Before Nicholas Clapp got there, he had half hoped that he might run into some of Ubar’s ruins sticking(凸出) out of the sand. But finding the city wasn’t that easy. During the summer, he and his 40 helpers dug at 35 different spots. The only things they found were ground spiders, giant ticks, and deadly snakes.
Just before Thanksgiving says Clapp, “We were within a whisker of total failure.”
But then Clapp’s team looked at the high-tech maps again and saw something surprising. Many of the caravan routes(沙漠商队路线)on the high-tech maps came together on the same spot marked “Omani Marketplace” on Ptolomy’s map. Two maps, made almost 2000 years apart, pointed the team toward the same area!
In December 1991, Clapp arrived at the spot where, according to the maps, the caravans met. Clapp had a handheld instrument that could detect(探测) objects below the ground. It showed ruins under the sand! He and his team started digging. And then they found it! A tower buried in the sand. They slowly unearthed a giant, eight-sided fortress(堡垒). It had nine towers and many rooms. People had lived in this fortress 2000 years ago. Outside its walls, they had found buried remains of nearly 40 campsites. They seemed to be camping areas for traders(商人). 
More digging found shards, or pieces of pottery(陶瓷) from ancient Rome, Greece, China, Egypt, and Syria. Diggers and scientists agree that people were here for about 5000 years. Clapp and his team were excited as they continued to discover more pieces of the past that seemed to prove that it was the lost city of Ubar.
“We started with this hopeless myth(神秘),” says Clapp, “and then finally found the truth behind the myth.” But is this unearthed site really the once-great Ubar? Experts aren’t totally persuaded.
Donald Whitcomb is an archeologist(考古学家) at the University of Chicago. He doubts that Clapp really discovered Ubar. “There’s probably some truth to this myth,” he says. “But Ubar is described as a place with walls all made of gold, and the rubies and emeralds(宝石).” No gold or precious stones have been found by Clapp.
“I’m not sure whether they discovered Ubar because I’m not sure if Ubar really existed,” Whitcomb says.
【小题1】The following statements are true according to the reading EXCEPT_____.

It is easy for some people to learn a second language. However, others have difficulty in learning a new language. What can you do to help yourself learn a second language, such as English？__1.__

1．Feel positive about learning English.__ 2.__Be patient. You do not have to understand everything all at once. It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new. We can learn from our mistakes. In other words, do not worry about making mistakes.

2．Practice your English. For example, write a diary every day. You will form a habit of writing it in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English.__ 3.__ In addition, you must speak English every day. You can practice with your classmates outside class.

3．__4._You can write this in your journal. After each class, think about what you did. Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it.

You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it. It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements.__ 5.__

A． Go over the points you have learned.

B． Keep a record of your language learning.

C． Don't give up when you meet some difficulty.

D． If you believe that you can learn, you will learn.

E． Several weeks later, you will see that your writing is improving.

F． In these ways， you will enjoy learning English, and you will feel more confident in yourself.

G． There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.

完形填空(共20分)
It’s a question anyone might ask in the future: Should your household robot be cool? Or practical? For Sony Corporation, robots ought to be entertaining. The company’s 41 robot, SDR—4 X, can sing and dance.
But for automaker Honda Motor Co Ltd, such 42 should perform useful tasks for their 43 masters.
“It is in the end a machine, a 44 ,” said Masato Hirose, Honda’s chief engineer.
Sony’s chief researcher Toshi Doi said robots performing such tasks as 45for ill or disabled people would not necessarily need a human 46  .
“The attractiveness of the SDR—4 X is its 47”, he said.
“It has feelings. It has instincts(直觉).” Drawing from its 48of 60,000 words, an SDR—4 X robot 49 last week that it can ask a 50 in a high voice: “Please 51still for a minute while I memorize your face.”
It also 52 off its ability to walk on uneven(不平的)floors, and come to its owner when it’s 53. While Honda’s robot is 54 used mainly for entertainment, it is 55 that one day it will be a useful companion. So its robot have been 56to be 120cm tall – more than twice the height of the SDR—4 X. Hirose said 120cm is the 57a robot that moves around a home should be.
“If you are going to have something that can move with 58 in a human surroundings(环境), then it is better to 59 the robot like a human,” he said.
Hirose said that he hopes the robot will be 60 enough so that he can buy one for himself and let it get him a beer.
41. A. earliest           B. latest            C. coolest                            D. smallest
42. A. matters          B. people          C. machines              D. inventions
43. A. human            B. own               C. creative                 D. all
44. A. tool                  B. robot             C. toy                          D. slave
45. A. looking            B. working        C. leaving                   D. caring
46. A. form                B. character     C. job                           D. ability
47. A. appearance   B. purpose        C. personality           D. material
48. A. storage           B. use                C. making                   creation
49. A. said                  B. announced  C. showed                  D. imaged
50. A. friend              B. partner                  C. servant                  D. guest
51. A. hold                 B. lie                   C. take                        D. make
52. A. left                            B. showed        C. put                          D. dropped
53.A. tired                 B. called            C. controlled             D. made
54.A. also                   B. still                C. again                      D. even
55. A. sure                 B. hoped           C. reported                D. described
56. A. expected        B. raised           C. proved                   D. designed
57 A. cheapest         B. dearest                  C. smallest                D. biggest
58. A. ease                B. care               C. difficulty                D. foot
59. A. buy                   B. use                C. invest                     D. design
60. A. useful              B. smart            C. cheap                     D. small

Wu You, a 14–year–old Chinese Australian, used her diary to record what she had experienced in Guangzhou during this year’s Spring Festival travel period.
She, like tens of thousands of passengers stranded (滞留) at the Guangzhou Railway Station, had a Spring Festival she could never forget. But different from most people, she put down what she saw and heard in her diary, which was published in Australia.
Born in Sydney, Australia, Wu You’s grandfather and parents are professional painters, and she started to write diaries with pictures when she was only ten years old. She never expected to become famous because of her diary describing her life in Guangzhou.
“We originally planned to stay for half a month in Guangzhou when we arrived in January,” said Huang Qin, Wu’s mother. But the snowstorm caused the breakdown of traffic and kept the family there. “This is her first Spring Festival in China and probably the most special one,” said Huang. “We watched TV news programs every day and prayed for the snowstorm to be over soon so that stranded passengers could go home as soon as possible.”
Then Wu You started writing diaries about the snowstorm and the stranded passengers, along with the traditional customs in Guangzhou as well as local attractions such as the flower fair.
“In her diary she just wrote down what she heard and saw every day, and with her pencil she added some illustration to every diary. When we went back to Australia, people saw the diaries and asked to publish them on a local newspaper,” said Huang, “because they thought the diaries are very heart – warming.” All of Wu You’s diaries were written in English, and translated into Chinese by her mother. Through her diary, the girl shows her care to the Chinese people. In one diary, she wrote, “I really hope the warmth from people’s love can melt the cold snow and ice.”
72. Wu You wrote diaries during her stay in Guangzhou because she _______ .
A. has the habit of keeping a diary                 B. wished to make her name known
C. needed a means to kill time                    D. experienced so many interesting things
73. We can infer from the story that Wu You _____ during the Spring Festival.
A. did nothing besides watching TV and writing diaries 
B. helped clear away the snow and ice
C. helped other stranded passengers in difficulty  
D. had activities to get a taste of the local culture
74. The underlined word “illustration” in the last paragraph refers to _______.
A. photos             B. drawings         C. translations           D. tips
75. Her diary is believed worth publishing mainly because it tells about the ______.
A. wonderful places in Guangzhou covered in ice and snow
B. interesting ways of locals observing the Spring Festival
C. severe disaster caused by the snowstorm
D. moving stories of the passengers being helped

Impossible cases are not forever. While it is impossible for one person, it is possible for another. In a word, everything is possible.

Someone says, "Success belongs to those who can look at the complex challenges offered by the world as inspiration." So your challenges are golden opportunities for success. How can there be miracles if there are no obstacles? How will you chase the storm if there is no storm? You need challenges to reveal your ability. Success doesn't come out' of nothing; success comes from the problems you face. Those who refuse to give in

come out smiling.

Robert X. Perez says, "The seeds of success spring from failure's ashes. "Failure is not defeat; it is the pointer to do better than what you just did. You have to know that you are in a constant study of life. What you face is for your training. Samuel Aidoo says, "Each failure is simply another chapter in the story of our lives. To fail is to understand what not to do. Remember it and don't give up until your goal is achieved."

What do you do when you face difficulty? Yeah, life is difficult, but you do not give up.

Have a positive and calm outlook on your circumstances (状况) and make the best of them. You may learn something new. You can develop mental toughness. Mental toughness means to be able to see the long-term gains rather than be put off by short-term pains. Once you have this toughness, you have the winning edge(优势).

The only things in life you ever really regret are the chances you didn't take. You will regret when you see the consequences of not seizing the opportunities when they arose. Take chances every day!

1. The main point of the passage is that_________.

2. According to the author, success often comes to people who_________.

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

4. From Paragraph 3 we can learn that_________.

5.By saying "How will you chase the storm if there's no storm?" the writer means_______.