2. We        for regular physical checkups. (urge)

我们敦促矿工定期到医院检査身体。

1.         ，I felt duty bound to make a statement about the situation to the police.(witness)

由于我亲眼目睹了那次事故，我觉得向警察陈述实情是义不容辞的。

  It's time to be water efficient！

  As populations increase across Australia and the rest of the world,demand for water will also increase. If we don't reduce each individual's demand for water (both directly and through embodied water) ，the water situation will become dire.

  It is obvious that we cannot increase demands for water much more without detrimental (有害的) effects to the environment,society and the economy.

  It's all too easy to blame someone else for the water situation―"if 70% of water is used for agriculture then that's what we should target"―but it's not that easy. We all depend on the food and resources that agriculture provides,and while there are definitely opportunities to increase water efficiency on the farm,the solution will take more than that.

  We each share responsibility for the sustainable management of our water resources,which means using less water at home,in the workplace,at school,on holidays,on the farm... everyone,everywhere,every time.

  It's time to become water efficient!This involves reassessing our relationship with water,and learning to use it more sparingly. On the most basic level,it requires a behavioural change,and assigning a value to water that truly reflects its worth.

  We can also unlock economic benefits of being water efficient. There are many real world examples given in the case studies on this site.

  Everybody has a responsibility to save water,if future generations are to enjoy a similar standard of living to the one we enjoy now. In fact,many of the impacts associated with water use are likely to have an effect on our own lives！

  Www. savewater. com. au has been designed to help you respond to the challenge to become water efficient. It acts as a central repository for relevant information and further advice,so that you can actually achieve significant savings. It also showcases those companies with products that will assist you in your goal.

(   ) 5. You will probably find the article in         .

   A. a newspaper   B. a TV programme

   C. radio broadcast   D. Internet

(   ) 6. What can we do to save water?

   A. Find more water resources.

   B. Use less water everywhere,every time.

   C. Realize the importance of saving water.

   D. Unlock economic benefits of being water efficient.

(   ) 7. What is NOT the reason to save water?

   A. There are more and more people in the world.

   B. The water resources are limited.

   C. Agriculture needs more water.

   D. The water is very important for us.

(   ) 8. What is the main idea of this passage?

   A. Water is very important for the human.

   B. Everybody has a responsibility to save water.

   C. It's time to be water efficient.

   D. Let's save water for our future generations.

 Researchers from the University of Haifa-Oranim have managed to make out the "self-irri-gating" mechanism (构造) of the desert rhubarb,which enables it to harvest 16 times the amount of water than otherwise expected for a plant in the Negev Desert. This is the first example of a selfirrigating plant worldwide.

  The desert rhubarb grows in the mountains of Israel's Negev Desert,where the average rainfall is particularly low (75 mm per year) . Unlike most of the other desert plant species,which have small leaves so as to reduce water loss,this plant is unique in that its leaves are par?ticularly large.

  Professor Simcha Lev-Yadun,Professor Gidi Ne'e man and Professor Gadi Katzir came across this unique plant while studying the field area,and noticed that its waxy leaves are unusually large. They observed a ridged (成脊状的) structure on each leaf.

  The scientists explained that these deep and wide depressions (凹陷) in the leaves create a "channeling" mountainlike system by which the rain water is channeled toward the ground sur?rounding the plant's deep root. Other desert plants simply absorb the rain water that goes through the ground in its immediate surroundings.

  The findings have shown that the natural selection process has resulted in the evolution of this plant's extremely large leaves,which improved its ability to survive in the arid climate of the desert. The results of experiments and analysis of the plant's growth―in an area with an average annual rainfall of 75 mm―showed that the desert rhubarb is able to harvest quantities of water that are 16 times the amount of water harvested by the smallleafed plants of the Negev Desert. When the research team watered the pJant artificially,they observed how the water flows along the course of the leaves' depressions to the ground surrounding the plant's single root and then goes through the ground to a depth of 10 cm or more. Under the experimental condi?tions,water goes through the ground only as deep as 1 cm. "We know of no other plant in the deserts of the world that functions in this manner," the researchers concluded.

(   ) 1. What is the best title for this passage?

   A. How Plants' "Selfirrigating" Mechanism Works

   B. How Plants Growing in the Desert Survive

   C. A Desert Plant Growing in the Negev Desert

   D. The World's First " Selfwatering" Plant Is Discovered

(   ) 2. The desert rhubarb's "selfirrigating" mechanism       .

   A. enables it to survive with fewer leaves

   B. works in many desert plants in the world

   C. helps it absorb much more water than other plants

   D. prevents the plant from losing water and heat

(   ) 3. Which of the following helps most desert plants adapt to the dry climate?

   A. Thin roots. B. Small leaves.

   C. Deep depressions. D. Ridged structures.

(   ) 4. What can we conclude from the passage?

   A. The discovery of the desert rhubarb surprised the researchers.

   B. The desert rhubarb causes Israel's Negev Desert drier.

   C. The smallleafed plants aren't able to survive in the desert.

   D. The research team studied the desert rhubarb in the lab.

  I need to share a strangely wonderful event in my life that involves cancer and death. I am certain you are 1        with the fact that I am using the words wonderful,cancer and death in the same sentence. I think that after you read this story you will 2        that in this case it is an ap?propriate 3       of words.

  A dear friend of mine was dying of cancer. 4       before she died she shared with me that she was very 5        that she would never get to the 6        again. She grew up near the ocean and it was a(n) 7       place for her. The cancer had made her too 8        to travel 4-5 hours. The next morning I shared this with several of her friends and we 9        we had to do something about it.

  On the afternoon,while her family kept her away from the 10       ,we started to carry out the plan. We dumped (倒) tons of white beach sand in her driveway. After we 11        out the sand in her driveway,we 12       it with two tents,beach balls,shovels (伊子) and beach chairs. 13      ,there was a recorder playing the sound of waves washing the seashore. We even rented an ice cream machine so that we could make her favorite ice cream. When all was in 14       ,her daughter brought her out to her 15        beach where she was 16        by a few dozen friends dressed in flowered shirts. We shed (流) a tear or two that day,17       it was mostly filled with laughs and most of all 18       . The day ended with a fire on her beach.

  She died two weeks later but she managed to 19        her beach four or five more times be?fore she left us. I guess the message of this story is that when someone is in 20       ,we should think of ways to help him/her.

(   ) 1. A. comparing   B. dealing   C. struggling   D. fighting

(   ) 2. A. believe   B. agree   C. notice   D. announce

(   ) 3. A. explanation   B. connection   C. translation   D. combination

(   ) 4. A. Days   B. Weeks   C. Months   D. Years

(   ) 5. A. embarrassed   B. worried   C. sad   D. angry

(   ) 6. A. beach   B. mountain   C. river   D. park

(   ) 7. A. mysterious   B. strange   C. ordinary   D. special

(   ) 8. A. lazy   B. weak   C. tired   D. busy

(   ) 9. A. guessed   B. wondered   C. decided   D. expected

(   ) 10. A. room   B. bed   C. door   D. window

(   ) 11. A. spread   B. checked   C. dug   D. threw

(   ) 12. A. filled   B. decorated   C. equipped   D. matched

(   ) 13. A. Besides   B. However   C. Therefore   D. Thus

(   ) 14. A. use   B. peace   C. control   D. place

(   ) 15. A. sunny   B. small   C. private   D. crowded

(   ) 16. A. greeted   B. cheered   C. lifted   D. surrounded

(   ) 17. A. so   B. but   C. and   D. or

(   ) 18. A. songs   B. dance   C. love   D. pity

(   ) 19. A. improve   B. imagine   C. watch   D. visit

(   ) 20. A. need   B. trouble   C. danger   D. panic

 假设你生活在遥远的22世纪，由于科技的高速发展，人们已经在日常生活中广泛地使用机器人来帮助自己，减轻自己的劳动负担。请你发挥合理想象,介绍22世纪广泛使用机器人后，人们的生活情况是怎样的，并给Science杂志社投稿。

1. 机器人进入人类生活为我们提供了哪些方便或者不便；

2. 想象合理，语法正确；

3. 词数：120词左右。击生词提示

robot机器人;firefighter消防队员;miner矿工;elderly people老年人;environmental pro?tection环境保护;effective有效的

 On March 25,1925 Scottish inventor John Logie Baird gave a demonstration of the televi?sion set,which would change the world,allow us to know what was going on at the other side of the world and change entertainment forever. But,at that time,he just thought it was cool that he could see his face on a screen.

  It all began in March 1925 when John Logie Baird gave a demonstration of what can only be described as the first ever television set. All that was seen were images of people on a dark gray screen. Then on January 26 ,1926 he gave the world's first public demonstration of a work?ing television system at his laboratory in London. This was the world's first glimpse at televi?sion.

  In 1928 Baird's company broadcast the first transatlantic television signal,between London and New York. This was a great development in television history. In 1931,the first live televi?sion broadcast was made by this stage,the number of television sets was only about 200 in Brit?ain,so it was only the rich and famous who witnessed this great moment in television history.

  The television set itself was going through great change. Originally,the first ever television model,the 1928 Baird model C had a screen of only about two and a half inches square;how?ever by 1935,the Baird T5 had a significantly bigger screen and obviously had much better sound quality and picture quality.

  By 1939,with the American DuMont 183 it was clear that television was going to revolu?tionize the world,with a picture quality of outstanding clearness for the time. By this stage,television sets were still not accessible by Joe Bloggs,but the number of television sets was rela?tively large; in 1939,7000 television sets were sold.

(   ) 5. What can we infer from the passage?

   A. At first,Baird didn't think that his invention could be a contribution to changing the world.

   B. The rule of inventing television sets was very simple.

   C. John Logie Baird wanted to make contributions to humans.

   D. Watching much television can be harmful to people's health.

(   ) 6. Which of the following is true about Baird's achievement?

   A. He gave the first public demonstration of working television systems.

   B. He was the first to make the television broadcast worldwide.

   C. His company was the first to produce electronic television sets.

   D. His company produced DuMont 183 that revolutionized TV.

(   ) 7. What do the underlined words "Joe Bloggs" refer to?

   A. Famous people. B. Scientists.

   C. Inventors. D. Common people.

(   ) 8. This passage is organized in the pattern of         .

   A. comparison   B. time and events

   C. cause and effect   D. meaning and classification

  A group of students in Japan have created a realistic robot baby to encourage young people to start planning a family so as to increase the country's birth rate. The automated (自动化的) doll developed at the University of Tsukuba,called Yotara,laughs and "wakes up" when a rat?tle is shaken.

  He can become angry and sleep like a real baby and he smiles when his stomach is pressed. The robot can also sneeze and have a running nose,thanks to a heated water pump system. The students of the Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences at the University created the robot last year with touch sensors. A projector sends the facial features onto a warm silicon bal?loon which makes up Yotara's face. The robot's facial expressions and body movements change according to pressure applied to different parts of its body.

  The information collected through touch sensors under the silicon skin is processed by a special programme. It then changes the baby's expression projected onto the balloonface from behind. There is a hat on the robot's head and a colourful blanket on his limbs which simulate moving from side to side with the help of a motor. " We wanted to create a new type of robot that is soft,pretty and attractive," said project leader Hiroki Kunimura.

  "We'd like people to experience the innocent,joyful expressions of typical small babies. Through this experience,it would be great if some people started feeling that they wanted to have their own baby,if they started feeling that working is not everything."

  Japan's birth rate is among the lowest in the developed world at 1. 37% , compared to 2. 12% in the United Stated and 1. 84% in Britain. According to a ministry of labor and welfare report,Japan is facing a serious economic problem with over a quarter of its citizens expected to be aged over 65 by 2015. The population is expected to shrink by a third within 50 years if the birth rate does not increase.

(   ) 1. What is the student's purpose of creating such a robot baby?

   A. To help the old people who live alone.

   B. To give small children some pleasure.

   C. To comfort lonely young people.

   D. To increase the population of Japan.

(   ) 2. From this passage we learn that Yotara         .

   A. can react to what you say to him

   B. is controlled by pressure applied to him

   C. shows no human emotions

   D. can cough and have a runny nose

(   ) 3. What's the new type of robot like in Hiroki Kunimura's mind?

   A. It can do everything for humans.

   B. It is clever,humorous and loyal.

   C. It is gentle,lovely,and smart.

   D. It makes humans happy.

(   ) 4. What can we infer from this passage?

   A. Many young people in Japan don't want to get married.

   B. There may be a lack of workers in Japan in the future.

   C. The lifespan of Japanese people will decrease in the future.

   D. The birth rate of Japan will start to increase slowly soon.

  Sarah came running in and said , " Look at what I found！ ”Over the 1        of the paper I was reading came a snake skin which caused me to jump. " Isn't it 2      ?" said my wideeyed seven-year-old daughter. I 3       the snake skin and thought 4        myself that it really was not that beautiful,5      I have learned never to appear 6        with young children,because 7       they see for the first time is elementary to their 8        of beauty and creativity.

  "Why does the snake shed (蜕皮) its skin?" Sarah asked. I wanted to 9        every opportu?nity to teach my child that there is almost always something 10        the obvious and that there is always something else going on besides 11        she sees in front of her.

"Snakes shed their skin because they need to renew themselves," I 12      .As is so often the case in my family,the 13       subject leads to another and another,until we are 14        something quite different.

  "Why do they have to renew themselves?" Sarah asked.

  "We 15       need to shed our skins,those coatings that we 16        ourselves with ," I said to my child. " We 17        some things and find other things unwanted or unnecessary. This snake 18        needs this skin. It is probably too tight for him,or he probably does not think he looks as smart in it 19        he once did. It is like he has bought a new suit."

  Of course,I am sure this explanation will not 20        scientists. But Sarah was getting the point that renewal is part of progress as well as what we need to keep and what we need to cast off.

(   ) 1. A. top   B. distance   C. bottom   D. tip

(   ) 2. A. ugly   B. strange   C. beautiful   D. dirty

(   ) 3. A. took away   B. stared at   C. closed up   D. stuck with

(   ) 4. A. of   B. over   C. about   D. to

(   ) 5. A. so   B. though   C. but   D. and

(   ) 6. A. unconcerned   B. helpful   C. unfair   D. addicted

(   ) 7. A. anything   B. something   C. everything   D. nothing

(   ) 8. A. point   B. sense   C. meaning   D. mind

(   ) 9. A. seize   B. support   C. hide   D. select

(   ) 10. A. into   B. beyond   C. within   D. above

(   ) 11. A. what   B. where   C. that   D. when

(   ) 12. A. whispered   B. explained   C. introduced   D. swore

(   ) 13. A. classic   B. final   C. advanced   D. original

(   ) 14. A. discussing   B. debating   C. deciding   D. thinking

(   ) 15. A. seldom   B. never   C. often   D. once

(   ) 16. A. touch   B. cover   C. take   D. move

(   ) 17. A. make use of   B. get away from   

        C. get interested in   D. end up with

(   ) 18. A. no longer   B. for ever   C. once more   D. not until

(   ) 19. A. for   B. with   C. like   D. as

(   ) 20. A. satisfy   B. interrupt   C. forgive   D. realize

10.        about his physical condition as soon as possible. (suggest)

我们主张应尽快告诉史密斯他的身体状况。