2 . Ever wondered how many Tyrannosaurus rex (霸王龙) ever walked around the Earth? The answer is 2.5 billion over the two million or so years in which the species existed, according to a calculation published today in Science. The figure has allowed researchers to estimate just how rare it is for animals to fossilize.

Researchers led by Charles Marshall used a method employed by ecologists studying contemporary creatures to estimate the population of T. rex during the late Cretaceous period.

The team used their estimates of the total range of T. rex across modern North America, combined with their estimates of the dinosaur’s weight, to calculate that, at one time, around 20,000 T. rex would have been alive on the planet. That translates to around 3,800 T. rex in an area the size of California, or just 2 T. rex moving around Washington DC. Calculating that T. rex survived for about 127,000 generations before disappearing, the researchers came up with a figure of 2.5 billion individuals over the species’ entire existence. Only 32 adult T. rex have been discovered as fossils, so the fossil record accounts for just 1 in about every 80 million T. rex. This means that the chances of being fossilized were small.

These numbers suggest that fossils in general are rare, and that many species that were less widespread than T. rex were probably never preserved, says Marshall, who adds, “The fossil record is our only direct knowledge of these past histories of our planet.”

Thomas Holtz, a researcher, says that “we always knew that the chance of any individual becoming a fossil was rare, but we lacked the calculation to figure out how rare”. He’d like to see comparable studies made on disappearing species with more abundant fossils, which might allow us to better understand historic ecosystems.

1. Which of the following was used to figure out the population of T. rex?

A．The approach to calculating kinds of wildlife.

B．The method used by researchers to study fossils.

C．The comparison of various studies on disappearing species.

D．The way adopted by ecologists to study modern creatures.

2. How does the author develop the third paragraph?

A．By making a comparison.	B．By listing the figures.
C．By giving an explanation.	D．By presenting examples.

3. What can we infer from paragraph 4?

A．T. rex owns quite a few fossils.

B．The fossils record all the past of our planet.

C．Fossils of some species may never be stored.

D．Many species lived together in their whole life.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A．A new method to figure out the number of T. rex.

B．The fossil record to uncover the history of our planet.

C．Scientists employed fossils to understand past ecosystems.

D．The figure of T. rex helps calculate how rare their fossils are.

3 . 假定你是李华，你所喜爱的校报Youth创刊10周年之际征集读者意见。请你依据以下内容给主编写封信，内容包括：
1.说明你是该报的忠实读者；
2.赞赏该报的优点；
3.提出建议。
注意：1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.开头结尾已给出，不计入总词数；
3.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Editor-in-Chief,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sincerely yours,

Li Hua

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Who invented the ATM? There have been    1    (argue)for years over who should officially go down in history as “the inventor of the ATM”. Now the UK government is    2    (clear)saying it was James Goodfellow    3    invented the ATM.

Back in the mid-1960s, James Goodfellow was working    4    a development engineer for Glasgow firm Kelvin Hughes, and had been charged with inventing a way to enable customers to withdraw cash from banks when Saturday opening ended. “Most people    5    (work)during the week couldn’t get to the bank. They wanted a solution. The solution    6    (be)a machine which would issue cash on demand to a    7    (recognize)customer,” he said. “I set out    8    (develop)a cash-issuing machine, and make this a reality, I invented the pin(personal identification number)and an associated coded token(代币).”

The cash machine has become a world-conquering piece of technology. There are now 3 million ATMs worldwide, with     9    number forecast to hit 4 million by 2020. The good news for Goodfellow is that people are beginning to know him for his invention. Even    10    (good)for him, the Home Office has now officially recognized his other achievements.

5 . In 2010, my mother-in-law gave me her rather simple but graceful, antique “secretary desk”. The desk easily fit into the tiny room at the top of the stairs. I felt so secure, and confident when I sat down and began each writing session. Despite the desk’s appeal, its limited storage capacity meant that I often put file folders and books on the small floor space around me. After each writing session, I painstakingly gathered the tools of the trade and placed them on a nearby shelf until the next session.

A few years into my writing journey, we moved into a bigger home and I acquired my own office. My husband, Bill offered on more than one occasion to buy me a new desk for my office, but I ignored his offer.

One day, we stopped at the local office supply store. Bill found what he thought was the perfect desk for me. “I want to buy this for you, sweetie. My writer needs a bigger desk. ”He hugged me.

“Thanks, but I don’t want a bigger desk!” I said.

“Why don’t you want a bigger desk?” he said. “You must be afraid of something.”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” I said. “Like I said, I really like my little desk. So don’t ask me again.”

He didn’t.

A few weeks later, while working in my new office. I looked around at the folders, books and papers lying all over my office floor but couldn’t find what needed to meet a contest deadline. My heart raced. I looked around my office. The room basically swallowed the tiny desk, making it look slightly out of place. Maybe I did need a bigger desk. Was Bill right? Was I afraid of something?

Unable to write, I pulled c. JoyBell C.’s book of poetry, All Things Dance Like Dragonflies (蜻蜓), from the bookshelf. I flipped through its pages, and her words about faith jumped off the page into my heart. She talked about how she had trained herself to love the feeling of not knowing where she was going, and just trusting that as she opened up her wings and flew off in an unknown direction, things would work out.

At that moment, I recognized that a bigger desk symbolized bigger possibilities, stepping out in faith, and leaving my comfort zone.

1. What was the limitation of the “secretary desk”?

A．It was too old to be functional.

B．It competed with the shelf for room.

C．It prevented the author focusing on writing.

D．It was a bit small in size.

2. When did the author want to buy a new desk?

A．After she was stuck in a mess.

B．When she finished writing a book.

C．When she moved into a bigger house.

D．After she missed an important contest.

3. What was the author afraid of before?

A．Unemployment.	B．Loss of inspiration.
C．Uncertainty.	D．Lack of trust.

4. What would be the best title of the passage?

A．My Writing Journey	B．On the Wings of Change
C．My Lifelong Faith	D．On the Desk of Fate

6 . 假定你是李华。你的美国朋友Cathy来信询问你校特色传统文化社团活动开展情况。请给他回信，内容包括：
1. 活动开展的目的；
2. 成立的社团；
3. 你最喜欢的社团，并简述理由。
注意：
1. 词数80左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Cathy,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Best wishes.

Yours,

Li Hua

7 . Technology is everywhere. Almost all of us carry some piece of technology with us every time. It’s true to say that technology makes our lives easier. However, scientists are saying that we need to give ourselves a break-otherwise we put ourselves at risk of developing hundreds of health problems. With all this free time, why not put it to good use and do something without technology?

To start with, you could learn a new skill. There are hundreds of possibilities: crafts(工艺), cooking, learning a musical instrument or a new sport. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn to cook for your family, but haven’t had time? Perhaps you feel like learning how to knit(编织), so you can have a new sweater for the autumn? You could use your free time to learn something new—and perhaps it will lead to an exciting chance in the future.

If you just want to relax, why not go to a beach? Take along your favorite book and relax on the sand, or go for a walk along the coastline. If you don’t live near a beach, you could go to your local park. Why not take along a picnic, or try and discover some of the local wildlife?

Little things, like challenging yourself to complete a crossword or a Sudoku, are a great place to start. You could even follow the latest fashion: adult coloring books! Coloring is amazing, and it can be a nice way to escape from the pressure of modern life!

Whatever you choose to do with your summer, try something new! You might surprise yourself and find a hidden talent within you; you might make new friends along the way. Next time you find yourself aimlessly switching channels, have a think at what else you could spend your time doing.

1. According to scientists, using technology continuously may ________.

A．make people live longer	B．solve many social problems
C．provide people with more free time	D．have a bad effect on people’s health

2. What is suggested in the second paragraph?

A．Learning something new.	B．Taking exciting chances.
C．Making a living by knitting.	D．Getting together with the family.

3. What can we learn about the Sudoku?

A．It’s a great tourist attraction.	B．It’s a challenging game.
C．It’s a new fashion show.	D．It’s a book about coloring.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Make More New Friends	B．Follow the Latest Fashion
C．Make Plans for Summer Holidays	D．Take a Break from Technology

9 . When my 12th-grade results were declared, I was excited. It was the first _____________ news for us in a long while. My father had an accident and was in hospital. My mother was there to look after him. I rushed to _________ them of the good news. Maybe my mood was contagious (传染的) — a pretty lady I had never met smiled at me in the elevator.

My performance ___________ me a place at the city’s top college. Despite difficulty, my mother _________ to get the fees. On admission day, I ___________ filled the form, packed my bag and ___________ on my bike. Once I arrived, my heart almost ___________ when I found my bag gone. I ___________ but with no luck.

I rode to the hospital, but I couldn’t gather the ___________ to go in. I stood outside, gazing listlessly (无精打采地) when I felt someone ____________ my shoulder. It was the woman from the elevator. “Anything I can help?” she asked. Tears streaming, I told her everything. She ____________ and said, “Don’t worry.”

She reached for her bag and ____________ me some money. I hesitated, but she placed the money in my hands. “Take care of your father and stay ____________,” she said. I was overwhelmed by the ____________ kindness. I returned many times in ____________ of meeting her but I never did.

1.

A．interesting

B．upsetting

C．encouraging

D．boring

2.

A．inform

B．convince

C．remind

D．persuade

3.

A．earned

B．bought

C．prepared

D．saved

4.

A．arranged

B．managed

C．helped

D．promised.

5.

A．firmly

B．carelessly

C．frequently

D．cautiously

6.

A．paid off

B．called off

C．set off

D．took off

7.

A．beat

B．jumped

C．lightened

D．stopped

8.

A．desired

B．searched

C．panicked

D．cried

9.

A．strength

B．voice

C．confidence

D．courage

10.

A．pat

B．hug

C．hit

D．strike

11.

A．wandered

B．waited

C．watched

D．listened

12.

A．threw

B．paid

C．handed

D．awarded

13.

A．honest

B．tough

C．generous

D．polite

14.

A．unexpected

B．uncertain

C．unbelievable

D．unsatisfactory

15.

A．favor

B．need

C．belief

D．hope

10 . Do you remember the name of your kindergarten teacher? I do. Her name was Mrs White. I don’t remember much about what we learned in her class, but my mother once told me that we used to write a lot. And I would bring back what I wrote and she would look at it and see there were so many mistakes. But no red corrections. And always a star. It worried my mother, so one day she went to meet Mrs White and asked her why she never corrected my mistakes or pointed out grammatical errors.

Mrs White said, “The children are just beginning to get excited about using words and forming sentences. I don’t want to dampen (使受挫折) that enthusiasm with red ink. Spelling and grammar can wait. The wonder of words won’t…” She maybe didn’t say it exactly like that. My mother gave me what she could remember. I added in the rest. I grew up learning to use words like that.

And it occurred to me that if Mrs. White had used her red pen more, I probably wouldn’t be telling you about this now. I look back now and think she must have been a rather extraordinary teacher to allow the joy, wonder and excitement of expression to flower like that. Because to bloom is better than not to bloom.

I used to misspell ‘beautiful’ a lot. Pretty is easier to spell but it doesn’t hold as much as you mean sometimes. I kept on using ‘beautiful’. Eventually the letters settled into their right places. And thanks to Mrs White, I had been writing what I meant even if I couldn’t quite spell it out. Life isn’t Pretty. It’s Beautiful.

1. What worried the author’s mother?

A．The author’s learning little.	B．The author’s not getting a star.
C．The teacher’s not using red pens.	D．The author’s uncorrected mistakes.

2. Why didn’t Mrs White correct the children’s mistakes?

A．She didn’t have a red pen.	B．She was too busy to do that.
C．She wanted to protect their excitement.	D．She just ignored the children’s mistakes.

3. What is the author’s attitude towards Mrs White?

A．Grateful.

B．Doubtful.

C．Regretful.

D．Respectful.

4. Which of the following can best describe Mrs White as a teacher?

A．Humorous.

B．Caring.

C．Demanding.

D．Generous.