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Just as the world’s most respected scientific bodies have confirmed that the world is getting hotter, they have also stated that there is strong evidence that humans are driving the warming. Countless recent reports from the world’s leading scientific bodies have said the same thing. For example, a 2010 summary of climate science by the Royal Society stated that: “There is strong evidence that the warming of the Earth over the last half-century has been caused largely by human activity.”

The idea that humans could change the planet’s climate may be counter-intuitive, but the basic science is well understood. Each year, human activity causes billions of tons of greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere. As scientists have known for years, these gases hold heat that would otherwise escape to space, wrapping the planet in an invisible blanket.

Of course, the planet’s climate has always been changing thanks to “natural” factors such as changes in solar or volcanic activity, or cycles relating the Earth’s going around the sun. According to the scientific literature, however, the warming recorded to date matches the pattern of warming we would expect from a build-up of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere – not the warming we would expect from other possible causes.

Even if scientists did discover another reasonable explanation for the warming observed so far, that would beg a difficult question. As Robert Henson puts it in The Rough Guide to Climate Change, “If some newly discovered factor can account for the climate change, then why aren’t carbon dioxide and the other greenhouse gases producing the warming that basic physics tells us they should be?”

The only way to prove with 100% certainty that humans are responsible for global warming would be to run an experiment with two identical Earths – one with human influence and one without. That obviously isn’t possible, and so most scientists are careful not to state human influence as an absolute certainty.

1. In most scientists’ opinion, the global warming is mainly caused by ________.

A. solar activity                                                 

B. volcanic activity      

C. the Earth’s going around the sun                  

D. human activity

2.. The text is developed by ________.

A. giving typical examples

B. following the order of space

C. analyzing a theory and arguing it

D. comparing and finding differences

3. The underline word “identical” means ________.

A. totally different                                                      

B. exactly the same

C. extremely important                                      

D. relatively independent

4. Which of the following can be the best title?

A. Are All the Scientists Really Scientific?

B. Where Is Global Warming Leading Us to?

C. Are Humans Definitely Causing Global Warming?

D. What’s Relation of Global Warming and Greenhouse Gases?

 

People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days offer a chance to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child-care.

These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one stands for a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit their graves. On these days, families get together at home and in restaurants. They often have outdoor BBQs for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.

Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephones companies and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.

Which is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?

A. Parents bring up children.       

B. Parents give love and care to children.

C. Parents pass away before children grow up.

D. Parents educate children to be good persons.

What do you know from the passage?

A. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May.

B. Not all the children respect their parents.

C. Fewer women worked outside the home in the past.

D. Fathers are not as important as mothers at home.

Which do you think is right about “carnation”?

A. It only has two kinds of color.

B. It is a special kind of clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

C. People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in June.

D. It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.

What do you think “florists” do?

A. They sell flowers.                  

B. They made bread.

C. They offer enough room for having family parties.

D. They sell special clothes for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Item 78431   The Video Camera Pen

$129.95; Available for Immediate Shipment; Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484

This is the pen that has a built-in video camera, capturing (拍摄，录制) videos or still images with a click of its button．Ideal for use while secured in a pocket, it can capture up to five hours of video. Its battery provides up to two hours of power before requiring a recharge．

Item 78098   The Wristwatch Camcorder

$149．95; Available for 3-day shipment; Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484

This is the men’s watch with an unnoticeable camera located at the two-o’clock position, yet the watch’s hands never make it covered．So you’ll be always ready to capture a famous person or a pet’s ridiculous actions. The camera’s rechargeable battery provides up to two hours of use from a four-hour charge．

Item 77918  The only 55 Inch Widescreen Personal Movie Theater

      $249．95;  Available for Immediate Shipment; Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484

This is the only personal media viewer that provides a private viewing experience just like watching a widescreen 55 inch television from 10 meters away．It connects to a video iPod, iPhone, portable DVD player with two AA batteries providing up to six hours of continuous operation．

Item 77281  The Digital Phone Album Watch

      $99．95   Available for Immediate Shipment; Order by Phone: 1-800-321-1484

This is the watch that vividly displays 120 of your favorite digital photographs．You can download digital photographs to the watch．The watch can be viewed in the Photo Album mode (模式) or digital mode （time and date view）．A six-hour charge provides up to 10 days of use．

1.What’s the purpose of this passage?

A．To advertise some goods．

B．To compare some goods．

C．To teach how to operate the items．

D．To show how fashionable the items are．

2.What do Item 78431 and Item 78098 have in common according to this passage?

A．They both sell well．	B．They both can take photos．
C．They both have unusual appearances．	D．They are both cheap．

3.If you’re a movie fan, you probably show strong interest in ________．

A．Item78098

B．Item78431

C．Item77281

D．Item77918

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．In fact, Item 78098 cannot tell time．

B．Item 77918 works as a DVD player．

C．In a way, Item 77281 is user-friendly．

D All the items include rechargeable batteries．

 

Book now to see Keira Knightley and Elisabeth Moss star in The Children’s Hour at the Comedy Theatre in London．

Dates: 22 January 2011 to 31 January 2011

Times: 22 Jan 2011 6:30 PM; 24—29 Jan 2011 7:30 PM; 29 Jan 2011 2:30 PM; 31 Jan 2011 7:30 PM．

Place: Comedy Theatre

The Children’s Hour

The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman is a striking play about the power of a lie． Karen Wright （Keira Knightley） and Martha Dobie （Elisabeth Moss） run a girls’ boarding school in the 1930s New England． When an angry student starts a rumour that the two headmistresses are having a lesbian （女同性恋者） affair, it gradually destroys the women’s careers, relationships and lives． The Children’s Hour is an upsetting story of cheat, shame and courage．

Banned in London and several cities across America, The Children’s Hour received its world opening on Broadway in 1934． Generations on, its exploration of a culture of fear remains remarkably relevant．

Keira Knightley and Elisabeth Moss Star

Keira Knightley, nominee （被提名者） for Best Actress 2010 Evening Standard Awards for The Misanthrope, returns to the London stage． Knightley starred in Love Actually, The Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy, Pride and Prejudice．

Elisabeth Moss, best-known for playing Peggy Olson in Mad Men, made her Broadway stage debut （首映） in David Mamet’s Speed the Plow in 2008． The Children’s Hour will be her West End debut．

Book The Children’s Hour Tickets

Book theatre tickets to see The Children’s Hour at London’s Comedy Theatre today． With two big stars in the leading roles, The Children’s Hour tickets are sure to sell fast． Book yours online now with Visit London’s secure ticket booking partner on this wetsite． Just click the green book button to buy your The Children’s Hour tickets．

1.If you visit London in January, at which time can you see the play?

    A． 21 Jan 2011 6:30 PM．               B． 23 Jan 2011 2:30 PM．        

    C． 26 Jan 2011 2:30 PM．               D． 31 Jan 2011 7:30 PM．

2.We can learn from the passage that The Children’s Hour____________．

    A． used to be forbidden                B． is about the power of love

    C． was set in England in the 1930s     D． is not popular these days

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

    A． Keira Knightley was awarded Best Actress 2010 Evening Standard Awards．

    B． Elisabeth Moss ever performed on the Broadway stage．

    C． Without the two big stars, people would not buy the play’s tickets．

    D． You can only buy a ticket with Visit London’s secure ticket booking partner．

4.Where shall we probably read this passage?

    A． In a movie magazine．               B． In the newspaper．           

    C． On the website．                    D． In an academic journal．

 

Researchers believe that the insect(昆虫) is better at managing congestion (拥挤) than humans. Ants are the most many type of animal on earth with brains that contain about 250,000 cells ---- the largest among insects.

Now an intelligence expert Dr. Dirk Helbing says understanding more about ants could help solve one of the headaches of modern life -- road congestion.

His team set up an "ant motorway" with two routes of different widths from the nest to some sugar syrup (糖浆). Soon the narrower（更窄的） route soon became crowded（拥挤的）. But when an ant returning along the crowded route to the nest met with another ant just starting out, the returning ant pushed the newcomer onto the other path. However, if the returning ant had enjoyed a trouble-free journey, it did not send the newcomer in a different direction.

The result was that just before one route became clogged , the ants had turned to another route and traffic jams never formed.

The researchers also created a computer model of more complex ant networks with routes of different lengths. The team found that even though ants being sent in another direction sometimes took a longer route, they still got to the food quickly and efficiently.

Dr. Helbing, of the Dresden University of Technology in Germany, said that while you cannot allow cars to meet with traffic coming in the opposite（相反的）direction as a form of traffic control, you could do the next best thing and allow them to communicate.

His plan is to force cars traveling in one direction to tell oncoming traffic what the conditions they are about to meet with-- so they can avoid that situation if necessary.

The first paragraph suggests that _______.

A. ants have a special way to manage congestion

B. ants are clever and good at dealing with the traffic jams because of developed brain

C. insects are similar to animals in dealing with the traffic jams because of developed brain

D. insects have more advantages than humans

The underlined word "clogged" can be replaced by _______ in the following four words.

A. cleaned         B. narrowed          C. crowded               D. shortened

If an ant returns along crowded route to the nest, how does the ant solve the traffic problem?

A. The ant will change the direction of its own.

B. The ant stopped the newcomer from moving ahead and forced the newcomer to wait there patiently.

C. The ant can't direct the newcomer.

D. The ant will push the newcomer to the other route, so traffic jams won't form.

What's the advice that Dr. Helbing gives us?

A. The cars cannot be allowed to communicate with traffic coming in the opposite direction.

B. The cars can communicate with traffic in the same direction.

C. The cars that travel in one direction can tell oncoming traffic about the traffic conditions.

D. We should build more routes of different lengths and widths.