Airtight plastic bags can help farmers protect their harvests without the use of harmful chemicals. These bags are designed to keep air out of crops in storage. Using them is a simple way to fight insects and keep crops fresh.

　 Ten countries in West and Central Africa are involved in a project to improve the storage of cowpeas, also

known as black-eyed peas. Farmers can lose much of the harvest to insects called bruchids (豆象), which grow from egg to adult in a few weeks and then lay forty to sixty eggs. They can destroy the whole harvest within months.

　 Farmers can sell their crops immediately. But selling at harvest time means more competition and lower prices.Or they can use pesticides (杀虫剂) to kill the bugs. But a crop scientist Dieudonne Baributsa says, “They end up misusing or overusing the pesticide. In Nigeria, they have reported a lot of cases of death. They usually call cowpeas ‘killer beans’ in Nigeria.”

　 Mr. Baributsa is a researcher at Purdue University in Indiana, America. The project is called PICS---Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage. He says the storage bags are thick enough that any insects already in the cowpeas willdie from a lack of oxygen. The lack of air will also help prevent the growth of bacteria that can ruin the harvest. The bags cost about two dollars each. Mr. Baributsa says that is not much, especially if it means farmers can wait long enough to get a better price for their crops. The bags are produced locally. Donors currently support the project, but the groups involved are working to build a lasting market for the bags because donation for the project will not lastforever.

　 A company based in the United States called GrainPro makes another kind of airtight bags. These are called SuperGrainbags. Phil Villers, the company’s president, says storing a harvest safely not only helps farmers earn more money, but also reduces the amount of the harvest loss to insects, spoilage and mishandling. “What does not get wasted and eaten means it is possible to feed a hungry world,” said Phil Villers.

61. What is the best title for this passage?

　　　 A．Simple bags save the harvest.　 　　 B．Plastic bags kill the insects.

　　　 C．Bruchids do harm to the harvest.　　 D．Pesticides threaten food safety..

62．It can be inferred that bruchids_______.

　　　 A．steal the stored crops for their future.　　　　 B．survive in airtight plastic bags.

　　　 C．grow slowly. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　D．breed fast.

63．How does the name of “killer beans” come out?

　　　 A．The beans are poisonous by nature.　　　　 　 B．People eat beans that are infected by bugs.

　　　 C．Farmers use chemicals to kill bugs improperly.　 D．Bugs ruin beans within a short time.

64．Which statement of the following is NOT true?

　　　 A．Any insects in the bags will soon use up the air and then die.　

B．The airtight plastic bags currently sold on the market do not last long.

　　　 C．The project provides the farmers with the bags for free at present.　　

D．What farmers can earn from the use of the bags is more than they have to pay.

65．According to the passage, the storage bags can do the following EXCEPT______.

　　　 A．double the total harvest　　　　 B．raise farmers’ income

　　　 C．help fight world hunger　 　　　 D．help project crops from being spoiled

阅读下面短文， 从短文后各题的四个选项（ A、  B、  C，D）中， 选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项

The world always makes way for the dreamer.

When I was twelve years old, my father took me to see Zig Zigler. I remember sitting in that dark hall listening to Mr. Zigler  36 everyone’s spirits up to the ceiling, I 37  there feeling like I could do anything. When we got to the car, I turned to my father and said, “Dad, I want to    38   people feel like that.” My father asked me 39  I meant. “I want to be a motivational （激励人的）speaker just like Mr. Zigler,”  I replied．A 40 was born.

Recently, I began seeking my dream of motivating others. 41  a four-year relationship with Fortune 100 Company  42  as a sales-trainer and ending as a regional sales manager, I left the company at the height of my 43 . Many people were 44 that I would leave after earning a six-figure income. And they asked 45  I would risk everything for a dream.

I made my 46  to start my own company and leave my secure position after  47  a regional sales meeting. The vice-president of our company delivered a  48  that changed my life. He asked us, “If a god would offer you three wishes, what would they be?” After giving us a 49 to write down the three wishes, he then asked us, “Why do you need a  50 ?” I would never forget the power I felt at that moment. I realized that  51 I had accomplished in the past had prepared me for this moment. I was ready and didn’t need a god’s help to become a motivational speaker. A motivational speaker was  52  .

Having made that decision, I was immediately 53  . One week after I gave notice, my husband was laid off from his job, and now we had no  54  . But I held fast to my dream. The wonder really began to happen. In a short time my husband found a better job．And I was able to book several  55  engagements with new customers. I discovered the incredible power of dreams.

2.A  slipped         B．came                C．arrived       D．left

6.A．Because       B．Before                C  After             D．While

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

The world always makes way for the dreamer.

When I was twelve years old, my father took me to see Zig Zigler. I remember sitting in that dark hall listening to Mr. Zigler  36  everyone’s spirits up to the ceiling, I   37  there feeling like I could do anything. When we got to the car, I turned to my father and said, “Dad, I want to  38  people feel like that.” My father asked me  39  I meant. “I want to be a motivational （激励人的）speaker just like Mr. Zigler,”I replied. A  40   was born.

Recently, I began seeking my dream of motivating others.  41   a four-year relationship with Fortune 100 Company  42  as a sales-trainer and ending as a regional sales manager, I left the company at the height of my  43  . Many people were  44  that I would leave after earning a six-figure income. And they asked  45  I would risk everything for a dream.

I made my   46   to start my own company and leave my secure position after   47  a regional sales meeting. The vice-president of our company delivered a  48  that changed my life. He asked us, “If a god would offer you three wishes, what would they be?” After giving us a  49  to write down the three wishes, he then asked us, “Why do you need a   50  ?” I would never forget the power I felt at that moment. I realized that   51   I had accomplished in the past had prepared me for this moment. I was ready and didn’t need a god’s help to become a motivational speaker. A motivational speaker was  52   .

Having made that decision, I was immediately  53  .One week after I gave notice, my husband was laid off from his job, and now we had no  54  . But I held fast to my dream. The wonder really began to happen. In a short time my husband found a better job．And I was able to book several  55  engagements with new customers. I discovered the incredible power of dreams.

1.                A．raise           B．blow           C．put  D．rise

2.                A．slipped         B．came           C．arrived   D．left

3.                A．get            B．make           C．hope D．cheer

4.                A．that           B．which          C．what D．if

5.                A．speaker        B．idea           C．girl  D．dream

6.A．Because    B．Before   C After          D．While

7.                A．regarding       B．working         C．acting    D．beginning

8.                A．life            B．love           C．income   D．career

9.                A．surprised       B．moved         C．disappointed   D．delighte

10.               A．when          B．if             C．why  D．how

11.               A．plan           B．decision        C．promise   D．mind

12.               A．entering        B．joining         C．attending  D．holding

13.               A．speech         B．book           C．report D．newspaper

14.               A．day            B．second         C．week D．moment

15.               A．help           B．god            C．job   D．company

16.               A．something      B．anything        C．nothing   D．everything

17.               A．alive           B．born           C．missing    D．dead

18.               A．tested         B．searched       C．checked   D．examined

19.               A．help           B．harm          C．income    D．money

20.               A．selling         B．speaking        C．writing    D．listening

FRIDAY, Aug. 3 (Health Day News) -- Middle school students who are physically fit are likely to score higher on standardized tests measuring reading and math abilities, a new study has found. And, the average scores went up in connection with levels of fitness, the findings showed.
“The more physically fit kids were, the higher their scores,” said the study’s lead author, Trent Petrie, director of the Center for Sport Psychology at the University of North Texas in Denton. “Parents should encourage their kids to be physically active. There are some real cognitive (认知的) and academic benefits that come from physical fitness”, Petrie said.
Results of the study are scheduled to be presented Friday at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Orlando, Fla. The study included more than 1,200 middle school students from five schools in a suburban area of Texas, with 561 boys and 650 girls. About 57 percent of the children were white, and nearly one-quarter were Mexican American. Nine percent were black and about 2 percent were of Asian descent.
The school district provided the researchers with information on the children’s race, age, grade level and whether they qualified for the free school lunch program, which was an indicator of the family’s socioeconomic status. The schools also provided scores to the tests, which were given between one and four months after the researchers had assessed the children’s levels of fitness. Fitness tests were administered during physical education classes to determine the youngsters’ heart and lung health (cardiorespiratory fitness), as well as their body mass index (BMI), an indicator of how much body fat a person has. The children also filled out questionnaires that helped the researchers determine factors such as self-esteem and social support.
After accounting for factors such as age, sex, family income and self-esteem, the researchers found that for both boys and girls, higher levels of heart and lung health predicted better scores on both the math and reading tests.
For boys, perceived (感观的) social support also seemed to increase their reading scores, the investigators found. In girls, while being physically fit predicted higher reading scores, so too did a higher BMI-- which indicates more body fat. “We were a little surprised by this finding,” Petrie said.
“It was not as strong an association as the one with physical fitness,” he added. The authors suspect it may have something to do with girls this age entering adolescence, which may be related to a higher BMI and slightly higher brain development. He said he plans to make great effort to look for this relationship again in larger studies to see if it was a chance finding, or if the association holds up.
“While we can’t say 100 percent that physical fitness causes better academic performance, we can say that there is a strong and predictive relationship between physical fitness and academic performance,” Petrie said.
“It’s hard to tease apart (梳理) the exact reason for this association,” said Becky Hashim, an attending clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the departments of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Montefiore, in New York City.
“It may be that the children are getting more oxygen. When the heart and lungs are working at a higher capacity, it may allow the brain to work at peak performance. Children who are less fit may be sleepier during school,” she noted. “I personally feel that there’s probably a strong relationship between the confidence you get from being able to do something physical well and academic performance.”
Whatever the reason behind this association may be, “there’s certainly no harm in pushing physical fitness,” Hashim added. “Physical fitness may make you feel better, give you more confidence and improve your performance across the board,” she said.
Petrie agreed. “Physically fit kids are happier, have higher self-esteem and, tend to have better relationships, and now we’re beginning to see that there also seem to be benefits cognitively and academically. Our study sends a strong warning to policymakers to reconsider the service program of physical education classes for kids,” he said.
【小题1】How did the school district help the researchers carry out the study?

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，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Barrier Islands
Texas has an extensive coastline that runs along the Gulf of Mexico. If you look closely at the map, you’ll notice that there are narrow islands located just off the coast of Texas. These are called barrier islands.
Barrier islands stretch along about 15 percent of the world’s coastlines. They are separated from the mainland by a shallow body of water. Some barrier islands spread out for more than 100 miles. In Texas, some of the largest barrier islands include Galveston Island, Mustang Island, and Padre Island.
Barrier islands are fragile (脆弱的) areas that contain an interdependent community of land, plants, and animals. All three need each other to exist. If one is harmed in some way, then the other two can suffer. For example, barrier islands are in constant danger of erosion, or loss of land, from wind, waves, and people. The steady movement of ocean waves and wind moves sand along the beaches. This movement contributes to erosion, which changes the shape and size of a barrier island over time. Plants not only provide animals with food and shelter, but it also helps keep an island’s sand and soil in place. When people pick native plants, it advances the process of erosion. This can harm the environmental balance that keeps an island’s ecosystem healthy. For this reason, visitors to barrier islands are usually warned to leave plants alone and to stay on roads and public beaches so that the land, plants, and animals are not disturbed.
As their name suggests, barrier islands provide a natural barrier that helps block the mainland from very bad weather such as strong windstorms and hurricanes. This protection saves lives, homes, and money every year. Barrier islands are also a major source of income for an area’s economy. Padre Island, for example, is visited every year by hundreds of thousands of tourists who take advantage of its sandy beaches and beautiful waters that are perfect for swimming, boating, and fishing. The dollars that tourists spend on the island help financially support the region and state.
1．Paragraph 3 is mostly about _____________.
A．what barrier islands are like    B．how barrier islands form
C．how barrier islands can exist   D．why barrier islands are important
2．Which of the following can do harm to barrier islands?
A．Keeping plants wherever they are.    B．Going wherever visitors like.
C．Fishing on public beaches.            D．Driving about on roads.
3．We can tell from the article that the author ___________.
A．lives on Padre Island and loves it
B．cares about the ecosystem on barrier islands
C．wishes less and less travelers would visit barrier islands
D．is concerned about the beautiful waters around the islands
4．Barrier islands are important because they ___________.
A．help prevent bad weather damaging mainland
B．bring in much more money than mainland
C．can protect rare plants and animals
D．provide more shelters for people