1 . In the desert, there is very little rain and it is very hot in the day and so cold at night. If you walk or drive through the desert, it might be wise to know what you should do in order to survive in the desert.
Drink a little water every hour. But how can you get water in the desert? If you find a small piece of land where the earth is wet, dig inside to look for water. Another method of getting water is to cover a green plant with a plastic bag. As it breathes, the water vapor (水蒸气) will collect inside the bag. Little by little, you can collect enough water to drink.
Plan to travel at night and sleep during the day, if you find you have to survive in the desert for a period of time. If you can find something that makes you cool in the desert, use it as a shelter (遮蔽物) to protect you from the strong sunlight.
Wear clothing in light color. It may seem like you’ll be cooler if you wear that kind of clothes, which actually helps your body to become cool and helps protect you from being sunburnt.
Prepare to signal planes passing overhead if you are caught in the desert. During the day keep a smoky fire burning and at night, a bright, clean burning one. In this way, you are more likely to be saved.
1. What’s the weather like in the desert in the day?| A．Cool. | B．Cold. | C．Hot. | D．Warm. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Light. | B．Dark. | C．Blue. | D．Green. |
| A．A travel guide. | B．A storybook. |
| C．A weather report. | D．An advertisement. |
| A．Clothing to Wear in the Desert | B．Ways to Get Water in the Desert |
| C．Advice on Living in the Desert | D．Suggestions for Surviving in the Desert |
| Roses are looked on as the king of the flowers. They own everything that a beautiful flower needs to have. People can send roses as gifts to their loved ones. A red rose shows love. A white rose is a symbol of peace and well-wishes, and yellow stands for friendship and so on. |
| The passion flower(西番莲) looks like an Indian bird’s feather. These flowers grow on vines (藤), which makes them climb over the walls of one’s place. This flower has around 500 families, out of which around 60 species can be used to produce food. |
 | Sunflowers are bright yellow and have a dark shade at the center. They are grown to get oil and seeds from the flower. The sunflowers stand for cheerfulness, love and happiness. America is the birthplace for the sunflowers , and then they were brought to Russia and other parts of the world. |
| Bleeding hearts (荷包牡丹) appear similar to the heart shape. They are mostly red or dark pink in color. This flower has got its name after its shape. It is found in Korea, Japan, northern China and some parts of Siberia. These beautiful flowers are used to show love. |
1. White roses are a symbol of peace and well-wishes.
| A．正确 | B．错误 |
| A．正确 | B．错误 |
| A．正确 | B．错误 |
| A．正确 | B．错误 |
| A．正确 | B．错误 |
3 . Yao Ming is China’s most famous basketball player. He may have retired from the
Yao Was born in a family of basketball player,
In his commencement(毕业典礼) speech, Yao said, “If not for that promise to my father and mother, I might have
| A．army | B．sport | C．factory | D．office |
| A．encourage | B．interest | C．require | D．order |
| A．to | B．above | C．in | D．along |
| A．entered | B．reached | C．knew | D．visited |
| A．for | B．or | C．so | D．but |
| A．longer | B．wider | C．higher | D．poorer |
| A．cinema | B．station | C．airport | D．college |
| A．singing | B．waiting | C．reading | D．dancing |
| A．postcards | B．paintings | C．photos | D．presents |
| A．fit | B．cover | C．protect | D．accept |
| A．looked up | B．given up | C．grown up | D．broken up |
| A．I | B．you | C．she | D．he |
| A．funny | B．reasonable | C．popular | D．important |
| A．after | B．while | C．because | D．although |
| A．volleyball | B．football | C．basketball | D．baseball |
Look at the round cakes．They are made by Siew Boon．She is a jelly artist
Siew Boon
During her fight with breast cancer，focusing on creating beautiful 3D jelly cakes helped to turn her focus away
Every piece is created upside down and takes up to 4 hours to complete．The flowers are made with special tools．It takes a lot of creativity and
Aside from being beautiful，the cakes are special in taste．They have a
Siew Boon thinks the most
5 . Language Learning
Learning a new language can be tricky at any age. But in a recent study, scientists have pinpointed the exact age at which your chances of reaching fluency in a new language seem to quickly drop off: 10. Does this mean you should quit your French class if you’re older than 10? Non!
Kids may be better than adults at learning new languages for many reasons. Children’s brains are more adaptable than those of adults.
The findings also offer ideas for adults hoping to pick up a new language.
| A．Now that’s worth talking about! |
| B．But they are unlikely to become fluent. |
| C．The study appeared in the journal Cognition. |
| D．For the study, the researchers created an online quiz. |
| E．This means they’re better able to respond to new information. |
| F．This gave researchers huge amounts of data from English speakers of many ages and backgrounds. |
| G．Researchers found that people did better when they learned by immersion rather than only in a classroom. |
Behind each lovely picture of a cloned cat or dog lie hundreds of animals that were kept in lab cages, receiving bad treatment to produce just that one cloned animal. For all that, you end up with a cloned animal who is unlikely to appear like the original physically or behaviorally and may experience serious health problems. Also, while pet cloning companies are charging customers up to $150,000 for a cloned pet, millions of homeless animals of the same species are available in US animal shelters for around $100. Unfortunately, most of these animals are killed for lack of adopting homes.
With No Pet Cloning campaign, the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) tries to protect both animals and people from harm. They campaigned until the US companies that sold cloned animals closed their doors. First it was Genetic Savings & Clone Inc. and then it was BioArts International.
When BioArts was closed, its owner, Lou Hawthorne, finally had to acknowledge the problems of pet cloning. According to Hawthorne, he has seen numerous failures during his pet cloning attempts, “One clone—which was supposed to be black and white—was born greenish-yellow where it should have been white (we still have no good explanation for how that happened).”
The AAVS is educating the public about the animal suffering and is seeking regulation of cloning activities. They will continue to take the lead in protecting animals from the threats of pet cloning.
1. From the passage, we know that ____.
| A．pets are often deserted by their owners |
| B．more and more people have joined the AAVS |
| C．most American are against cloning pet animals |
| D．the American Anti-Vivisection Society is supported by the government |
| A．carry on scientific studies |
| B．get economic interests |
| C．protect pet animals |
| D．comfort animal lovers |
| A．To tell the truth behind pet cloning. |
| B．To show the method of pet cloning. |
| C．To compare pet animals with homeless ones. |
| D．To save the animals kept in labs and shelters. |
| A．accept | B．study | C．admit | D．manage |
| A．getting most countries to fight against pet cloning |
| B．improving the technology of pet cloning |
| C．saving lots of animals from bad situations |
| D．stopping US companies’ selling cloned animals |
7 . I stood outside New York’s Madison Square Garden and just stared, almost speechless. I was a farm boy from County Kilkenny, a child who some thought would never walk, let alone go as far as I had in the world.
From the day I was born, there was a problem. The doctors at the Dublin hospital told my parents I had phocomelia, a deformity that affected both legs below the knee, which were outward and shorter than normal and each foot had just three toes.
Life was tough. I couldn’t stand, much less walk. I rarely, left the farmhouse---and then only in someone’s arms. Mam bundled me up whenever she took me to town, no matter the season.
“The world will see him when he can walk,” she told Dad. “And he will walk.”
Mam devoted herself to helping me. She tried everything to get me on my feet. When I was three, she and Dad took me to a clinic in Dublin.
A few weeks later we returned to Dublin with my artificial limbs (肢). Back home I practiced walking with my new limbs.
“There’s nothing anyone can do but you can’t,” Mam said. “You and I are going to walk through town.”
The next day Mam dressed me in my finest clothes. She wore a summer dress and fixed her hair and makeup. Dad drove us to the church. We stepped out of the car. Mam took my hand. “Hold your head up high, now, Ronan,” she said.
We walked 300 meters to the post office. It was the farthest I’d walked, and I was sweating from the effort. Then we left the post office and continued down the street, Mam’s eyes shining with a mother’s pride.
That night, back on our farm, I lay exhausted on my bed. It meant nothing, though, compared to what I’d done on my walk.
Then I began to pursue my dream of singing. And at every step Mam’s words came back to me—Ronan, you can do anything anyone else can do—and the faith she had in God, who would help me do it.
I’ve sung from the grandest stages in Europe, to music played by the world’s finest musicians. That night, I stood at the Madison Square Garden, with Mam’s words chiming in my ears. Then I began singing. I couldn’t feel the pulse of the music in my feet, but I felt it deep in my heart, the same place where Mam’s promise lived.
1. What was the problem with the author as a baby?| A．He was expected unable to walk. |
| B．He was born outward in character. |
| C．He had a problem with listening. |
| D．He was shorter than a normal baby. |
| A．shortcoming | B．disadvantage | C．disability | D．delay |
| A．To hide their depressed feeling. |
| B．To indicate it an unusual day. |
| C．To show off their clothes. |
| D．To celebrate his successful operation. |
| A．determined | B．stubborn | C．generous | D．distinguished |
| A．His consistent effort. | B．His talent for music. |
| C．His countless failures. | D．His mother’s promise. |
8 . It used to be that Christmas, with a little help from Blue Peter, was about adding the personal touch. We'd sit there for hours making cards and gifts for family and friends, knowing that the thought put into them would be properly appreciated.
Nowadays, time is against us, but there is still one easy way for you to make someone's Christmas this year — a personalised card from M＆S’ new website. To celebrate their new site, M＆S is offering Times readers two-for-one on all cards. Simply choose one of the 300 exclusive Christmas designs — starting from￡1.99, personalise it by changing the name and writing a message or uploading a photo. Then, add the receiver’s address and the card will be sent for you. Order by 2pm and it will be posted the same day.
In all, there are l,500 card designs to choose from, covering all kinds of special occasions. So if you want to get ahead of yourself for 2010, you know where to visit. You can even choose to be reminded of those important dates every year.
To claim your two-for-one on M＆S personalized cards, simply visit marksandspencer-personalised.com. Remember to enter the code ‘TIMESFRI’ on the payment page. This code is available for two days.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS: M＆S PERSONALISED CARDS
1. The product given for free must be of equal or lower value.
2. Payment of postage is required.
3. Marks＆Spencer reserves the right to take back this offer without prior notice.
1. What does the underlined part “two-for-one” in Paragraph 2 mean in the ad?| A．Two paid cards and one free card. | B．One paid card and two free cards. |
| C．Your name and a message on one card. | D．Your photo and the receiver’s on one card. |
| A．a website selling Christmas cards only | B．an agency of the newspaper Times |
| C．a company promoting the sales of cards | D．an advertising agency of card producers |
| A．enter a code on the payment page of M＆S’ website |
| B．always order it before two o'clock in the afternoon |
| C．put into the card your own date of birth and address |
| D．spend time making cards with the help of Blue Peter |
| A．they can be delivered free of charge |
| B．you can enjoy the special offer all the year round |
| C．their value may be lower than that of a free card |
| D．you can get a favor of at least ￡1. 99 |
Now, scientists from several universities and the United States Department of Agriculture say they have a possible explanation for the bee decline（数量下降）．It is a little known virus called Israeli acute--paralysis virus （IAPV）．The virus kills bees．Researchers in Israel first described it in 2004 , but until now, bee experts hadn’t paid much attention to it．
When trying to find out why the bees were disappearing, a research team at Columbia University studied bee colonies （群体）, some with and the others without decline．The research turned up large numbers of two types of fungi （真菌） once suspected of causing the bee decline．The research results, however, showed that the fungi were almost as common in colonies without a decline as they were in colonies with a decline．The researchers concluded that the two fungi probably weren’t the cause．
Studies of the presence of IAPV, however, showed more interesting information．In those studies, done by a team at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, the virus showed up in 83 percent of samples from colonies with symptoms （症状）．Only five percent of samples from symptomless colonies had it．
Scientists still don’t know whether IAPIV can single--handedly cause the bee decline．They believe that even if the virus is making colonies sick ,
Scientists are still trying to figure out how IAPV came to the United States．The United States currently allows bee products to be imported from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand．If it turns out that this trade is spreading disease, the rules might eventually change．
1. According to the passage ，IAPV is a virus that ______．
| A．hasn’t attracted much attention |
| B．well-known to doctors and scientist |
| C．was first found by Austrian researchers |
| D．is dangerous to animals and human beings |
| A．the virus could also cause other damages |
| B．there must be something that is the real cause |
| C．IAPV is not the only cause for the bee decline |
| D．the virus may be caused by the polluted environment |
| A．calculating | B．comparing | C．examining | D．investigating |
| A．How and why to kill IAPV． |
| B．How IAPV came to America． |
| C．Whether bee products should be imported． |
| D．How to change the rules of the bee products trade． |
| A．Bee Disease | B．How to Kill IAPV |
| C．A Virus—IAPV | D．Two Types of Fungi |
10 . Scientists in the United States have developed a method that may help to predict earthquakes earlier. They say it could give people who live in deadly earthquake areas enough warning to leave before an earthquake occurs.
Currently, the most modern systems for predicting earthquakes find them only a short time before the event. Like most strong earthquakes, Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 and Haiti earthquake in 2010 were not identified early enough for people to flee the area, killing hundreds and thousands of people.
But scientists who study earthquakes are reporting that new technology could measure very small changes in the Earth’s surface.
Scientists performed experiments along California’s San Andreas Fault, an area famous for its earthquakes. Highly sensitive electrical devices are placed about one kilometer below ground in two different places. The devices were able to measure even small changes in air pressure on the Earth’s surface. The scientists say such changes are caused when rocks pushed together, forcing air out of small cracks in the rock.
Two earthquakes hit the area in late 2005. The first took place on Dec.25. A smaller earthquake struck five days later. The scientists noted changes in the earth’s surface about ten hours before the first quake struck. That quake measured three in intensity(强度). They then found similar changes taking place two hours before the other quake struck five days later.
If additional tests confirm the changes are linked to earthquakes, the scientists believe their equipment could be used for early warning systems. A system that provides a warning signal ten hours before a major earthquake could help move people from the area and save lives.
The scientists now hope they can find earthquakes with even greater intensity by placing their equipment deeper in the ground.
1. What’s the best title for the passage?| A．A new way to help predict earthquakes. |
| B．The earthquakes in the world |
| C．A better understanding of earthquake |
| D．Scientists and modern systems of earthquakes |
| A．fewer earthquakes will break out |
| B．rescue workers can save more buried people in ruins |
| C．a warning can be given at least ten days before the major earthquake |
| D．fewer people will be killed in an earthquake |
| A．reaching the center of the earthquake |
| B．detecting the temperature changes in the earth’s crust |
| C．measuring changes in air pressure on the Earth’s surface |
| D．recording sound waves under the ground |
| A．the equipment is perfect enough to be used in practice |
| B．it’s unknown if greater earthquake can be predicted by the equipment |
| C．the deeper the equipment is placed, the more accurate the measurement is |
| D．the equipment has helped save many lives in the earthquake in Haiti . |
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
