2 . Nalini Nadkarni didn’t play with Barbies as a girl. She was too busy climbing the maple trees in her front yard in Bethesda.

“When I was growing up in Bethesda, we tried to live simply,” Nadkarni, a University of Utah biology professor who studies rainforest canopies, said. “And a Barbie didn’t quite fit in with living a simple life.” Instead, said Nadkarni, she and her sisters were encouraged by their parents to create their own fun. For Nadkarni, that meant tree climbing.

Nadkarni is doing research in Costa Rica on trees. It has never been more important, Nadkarni said, to share what she has learned with a new generation.

“In 2003, I’d been thinking of ways to help get girls more interested in science, and I looked to my young daughter. I knew that girls wanted to play with Barbies and look like Barbies,” Nadkarni said. “But what if Barbie had field clothes on and came with a little booklet about canopy plants?” Mattel, the company that makes Barbies, wasn’t interested in her idea, but she persisted. She finally created her own treetop dolls. Mattel agreed that she could produce the dolls on a small scale.

Last year, Nadkarni was thrilled to learn that National Geographic was working with Mattel to come up with a new line of adventure dolls, and that they wanted her advice.

Since sales of the explorer Barbies began in the summer, Nadkarni said, she has heard from girls coast to coast, thanking her for her work in rainforests and asking questions about how they can make a difference to help trees in their own communities.

“When I started hearing from these young kids, I realized they truly understood the terrible situation our forests were in,” she said. “They really care, and they want us grown-ups to do something to save our environment. I love climbing trees and learning all I can about them. But getting children excited about protecting our forests is one of the most important things I do.”

1. What can we learn about Nadkarni when she was a child?

A．She found joy in climbing trees.	B．She used to play with Barbies.
C．Her parents were strict with her.	D．She was asked to behave like a boy.

2. Why did Nadkarni want to work with Mattel?

A．To amuse her daughter.	B．To attract girls to Barbies.
C．To represent her scientific achievements.	D．To fire girls’ enthusiasm for science.

3. What kind of feeling is expressed in the last paragraph?

A．Regret.

B．Delight.

C．Nervousness.

D．Astonishment.

4. What can we infer from the text?

A．Nadkarni created the explorer Barbies.

B．Girls thanked Nadkarni for the new dolls.

C．The explorer Barbies have a great influence on girls.

D．Young kids don’t care about the environment.

3 . 假设你是高二学生陈伟，昨天，你和你的外籍同桌Bob关于用集体班费给灾区捐款这一问题发生了一些小争执，请你按照以下要求给他写一封道歉信。
1. 表达自己的歉意；
2. 阐述道歉的原因(至少2条)；
3. 表达自己的友好之情，提倡(advocate)相互理解、相互尊重。
注意：
1. 词数100左右。
2. 文中不得提及考生所在学校和本人姓名。
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . More reasons to hate humidity: it expands global warming, a prof says.

Andrew Dessler, a professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences who specializes in research on climate, says that warming due to increases in greenhouse gases will lead to higher humidity in the atmosphere. And because water vapor itself is a greenhouse gas, this will cause additional warming. This process is known as water vapor feedback and is responsible for a significant portion of the warming predicted to occur over the next century.

“It’s a vicious cycle-warmer temperatures mean higher humidity, which in turn leads to even more warming,” Dessler explains.

The perspective by Dessler and co-author Steven Sherwood of the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales is published in the current issue of Science magazine. In the article, they review and summarize the peer-reviewed evidence in support of a strong water vapor feedback and conclude that the evidence supporting it is overwhelming. “For years, there was a debate over this mechanism, with some even questioning if the water vapor feedback existed at all. But recent work on this feedback has moved its existence and strength beyond argument,” Dessler adds.

Predictions of significant global warming over the next 100 years by climate models require a strong water vapor feedback. Recent estimates suggest the earth will warm from 2 to 4 degrees Celsius (4 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit) over the next century—a scenario that could have devastating long-term consequences.

“Everything shows that the climate models are probably getting the water vapor feedback night, which means that unless we reduce emissions, it is going to get much, much warmer on our planet by the end of the century,” he adds.

Many scientists believe such warming rates are already happening. They can point to the summer of 2003, when a prolonged heat wave gripped Europe. According to the Earth Policy Institute, more than 35,000 people died that summer, with France recording over 14,000 deaths and Germany more than 7,000. Additionally, warmer temperatures are having an adverse effect in the Arctic, where rapid loss of ice is now occurring. “The only possible way future warming won’t be significant is if there exists some sort of off-setting negative feedback, which has yet to be discovered,” Dessler notes. “Most scientists, myself included, judge that to be a pretty unlikely possibility.”

1. What does water vapor feedback in the passage mean?

A．Water vapor will lend to a significant portion of the warming.

B．The increases of greenhouse gases will lead to higher humidity.

C．Increasing humidity from global warming is making the earth warmer.

D．Higher humidity has caused the earth to warm from 2 to 4 degrees Celsius.

2. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 4?

A．Scientists had a heated argument over the water vapor feedback.

B．The existence and strength of water vapor feedback is without question.

C．Andrew Dessler wrote an article to support his idea of water vapor feedback.

D．There was no significant evidence for the existence of water vapor feedback.

3. What do predictions of significant global warming tell us?

A．Scientists could find the offsetting negative feedback in the future.

B．There exists some sort offsetting negative water vapor feedback.

C．The warming of the earth will have destructive short-term consequences.

D．We may decrease the speed of global warming by reducing the emissions.

4. What’s the attitude of Andrew Dessler towards the way of solving future warming?

A．Positive.

B．Supportive.

C．Neutral.

D．Pessimistic.

6 . 阅读下面的短文，并根据短文内容完成各小题。

In a recent business magazine article, a president said, laughter in the workplace is a waste of time. This is a place to do business, not to laugh, some researcher, however, disagree with his words. As scientists have learned more about the brain, they’ve discovered that smiles and laughter stimulate the brain, which can help increase happiness and reduce pain. Why do we need laughter in our lives? Laughter is a powerful tool for our health. In a number of studies that were carried out, it was shown that people who are more humorous have stronger immune systems while people who feel stressed have weaker immune systems(免疫系统). Humor can help make your immune systems stronger.

Here are some tips to add more humor to your life.

Laugh at yourself. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Have a positive attitude towards yourself and your worries will become lighter, too.

Don’t worry when people laugh—just appreciate it. Be funny. Look for the humorous side of otherwise difficult situation.

Prepare a first-aid laughter source. This could include books, cartoons, CDs or videos. Write down the amusing things that happen and save them for a sad day.

Be open to silly things. Humor the child within yourself.

Laugh with others what they do, rather than what they are.

Research has shown that laughter is indeed the best medicine, so make time for humor now.

1. What is the best title for this passage? (please answer within 8 words.)
________________
2. List three suggestions that might help you add humor to your life according to the passage. (Please answer within 15 words.)
________________
3. According to the passage, how do people benefit(受益) from laughter?
(Please answer within 20 words.)
________________
4. Please translate the sentence underlined into Chinese.
________________
5. According to the passage, why humor can help people keep healthy?(Please answer within 15 words.)
________________

7 . Music has long been considered to be an enjoyable pastime for many people．     1     The mental health benefits from music can't be argued．Music could also be helping you with many other health problems behind the scenes．

    2    However，for the same reason，music can be very beneficial if one is in pain．By distracting （分心） the mind from the pain，music，people say，can lower stress and anxiety levels．This，of course，can lead to less pain．

Many people enjoy relaxing music in the evening prior to going to bed．    3    While the validity of the idea is still being assessed，the lowered stress can even be tied back to blood pressure．Similarly, according to researchers，listening to just 30 minutes of soft music every day may help with healthy blood sugar levels， through the lowering of stress and anxiety．

When it comes to heart health，there is speculation （推测） that it's not the style of music， but rather the tempo that makes it so good for your heart health．In one European study，participants listened to music as the researchers monitored their heart rates and blood pressure．    4     On the other hand，when the music slowed，the participants' stress and anxiety levels became lower and the effects on heart rates appeared to follow suit．

    5    But there is a whole range of other health issues that turning up the radio could be beneficial for，which is what makes music so valuable．

A．This feeling can also result in many other health problems．

B．Some experts say that music can be harmful if it is too loud．

C．This idea is a little off-the-wall but still has scientific backing．

D．They say it can play a big role in calming the brain enough to sleep．

E．The implications of music on overall well-being are really impressive．

F．It is also highly popular due to the individualized effects on stress and anxiety．

G．Interestingly，the more cheerful the music was，the faster their heart rates were．

8 . I remember the day during our first week of class when we were informed about our semester（学期） project of volunteering at a non-profit organization．When the teacher introduced us to the different organizations that needed our help，my last choice was Operation Iraqi Children （OIC）．My first impression of the organization was that it was not going to make enough of a difference with the plans I had in mind．

Then，an OIC representative gave us some details，which somewhat interested me．After doing some research， I believed that we could really do something for those kids．When I went online to the OIC website，I saw pictures of the Iraqi children．Their faces were so powerful in sending a message of their despair（绝望） and need that I joined this project without hesitation．We decided to collect as many school supplies as possible，and make them into kits——one kit，one child．

The most rewarding day for our group was project day，when all the efforts we put into collecting the items finally came together．When I saw the various supplies we had collected，it hit me that every kit we were to build that day would eventually be in the hands of an Iraqi child．Over the past four months，I had never imagined how I would feel once our project was completed．While making the kits，I realized that I had lost sight of the true meaning behind it．I had only focused on the fact that it was another school project and one I wanted to get a good grade on．When the kits were completed，and ready to be sent overseas，the warm feeling I had was one I would never forget．

In the beginning，I dared myself to make a difference in the life of another person．Now that our project is over，I realize that I have affected not only one life，but ten．With our efforts，ten young boys and girls will now be able to further their education．

1. How did the author feel about joining the OIC project in the beginning？

A．It would affect his/her initial plans．

B．It would involve traveling overseas．

C．It would not bring him/her a good grade．

D．It would not live up to his/her expectations．

2. What mainly helped the author change his/her attitude toward the project？

A．Images of Iraqi children．	B．Research by his/her classmates．
C．A teacher's introduction．	D．A representative's comments．

3. The author's OIC project group would help ten Iraqi children to________．.

A．become OIC volunteers	B．further their education
C．study in foreign countries	D．influence other children

4. What can we conclude from this passage？

A．One's potential cannot always be underrated．

B．First impression cannot always be trusted．

C．Actions speak louder than words．

D．He who hesitates is lost．

9 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空．在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Why do we dream？Scientists aren't completely sure,and they have diverse    1     (idea)．Dreams might be a side effect of memory making.When you sleep,your brain sorts through everything     2     happened during the day，trying to link new experiences to old memories.As it     3     (connect) things，your brain turns them into a story,and you get a dream．