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According to a recent report from the United Nations, the world population continues to g________ 1．It is over 6 billion now．The number could reach 8.4 billion i________2 the year 2025．

But d________3 the past 10 years or so, there has been a large and rapid drop in the world's birth rate（出生率）．Families are generally s________4 now than they were a few years ago．It is happening in b________5 developing and developed countries．

China is s________6 a country that has already cut its rate, of population growth since 1970．There is no m________7 than one child in most Chinese families．And the hope is to r________ 8 a zero population growth rate by 2010．

Several countries in Europe already have a negative（负的）growth rate．Expels say that these countries would be s________9 of workers seriously in the future．And the persons who are working could face more taxes to help support the growing n________10 of senior citizens（老年人）．

Two magazines recently listed the best cities to live in. Here are two of the cities listed as “the world’s best.”
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA  The city has comfortable weather all year round (15℃ to 26℃). Housing is not very expensive in San Jose. Also, many of the city’s older neighborhoods are very beautiful and have small hotels and cafés.Beautiful mountains are around the city. Lots of people go sightseeing there every year. But air pollution is a problem in the city center.
HONG KONG, CHINA    This lively city—once a small fishing village—is today an international business center. It is an interesting mix of East and West, old and new. Modern tall buildings are next to small temples (庙宇). Popular nightclubs are close to traditional teahouses. Busy people fill the streets at all hours of the day. But outside the city, there are parks for walking or relaxing. Hong Kong is famous for its wonderful native dishes. There’s also food from Europe, North America, and other parts of Asia. However, this small city has a large population of nearly seven million! That’s why housing is often very expensive. Traffic and air pollution are also a problem.
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT mentioned about San Jose?

A．The weather.

B．The mountains.

C．The air.

D．The traffic.

【小题2】What makes Hong Kong the world’s best according to this passage?

A．The lively city and the wonderful dishes.

B．The large population and the traffic.

C．The expensive housing.

D．The beautiful temples.

【小题3】 The writer thinks housing in Hong Kong is expensive because ________.

A．it is a small fishing village	B．it is a mix of East and West
C．it is a beautiful city	D．there are too many people in the city

【小题4】What do the two cities have in common?

A．They both have beautiful mountains.	B．They both have a large population.
C．Air pollution is a problem in both.	D．They are both crowded.

【小题5】From the passage, we can know that       .

A．San Jose and Hong Kong are the only two cities of the world’s best

B．San Jose has more natural sights than Hong Kong does

C．the weather in both cities is fine

D．San Jose used to be small fishing village

Feeling lonely can make you sick. Doctors have long known that loneliness can cause many health problems and even death. What they didn’t know is   16   this feeling causes illness. A study in the online magazine Genome Biology   17   that loneliness actually influences the important part of our bodies—our genes.

In a small population of patients, researchers   18   more than 20,000 genes to compare how the genes of lonely and non-lonely individuals (个体) express themselves in molecular processes (分子过程) and in personal health. They found that gene expression is   19   in chronically (长期地) lonely people. “We now have a new way for understanding the relationship   20    social experience and physical health,” explains the study’s lead author, Steve Cole of University of California, Los Angeles.

“This study—the first to link (联系)   21   with gene changes—is special and exciting,” says Emma Adam, a professor of human development at Northwestern University. “It   22   in the black box.”

According to John Cacioppo, an author of the study from the University of Chicago, the

work suggests that loneliness is a warning   23  , much like physical pain. “This feeling is so bad because   24   of us wants to be forgotten; that’ s also what human means,” he says. “It makes us   25   for other people and want to be with friends when we’re lonely.”

1.A. when           B. where       C. how              D. if

2.A. explains           B. talks     C. replies         D. answers

3.A. collected      B. grew             C. found            D. surveyed

4.A. important      B. different    C. interesting          D. difficult

5.A. in             B. between     C. about             D. both

6.A. work           B. health       C. life             D. feelings

7.A. fills              B. makes        C. builds           D. repairs

8.A. note           B. sign             C. sound       D. picture

9.A. each           B. nothing          C. any              D. none

10.A. look          B. live             C. care             D. think

 

The world’s population was about 6.5 billion in 2008. ___46___ three billion people ___47___ Asia now. That’s about half of the world’s population.

China has the ___48___ population in the world, and about one fifth of the people in the world live in China. ___49___ the large population, there is ___50___ living space for each family. And it’s difficult for lots of people to find jobs. A large population also causes many ___51___ for ___52___ nation. For example, we are short ___53___ energy and water. Most cities are more ___54___ than before, and the traffic is much ___55___. The large population ___56___ a serious problem.

So far, our government has taken many measures to control the population. One is know ___57___ the one-child policy. It has worked ___58___ in controlling China’s population. Thanks to the policy, China is developing ___59___ and people’s living conditions are improving rapidly. However, the population problem is ___60___ serious in China. We still have a long way to go.

1.A. About         B. More       C. Over       D. Less

2.A. lived in        B. live in      C. lives in     D. live

3.A. largest         B. biggest     C. biggest      D. most

4.A. As            B. Because    C. For         D. Because of

5.A. more          B. less        C. little       D. fewer

6.A. difficulty       B. difficult    C. difficulty    D. difference

7.A. the all         B. all         C. the whole    D. whole

8.A. for            B. of         C. in          D. to

9.A. crowd         B. crowds     C. crowding    D. crowded

10.A. busy         B. heavy       C. heavily      D. heavier

11.A. become       B. becomes    C. became     D. has became

12.A. for          B. at          C. as          D. in

13.A. well         B. good        C. hard        D. hardly

14.A. quick        B. quickly      C. rapid       D. fast

15.A. ever         B. never        C. ready      D. still

 

From old times, India has been a good friend of China. The two big Asian countries now work more closely on border problems, trade (贸易) and IT.
India is an interesting and mysterious( 神秘的)country with a long history. Around 2,000 BC, Indian civilization (文明) was born. It is one of the four oldest civilizations in the world.India is also the birthplace of  Buddhism (佛教).A famous  Chinese novel, "A Journey to the West", is about a Chinese monk (和尚) who tried very hard to learn about Buddhism from India.
The book comes from a true story. Xuanzang, a Buddhist monk was sent to India by the King of the Tang Dynasty.After many years, he brought back lots of Buddhist books. The name "India" was first used by Xuanzang in his work.
Today, religion(宗教) is still an important part of Indian culture. There are many religions there. Most Indian people believe in Hinduism (印度教).In India, cows are very special animals because  Hinduism  says they are holy (神圣的). So Indians don't sell or eat beef.Like China,
India is a developing  country with a large population(人口). It has  about 1.03 billion people compared to China's 1.3  billion.  More than two thirds of  Indians still live a poor life in the countryside.
India has no birth control so its population is growing fast. By 2030, India could even have more people than China.
Hindi (印地语) is the mother tongue of Indian people. But Britain took India in 1757 and stayed there until 1947. Because of this, English slowly became the other official  language.
【小题1】Why don't Indians sell or eat beef?

A．Because they don't like it.

B．Because they are afraid of getting ill.

C．Because they see cows as holy animals.

D．Because beef is very expensive.

【小题2】What is/are the official language(s) of India?

A．Hindi	B．English
C．Both of the above	D．None of the above