There are some kinds of detectives who do not wear a uniform, like Hausman, solve endless mysteries every year. There is, for example, the dust detective. Tiny bits of dust stick to your clothes, your fingernails, your hair, or your shoes. They catch in your nose and in your ears. They tell where you have been and what you have done lately. The dust detective often helps catch a criminal by proving that he has been on the scene of the crime（罪案）.

Then there is the wood detective. By studying a piece of wood he can tell what kind of tree the piece of wood came from. He can tell where it was grown, and how old it is. He can even tell you what the weather was like at a certain place the year Columbus landed in America. The growth rings on a tree tell him.

64．According to the selection, by studying a piece of wood, a wood detective can tell you________.

A．what the weather was like the year Columbus landed in America.

B．what the weather was like last year in the mountain

C．what the weather was like last month in your hometown

D．what kind of tree the piece of wood came from

65．What does the underlined word “they”(para. 1) mean?

A．Your clothes           B．Your finger-nail

C．Tiny bits of dust        D．Your shoes

Hercule Poirot looked over the small gate which gave admission to Pine Crest. It was a modern nicely-built house. It was on a hill top, and the hill top was planted with a few sparse pines. It had a small neat garden and a large elderly man was watering with a big tin.

Spence’s hair was now grey all over. He had not shrunk much in girth（围长）, though. He stopped watering and looked at the visitor at the gate. Hercule Poirot stood there without moving.

“God bless my soul,” said Spence. “It must be. It can’t be but it is. Yes, it must be Hercule Poirot!”

“Aha,” said Poirot, “you remember me. I’m grateful.”

Spence abandoned the watering can and came down to the gate.

“What brings you down here?”

“What has brought me to many places in my time,” said Poirot, “and what once a good many years ago brought you to see me. Murder, Spence.”

“I’m done with murder since I retired,” said Spence, “except in the case of weeds. Killing weeds is never easy as you think, something’s always wrong. How did you know where to find me?” he asked as he opened the gate and Poirot passed through.

“You sent me a Christmas card. It had your new address on it.”

“Ah yes, so I did. I’m old-fashioned, you know, I like to send round cards at Christmas time to a few old friends. I’m an old man now.”

“We both are.”

“Not much grey in your hair,” said Spence.

“I take care of my hair with a bottle,” said Poirot. “There is no need to appear in public with grey hair unless you wish to do so. By the way, why have you come to live in Woodleigh Common?”

“As a matter of fact, I came here to join forces with a sister of mine. She lost her husband, her children are married and living abroad. So I moved in here. Pensions（退休金）don’t go far nowadays, but we do comfortably living together.”

1.From their dialogue, we can learn about _______.

A. their common friends?? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B. Spence’s sister’s characters

C. their relationship?? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. Poirot’s recent life

2.Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Spence used to deal with murder.??

B. Poirot didn’t care about his appearance.

C. Spence moved to join his sister for lack of money.

D. Poirot came specially to reunite with his old friend.

3.From the passage we can infer that they might _______ next.

A. meet Spence’s family??? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B. discuss about a murder

C. visit Spence’s new home????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. water the garden together?

Hair loss can be an emotionally troubling experience for some women. Luckily, experts do have suggestions on how to treat and prevent this condition.
According to Dr. Robert Jones of the Hair Transplant Center in Oakville, ON, hair loss in women is largely genetically determined—he estimates that nearly 80 to 90 percent of hair loss in both men and women is due to a family history of the condition. But some women can experience hair loss as the result of a thyroid dysfunction, pregnancy hormones or because of side effects of medicines such as antidepressants and birth control pills. Nick Dimakos, founder of SureThik International in Toronto, agrees stress and lower-than-normal levels of estrogen (雌性激素) are other contributing factors to hair loss in females. Low levels of iron and over-use of chemical hair products such as artificial dyes (染料) can also lead to thinning hair, which can be especially difficult for women, for whom hair loss is much less socially acceptable than it is for men. “Women lose about 25 percent of their hair before even noticing there’s a problem,” Dimakos says. “It can be devastating (毁灭性的) for them.”
There is no surefire (一定成功的) way to prevent hair loss, but there are steps you can take to reduce the amount of hair you lose. Dimakos recommends visiting your doctor because early discovery and treatment can prevent unnecessary hair loss. He also recommends using mild hair products, avoiding hair dyes or extensions, avoiding smoking and taking vitamin B12 if you suspect hair loss may be in your future. Wearing hair in a ponytail (马尾辫) or braid (辫子) regularly can also lead to weakened hair that is likely to fall out, so it may be best to avoid wearing these styles too often.
Of course, if your hair begins to lose, you’d better seek treatment.
? Hair transplants
Very few women turn to hair transplants because unlike men, women suffering from hair loss usually have thinning hair all over their heads rather than only in one area. If there is not enough hair somewhere else on the head that can be taken to fill in the gaps, a transplant cannot be performed.
? Minoxidil
Found in Rogaine, an over-the-counter (OTC) product, this is a medicine that lowers blood pressure. But it can also slow down or stop hair loss, says Dimakos. This option may work for some women, but it is important to consult your physician before taking any type of medication.

One reaction to all the concern about tropical deforestation（毁林） is a blank stare that asks the question, "Since I don't live there, what does it have to do with me?"

The answer is that your way of life, wherever you live in the world, is tied to the tropics in many ways. If you live in a house, wash your hair, eat fruits and vegetables, drink soda, or drive a car, you can be certain that you are affected by the loss of tropical forests.

Biologically, we are losing the richest regions on earth when, each minute, a piece of tropical forest, the size of ten city blocks, disappears. As many as five million species of plants, animals, and insects (40 to 50 percent of all living things) live there, and are being lost faster than they can be found and described. Their loss is immeasurable.

Take rubber for example. For many uses, only natural rubber from trees will do. Synthetics are not good enough. Today over half the world's commercial rubber is produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, while the Amazon's rubber industry produces much of the world's four million tons. And rubber is an important material in making gloves, balloons, footwear and many sporting goods. Thousands of other tropical plants are valuable for their industrial use.

Many scientists strongly believe that deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect -- or heating of the earth from increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As we destroy forests, we lose their ability to change carbon dioxide into oxygen.

Carbon dioxide levels could double within the next half-century, warming the earth by as much as 4.5 degrees. The result? A partial melt-down of polar ice caps, raising sea levels as much as 24 feet; even 15 feet could threaten anyone living within 35 miles of the coast. Unbelievable? Maybe. But scientists warn that by the time we realise the severe effects of tropical deforestation, it will be 20 years too late.

Can tropical deforestation affect our everyday lives? Now, you should have got the answer.

1.The underlined word "synthetics" probably means_________.

A. natural rubber                   B. tropical materials

C. man-made material               D. commercial rubber

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

A. The forests are losing their function in turning carbon dioxide into oxygen.

B. Many of our daily uses are related to the tropical forests.

C. Tropical plants can be used to make industrial products.

D. High carbon dioxide levels will make the earth warmer.

3.The author's attitude towards the tropical deforestation is _________ .

A. puzzling        B. cold          C. supporting        D. opposed

4.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A. Tropical Forests                 B. The Value of Tropical Forests

C. Tropical Forests and Our Life     D. The Greenhouse Effects

In a US city, a woman parked her car in an attended lot. Hoping to get a discount on the cost of parking, she asked, “Do you give validation(批准)?”“Certainly,”replied the store's manager:“You are an excellent person and I love your hair.” That might be worth the cost of parking．I mean，who wouldn't pay a couple of dollars for this kind of validation?
Author Alan McGinIlis cites an interesting study about the power of positive encouragement．A second-grade teacher complained that her children were spending too much time standing up and roaming around the room rather than working．
Two psychologists observed the behavior of the children and the teacher. Every ten seconds they noted how many children were out of their seats. They counted 360 unseated children throughout each 20-minute period．They also noted that the teacher said "Sit down!" seven times during the same period．
The psychologists tried an experiment．They asked the teacher to tell the children to sit down more often. This time they noted that she commanded her students to sit down 27.5 times in an average 20-minute period, and now 540 were noted to be out of their seats during the same average period．Her increased scolding actually made the problem worse．
Then the experimenters tried a different task．They asked the teacher to quietly praise those children who were seated and working．At this time, children's roaming was decreased by 33％．They showed their best behavior when they were praised more and blamed less．
People who motivate others to take great action are almost always those who encourage more than criticize; who praise more and blame less.
Perhaps the woman's question is the correct one after all．"Do you give validation?" I hope I can always answer “YES”.
【小题1】When parking her car in an attended lot, the woman ________.