Anyone for rocket salad? The Chinese are now growing huge vegetables from seeds they sent into space.
If you’re the type who worries about the air miles traveled by fruits and vegetables, these beauties aren’t for you. It’s because they have traveled a little further than most.
The seeds from which they grew were fired into space, where they orbited the earth for two weeks. Once they returned they were grown in hothouses, producing the monster kinds seen here.
China, which is behind these space fruits and vegetables, says they could be the answer to the world’s food crisis.
The 21-pound tomatoes, nine-inch chilies, 15-stone pumpkins and large watermelons growing at the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ hothouses can feed many more than their smaller cousins, and may have more nutrients, the scientists say.
Researcher Lo Zhigang said, “Traditional agricultural development has taken us as far as we can go and demand for food from a growing population is endless. Space seeds offer the opportunity to grow fruits and vegetables bigger and faster.”
He admitted he and his colleagues could not explain why time in orbit caused the seeds to change genetic structure. But they guessed exposure to the cosmic(宇宙的) radiation that attacked the spacecraft in orbit, as well as the near zero gravity conditions, microgravity, could play a part.
“We don’t think there’s any threat to human health because the genes themselves do not change; just their order changes,” he said. “With genetically-modified(GM) crops you have seen environmental problems because they have added genes that can damage other organisms. But with space seeds they don’t gain genes; they can only lose them.”
He also claimed the Vitamin C content in some space vegetables was nearly three times higher than in common vegetables, while levels of zinc are also increased.
Western scientists are doubtful. NASA researchers who have experimented with seeds in space say there is not enough benefit to show the cost is reasonable.
72. What do the underlined words “these beauties” in paragraph 2 probably refer to?
A. Beautiful views along the air routes. B. Traveling experiences in space.
C. Seeds fired into space. D. Giant vegetables.
73. We can infer from Lo’s words in paragraph 6 that .
A. our conventional agriculture has developed too slowly
B. we are asking too much from nature
C. space seeds may help meet our demand for food
D. we’ll grow crops in space in the future
74. Why the seeds changed their genetic structure .
A. remains to be proved
B. is discovered by Lo Zhigang
C. has something to do with die conditions in hothouses
D. is due to the radiation that attacked them directly
75. Comparing Gm crops and space crops, we can see that .
A. space crops grow faster
B. space crops are more environmentally friendly
C. GM crops are less a threat to human health
D. GM crops have fewer nutrients
There are tow types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy, the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine, the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend(hurt) many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.
Although it fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrong doings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.
63. People who are unhappy .
A. always consider things differently form others
B. usually are affected by the results of certain things
C. usually misunderstand what others think or say
D. always discover the unpleasant side of certain things
64. The underlined phrase “sour the pleasure of society” most nearly means “ ”.
A. have a good taste with social life B. make others unhappy
C. tend to scold others openly D. enjoy the pleasure of life
65. We can conclude from the passage that .
A. we should pity all such unhappy people
B. such unhappy people are dangerous to social life
C. people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness
D. unhappy people can not understand happy persons
66. If such unhappy persons insist on keeping the habit, the author suggests that people should .
A. prevent and communication with them
B. show no respect and politeness to them
C. persuade them to recognize the bad effects
D. quarrel with them until they realize the mistakes
67. In this passage, the writer mainly .
A. describes two types of people B. laughs at the unhappy people
C. suggests ways to help the unhappy D. tells people how to be happy in life
Koalas are pictured everywhere in Australia-on cleaning products, on “boxes of chocolate, on sports team shirts. Yet the animals live only in pockets along the east coast.
They once inhabited the entire coastline. The koala population dropped after farmers cut down many of the forests where koalas lived, and hunters killed the animals for their fur.
By the early 1900s, “koalas were basically shot out of south Australia,” says ecologist Bill Ellis, who studies the relationships among living things and their environments.
I recently joined Ellis and his team in a forest on St Bees Is land, 19 miles off the northeastern coast of Australia, with eight other volunteers. The island is a natural laboratory, yielding findings that may help protect koalas elsewhere on the continent.
The volunteers searched the island for koalas in the blue gum trees. When we found a koala, we gathered information about the trees in the area.
Blue gum is a species of the eucalyptus tree in which the funny leaf eaters spend most of their time. Eucalyptus trees are native to Australia, and their leaves are the main food source for koalas. Although koalas can walk on the ground, they are better suited for life in the canopy, the high cover of branches and leaves in a forest.
What has Ellis’s research told him so far? The population of St Bees seems to be healthy. Yet Ellis wonders whether the koalas might be heading for hard times. The island is overrun with wild goats, and Ellis thinks the goats are eating the small blue gum trees.
Without those trees, the koalas will run out of food in the future. Ellis hopes more research will help him understand how to protect the blue gum trees-and the koalas that depend on them. “I think that’s what everyone is trying to do-to make a difference.” Ellis says.
59. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that .
A. koalas’ pictures can be found everywhere in the world
B. koalas in Australia like to eat chocolate
C. only in the east coast of Australia can you find koalas
D. you can buy the pictures of koalas only in the east coast of Australia
60. Which of the following is TRUE about koalas?
A. They usually hide in a cave. B. They feed on the leaves of blue gum trees.
C. They prefer to walk on the ground. D. They don’t adapt to the high cover of branches.
61. What will Ellis most probably start to do next?
A. To keep the population of St Bees healthy.
B. To kill all the goats on the island.
C. To find some new foods for goats.
D. To protect blue gum trees for koalas.
62. The purpose of writing this passage is to .
A. expect people to concern about the life of koalas
B. record trip to Australia for watching koalas
C. present some basic knowledge of koalas’ life
D. introduce the ecosystem of wildlife in Australia
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D和E）中选出最佳选项。
Sitting too much is now listed with smoking and junk food as a bad habit that increases your risk of heart disease.
New Australian research shows that half-an-hour in the gym will not make up for the waist-expanding damage caused by spending the rest of the day sitting.
But the good news is that doing chores in the house or gently walking around the office while on the phone might be enough to keep you fit.
The study joins the growing body of evidence suggesting too much sitting might undo the benefits of exercise.
The study measured the intensity of physical activities in 168 subjects over seven days. It found that, regardless of how much exercise they did or their total sitting time, those who took more breaks from sitting had lower risk of thick waists and lower levels of blood lipids(脂肪).
“Higher levels of blood lipids have been linked to a heightened risk of heart disease,” principal researcher Genevieve Healy of the University of Queensland said. “What the study shows is that there are benefits in just getting up regularly and interrupting your sitting time.”
Researchers behind the Stand Up Australia project have written to the Rudd Government requesting $3.5 million for a two-year study into the impact of long sitting time on health and productivity of workers. The study would also develop and test strategies for reducing sitting time on the job.
The latest study builds on work that is shifting the health promotion focus from purposeful exercise, such as running, to lower intensity activities throughout the day.
The Australian research has been hacked up by US studies.
“To hold a body that weighs 77 kilograms upright takes a fair amount of energy from muscles,” said Professor Marc Hamilton from the University of Missouri. “There is a large amount of energy associated with standing every day that cannot easily be replaced by 30 to 60 minutes in the gym.”
56. What’s the aim of the Stand Up Australia project?
A. To study the factors influencing productivity of workers.
B. To study the reasons for the longer sitting time at work.
C. To develop and test strategies for reducing sitting time in the office.
D. To develop and test strategies for reducing working time.
57. The purpose of the last paragraph is to .
A. provide a scientific basis for the benefits of standing up
B. Compare the effect of standing with exercising in the gym
C. report the new research findings of professor Marc Hamilton
D. figure out the amount of energy associated with daily standing
58. What’s the best title for the text?
A. Exercise in the Gym Is Out.
B. Your Office Chair Is Killing You.
C. A Cause of Heart Disease.
D. Good News for Workers.
第二节 完形填空。（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出最佳选项。
Christmas was an exciting season for my six-year-old son. For weeks, he’d been memorizing 36 for the “Winter Ceremony” in his kindergarten class. I went to 37 their rehearsal(排演).
As I waited, students were led into the room. Each class, 38 by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one 39 to perform their song. I didn’t expect anything other than fun.
My son’s class rose to sing “Christmas Love”. Those in the front row on the center stage held up large 40 , one by one, to spell out the 41 of the song. When the class sang: “C is for Christmas,” a child would hold up the letter C, then another would hold up “H” for happy, and on and on, 42 each child was holding up a letter, presenting the 43 message, “Christmas Love”.
The performance was going 44 , until suddenly we noticed her, a small, quiet girl in the 45 row holding the letter “M” upside down-totally 46 that her letter “M” appeared as a “W”. The audience began to laugh at this little girl’s 47 . But she had no idea that they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, 48 holding her “W”. 49 many teachers tried to quiet the children, the 50 continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A 51 came over the audience and eyes began to 52 . In that instant we understood the 53 why we were there, and even though it was such a busy holiday, there was a(n) 54 for celebrating Christmas. When the 55 letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: “ CHRIST WAS LOVE”. And I believe that this is why Christmas is so important.
36. A. songs B. message C. texts D. performance
37. A. direct B. celebrate C. design D. attend
38. A. led B. accompanied C. looked D. pulled
39. A. stood B. turned C. rose D. came
40. A. letters B. words C. names D. boards
41. A. topic B. title C. idea D. theme
42. A. when B. after C. until D. while
43. A. exact B. complete C. proper D. right
44. A. smoothly B. happily C. heatedly D. joyfully
45. A. back B. middle C. left D. front
46. A. ignoring B. unknown C. unaware D. recognizing
47. A. action B. play C. mistake D. joke
48. A. highly B. proudly C. clearly D. bravely
49. A. Unless B. As C. Although D. In spite of
50. A. performance B. laughter C. audience D. message
51. A. fear B. worry C. pride D. silence
52. A. widen B. close C. rise D. wink
53. A. cause B. reason C. way D. place
54. A. purpose B. excuse C. reward D. song
55. A. seventh B. middle C. last D. full
In April, 2009, President Hu inspected the warships in Qingdao, the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PLA Navy.
A. marking B. marked C. having marked D. being marked
