Walk through the Amazon rainforest today and you will find it is steamy ,warm ,damp and thick .But if you had been around 15,000 years ago, during the last ice age ,would it have been the same ?For more than 30 years, scientists have been arguing about how rainforests like the Amazon might have reacted（反应）to the cold ,dry climates of the ice ages ,but until now ,no one has reached a satisfying answer.
Rainforests like the Amazon are important for mopping up CO2 from the atmosphere and helping to slow global warming . Currently the trees in the Amazon take in around 500 million tons of CO2 each year; equal to the total amount of CO2 giving off in the UK each year. But how will the Amazon react to future climate change? If it gets drier ,will it still survive and continue to draw down CO2 ?Scientists hope that they will be able to learn in advance how the rainforest will manage in the future by understanding how rainforests reacted to climate change in the past.
Unfortunately ,getting into the Amazon rainforest and collecting information are very difficult .To study past climate ,scientists need to look at fossilized pollen ,kept in lake mud .Going back to the last ice age means drilling deep down into lake sediments （沉淀物）,which requires specialized equipment and heavy machinery .There are very few roads and paths ,or places to land helicopters and aeroplanes .Rivers tend to be the easiest way to enter the forest ,but this still leaves vast areas between the rivers completely unsampled（未取样）.So far ,only a handful of cores have been drilled that go back to the last ice age and none of them provide enough information to prove how the Amazon rainforest reacts to climate change.
1.The underlined phrase “mopping up” in the second paragraph means .
A. cleaning up B. taking in C. wiping out D. giving out
2.How will the Amazon rainforest react to future climate change?
A. It’ll get drier and continue to remove CO2 .
B. It’ll remain steamy ,warm ,damp and thick .
C. It’ll get warmer and then colder and drier.
D. There is no exact answer up to present.
3.What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
A. It’s important to drill deep down into lake sediments to collect information.
B. It’s impossible to prove how climate changes in the Amazon rainforest.
C. It’s hard to collect information for studies of the past climate in the Amazon rainforest.
D. It’s necessary to have specialized equipment and machinery to study the past climate.
4.The best title for this passage may probably be .
A. Studies of the Amazon B. Climates of the Amazon
C. Secrets of the Rainforests D. Changes of the Rainforests
Three months after the government stopped issuing（发放）or renewing permits for Internet cafes because of security（安全）concerns, some cafe owners are having financial（经济的）concerns of their own.
The permits were stopped suddenly three months ago by the government until new safeguards could be put in place to prevent misuse of the information superhighway, but for cafe owners it’s a business breakdown with no fix in sight.
“I handed in a request to open up an Internet café and received the conditions,” said the businessman Obeidallah. “I rented a place in the Sharafiah district at SR45,000 and prepared the place with equipment that cost me more than SR100,000. When I went to the local government after finishing everything, I was surprised to find that they’d stopped issuing permits for Internet cafes.”
Having an Internet cafe without Internet is much like having a coffee shop without coffee. “I’m avoiding closing the place, but it’s been more than three months with the situation ongoing as it is.” Obeidallah said. “Who will bear the losses caused by the permit issue?”
The decision took many cafe owners by surprise. “I asked to open an Internet café, and I was handed a list of all the things that were needed to follow through, such as a sign for the place, filling out forms,” said Hassan Al-Harbi.
“I did all that was asked and rented a place. And after the Haj vacation I went to the local government and they surprised me, saying that there are new rules that forbid the issuing of any more Internet cafe permits and that one can’t even renew his permit. I’ve lost more than SR80,000,” Al-harbi added.
As for the government, officials say a method to deal with it is on the way. But security concerns come before profit（盈利）.
1.The government stopped issuing or renewing permits for Internet cafes .
A. to prevent misuse of new safeguards in Internet cafes
B. to make cafe owners earn less profit from their business
C. to stop the use of the information superhighway on Internet
D. to make sure of the proper use of the information superhighway
2.The government’s decision led to the fact that many cafe owners .
A. suffered heavy financial losses B. asked to open up Internet cafes
C. continued to operate Internet cafes D. asked the government for payment
3.The underlined phrase in the last paragraph “on the way” means .
A. to be studied B. to be put into practice
C. to be changed D. to be improved
4.The cafe owners found the government’s decision .
A. surprising and unacceptable B. understandable and acceptable
C. reasonable but surprising D. surprising but acceptable
Paul Zindel’s death on March 27,2003 ended the brilliant life of a famous writer.
Not only did Paul Zindel win a Pulitzer Prize as well as an Obie Prize for his 1970 play The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, but be was one of the earliest writers in the field of contemporary（当代的） literature for young adults（成人）. The Pigman, published in 1968, is still one of the most well-known and widely-taught novels in the genre. The American Library Association has named it one of the 100 Best of the Best Books for Young Adults published between 1967 and 1992, and Zindel’s autobiography, The Pigman and Me, was among the 100 Best of the Best Books published for teenagers during the last part of the twentieth century. Six of Zindel’s books, in fact, have been voted the Best Books for Young Adults, and most of his recent horror books-such as The Doom Stone and Rats-have been chosen as Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Clearly, he was a writer who knew how to interest contemporary children. Recognizing that, the American Library Association in 2002 honored Paul Zindel with the Margaret A. Edwards Prize for his lifetime achievements, and later that same year he was presented with the ALAN Prize for his contributions to Young Adult Literature. With his passing, young readers, teachers, and librarians have lost a great friend.
1.Which of Paul Zindel’s books was the most popular with young adults in the 20th century?
A. The Pigman.
B. The Doom Stone.
C. The Pigman and Me.
D. The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds.
2.Why was Paul Zindel honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Prize?
A. His books were widely read by children.
B. His books were interesting and helpful to adults.
C. He made great contributions to contemporary literature.
D. He wrote a number of horror books for young adults.
3.When did Paul Zindel win the ALAN Prize?
A. In 2002. B. In 2003.
C. Between 1967 and 1992. D. Between 2002 and 2003.
4.Choose the correct statements from the following according to the passage.
a.The Pigman and Me was one of the Best Books for teenagers.
b.Zindel was one of the earliest writers who wrote for adults only.
c.The Doom Stone and Rats are not popular with young adults.
d.Zindel was given four prizes for literature before he died.
e.At least eight of Zindel’s books were very popular in his times.
A. c, d, e B. a, b, c C. a, b, d D. a, d, e
A lady and her husband stepped off the train in Boston. They walked without an appointment（预约）into the outer 1of Harvard’s president. But they were 2by his secretary and kept waiting. For hours, the secretary took no notice of them, 3that the couple would finally become 4and go away. But they didn’t. The secretary finally decided to disturb the president, though 5.
A few minutes later, the president walked towards the couple with a 6face. The lady told him, “We had a son that 7Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was 8here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to 9a memorial（纪念物）to him, somewhere on campus.”
The president wasn’t 10. Instead, he was shocked. “Madam,” he said, “we can’t put up a statue for every person who studied at Harvard and died. If we did, this 11would look like a cemetery（墓地）,” “Oh, no,” the lady 12quickly. “We don’t want to put up a statue. We would like to give a 13to Harvard.” The president rolled his eyes and 14at the couple and then exclaimed, ” A building! Do you have any 15how much a building costs? We have spent over ＄7,500,000 on the campus building at Harvard.” For a moment the lady was silent. The president was 16, because he could get rid of them now. Then the lady turned to her husband and said quietly, “Is that all it costs to start a 17? Why don’t we just start our own?” Her husband nodded. 18their offer was turned down. Mr. and Mrs. Stanford traveled to California where they founded the University that bears their 19, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer 20about.
1.A. lab B. library C. hall D. office
2.A. watched B. stopped C. followed D. interviewed
3.A. hoping B. finding C. realizing D. imagining
4.A. surprised B. disappointed C. worried D. troubled
5.A. hopelessly B. carefully C. unexpectedly D. unwillingly
6.A. pleasant B. funny C. cold D. sad
7.A. attended B. visited C. studied D. served
8.A. clever B. brave C. proud D. happy
9.A. set about B. set up C. take down D. take over
10.A. satisfied B. excited C. moved D. ashamed
11.A. house B. part C. garden D. place
12.A. explained B. expressed C. refused D. admitted
13.A. building B. yard C. playground D. square
14.A. laughed B. shouted C. glanced D. called
15.A. suggestion B. idea C. thought D. opinion
16.A. bored B. astonished C. interested D. pleased
17.A. department B. university C. business D. club
18.A. Once B. While C. Since D. Though
19.A. name B. character C. picture D. sign
20.A. talked B. knew C. heard D. cared
—Is that the small town you often refer to?
—Right, just the one you know I used to work for years.
A. that B. which C. where D. what
—Why didn’t you buy the camera you had longed for?
—I had planned to. But I was ￡50 .
A. fewer B. less C. cheap D. short
