Life on land probably began about 430 million years ago, though it has existed 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 they, the plants, are the only form of life that is able to get and store energy.

　　The first plants to exist 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）took place 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.

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 be animals without plants

　　D. plants are the only form of life that is able to get and store energy

Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

　　A. Algae has existed 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.

Plants with roots appeared about ________ million years ago.

　　A. 430　　　　　B. 300　　　　　 C. 330　　　　　 D. 100

According to the passage, ________ appeared earlier than ________.

　　A. apples; oranges　　　　　　　　 B. oranges; apples

　　C. oranges; roses　　　　　　　　　D. algae; wheat

第二节：完形填空(共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分)
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
Mary had her own special kind of joy, and she knew exactly how to spread it around. She lifted children from 　31　 into laughter, love, and belonging. Each time she found a new 　32　 for a child, she gave the family one of her little homemade paper roses. It had become a 　33　 for her, and the families didn't ever forget it.
One evening, Mary was 　34　a meeting for adoptive parents. One of the 　35　 fathers stood up to introduce himself. But before he spoke, he reached into his coat pocket and held up a 　36　, red paper rose.
“Twenty years ago today, I felt alone and 　37　. I didn't know the talents inside me or what was possible for me.
Then Mary 　38　 two wonderful people into my life. They taught me what it was like to feel 　39　. They not only loved me 　40　. They opened a world of 　41　 that I didn't know existed. My new parents told me, ‘Reach for your dreams!’
I did, and today I'm 　42　 to be giving that chance to a child who 　43　 just like me. My mother gave me this little rose. By now, all of you 　44　 where she got it so long ago.
Mary sent me a new rose just yesterday. And my new rose 　45　a new spring, a beautiful new 　46　 for my own little girl. It 　47　 me to show her what unconditional love is, and to teach her to reach for her own beautiful dreams.
Thank you, Mary, for the special little things like roses that 　48　 our lives together. And thank you for all you've done for me and so many families over the years!”
One brief even can send our spirits soaring or 　49　 us in quiet to ponder a new beginning.　50　 it is also the very small things, like Mary's roses, that tie together the meaningful things.
31.A. poverty                    B. loneliness              C. misery                   D. suffering
32.A. home               B. place             C. school             D. life
33.A. glory                B. favor              C. habit              D. tradition
34.A. organizing      B. planning                C. hosting             D. attending
35. A. new                 B. grateful                 C. kind               D. active
36. A. broken              B. faded                         C. treasured           D. dried
37.A. tasteless             B. powerless                C. priceless             D. worthless
38.A. directed             B. introduced             C. brought            D. accepted
39.A. loved            B. protected          C. cared             D. cheered
40.A. silently              B. continuously             C. unintentionally      D. unconditionally
41.A. necessities         B. possibilities                     C. beauties            D. riches
42.A. eager            B. willing                  C. proud             D. lucky
43.A. started out        B. came up                 C. turned out          D. grew up
44.A. understand         B. guess                     C. tell               D. know  
45.A. replaces           B. symbolizes               C. equals            D. creates
46.A. chance           B. mystery                    C. challenge           D. beginning
47.A. reminds              B. helps                        C. accompanies        D. drives
48.A. fix              B. close                C. tie                  D. gather
49.A. cause              B. push                        C. put                           D. leave
50.A. Yet               B. Besides                    C. Otherwise          D. Therefore

Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world. To this end, we walk the dog, play golf, go fishing, sit in the garden, drink outside rather than inside the pub, have a picnic, live in the suburbs, go to the seaside, buy a weekend place in the country. The most popular free time activity in Britain is going for a walk. And when joggers (慢跑者) jog, they don’t run the streets. Every one of them automatically heads to the park or the river. It is my firm belief that not only do we all need nature, but we all seek nature, whether we know we are doing so or not.

But despite this, our children are growing up nature-deprived (丧失). I spent my boyhood climbing trees. These days, children are robbed of these ancient freedoms, due to problems like crime, traffic, the loss of the open spaces and strange new ideas about what is best for children, that is to say, things that can be bought, rather than things that can be found.

The truth is to be found elsewhere. A study in the US: families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD (多动症). Those whose housing had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%; those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 4%.

A study in Sweden indicated that kindergarten children who could play in a natural environment had less illness and greater physical ability than children used only to a normal playground. A US study suggested that when a school gave children access to a natural environment, the entire school would do better in studies.

Another study found that children play differently in a natural environment. In playgrounds, children create a hierarchy (等级) based on physical abilities, with the tough ones taking the lead. But when a grassy area was planted with bushes, the children got much more into fantasy play, and the social hierarchy was now based on imagination and creativity.

Most bullying (恃强凌弱) is found in schools where there is a tarmac (柏油碎石) playground; the least bullying is in a natural area that the children are encouraged to explore. This reminds me unpleasantly of Sunnyhill School, with its hard tarmac, where I used to hang about in corners dreaming about wildlife.

But children are frequently discouraged from involvement with natural spaces, for health and safety reasons, for fear that they might get dirty or that they might cause damage. So, instead, the damage is done to the children themselves: not to their bodies but to their souls.

One of the great problems of modern childhood is ADHD, now increasingly and expensively treated with drugs. Yet one study after another indicates that contact with nature gives huge benefits to ADHD children. However, we spend money on drugs rather than on green places.

The life of old people is much better when they have access to nature. The most important for the growing population of old people is in quality rather than quantity of years. And study after study finds that a garden is the single most important thing in finding that quality.

In wider and more difficult areas of life, there is evidence to indicate that natural surroundings improve all kinds of things. Even problems with crime and aggressive behaviour are reduced when there is contact with the natural world.

Dr William Bird, researcher from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, states in his study, “A natural environment can reduce violent behaviour because its process helps reduce anger and behavior that people might regret later.” Wild places need encouraging for this reason, no matter how small their contribution.

We tend to think human beings are doing nature some kind of favor when we are protecting nature. The error here is far too deep: not only do humans need nature for themselves, but the very idea that humanity and the natural world are separable things is damaging.

Human beings are a species of animals. For seven million years we lived on the planet as part of nature. So we miss the natural world and long for contact with non-human life. Anyone who has patted a dog, stroked a cat, sat under a tree with a glass of beer, given or received a bunch of flowers or chosen to walk through the park on a nice day, understands that.

We need the wild world. It is necessary to our well-being, our health, our happiness. Without other living things around us we are less than human.

1.What is the author’s firm belief?

　　A. People seek nature in different ways.

　　B. People should spend most of their lives in the wild.

　　C. People have quite different ideas of nature.

　　D. People must make more efforts to study nature.

2.What does the author say people prefer for their children nowadays?

　　A. Personal freedom.　　            B. Things that are natural.

　　C. Urban surroundings.　　          D. Things that are purchased.

3.What does a study in Sweden show?

　　A. The natural environment can help children learn better.

　　B. More access to nature makes children less likely to fall ill.

　　C. A good playground helps kids develop their physical abilities.

　　D. Natural views can prevent children from developing ADHD.

4.Children who have chances to explore natural areas ________.

　  A. tend to develop a strong love for science　    

B. are more likely to dream about wildlife

　  C. tend to be physically tougher in adulthood　   

D. are less likely to be involved in bullying

5.What does the author suggest we do to help children with ADHD?

　　A. Find more effective drugs for them.　　   

B. Provide more green spaces for them.

　　C. Place them under more personal care.　　

D. Engage them in more meaningful activities

6. In what way do elderly people benefit from their contact with nature?

　　A. They look on life optimistically.　　    B. They enjoy a life of better quality.

C. They are able to live longer.            D. They become good-humored

Stepping into a pool of water is common enough, but who could ever imagine stepping into a pool of fish? In February of 1974, Bill Tapp, an Australian farmer, saw a rain of fish that covered his farm. How surprised he must have been when he heard many fish hitting against his roof!

　　 What caused this strange occurrence? This is a question that had long puzzled people who study fish. The answer turned out to be a combination of wind and storm.

　　When it is spring in the northern part of the world, it is fall in Australia. Throughout the autumn season, terrible storms arise and rains flood the land. The strong winds sweep over Australia like huge vacuum cleaners, collecting seaweed, pieces of wood, and even schools of fish. Strong winds may carry these bits of nature for many miles before dropping them on fields, houses, and astonished people.

　　Although they seem unusual, fish-falls occur quite frequently in Australia. When Bill Tapp was asked to describe the scene of fish, he remarked, “They look like millions of dead birds falling down.” His statement is not surprising. The wonders of the natural world are as common as rain. Nature, with its infinite wonders, can create waterfalls that flow upward and fish that fall out of the sky.

　　56. What is this passage about?

　　A. A sad story. 　　　　　　　　　　　　B. A rain of fish.

　　C. Australia’s northern part.　　　　　D. The damage done by floods.

　　57. Fish-falls occur in Australia_________ .

　　A. quite often 　　　　　　B. on large farms

　　C. only in winter　　　　　D. when the air is calm

　　58. It is a known fact that ________.

　　A. one should watch where one steps

　　B. Bill Tapp is a scientist who studies farming

　　C. the natural world can never create waterfalls that fall upward

　　D. the seasons in the southern part are different from those in the northern part

 　59. The word “infinite” is closest in meaning to _________.

　　A. easy 　　　B. difficult 　　　C. countless 　　　D. dangerous

Life in 2060

　　Let us suppose it is now about A.D. 2060. Let’s make believe (假装；虚构) it is about sixty years from now. Of course, things have changed and life is very different.

　　Voyages to the moon are being made every day. It is as easy to take a holiday on the moon today as it was for the people in 1960 to take a holiday in Europe. At a number of scenic spots on the moon, many hotels have been built. The hotels are air-conditioned, naturally. In order that everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery on the moon, every room has at least one picture window. Everything imaginable is provided for entertainment (娱乐) of young and old.

　　What are people eating now? People are still eating food. They haven’t yet started to take on heir (继承) supply of energy directly as electrical current or as nuclear power. They may some day. But many foods now come in pill form, and the food that goes into the pill continues to come mainly from green plants.

　　Since there are several times as many people in the world today as there were a hundred years ago, most of our planet’s surface has to be filled. The deserts are irrigated with water and crops are no longer destroyed by pests. The harvest is always good.

　　Farming, of course, is very highly developed. Very few people have to work on the farm. It is possible to run the farm by just pushing a few buttons now and then.

　　People are now largely vegetarians (素食者). You see, as the number of people increases, the number of animal decreases. Therefore, the people have to be vegetarians and we are healthier both in our bodies and in our minds, and we know the causes and cure of disease and pain, and it is possible to get rid of diseases. No one has to be ill any more.

　　Such would be our life in 2060.

1. When was the passage written?

　　A. In about A.D. 2060.

　　B. In about 1960.

　　C. In about 2000.

　　D. In about 2004.

2. According to the passage, what will be on the moon in about A.D. 2060?

　　A. Many tourists.

　　B. Many other animals.

　　C. Many plants.

　　D. A sea.

3. What will people eat then according to the passage?

　　A. Biscuits in pill form.

　　B. Foods in pill form.

　　C. Foods in water form.

　　D. Foods in gas form.

4. The passage tells us that in 2060, ____ on the earth than now.

　　A. there are fewer population

　　B. there are more pests

　　C. there is less water

　　D. the crops are getting better

5. Why are people largely vegetarians in 2060?

　　A. Because they don’t eat meat.

　　B. Because doctors advise them not to eat meat.

　　C. Because the number of animals decreases.

　　D. Because all the animals have died of diseases.