At the top of a hill,we can usually get a good view of everything around us,so from there we can plan which direction to go next.

As we go downhill,we can see less and less,and at the bottom of that hill,even less.So,because we can see more from the top of the hill,we can also plan our future better.

In business,education,or anything else that people do,being”on top”means being the best.A business that is”on top”is beating all its competition in the same way,a student”on top”is getting the highest grades in his or her class.

Such a business or student is in a good position to plan a positive future.

It is necessary,however,to continue to work very hard to keep one’s position”on top”.If one allows high standards to fall through inattention,mismanagement,or poor quality control,we can say that that person’s work or business is”going downhill”.

1.What does”go downhill”in this passage mean?

A.See less.　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.Be in a worse condition.

C.Get worse.　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.Slip off the top of a hill.

2.If a company 　　　,it will go downhill.

A.beats all its competition　　　　　　　 B.no longer gets a good view

C.is run improperly　　　　　　　　　　　 D.has no direction to go next

3.The writer wants to tell us that 　　　.

A.we’d better often plan our future

B.it’s worth trying to keep”on top”

C.it’s not easy to keep high standard

D.the higher we stand the further we can see

 

New genetic analysis has revealed that many Amazon tree species are likely to survive human-made climate warming in the coming century, contrary to previous findings that temperature increases would cause them to die out. A study,   1  in the latest edition of Ecology and Evolution, reveals the   2  age of some Amazonian tree species -- more than 8 million years -- and   3  shows that they have survived previous periods as warm as many of the global warming imagined periods   4  for the year 2100.

The authors write that, having survived warm periods in the past, the trees will   5  survive future warming, provided there are no other major environmental changes.   6  extreme droughts and forest fires will impact Amazonia as temperatures   7 , the trees will stand the direct impact of higher temperatures. The authors   8  that as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions to minimize the risk of drought and fire, conservation policy should remain   9  on preventing deforestation（采伐森林）for agriculture and mining.

The study disagrees with other recent researches which predicted tree species’ extinctions   10  relatively small increases in global average air temperatures.

Study co-author Dr Simon Lewis (UCL Geography) said the   11  were good news for Amazon tree species, but warned that drought and over-exploitation of the forest remained major   12  to the Amazon’s future.

Dr Lewis said: “The past cannot be compared directly with the future. while tree species seem likely to   13  higher air temperatures than today, the Amazon forest is being transformed for agriculture and   14 , and what remains is being degraded by logging, and increasingly split up by fields and roads.

“Species will not move as freely in today’s Amazon as they did in previous warm periods, when there was no human   15 . Similarly, today’s climate change is extremely fast, making comparisons with slower changes in the past   16 .”

“With a clearer   17  of the relative risks to the Amazon forest, we   18  that direct human impacts -- such as forest clearances for agriculture or mining -- should remain a key point of conservation policy. We also need more aggressive   19  to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to make minimum the risk of drought and fire impacts and   20  the future of most Amazon tree species.”

1.                A．advertised      B．described       C．published D．presented

 

2.                A．frightening      B．surprising       C．exciting   D．interesting

 

3.                A．still            B．nevertheless     C．however  D．therefore

 

4.                A．assess          B．confirm         C．forecast  D．promise

 

5.                A．particularly      B．probably        C．merely   D．possibly

 

6.                A．Since          B．Although        C．When    D．If

 

7.                A．rise            B．change         C．drop D．end

 

8.                A．consider        B．decide         C．guarantee D．recommend

 

9.                A．based          B．built           C．focused  D．made

 

10.               A．in relation to    B．in response to   C．in reply to D．in reference to

 

11.               A．findings        B．thoughts        C．inventions D．writings

 

12.               A．threats         B．disadvantages    C．embarrassments D．instructions

 

13.               A．accept         B．tolerate        C．permit    D．Require

 

14.               A．farming        B．planting        C．catering   D．mining

 

15.               A．power         B．influence       C．desire D．violence

 

16.               A．difficult        B．clear           C．easy  D．important

 

17.               A．belief          B．direction       C．understanding  D．suggestion

 

18.               A．doubt          B．conclude       C．calculate  D．prefer

 

19.               A．thought        B．guidance       C．protection D．action

 

20.               A．secure         B．advance        C．sacrifice   D．evaluate

 

 

The dams① aimed at saving Venice from the waves have been backed greatly. After eight years of argument, it plans to build 79 gates across three channels connecting the lagoon around Venice with the Adriatic Sea. The gates would be open most of the time but would be closed if there is a danger to the city.

The project, though, has run into fears that it could worsen Venice’s problems. The city throws waste into the lagoon, and environmentalists fear the dams will cause this pollution to become worse if there is no tide to wash it out regularly. But if there is a tide, the flow can wash away about 550 million cubic meters of the lagoon in a single day, which means that by leaving the dam open for only a few hours, the waste should be cleaned out.

Another piece of good news is that British scientists are confident that the dams will be able to face an expected rise in sea levels caused by global warming. The gates are designed to stand a 22-centimetre rise in sea levels, but many scientists expect a global rise in sea levels of 31cm by 2100.

However, Trevor Davies and Isabel Trigo from University of East Anglia believe the dams are unlikely to broken. Climate change will weaken the local storms in the Adriatic that are the main cause of flood risk. Floodwaters are also a seasonal danger in Venice, usually because of a combination of spring tides and strong winds.

Venice, which rests on wooden piles driven into boggy③ ground, has been sinking for centuries, worsening the encroachment by the sea.

Notes:

① dam  n.  大坝

② lagoon  n.  泻湖

③ boggy  adj.  泥泞的

④ encroachment  n.  蚕食

Choose the best answers according to the above:

1. Which of the following is the main idea of the text?

  A. Venice will not disappear into the sea.

  B. Dams are designed to protect Venice.

  C. Venice are facing dangers from the tides.

  D. Global warming makes Venice worse and worse.

2. If the project comes into use, the waste in the lagoon ______.

  A. will be washed away by the tides               B. will be sent to the higher places

  C. will be carried away by workers                D. will have to be reused by humans

3. According to the idea of Trevor Davies, the dams won’t be broken because ______.

  A. the dams are higher than the buildings in Venice

  B. there will be no tides or floods in the future

  C. the climate all over the world will soon be cold

  D. the storms in the Adriatic will be weaker in the future

4. According to the text, we can infer that Venice ______.

  A. has been sinking for hundreds of years

B. may suffer from spring tides and strong winds

  C. will be under the sea sooner or later

  D. will be a city with dams around except 78 gates

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21~36各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

  The weather was perfect. We were just out for a picnic. When lunch time came, we decided to go and __21__ what each of us wanted, and meet back on the grass.

  Susan and I headed for a hot dog stand. We watched the seller put together the hot dog. But when Susan took out her __22__, the man surprised us.

  “It looks a little overdone,” he said, “so you don’t have to pay me.”

  We said our thanks, __23__ our friends, and began to enjoy our food. But as we talked and ate, I noticed a man sitting alone nearby, in __24__ clothes. I could tell that he hadn’t had a bath for days. Another homeless person, I thought.

  We finished eating but when Susan and I went to __25__ away the lunch bag, I heard a voice ask, “There isn’t any __26__ in that bag, is there?”

  It was the homeless man. I didn’t know what to say. “No, I __27__ it already.”

  “Oh, really?” was his only answer. He was obviously very __28__.

  I felt bad for him, __29__ I didn’t know what to do. Suddenly Susan said, “I’ll be __30__ back. Please wait for me a minute.” I watched curiously as she went across to the hot dog stand. Then I __31__ what she was doing. She bought a hot dog, crossed back, and gave the man the food.

  When she came back to us, Susan said simply, “I was just passing on the __32__ that someone gave to me.”

  That day I learned how generosity can go __33__ than the person you give to. By giving, you __34__ others how to give also. You never know what happiness a simple __35__ of concern will bring about.

A. get          B. pass                  C. drop                 D. keep

A. present    B. money              C. key                   D. menu

A. joined            B. helped        C. visited              D. guided

A. lovely            B. special              C. dirty                 D. popular

A. drive              B. throw         C. wash                 D. pull

A. food        B. water                C. cigarette            D. medicine

A. bought    B. cooked              C. served        D. ate

A. cold        B. nervous             C. hungry              D. crazy

A. but          B. while                C. so                     D. or

A. almost          B. still                   C. just                   D. right

A. remembered B. imagined     C. recognized  D. realized

A. devotion       B. kindness            C. pleasure            D. mercy

A. quicker  B. higher        C. farther              D. deeper

A. offer            B. teach                 C. train                 D. advise

A. way              B. show                 C. scene                D. act

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21~36各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

  The weather was perfect. We were just out for a picnic. When lunch time came, we decided to go and __21__ what each of us wanted, and meet back on the grass.

  Susan and I headed for a hot dog stand. We watched the seller put together the hot dog. But when Susan took out her __22__, the man surprised us.

  “It looks a little overdone,” he said, “so you don’t have to pay me.”

  We said our thanks, __23__ our friends, and began to enjoy our food. But as we talked and ate, I noticed a man sitting alone nearby, in __24__ clothes. I could tell that he hadn’t had a bath for days. Another homeless person, I thought.

  We finished eating but when Susan and I went to __25__ away the lunch bag, I heard a voice ask, “There isn’t any __26__ in that bag, is there?”

  It was the homeless man. I didn’t know what to say. “No, I __27__ it already.”

  “Oh, really?” was his only answer. He was obviously very __28__.

  I felt bad for him, __29__ I didn’t know what to do. Suddenly Susan said, “I’ll be __30__ back. Please wait for me a minute.” I watched curiously as she went across to the hot dog stand. Then I __31__ what she was doing. She bought a hot dog, crossed back, and gave the man the food.

  When she came back to us, Susan said simply, “I was just passing on the __32__ that someone gave to me.”

  That day I learned how generosity can go __33__ than the person you give to. By giving, you __34__ others how to give also. You never know what happiness a simple __35__ of concern will bring about.

 

1.A. get             B. pass                        C. drop                        D. keep

2.A. present     B. money          C. key                          D. menu

3.A. joined                 B. helped          C. visited                   D. guided

4.A. lovely                  B. special          C. dirty                        D. popular

5.A. drive          B. throw            C. wash                      D. pull

6.A. food           B. water                     C. cigarette               D. medicine

7.A. bought      B. cooked                   C. served          D. ate

8.A. cold            B. nervous                 C. hungry          D. crazy

9.A. but             B. while                      C. so                            D. or

10.A. almost             B. still                          C. just                         D. right

11.A. remembered B. imagined      C. recognized  D. realized

12.A. devotion B. kindness                C. pleasure                D. mercy

13.A. quicker   B. higher           C. farther                   D. deeper

14.A. offer                 B. teach                      C. train                       D. advise

15.A. way                   B. show                      C. scene                     D. act