People from Great Britain brought the English language to North America in the 16th and 17th centuries. And in the __36__ 300 years, there were so many___37__ in both places that now people can easily___38__ an English person from an American in the___39__ he or she talks.
Many old words___40__ in England but were kept in America．For example,300 years ago people in Great Britain got their water from something they__41__either a“faucet”,“spigot”,or a“tap”.All these words are___42__ heard in different parts of America, but only “tap”is still___43_ in England．Americans often make___44__ new words or change old ones. “Corn”is one kind of plant in America and__45__ in England．
Also, over the last three centuries the English language has___46__ thousands of new words for things that weren’t___47__ before. And often, American and English people used two__48__ names for them. A tin can is called“tin”for short in English, but a “can”in America．The word “radio”is__49__all over the world, including America．But many English people call it a “wireless”.And almost anything___50__ something to do with cars, railroads, etc．has different___51__ in British and American English.
But now American and British English may be___52__ closer together. One thing is that__ 53_ people can hear a large amount of American speech daily in___54__, on television, or from travelers. Because of this, Americans___55__ to be influencing the British more and more. So some day, English may even be the same on both sides of the Atlantic．

Against the supposition that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia warm the climate, scientists have discovered that cooling may occur in areas where burnt trees allow more snow to mirror more sunlight into space.
This finding suggests that taking steps to prevent northern forest fires to limit the release of greenhouse gases may warm the climate in northern regions. Usually large fires destroyed forests in these areas over the past decade. Scientists predict that with climate warming, fires may occur more frequently over the next several centuries as a result of a longer fire season. Sunlight taken in by the earth tends to cause warming, while heat mirrored back into space tends to cause cooling.
This is the first study to analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate. Earlier studies by other scientists have suggested that fire in northern regions speed up climate warming because greenhouse gases from burning trees and plants are released into the atmosphere and thus trap heat.
Scientists found that right after the fire, large amounts of greenhouse gases entered the atmosphere and caused warming. Ozone（臭氧） levels increased, and ash from the fire fell on far-off sea ice, darkening the surface and causing more radiation from the sun to be taken in. The following spring, however, the land within the area of the fire was brighter than before the fire, because fewer trees covered the ground. Snow on the ground mirrored more sunlight back into space, leading to cooling.
“We need to find out all possible ways to reduce the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.” Scientists tracked the change in the amount of radiation entering and leaving the climate system as a result of the fire, and found a measurement closely related to the global air temperature. Typically, fire in northern regions occurs in the same area every 80 to 150 years. Scientists, however, found that when fire occurs more frequently, more radiation is lost from the earth and cooling results. Specifically, they determined when fire returns 20 years earlier than predicted, 0.5 watts per square meter of area burned are soaked up by the earth from greenhouse gases, but 0.9 watts per square meter will be sent back into space. The net effect is cooling. Watts are used to measure the rate at which energy is gained or lost from the earth.
【小题1】According to the new findings, taking steps to prevent northern forest fires may __________.

第二节：完形填空（共20小题，每题1分，满分20分）
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。
I got lots of interesting experiences in a free school. At first I couldn’t believe it. There were no    41   in rows or loud-sounding bells, nor did anyone have to go to   42  . Although we lived “in”,    43  made us go to bed at a certain time; there was no “ lights out”.
The    44 thing was that practically all the students went to class, and very few people stayed up late at night. Only the new people stayed up or    45 class. The new ones always went wild    46  , but his wildness never lasted long. The freedom took some getting used to. Our teachers treated us like  _47 ; never did we have to   48_  “ stand up”, “ sit down”, “ speak out”. I don’t   49   one student who didn’t try his best.
The subjects were the same as those in the ___50_____ school, but what a difference in the method! For example, in botany (植物学) we had   51__  classes in the spring or fall, but instead we planted two gardens, a vegetable garden and a flower garden. Then in winter we each studied a few    52 things about what we had grown. In math the students built three different sizes of storerooms---small ones   53  , but usable. They did this instead of having lessons in the classroom. They really had a    54 time, too, designing everything, drawing the blueprints(蓝图;设计图), figuring out the angles and so on. I didn’t take    55__ . But I could do the basic things with numbers. That’s   56  .
  57_    I think I am a     58   person for having gone to the school. I can read and write as well as anyone else of my age, and I think better. That’s probably a real big      ___59    between the free school and the regular school--- the amount of    60  .
41.A.desks           B. lights         C. books            D. windows
42.A. home           B. bed          C. class             D. work
43.A. teachers         B. parents        C. nobody           D. somebody
44.A. sad             B. last           C. good             D. strange
45.A. attended         B. took          C. missed           D. studied
46.A. from then on     B. at first         C. once more        D. just then
47.A. workers         B. pupils         C. gardeners         D. grown- ups
48.A. play            B. say           C. study             D. understand
49.A. hear from        B. feel like      C. think about        D. know of
50.A. night            B. regular        C. small            D. real
51.A. all              B. short         C. no               D. indoor
52.A.wild             B. successful     C. interested        D. particular
53.A. as well          B. after a while  C. of course         D. as a result
54.A. funny           B. great         C. convenient        D. terrible
55.A. math          B. angle         C. botany           D. gardens
56.A. uninteresting     B. interesting    C. enough          D. dangerous
57.A.On the whole     B. Once again     C. Sooner or later     D. After a while
58.A. careful          B. better         C. busier            D. lovely
59.A. problem         B. chance        C. difference         D. change
60.A. reading         B. gardening     C. teaching          D. thinking

III. Reading Comprehension：31%
Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that fits the context.
Good news! Tiny robots designed by University of Nebraska researchers may   50     doctors on Earth to help perform surgery on patients in space.
The tiny, wheeled robots, which are about 3 inches tall and as wide a lipstick case, can be slipped into small incisions ( 切口 ) and computer-controlled by surgeons in different   51   . Some robots are equipped with    52    and lights and can send images back to surgeons and others have surgical tools attached that can be controlled    53   .
“ We think this is going to    54    open surgery.” Dr. Dmitry Oleynikov said at a news conference. Oleynikov is a    55    in computer-assisted surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Officials hope that NASA will teach    56    to use the robots soon enough    57   
surgeries could one day be performed in space.
The camera-carrying robots can provide    58    of affected areas and the ones with surgical tools will be able to operate inside the body in ways surgeons’ hands can’t. The views from the camera-carrying robots are    59    than the naked eye, because they    60    back color images that are magnified. Because several robots can be inserted through one incision, they could reduce the amount and    61   of cuts needed for surgery, which would decrease recovery time. This is particularly    62    to those patients who have been weakened by long illness.
Eventually, Oleynikov said, “ The tiny robots may enable surgeons to work without ever __63__their hands in patients’ bodies. That is the    64   . It is getting easier and easier. We can do even more with these devices.”
50.  A. use                         B. pay                          C. allow                       D. force
51.  A. locations                 B. directions                 C. fields                       D. ways
52.  A. operators          B. monitors           C. cameras              D. flashes
53.  A. automatically       B. remotely           C. manually              D. widely
54.  A. perform          B. undergo            C. follow               D. replace
55.  A. reporter           B. specialist            C. designer              D. director
56.  A. astronauts         B. nurse               C. teachers              D. trainers
57.  A. in order to        B. so that              C. thus               D. in case
58.  A. answers          B. services              C. views               D. insights
59.  A. weaker           B. stronger                    C. poorer               D. better
60.  A. send             B. produce                    C. change                     D. create
61.  A. measure           B. size                 C. power              D. pressure
62.  A. relevant           B. true                C. helpful             D. interesting
63.  A. touching          B. pressing             C. holding            D. placing
64.  A. ambition         B. goal                C. achievement         D. victory

In Western countries people have been using the installment (分期付款) plan since the first half of the twentieth century. Today, a large number of families in Great Britain buy furniture, household goods and cars by installments. In the U.S.A.,the figure is much higher than in Great Britain, and people there spend over 10 percent of their income on the installment plan.
The price of an article bought on installments is always higher than the price that would be paid by cash. There is a charge for interest. The buyer pays one quarter or one third of the price as a down payment (预付定金) when the goods are delivered to him. He then makes regular payments, weekly or monthly, until the full price is paid up. The legal ownership of the goods remains with the seller until the final payment has been made.
Installment buying has advantages and disadvantages. It can help couples with small incomes to furnish their homes and start housekeeping. It increases the demand for goods, and in this way helps business and employment,There is,
however, the danger that when business is bad, installment buying may end suddenly, making business much worse. This may result in a great increase in unemployment.
If the people on the installment plan lose their jobs, they will probably not be able to make their payments. If great numbers of people are not able to pay their installment debts, there is a possibility that businessmen cannot collect their debts and will therefore lose money. If businessmen lose money or fail to make a satisfactory profit,it becomes more likely to have a depression (萧条). This is why, in some countries,the government controls the installment plan by fixing the amount of the down payment and installments to discourage people from buying more than they can pay for on the installment plan.
【小题1】 Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the installment plan?