54. A. mind                  B. ears                C. eyes                        D. feeling

55.   A. insisted              B. apologized         C. regretted                  D. complained