An ancient Egyptian mummy returned home 150 years after being stolen by a Canadian doctor.??

　　 The mummy is believed to be Ramses Ⅰ,the founder of the 19th Dynasty of ancient Egypt.It was stolen in the 19th century,at the time when many explorers from Europe and America wanted to find the mummified bodies of Pharaohs(法老).They had heard stories of the Pharaohs being buried with treasures of great artistic, scientific and financial value.?

　　 But when King Tut was discovered in 1922 in Egypt they realized the Pharaohs might have been buried with something else as well—curses(咒语).?

　　 As soon as Englishman Howard Carter found King Tut's tomb,strange things started to happen.On the night of the discovery,Carter's canary(金丝雀) was killed by a snake.It was the same kind of snake found on a symbol worn by the Pharaohs on their foreheads. A few months later,Lord Carnarvon,the man who paid for Carter's trip,died suddenly in Cairo of unknown causes.By 1935,no fewer than 21 people connected with the discovery of the tomb had died. ?

　　 After much argument over whether the curse of King Tut really existed,four years ago German scientist Gotthard Kramer tried to find it out for certain.He discovered that bacteria(细菌) on the mummy could have been responsible for the deaths.“When this bacteria enters the body through the nose,mouth or eyes,”Kramer said,“it can result in illness or even death,particularly to those with bad health.”?

　　 But perhaps the power of the curse is in the minds of those who believe it.Carter,the man who actually opened the tomb,lived to 66 before dying of natural causes.“All sensible people should dismiss(不予理会) these curse ideas as rubbish,”he said. ?

1. When was King Tut discovered?

A. In the 19th century.?

B. 150 years ago.?

C. In 1922.?

D. In 1935.

2. The 19th century was a time when________.

A. people from America and Europe tried to get mummified bodies of Pharaohs

B. many mummified bodies of Pharaohs were destroyed?

C. scientists began to find out the truth of mummified bodies of Pharaohs?

D. the body of King Tut was discovered

3. Many people realized the Pharaohs might have been buried with curses, because________ .

A. all the people connected with the discovery of the tomb had died?

B. many strange things took place after the discovery of the tomb?

C. supernatural power began to control humans?

D. Lord Carnarvon died suddenly in Cairo

4. Gotthard Kramer's research about the mummy showed________ .?

A. he was only interested in the study of bacteria?

B. bacteria was the cause of the deaths of many people?

C. he was the pioneer of bacteria?

D. he was thought highly of for his contributions

5.“All sensible people should dismiss these curse ideas as rubbish” means “________”.?　　

A. Paying no attention to curse ideas is not correct?

B. People shouldn't think about curse ideas, as they don't exist?

C. Not all people believe the existence of curse ideas?

D. If you want to know more about curse ideas, you should dismiss them

　　

完形填空（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从下列各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

The human nose is an underestimated tool. Humans are often thought to be  1___ smellers compared with animals, but this is largely because, unlike animals, we stand upright. This means that our noses are  2  to detecting those smells which float through the air,  3  the majority of smells which stick to surfaces. In fact though, we are extremely sensitive to smells, even if we do not generally realize it. Our noses are capable of  4  human smells even when these are  5  to far below one part in one million.

　　  6     , some people find that they can smell one type of flower but not another, while others are sensitive to the smells of both flowers. This may be because some people do not have the genes necessary to generate  7     smell receptors in the nose. These receptors are the cells which sense smells and send  8    to the brain. However, it has been found that even people insensitive to a certain smell at first can suddenly become sensitive to it when  9     to it often enough.

　　The  10   for insensitivity to smell seems to be that brain finds it  11    to keep all smell receptors working all the time but can  12   new receptors if necessary. This may also explain why we are not usually sensitive to our own smells we simply do not need to be. We are not  13     of the usual smell of our own house but we  14     new smells when we visit someone else's. The brain finds it best to keep smell receptors _ 15    for unfamiliar and emergency signals such as the smell of smoke, which might indicate the danger of fire.

 

1. A. sensitive	B. outstanding	C. insensitive	D. awkward
2. A. limited	B. committed	C. devoted	D. conducted
3. A. catching	B. ignoring	C. missing	D. tracking
4. A. distinguishing	B. discovering	C. determining	D. detecting
5. A. reduced	B. reserved	C. rescued	D. refused
6. A. Fortunately	B. Strangely	C Happily	D. Amazingly
7. A. unusual	B. particular	C. unique	D. typical
8. A. signs	B. information	C. messages	D. signals
9. A. subjected	B. left	C. drawn	D. exposed
10A. expectation	B. expression	C. extension	D. explanation
11.A convenient	B. competitive	C. inefficient	D. adequate
12.A introduce	B. gather	C. develop	D. produce
13.A sure	B. sick	C. aware	D tired
14.A tolerate	B. resist	C. neglect	D. notice
15.A available	B. reliable	C. valuable	D. suitable

 

 

In July 1994 Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, was struck by 21 pieces of a comet (彗星). When the fragments (碎片) landed in the southern part of the giant planet, the explosions(爆炸) were watched by scientists here on the earth. But what if our own planet was hit by a comet?

　The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two fragments will probably hit the southern part of the Earth. The news has caused panic.

　On 17 July, a fragment, four kilometers wide, enters the Earth's atmosphere with a huge explosion. About half of the fragment is destroyed. But the major part survives and hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and an enormous(巨大的) wave is created and spreads. The wall of water rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometres an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned. The wave moves into the Indian Ocean and heads towards Asia.

　Millions of people are already dead in the southern part of the Earth, but the north won't escape for long. Tons of broken pieces are thrown into the atmosphere by the explosions. As the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later civilization has collapsed(崩溃). No more than 10 million people have survived.

　Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a space fragment. The dinosaurs couldn't survive in the cold climate that followed and they became extinct. Will we meet the same end?

1.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the author's description of the disaster in 2094?

A. The whole world becomes extremely cold

B. All the coastal cities in Africa are destroyed

C. The visit of the comet results in wars

D. The whole mankind becomes extinct

2.Why does the author mention dinosaurs at the end of the passage?

A. Because they could only live in the warm climate

B. Because their extinction indicates future disasters

C. Because they once dominated(控制) the earth

D. Because dinosaurs and humans never live in the same age

3. In writing the passage, the author intends to ______.

A. give an accurate description of the possible disaster in the future

B. prove that humans will sooner or later be destroyed

C. warn of a possible disaster in the future

D. tell the historical development of the Earth

4.It can be concluded that the passage is most probably part of a(n) ______.

A. article of popular science      B. news report

C. research paper                      D. horror story

 

完形填空（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从下列各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

The human nose is an underestimated tool. Humans are often thought to be  1___ smellers compared with animals, but this is largely because, unlike animals, we stand upright. This means that our noses are  2  to detecting those smells which float through the air,  3  the majority of smells which stick to surfaces. In fact though, we are extremely sensitive to smells, even if we do not generally realize it. Our noses are capable of  4  human smells even when these are  5  to far below one part in one million.

　　  6     , some people find that they can smell one type of flower but not another, while others are sensitive to the smells of both flowers. This may be because some people do not have the genes necessary to generate  7     smell receptors in the nose. These receptors are the cells which sense smells and send  8    to the brain. However, it has been found that even people insensitive to a certain smell at first can suddenly become sensitive to it when  9     to it often enough.

　　The  10   for insensitivity to smell seems to be that brain finds it  11    to keep all smell receptors working all the time but can  12   new receptors if necessary. This may also explain why we are not usually sensitive to our own smells we simply do not need to be. We are not  13     of the usual smell of our own house but we  14     new smells when we visit someone else's. The brain finds it best to keep smell receptors _ 15    for unfamiliar and emergency signals such as the smell of smoke, which might indicate the danger of fire.

1. A. sensitive	B. outstanding	C. insensitive	D. awkward
2. A. limited	B. committed	C. devoted	D. conducted
3. A. catching	B. ignoring	C. missing	D. tracking
4. A. distinguishing	B. discovering	C. determining	D. detecting
5. A. reduced	B. reserved	C. rescued	D. refused
6. A. Fortunately	B. Strangely	C Happily	D. Amazingly
7. A. unusual	B. particular	C. unique	D. typical
8. A. signs	B. information	C. messages	D. signals
9. A. subjected	B. left	C. drawn	D. exposed
10A. expectation	B. expression	C. extension	D. explanation
11.A convenient	B. competitive	C. inefficient	D. adequate
12.A introduce	B. gather	C. develop	D. produce
13.A sure	B. sick	C. aware	D tired
14.A tolerate	B. resist	C. neglect	D. notice
15.A available	B. reliable	C. valuable	D. suitable

She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday.
　　    When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder. She lived to the ripe old age of 122. So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span（寿命）? If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150－or beyond?
　　    Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers. “Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135, ”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.
　　    Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees. “People can live much longer than we think, ”he says. “Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110. When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120. So why can’t we go higher? ”
　　    The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing. “Anyone can make up a number, ”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan. “Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine. ”
　　    Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries? Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120. Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most. So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller, “adding another 50 percent would get you to 120. ”
　　    So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers? That life span is flexible（有弹性的）, but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington. “We can get flies to live 50 percent longer, ”he says. “But a fly’s never going to live 150 years. ”Of course, if you became a new species （物种）, one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story, he adds.
　　    Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve （进化）their way to longer life? “It’s pretty cool to think about, ”he says with a smile.
【小题1】 What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?

A．People can live to 122.

B．Old people are creative.

C．Women are sporty at 85.

D．Women live longer than men.

【小题2】 According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ______.

A．the average human life span could be 110

B．scientists cannot find ways to slow aging

C．few people can expect to live to over 150

D．researchers are not sure how long people can live

【小题3】 Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?

A．Jerry Shay.	B．Steve Austad
C．Rich Miller	D．George Martin

【小题4】 What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?

A．Most of us could be good at sports even at 120.

B．The average human life span cannot be doubled

C．Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before.

D．New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species