31^st October —— A team of British explorers has announced they are going to the North Pole to measure the ice cap’s thickness. The exploration will take ground-based readings (仪表的读数) of an ice formation which most scientists agree is shrinking at an alarming rate.

    Explorer Pen Hadow’s three-member team will pull a sled-fixed radar device, which measures ice density every eight centimeters, 2,000 kilometers across the Arctic and will produce millions of readings.

    They will leave in February, 2008 and will face temperatures of -50℃ on a journey that will take up to 120 days. They have been testing their equipment in Britain and Canada.

    Hadow is excited about the prospects (前景), “For the first time we will be able to transmit video images — webcam film of the expedition — as it unfolds so people can track us, and the whole idea is to engage as many people as we can in what we’re doing.”

    New fallen snow on top of the ice makes ground-based measurements more accurate than satellite data.

    “It has been in the planning stage for a while,” said Hadow. “We spent the last two years developing impulse radar (冲击雷达), which normally is about 100 kilograms and hangs under an aircraft and so on. We’ve managed to get it down to about 4 kilograms. It’s the size of a briefcase and we are dragging it behind the sled as we go.”

　　　　The ice cap shrank enough in 2007 so that a pathway through the cap known as the Northwest Passage opened up during the melting of the Arctic summer.

    Cambridge University’s Joao Rodrigues explains, “Thickness of the ice cap will determine how much solar radiation will be reflected and the heat exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere and it is thus a vital component (成分) of climate models.”

    If warming trends continue, some experts predict that the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free during the summer within a few decades.

１ What would be the best title for the text?

A. Exploration to the North Pole.

B. Arctic ice cap shrinking.

C. Arctic ice survey announced.

D. Ground-based measurements of ice.

２. What is special about the exploration?

A. It will be broadcast live on the Internet.

B. Explorers will use a sled-fixed radar device.

C. Explorers will travel in extremely cold conditions.

D. Ground-based measurements are more accurate.

３. What is the purpose of the exploration?

A. To measure the ice cap’s thickness.

B. To study whether ice will disappear in the Arctic.

C. To make a film about the Arctic exploration.

D. To make people interested in what they are doing.

４. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. ice in the Arctic will disappear in ten years

B. the exploration will last for half a year

C. Hadow spent two years developing a kind of radar, which is about 100 kilograms

D. if there is snow on ice, satellites can’t measure the ice thickness accurately enough

５. From the passage, we learn that ________.

A. the explorers will measure ice density every other centimeter

B. people will be able to follow the explorers and see what they are doing  

C. people could go through the Northwest Passage in the 2007 Arctic summer

D. the equipment that Hadow’s team use will be tested in the United States

How to Be a Winner

　　Sir Steven Redgrave

　　Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals

　　“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes(糖尿病). Believing my career（职业生涯） was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”

　　Karen Pickering

　　Swimming World Champion

 “I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success-you can’t follow a career in any field without being well—organized. List what you believe you can achieve. Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”

　　Kirsten Best

　　Poet & Writer

“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological（心理的） tool”

What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?

A. Difficulties influenced his career.       B. Specialists offered him medical advice.

C. Training helped him defeat his disease.   D. He overcame the shadow of illness to win.

What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?

A. Her training schedule.                B. Her daily happenings.

C. Her achievements.                   D. Her sports career.

What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to？

A. Ways that help one to focus.           B. Words that help one to feel less tense.

C. Activities that turn one's attention away.  D. Habits that make it hard for one to relax.

According to the passage ,what do the three people have in common?

A. Courage.   B. Devotion.    C. Hard work    .D. Self-confidence.

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。(满分２５分)                       

After my brother died in an accident , my mother was inconsolable(痛苦的，极其伤心的). I was only 4 years old at that time, but I still understood the seismic shift（地震的改变） in my mom’s attitude towards safety. Suddenly, everything around us was potentially dangerous.

I grew up with a lot of restrictions（限制）that were meant to protect me. I couldn’t walk home from school by myself even though everyone I knew already did. I couldn’t attend parties, or go to summer camp, because what if something happened to me. My life was divided into “things you should avoid” and “things you needed to do in order to have a good , long life”.

I became a natural worrier. I worried about things like getting cancert, losing my wallet, car accidents, and earthquakes-disasters big and small, real and imagined.

When I was 14, my mother died suddenly in a car accident. That loss, on top of my brother’s unnatural death, could have paralyzed(瘫痪) me. But at my mom’s funeral, I made a choice. I could either live out the rest of my life trying to be “safe”　or I could be brave enough to live out a fulfilling, exciting and, yes, sometimes dangerous life.

I began constantly forcing myself to do the things that frighten or worry me. In fact, I’ve developed a rule for myself: If it scares（使….害怕） me, I have to do it at least once. I’ve done lots of things that my mom would have worried about: I’ve ridden a motorcycle, I’ve dived, I’ve tried rock-climbing, I’ve traveled a lot.

Courage（勇气，勇敢） isn’t a natural attribute (性格) of human beings. I believe that we have to practice being courageous; using courage is like developing a muscle. The more often I do things that scare me, the more I realize that I can do a lot more than I originally thought I could. I’ve also come to believe that fear can be good thing if we face it.

写作内容

1. 以约３０词概括以上短文的主要内容；

2. 然后以约１２０词写一篇短文谈谈你对培养勇气的看法，并包括如下要点：

1).勇气是否需要后天的培养；

2).以你自己成长的经历（真实的或虚拟的）举例说明。

写作要求:

可参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文句子。

How to Be a Winner

Sir Steven Redgrave  

Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals  

“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes （糖尿病） . Believing my career （职业生涯）was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it----the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”  

Karen Pickering  

Swimming World Champion  

“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success―you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. “Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”  

Kirsten Best  

Poet ＆ Writer  

“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological （心理的） tool.”  

 　　60. What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?

　　A. Difficulties influenced his career.

　　B. Specialists offered him medical advice.

　　C. Training helped him defeat his disease.

　　D. He overcame the shadow of illness to win.

　　61. What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?

　　A. Her training schedule.

　　B. Her daily happenings.

　　C. Her achievements.

　　D. Her sports career.

　　62.What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to？

　　A. Ways that help one to focus.

　　B. Words that help one to feel less tense.

　　C. Activities that turn one's attention away.

　　D. Habits that make it hard for one to relax.

　　63. According to the passage ,what do the three people have in common?

　　A. Courage.

　　B. Devotion.

　　C. Hard work.

　　D. Self-confidence.

The Story of the Farmer and His Donkey (驴子)
One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried pitifully for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway and it just wasn’t worth to save the donkey. So, he decided to bury（埋） it!
He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all took shovel（铲子）and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly, then slowly he quieted down till nothing more was heard.
A few shovels later, the farmer finally looked down into the well, and was surprised at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something wonderful—he would shake it off and take a step up!
As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was surprised as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and went off quickly!
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells by not stopping, never giving up, shaking it off, and taking a step up!
1. The donkey quieted down, because ________.
A. it was dead                           B. it was tired
　C. it had given up trying                   D. it had a good way to survive
2. We know from the story that ________.
A. all the donkeys in the world are clever         
B. it is easy for donkeys to fall into a well
C. the neighbors helped bury the donkey
D. the owner pushed the donkey into the well
3. The writer of the passage is most probably ________.
A. an optimistic person                  B. a pet lover
C. an animal protector                   D. a cold-hearted man
4. The writer wants to tell us “________”.
A. A cat has 9 lives                　  B. Facing difficulties, never give up
C. A friend in need is a friend indeed       D. No pains, no gains