Not long ago the movie 2012 came into screen. The people were threatened by those scenes of destroying flood, severe earthquake, terrifying hurricane and constructions representing human civilization being destroyed and even swallowed by disaster. Luckily, they are just the director’s imagination, but the present situation is not heading a positive direction, either.
Take my own experience in Alaska as an example. Once I took a trip to the glacier. Along the way there stood signposts marking the snow lines of different years. They started from the foot of the mountain, but it was at the top when I finally saw melting glaciers(融化的冰川). My heart ached seeing the beautiful blue ice melting at every second.
Sad but true, they are the effects of global warming and the result of our human impact. Furthermore, each year the rising sea level will kill 56 million people, and that's about the population of the en tire Italy. According to studies, if the temperature keeps on rising like this, by the year 2050, some islands and coastal cities including New York, Shanghai, Tokyo and Sydney will be drowned in water.
Our fortune is in our own hands. It depends on us to shape our future, to reduce future human impact and find ways to form a peaceful relationship with our environment. Therefore, it's time for actions to be taken right now. Contribute a little to energy saving by using more efficient light bulbs and less hot water. Let recycle become our habit by thinking twice before throwing something away. Let us take public transportation as our first choice when going to a certain place. It might cost more time for now, but it' s to the benefit of a permanent future. Take care of every tree and grass around us by watering them or simply just avoid destroying them．
In a word, small drops of water make a big ocean. The earth does not belong to us. On the contrary, we belong to the earth. Please bear in mind that the earth is our home. It is our responsibility to build a brighter and better future of our planet and prevent what happened in the movie 2012 from becoming reality．                
【小题1】Why does the author talk about the movie 2012 in the passage ?     

Not long ago the movie 2012 came into screen. The people were threatened by those scenes of destroying flood, severe earthquake, terrifying hurricane and constructions representing human civilization being destroyed and even swallowed by disaster. Luckily, they are just the director’s imagination, but the present situation is not heading a positive direction, either.
Take my own experience in Alaska as an example. Once I took a trip to the glacier. Along the way there stood signposts marking the snow lines of different years. They started from the foot of the mountain, but it was at the top when I finally saw melting glaciers(融化的冰川). My heart ached seeing the beautiful blue ice melting at every second.
Sad but true, they are the effects of global warming and the result of our human impact. Furthermore, each year the rising sea level will kill 56 million people, and that's about the population of the en tire Italy. According to studies, if the temperature keeps on rising like this, by the year 2050, some islands and coastal cities including New York, Shanghai, Tokyo and Sydney will be drowned in water.
Our fortune is in our own hands. It depends on us to shape our future, to reduce future human impact and find ways to form a peaceful relationship with our environment. Therefore, it's time for actions to be taken right now. Contribute a little to energy saving by using more efficient light bulbs and less hot water. Let recycle become our habit by thinking twice before throwing something away. Let us take public transportation as our first choice when going to a certain place. It might cost more time for now, but it' s to the benefit of a permanent future. Take care of every tree and grass around us by watering them or simply just avoid destroying them．
In a word, small drops of water make a big ocean. The earth does not belong to us. On the contrary, we belong to the earth. Please bear in mind that the earth is our home. It is our responsibility to build a brighter and better future of our planet and prevent what happened in the movie 2012 from becoming reality．                
【小题1】Why does the author talk about the movie 2012 in the passage ?     

Passage Sixteen (Mules)
Although the top men in smuggling business must work together, most of a syndicate’s small fry, especially the mules, know only their immediate contacts. If caught there is little they can give away. A mule probably will not even know the name of the person who gives him his instructions, nor how to get in touch with him. Usually he even does not know the person to whom he has to make delivery. He will be told just to sit tight in a certain hotel or bar until someone contacts him. In this way if he is blown, coming through airport customs he cannot unwittingly lead agents to the next link in the chain. All the persons at the receiving end do is to hang around the airport among the waiting crowd, and see that the mule comes through safely. If he does not, he is dimply written off as a loss. To make identification of mules easier, several syndicates have devised their own “club ties” so that a mule wearing one can immediately be picked out.
Mules often receive careful training before embarking on their first journey. One Beirut organization, for example, uses a room with three airline seats in it. There the trainee mules sit for hours on end wearing weighted smuggling vests beneath their clothes, so that they become accustomed to standing up after a long flight in a natural way, and without revealing what they are carrying. An outfit in Brussels maintained a comfortable apartment where the mules could relax and get a firm grip on themselves on the night before their first journey; they were helped to dress before setting out for the airport in the morning. More often than not a courier will not know precisely where he is going or what flight number is until he is actually handed his tickets at the airport. This prevents the careless boast in some bar or to a girl friend the night before.
Mules occasionally run off with the goods to keep the profit themselves. As insurance against this, a syndicate often sends a high-up on the same plane to keep a wary eye on couriers, particularly new ones. Even then things can go badly wrong. One international currency smuggler who was having trouble getting money out of Britain was offered help by a group of men who said they were in a position to “fix thing” – for a fee of course. Foolishly, the smuggler agreed to accept their help. When he got to London’s Heathrow Airport, he handed over to one of the men a black suitcase containing nearly $90,000 in cash, destined for Frankfurt. Just to keep an eye on things, the smuggler went along on the same plane. When they landed at Frankfurt he was handed back his suitcase. He beat a straight path to the men’s toilet, opened the case, and found only old clothes. The courier had switched suitcase en route, but the smuggler could hardly run to the police and complain that “the man who was smuggling money out of England for me has stolen it.”
1.What is a “mule”?
A.A person who sends smuggling goods for a syndicate is called mule.
B.A person in charge of smuggling goods is called mule.
C.A person who makes delivery for a syndicate is called mule.
D.A person who receives instructions from a smuggler is called mule.
2.The sentence “if he is blown” in line (6) is closest in meaning to
A.if he is arrested.
B.if he is recognized, but not necessarily arrested.
C.if he is recognized and arrested.
D.if he runs away.
3.Why does the author give an example in the last paragraph?
A.To show how a smuggler is caught.
B.To show a smuggler is afraid of the police.
C.To show to keep a wary eye on couriers is useless.
D.To show mules may keep the profit for themselves.
4.how does a mule work?
A.Jointly.
B.Independently.
C.consciously.
D.Separately.

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands.__16__people were reluctant (不情愿的) to work on farms along the Atlantic. They feared the violent storms __17__ the ocean. As the farmer interviewed__18__for the job, he received a steady stream of __19__ .

Finally, a short, thin man, __20__ past middle age, approached（接近） the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him.

"Well, I can sleep__21__ the wind blows," answered the little man.

Although __22__ by this answer, the farmer, in great need of help, __23__ him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt __24__ with the man's work.

Then one night the wind blew __25__ in from offshore. __26__ out of bed, the farmer rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and shouted, "__27__ ! A storm is coming! __28__ things down before they blow away!"

The little man __29__ in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Angered by the response, the farmer meant to fire him on the spot. __30__ , he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his __31__ , he discovered that all of the haystacks(草垛) had been covered with tarpaulins(帆布). The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. Everything was tied down. __32__ could blow away.

The farmer then understood __33__ his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew. When you're __34__ , spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to__35__. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?

1.                A．No            B．Few            C．Most D．All

2.                A．Above         B．Across          C．below    D．through

3.                A．Applicants      B．peasants        C．workers  D．engineers

4.                A．arrivals         B．refusals         C．approvals D．finals

5.                A．well           B．Too            C．very D．pretty

6.                A．when          B．before         C．after D．because

7.                A．Pleased         B．puzzled         C．surprised D．frightened

8.                A．fired           B．scolded         C．hired D．ordered

9.                A．Disappointed    B．satisfied        C．excited   D．tired

10.               A．loudly          B．Slightly         C．hardly D．silently

11.               A．Jumping        B．Rising          C．Getting    D．Falling

12.               A．Stand up        B．Get up         C．Sit down   D．Lie down

13.               A．Let            B．Put            C．Lay   D．Tie

14.               A．rolled over      B．jumped over     C．rolled up  D．jumped up

15.               A．Therefore      B．Otherwise      C．likewise   D．Instead

16.               A．expectation     B．imagination      C．amazement D．sorrow

17.               A．Something      B．Everything      C．Anything  D．Nothing

18.               A．how           B．which          C．that  D．what

19.               A．prepared       B．finished        C．determined    D．En

20.               A．beat           B．win            C．desire D．fear

PART THREE   READING COMPREHENSION

Directions： Read the following three passages. Each'passage1 is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices' marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information giv­en in the passage.

A

Short reader – submitted stories – for the woman you should think of today!

                                                   ——Compiled by Amy Zerello

Great Minds Reminded of Mom

After a long, exhausting day, a friend of mine, Allen, headed home. On the road, he passed an elderly woman who was standing by a car with a flat tire. If that were his mother, he thought, he would want someone to help her. With a tired sigh, he turned around and drove back.

Just as he reached the stranded woman, a truck pulled up and a burly farmer got out. "Kindof reminds you of your mom, too?" the man asked as the two of them pitched in together to change the tire for the woman.

-- Contributed by Katherine L. Houge

Your Biggest Fan

While waiting in a bookstore for a guest author to sign her latest book, I leafed through some of the Civil War novels she had written. The woman in line behind me commented, "Those are the best books I've ever read. I couldn't put them down." Before I could reply, the author frowning, looked over and said, "Oh, come on, Mom!"

-- Contributed by Marilyn Kopp

Head of the Household

My husband, Jeff, and I came across several problems while assembling our new computer system, so we called the help desk. The man on the phone started to talk to Jeff in computer jargon(行业术语), which confused us even more.

"Sir," my husband politely said, "please explain what I should do as if I were a four-year-old."

"Okay," the computer technician replied. "Sweetie, could you please put your mommy on the phone?"

-- Contributed by Lena Worth

How does it feel to tickle your mom’s funny bone?

Now send your own funny story to us! You could earn up to $ 300!

1．Who would the burly man be in the first joke?

       A．Another kind helper.       B．The old lady’s son.

       C．Allen’s friend.         D．A policeman.

2．What was the guest author’s mom trying to do in the second story?

       A．Push hard to get her daughter’s signature.

       B．Promote her daughter’s books by pretending to be a fan.

       C．Show her pride in her daughter’s achievement.

       D．Persuade Marilyn Kopp to buy her daughter’s book.

3．The computer technician on the phone in the third story         .

       A．actually could find no way to solve Jeff’s problems

       B．teased Jeff about his poor knowledge of computer jargon

       C．wanted to talk to Lena instead

       D．believed that Jeff’s mom would know more computer jargon

4．What is the main purpose of the jokes?

       A．To make fun of moms.    B．To honor moms.

       C．To educate moms.    D．To amuse moms.

5．The passage is most possibly found          .

       A．in a storybook         B．in a commercial ad

       C．in a magazine          D．in a student’s textbook