2 . Overcoming extreme cold, cruel ice and people dismissing him as mad, Slovenian Davo Kamicar became the first person to ski non-stop down Mount Everest.

After a dramatic fall over almost sheer cliffs of snow, stones and ice, 38-year-old Kamicar emerged in his base camp after five hours of skiing. “I feel only absolute happiness and absolute tiredness,” he said.

At one stage he had to speed over stretches of ice that collapsed and broke underneath him and could have sent him falling into the deep crevasses (裂缝) that dot the mountain.

The descent (下落) had been seen by many as insanely dangerous. The Darwin Awards website, which documents deaths which are foolhardy, urged people to log on to Internet broadcasts of the attempt. “Keep your eyes peeled for a live Darwin Award,” it said.

However, the only body to make the news was the corpse (尸体) of an unknown mountaineer which Kamicar zipped past as he descended, one of an estimated 120 corpses, thought to litter the slopes.

“This mountain is always full of surprises. Seeing a dead man out there was a really shocking experience,” he said.

Thanks to strategically placed cameras on the mountain and one attached to his safety helmet, hundreds of thousands of people witnessed his descent on the Internet, which was one of the record highs ever. During the run more than 650,000 hits were registered on his expedition website jamming it for a time as others tried to access the site.

Weather conditions were so severe that Kamicar had to abandon plans to rest on the summit before attempting to descend. Instead, suffering from fatigue, as soon as he reached the top he put on his skis and flung himself back down the mountain.

Dealing with the mountain had already cost Kamicar two fingers when a previous failed attempt saw him get frostbite as a fierce storm lashed the peak.

Kamicar comes from a skiing family and took part in his first Himalayan skiing expedition in 1989. Since then, he has been tireless in raising funds and sponsorship for more expeditions, with Everest as the permanent goal.

1. Davo Kamicar made history by ________.

A．skiing down Mount Everest without rest

B．descending Mount Everest within the shortest time ever

C．attracting largest number of audience online for his descent

D．becoming the first to film his descent down Mount Everest

2. The underlined word foolhardy in the passage is closest in meaning to ______.

A．sudden and hard to accept	B．taking unnecessary risks
C．attracting public attention	D．working hard to fool others

3. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Kamicar saw about 120 dead bodies littering the slope.

B．The broadcast of his descent online was cancelled because of the website jam.

C．Kamicar’s family had a tradition to conquer Mount Everest.

D．This was not Kamicar’s first attempt on Mount Everest.

4. Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?

A．Mad man skis down Everest	B．Darwin Award for Davo Kamicar
C．Extreme sports hero slides to a record	D．Body of mountaineer found on Everest

3 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Lower Oxygen Levels Threaten Marine Life

Oxygen in the oceans is being lost at an alarming rate, with “dead zones” expanding rapidly and hundreds more areas showing oxygen dangerously exhausted, putting sharks, tuna, marlin and other large fish species at particular risk. Dead zones, where oxygen is effectively absent, have quadrupled(翻两番) in extent in the last half-century, and there are also at least 700 areas where oxygen is at dangerously low levels, up from 45 when research was undertaken in the 1960s.

The reasons behind this environmental collapse are multiple. Among all, pollutants generated by the industrial world have been the most destructive force to cause the unbalance, including a rising tide of plastic waste, as well as other pollutants. Seas are about 26% more acidic than in pre-industrial times because of absorbing the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, with damaging impacts on shellfish in particular.

Low oxygen levels are also associated with global heating, because the warmer water holds less oxygen and the heating causes stratification(分层), so there is less of the vital mixing of oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor layers. Oceans are expected to lose about 3-4% of their oxygen by the end of this century, but the impact will be much greater in the levels closest to the surface, where many species are concentrated, and in the mid to high latitudes.

Another major cause for lower oxygen is intensive farming. When excess artificial fertilizer from crops, or wastes from the meat industry, runs off the land and into rivers and seas, it feeds algae(藻类) which bloom and then cause oxygen consumption as they die and decay.

The problem of dead zones has been known about for decades, but little has been done to tackle it. Now is high time to take actions and help the oceans function better.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . Direction: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A.increasing 　　　　B.defend　　　　 C.partially 　　　　D.depriving E.sharpened　　 　　 F.breaks 　　　 　G.endured 　　　　H.granting I.issues 　　　　　　J.activate 　　　　K.roughly

Flood-hit Venice’s shrinking population faces mounting problems

Venetians(威尼斯人) are fed up with what they see as inadequate responses to the city’s mounting problems: record-breaking flooding, environmental and safety threats from cruise ship traffic and the burden on services from over-tourism.

They feel largely left to their own devices, with ever-fewer Venetians living in the historic part of the city to    1    its interests and keep it from becoming mainly a tourist land.

The historic flooding this week---marked by three floods over 1.5 meters (nearly 5 feet) and the highest in 53 years at 1.87 meters(6 feet, 1 inch)---has    2    calls to create an administration that recognizes the uniqueness of Venice, for both its concentration of treasures and its    3    vulnerability.

Flood damage has been    4    estimated at hundreds of millions of Euros (dollars), but the true range will only become clear with time. The frustration goes far beyond the failure to complete and    5    78 underwater barriers that were designed to prevent just the kind of damage that Venice has    6    this week. With the system not yet completed or even    7    tested after 16 years of work and 5 billion Euros ($5.5 billion) invested, many are suspicious it will even work.

At the public level, proposals for better administering the city including    8    some level of autonomy(自制) to Venice, already enjoyed by some Italian regions like Trentino-Alto-Adige with its German-speaking minority, or offering tax    9    to encourage Venice’s repopulation.

Just 53,000 people live in the historic part of the city that tourists know as Venice, down by a third from a generation ago and dropping by about 1,000 people a year. That means fewer people watching the neighborhood, monitoring for public maintenance    10    or neighbors in need. Many leave because of the increased expense or the daily difficulties in living in a city of canals, which can make even a simple errand a hard journey.

5 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word or phrase that best fits each blank.

Dogs haven’t always been man’s best friend, and the question of when and where they were first domesticated is surprisingly complex. A new study sheds some light on the issue; with an international team of scientists    1     (point) to Central Asia as the best candidate for the origin of today's pups.

The study is     2     (expansive) one to date. It used three types of DNA     3     (gather) from 161 breeds of 4, 500 dogs, along with 549 “village dogs”—feral (未驯化的) dogs     4     make up an estimated 75 percent of the world’s total dog population—from 38 countries.

While it's long been known that dogs can trace their roots to gray wolves, the new analysis is the strongest indicator yet that modern dogs originated in     5     is now Nepal and Mongolia over 15,000 years ago. The DNA of dogs in nearby areas like East Asia and Southwest Asia is extremely diverse, giving the scientists confidence     6     (make) the claim.

However,     7     the study is impressive for its extensiveness, the scientists are cautious about making a definitive statement on dogs' origins. Previous studies     8    (place) dogs’ ancestral tree (族谱) in other regions like Siberia and Europe. Adam Boyko of Cornell University, one of the study’s researchers, called the origins of modern dogs “extremely complicated”. He said that it was possible that dogs were domesticated elsewhere     9     arriving in Central Asia and diversifying into modern dogs.

Anyway, the study’s large population sample is remarkable, representing a clearer picture of dogs and     10     they come from.

6 . III．Reading Comprehension
Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that fits the context.
A detailed study of biological diversity（多样性）in town and city gardens has found that they offer a vital refuge for animals and plants. It has also found that many of the ideas about wildlife gardening are not ____.In fact, small gardens are just as good as big gardens at ___ wildlife, suburban gardens are not always better than city gardens and non-native plants are not always harmful to native insects and birds. Britain’s 16,000,000 gardens are a refuge for hundreds of species of animals and plants that would find it ____to survive on intensively （精细地）farmed land. According to the study, gardens are amazingly varied even compared to_____ environments that are good for wildlife. Small gardens are more interesting   ___ they vary a great deal in botanical environment, All the wildlife responds to the variation.
Ken Thompson of Sheffield University was involved n the first detailed study of the ____ living in British gardens when he and his colleagues surveyed 61 gardens in Sheffield. They really found a（n）_____diversity of plants and animals. They also identified a range of simple   ___ that improved a garden’s environment for wildlife. The top thing is to grow more big trees as these greatly   ____the volume of vegetation in the garden and a lot of ____ means a lot of places to live and a lot of things to eat.   ____ , create a pond for insects and frogs. Think before stocking it with fish which will eat insect eggs. Also, it is not wise to light up the garden at night with bright lawn lamps, which will _____many night creatures, Finally, don’t be too tidy: don’t be _____to clear up everything when the garden stops flowering. Just _____   a bit of things lying around.
To sum up, people who want to turn their gardens into wildlife refuges should _____and let the grass grow tall, the flowers turn to seed and trees expand skyward.1.

A．true

B．basic

C．vivid

D．simple

2.

A．selecting

B．importing

C．offering

D．attracting

3.

A．impossible

B．illegal

C．lucky

D．convenient

4.

A．peaceful

B．warm

C．natural

D．clean

5.

A．before

B．unless

C．but

D．because

6.

A．wildlife

B．men

C．germ

D．pet

7.

A．confusing

B．complete

C．surprising

D．orderly

8.

A．measures

B．standards

C．services

D．functions

9.

A．occupy

B．increase

C．limit

D．reduce

10.

A．vegetation

B．reservation

C．preparation

D．decoration

11.

A．By contrast

B．As a result

C．In other words

D．In addition

12.

A．block

B．disturb

C．benefit

D．protect

13.

A．in a mess

B．in a way

C．in a hurry

D．in a while

14.

A．forget

B．remove

C．avoid

D．leave

15.

A．escape

B．relax

C．strive

D．retire

7 . Directions：Complete the brochure according to the given Chinese.

Shanghai—an important center of economy, technology, information and culture.

As a noted historic and culture city, Shanghai attracts millions of tourists from home and abroad     1    (以她独特的风韵). Shanghai is also a paradise for gourmets (美食家); its local cuisine (本帮菜)     2    (特别受到海外人士的青睐).

The most attractive work of architecture is no other than the Oriental Pearl TV Tower     3    (坐落于黄浦江畔). Mounting the observation floor and     4    (环顾四周), you will admire the view of the famous Bund and the charming skyline of the city in the distance,     5    (流连忘返).

8 . One of the most pressing challenges the world will face in the next few decades is how to relieve the growing stress that human activities are placing on the environment. The consequences are just too great to_______. Wildlife habitats are disappearing as new developments._______more land. Plant and animal species are getting in_______at a greater rate now than at any time in Earth’s history. As many as 30 percent of the world’s fish stocks are over-exploited. And the list goes on.

_______, there is reason to have hope for the future. Advances in computing power and molecular biology are_______the tremendous increases in scientific capability that are helping researchers_______a better understanding of these problems. Recent development in science and technology could provide the_______for some major and timely actions that would improve our understanding of how human activities affect the environment.

One priority (优先处理的事) for research is improving hydrological (水文学的) forecasting. It is_______that the world’s water use will triple (变成三倍) in the next two decades. Already, widespread water_______has occurred in parts of China, India, and North Africa. The need for water also is taking its toll (造成痛苦) on fresh water ecosystems in the United States. Only 2 percent of the nation’s streams are considered in good__________, and close to 40 percent of native fish species are threatened with__________.

To__________outbreaks of infectious diseases in plants, animals and human, more study is needed on how parasites (寄生虫) and disease-carrying species — as well as humans and other species they__________— are affected by changes in the environment. The overuse of antibiotics both in humans and in farm animals has__________the growth of antibiotic- resistant microorganism (微生物). Researchers can__________new technologies in genetics and computing to better monitor and predict the effects that environment changes might have on disease outbreaks.

1.

A．notice

B．consider

C．ignore

D．emphasize

2.

A．take over

B．get over

C．set out

D．make out

3.

A．danger

B．risk

C．insecure

D．change

4.

A．Moreover

B．Yet

C．Though

D．Since

5.

A．for

B．over

C．with

D．among

6.

A．hold

B．receive

C．gain

D．pay

7.

A．basis

B．ground

C．position

D．stage

8.

A．wished

B．hoped

C．decided

D．estimated

9.

A．supply

B．use

C．pollution

D．shortage

10.

A．health

B．condition

C．situation

D．case

11.

A．endurance

B．violence

C．introduction

D．extinction

12.

A．copy

B．produce

C．prevent

D．ruin

13.

A．connect

B．infect

C．follow

D．study

14.

A．contributed to

B．turned to

C．referred to

D．responded to

15.

A．get along with

B．take advantage of

C．pass down

D．put up

9 . In July, 2015, NASA's Kepler mission has confirmed the first near-Earth-size planet in the "habitable zone" around a sun-like star. This discovery and the introduction of 11other new small habitable zone candidate planets mark another milestone in the journey to finding another "Earth"

The newly discovered Kepler-452b is the smallest planet to date discovered orbiting in the habitable zone—the area around à star where liquid water could pool on the surface of an orbiting planet—of a G2-type star, like our sun. The confirmation of Kepler-452b brings the total number of confirmed planets to 1,030.

"On the 20th anniversary year of the discovery that proved other suns' host planets the Kepler has discovered a planet and star which most closely resemble the Earth and our Sun," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “This exciting result brings us one step closer to finding an Earth 2.0.”

Kepler-452b is 60 percent larger in diameter than Earth arid is considered a super-Earth-size planet. While its mass and composition are not yet determined, previous research suggests that planets the size of Kepler-452b have-a good chance of being rocky.

While Kepler-452b is larger than Earth, ' its 385-day orbit is only 5 percent longer. The planet is 5 percent farther from its parent star Kepler-452 than the earth is from the sun. Kepler-452 is 6 billion years old, 1.5 billion years older than our sun, has the same temperature, and is 20 percent brighter and has a diameter 10 percent larger.

"We can think of Kepler-452b as an older, bigger cousin to Earth, providing an opportunity to understand and reflect upon Earth's evolving environment," said Jon Jenkins, who led the team that discovered Kepler-452b. "If all the necessary ingredients and conditions for life should exist on this planet, there would be a good opportunity for life to arise."

To help confirm the finding and better determine the properties of the Kepler-452 system, the 'team conducted a series of ground-based observations: These measurements were the key for the researchers to confirm the planetary nature of Kepler-452b and to better pin down(确定)the size of the planet and its orbit.

1. When was the first host planet found in another solar system?

A．In 2015.	B．In 1985.
C．In 2005.	D．In 1995.

2. Which of the following statements about kepler-452b is NOT true?

A．Whether there is life on Kepler-452b remains unknown.

B．Kepler-452b is 10 percent larger in diameter than the sun.

C．Judging from its size, it is very likely that Kepler-452b is rocky.

D．Kepler-452b is a planet orbiting in the habitable zone.

3. Scientists have conducted a series of ground-based observations to find out _____________.

A．which Kepler-452b resembles more, the earth or the sun

B．more mysteries in our solar system

C．the planetary nature of Kepler-452b

D．the significance of NASA's Kepler mission

4. The passage is mainly about_________________.

A．the discovery of a new Earth-like planet

B．the discovery of a new solar system

C．the origin of the universe

D．the comparison, between the earth and Kepler-452b

10 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks. to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word or phrase that best fits each blank.

During the tsunami（海啸）disaster of 2004, over 300,000 people died. No one has counted the number of animals     1    （kill）, but we know that it wasn't many. All over the region, before the disaster     2    （strike）, animals were behaving strangely.

Shortly before the tsunami, in Khaolak, Thailand, twelve elephants that were giving tourists rides became upset. They suddenly left their usual habitat,     3    （carry）four surprised Japanese tourists to safety. On the eastern coast of India, flamingos（火烈鸟）, which should be breeding at this time of year, suddenly flew to higher ground. Of the two thousand wild pigs that live in an Indian nature reserve, only one     4    （find）dead after the tsunami.

The idea     5     the animals are able to predict disasters is nothing new. In fact, it has been well-recorded over the years. Twelve hours before Hurricane Charlie hit Florida in 2004, fourteen sharks left their natural habitat and stayed in deep waters for two weeks. The sharks, which were being observed by US scientists,     6    （never do）this before. They escaped the hurricane.

Unlike human beings, wild animals' senses are sharper and they can feel even     7    （small）changes in the environment. In     8     words, they see natural warnings that are invisible to the human eye.

The real question is, can we use the reactions of animals     9    （save）ourselves from natural disasters? Animal behavior expert, Rupesh Kaneira, believes: we have no choice. “The technology which we rely on isn't always perfect, and in poorer countries it isn't even available. Animals know the environment better than any of us.     10     they run for their lives, we must follow.”