British scientists are breeding a new generation of rice plants that will be able to grow. in soil con??taining salt water. Their work may enable abandoned farms to become productive farms once more.

Tim Flowers and Tony Yeo, from Sussex University’s School of Biological Sciences,. have spent several years researching how crops, such as rice, could be made to grow in water that has become salty. The pairs have recently begun a three-year programme, funded by the Biotechnology and Bio??logical Sciences Research Council, to establish which genes enable some plants to survive salty condi??tions. The aim is to breed this capability into crops, starting with rice.

It is estimated that each year more than 10 million hectares (公顷) of agricultural land are lost because salt gets into the soil and stunts(防碍生长) plants. The problem is caused by several factors. In the tropics, mangroves that create swamps (沼泽) and traditionally formed barriers to sea water have been cut down. In the Mediterranean, a series of droughts have caused the water table to drop, allowing sea water to seep (渗透) in. In Latin America, irrigation often causes problems when water is evaporated by the heat, leaving, salt deposits behind.

Excess salt then enters the plants and prevents them functioning normally. Heavy concentrations of minerals in the plants stop them drawing up the water they need to survive.

To overcome these problems. Flowers and Yeo decided to breed rice plants that take in very little salt and store what they do absorb in cells that do not affect the plants’ growth. They have started to breed these characteristics into a new rice crop, but it will take about eight harvests before the resul??ting seeds are ready to be considered for commercial use.

Once the characteristics for surviving salty soil are known, Flowers and Yeo will try to breed the appropriate genes into all manners of crops and plants. Land that has been abandoned to nature will then be able to bloom again, providing much needed food for the poorer countries of the world.

4. Which of the following statements about Flowers and Yeo is true?

A. They are students at Sussex University.  B. They are rice breeders.

5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of the problem discussed in the passage?

A. Natural barriers to sea water have been destroyed.

B. The water table has gone down after droughts.

C. Sea level has been continuously rising.

D. Evaporation of water leaves salt behind.

6. The word "affect" in Paragraph 5 could be best replaced by________.

A. influence                B. effect                 C. stop                     D. present

7. The attitude of the author towards the research project is________.

A. positive                 B. negative             C. suspicious             D. indifferent

To get an extra 14 years of life, don’t smoke, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly and drink alcohol in a proper amount. That is according to a study published this Monday in the Public Library of Science Medicine Journal.
After tracking more than 20,000 people aged 45-79 years in the United Kingdom from about 1993-2007, Kay-Tee, Khaw of the University of Cambridge and his colleagues found that people who adopted these four healthy habits lived an average of 14 years longer than those who didn’t.
“We’ve known for a long time that these behaviors are good things to do, but we’ve not seen this benefit before, ” said Susan Jebb, head of Nutrition and Health at Britain’s Medical Research Council. “The benefit was also seen regardless of whether or not people were fat and what social class they came from.”
Study participants(参与者)scored a point each for not smoking, regular physical activity, eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day and moderate alcohol intake.
Public health experts said they hoped the study would inspire governments to introduce policies helping people to adopt these changes.But because the study only observed people rather than testing specific changes, it would be impossible to conclude that people who suddenly adopted these healthy behaviors would surely gain 14 years.
“We can't say that any person could gain 14 years by doing these things, ”said Dr.Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization.“The 14 years is an average across the population of what's theoretically(理论上地)possible.”
“Most people know that things like a good diet matter and that smoking isn't good for them, ”Susan Jebb said.“We need to work on providing people with much more practical support to help them change.”
【小题1】Which of the following DOESN'T belong to the four healthy habits?

A.Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
B.Do proper exercise in the morning every day.
C.Drinking alcohol in the proper amount every day.
D.Having a cigarette before going to bed every day.
【小题2】We can learn from the passage that            
A.Susan Jebb did not take part in the study.
B.the study observed people as well as tested specific changes.
C.there's no need for people under 45 to adopt these good habits.
D.only those from first class can benefit from these healthy behaviors.
【小题3】What can be inferred from the passage?
A.All the people are well aware of the harm of their bad habits.
B.People aged 45 to 70 have bad habits in the United Kingdom.
C.Governments should take measures to help people change their bad habits.
D.People have adopted the four healthy habits after knowing they're good.
【小题4】What would be the best title for this passage?
A.Smoking and Drinking Cuts You 14 Years
B.How to Live a Much Healthier Life
C.Healthy Habits May Give Extra 14 Years
D.How to Make Your Life Longer Than Others

请根据下面需要志愿帮助的信息,找出能够为他们提供帮助的援助者。
A. Suppose World Cup will be held in Bejing and many people from other countries will come to visit China. The taxi drivers in Dongfeng Taxi Company think the way to show kindness is to be able to greet the foreigners in their languages. They need someone who can teach them languages and the best time is at night when they are not so busy.
B. Tim is so addicted to on-line games that he cannot concentrate on his study like before. Now he often misses school in order to play games, thus telling lies to his teachers and parents again and again, though he realizes what he does is wrong, he just can’t stop it. How badly he needs someone’s help.
C. Marie, a 44-year-old single mother of three, has to walk two miles to the nearest supermarket twice a week because she doesn’t know which bus to take. What’s worse, since she does not know words, she can not write out a shopping list. Also, she can only recognize items by sight, so if the product has a different label, she will not recognize it as the product she wants.
D. “ Help hand” organization will hold an event to help the starving children in Africa. The even starts in August and those taking part in will go without food for 30 hours. In this way, it is expected that money will be raised for the poor children.
E. “ Green Earth” cares a lot for the animals in danger. Still many people in the world don’t know much about the importance of animal protecting. This summer vacation a lot of events will be organized to call on people to live in harmony with our earth.
F. A group of young children in a remote village in southwest China are in great need of teachers. Because of the low salary, any teachers came and then went. The villagers hope to have a teacher who can stay for at least a year, because they know knowledge can make a different to the children’s future.
请阅读下列五个援助者的基本情况, 然后匹配相关信息:
【小题1】 Stephen: Last summer I went through a training program and became a literacy volunteer. When I began to discover what other people’s lives were like because they could not read, I realized the true importance of reading.
【小题2】 Ben: After graduation, I don’t want to apply a job at once. I plan to spare one year to help those who need help most and try my best to improve their lives.
【小题3】 Susan: I am a girl from England and has studied French for years. I am here in Beijing University studying Chinese. I hope the voluntary work will help me to get in touch with Chinese people and get to know about China. Although my study is busy, I can be free at night and at the weekends.
【小题4】 Tom: Since I myself have overcome a lot of difficulties in my life, I understand young people’s problems and I know how to listen patiently to others and offer some advice. I am working now in the daytime so I can only spend two to three hours a day at night to help others.
【小题5】Liza: I burst into tears when I saw the programme. What a bad sight! They are only bone and skin left. They are dying. I realized how lucky I am with enough food and a good chance to get education. The summer vacation is coming and I hope I can do something for them.
提供援助者                        接受援助者
1. Stephen                            A
2. Ben                               B
3. Susan                              C
4. Tom                               D
5. Liza                               E
Choose the most suitable heading from A – F for each paragraph.

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