75．What is the most important feature of hybrid cars?

A．They are powered by both a rechargeable battery and gasoline.

B．They are much quieter than traditional cars.

C．They only use 99 percent of their power to run up hills.

D．They have smaller engines than traditional gasoline ones.

答案　 72.B　 73.D　 74.C　 75.A

Passage 23

(福建省厦门双十中学2008年6月迎考热身试卷E篇)

Life on earth depends on water, and there is no substitute for it. The current assumption is that our basic needs for water - whether for drinking, agriculture, industry or the raising of fish will always have to be met . Given that premise (前提), there are two basic routes we can go: more equal access to water or better engineering solutions.

Looking at the engineering solution first, a lot of my research concentrates on what happens to wetlands when you build dams in river basins, particularly in Africa. The ecology of such areas is almost entirely driven by the seasonal changes of the river - the pulse of the water. And the fact is that if you build a dam, you generally spoil the downstream ecology. In the past, such problems have been hidden by a lack of information. But in the near future, governments will have no excuse for their ignorance.

The engineers’ ability to control water flows has created new kinds of unpredictability too. Dams in Africa have meant fewer fish, less grazing and less floodplain (洪泛区) agriculture - none of which were expected. And their average economic life is assumed to be thirty years. Dams don’t exist forever, but what will replace them is not clear.

The challenge for the future is to find new means of controlling water. Although GM technology (转基因) will allow us to breed better dry-land crops, there is no market for companies to develop crops suitable for the micro-climates of the Sahel and elsewhere in Africa. Who is going to pay for research on locally appropriate crops in the Third World?

74．Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The hybrid cars reduce air pollution and oil-shortages.

B．The car’s gasoline engine doesn’t work until it reaches about 24 km/h.

C．This kind of car is completely controlled by an onboard computer.

D．A specially designed battery motor provides extra power when needed.

73．The first sentence probably refers to　　　　 .

A．there will be more and more green land in China

B．China is still young and lacking experience

C．China’s new cars are combinations of different green models

D．China has started producing environmentally friendly cars

72．The author writes this passage mainly to　　　　 .

A．teach people how to drive a hybrid car　　　　　

B．introduce a new kind of “green”car

C．show how to save their gasoline when driving a car

D．announce plans to develop hybrid vehicles for China

63．The following factors except _________ contribute to the health and long life of all these people．

　　　 A．clean mountain air　　　　 　 B．daily hard work

　　　 C．stress and pressure　　　　 　 D．good genes

答案　 59.A　 60.C　 61.C　 62.D　 63.C

Passage 22

(安徽省芜湖一中2008年高三5月最后一模E篇)

China is going green. In order to reduce air pollution and oil-shortages, automobile manufacturers have announced their plans to develop hybrid vehicles(混合燃料汽车) for the Chinese market. Toyota’s hybrid car Prius will be ready to drive in China this week. Let’s have a look at the new car.

Any vehicle is hybrid when it combines two or more sources of power. Hybrid cars run off a rechargeable battery(电池) and gasoline(汽油). Hybrid cars have special engines, which are smaller than traditional gasoline engines. They run at 99 percent of their power when the car is cruising(巡航). A specially designed battery motor provides extra power for running up hills or when extra acceleration(加速) is needed.

Step into a Prius, and turn on the engine. The first thing you notice is how much quieter it is than a traditional car. At this point, the car’s gasoline engine is dormant(休眠). The electric motor will provide power until the car reaches about 24 km/h. If you stay at a low speed, you are effectively driving an electric car, with no gasoline being used, and no waste gas gives off.

The onboard(车载的) computer makes the decision about when to use a gas engine, when to go electric, and when to use a combination of the two. If you go over 24 km/h, when you step on the gas pedal(油门), you are actually telling the computer how fast you want to go.

The electronic motor recharges automatically using a set of batteries. When driving at high speed, the gasoline engine not only powers the car, but also charges the batteries. Any time you use the brake, the electric motor in the wheels will work like a generator(发电机) and produce electricity to recharge the batteries. As a consequence, the car’s batteries will last for around 200,000 miles.

62．At elevations of 1,220 to 1,000 meters above sea level, the air ______

　　　 A．has less oxygen　　　　 　　　 B．is pollution

　　　 C．is pollution-free　　　　 　　　 D．both A and C

61．What is the main way of life for all of these long-lived people?

　　　 A．Retiring from their lives as farmers　　　 B．Having been married for 90 years

　　　 C．Hard physical work　 D．No intentions

60．The example of Mr and Mrs Mamedov implies that ___________．

　　　 A．some Caucasians aged 100 to 140 become weak．

　　　 B．some Caucasians aged 100 to 140 are too old to work in the fields．

　　　 C．physical work contributes a lot to their long life．

　　　 D．some Caucasians aged 100 to 140 are still working in the fields besides their great- great

　　　 -grandchildren．

59．In the Causasus region of Russian, how many people can reach the age of 100 in 10,000?

　　　 A．5　　　 　 B．3 　　　　　　　 C．50　　　　 　　 D．10,000

75．Our computer will not be able to know about fluctuations because ______.

A．the sensors are not good enough　　

B．they are hidden by the spaces between the sensors

C．they are too far away 　　

D．they move very fast　　　

答案　 72.A　 73.B　 74.A　 75.B

Passage 21

(南昌市南昌二中高三冲刺模拟考试B篇)

In the Caucasus region of Russia, nearly 50 out of every 100,000 people live to celebrate their 100th birthday, and many don’t stop at 100! By comparison, in America only 3 people in 100, 000 reach 100. But these Russian old people aren’t alone．The Pakistanis, who live high in the Himalaya Mountains, and the Ecuadorans of the Andes Mountains seem to share the secret of long life, too．

　　　 These people remain healthy in body and spirit despite the passage of time．While many older persons in industrial societies become weak and ill in their 60s and 70s, some Caucasians aged 100 to 140, work in the fields beside their great-great-grandchildren．Even the idea of aging is foreign to them．When asked “at what age does youth end?” most of these old people had no answer．Several replied, “Well, perhaps at age 80．”

　　　 What accounts for this ability to survive to such old age, and to survive so well? First of all, hard physical work is a way of life for all of these long-lived people．They begin their long days of physical labor as children and never seem to stop．For example, Mr. Rustam Mamedov is 142 years of age．His wife is 116 years old．They have been married for 90 years．Mr. Mamedov has no intention of retiring from his life as a farmer．“Why? What else would I do?” he asks．

　　　 All these people get healthful rewards from the environment in which they work．They all come from mountainous regions．They live and work at elevations of 1,660 to 1,000 meters above sea level．The air has less oxygen and is pollution-free．This reduced-oxygen environment makes the heart and blood vessel system stronger．

　　　 Another factor that may contribute to the good health of these people is their isolation．To a great extent．They are separated from the pressures and worries of industrial society．

　　　 Inherited factors also play some role．Most of the longest-lived people had parents and grandparents who also reached very old ages．Good family genes may, therefore, be one factor in living longer．

　　　 It is clear that isolation from urban pressures and pollution, clean mountain air, daily hard word, moderate diets, good genes, and a youthful approach to life all contribute to the health and long life of all these people．