54. It can be inferred from the passage that______.

A. the new operation can solve the water crisis.

B. The new operation can raise students’ environmental awareness.

C. a similar operation has been set in other universities.

D. The university has saved a lot of water by using the new system.

53. Since the new system has performed, ______ of water can be saved.

A. a quarter　 B. one third　 C. one half　 D. two thirds

52. The underline word “flaw” (Paragraph3) most probably means______.

A. perfection　 B. advantage　　 C. pity　　　 D. fault

51. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A. Students pay for the amount of time they want in the shower.

B. The clock times all through while the student is bathing except when the bather paused for soap.

C. If money runs out, there will be no water.

D. Having finished bathing, the student has to pay for it.

50. Which of the following is NOT included in the expression “the Old World” used in the passage?

　 A. American continent.　　　　　　　　　 B. Both Western and Eastern Europe.

　 C. African continent.　　　　　　　　　　 D. Asian countries.

C

In the US and Britain, the slogan around colleges was “Save water. Shower with a friend.” Now, Wuhan University has come up with another system for the campus bathhouse. It charges students for the amount of time in a shower. Before entering the bathhouse, students pay for the amount of time they want in the shower with cash or their student ID card. The clock starts ticking the minute the tape is turned on. It pauses when a button is pressed for soap. An integrated circuit(IC) card reader at each tap shows the time. No money, no water. The benefits of the new system can be seen with the old system, which charged 1 yuan for each person regardless of time in the shower. The university used about 320 tones of water daily under the old system, but only 160 tons now.

Many students use the new system but opinions on it are divided. Some students say it is bad because bathing had become a sort of race. Many people using it for the first time are not sure how long they need to shower. Some might be embarrassed if their time is up and they’re still covered in soap. They have to ask the bathhouse worker to help them buy extra time.

“It’s a flaw in the system that you can not buy extra time on the ID card,” said Ren, a freshman in Wuhan University. The university is also considering some students’ suggestions that they be allowed to pay after they’ve finished the shower. Not surprisingly, some are complaining about losing the hour shower. But many students say the move helps them develop a water-saving sense.

Without the time limits, most students tended to shower for 30 to an hour in the bathhouse.

Some even used the hot water to wash their clothes. “In my experience, 10-20 minutes is enough,” said Dai Zhihua, a third-year student who usually takes 8 minutes.

A similar system has been installed in other universities. Shanghai Normal University introduced it at its Fengxiang Campus in September. The bathing fee there is 0.2 yuan per minute. One male student responded by setting a record with a two-minute shower.

49. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

　 A. The Bronze Age is one of the earliest civilizations.

　 B. The Industrial Age started in the Middle East.

　 C. The Bronze Age developed into the Iron Age.

　 D. The use of metal instruments started from the Bronze Age.

48. The word “traits” in Paragraph One most likely means ___________________________.

　 A. main appearances　　　　　　　　　　 B. great achievements

　 C. distinguishing features　　　　　　　　 D. outstanding successes

47. According to the first paragraph, the increase in population _____________________.

　 A. resulted in the development of agricultural technology

　 B. resulted from the breakdown of old social organization

　 C. caused the occupational division of labor

　 D. was impossible without the development of agriculture

46. The author of this passage __________________________________.

　 A. gives a comparison between ancient civilization and modern civilization

　 B. suggests that population increase is most important in the development of civilization

　 C. tries to explain how civilization developed in human history

　 D. explore the relation between agriculture and industry

45. What would be the best title for the passage?

　　 A. Don’t be silly any more, women!

　　 B. Which are better dietary habits?

　　 C. Boyfriends make you fat

　　 D. Dr. Amelia Lake and his study

B

There are many thoughts on the origins of civilization. One of the major factors involved was the increase in population. The development of techniques, primarily irrigation and flood control, which permitted agriculture in special areas such as the flood plain of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, made possible the support of large population. Once populations reach a certain number, the older pattern of social organization breaks down and new ones develop. Specifically the older system, whereby each individual participated in food production and maintained a similar standard of living and whereby kinship(家属关系) served as the basic method of social organization, was replaced by the occupational division of labor, political and religious hierarchies(等级制度), public works such as road and public building construction, class systems, codes of law, markets, new forms of warfare, and urban centres. Allied with these important sociological traits are material traits, such as monumental architecture and the development of science and, in many cases, metallurgy(冶金学) and writing sustems.

The earliest civilization, Sumer, developed in the Middle East. This was the Bronze Age of the Old World, during which people first developed the art of metallurgy, civilization also arose in other parts of the Old World, first in Eygpt, China, and India, and later in Europe and Africa. At this time, civilization also developed independently in the New World, in the Mexican area and in Peru and its adjacent(邻近的) areas.

In the Old World the Bronze Age was followed by the Iron Age, which saw the rise and fall of great empires and the shift of power from the Middle East to Greece and Rome and then to Western Europe. In the 1700s the Industrial Age began, leading directly to the modern civilization of today.