As people slowly learn to cure diseases, control floods, prevent hunger, and stop wars, fewer people die every year. As a result, the population of the world is becoming larger. In 1925 there were about 2 billion people in the world; today there are over 6 billion.
When the number rises, extra mouths must be fed. New lands must be brought under development, or land already farmed must be made to produce more crops. In some areas the land is so over-developed that it will be difficult to make it provide more crops. In some areas the population is so large that the land is divided into too tiny units to make improvement possible with farming methods. If a large part of this farming population went into industrial work, the land might be farmed much more productively (多产地) with modern methods.
There is now a race for science, technology, and industry to keep the output of food rising faster than the number of people to be fed. New types of crops, which will grow well in bad weather, are being developed, so there are now farms beyond the Arctic Circle in Siberia and North America. Irrigation (灌溉) and dry-farming methods bring poor lands under the plough. Dams hold back the waters of great rivers, which can provide water for the fields in all seasons and provide electric power for new industries. Industrial chemistry provides fertilizer to suit different soils. Every year, some new methods are made to increase or to protect the food of the world.
1. The author says that the world population is increasing because _____.
A. there are many rich valleys and large fields
B. farmers are producing more crops than before
C. people are living longer due to better living conditions
D. new lands are being made into farmlands
2. The author says that in areas with large populations, land might be more productively farmed if _____.
A. the land was divided into smaller pieces
B. people moved into the countryside
C. industrial methods were used in farming
D. the units of land were much larger
3. We are told that there are now farms beyond the Arctic Circle. This has been made possible by _____.
A. growing new types of crops
B. irrigation and dry-farming means
C. providing fertilizers
D. destroying pests and diseases
4. Why is the land divided into tiny units in some areas?
A. There are too many people living there.
B. It saves more natural resources there.
C. It prevents crops from serious diseases there.
D. Farmers can grow various kinds of crops there.
5. Why do some people use dams to hold back waters from great rivers?
A. To develop a new kind of dry-farming methods.
B. To prevent crops from floods.
C. To provide water and electricity in all seasons.
D. To water poor lands in bad weather.
Most shops in Britain open at 9:00 am, and close at 5:00 or 5:30 in the evening. Small shops usually close for an hour at lunchtime. On one or two days a week—usually Thursday and/or Friday—some large food shops stay open until about 8:00 pm for late night shopping.
Many shops are closed in the afternoon on one day a week. The day is usually Wednesday or Thursday and it is a different day in different towns.
Nearly all shops are closed on Sundays. Newspaper shops are open in the morning, and sell sweets and cigarettes as well. But not all the things can be sold on Sundays.
Usually it is not difficult for foreign visitors to find where to buy things. Most shops sell the things that you want to buy. One problem is stamps. In Britain you can only buy these at post offices. Many large food shops are self-service. When you go into one of these shops, you take a basket and you put the things you wish to buy into this. You pay for everything just before you leave. If anyone tries to take things from a shop without paying they are almost certain to be caught, because most shops have detectives.
When you are waiting to be served in a shop, it is important not try to be served before people who arrive before you. Many foreign people are surprised at the British way of queuing (排队).
1 Most shops in Britain stay open for about ______ a day.
A. eight hours B. five hours C. ten hours D. six hours
2 According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Some large food shops open for about 11 hours on Thursday or Friday.
B. Many shops are closed in the afternoon once a week on Tuesday.
C. Only a few things can be bought on Sundays.
D. It is not difficult for foreign visitors to buy things in Britain.
3 You can not buy ______ in shops.
A. cigarette B. sweets C. stamps D. clothes
4 Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Most shops usually close for an hour at lunchtime.
B. Many large shops are self-service.
C. Most shops have detectives.
D. People do not have to queue to be served.
5 Which of the following statements can be the best title of this passage?
A. Shops in Britain
B. How to buy things in Britain?
C. The British Way of Queuing
D. How long are the British shops?
A well-dressed man entered a famous jewelry shop. He explained that he wished to buy a pearl for his wife’s birthday. The price didn’t matter. Since business had been very good for him that year. After examining a nice black one that cost $5000, he paid for the pearl in cash, shook hands with the jeweler, and left.
A few days later the man returned and said that his wife liked the pearl so much that she wanted another one just like it. It had to be exactly the same size and quality, as she wanted a pair of earrings made, “Can you give me any advice on how to get such a pearl?” said the man. The jeweler regretfully replied, “I would say it’s exactly impossible to find one exactly like that pearl.”
The rich man insisted that the jeweler advertise in the newspapers, offering $ 25,000 for the matching pearl. Many people answered the advertisement but nobody had a pearl that was just right.
Just when the jeweler had given up hope, a little old lady came into his store. To his great surprise, she pulled the perfect pearl from her purse. “I don’t like to part with it,” she said sadly, “I inherited it from my mother, and my mother inherited it from hers. But I really need the money.”
The jeweler was quick to pay her before she changed her mind. Then he called the rich man’s hotel to tell him the good news. The man, however, was nowhere to be found.
1. The man said he wanted to buy a pearl for ______.
A. his wife B. his mother-in–law C. his own mother D. no one
2. He paid $ 5,000 for the black pearl without bargaining because ______.
A. he was very rich B. he wanted to make the jeweler believe him
C. he was anxious to get it D. his business had been successful
3. He told the jeweler to get him another pearl that must be ______.
A. exactly the same size as the black on
B. exactly the same quality as the black one
C. worth no more than $ 25,000
D. exactly as big and nice as the black one
4. Many people answered the advertisement because they wanted _______.
A. to see the perfect pearl
B. to buy some beautiful pearls too
C. to get in touch with the rich man
D. to sell their own pearl at a high price
5. The jeweler couldn’t find the man anywhere because ______.
A. he died suddenly.
B. He happened to be out
C. He got $ 20,000 by cheating and had run away with the money.
D. He wouldn’t show up until the jeweler called him a second time.
第二节：语法填空（共10小题，每小题1.5分，满分15分）
阅读下面短文，根据上下文填入适当的词语，或使用括号中的词语的适当形式填空，并将答案在答题卡上标号为26-35的相应位置涂黑。
A few years ago, SARS broke out in the mainland of China, ____26____ (cause) some people to be killed or nearly got close to____27_____ (die). The situation was so severe _____28___ there was no time to debate who is to blame. The most important thing for the government to do is to find out ____29____ cause of this deadly disease. They invited all the most experienced experts in this field to discuss and quite a few suggestions ____30____ (put forward). Some of the top experts then tested them to see ____31____ they were available. Doctor Zhong Nanshan chose one patient who was ___32___(serious) ill and had little hope of picking up and had the new medicine ____33____(test) on him. To his great joy, this patient recovered! He made his way to his office and telephoned the top official, telling him this exciting news. ___34____ convenience, he moved to live in his office. His method did make sense. Not soon after that, the other hospitals also controlled this terrible disease ___35___ kicked it out finally.
第二部分：语言知识及应用（共两节，满分35分）
第一节：完形填空（共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从16--25各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡相应的16--25上将该项涂黑。
In 1956 Phoenix, Arizona, was a city with boundless blue skies. One day as I walked around the house with my sister Kathy’s new parakeet （小鹦鹉）on my finger, I wanted to show Perky 16_____ the sky looked like. Maybe he could make a little bird friend out there. I took him into the backyard, and then, to my 17______, Perky flew off. The enormous（巨大的）, blue sky swallowed up my sister’s blue treasure and suddenly he had gone, clipped wings and all.
Kathy managed to forgive me. With fake optimism（乐观）, she even tried to reassure （安慰）me that Perky would find a new 18 ______. But I was far too clever to 19______ that such a thing was possible.
Decades later, I watched my own 20_______ growing. We shared their activities, spending soccer Saturdays in folding chairs with the parents of the kids’ friends, the Kissells. The two families went camping around Arizona together. We became the best of friends. One evening, the game was to tell Great Pet stories. One person claimed（宣称） to 21______ the oldest living goldfish. Someone else had a psychic dog. Then Barry, the father of the other family, took the floor and 22 ________ that the Greatest Pet of All Time was his blue parakeet, Sweetie Pie.
"The best thing 23______ Sweetie Pie," he said, "was the way we got him. One day, when I was about eight, out of the clear, blue sky, a little blue parakeet just floated down and landed on my finger."
When I was finally able to 24_______ , we examined the amazing evidence（证据）. The dates and the locations and the pictures of the bird all matched up. It seems our two families had been connected long before we ever met. Forty years later, I ran to my sister and said, "You were 25_______! Perky lived!"
16. A. what B. how C. which D. where
17. A. joy B. horror C. disappointment D. satisfaction
18. A. parent B. home C. master D. life
19. A. imagine B. suppose C. doubt D. believe
20. A. birds B. happiness C. worries D. children
21. A. catch B. find C. buy D. have
22. A. announced B. said C. told D. hoped
23. A. in B. about C. of D. on
24. A. think B. speak C. interrupt D. explain
25. A. right B. wrong C. silly D. mad
第二节：完成句子
根据所给提示完成句子(每空一词，每题3分，共15分) 。
71.很明显，他必须跟她道歉，那么她就会原谅他的。
It is _______ that he must _________ ______ her, then she will______ him.
72.如果你欠债了，我会信守诺言帮助你。
If you _______ _______ _________, I would ______ ______ _____ to help you.
73.你本不应该对母亲撒谎的。
You ________ ______ ______ ______ _____ to your mother.
74. 我不会允许你在考试中作弊而不受惩罚。
I won’t ______ you______ _____ _____ cheating in the exam.
75. 那个商店老板试图通过打折来赢回顾客。
The shopkeeper is trying to ________ his customers ________ with a ________ .
