题目内容
DIf you enjoyed the spring-like sunshine over the weekend and thought the weather has finally turned a corner, you’re sadly mistaken.Chilly (寒冷的) days and grey clouds are forecast for the week—making it far too early to pack away the winter woollies.Temperatures will struggle to rise above zero at night and fail to make double figures during the day.People enjoy the spring sunshine in Sefton Park, Aigburth, Liverpool. Forecasters have predicted a return to chilly weather this week.Met Office forecaster Charlie said, “It was a nice, dry, bright weekend in many parts and Monday is going to be a similar affair for many.”“Temperatures will be between 5℃and 8℃, which is below average for the start of spring.”The sun will disappear from the south of the country after today, with dry but cloudy conditions forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday. Wednesday will be warmest of the three, with temperatures peaking at 9℃. But this is still two degrees below the March average for the district.Overnight, temperatures will drop sharply, with lows of minus 3℃for the next three nights. “It will generally stay on the cold side of average,” said Mr. Powell.The March misery comes at the end of the coldest winter for more than 30 years. Temperatures in December, January and February struggled to stay above zero, with the UK’s average 1.5℃, making it the deepest freeze since 1978—79.It claimed there was just a one-in-seven chance of a cold December to February.The agency also sadly predicted a “barbecue summer”, saying it was “quite optimistic” that it would be warmer and drier than average.Following the two mistakes, the Met Office has dropped its long-range seasonal forecasts and will instead publish a monthly prediction for Britain, updated once a week.In its defense, it says that while short-term forecasts are extremely accurate, Britain’s size and geographical position makes long-term predictions much more challenging.It also points out that it gave warning of any heavy falls of snow this winter.68. According to the passage, the weather on Tuesday in the south might be _______.A. dry but cloudy B. sunny but chilly C. sunny and warm D. cloudy and chilly69. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage? A. British people can put away their winter clothes now. B. The Met Office has shortened its forecast range. C. The weather forecast becomes more and more accurate. D. The agency was quite confident of long-term predictions.70. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?A. The big chill isn’t over yet B. A warm spring finally arrivesC. A heavy snow is on the way D. The Met Office drops forecasts
DIf you have a chance to go to Finland, you will probably be surprised to find how “foolish” the Finnish people are.Take the taxi drivers for example. Taxis in Finland are mostly high-class Benz with a fare(车费) of two US dollars a kilometer. You can go anywhere in one, tell the driver to drop you at any place, say that you have some business to attend to, and then walk off without paying your fare. The driver would not show the least sign of anxiety.The dining rooms in all big hotels not only serve their guests, but also serve outside diners. Hotel guests have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining rooms to have their meals. The most they would do to show their good faith is to wave their registration（登记） card to the waiter. With such a loose check, you can easily use any old registration card to take a couple of friends to dine free of charge.The Finnish workers are paid by the hour. They are very much on their own as soon as they have agreed with the boss on the rate. From then on they just say how many hours they have worked and they will be paid accordingly.With so many loopholes （漏洞）in everyday life, surely Finland must be a heaven to those who love to take “petty advantages”. But the strange thing is, all the taxi passengers would always come back to pay their fare after they have attended to their business; not a single outsider has ever been found in the free hotel dining rooms. And workers always give an honest account of the exact hours they put in. As the Finns always act on good faith in everything they do, living in such a society has turned everyone into a real “gentleman”.68． The underlined words in this passage means to “______”。A. be ready to help others B. make good use of one’s friendsC. be a little ahead of others D. gain something at other’s loss69． Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?A. While taking a taxi in Finland, you can get off without first paying your fare.B. In a big hotel in Finland, you can enjoy free meals if you’re living in the hotel.C. The bosses in Finland pay the employees according to registration of their working hours.D. The workers are always honest with their working hours.70． We can infer from the passage that ______.A. the Finnish society is of very high moral levelB. there are many loopholes in everyday life in FinlandC. in Finland, most taxi drivers will not charge you anythingD. everyone in Finland is like a gentleman, for they have faith in themselves71． Which of the following is the best title of the passage?A. Life in Finland B. A Society with “Foolish” PeopleC.What a Life D. Honest accounts of the Finns
Can people change their skin colour without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes. Scientists have found the gene that determines skin colour.
The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 per cent of Europeans. The other is found in 93 to 100 per cent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science.
Scientists have changed the colour of a dark-striped zebrafish to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment(色素) gene into a young fish. As with humans, zebrafish skin colour is determined by pigment cells, which contain melanosomes(黑色素). The number, size and darkness of melanosomes per pigment cell determines skin colour.
It appears that, like the golden zebrafish, light-skinned Europeans also have a mutation(变异) in the gene for melanosome production. This results in less pigmented skin.
However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is dif ferent in human and zebrafish genes.
Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about 1.5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra-violet rays of the sun(太阳光紫外线), which can cause skin cancer.
But when modern humans leave Africa to live in northern latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vit amin D. So the related gene changes, according to Cheng.
Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they pr obably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin colour, said Cheng.
The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer. It also could lead to research into ways to change skin colour without damaging it like chemical treatment did on Michael Jackson.
1.. The passage mainly tells us that ________.
A. people can not change their skin colour without any pain
B. the new discovery could lead to search into ways to change skin colour safely
C. pop king Michael Jackson often changed his skin colour as he liked
D. scientists have found out that people’s skin colour is determined by the gene
2.. Scientists have done an experiment on a dark-striped zebra fish in order to ________.
A. find the different genes of humans’
B. prove the humans’ skin colour is determined by the pigment gene
C. find out the reason why the Africans’ skin colour is dark
D. find out the ways of changing peopl’s skin colour
3.. The reason why Europeans are light-skinned is probably that ________.
A. they are born light-skinned people
B. light-skinned Europeans have mutation in the gene for melanosome production
C. they have fewer activities outside
D. they pay much attention to protecting their skin
