根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白出的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

   What do you, the trees, and a bird have in common?      71     . All living things must have water to survive, whether they get it from a water fountain, a rain cloud, or a little bottle attached to the side of a bird cage.

    72      Water makes up more than half of your body weight and a person can’t survive for more than a few days without it. Why? Your body has lots of important jobs and it needs water to do many of them. For instance（例如）, your blood, which contains a lot of water, carries oxygen to all the cells (细胞) of your body. Without oxygen, those tiny cells would die and your body would stop working.

   Water is a fluid (流体) that is part of your immune system (免疫系统) , which helps you fight off illness.      73      Water is needed for digestive juices (消化液) , urine（尿）, and makes up most of sweat.

   In addition to being an important part of the fluids in your body, each cell depends on water to function normally.

     74     Any fluid you drink will contain water, but water and milk are the best choices. Lots of foods contain water, too.      75     You could probably tell that if you’ve ever bitten into a peach or pear and felt the juices dripping down your chin (下巴) ! Vegetables, too, contain a lot of water------think of biting into a fat tomato from the garden.

A. You need water to digest your food and get rid of water, too.

B. You all need water.

C. Without water, your body would stop working properly.

D. How much is enough?

E. Your body doesn’t get water only from drinking water.

F. When you drink is also important.

G. Fruit contains quite a bit of water.

What do butterfly wings have to do with computer screens? What do birds have to do with high speed trains?

These may sound like strange things to put together. But scientists, inventors, and designers are doing just that. They are learning from nature to create new technology.

The word biomimicry (仿生学) combines two words: biology and mimicry. So people using biomimicry try to use examples in nature to design new technology.

Biomimicry is not a new idea. People have been studying nature for hundreds of years. Leonardo DaVinci used birds as models to invent his flying machine. And when the Wright Brothers made the first successful airplane, they also studied birds. In 998, Janine Benyus, a natural science writer and teacher, wrote a book about biomimicry. To develop her interest in the subject, Janine Benyus started the Biomimicry Institute.

The Biomimicry Institute is a non-profit organization. It brings together scientists, designers, inventors and many other people. It offers classes to teach people biomimicry. It provides money for people to research and test new technologies. And it wants all people, from children to adults, to think about new ways to learn from nature.

People involved with the Biomimicry Institute believe that biomimicry can help solve many of the world’s problems. Often, new technologies can harm nature, but this is not true for biomimicry. Let’s look at some examples.

Butterflies have colorful wings because light shines off them in a special way. Scientists want to copy these same ways to make light shine off computers. They hope this will make for more colorful screens.

Another example of biomimicry is the bullet train. It travels at speeds of over 250 kilometers per hour! But it had a problem: it made too much noise!

Through the observation of birds, scientists thought about a kind of bird, the kingfisher(翠鸟). The kingfisher can dive into water without making any noise because of the shape of its beak(喙). Researchers thought that if they could design the front of the train like this beak, the train would be quieter. Well, it worked!

68. The first paragraph is written to_____.

  A. start a discussion                                    B. make a brief summary

  C. introduce the topic of the text                    D. test readers' knowledge on science

69. Why did Janine Benyus set up the Biomimicry Institute?

 A. To honor the Wright Brothers.            

B. To show her recent inventions.

 C. To gather talented people for her research.

 D. To explore the link between nature and technologies.

70. We know from the text that the Biomimicry Institute _____.

  A. earns a lot by giving classes on biomimicry   B. tells people about their technologies

  C. gives free support to scientists                    D. teaches children about birds

Motherhood Is a Career to Respect

A woman renewing her driver’s license at the Country Clerk’s office was asked to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a …”

“Of course I have a job,” said Emily, “I ’m a mother.”

“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation…‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.

One day I found myself in the same situation. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title. “What is your occupation?” she asked.

The words simply popped out. “I’m a Research Associate(研究员) in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”

The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in mid-air.

I repeated the title slowly, then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement(声明) was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

“Might I ask,” said the clerk with interest, “just what you do in your field?”

Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up(激励) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants—ages 13,7, and 3.

Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6-month-old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable(不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother”.

Motherhood… What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door.

64. How did the female clerk feel at first when the writer told her occupation?

A. Cold-hearted.                        B. Open-minded.

C. Puzzled.                            D. Interested.

65. How many children does the writer have?

A. 3                B. 4               C. 7                 D. 13

66. Why did the woman clerk show more respect to the writer?

A. Because she thought the writer did admirable work.

B. Because the writer cared little about rewards.

C. Because the writer did something that she had little knowledge of.

D. Because she admired the writer’s research work.

67. What is the point of the article?

A. To show that how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it.

B. To show that the writer had a grander job than Emily.

C. To argue that motherhood is a worthy career.

D. To show that being a mother is hard and boring work.

For some students, especially those from poor families, taking a job is not a matter of choice, but necessity. They need to work to save for college, or even to supplement family income. Counselors should help students who have a real need to work improve time management skills and seek employment that helps their educational goals.

“College costs are high, and young adults also want the amenities (便利设施) that extra money brings,” according to John B. Boshoven, counselor for continuing education at Community High School in Michigan. However, he warns, “School is my students’ full-time job.”

Studies show that students who work are more confident and possess better time management skills than students who are not employed. In addition to offering a paycheck, some independence, and satisfaction, a part-time job can provide teenagers with both training and experience. Working teaches students about responsibility and can also reinforce (充实) what they are learning in school. “Colleges want to find candidates who demonstrate maturity, responsibility, independence, and initiative, and good workers certainly demonstrate those important character traits,” Boshoven says. “Employers can write excellent recommendation letters for the students who have worked for them.”

On the other hand, experts agree that students who work more than 15 to 20 hours per week often experience lessened school success, which can lead to dropping out entirely. Working long hours can also limit opportunities to build friendships and explore interests that enhance a teenager’s intellectual and emotional development.

The major point that students should keep in mind is the importance of balance. Dan Crabtree, college and career counselor at Wheaton Academy in Illinois, explains, “We want our students to establish a healthy balance in life and work to maintain it throughout their lives.” If working will interfere with completing school work, participating in extracurricular activities, spending time with family and friends, or getting enough rest, it may not be a wise decision.

60. What’s the purpose of the passage?

A. To show how students can find a part-time job.

B. To discuss the issue of students’ part-time work.

C. To stress the importance of students’ part-time work.

D. To explain what is a part-time job.

61. In Boshoven’s opinion, students _____.

a. should take their studies as the first priority

b. can benefit from part-time work

c. can form healthy habits in their lives

d. shouldn’t depend on their families financially

A. bc                     B. bd                    C. ab                    D. ac

62. According to the passage, we know that _____.

A. without counselors' help, few students can get employed

B. teenagers show strong interest in part-time work

C. experts encourage students do more part-time work

D. too much part-time work can lead to bad academic performance

63. What can be concluded from the passage?

A. Students should balance part-time work well with other things.

B. Part-time work is important for most students at college.

C. Experts’ advice is the key to finding a good part-time job.

D. All in all, students had better not spend time on part-time work

An anxious mother watched as rescuers freed her baby from a muddy well. After being pulled from the well，the baby joyfully ran to its mom as the rescuers took a break.

It was a difficult and potentially dangerous rescue: the baby was an 8-month-old elephant, and at first its mother thought the humans were trying to harm it. The baby elephant fell into the five-foot-deep well near Kenya's Amboseli National Park. Local people had dug the well for water.

It took 30 minutes to remove the trapped elephant. While Vicki Fishlock of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants made a loud shout to frighten the mother away, two men struggled to get a rope around the baby elephant. Once the rope was in place, Fishlock used her jeep to pull the baby out.

Fishlock recognized Zombe, the mother of the trapped baby elephant，from a mark on her ear. She believes that in the end Zombe realized the humans were trying to help.

“Rescues where the elephant’s family members are around are always stressful, and I'm always happy when everyone is safe,” Fishlock said.“The reunions (团聚) always bring tears to my eyes. The depth of their love for each other is one of the things that make elephants so unusual.”

The very next day, another baby elephant fell into the same well. The 3-month-old's family had been driven away from the area by local people. Once it had been rescued, the Amboseli Trust had to send it to an elephant orphanage (孤儿院) in Nairobi, Kenya's capital city.

The rescues showed the plight of elephants across Africa. Elephants are fighting to survive, as conflicts between the animals and humans are increasing. Thousands of elephants are also being killed for their tusks. The tusks are sold in Asia, where ivory trinkets are in high demand.

The Amboseli Trust has been studying elephants and trying to help them since 1972. Fishlock said, “We hope this rescue persuades people that elephants are special and deserve to be protected and treasured.”

56. We can learn from the text that _____.

A. Fishlock had seen the baby elephant before

B. The mother elephant was a great help to rescuers

C. the well was dug by local people to trap elephants

D. the mother elephant was unfriendly at first to the rescuers

57. What causes Fishlock to think that elephants are special?

A. Their trust in humans.                              B. The deep love between them.

C. Their great ability to survive.                     D. The good communication between them.

58. What did the two baby elephants have in common?

A. They were both 8 months old.                   B. They were both rescued by local people.

C. They were both trapped in the same well.   D. They were both reunited with their mothers.

59. The underlined word "plight" in Paragraph 7 probably means“______”.

A. a strong personality                                B. A dangerous situation

C. an annoying habit                                      D. a close relationship

One day a young student was taking a walk with a professor. As they went along, they saw   36   in the path a pair of old shoes, which were supposed to belong to a poor man working in a field close by, and who had     37    finished his day’s work.

The student    38    the professor, saying, “Let’s play the man a (n)   39   . We’ll hide his shoes, then hide ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his confusion(慌乱) when he cannot find them.”

“My young friend,” said the professor, “We should never amuse ourselves at the   40   of the poor. But now that you are rich, you may get a much greater pleasure in a different way. Put a coin into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch   41   the discovery affects him.”

And so they did. The poor man soon finished his work, and came    42    the field to the path    43    he had left his coat and shoes. While putting on his coat he     44    his foot into one of his shoes; but feeling something    45    . He bent down to feel what it was, and found the coin. Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his face. He gazed upon the coin,     46     it round, and looked at it again and again. He then looked around,     47    no person was to be seen. He put the money into his pocket, and went on to put on the other shoe; but his surprise was      48    on finding the other coin. His feelings overcame him; he fell upon his knees, looked    49   to heaven and uttered(发出) aloud a sincere thanksgiving, in which he spoke of his sick and helpless wife and his children without    50   , whom the timely(及时的) giving from the unknown hand would save from dying.

The student stood there    51    affected, his eyes filled with     52    . “Now,” said the professor, “Aren’t you much better pleased then if you had played your intended trick?”

The youth replied, “You have     53   me a lesson which I will never forget. I feel now the     54    of those words, which I never understood before: It is more blessed to    55    than to receive.”

36. A. sitting                     B. lying                  C. laying                     D. hiding

37. A. mostly                    B. highly                C. nearly                     D. likely

38. A. turned down   B. turned away             C. turned around          D. turned to

39. A. amusement             B. fun                    C. fool                        D. trick

40. A. mercy                    B. request               C. expense                  D. thought

41. A. what                      B. that                    C. why                       D. how

42. A. across                    B. into                    C. around                    D. through

43. A. that                        B. which                C. where                     D. when

44. A. slipped                    B. took                   C. kicked                    D. threw

45. A. soft                        B. tight                   C. loose                      D. hard

46. A. showed                  B. turned                C. looked                    D. made

47. A. although                 B. but                    C. for                         D. so

48. A. doubled                  B. stopped              C. increased                D. improved

49. A. down                     B. around               C. up                          D. forward

50. A. bread                      B. books                C. toys                        D. money

51. A. still                        B. possibly             C. deeply                     D. immediately

52. A. surprises                 B. worries              C. fears                       D. tears

53. A. taught                     B. gave                  C. told                        D. showed

54. A. function                  B. story                  C. rule                        D. truth

55. A. study                      B. give                   C. beg                         D. work

 _______ some teenagers don’t realize is _______ difficult life can be after they get addicted to drugs.

   A. What; how     B. That; how      C. What; what a   D. That; what

 _________ silent about the accident, or you’ll be fired by the company.

   A. To keep        B. Keeping       C. Keep         D. Kept

 We _______ the difficulty together, but why didn’t you tell me?

   A. should face                B. might face     

C. could have faced            D. must have faced

 When _______ why he refused to lend some money to the poor child, he kept silent.

   A. asking          B. asked          C. to ask       D. he asked