A boy of 14 has become the youngest student to win a place at Cambridge University. Arran Fernandez, who was  16 at home by his father, Neil, will 17  a mathematics degree at Fitzwilliam College next month and he hopes to have a career as a research mathematician to 18  the Riemann hypothesis(黎曼猜想) that has confused the brightest minds. It will make him the youngest Cambridge student  19 14-year-old William Pitt the Younger studied there in 1773.

Last night the child genius said: “I am looking forward to going to the  20  . I have started the first-year books  21   and it is all right, not too  22  . I can understand it. I am excited about going to Cambridge,  23  I am used to making records about being the youngest in education. It isn’t the youngest moment that is so important to me--  24  I’m more interested in going to Cambridge than comparing   25  with other people who go there.”

But  26 his age he will not be able to    27  many of the alcohol-fuelled festivities(庆典) traditionally  28  to Freshers’ Week. “I don’t think I’m missing too much fun,” he insisted. “Even if I was 18, I wouldn’t want to go out  29 . ”

Arran,  30   plans to join the bird-watching society instead and go boating while at university, was five when he  31  the youngest person to be  32   a GCSE (General Certificated of Secondary Education), after passing maths. He was offered the   33  to learn at Cambridge in 2010, when he was 14, on the condition he gained an A-level in physics, which he  34  with an A+ grade. Arran had already gained an A grade in further maths last year.

Cambridge also asked him to attend three GCSEs in subjects which were not related to maths and physics to  35   his knowledge. He gained A+s in English literature and French and an A in English language this summer.

A group of graduates，highly established in their careers，got together to visit their old university professor.
The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and in life.offering his guests coffee，the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of cups——plastic，glass，crystal(水晶)，some plain—looking，some expensive，some fine——telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand，the professor said：“If you noticed，all the nice—looking，expensive cups were taken up，leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves，that is the source of your problems and stress.”
“What all of you really wanted was coffee，not the cup，but you consciously went for the best cups and were eyeing each other’s cups.”
“Now consider this：Life is the coffee and the jabs，money and position in society are the cups.They are just tools to hold and contain life，and do not change the quality of life.Sometimes，by concentrating only on the cup，we fail to enjoy the coffee.So，don’t let the cups drive you...enjoy the coffee instead.”

1. 1.

   Why did the conversation soon turn into complaints?
   

   1. A.
      Because there was no coffee to drink.
   2. B.
      Because there was nothing to talk about except complaints.
   3. C.
      Because life was not easy for everyone.
   4. D.
      Because there was nothing better than to complain.
2. 2.

   The professor brought in a variety of cups because______.
   

   1. A.
      he was richer than his students
   2. B.
      he was fond of collecting cups
   3. C.
      there were too many people to drink coffee
   4. D.
      the cups would play an important part in his talk
3. 3.

   In the author’s opinion______.
   

   1. A.
      it is necessary to have a variety of cups to meet the needs of different guests
   2. B.
      one should concentrate on main things in life
   3. C.
      the students liked drinking coffee mole than anything else
   4. D.
      cups are more important than coffee
4. 4.

   We can infer that______.
   

   1. A.
      in our daily life most people want only the best for themselves
   2. B.
      coffee was as important as a cup
   3. C.
      a teacher should have a11 kinds of cups at home
   4. D.
      whether coffee is nice to drink depends on the cup

    Eating kangaroos instead of cattle and sheep has been given a scientific stamp of approval by

the government’s top climate change adviser.

The belch（嗳气） of millions of farm animals is a major contributor to Australia’s greenhouse

gas emissions（排放）, notes professor Ross Garnaut in a major report to the government on global warming.

Kangaroos, on the other hand, breathe out little amounts of methane（甲烷） gas.

If farmers were included in a system requiring industry to buy permits for the gas they

produce, the cost of meat would rise and could lead to a change in eating habits, says Garnaut.

“For most of Australia’s human history---around 60,000 years –the kangaroo was the main

source of meat,” he says.

“It could again become important. However, there are some barriers to this change, including livestock and farm management issues, consumer resistance and the gradual nature of change in food tastes.”

Garnaut cites a study looking at the potential for kangaroos to replace sheep and cattle for

meat production in Australia’s rangelands, where kangaroos are already harvested.

The study concludes that by 2020, beef cattle and sheep numbers could be reduced by seven

million and 36 million respectively, allowing for an increase in kangaroo numbers from 34 million now to 240 million by 2020.

This would be more than enough to replace the lost lamb and beef production, and kangaroo

meat would become more profitable than cattle and sheep as the price of emissions permits increased.

Garnaut’s report says livestock, mainly cattle and sheep, are responsible for some 67% of

agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.

Despite being the national animal and appearing on the Australian coat of arms, kangaroos are

slaughtered in the wild each year to control their numbers and much of the meat is used for pet food.

The idea of farming them for human consumption is controversial, but many Australians

already eat kangaroo meat.

55．Which of the following statements is true about kangaroos?

       A．Kangaroos have appeared on a scientific stamp.

       B．Kangaroos breathe out air containing little methane gas.

       C．Kangaroos are the main source of meat for Australians.

       D．Kangaroos are protected in a way because they are national animals.

56．All the following are factors that prevent kangaroos from being the main source of meat for Australian except ________.

       A．Whether the price of the kangaroo meat is acceptable

       B．Whether consumers like the new idea.

       C．How the farms are run.         

       D．Whether consumers become used to eating the meat

57．The underlined word “controversial” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.

       A．acceptable          B．positive        C．negative        D．arguable

58．What’s the main idea of the passage?

       A．Kangaroos may replace other animals in Australia in the near future.

       B．People aren’t willing to eat kangaroo meat.

       C．People are called on to eat kangaroo meat to reduce global warming.

       D．Kangaroos pollute the environment less than other animals.

People in China, as in other parts of the world, are waiting to see how U.S. President-elect Barack Obama will deal with global problems such as the current economic slowdown once he takes office. As Sam Beattie reports from Beijing, there is widespread hope for closer U.S.-Chinese cooperation.
For many students in Beijing, Mr. Obama symbolizes all that is possible in the United States. He’s a popular winner here, seen as a self-made man who has made it to the top.
"I think he is very charming, and a president who can create a new era," said Zhang Wei, a university student. "I like him very much and most of my friends do too." Ni Weibo, another university student, agrees. "Sino-U.S. relations still need more cooperation," she said. "I think he will help take it to a new era."
China’s President Hu Jintao congratulated Mr. Obama within hours of his victory, saying he hoped bilateral ties could be made stronger.
Political analysts here say China will be looking for the incoming president to avoid contentious issues such as Taiwan’s independence, human rights and Tibet.
Instead, they say Beijing would like Mr. Obama to focus on solving the global economic crisis, and to help China’s slowing economy by opening up U.S. markets.
But trade relations might be a sticking point, says Renmin University’s Professor of International Studies, Shi Yinhong.
He warns, "There is a possibility that President Obama will take some protectionist measures which China will not accept, then trade disputes could develop to a degree that we have not seen ever before."
Despite making the headlines, Mr. Obama faces some tough challenges in managing the U.S. relationship with China. China is now a stronger and more confident country than the China his
predecessors dealt with. And in this time of economic uncertainty, analysts say it’s a country with which Mr. Obama will want to maintain a good relationship.
【小题1】What can we infer from the first three paragraphs?