The summer of 2012 was full of reports of extreme weather: one of the warmest years on record in the US, the wettest summer in the UK, and the worst drought (旱灾) in East Africa. In short, extreme weather seems to be becoming the new normal. Weather extremes are not that extreme any more. Heatwaves, droughts and wildfires are the new reality of a warming world.

And this should not come as a surprise. Scientists have been warning for years that as the planet heats up, we will have to deal with more dreadful weather. Although not every extreme weather event is the result of climate change, scientists are now much more confident about connecting weather events with climate change. In 2011, the UK had a warm November. Researchers say that it was at least 60 times more likely to happen because of climate change than because of natural changes in the earth’s weather systems.

All the news shows that climate breakdown is occurring faster than most climate scientists had expected. But isn’t it too expensive to stop the climate from changing? Well, yes it costs. So everything is just as usual. It would be wrong to believe that to let things continue as they always do is the cheap choice. Instead, it is very expensive. Just one example: droughts in the US, Russia and the Ukraine sent food prices to a record high. According to the World Bank, the price for corn increased by 113% in some markets in Mozambique and in Sudan. This is the kind of cost that often gets ignored.

I believe intelligent climate action can help create new opportunities for jobs in Europe, for encouraging creativity and competitiveness, for spending less money on energy.

1.According to the passage, in 2012 _____.

A．the UK had a warm November              B．the US had many wildfires

C．the UK had a dry summer                 D．East Africa had little rain

2.The author mentions the increase of food prices in Paragraph 3 to _____.

A．show a lot of people are hungry

B．prove food prices are very changeable

C．prove we’re paying for extreme weather

D．show it’s expensive to stop the climate from changing

3.Which of the following statements does the author probably agree with?

A．Proper climate action will be useful.

B．Europe is providing limited job opportunities.

C．It’s everyone’s duty to protect the environment.

D．Everyone needs time to get used to extreme weather.

He's the kind of man who is fond of _____ compliments to other men's wives.

　　A. paying  B. saying  C. expressing  D. showing

While football fans feel strongly angry and shocked about mistakes made by referees (裁判) because they cannot see clearly what has happened, a small German company is quietly pleased.

For Cairos Technologies, mistakes made by referees are the kind of advertising that money cannot buy. The company has developed a tiny chip(芯片) that fits inside a football and determines whether the ball has crossed the goal line, by being able to discover its exact location on the field. The world football organization, FIFA, has shown interest in the technology. It is very possible that the new technology will be used in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

"We've been testing the technology at the main soccer stadium in Nuremberg for some time and more recently in an under-17 FIFA Cup in Peru," said Gunter Rohmer, a director of the company. "The technology has performed well, and we're pretty optimistic（乐观）that it will be used at the games in Germany next year."

The chip only weighs 12 grams, and is placed in the center of the football. It sends 2,000 signals a second to a receiver network of 12 antennas(天线),placed around the field. The receivers then send information about the ball's location to a central computer, and because it works in real time, it can immediately tell the referee whether a goal has been scored. The chip even can tell when the ball crosses the line in mid-air. Oliver Braun, one of the inventors of the chip, says that feedback from German referees was generally positive. Germany sports-wear giant Adidas is also optimistic about using this kind of chip in other ball sports.

FIFA aims to test the technology later this year at another game in Japan before deciding whether or not to introduce it in all 12 stadiums in Germany for next year's World Cup.  

1.Carlos Technologies is pleased because ________.

A．football fans are angry with referees

B．their new product can satisfy football fans

C．their new product will have a good market

D．they can sell a lot of football in the future

2.In the first sentence in Paragraph 2,"... mistakes made by referees are the kind of advertising that money cannot buy" means ___________.

A．Carlos Technologies can't afford the high price for advertising their product

B．Mistakes in production are also a kind of advertisement

C．Carios Technologies has already spent a lot of money on advertising their product

D．Referees' mistakes will be of great help for the sale of Carlos Technologies' new product

3.The underlined word "feedback" probably means ___________.

A．information given back by a user            B．advice given by someone

C．supplying food to customers               D．food given back by consumers

4.The new product has drawn attention from some _________.

A．famous people     B．referees          C．big companies      D．countries

5.According to the passage , the following are true except _______ .

A．The chip sends 2,000 signals a second

B．The chip even can tell when the ball crosses the line in mid-air.

C．The chip will be used at the game in Japan.

D．The chip will also be used at the games in Germany next year."

To me, life without music would not be exciting. I realize that this is not true for everybody. Many people get along quite well without going to the concert, and listening to the record. But music plays an important part in everyone’s life, whether he realizes it or not. Try to imagine, for example, what films or TV plays would be like without music. Would the feelings, the moving plot（情节） and the greatest interests be so exciting or dramatic? I’m not sure about it.

Now, we have been speaking of music in its more common meaning—the kind of music we hear in the concert hall. But if we look at some parts of music more carefully, we discover them in our everyday life too—in the rhythm(节拍) of the sea, the melody of a bird in the woods and so on. So music surely has meaning for everyone, in some way or other. And, of course, it has special meaning for those who have spent all their lives working on playing or writing music.

It is well said, “Through music a child enters into a world of beauty, express himself from his heart, feel the joy of doing things alone, learns to take care of others, develops his mind and makes his body strong.”

1.From the text, we learn that many people______.

A．don’t realize the importance of music

B．get along quite well without music

C．go to the concert instead of enjoying music

D．think music would be less exciting than films

2.What does the underlined word “melody” mean in the text?

A．flying             B．singing            C．looking           D．living

3.From the last paragraph, we learn that music_____.

A．can make our life exciting and dramatic      B．is very necessary for our daily life

C．is very important, especially for children      D．can enter into another beautiful world

4.What’s the meaning for those who work on playing or writing music?

A．They treat music as their life.              B．They treat music as part of their life.

C．They don’t think music is important.        D．They think it’s only their job.

5.What does the writer say more about in the text?

A．The importance of music                  B．Life without music

C．Life full of music                        D．The development of music

完形填空（共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分） 

阅读下面短文，从短文后16—25所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

The purpose of a letter of application is to help you to “sell” yourself. It should state  16    the job you want, and should tell what your abilities are and what you have   17  . It should be simple, personal and brief without leaving out any necessary fact.

In writing a letter of application, keep in   18   that the things a possible employer is most   19   to want to know about are your achievements and your aims. The opening paragraph is perhaps the most important part. If the first few sentences fail to draw the reader’s attention, the rest of the letter may not be read at all. Try to key your opening remarks to the needs or interests of your employer. For example, instead of beginning with “I saw your     20   in today’s paper,” you might say “I have made a careful study of your advertising during the past six months” or “I have made a survey in my neighborhood to find out how many housewives use your product and why they like it.”

Be clear about the kind of job for which you are now   21  . College graduates looking for their first positions often ask “What can I   22   in a letter? Employers want experience, which, naturally, no    23   has.” The answer is that everything you have ever done is experience.

It is important to write a good strong closing for your letter.   24   a specific request for an interview or give the possible employer something definite(明确的) to do or expect. An excellent idea is to enclose(内附) a stamped self-addressed envelope with your letter. That makes it   25   for a possible employer to get in touch with you.