They estimate that about 74,000 tonnes of these gases have been released into the atmosphere. Two of the gases are accumulating at significant rates. However, they don't know where the new gases are being released from and this should be investigated. Possible sources include chemicals for insecticide production and solvents（溶液） for cleaning electronic components. The three CFCs are being destroyed very slowly in the atmosphere - so even if emissions were to stop immediately, they will still be around for many decades to come.
Of the four species identified, CFC-113a seems the most worrying as there is a very small but growing emission source somewhere, maybe from agricultural insecticides. We should find it and take it out of production.
56. What do we know about the newly discovered gases?
A. Some are surely produced by the development of agriculture. B. The CFCs will have a long impact once they are released. C. They gather together in the atmosphere at a medium speed. D. Their amounts are not large enough to cause damage to us.
57. The underlined word \ A. state B. resource C. phenomenon D. storeroom
58. What will the scientists probably attempt to do about the gases next? A. Find out what can replace things like insecticides and put them into use. B. Find out how they destroy ozone and get rid of those in the atmosphere. C. Find out where they are exactly from and stop them from being released. D. Find out if HCFC is more harmful than CFCs and take proper measures.
B
If you go down to the woods today, you may meet high-tech trees-genetically modified to speed their growth or improve the quality of their wood. Genetically-engineered food crops have become increasingly common, albeit (虽然) controversial, over the past ten years. But genetic engineering of trees has lagged behind.
Part of the reason is technical. Understanding, and then altering, the genes of a big pine tree are more complex than creating a better tomato. While tomatoes sprout (发芽) happily, and rapidly, in the laboratory, growing a whole tree from a single, genetically altered cell in a test tube is a tricky process that takes years, not months. Moreover, little is known about tree genes. Some trees, such as pine trees, have a lot of DNA-roughly ten times as much as human. And, whereas the Human Genome Project is more than halfway through its task of isolating and sequencing (排序) the estimated 100,000 genes in human cells, similar efforts to analyze tree genes are still just saplings (幼苗).
Given the large number of tree genes and the little that is known about them, tree engineers are starting with a search for genetic \The first step is to isolate DNA from trees with desirable properties such as insect resistance. The next step is to find stretches of DNA that show the presence of a particular gene. Then, when you mate two trees with different desirable properties, it is simple to check which offspring (后代) contain them all by looking for the genetic markers. Henry Amerson, at North Carolina State University, is using genetic markers to breed fungal (真菌) resistance into southern pines. Billions of these are grown across America for pulp (纸浆) and paper, and outbreaks of disease are expensive. But not all individual trees are susceptible (受影响). Dr. Amerson's group has found markers that distinguish fungus-resistant stock from disease-prone trees. Using traditional breeding techniques, they are introducing the resistance genes into pines on test sites in America.
Using genetic markers speeds up old-fashioned breeding methods because you no longer have to wait for the tree to grow up to see if it has the desired traits. But it is more a sophisticated form of selective breeding. Now, however, interest in genetic tinkering (基因修补) is also gaining ground. To this end, Dr. Amerson and his colleagues are taking part in the Pine Gene Discovery Project, an initiative to identify and sequence the 50,000-odd genes in the pine tree's genome. Knowing which gene does what should make it easier to know what to alter.
59. What does the author think about the genetic engineering of pine trees? A. Time-consuming. B. Worthwhile. C. Significant.
D. Technically impossible.
60. What can we learn about the research on tree genes?
A. The research methods are similar to the analysis of human genes.
B. The findings are expected to be as fruitful as the analysis of human genes. C. It will take as much time and effort as the analyst, of human genes. D. The research has been mainly concentrated on the genes of young trees. 61. It is discovered by Henry Amerson?s team that_______________. A. southern pines cannot resist fungus B. all southern pines are not susceptible
C. the genetic marker in southern pines was the easiest to identify D. fungus-resistant genes came originally from outside the U.S.A.
C
Microsoft just finished a three－month experiment operating an underwater data center. A server rack(服务器支架) with the power of about 300 PCs was placed into a water－tight(防水) steel container and lowered into the ocean off the coast of central California.
The unusual experiment was launched because current data centers are unpleasantly inefficient. They're built where energy and land are cheap (not close to where people actually live). And they waste so much energy cooling their massive computers. The ocean can solve those problems. The cold ocean floor sufficiently cools the computing components inside the pod. And since most people live near the ocean, placing data centers under water could potentially increase the speed at which customers could access the information stored in Microsoft's cloud.
The experiment was so successful that Microsoft operated the underwater data center for 75 days longer than it had planned to. The next step is to get a larger pod, with about four times the computing power, under the ocean for testing. Unlike the first experiment, the next pod will also be equipped with turbines, which will transform the ocean's currents into electricity. It's not clear when, if ever, underwater data centers will become a possible product. “Our first experiment was like dipping our pinkie toe in the water, and now we're going for the big toe，” said Lee, corporate vice president of Microsoft Research. Microsoft is still analyzing the environmental impacts of the study. Data centers are both hot and loud,
which could have damaging effects on ocean life. Microsoft found that the noise its underwater data center produced was drowned out by nearby shrimp and crabs. The data centers are also built from recyclable materials, and Microsoft believes that the total carbon footprint of underwater data centers will be “dramatically lower” than current land－based centers.
Given the growth in the cloud, industry analysts believe that most of the world's data centers have yet to be built. But building a data center takes at least two years—an eternity in the fast－developing tech industry. As a result, Microsoft builds its data centers with the future in mind, installing far more computing power and space than it currently needs.
Lee believes that going under water can shift the building of data centers from construction projects to manufacturing jobs. “What if we could mass－produce these pods on an assembly line？” he thought. “We could deliver a data center, from conception to operation, in 90 days. That's dramatically different than what's happening today.”
62. What is the advantage of an underwater data center A. It can be lowered to the ocean floor easily.
B. It can cool computing components automatically. C. It can be built close to the place where people live. D. It can make information easily accessible to people.
63. We can infer that the underwater data centers ________．
A. cause little harm to the ocean life B. are more environmentally friendly C. change the course of ocean currents D. are easy to build in large quantities 64. The underlined word “eternity” in Paragraph 5 means “________”． A. an extremely long time B. an extended period C. a seemingly short time D. a fruitful period
65. The passage tries to inform readers that ________． A. an experiment was made in operating a data center
B. Microsoft will mass－produce pods on an assembly line C. Microsoft succeeded in putting a data center underwater
D. underwater data centers are more efficient than land－based ones
D
Spanish explorers called them Las Encantadas, the Enchanted Isles, and Charles Darwin used his studies of the islands as the foundation for his theory of natural selection. The Galapagos are among the world's most important scientific treasures, a group of volcanic islands surrounded by deserted beaches and inhabited by unique varieties of giant tortoise, lizards, and birds.
Yet life on this United Nations world heritage site has turned sour. Battles have broken out between fishermen and conservationists. Ecuador, which owns the islands, has sent a naval patrol (海军巡逻队) to put down disturbances.
The controversial director of the Galapagos National Park—which controls 97 percent of Galapagos land and the reserve extending to 40 miles offshore—has been fired, while an air of uneasy tension hangs over the islands, as the islanders prepare for election when they pick their representatives in Ecuador?s national assembly.
“It?s a very tense situation,” said Leonor Stjepic, director of the London-based Galapagos Conservation
Trust, which raises money to help projects on the islands. “We are watching it with concern.”
The violence has been triggered by an alarming growth in the islands? population. Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz island, housed just 45 inhabitants in the 50s. Today there are more than 10,000, while the islands' total population is more than 19,000 and growing by 6 percent a year, despite recently introduced a law to limit waves of immigrants fleeing the poor areas of Ecuador for a life “in paradise (天堂)”. On top of this, more than 100,000 tourists visit the islands every year. Such numbers have put the islands, special ecology under intense pressure. Conservationists backed by the Ecuador government, have replied by exercising strict controls to protect the islands? iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and giant tortoises.
These moves have angered many local people, however. They want to exploit (开发利用) the islands? waters and catch its protected species of sharks, lobsters and sea cucumbers, which can fetch high prices in Japan and South Korea.
Angry fishermen surrounded the Charles Darwin research station on Santa Cruz last February, threatened to kill Lonesome George—the last surviving member of the Pinta Island species of the Galapagos giant tortoise.
The situation got improved after the Ecuador government made concessions (让步) by increasing fishing quotas (配额), which angered conservationists. “It is tragic, the short-term gain of a few fishermen versus the long-term survival of the Galapagos,” said John McCosker of the California Academy of Sciences. “They are killing the golden goose.”
Then, the Ecuador government appointed Fausto Cepeda as the national park's new director, a post that has become a political football for the mainland government. There have been nine directors in the past 18 months.
This appointment was particularly controversial, however. Cepeda was known to have close ties with the fishing industry, and the rangers (管理员),who run the national park and reserve, rebelled.
More than 300 staged a sit-in at the park?s headquarters and prevented Cepeda from taking up his post. A battle broke out, and at least two people suffered serious injuries. Eventually, Cepeda—with the fishermen?s help- entered the park. “I am in office, I am in control. And I am trying to lower the tension,” he announced.
The Ecuador government took no chances, and sent a patrol boat to maintain the peace. A few days later, Ecuador Environment Minister Fabian Valdivicso met representatives of rangers. After discussions, he told newspapers that he had decided to remove Cepeda from the post.
However, as the population continues to rise, the long-term pressures on the islands are serious and will not disappear that easily.
“We have to balance its special environment with the needs of local people. In that sense, it is a microcosm (缩影) for all the other threatened parts of the world. So getting it right here is going to be a very, very important trick to pull off,” said Stjepic.
66. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 5 refer to? A．The island?s swelling population B．The law to limit waves of immigrants C．A life in paradise
D．The tourists? visiting the islands every year
67. How significant were the islands for Charles Darwin? A．He based his theory on his studies there.
B．He built the Charles Darwin research center there.
C．He advocated the balance between ecology and people there. D．He found the last surviving giant tortoise there.
68. What is the primary contributing factor to the conflict between conservationists and fishermen? A．The dismissal of the previous director of the Galapagos National Park B．The exploitation of the islands
C．The government's support of Galapagos Conservation Trust D．Cepeda?s close tie with the fishing industry 69. We can learn from the passage that _______.
A．the projects of Galapagos Conservation Trust on the islands are profitable B．conservationists get angry when fishermen are killing a goose
C．politicians from the mainland government play football on the islands D．the government is trying to ease the tension
70. In Paragraph 13, what does the author mean by “The Ecuador government took no chances”? A．The government did not seize opportunities. B．The government made no compromises. C．The government did not run risks.
D．The government shrank from responsibilities.
第二卷（非选择题, 共两大题, 35分）
第四部分：任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分, 满分10分）
请认真阅读下列短文, 并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单 词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题纸上相应题号的横线上。
Definitions of literature have varied over time. In fact, it is a “culturally relative definition”. Once in Western Europe, literature indicated all books and writing. During the Romantic period, it began to refer to “imaginative” literature. Nowadays literature is seen as a term used to describe written or spoken material, including all of the following.
Poetry uses rhythmic qualities of language to bring out meanings in addition to, or in place of, unimaginative surface meaning. Poetry has traditionally been distinguished from prose by its being set inverse (颠倒); prose (散文) is cast in sentence, poetry in lines.
Novel is typically written in a narrative (叙事) style and presented as a book. Novels tell stories, in which the characters and events are usually imaginary. The novel has been a part of human culture for over a thousand years, although its origins are somewhat debated. Regardless of how it began, the novel has remained one of the most popular and treasured examples of human culture and writing. It remains an essential part of the literary cultures of nearly all societies around the world.
Novella is classified as “Too short to be a novel，too long to be a short story”. There is no precise definition in terms of word or page count. Literary prizes and publishing houses often have their own arbitrary limits, which vary according to their particular intentions.
A short story is different from novels or novellas in that the plot is usually tied to one single chain of events. Because the reader must identify with a character quickly to become engaged, the tale is often told from the chief character?s point of view.
A drama refers to a play for the theatre，television or radio. It generally consists of chiefly dialogue between characters. It also uses dance to convey their message. Dramas usually aim at dramatic performance rather than at reading. In theater, a drama is presented by actors to an audience.
Good literary works depend on literary techniques. A literary technique can be used by authors in order to improve the written framework of a piece of literature, and produce specific effects.