阅读理解

　　Unlike modern animal scientists, dinosaur scientists cannot sit on a hillside and use telescopes to watch dinosaurs in order to know how they lived and whether they were good parents．Instead, they have to search hard for information from dinosaurs’ fossils(恐龙化石)because dinosaurs died out millions of years ago．

　　It’s very difficult for the scientists to reach an agreement because different results can be got from the same fossils．Many fossils of the same kind of dinosaurs have been dug out from one place．They might have formed when an entire group of dinosaurs got stuck(陷入)all at once, or they might have been the result of dinosaurs getting stuck one after another over a course of a few centuries．Thus we can say that dinosaurs might have in the first case lived in big groups and in the second lived alone．

　　Though there are two different results, dinosaur scientists now generally agree that at least some kinds of dinosaurs lived in big groups．“That’s pretty much settled at this point, ”says Paul Sereno．A kind of dinosaurs called Sauropods left behind tracks in the western United States that appear to run north and south, suggesting that they even moved long distances together．

　　As to whether dinosaurs cared for their young, dinosaur scientists have turned to the closest living relatives of dinosaurs－birds and crocodiles－for possible models．Birds give a lot of care to their young, while crocodiles just help their young to the water．The discovered fossils of dinosaurs sitting on their eggs and staying with their young suggest the parents were taking care of their babies, but we still cannot say that all dinosaurs did the same．

　　There is still a long way to go before the above questions could be answered．Dinosaur scientists will have to find more proof to reach an agreement．

阅读理解

　　One night in March 1999, a man was driving from California to Oregon, US, to visit some friends．He had stopped his car to have some food when he started to hear strange noises．Turning on the headlights, he saw an 8-foot-tall creature covered in thick, dark hair．The creature stared at him for a minute, turned in the road and walked off slowly into the woods．

　　In the past 50 years alone, there have been thousands of reported sightings of similar creatures in the US, Canada, the Himalayas(喜马拉雅山地区)and even Hubei Province in China．The creature is known as bigfoot．

　　Bigfoot is said to be a very tall(between 2 and 4.5 metres), ape-like(类人猿似的)creature that is covered in hair and walks upright on two legs．It is very wary(警惕的)of human beings．

　　Believers think bigfoot is a direct descendent(后代)of ancient gigantopithecus(巨猿)．But it remains one of the planet’s undiscovered secrets．There is a little evidence(证据)to support the believers’ theory：traces of hair, footprints and body prints as well as the reported sightings．Some people have even showed what they say with photos or films of bigfoot．

　　But so far, no one has found bones or any other definite proof that the giant creature exists．

　　As a result many people believe the evidence is just part of a big trick．

　　The footprints are easy to make, they say：all you need do is to make two large feet out of plaster(石膏), attach them to the bottom of your shoes and walk with big steps．As for the photos and films, they are just people dressed in ape suits．

　　They also say the sightings are not real, just people making mistakes．For example, bigfoot could be a bear living in the wild that sometimes stands up on its back legs．

阅读理解

　　The search for life on Mars has a long history．In 1877, Italian astronomer(天文学家)Giovanni Schiaparelli said that he had seen channels on Mars．Then American astronomer Percival Lowell believed these channels were canals(运河)and intelligent beings used them for watering the dry planet．But later scientists have shown that there are no canals on the planet．

　　Scientists now believe there is no life on Mars．Why?Because Mars has a very thin atmosphere, and it’s impossible to breathe．As a result, temperature on the surface changes a lot from place to place, from 20℃ to 140℃．Our atmosphere on Earth keeps heat and water in, and that is the reason our planet can support life．Besides, there is almost no water on Mars．There’s also no ozone layer(臭氧层), so dangerous radiation(辐射)easily reaches surface．

　　But Earth and Mars have a lot in common：they both have seasons, and Mars used to have a much thicker atmosphere as well as surface water．Scientists believe seasonal winds blow sand and dust, causing the seasonal changes on Mars．There is water on Mars, but only in the form of ice on or below the surface, and some vapor or ice crystals in the atmosphere．

　　A more difficult question is whether life ever existed on Mars when it had a warmer and thicker atmosphere．In August 1996, scientists carried out experiments on a rock fragment(碎片)of a meteorites(陨星)from Mars．The studies showed that bacteria(细菌)existed on Mars 3．6 billion years ago, but some other scientists didn’t agree．

　　So it’s possible that life forms once lived on Mars billions of years ago．But we don’t know for sure．

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　A woman in blue jeans(牛仔裤)stood at the window of an expensive shop．Though she hesitated for a moment, she finally went in and asked to see a dress that was in the window．The assistant who served her didn’t like the way she was dressed．Glancing at her scornfully(轻蔑地), he told her the dress was sold．The woman walked out of the shop angrily and decided to punish the assistant the next day．

　　She returned to the shop the following morning dressed in a fur coat, with a handbag in one hand and a long umbrella in the other．After searching out the rude assistant she asked for the same dress．Not realizing who she was, the assistant climbed into the shop window to get the dress．As soon as she saw it, the woman said she did not like it．She enjoyed herself making the assistant bring almost everything in the window before finally buying the dress she had first asked for．

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　Life is difficult．

　　It is a great truth because once we truly understand and accept it, and then life is no longer difficult．

　　Most people do not fully see this truth．Instead they complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy．It seems to them that difficulties represent a special kind of suffering especially forced upon them or else upon their families, their class, or even their nation．

　　What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one．Problems, depending on their nature, cause us sadness or loneliness or regret or anger or fear．These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain．And since life causes an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and full of pain as well as joy．

　　Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning．Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure．When we desire to encourage the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve．It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn．As Benjamin Franklin said, “Those things that hurt, instruct．”It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems．

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　A habit is simply a behavior that has been performed so often that it becomes second nature and part of a comfort zone that people have created for themselves．

　　All people are creatures of habit, and most people create more bad habits than good ones．

　　Your success or failure depends on your habits．If your habits are encouraging, motivating and empowering, you will have successful life．However, if your habits limit your performance, prevent you from achieving your goals and block your potential, chances are that you are not living a fulfilling life．

　　Can you really change your habits?The answer is, no．You can only replace your habits．

　　For example, if you have a habit of procrastinating, replace it with a “do it now” habit．When you have a task to do, just do it now, do not even wait for a second thought．Soon, you will discover that your habit of procrastinating no longer has an influence on you．

　　Since everybody is a slave to habits, it makes sense to be a slave to good habits only．

　　But how to nourish(滋养)your mind?

　　Each day feed your mind only with positive thoughts．Your mind is like a garden; you reap what you sow．Positive thoughts will help you to be your best．

　　Listen to your words．Every word that you say will have an impact on yourself．If your words are always negative, you are feeding your mind the wrong food to flourish．If your words are always encouraging, your mind will prosper．

　　Be conscious of your actions．Your actions will determine whether you are achieving what you want．Every one of your actions is a reflection of what is on your mind．

　　Read a motivational book at least once a month, or read a motivational quote at least once a day．

　　Listen to motivational tapes or inspiring songs while you are driving or taking public transport．

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　I need to get some money so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham’s for the first fortnight of January sale．I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I’ll never forget．

　　I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales; where did they all come from?Now I know the secret!Firstly, there is the special winter stock and the stock that people buy all the year round; some of these things are slightly reduced．Secondly, there are the summer clothes they don’t sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them．Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in specially for the sales; these are put out at high prices then days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60％ in the sale．Clever!Lastly, they buy in “seconds(clothes not in perfect condition)for the sale and they are sold very cheaply”．

　　When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building．This made me very nervous．

　　When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security, guards, looking less confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand．The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for the protection as the noisy crowd charged in．I couldn’t believe my eyes; this wasn’t shopping, it was a battlefield!One poor lady could keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind．

　　Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colors and styles they wanted．Quarrels broke out．Mothers were using their small children to crawl through people’s legs and get hold of things they couldn’t get near themselves．

　　Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose, each wanting to be the first served．Where had the famous English queue gone?The whole day continued like that, but I kept my temper!I was taking money hand over fist and began to realize why, twice a year, Graham’s were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like that．

　　In the sale fever, people were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what they were buying．As long as it was a bargain it was OK．

　　You won’t believe this but as soon as I got home I crashed out for hours．Then I had dinner and went back to bed, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale．

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　●Never give out identifying(明确的)information such as Name, Home Address, School Name, or Telephone Number in a public message such as at a chat room or on bulletin boards．Never send a person a picture of you without first checking with your parents．

　　●Never reply to message or bulletin board items that are：Suggestive/Obscene(下流的)/Ready to fight/Express intention to hurt/Make you feel uncomfortable．

　　●Be careful when someone offers something for nothing, such as gifts and money．Be very careful about any offers that get you to meet or have someone visit your house．

　　●Tell your parents right away if you come across any information that makes you feel uncomfortable．

　　●Never arrange a face-to-face meeting without telling your parents．If your parents agree to the meeting, make sure that you meet in a public place and have a parent with you．

　　●Remember that people on-line may not be who they seem．Because you can’t see or even hear the person, it would be easy for someone to misrepresent himself/herself．Thus someone says that “she is a 12-year-old girl” could really be an old man．

　　●Be sure that you are dealing with someone that you and your parents know and trust before giving out any personal information about yourself through E-mail．

　　●Get to know your “on-line friends” just as you get to know all of your friends．

　　Recently Dr．Cleiman has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle．

During the hours when you labour through your work, you may say that you are “hot”．That is true．The time of day when you feel most energetic(full of energy)is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak(top)．For some people the peak comes during the forenoon．For others it comes in the afternoon or evening．No one has discovered why this is so．

　　Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what this energy cycle means and which cycle each member of the family has．

　　You cannot change your cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it better．Habits can help, Dr．Cleiman believes．If your energy cycle is low in the morning but you have an important job early in the day, rise before your usual hour, and then you will work better at your low point．

　　Get off to a slow start which saves your energy．Get up with a lazy yawn(呵欠)and stretch(伸腰)．Sit on the edge of bed before putting your feet on the floor．Avoid the troublesome searching for clean clothes by laying them out the night before．

　　We often think of the future．We often wonder what the world will be like in a hundred years’ time．

　　Think of space, perhaps a permanent(永久性的、长期的)station on the moon will have been set up．Perhaps people will be able to visit the moon as tourists．Cheap rockets for space travel will have been developed, permitting long journeys throughout the solar system．When that time comes, people will be taking vacations in space and visiting other planets．Great progress will have been made in medicine, too．Perhaps a cure will have been discovered for the most terrible of all diseases－cancer．Pollution is a problem we must solve．In a hundred years’ time it will have been controlled．

　　All the world will have been developed－even Antarctica．There will be large cities in Antarctica．We already have supersonic(超音速的)flight, but in a hundred years’ time, we will have supersonic land travel as well．

　　We will have used up most of the earth’s land to build our cities, so floating cities will have been built．The Japanese already have plans for cities of this kind．And there will be cities under the sea．The first of these will have been completed．