Climate change will force exhausted birds migrating to Europe from Africa to travel further, with possibly disastrous consequences, according to a study.

The annual voyage of some species, which fly north in search of food and suitable habitats, could increase by as much as 400 kilometers (250miles), the research found. “Marathon migrations for some birds are set to become even longer，” said Stephen Willis, a professor at Durham University in Britain and the main architect of the study. “This is bad news for birds like the Whitethroat, a common farmland bird. The added distance is a considerable threat. As temperatures rise and habitats change, birds will face their biggest challenge since the Pleistocene era (更新世：始于距今180万年), which ended 11,000 years ago，” he said in a statement.

Some 500 million birds migrate each year from Africa, some weighing as little as nine grams (three－tenths of an ounce). To complete a voyage that can be thousands of kilometers long, birds have to fatten themselves up to twice their normal weight. Some even shrink their internal organs (收缩内脏) to become more fuel efficient, so any additional distance may be dangerous.

The study finds that from 2071 to 2100, nine out of 17 species examined are going to face longer migrations, particularly birds that cross the Sahara Desert. Some birds traverse the Sahara and the Mediterranean Sea in a one go, while others have a break in northern Africa before crossing. Many fly at night, when temperatures are cooler.

A few—such as the Blackcap—have started to adapt by spending winters in Britain, but such behaviour remains exceptional, the study said. The study forecasts that the migration distance of the Orphean Warbler will jump from 2,700 kilometers (1,700 miles) to between 3,050 and 3,350 kilometers (1,900 and 2,100miles), with even longer increases for the Subalpine and Barred Warblers.

6. What does travelling extra distance mean for some migrating birds?

A. Better living conditions.       B. Better physical health.

C. Stronger ability to fly.         D. Bigger threat to life.

7. To complete the marathon migrations, some birds have to do the following except________.

A. have a break in Sahara  

B. put on more weight

C. reduce the size of internal organs

D. fly at night to avoid the heat

8. What does the underlined word “traverse”in the fourth paragraph mean?

A. Examine.            B. Face.         C. Cross.         D. Challenge.

9. What can we infer from the text?

A. Birds have to migrate from Africa to Europe in winter.

B. Global warming is bad for all birds worldwide.

C. Birds that are of small size don't need to migrate.

D. Some birds have to migrate unless they adapt to climate change.

10. What's the BEST title of the text?

A. Climate change leads to disastrous consequence

B. The annual voyage of some species

C. How birds migrate for longer distances

D. Climate change pushes birds to migrate farther

Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Do you want to live never to die? Some experts say, it will be not a dream one day. Modern technology will make it come true. Man will live more years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life.

“ I think we are knocking at the door of immortality,” said Michael, a professor and author of two books on human life expectancy. “I think by 2075 we will see it and it’s no longer a dream. Human’s life expectancy may have not limit.”

At the meeting in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School said advances in using genes as well as other technology make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. “There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said. “Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 300 or 500 years.”

However, many scientists are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last more than about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and other parts of the body will finally lead all humans to death.

Scientists also hold different opinions on what kind of life man might live.  “If you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life? It’s a big question.” said Leonard Poon, director of the university center.  “At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”

1.The underlined word in the second paragraph probably means _____.

A．dying slowly       B．living longer        C．living forever       D．dying quickly

2.Donald’s attitude is that______.

A．human beings may never die in the future

B．it is not certain how long humans can live

C．the human body can last about 120 years

D．it is possible for man to live longer in the future

3.What would be the best title for this text?

A．Living longer or not                      B．Science and long living

C．No limit for human life                    D．Healthy lifestyle and living

4.In the last sentence “get to that point” means ____.

A．get that idea                           B．get to 120 years old

C．know how to live forever                 D．have good quality of life

Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific advances will one day enable humans to last tens of years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life span.

"I think we are knocking at the door of immortality(永生)," said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. "I think by 2075 we will see it and that’s a conservative estimate".

At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said advances in using genes as well as nanotechnology（纳米技术）make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. "There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years," he said. "Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years."

However, many scientists who specialize in ageing are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.

Scientists also differ on what kind of life the super aged might live. "It remains to be seen if you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life?" said Leonard Pooh, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology(老龄学) Center. "At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all."

1.By saying "we are knocking at the door of immortality", Michael Zey means ________.

A．they believe that there is no limit of living

B．they are sure to find the truth about long living

C．they have got some ideas about living forever

D．they are able to make people live past the present life span

2.Donald Louria's attitude towards long living is that ________.

A．people can live from 120 to 180 years

B．it is still doubtful how long humans can live

C．the human body is designed to last about 120 years

D．it is possible for humans to live longer in the future

3.The underlined "it"（paragraph 4）refers to ________.

A．a great push

B．the idea of living beyond the present life span

C．the idea of living from 200 to 300 years

D．the conservative estimate

4.What would be the best title for this text?

A．Living Longer or Not

B．Science, Technology and Long Living

C．No Limit for Human Life      

D．Healthy Lifestyle and Long Living

Ⅲ.阅读(共两节，满分40分)

第—节  阅读理解(共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)

阅读—列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

         Thailand’s giant pandas have finally produced a baby. Chiang Mai zoo director Thanapath said eight-year-old female Lin Hui gave birth to a baby panda weighing about 200 grams.

     The pandas, Lin Hui and Chuang Chuang, the zoo’s star residents(居民), had shown no interest in reproducing the traditional way since they both arrived on a 10-year loan from China in 2003. The zoo workers’ effort of artificial insemination(人工授精) worked. The baby panda will officially belong to China but Thailand will raise it for about 24 months, Thanapath said.

     Thanapath said Lin Hui is very protective of her child and won’t allow any officials to get close. “She holds the baby very carefully.” he said. “She knows how to be a mother even though she has never been one before.” The baby panda appears to be getting along well with its much larger mother.

     The birth appeared on the front pages of many Thai newspapers, which carried photos of the baby which is so tiny that it can be held in the hands of a zoo keeper. Other pictures showed the mother Lin Hui gently holding her baby. Thanapath said, “It is great happiness to see the baby panda.We are so happy that we can breed（繁殖）a panda. Every worker at the zoo is proud and I think every Thai will be proud too.”

    Breeding pandas is a common practice in China, where dozens are born each year. But it is a rare thing outside of the country. Giant pandas are among the world’s most endangered animals. Nearly 1,600 pandas are believed to survive in China and about 180 are being raised in zoos worldwide.

41. According to the passage, the two pandas, Lin Hui and Chuang Chuang, ______________.

   A. are regarded as the best residents

   B. arrived in Thailand four years ago

   C. had a baby panda in the traditional way

   D. are very popular in the zoo in Thailand

42. The baby panda that Lin Hui gave birht to ______________.

   A. will be sent to China in two years        B. is her second baby

   C. weighs about one kilogram             D. will stay in Thailand for ten years

43. From Paragraph 3 we learn that Lin Hui_______________.

   A. doesn’t know how to protect her baby

   B. allows people to touch her baby

   C. loves her baby very much

   D. always leaves her baby alone

44. We can infer that Lin Hui’s giving birth_________________.

   A. set a good example to China          B. was hot news in Thailand

   C. was a result of good luck             D. attracted the world’s attention

45. The fact that breeding pandas is a common practice in China indicates that_________________.

   A. all pandas in the world should live in China

   B. few countries in the world want to breed pandas

   C. pandas won’t be in danger in the near future

   D. China plays a leading role in breeding pandas

Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific progress will one day help humans to last tens of years longer than what is now seen as the natural limit（限制）of the human life span（寿命）.

“ I think we are knocking at the door of immortality (永生),” said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. “ I think by 2075 we will see it and that’s a conservative estimate（保守估计）.”

At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said progress in using genes as well as nanotechnology（纳米技术）makes it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. “ There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said. “ Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years.”

However, many scientists who research into aging are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.

Scientists also disagree on what kind of life the super aged might live. “It remains to be seen whether you could be healthy enough to have good quality of life when you pass 120.” said Leonard Poon, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology Center. “ At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”

1.By saying “ we are knocking at the door immortality”, Michael Zey means_____.

A．they believe that there is no limit of living

B．they are sure to find the truth about long living

C．they have got some ideas about long living

D．they are able to make people live beyond the present life span

2.Donald Louria’s attitude toward long living is that_____.

A．people can live from 120 to 180

B．it is still doubtful how long humans can live

C．the human body is designed to last about 120 years

D．it is possible for humans to live longer in the future

3.The underlined “ it” (Para. 4) refers to_____.  

A．a great push

B．the idea of living beyond the present life span

C．the idea of living from 200 to 300

D．the conservative estimate

4.What would be the best title for this text?

A．Living longer or not

B．Science, technology and long living

C．No limit for human life

D．Healthy lifestyle and long living