58．The underlined word“confirmed”probably means　　　 .

　　　 A．said　　　　　　　　　　 B．believed　　　　　　　 C．thought　　　　　　　 D．made sure

B

　　　 There are some very good things about open education. This way of teaching allows the students to grow as people, and to develop their own interests in many subjects. Open education allows students to be responsible for their own education, as they are responsible for what they do in life. Some students do badly in a traditional classroom. The open classroom may allow them to enjoy learning. Some students will be happier in an open education school. They will not have to worry about grades or rules. For students who worry about these things a lot, it is a good idea to be in an open classroom.

　　　 But many students will not do well in an open classroom. For some students, there are too few rules. These students will do little in school. They will not make good use of open education. Because open education is so different from traditional education, these students may have a problem getting used to making so many choices. For many students it is important to have some rules in the classroom. They worry about the rules even when there are no rules. Even a few rules will help this kind of students. The last point about open education is that some traditional teachers do not like it. Many teachers do not believe in open education. Teachers who want to have an open classroom may have many problems at their schools.

　　　 You now know what open education is. Some of its good points and bad points have been explained. You may have your own opinion about open education. The writer thinks that open education is a good idea, but only in theory. In actual fact, it may not work very well in a real class or school. The writer believes that most students, but of course not all students, want some structure in their classes. They want and need to have rules. In some cases, they must be made to study some subjects. Many students are pleased to find subjects they have to study interesting. They would not study those subjects if they did not have to.

57．From the article it can be learned　　　 .

　　 A．the shark was caught because of obvious injuries　 B．the number of the whale shark may be small

　　 C．typhoon Imbudo may have brought the shark to the area

　　 D．it’s not unusual to see a shark on the beach

56．A possible title of the article should be　　　 .

　　 A．Tourists in Danger　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．Killing Whale Shark

　　 C．Shark Caught in Beach Area　　　　　　　　　　 D．Whale Shark in Danger

74．Which of the following was probably the first kind of trees being engineered?

　　　 A. Papaya.　　　　　　　　　 B. Pine.　　　　　　　　　 C. Apple.　　　　　　　　　　 D. Poplar.

73．What caused the American scientists to work on special trees?

　　　 A. They think science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers.

　　　 B. Great numbers of trees have been lost due to attacks by viruses.

　　　 C. Researchers successfully introduced seeds designed to resist the virus.

　　　 D. Tree genomes are mapped out so scientists know how to improve trees.

72．Which kind of tree is not the ones that scientists are planting in the US?

　　　 A. Trees that worms can't hurt.　 B. Trees that can protect themselves at a chemical attack.

　　　 C. Trees that can resist wind better.　　 D. Genetically engineered trees.

71．In the passage, the author thinks _________

A．Chinese should learn everything from Western fast food restaurants.

B．Chinese should say no to Western fast food.

C．Western fast food are good.　　　　　　　　　 D．Chinese food are bad.

E

Special trees that grow faster, fight pollution, produce better wood, and even sense chemical attacks are being planted by scientists in the US. 　　　 When 40 per cent of Hawaii's US$14 million-a-year papaya (木瓜)industry was destroyed by a virus five years ago, work began on creating genetically engineered trees. 　　　 Researchers successfully introduced seeds that were designed to resist the virus. Since then, more and more people have been testing genetically engineered trees. 　　 Some researchers put special bacteria into trees to help them grow faster and produce better wood. Others are trying to create trees that can clean polluted soil. 　　 Meanwhile fruit farmers are looking for trees that are strong enough to resist worms, and paper companies want trees that produce more wood and therefore more paper. 　　 The Pentagon (五角大楼，美国国防部所在地) even gave the researchers US$500,000 this year after they developed a pine tree that changes its colours if it senses a chemical attack. 　　 So far, the poplar, eucalyptus (杨树与桉树), apple and coffee trees are among those being engineered. All this is can be done today because we have a better understanding of tree genomes (基因组). 　　 However, some people fear that the genetically engineered trees will cause dangerous results. They are worried that the new trees will breed with natural species and change the balance of the forest environment.

"It could be destructive," said Jim Diamond, an environmentalist. "Trees are what is left of our natural environment and home to many endangered species." 　　 But researchers insist that science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers. 　　 They hope to answer the critics by stopping the new trees from breeding, so their effect on the environment can be controlled.

70．What will be worth learning from the Western fast food chains? _______

A．The content of the food.　　　　　　　　　　 B．The menus.

C．The lessons in management and decoration.　　 D．Shape or form of the food.

69．The reasons Western fast food restaurants make money are __________.

A．assembly lines that will not attract bugs or spoil easily　　 B．clean and tastefully decorated

C．good service and an inviting dining atmosphere　　　　　 D．above of all