E

First Man-Bear-Pig , and now global warming; it seems Al Gore never stops to surprise the world. Recently Al Gore produced them movie An Inconvenient Truth which explained the threats and told us how to control global warming. What it left out is that there is no proof that human activity is even causing global warming, let alone if global warming is even taking place.

Global warming is the idea that greenhouse gases that shut in infra-red（红外线）radiation in the earth’s atmosphere are becoming more powerful and heating our planet up. The theory is that if the planet continues to heat up, the polar ice caps could melt and cover the earth in water.

Over the last 100 years the Earth has increased one degree in temperature, and sea level has risen millimeters. Even though this “eye-opening” news is taking place, there is no clear proof saying that it is due to global warming. It could be just a regular weather pattern the earth is circulating . The polar ice caps have not grown or reduced in size since man began tracking them. Also the ground-based temperature has remained the same besides growing cities. In fact most clues support the idea that global warming is not taking place and human activity isn’t causing any earth to melt down.

Although Al Gore insists the world is on its way to certain destruction, the facts say otherwise. It seems that driving to work won’t lead to the doom（末日）of mankind , and the movie Water World won’t be happening any time soon.

72.  It is likely that Al Gore     .

A. is concerned about the threat of global warming

B. holds that human doesn’t cause global warming

C. knows how to stop global warming successfully

D. doesn’t believe global warming is taking place

73. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A. The earth has risen 1℃ temperature in the last century

B. The sea level is incredibly higher than any time before

C. Some people are upset at the news of global warming

D. The poplar ice caps haven’t grown or reduced in size

74. The author believes that      .

A. most proofs support global warming is happening

B. human activities contribute little to global warming

C. driving to work will lead to the end of mankind

D. A “Water World” will be happening very soon

75.      can be the best title of the passage.

A. A Threatening the Film by Al Gore

B. The Causes of Global Warming

C. The Doom of Mankind ?

D. The Polar Ice Melt Down!

E

One bitterly cold day, a snowstorm blew into our area. Needing firewood, I quickly set out with my best friend, Bruce, to look for a tree to cut down. I was glad to have Bruce along. Cutting down a tree in a snowstorm can be dangerous. So it was important to have a friend who could warn me of dangers.

       When I chose a big 23-meter-tall tree and prepared to cut it down, my best friend suddenly warned me,“Don’t cut down that tree! It’s too close to the power line!”I wasn’t sure about it. So I decided to disregard his warning. I wanted to finish the job quickly and go home. So I began cutting down the tree. When the tree fell, there was no longer any doubt whether my friend was right.

       The tree caught the power line, bringing it to the ground. I considered cutting the tree off the line. After all, electricity can’t travel through wood, so I could safely remove the tree. As I reached out my finger to touch the tree, pain ran up my arm and through my head. I had been shocked!

       After I returned home and told my mother what had happened, she quickly called the power company. Workers from the power company soon arrived on the scene. One of them asked if I had touched the tree, and when I told him I had, his face turned pale.

“You should have been killed,”he said.

So why am I still alive? It was my boots that saved my life.

Within two hours, the workers removed the tree. Soon the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother.

       Even though she was glad I wasn’t hurt, my mother was still serious with me. After all, I shouldn’t have brushed off my friend’s warning.

       Through this experience, I learned it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective. Taking the time to listen might actually save a lot of time and trouble. It certainly would have kept me from getting the“shock of my life.”

57．The underlined word“disregard”in the second paragraph means“___________.”

       A．pay no attention to   B．take notice of  C．consider   D．follow

58．In spite of Bruce’s  warning, the author still cut the tree because___________.

       A．he was sure there would be nothing to happen

       B．he knows electricity can’t travel through wood

       C．he didn’t hear his friend’s warning at all because of the blowing wind

       D．he wasn’t sure if Bruce was right and was anxious to go home

59．Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

       A．But for his boots, the writer would have died.

       B．The writer regretted having brushed off his friend’s warning.

       C．The writer knew nothing about electricity.

       D．When the tree was cut down, the writer realized his friend was right.

60．The author wrote the passage mainly to        .

       A．give an account of one of his terrible experiences

       B．make us know it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective through his experience

       C．tell us not to cut trees down any more

       D．remind us to be careful while working

                                          E

       Have you winterized your horse yet? Even though global warming may have made our climate more mild, many animals are still hibernating (冬眠). It’s too bad that humans can’t hibernate. In fact, as a species, we almost did.

       Apparently, at times in the past, peasants in France liked a semi-state of human hibernation. So writes Graham Robb, a British scholar who has studied the sleeping habits of the French peasants. As soon as the weather turned cold, people all over France shut themselves away and practiced the forgotten art of doing nothing at all for months on end.

       In line with this, Jeff Warren, a producer at CBC Radio’s The Current, tells us that the way we sleep has changed fundamentally since the invention of artificial（人造的）lighting and the electric bulb.

      When historians began studying texts of the Middle Ages, they noticed something referred to as “first sleep”, which was not clarified, though. Now scientists are telling us our ancestors most likely slept in separate periods. The business of eight hours’ uninterrupted sleep is a modem invention.

      In the past, without the artificial light of the city to bathe in, humans went to sleep when it became dark and then woke themselves around midnight. The late night period was known as “The Watch”. It was when people actually kept watch against wild animals, although many of them simply moved around or visited family and neighhours.

      According to some sleep researchers, a short period of insomnia (失眠) at midnight is not a disorder.  It is normal. Humans can experience another state of consciousness around their sleeping, which occurs in the brief period before we fall asleep or wake ourselves in the morning. This period can be an extraordinarily creative time for some people. The impressive inventor, Thomas Edison, used this state to hit upon many of his new ideas.

      Playing with your sleep rhythms can be adventurous, as anxiety may set in. Medical science doesn’t help  much in this case. It offers us medicines for a full night’s continuous sleep, which sounds natural; however, according to Warren’s theory, it is really the opposite of what we need.

67. The example of the French peasants shows the fact that ____________.

      A. people might become lazy as a result of too much sleep.

      B. there were signs of hibernation in human sleeping habits.

      C. people tended to sleep more peacefully in cold weather.

      D. winter was a season for people to sleep for months on end.

 68. The late night was called “The Watch” because it was a time for people ____________.

      A. to set traps to catch animals.

      B. to wake up their family and neighbours.

      C. to remind others of the time.                   

      D. to guard against possible dangers.

 69. What does the author advise people to do?

      A. Sleep in the way animals do.

      B. Consult a doctor if they can’t sleep.

       C. Follow their natural sleep rhythm.

       D. Keep to the eight-hour sleep pattern.

70. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

     A. To give a prescription for insomnia.

     B. To urge people to sleep less.

     C. To analyze the sleep pattern of modem people.

     D. To throw new light on human sleep.

E

Larry Walters is among the relatively few who have actually turned their dreams into reality. His story is true, even though you may find it hard to believe.

   Larry was a truck driver, but his lifelong dream was to fly. After graduating from high school, he joined the Air Force in hopes of becoming a pilot. Unfortunately, poor eyesight disqualified him. So, as he sat there in his lawn chair, he dreamed about the magic of flying.

   Then one day, Larry Walters got an idea. He went to the local Army-Navy store and bought a tank of helium (氦) and forty-five weather balloons. Back in his yard, Larry used straps to attach the balloons to his lawn chair, the kind you might have in your own back yard.

   He fixed the chair to the ground and filled the balloons with helium. Then he packed some sandwiches and drinks and loaded a BB gun, figuring he could pop (打爆) a few of those balloons when it was time to return to earth.

   Being ready, Larry sat in his chair and cut the fixing rope. His plan was to lazily float upwards and then lazily back down to land. But, things didn’t quite work out that way.

   Instead, he shot up as if fired from a cannon! He climbed until he finally reached eleven THOUSAND feet! At that height, he could hardly risk shooting at any of the balloons, for fear of losing the balance! So, he stayed up there, sailing around for fourteen hours, totally at a loss as to how to get down. Eventually, an airliner pilot radioed the airport about passing a guy in a lawn chair at eleven thousand feet ... with a gun in his lap (腿面).

   At nightfall, the winds on the coast made Larry drift out to sea. At that point, the Navy sent a helicopter to rescue him. Eventually they were able to fly over him and drop a rescue line with which they gradually get him back to earth.

   On hitting the ground, he was arrested. When led away in handcuffs, a television reporter called out to ask, “Mr. Walters, why did you do it?” Larry stopped, eyed the man for a moment and replied, “A man can’t just sit around. What happens tomorrow depends on what you do today.”

Are you doing something to improve your life ... or just sitting around?

57. It is the fact that Larry _______.

A. was a qualified pilot                      B. was an amazing bus driver          

C. failed to become a pilot                   D. popped a few balloons

58. While pulled by the helium balloon, Larry took off to fly by _______.

A. shooting at the balloons to get the up-pushing power

B. using straps to attach the balloons to his lawn chair

C. fixing the chair to the balloons filled with helium

D. cutting the rope fixing his chair to the ground

59. Larry’s being arrested suggests that _______.

A. he is a wanted criminal by the police         B. it is against law to fly without a license 

C. an air liner pilot found a gun in his lap      D. he intended to steal military information

60. What might the writer think of Larry?

A. He is stupid enough to get arrested.            B. He is wise enough to be a success.

C. He is brave enough to reach his goal.    D. He is violent enough to go against law.

If you ever get the feeling that you’re on your own, then spare a thought for Don Sammons.

　 The hamlet（小镇） of Buford in Wyoming is not even a sparsely-populated area. It’s a single-populated（人口稀薄的）area, as the 60-year-old is the only man, woman or child living there.

　 But even though the ‘population one’ hamlet is 8,000ft up a cold mountain, he denies feeling lonely and runs an isolated petrol station and convenience shop.

　 Mr. Sammons left Los Angeles with his wife and bought the tiny town with six buildings to escape their busy lifestyle.

　 When the couple moved，there were seven people living in Buford working for a railroad that passes nearby, but they all moved away to bigger towns by the mid-1990s.

　 Then his wife died 15 years ago and his son, now aged 26, moved to Colorado three years ago. So that left Mr. Sammons in Buford on his own.

　 He gets about 1,000 visitors a day to the village during the summer, which has a billboard proclaiming（宣布） his small empire（帝国）, but this drops to around 100 during the winter，in which the winds often blow at 70mph.

　 Mr Sammons turned a school house, which operated between 1905 and 1962, into his office and made another old store built in 1895 into a four-car garage.

　 He lives in a three-bedroom log cabin and enjoys a commute（通勤来往） of 200 yards to his workplace. ‘I'm the king of the castle here,’ he said.

　 Buford was formed in 1866 as military outpost (军事警哨)‘Fort Sanders’, to protect workers building a railroad. It was once home to 2,000 people - most of them foreign migrant（移民） rail workers – a post office was built in 1880. The town was named Buford after Civil War general John Buford following the opening.

　 The town was sold to a private buyer by the railroad company in 1970 and Mr. Sammons arrived with his wife ten years later after working in the moving business in California.

56. The text is mainly about _______.

A. Don Sammons’ daily life　　　 B. the history of a small town

C. the cultural custom of a town　 D. an old town and its only resident

57. When did Mr. Sammons buy the town Buford?

A. In 1970 B. In 1980. C. In 1990. D. In 2000

58. Mr. Sammons bought the town with the main purpose of ______.

A. making money by doing business B. opening up the tourism industry

C. leading a peaceful and quiet life　　 D. avoid being bothered by other people

59. Which one is the right order of the following events about the town of Buford?

a. A post office was built there

b. All rail workers left the town.

c. Many foreign migrant rail workers worked here.

d. A school house was operated here.

e. A store was built here.

　 A. c-a-e-b-d. B. c-e-a-d-b.　　 C. c-a-d-e-b　 D. c-a-e-d-b.

60. According to the text, Dom Sammons _________.

　 A. lives alone but feels satisfied with his life in the town

　 B. sometimes feels lonely because his son is away

　 C. has many friends who come to see him every summer

　 D. is used to the warm weather in winter in the town