A very important world problem－in fact, I am inclined(倾向) to say it is the most important of all the great world problems which face us at the present time－is the rapidly increasing pressure of population on land and on land resources.

It is not so much the actual population of the world but its rate of increase which is important. It works out to be about 1.6 percent per annual net increase. In terms of numbers this means something like forty to fifty－five million additional people every year. Canada has a population of twenty million－rather less than six month's climb in world population. There are ten million people in Australia. So, it takes the world less than three months to add to itself a population. Let us take our own crowded country－England and Wales: forty－five to fifty million people－just about a year's supply.

By this time tomorrow, and every day, there will be added to the earth about 120,000 extra people－just about the population of the city of York.

Here I am not talking about birth rate. This is net increase. To give you some idea of birth rate, look at the seconds hand of your watch. Every second three babies are born somewhere in the world. Another baby! You cannot speak quickly enough to keep pace with the birth rate.

This enormous increase of population will create immense problems. By 2020 unless something desperate happens, there will be as many as seven billion people on the surface of the earth! So this is a problem which you are going to see in your lifetime.

1. According to the author, ________ is the most important in the world at the present time.

A. the quality of the increasing population

B. the actual population of the world

C. the rapidly increasing pressure of population

D. farming land is reducing at great speed

2. From the passage we know that the author is a(n) ________.

A. Canadian      B. Australian

C. American      D. Englishman

3. It takes ________ for the world to have a population of Australia.

A. about three months

B. about six months

C. one year

D. more than four months

4. According to the passage ________ babies are born on the earth per hour.

A. 180         B. 3 million

C. 120,000      D. 10,800

5. The author mentions the different populations of several countries in order to ________.

A. show how small those countries are

B. show how thickly those countries are populated

C. emphasize the low increase of the world population

D. emphasize the high rate of increase of world population

【小题1】In the past, some cultures used tattoos as an a_________ to costumes.
【小题2】Learning English as a foreign language is very difficult in the a_________ of a native language environment.
【小题3】To a_________ a high level of fluency and accuracy in a foreign language, you need to be surrounded by it.
【小题4】Inner beauty refers to the kind of attraction found in a wide r_________ of personal qualities.
【小题5】I didn’t have any money left, so I went to the bank to c_________ a cheque.
【小题6】I asked my daughter to help make the decision, as I believe she is m_________ enough.
【小题7】In a foreign country, you can n_________ the price by using your fingers.
【小题8】There is no c_________ view on beauty.
【小题9】Eye r_________, I see the moon so bright.
【小题10】 Rowan had some speaking problems in his childhood, so he c_________ for this by talking very deliberately.
【小题11】“Beauty and Beast” c_________ a message that should be evident to all of us—you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
【小题12】Mr. Bean creates humour through a s_________ of simple and funny acts.
【小题13】Body language can therefore make people’s feelings more t_________ as it is not easy to lie with our bodies.
【小题14】He finds the taste of the raw hamburger truly d_________.
【小题15】Black humour finds the funny side of sad or d_________ events.
【小题16】The “OK” gesture in America can c_________ offence in Germany.
【小题17】A person who is feeling uncomfortable will often hold their body in a very r_________ manner, and have a t_________ look about their mouths.
【小题18】Romanticism was a literary and a_________ movement.
【小题19】Smile is one form of body language that receives u_________ approval.

 I ：阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。(共12个小题；每小题1分，满分12分)

   A successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor(继任者) to take over the business.

     29  choosing one of his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives(主管) in his company together, and said, “ I will give each one of you a(n)  30

today. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and   31  here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed. I will then  32  your plants, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.”

   Jim was there that day and he also received a seed. He went home  33  , and got a pot, some soil and planted the seed. Every day, he watered it and   34  to see if it had grown, but nothing ever grew.

   Time flew, and it was time to  35  their plants to the boss. When Jim arrived, he was   36

the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were all   37  ——in all shapes and sizes.

   When the old CEO arrived, he   38  the room and greeted his young executives. “My goodness! What great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown.” All of a sudden, the CEO noticed Jim at the back of the room with his   39  pot. He asked him what had happened to his seed—— Jim told him his story.

   The CEO looked at Jim, and then   40  to the young excutives, “ Now we have the next Chief Executive Officer ——his name is Jim!”

   Nobody could believe it, including Jim himself. Then the CEO said, “ One year ago the seeds I gave everyone were all boiled seeds; it was not possible for them to grow. Remember, everyone, if you plant honesty, you will reap(收获) trust.”

29.  A. Because of       B. In addition to  C. Apart from      D. Instead of

30.  A. order         B. plant           C. seed             D. appointment

31.  A. come back          B. get off                 C. forget about           D. walk around

32.  A. collect             B. buy             C. sell                  D. judge

33.  A. excitedly           B. nervously        C. carefully            D. angrily

34.  A. declared           B. remained         C. watched             D. intended

35.  A. dig out            B. pack up          C. meet with            D. bring back

36.  A. disappointed at      B. amazed at        C. satisfied with         D. cautious about

37.  A. green              B. beautiful        C. disappointing        D. dying

38.  A. scanned            B. found          C. searched              D. inspected

39.  A. broken            B.empty           C. big                 D. expensive

40.  A. explained          B. suggested        C. announced           D. introduced

阅读下面对话，掌握其大意，并根据所给字母的提示，在标有题号的右边横线上写出一个英语单词的完整、正确形式，使对话通顺。

A: Good evening, sir. I’m the Assistant Manager.

B: How nice.

A: Yes, I’m afraid we’ve had a (1) c           about the noise from   1. _______________

   your neighbour. He’s (2) t___________ to get some sleep as he      2. ______________

   has an early start tomorrow. I’m sure you understand.

B: Oh, I see.

A: Do you think it might be (3) p_________ to ask your friends to be     3._______________

   a little (4) q_________ ? We do like to give our guests a chance of    4._______________

   getting a good night’s sleep. It is (5) w_________ after eleven.       5._______________

B: Oh, I’m sorry. I do (6) a_________ . I suppose we were talking rather  6._______________

(7) l_______ It’s just that we’ve reached an important agreement.     7._______________

   We were having a bit of a (8) c_________ .                       8._______________

A: I’m (9) p_______ to hear it. Shall I ask Room Service to bring        9._______________

   you some coffee?

B: No, that won’t be (10) n_______ .We were just about to pack up       10.______________

  anyway.

A: Thank you, sir. And good night to you.