E-mail，as well as telephones，_________ an important part in daily communication．

1. A.
   is playing
2. B.
   have played
3. C.
   are playing
4. D.
   play

E

Most of us are used to seasons. Each year, spring follows winter, which follows autumn, which follows summer, which follows spring. And winter is colder than summer. But the earth goes through temperature cycles over much longer periods than those that we experience.

Between 65,000 and 35,000 years ago, the planet was much colder than it is now. During that time the temperature also changed a lot, with periods of warming and cooling. Ice melted during the warm periods, which made sea levels rise. Water froze again during the cold periods.

A new study from Switzerland sheds light on where ice sheets melted during the ice age.

It now seems that the ice melted at both ends of the earth, rather than just in either northern or southern areas. This surprised the researchers from the University of Bern.

Scientists have long assumed(认为) that most of the ice that melted was in the Northern hemisphere(半球) during the 30,000-year-long ice age. That belief was held because the North Pole is surrounded by land, while the South Pole is surrounded by the Antarctic Ocean. It is easier for ice sheets to grow on land. If surrounded by sea, the ice can easily just slip to the ocean instead of building up.

The researchers used a computer model to look at the ways the ice could melt and how it might affect sea levels. They compared these results to evidence(迹象) of how temperatures and currents actually changed during that time.

The model showed that if it was only in the Northern hemisphere that ice melted, there would be a bigger effect on ocean currents(洋流) and sea temperatures than what actually happened. Studies suggest that melting just in the Southern hemisphere would have been impossible, too.

The only reasonable conclusion, the scientists could make, was that the ice melted equally in the North and the South.

It is still a mystery(谜) as to what caused the temperature changes that caused the ice to melt.

72. We can learn from the text that _____.

A.we have experienced temperature cycles since they began

B.what caused ice to melt is still unknown

C. the planet was much colder than it is now between 65,000 and 35,000 years ago, during which time temperature hardly changed

D. before the new study, scientists long believed that ice melted just in either northern or southern areas

73. The underlined phrase "sheds light on" （in Paragraph 3） can be replaced by _____.

A. throws doubts on B. beats down on C. makes it clear D. makes light of

74. The first two paragraphs were written _____.

A. to lead up to the subject that ice melted during the 30,000-year-long ice age

B. to describe what the weather was like during the ice age

C. to compare climate nowadays with that of the ice age

D. to explain what a temperature cycle is

75. Which of the following best shows the relationship between ice, ocean currents and temperatures according to the text?

A. Ice can easily slip into the ocean.

B. Temperature and currents changed as a result of ice melting.

C. Temperature changes lead to ice melting or water freezing, which in turn has an effect on ocean currents and temperature.

D. Ice melted and then froze again due to temperature.

E

How words came into being is unknown.All we assume is that some early men invented cortain sounds,in one way or another,to express thoughts and feelings,actions and things,so that they could talk with each other.Later they agreed upon certain signs,called letters,which could be put together to show those sounds,and which could be written down.Those sounds,whether spoken or written in letters,are called words.

The power of words,then,lies in their associations-the things they bring up to our minds.Words become filled with meaning for us by experience;and the longer we live,the more certain words bring back to us the happy and sad events of our past;and the more we read and learn,the more the number of words that mean something to us increases.

Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which have powerful effects on our minds and feelings.This clever use of words is what we call literary style.Above all,the real poet is a master of words.He can express his meaning in words which sing like music,and which by their position and association can move men to tears.We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use then correctly,or they will make our speech silly and common.

58.We learn from the text that language might have begun with(    )

A．expressions    B．actions    C．signs    D．sounds

59.What is mainly discussed in Faragraph 2?

A．The ……of new words      B．The importance of old words

C．The relation of human experience with words  

D．The gradual change and development of words

60.In the last paragraph,what does the anthor suggest that we should do?

A．Use words skilfully    B．Make musical speeches  

C．Learn poems by heart   D．Associate with listeners

E－mail,as well as telephones,　　 an important part in daily communication.

A.is playing　　　　　　　　　　　B.have played

C.are playing　　　　　　　　　　D.play

E

Once upon a time in a land far away, there was a wonderful old man who loved everything：animals, spiders, insects...

One day while walking through the woods the nice old man found a cocoon（茧）of a butterfly. He took it home. A few days later, a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged（露出）easily.

But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract（收缩） in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.

It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

 Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were allowed to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

And we could never fly.

In the story, what happened to the cocoon of the butterfly after the man’s help?

A. The cocoon was broken and the butterfly died.                   

B. The man helped the butterfly out of the cocoon more easily

    C. The butterfly couldn’t fly for ever normally.                              

    D. The butterfly should spend more time practicing flying.

What would have happened to the butterfly without the old man’s help?

    A. It would have died in the cocoon.       

    B. It would have become a true butterfly.

    C. It would have been strong enough to go farther.

    D. It would have stopped struggling through the cocoon.

The underlined word “cripple” in Paragraph 7 probably means ______.

    A. disable              B. climb                C. enable               D. beat

What can we learn from this story?

    A. Man can never go against nature.

B. It’s necessary to live with some difficulties.

C. One cannot help others without thinking twice.

D. Mankind should take good care of insects.