What will man be like in the future — in 5,000 or even 50,000 years from now? We can only make guesses, of course, but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today, for man is slowly changing all the time.
Let us take an obvious example. Man, even five hundred years ago, was shorter than he is today. Now, on average, men are about three inches taller. Five hundred years is a relatively short period of time, so we may assume that man will continue to grow taller. Again in the modern world we use our brains a great deal. Even so, we still make use of only about 20% of the brain’s capacity (容量). As time goes on, however, we shall have to use our brains more and more, and eventually we shall need larger ones! This is likely to bring about a physical change too: the head, in particular the forehead, will grow larger.
Nowadays our eyes are in constant use. In fact, we use them so much that very often they become weaker and we have to wear glasses. But over a very long period of time it is likely that man’s eyes will grow stronger.
On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs. These, as a result, are likely to grow weaker. At the same time, however, our fingers will grow more sensitive because they are used a great deal in modern life.
But what about hair? This will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of time because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer. In the future, then, both sexes are likely to be bald.
Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at! This may well be true. All the same, in spite of all these changes, future man will still have a lot in common with us. He will still be a human being, with thoughts and emotions similar to our own.
56. The size of man’s forehead will probably grow bigger because _______.
A. he will use his brain more and more as time goes on
B. he makes use only 20% of the brain’s capacity
C. his brain has grown larger over the past centuries
D. the other 80% of his brain will grow in due time    
57. What serves as the evidence that man is changing?
A. Man has got stronger eyes now than he ever had.
B. Man has been growing taller over the past 500 years.
C. Man’s hair is getting thinner and thinner.
D. Man’s arms and legs have become lighter and weaker.
58. What will be true about a human being in the future?
A. He will be hairless because hair is no longer useful.
B. He will have smaller eyes and will wear better glasses.
C. His fingers will grow weaker because he won’t have to make use of them.
D. He will think and feel in a different way.
59. It is implied that __________________.
A. human beings will become more attractive in the future
B. body organs will become poorer if they are not used often
C. human beings hope for a change in the future life
D. future life is always predictable
60. The passage mainly tells us that _______________.
A. man’s life will be different in the future  B. man is growing taller and uglier as time passes
C. future man will look quite different from us
D. human beings’ organs will function weaker

What is green food? Do you enjoy green food every day? The concept of “green food” was first suggested by the Department of the Ministry of Agriculture in 1990.

Green symbolizes life, health and energy. Nowadays, people demand healthy and fresh food. Having enough food to eat is only a basic requirement, and they need more than this. They want to enjoy unpolluted, safe and nutritious food and eat comfortably. So the government does this through a set of “from the land to the dinner table” quality controls. It requires to change China’s traditional agricultural structures and ensure the food of high quality.

Safe vegetables refers to products without substances harmful to humans. Growing such vegetables requires no strong poisons, thus guaranteeing vegetables fresh and clean. There are strict regulations in place for even applying fertilizer(肥料). The examination of vegetables should reach the state food hygiene(卫生) standard. The following conditions for green food are regulated by the China Green Food Development Center. Firstly, products or raw materials must reach the green ecological environment standard set by the Ministry of Agriculture. Secondly, crop planting, livestock raising, fish breeding and food processing must follow green food operating procedures set by the Ministry. Products must be up to the green food hygiene standard. External packing must be pasted with national standard universal labels, special green food packing decoration and tag regulations.

However, by now, our goal hasn’t been completely realized. When you return home with a full basket, you are still worried about whether what you have bought is green and healthy. Indeed, for the sake of our health, we still have a long way to go.

According to the passage, we know that green food __________.

A. means the color of food is green

B. mainly refers to green vegetables

C. doesn’t need to be fertilized

D. is examined by a series of standards 

Which of the following isn’t the required standard green food must reach?

A. Green food must not cause ecological destruction.

B. Green food should agree with green food operating procedures.

C. Green food itself should be labeled with special packing decoration. 

D. Green food should meet the green food hygiene standard.

According to the passage, we know the Ministry of Agriculture is a department ____.

A. which governs agriculture

B. which sells food and vegetables

C. which plants green food

D. which examines food standards

The best title for this passage probably is ___________.

A. Green food and health

B. The green food project

C. The future of green food

D. The regulations of green food

If there is one thing I’m quite sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we still be reading newspapers. Not those newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of the news from the television or have the radio switched on in the background or in the car. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.
The basic British character won’t change, and one of the characteristics of the British is that we don’t much like talking to each other when we get up. So what better way is there to keep yourself thinking in the morning than to wrap yourself in a newspaper?
Over the past couple of centuries, human beings have developed a close relationship with the newspaper. It has become as natural as breathing or enjoying the sun. And it is not just the British who love newspapers. On suburban trains in Calcutta, for instance, just one person in the whole car will buy a newspaper and read aloud the best bits to his fellow passengers, much to everybody’s enjoyment.
The nature of what is news may change. What essentially makes news is what affects our lives and the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic engineering. In the future I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do, whether it’s love or depression. We develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.
It’s quite possible that in the next century newspaper will be transmitted(传送) electronically from the national equivalents of Fleet Street (伦敦的舰队街，以报馆集中而著称) and printed out in our own homes. In fact, I’m pretty sure that that is how it will happen in future. You’ll be probably selecting from a menu, making up your own bespoke newspaper by picking out the things you want to read and say. You might even have an intelligent screening device (装置) to do the job for you.
I think people have got it wrong when they talk about the competition between the different media. They actually have a relationship, feeding off each other. It was once predicted that television would kill off newspapers, which hasn’t happened. What is read on the printed page is more enduring (持久的) than pictures on a flickering screen or sound lost in the sky. And as for the Internet, it’s never really satisfying to read something just on a screen.
【小题1】The author of the passage is most probably from _______________.

NASA’s Mars detector (探测器), Opportunity, succeeded in finding signs that water once existed on the planet. Opportunity landed on Mars in January. Scientists now believe that the planet could once have supported life.
This discovery was chosen by Science, one of the world’s leading magazines, as the most important scientific achievement of 2004 last Friday.
“This little, wheeled, one-armed box went around another planet and has done something no human has ever managed,” according to Science. “It has discovered another place in the universe where life could once have existed.”
“Although we still can’t say that life could have existed in this environment, it is now certain that there was water on Mars,” said Steve Squyres, one of the scientists working on the Mars mission. The evidence comes from pictures and chemical readings taken by Opportunity. It includes marks on rocks like those caused by flowing water on Earth and salty chemicals like those found in dried-out sea-beds. Scientists said the new evidence proved beyond doubt that water has existed on Mars. But it is still unknown whether the water on Mars was like an ocean or justice.
While Opportunity has not found any signs of life, the presence of water means life is possible. “In everything we know about life on Earth, there is no example without liquid water,” Squyres said. “So water is important for the search for life on Mars.”
Researchers agree that a future mission (任务) should bring back physical samples (样品). But some scientists worry about the risk that this could introduce dangerous foreign creatures to Earth. “The problem here is how to get the samples back,” Squyres replied. “I think it is our responsibility to limit any risk.”
【小题1】________ prove that water existed on Mars.

I can still remember the first day when I met my best friend． I hid behind my mother and she hid behind her grandmother,   36   to look at each other． But we soon lost the   37    and started playing with each other． In the 7^th grade, I first lost touch with her． She was   38   family problems and I deserted her to be with the “cooler people．”   39   of my new friends liked her as much as I did   40   they knew she had “problems”． However, every summer we would   41   sit at each other’s home and watch soap operas and talk about everything we liked．
It was last year when I   42   the problem． I guess I was just too busy in high school to realize she needed someone there for her． Well, she made a new “best friend” and   43   did I． Then I didn’t know why, but she started cutting herself．
She was diagnosed with clinical depression(抑郁症)． I was very   44   at first, but with the late night calls, we still stayed in   45  ． I wanted to be there for her since her new best friend   46  deserted her, when people were calling her   47  , but I knew I still   48   her like a sister．
Yesterday she came   49   me and said this,” I never knew what a best friend was   50   I found you were the only person that would stop me from cutting, the only person that ever made me feel better about myself and my   51  ． You don’t know this but I was trying to kill myself one night when you   52   me． I   53   you so much, and you didn’t even know you were   54   me．” We both cried． And I guess a kind of lesson from my life so far is to never   55   your friends．