A young man named Charles Lyell had different ideas．He wrote a book about them called Principles of Geology．The earth, according to Lyell, was not only thousands of years old, it was millions of years old．As to(关于)the common belief that changes in the earth's surface happen suddenly because of a single earthquake or flood, he said that this might happen once in a while, but usually these changes took place very slowly．He believed that the surface of the earth had been changing from the beginning of time．The changes, he said, were caused by the long-term action of the winds and seas, and by forces such as volcanoes breaking out under the earth's surface．Once in a great while he thought, a mountain might appear for the first time after an earthquake．But usually mountains would rise slowly and steadily．Professor Henslow was interested in Lyell's ideas, but he did not actually believe them．Charles Darwin could not make up his mind about them．But they set him thinking along lines which would later change the beliefs of thoughtful people all over the world．

　　At Cambridge, Charles Darwin studied just enough to pass the examination, and received his college degree in 1831．During this time, he had become more and more interested in geology．At the end of the school year, he went to North Wales with one of his teachers to examine the rock formations(构成)and to search for fossils(化石)．Fossils are the remains of ancient living things．They are usually found fixed in rocks in the earth's crust(地壳)．Fossils may be of animals, such as fish, insects, birds, or humans．They may be of plants from tiny leaves to huge trees．When a living creature dies, it usually decays(腐烂)or is eaten by animals．However, if it sinks into a riverbed or is quickly covered by the blowing sands of a desert storm, the bones are kept up in the earth．Over many years the soft inner parts of a bone disappear, leaving the inside hollow．Water containing mineral enters into the hollow．Slowly the mineral hardens and makes the bone hard and heavy, like stone．

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阅读理解

　　We've reached a strange－some would say unusual－point．While fighting world hunger continues to be the matter of vital importance according to a recent report from the World Health Organization(WHO), more people now die from being overweight, or say, from being extremely fat, than from being underweight．It's the good life that's more likely to kill us these days．

　　Worse, nearly l8 million children under the age of five around the world are estimated to be overweight．What's going on?

　　We really don't have many excuses for our weight problems．The dangers of the problem have been drilled into us by public-health campaigns since 2001 and the message is getting through－up to a point．

　　In the 1970s, Finland, for example, had the highest rate of heart disease in the world and being overweight was its main cause．Not any more．A public-health campaign has greatly reduced the number of heart disease deaths by 80 per cent over the past three decades．

　　Maybe that explains why the percentage of people in Finland taking diet pills doubled between 2001 and 2005, and doctors even offer surgery of removing fat inside and change the shape of the body．That has become a sort of fashion．No wonder it ranks as the world's most body-conscious country．

　　We know what we should be doing to lose weight－but actually doing it is another matter．By far the most popular excuse is not taking enough exercise．More than half of us admit we lack willpower．

　　Others blame good food．They say：it's just too inviting and it makes them overeat．Still others lay the blame on the Americans, complaining that pounds have piled on thanks to eating too much American-style fast food．

　　Some also blame their parents－their genes．But unfortunately, the parents are wronged because they're normal in shape, or rather slim．

　　It's a similar story around the world, although people are relatively unlikely to have tried to lose weight．Parents are eager to see their kids shape up．Do as I say－not as I do．

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阅读理解

　　In the sea there are many islands．In its warm waters there are some little ones．We call them “coral Islands”．

　　A coral island is very nice to look at．It looks like a ring of land(一圈陆地)with trees, grass, and flowers on it．One part of the ring is open to the water．There is a little round lake inside the island．

　　If you look into this lake, you will see beautiful coral．You may think they are flowers．If you look at a piece of coral, you will see many little holes in it．In each of these holes a very small sea animal has lived．These sea animals make the coral．

　　They began to build under the water．Year after year, the coral grew higher and higher．At last it grew out of the water．

　　Then the sea brought it small trees and something else．After some years, these things changed into earth．Sometimes the wind brought seeds to this earth．Sometimes birds flew over it and brought seeds to the island．

　　The little seeds grew．In a few years there were plants all over the island．In a few more years there were trees growing there．

　　So you see, these islands were built little by little．The workers were very small．Do they not teach us a lesson?Can you think what the lesson is?

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