A. construction tasks B. domestic tasks C. defensive work D. heavy work
3. \ A. co-operation in work B) sense of responsibility C. work efficiency D. willingness to work hard
4. The scientist?s work was based on _______. A. occasional observations B. biological theories
C. observations of several nests D. observations of an undisturbed nest.
5. The organization of the ants has the effect of _______. A. getting the most work done B. each ant doing what it can do best C. each ant helping with all the tasks D. dividing the work up systematically Passage 2
Putting Plants to Work
Using the power of the sun is nothing new. People have had solar-powered calculators and buildings with solar panels for decades. But plants are the real experts: They've been using sunlight as an energy source for billions of years.
Cells in the green leaves of plants work like tiny factories to convert sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into sugars and starches, stored energy that the plants can use. This conversion process is called photosynthesis. Unfortunately, unless you're a plant, it's difficult and expensive to convert sunlight into storable energy. That's why scientists are taking a closer look at exactly how plants do it.
Some scientists are trying to get plants, or biological cells that act like plants, to work as miniature photosynthetic power stations. For example, Maria Ghirardelli of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., is working with green algae. She's trying to trick them into producing hydrogen instead of sugars when they perform photosynthesis. Once the researchers can get the algae working efficiently, the hydrogen that they produce could be used to power fuel cells in cars or to generate electricity.
The algae are grown in narrow-necked glass bottles to produce hydrogen in the lab. During photosynthesis, plants normally make sugars or starches. “But under certain conditions, a lot of algae are able to use the sunlight energy not to store starch, but to make hydrogen.” Ghirardelli
says. For example, algae will produce hydrogen in an air free environment. It's the oxygen in the air that prevents algae from making hydrogen most of the time. Working in an air free environment, however, is difficult. It's not a practical way to produce cheap energy. But Ghirardelli and her colleagues have discovered that by removing a chemical called sulfate from the environment that the algae grow in, they will make hydrogen instead of sugars, even when air is present.
Unfortunately, removing the sulfate also makes the algae's cells work very slowly, and not much hydrogen is produced. Still, the researchers see this as a first step in their goal to produce hydrogen efficiently from algae. With more work, they may be able to speed the cells' activity and produce larger quantities of hydrogen.
The researchers hope that algae will one day be an easy-to-use fuel source. The organisms are cheap to get and to feed, Ghirardelli says, and they can grow almost anywhere: “You can grow them in a reactor, in a pond. You can grow them in the ocean. There's a lot of flexibility in how you can use these organisms. ”
6. What does the writer Say about plants concerning solar energy?_______ A. Plants are the real experts in producing solar energy. B. Plants have been used to produce solar energy. C. Plants have been using solar energy for billions of years. D. Plants have been a source of solar energy.
7. Why do some scientists study how plants convert sunlight carbon dioxide, and water into sugars and starches? _______
A. Because they want algae to produce sugars and starches.
B. Because they want green plants to become a new source of energy. C. Because they want to turn plant sugars to a new form of energy. D. Because they want to make photosynthesis more efficient.
8. According to the fifth paragraph, under what conditions are algae able to use solar energy to make hydrogen? _______ A. When there is a lot of oxygen in the air. B. When there is no oxygen in the air. C. When photosynthesis is taking place. D. When enough starch is stored.
9. Researchers have met with difficulties when trying to make algae produce hydrogen efficiently. Which one of the following is one such difficulty? _______ A. It is not possible to remove sulfate from the environment.
B. It is not possible to work in an air free environment to produce hydrogen. C. It is not easy to make sugars instead of hydrogen.
D. It is too slow for algae to produce hydrogen when the sulfate is removed. 10. What is NOT true of algae? _______
A. They are easy to grow.
B. They can be a very good fuel source. C. They are cheap to eat.
D. They can be used in many ways. Passage three
Now and again I have had horrible dreams, but not enough of them to make me lose my delight in dreams. To begin with. I like the idea of dreaming, of going to bed and lying still and then, by some queer magic(神奇的魔力), wandering into another kind of existence. As a child, I could never understand why grown-ups took dreaming so calmly when they could make such a fuss(大惊小怪) about any holiday, This still puzzles me. I am puzzled by people who say they never dream and appear to have no interest in the subject. It is much more astonishing than it would be if they said they never went out for a walk. Most people do not seem to accept dreaming as part of their lives. They appear to see it as an irritating(令人困扰的) little habit, like sneezing or yawning(打哈欠).I can never understand this. My dream life does not seem as important as my waking life because there is far less of it, but to me it is important. 11. What is the author?s attitude toward dreaming? A. He likes it B. He thinks it puzzling
C. He hates it D. He doesn?t accept it as part of his life 12. For the author of the passage, dreaming is . A. an irritating little habit B. a horrible but wonderful experience C. a true reflection of reality D. another kind of existence
13. The author of the passage suggests that people who say they never go out for a walk are . A. interesting B. mysterious(难以理解的) C. foolish D. lazy 14. The author of the passage enjoys dreaming most . A. only when he was a child B. only when he is a grown-up C. both as a child and as a grown-up D. only in his old age 15. The author of the passage complains(抱怨) that most people . A. are overexcited about their dreams B. have had dreams most of the time
C. are not interested in talking about their dreams D. consider their dreams of to much importance Passage Four
Moscow, Russia (Space news)-“The computer is a better chess player,” insisted Viktor Prozorov, the loser. “It seemed as if it were laughing after every good move. I know I should have beaten it for the sake of mankind (为人类着想), but I just couldn?t win,” he announced and shook his head sadly.
Prozorov?s disappointment was shared by several grand masters, who were present, some of whom were so upset that they shouted at the machine. Many chess players said that this meant the
end of chess championships (锦标赛) around the world, since the fun had been taken out of the game.
The computer walked-or rather, rolled-away with 5,000 dollars in prize money and limited its remarks to a set of noises and lights.
16. Which of the following best gives the main idea of this newspaper article? A. 5,000 dollars goes to a computer! B. New invention, a laughing computer! C. World?s best chess player beaten! D. Computer defeats man in chess!
17. How did some of the grand masters feel about the chess game between Prozorov and the computer?
A. They thought that the game was no fun. B. They thought that the game wasn?t fair. C. They agreed that Prozorov didn?t play well. D. They were unhappy that the computer had won. 18. What was it that Prozorov felt most bitter (懊恼) about? A. That he didn?t win the $ 5,000. B. That he hadn?t tried his best.
C. That he had lost to a machine. D. That this was the end of the chess game. 19. After winning the game, the computer . A. laughed B. walked away
C. made some remarks D. gave out some lights and sounds 20. Many chess players felt that playing with a computer would . A. make the game tougher B. make the game less interesting C. make man appear foolish D. make man lose lots of money Passage five
Now and again I have had horrible dreams, but not enough of them to make me lose my delight in dreams. To begin with. I like the idea of dreaming, of going to bed and lying still and then, by some queer magic(神奇的魔力), wandering into another kind of existence. As a child, I could never understand why grown-ups took dreaming so calmly when they could make such a fuss(大惊小怪) about any holiday, This still puzzles me. I am puzzled by people who say they never dream and appear to have no interest in the subject. It is much more astonishing than it would be if they said they never went out for a walk. Most people do not seem to accept dreaming as part of their lives. They appear to see it as an irritating(令人困扰的) little habit, like sneezing or yawning(打哈欠).I can never understand this. My dream life does not seem as important as my waking life because there is far less of it, but to me it is important. 21. What is the author?s attitude toward dreaming? A. He likes it B. He thinks it puzzling
C. He hates it D. He doesn?t accept it as part of his life
22. For the author of the passage, dreaming is .
A. an irritating little habit B. a horrible but wonderful experience C. a true reflection of reality D. another kind of existence
23. The author of the passage suggests that people who say they never go out for a walk are . A. interesting B. mysterious(难以理解的) C. foolish D. lazy 24. The author of the passage enjoys dreaming most . A. only when he was a child B. only when he is a grown-up C. both as a child and as a grown-up D. only in his old age 25. The author of the passage complains(抱怨) that most people . A. are overexcited about their dreams B. have had dreams most of the time
C. are not interested in talking about their dreams D. consider their dreams of to much importance
passage six
Although English is not as old as Chinese, it is spoken by many people around the world every day. English speakers are always creating(创造) new words, and we are often able to know where most words come from.
Sometimes, however, no one may really know where a word comes from. Did you ever think about why hamburgers(汉堡包) are called hamburgers, especially when they are not made with ham(火腿)? About a hundred years ago, some men went to America from Europe. They came from a big city in Germany called Hamburg. They did not speak good English, but they ate good food. When some Americans saw them eating round pieces of beef(牛肉), they asked the Germans what it was. The Germans did not understand the question and answered, “We come from Hamburg.” One of these Americans owned a restaurant, and had an idea. He cooked some round pieces of beef like those which the men from Hamburg ate. Then he put each between two pieces of bread and started selling them. Such bread came to be called “hamburgers”. Today “hamburgers” are sold in many countries around the world.
Whether this story is true or not, it certainly is interesting. Knowing why any word has a certain meaning is interesting, too. This reason, for most English words, can be found in any large English dictionary.
26. According to the writer, English is .
A. as old as Chinese B. older than German C. not so old as Chinese D. very difficult to learn 27. Hamburg is .
A. a kind of food B. a round piece of beef C. the name of a village D. a city in Germany 28. According to the story, . A. few Americans like hamburgers