1 . Humans evolved from apes. This is what we learned in biology class. But what came before apes? Chinese scientists have discovered fossils that could enrich the evolutionary story of how humans evolved from fish.

According to four articles published in the journal Nature in late September, Chinese researchers found fish fossils that provide the “missing link” about the origin of the jaw, a key feature that 99.8 percent of vertebrate (脊椎动物) species have.

Zhu Min, a lead researcher of the studies from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the findings drew a large amount of interest in the science world due to the importance of jaws in animal evolution.

However, the rise of the jaw had been a mystery due to a lack of sufficient fossil evidence to support that jawed vertebrates lived 450 million years ago.

The latest findings made by Zhu’s team presented a set of five surprisingly well-preserved fish fossils that included three whole-bodied fish, helping scientists paint a more accurate evolutionary picture of the origin of the jaw. The fish fossils were discovered at two sites in Chongqing and Guizhou, whose strata (岩层) date back to the Silurian Period that began around 440 million years ago.

These fossils show that jawed fish were already thriving (繁荣) in the world’s ancient oceans at that time. Later on, more diverse and larger jawed fish evolved and began to spread around the world, paving the way for some fish to eventually go on land and evolve into other animals — including humans.

“These fossils provide an unprecedented (前所未有的) opportunity to peek into the ‘dawn of fish’ and help scientists trace many human body structures back to these ancient fish thus filling some key gaps in the evolutionary history of how fish evolved into humans,” Zhu said.

1. In which column of a magazine will you most probably read the passage?

A．Your Voice.	B．Animals.
C．Science Study.	D．History.

2. Why did the findings draw a large amount of interest in the science world?

A．Because jaws are a key trait of all vertebrate species.

B．Because jaws are significant in animal evolution.

C．Because the rise of the jaw had been a mystery.

D．Because there is a lack of sufficient evidence.

3. What does the underlined phrase “at that time” refer to?

A．Around 440 million years ago.

B．Around 450 million years ago.

C．When jawed fish began to spread around the world.

D．When fish evolved into humans.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Who Are Our Ancestors?	B．What Came Before Apes?
C．The Origin of the Jaw	D．Key Gaps in Evolution

3 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

The computer is widely used in our daily life. The computer is a machine that     1    (design) to help people do many things. When it first came into     2    (be), it was just a calculating machine, and later it was built as an analytical machine that could “think” logically and produce an answer     3    (fast) than any other person. Still later, the computer could be made to work as a “universal machine” to solve any difficult mathematical problems. There were times when its size was     4    (total) changed. It became smaller and smaller but it got cleverer and clever. In the early 1960s, computers were connected by network and brought into common people’s homes     5    (deal) with information and help communication     6     people around the world. It could share     7    (inform) with others and they could talk to each other. The Internet has become     8     important part in our life and we can do many things with the help of the Internet. The computer is used to connect people     9     aren’t close enough to speak to each other. It has been serving the human race since     10    (it) birth.

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。

Longjing tea,     1     has topped the list of the ten most famous teas in China with its color, taste and shape,     2    (name) after its production region --- Longjing Village of West Lake. The good environment and water resources have contributed much to the     3    (grow) of the tea, confirming the saying that "Longjing tea is the     4     (good) among all of the teas in the world".

Thanks     5     Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, the tea has earned a high reputation. The story went that Emperor Qianlong visited the mountain during his Hangzhou travels, and he saw some ladies picking the tea at     6     foot of the mountain. He was so interested in their movements that he decided to have a go himself. While     7    (pick) the tea, he received the news of his mother's illness, so he carelessly put the leaves in his right sleeve and    8    (leave) Hangzhou for Beijing. He visited his mother    9    (immediate) upon his arrival in Beijing, and his mother smelt the fragrance of the tea leaves from his sleeves and wanted to have a taste. After drinking a cup of tea, she found herself completely    10    (refresh), and she even praised it as a cure for all ills. From then on, it was listed as the tribute tea.

5 . The Origins of Famous Brands

Our lives are full of brand names and trademarked products that we use every day. Although many brand names are simple acronyms(首字母缩略词) or versions of their founders names, some of the companies we trust every day actually have fascinating and surprising back stories.

Starbucks

It seems fitting that the most famous coffee brand in the world would take its name from one of the world’s greatest works of literature. The inspiration for the name of the coffeehouse came from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. The founders’ original idea was to name the company after the Captain Ahab’s ship, but they eventually decided that Pequot wasn’t a great name for coffee, so they chose Ahab’s first mate, Starbucks, as the name instead.

Google

Google was originally called Backrub, for it searched for links in every corner of the Web. In 1997, when the founders of the company were searching for a new name showing a huge amount of data for their rapidly improving search technology, a friend suggested the word “googol”. When a friend tried to register the new domain (域) name, he misspelled “googol” as “google”.

Nike

Originally founded as a distributor for Japanese running shoes, the company was originally named BRS, or Blue Ribbon Sports. In 1971, BRS introduced its own soccer shoe, a model called Nike, which is also the name for the Greek goddess of victory. In 1978, the company officially renamed itself as Nike, Inc.

The right name is essential to a company’s success, and a great origin story is just as important as a great product. An attractive origin story is one more thing that keeps customers guessing, wondering, and buying its products.

1. What is the name of the Captain Ahab’s ship?

A．Moby Dick.	B．Starbucks.
C．Pequot.	D．Herman Melville.

2. Why did the founders of the Google want to change its name?

A．They mistook their name.

B．They wanted new customers.

C．The company’s original name was too long.

D．The company’s search technology was improving rapidly.

3. Where does the importance of the origin story of one company lie in?

A．It can change the company’s image.

B．It can add myth to the company.

C．It explains the development of the company to customers.

D．It makes customers imagine and purchase its goods.

6 . Long, long ago people couldn’t write and they had no books. But they had stories. People learned the stories by heart and taught new ones to one another. Sometimes it was hard to remember them all.     1    

The ancient Egyptians wrote their stories on something made from papyrus (纸沙草) plants. People in other places wanted to learn from the Egyptians to use papyrus.

    2     So, parchment (羊皮纸), made from goatskin, later took its place.

In ancient China books looked a little different. People there used ink to write on bamboo or silk. And then they invented paper. Made of trees, paper was easier and cheaper to make than papyrus or parchment.    3     Paper-making later spread to the West, but there was a big problem with these early books. Every single one had to be copied and written by hand.

    4     They carved (雕刻) a page of words into a piece of wood or stone. They could then print the page by spreading ink on the wood or stone and putting it against paper. But it wasn’t until a German printer invented movable, metal letters that books became fast and easy to make. The letters could be used to print copy after copy, and the letters put together again and again to print different pages of words.

    5     Once a luxury (奢侈品) only the rich could buy, they soon became a treasure everyone could enjoy.

A．It took years to finish making just one book.

B．But papyrus grew mainly in Egypt.

C．Things grew a little easier when writing was invented.

D．Finally books could be printed by the thousands.

E．The Chinese were the first to think of a way to speed things up a little.

F．Books in the West didn’t change for a long time after that.

G．Its surface was smoother and better for writing on too.

7 . The “Chong Yang Festival” is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, which is also known as the Double Ninth Festival.     1    

Climbing Mountains

People like to climb mountains on this festival, so Double Ninth Festival is also called “Mountain-climbing Festival”.

The 9th lunar month, with clear autumn sky and bracing air, is a good time for sightseeing.     2    . It is really refreshing to climb mountains and enjoy the beauty of nature at this bright and clear time in autumn.

Climbing mounting also indicates “climbing to a higher position”. Another reason why climbing mountains are valued by people, especially by the elderly is that it has a meaning of “climbing to ligneous life”. Climbing mountains on Double Ninth Festival was already popular in the Tang Dynasty.    3    

Drinking Chrysanthemum Flower(菊花) Wine

The chrysanthemum flower wine is unique in brewing. In ancient times, people usually picked fresh chrysanthemum flowers and leaves on the 9th of the 9th lunar month, and brewed the mixture of them and grains into the wine.     4    . The wine is said to have wholesome effects on sharpness of the eye, drop of high blood pressure, reduction of weight and removal of stomach trouble, thus contributing to longevity.

    5    

The Double Ninth cake is also known as “flower cake”. It dates back to the Zhou Dynasty. It is said that the cake was originally prepared after autumn harvests for farmers to have a taste of what was just in season, and it gradually grew into the present cake for people to eat on the Double Ninth Day.

A．Eating Double Ninth Cake

B．Making “flower cake” with friends

C．A lot of poems were devoted to this custom

D．So people love to go sightseeing this month

E．It would not be drunk until the same day next year

F．Here are some traditional customs of the Double Ninth Festival

G．But few Chinese people are aware of the importance of the festival

8 .     1    People use money to buy food, furniture, books, bicycles and hundreds of other things they need or want. When they work, they usually get paid in money.

Most of the money today is made of metal or paper.    2    One of the first kinds of money was shells.

Shells were not the only things used as money. In China, cloth and knives were used. In the Philippine Islands, rice was used as money for a long time. Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used as money in parts of Africa.

The first metal coins were made in China. They were round and had a square hole in the centre.    3    

Different countries have used different metals and designs for their money.    4    Sweden and Russia used copper (铜) to make their money. Later some countries began to make coins of gold and silver.

But even gold and silver were inconvenient if you had to buy something expensive. Again the Chinese thought of a way to improve money.    5    The first paper money looked more like a note from one person to another than the paper money used today.

Money has had an interesting history from the days of shell money until today.

A．The first coins in England were made of tin (锡).

B．But people used to use all kinds of things as money.

C．No one knows for certain when people began to use money.

D．People strung (串连) them together and carried them from place to place.

E．Money, as we know, is all made of paper.

F．They began to use paper money.

G．Today anyone will accept money in exchange for goods and services.