Every time Lionel Messi breaks a record, it seems appropriate to compare him to the legends that came before him.

In 2012, he rewrote soccer history on multiple occasions, and his latest record came when he scored his 86th goal of the calendar year, breaking Gerd Muller’s previous mark, before wrapping up the year with 91 goals.

All statistics indicate that Messi is currently the best player in the world, and that he will go down in history as the top footballer of his generation. But when he is judged against all-time greats like Pele and Diego Maradona, he still has work to do.

We don’t know whether the Barcelona striker will have another year in which he records more than 90 goals, but he must still sustain(维持)a similar level of production for the next several seasons.

Messi has already taken part in three of Barcelona’s victorious Champions League(冠军联赛)campaigns, and he played an important role in two of them. In order to firmly establish himself as the greatest club football player in history, he must win the tournament a few more times.

Most importantly, the Argentine(阿根廷人)needs to win on the international stage. Regardless of what Messi does for Barcelona, his legacy will be incomplete if he cannot win the World Cup with Argentina.

Both Pele and Maradona led their countries to the top of international soccer during their careers, and Messi’s performances for his country have been severely disappointing.

While he was still a teenager in 2006 —and his lackluster(平淡的)showing is excusable due to his youth—he cannot brush off the disappointment that characterized Argentina’s performance in 2010.

But the 4-0 loss to Germany in the 2010 World Cup Quarter Final seems to have sparked Messi. He scored 12 times for Argentina last year, and the next World Cup could finally be Messi’s breakout performance in blue and white stripes.

Due to all of his accomplishments, it is easy to forget that the extraordinary footballer is just 25 years old. If he can avoid injury or lengthy slumps(低潮状态)until his speed and skills start to decline due to age, he may continue to break records and win trophies.

56. What will Messi have to do in order to be complete in his soccer career?

A. He must win the World Cup with Argentina.

B. He must win the tournament a few more times.

C. He must defeat Pele and Maradona.

D. He must avoid injury or lengthy slumps.

57. How was Messi’s performance in 2010 World cup?

A. Excellent　 　 B. Inspiring　 　　 C. Disappointing 　　D. Normal.

58. What can we infer from the passage?

A. Messi has firmly established himself as the greatest club soccer player in history.

B. Messi will try his best to win the next World Cup with Argentina.

C. Messi can avoid injury and lengthy slumps to break records and win trophies.

D. Pele and Maradona led their countries to the top of international soccer during their careers.

59. What is the best title of the passage?

A. Lionel Messi, the Best Soccer Player of All Time ?

B. Lionel Messi, the Greatest Soccer Player in History.

C. Barcelona and Lionel Messi.

D. World Cup and Lionel Messi.

　  Life on land probably began about 430 million years ago, though it has stayed in the water for perhaps as much as 3,000 million years. When we think of the first thing on land, we probably think of strange animals coming out of the oceans, but in fact no animals could have been living if plants had not been on land first. Plants had to be on land before animals arrived. They supplied the first land animals with the surrounding and food necessity, since then, the plants, are the only form of life that is able to get and store energy.
　　The first plants to stay out of the water were probably certain kinds of algae（海藻）which were followed by other plants that grew close to the ground and needed water in which to reproduce. Once the move to land had been made, however, evolution（进化）happened quickly. By the end of 100 million years, plants had developed their roots（根), and some had got tree -like forms since height was very important in gaining sunlight. About 300 million years ago, much of the world was covered with forests of huge trees. In most ways they were like modern trees. They had roots, leaves, wood, but mostly they had not developed seeds.
59．The main idea of the first paragraph is ________.
　　A. life on land probably began 430 years ago
　　B. the first animal on land came from oceans
　　C. there wouldn't have been animals without plants
　　D. plants are the only form of life that is able to get and store energy
60．Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
　　A. Algae probably has stayed for more than 430 million years.
　　B. It is impossible that algae might be the earliest plant on land.
　　C. Plants get food from animals in the oceans.
　　D. Evolution began after animals appeared on land.
61．Plants with roots appeared about ________ million years ago.
　　A. 430　　　　　B. 300　　　　　 C. 330　　　　　 D. 100
62．According to the passage, ________ appeared earlier than ________.
　　A. apples; oranges　　　　　　　　 B. oranges; apples
　　C. oranges; roses　　　　　　　　　D. algae; wheat

   Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the only measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.

   To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so. Medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a popularly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had smallest effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was relatively inefficient.

   Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safer and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat loss and to decreasing biodiversity.

   What’s more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050.yet the growth of cities and industry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions.

   All this means that agriculture in the 21^st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th. This will require complete thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are unavoidably more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the idea that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The key will be to abandon the rather simple and unchangeable measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage.

   Instead we need a more dynamic explanation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various way land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity.

   What is critical is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production.

How do people often measure progress in agriculture?

A．By its productivity.               

B．By its impact on the environment.

C．By its sustainability.               

D．By its contribution to economic growth.

What does the author think of traditional farming practices?

　　A．They have remained the same over the centuries.

　　B．They have not kept pace with population growth.

　　C．They are not necessarily sustainable.

　　D．They are environmentally friendly.

What will agriculture be like in the 21st century?

　　A．It will go through thorough changes.

　　B．It will supply more animal products.

　　C．It will abandon traditional farming practices.

　　D．It will cause zero damage to the environment.

What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

　　A．To remind people of the need of sustainable development.

　　B．To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food production.

　　C．To advance new criteria for measuring farming progress.

　　D．To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is.