B

   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.

56. 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

57. 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

58. 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

59. 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.

60. 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.

A Good Custodian

I know a woman who tries hard to be a good custodian．

I pass her every day after school as she pushes her cart down my

hallway．Of course, she is my building's cleaner,

One Tuesday morning I came into school and saw a 　36 on my

desk from my custodian,

It seemed that some unbearable first year students had damaged the bathroom in a particularly disgusting way and she had been 　37　 to clean it．This took　 38　 than she had expected． She had left the typewritten note on my desk to 　39 for not being able to clean my room as she was 　40　 to do．

At the beginning of the period, I shared her note with my first period　 41　 When I mentioned that our custodian had apologized to us, their first 　42 was to volunteer to seek out and beat up those first year students for making our custodian have to clean up their 　43　 . It turned out that just about all of my students also knew our custodian by name -all of them responded with smiles and 　44　 for a long time about this time or that time when she'd　 45 each of them in the hallway．That she felt she needed to apologize 　46　 a strong reaction from many of the kids．

As the class period was about to end, I asked them to　 47 the floor like I do every period and thanked them for picking up any garbage 　 48　 it wasn't theirs．My entire class disappeared; they each disappeared instantly　 49　 their desks to pick up those annoying tiny pieces of paper that 　50　 so easily from notebooks．One girl made a （an）　 51　 that I later used with my other classes:" Her job might be to clean the room, but she shouldn't have to clean up　 52 us．There's a difference．”

I believe that people know the difference between right and wrong．I believe that people appreciate it when others　 53　 take care of them．And I believe that people, even adolescents who are not quite yet mature, appreciate it when they see someone who takes 　54　 in her work． Sometimes we need a 　55　 of the things we take for granted ．．．things like a good custodian to take care of us．

36．A．paper　　　　　　　　 　 B．handbook　　　　 　　　 C．note　　　　　　 　　　　 D．letter

37．A．advised　　　　　　　 　 B．persuaded　　　 　　　 C．allowed　　　 　　　　 D．charged

38．A．shorter　　　　　　　 　 B．longer　　　　　　 　　　 C．mare　　　　　 　　　　 D．less

39．A．apologize　　　　　　 　 B．regret　　　　　　 　　　 C．appeal　　　　 　　　　 D．complain

40．A．recommended 　　　 B．believed　　　　　　　　 C．approved　　　　　　　 D．scheduled

41．A．class　　　　　　　　　　 B．colleagues　　　　　　　 C．staff　　　　　　　　　　　 D．members

42．A．answer　　　　　　　　　 B．reaction,　　　　　　　　 C．decision　　　　　　　　 D．behavior

43．A．room　　　　　　　　　　 B．desks　　　　　　　　　　 C．mess　　　　　　　　　　 D．chaos

44．A．talked　　　　　　　　　　 B．asked　　　　　　　　　　 C．quarreled　　　　　　　 D．discussed

45．A．visited　　　　　　　　　 B．called　　　　　　　　　　 C．praised　　　　　　　　　 D．greeted

46．A．made　　　　　　　　　　 B．showed　　　　　　　　　 C．earned　　　　　　　　　 D．accepted

47．A．sweep　　　　　　　　　 B．examine　　　　　　　　 C．check　　　　　　　　　　 D．mop

48．A．even if　　　　　　　　　 B．only if　　　　　　　　　　 C．if only　　　　　　　　　 D．if ever

49．A．above　　　　　　　　　　 B．under　　　　　　　　　　 C．beyond　　　　　　　　　 D．across

50．A．leave　　　　　　　　　　 B．fall　　　　　　　　　　　　 C．fly　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．miss

51．A．promise　　　　　　　　 B．agreement　　　　　　　 C．announcement 　　　 D．comment

52．A．after　　　　　　　　　　　 B．before　　　　　　　　　　 C．with　　　　　　　　　　　 D．for

53．A．freely　　　　　　　　　　 B．gently　　　　　　　　　　 C．hopefully　　　　　　　 D．sincerely

54．A．advantage　　　　　　　 B．pride　　　　　　　　　　　 C．action　　　　　　　　　　 D．chance

55．A．keeper　　　　　　　　 B．caretaker　　　　　　 C．reminder　　　　　　 D．observer

D

 Even as Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda wrapped up a tired appearance before Congress，the head of the world’s largest automaker wasn’t leaving his problems behind．

 Toyota faces a criminal investigation by federal lawyers in New York．The company is now being investigated．Its US dealerships in difficulty now are facing repairs to potentially millions of customer cars that have been recalled．The company is offering customers money back for rental cars and other expenses．

 Its lawyers are busy preparing to cope with lawsuits．A new hearing will be conducted. And the cost to Toyota’s reputation is only now starting．

Despite back-to-back hearings this  week，left to be said were a better explanation for slow actions to deal with the faults and believable promises that the problems that led to sudden，unintended accelerations will be fixed．

Toyoda said those changes were being made nearly around the clock，but during three hours of often tense questions and answers he repeated that there was no link to the vehicle’s electronic systems．

Many drivers making complaints against Toyota and the government say their acceleration problems had nothing to do with floor mat interference(油门踏板故障)or sticky gas pedals(刹车)．Outside experts have suggested electronic problems.

    House lawmakers expressed serious criticism on Toyoda，the grandson of the company’s founder．

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA)is seeking records on Toyota’s recalls and is conducting its own review on whether electronics were behind the car faults．NHTSA also continues to look into steering complaints from drivers of the popular Corolla model．

    Toyota has recalled 8．5 million cars，more than 6 million of them in the United States．

      It may be a while before car buyers believe that Toyota really makes safe cars．

      Toyota’s January sales already fell 16 percent even as most other automakers jumped back from last year’s bad results．Analyst Koji Endo of Advanced Research Japan in Tokyo said he expects February sales，due out next week，to be down 30 percent to 40．Toyota’s sales problem could continue beyond that． 

      It will take some time to feel the full effect of this，he said．

66．The best title for this passage is            ．

      A．Toyota is in trouble                  B．Toyota is under hearing

      C．Toyota is finished                        D．Toyota is still running

67．What is the purpose of the hearing?

      A．America hopes that Toyota apologizes to the US customers．

      B．America wants to get Toyota out of the US market．

      C．America wants to help Toyota out of difficulty．

      D．America hopes that Toyota admits their cars have electronic system problem．

68．What can we infer from the passage?

    A. Toyota provides very good post sale service．

    B. Toyota’s biggest market is in the United States．

C．Toyota will be closed soon．

D．Toyota’s dealership in the US will all be closed．

69．Why does Toyota recall cars and offer customers money back for rental cars and other expenses?

      A．It tries to avoid the maximum damages to the company．

      B．It is big company and has means to fix every problem．

      C．It’s part of post servicee． D．It’s a way to compete in auto market．

70．The last sentence of this passage indicates            .

      A．Analyst Koji Endo is fully confident about Toyota

      B．Toyota could meet a worse situation

      C．Toyota would get out of trouble sooner or later

      D．Toyota would build up a better reputation among its customers

 (06·江西A篇)

The incident took place on Sunday，the 25th Of June．On that particular day，a south wind had been gusting(劲吹) on and off all morning．It was not strong enough to cause us any concern，so we carried on our daily work not suspecdng what was about to happon．

    The storm gaveus very little warnning．Black clouds loomed over the distant horizon(地平线) so suddenly that we were taken by surprise．Even then，we were not really worried，as the clouds seemed to be moving over our house and towards the distant moountains．Then，just as the clouds had moved inland，the wind suddenly swung around in a full circle and we were facing a major storm．

    Instantly，we were busily preaparing for the worst． The whole family had experienced such a storm before and evelyone remembered the damage it had caused to stock and crops．There was very little we could do about tbe corps.

But we needcd to protect the animals in case the river flooded again．My older brother called his sheep-dog and began driving our small flock of sheep to higher ground above river．If the river flooded，they should be safe there．

    In the meantime，my father was mending a shed roof that had partly fallen down after many years of fine service．If the tin flew off，it could damage the house．  My younger brother began hurriedly carrying firewood under the shelter．My job was to help Mum board up the windows．If the storm developde into a cyclone(旋风)，the boalds would protect the glass.

    Thc storm raged for four hours，pouring more rain on us than we had seen in the last five years．As expectcd the river borke its banks and came slowly up towards the house and the stock．

    Then，jnst as we were beginning to lose hope，the storm stopped as suddenly as it had begun．The animals were  safe，and the roof was still nailed on．  “All，s weU that ends well,"Said my mother.

 56．When the black clouds appeared suddenly in the distance.

A．the family were surprised   

B．they were extremely worried

C. they were preparing fOr the worst   

D．they faced the storm bravely

57．“There was very  little we could do about the crops" indicates that    ．

A．little damage would be done to the crops   

B．they had everything ready for the crops

C．they felt unablet to protect the crops   

D．the crops should be safe enough there

58．The underlined word"stock" in the third paragraph refers to    ．

    A.money owned by the family   

B．goods for sale

    C．suppplies for family use   

D．farm animals    ．

59．It can be inferred from what the mother said that——·

A．they had no damage at all   

B．everything went beyond their expectation

C. everything was under control   

D．the family could have suffered a greater loss

  

Starry Night
Have you ever seen a real night sky that looks like Van Gogh’s Starry Night? I hope not! So, why would an artist paint the sky this way? Perhaps I can answer that with another question. When you’re happy, why do you sing instead of speaking? Or when you’re in love, why do you speak of roses and honey? When we do these things, we, too are artists. We’re using something that goes beyond a mere scientific description in order to communicate our feelings more powerfully than straightforward words can. So consider for a moment that Van Gogh might not have been hallucinating (产生幻觉的) on the night he painted this. Maybe he felt something so powerful that he had to go beyond the familiar to express it.
I hope I’m reminding you of something you already know as I describe the experience of being outside at night under a crystal clear sky that makes everything seem clean and refreshing. So you look up. And suddenly you see the sky that you’ve seldom seen before. It’s not just the same old dark night sky tonight. Instead, the blackness is a deep, rich blue that is more bottomless than any ocean. The stars are not spots of light but brilliant, magical diamonds that dance like tiny angels. In just this special moment, the sky is somehow alive, and it seems to speak to you silently about the meaning of infinity (无限).
Now look at the painting again. Can you see something of what makes this such a famous and well-loved image? But there’s more here than that. Van Gogh painted this while he was quite struck down by a mental disease. It is natural to imagine that he frequently battled the fear that he would never escape his prison to true freedom. It is natural for us to imagine this because each of us has faced our own personal prison, whether it be disease, the loss of a loved one, serious financial problems … In such moments it is tempting to give up to despair (绝望) and collapse in hopelessness.
Looking at this painting, I imagine Van Gogh in just such a moment of despair, when he is struck by the memory of one of those amazing night skies. He recalls the sense that he is not alone, that there is a living, infinite world with rich colorful creatures and scenes all around.
And so the sky flows across the canvas (画布) full of vitality (活力) and power. The stars don’t just sparkle; they explode. Looking closer, we notice that the earth itself seems to respond to the movement in the sky, forming its own living waves in the mountain and rolling trees. In the sleepy village, the windows of the houses glow (发光) with the same light that brightens the universe. The giant trees at the left seem to capture the joy by stretching upwards toward the sky.
What a tremendous message of hope there is in this masterpiece! Even if our troubles persist, the world around us assures us that life is worth living. That’s what the angels sing about. Doesn’t it make you want to sing, too?
【小题1】Looking at the painting Starry Night, we can see all the following except________.

A．The singing angels	B．the giant trees
C．the sleepy village	D．the sparkling stars

【小题2】Van Gogh does NOT describe a feeling of ______ through the Starry Night.

A．happiness

B．vitality

C．power

D．despair

【小题3】The underlined word “prison” in the 3rd paragraph probably means ______.

A．trouble in one’s life	B．mental illness
C．control from the authority	D．a place where criminals are kept

【小题4】What is the main purpose of this passage?

A．To explain how Van Gogh painted the Starry Night.

B．To tell us how to appreciate the Starry Night.

C．To prove Van Gogh was in a hallucinating state of mind while painting the picture.

D．To show us the beauty of the sky on a starry night.