The 2012 London Olympics had enough problems to worry about. But one more has just been added -- a communications blackout caused by solar storms.
　　After a period of calm within the Sun, scientists have detected the signs of a flesh cycle of sunspots that could peak in 2012, just in time for the arrival of the Olympic torch in London.
　　Now scientists believe that this peak could result in vast solar explosions that could throw billions of tons of charged matter towards the Earth, causing strong solar storms that could jam the telecommunications satellites and interact links sending five Olympic broadcast from London.
　　"The Sun's activity has a strong influence on the Earth. The Olympics could be in the middle of the next solar maximum which could affect the functions of communications satellites," said Professor Richard Harrison, head of space physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.
　　At the peak of the cycle, violent outbursts called coronal mass ejections (日冕物质抛射) occur in the Sun's atmosphere, throwing out great quantities of electrically-charged matter. "A coronal mass ejection can carry a billion tons of solar material into space at over a million kilometres per hour. Such events can expose astronauts to a deadly amount, can disable satellites, cause power failures on Earth and disturb communications," Professor Harrison added. The risk is the greatest during a solar maximum when there is the greatest number of sunspots.
　　Next week in America, NASA is scheduled to launch a satellite for monitoring solar activity called the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which will take images of the Sun that are 10 times clearer than the most advanced televisions available.
　　The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory helped to make the high-tech cameras that will capture images of the solar flares (太阳耀斑) and explosions as they occur.
　　Professor Richard Harrison, the lab's director, said that the SDO should be able to provide early warning of a solar flare or explosion big enough to affect satellite communications on Earth "If we have advanced warning, we'll be able to reduce the damage. What you don't want is things switching off for a week with no idea of what's caused the problem," he said.
【小题1】The phrase "communications blackout" in paragraph 1 most probably refers to____________ during the 2012 Olympics.

A 70-year study of personality suggests that pessimism is a risk factor for early death, especially among men.

　　The study results also indicate that pessimism can be linked to increased risk for sudden death from accidents or violence, according to the report published in the March issue of Psychological Science.

　　Christopher Peterson of the University of Michigan and his colleagues analyzed data from the Terman Life-Cycle Study, which began by studying California public-school children with high IQs in 1921 and followed them through their life. Most of the 1,528 children were teenagers when the study began. Those still living are now in their 80s. In 1936 and 1940, participants were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to obtain information about difficult life events and their effect on overall outlook. One such question was, “What do you regard as your most serious fault of personality or character?”

　　Pessimists were defined as fatalistic(宿命论的)people who tend to blame themselves when things go wrong and who believe that one bad event can ruin the rest of their life. They also tend to expect bad things to happen to them and feel that they have little or no ability to change their situation.

　　Males were more likely than females to be classified as pessimistic. Compared with individuals with a more cheerful and optimistic outlook, pessimists were more likely to die from accidents and violence (including suicide).

　　A pessimistic personality may lead to poor problem-solving ability, social difficulties and risky decision-making. Taken together, these variables put the pessimist at higher risk of untimely(不适时的) death, say the researchers. Such a person is less likely to avoid or escape potentially dangerous situations, the researchers concluded. “A pessimistic way of thinking in which people worry too much about bad events, predicts untimely death decades later,” according to Peterson.

1.According to the passage, you may be a pessimistic person, if one failure makes you feel________.

A．other people have been unfair to you.

B．other people will help you.

C．you cannot change a bad situation.

D．you can do better next time.

2.According to the passage, pessimists may feel all of the following EXCEPT________

A．helpless when faced with difficulties.

B．cheerful when faced with troubles.

C．hopeless when one bad event occurs.

D．guilty when things go wrong.

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

A．Pessimists believe that everything in life depends on fate.

B．There are more pessimists among women than among men.

C．Most pessimists will end up committing suicide.

D．All pessimists will eventually die from accidents.

4.The Terman Life-Cycle Study is a research program that studies________.

A．people over 70 years old.

B．people since their childhood.

C．pessimistic people over 80 years old.

D．only younger people.

5.The analysis made by Christopher Peterson and his colleagues shows that pessimistic people________

A．will die from violence if they learn to be optimistic.

B．will more likely die from violence than optimistic people.

C．will die from violence because their IQs are low.

D．will die untimely if they are not able to learn to be cheerful and optimistic.

第II卷（非选择题，共35分）

第四部分：任务型阅读（共10小题；每空1分，满分10分）

请认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。（每空1词）

New research says 35 percent of child deaths worldwide are caused by hunger. The research comes from poor to middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Robert Black from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland is the lead writer of the research. He says more than 3.5 million mothers and children under five die in poor countries each year because of hunger.

He says about two million children die from underdevelopment, either before or after birth. Millions of others who survive face a lifetime of disabilities or early death and the effects are not just physical. Poor mental development also results from hunger as children grow. Then the

cycle of poverty and hunger often continues for their children.

Doctor Black says hungry children can have conditions like high blood pressure and heart disease as a result of hunger. He says the studies show that food programs need to place the greatest importance on the first two years of life. Hungry children can suffer their whole life damage from age two.

It is high time their diets were improved. Diets should include foods rich in vitamin A and other vitamins and minerals. The researchers say early help such as this could reduce child deaths by 25%.

This research has also faced some criticism. A medical aid group says the researchers underestimate(低估) the number of child deaths due to hunger. The researchers say there are findings that support this treatment but more studies are needed to compare it to hospital care.

完形填空（共20小题；每小题2分，满分30分 ）

The car， running along the well-lit road， now sank in darkness. I broke the _____36_____ on purpose， ______37_____ that the driver was too tired to drive. ''When do you go back home in the evening？“9 o’clock after this _____38_____.”Then when do you come out in the morning？“I _____39______ another question.”9 o'clock， too——just as if I worked at an office.” His ____40____ surprised me， because every time I ride a taxi， what I _____41____ from the driver are only complaints that they have to work from morning till night， it's hard to earn money， they're often _____42____ by the police， or that their leaders are seated lazy， ____43____ the fruits. But this driver told me，”I find it ____44____ to be a section chief as I was before. I like driving just for _____45_____. Its fortunate that I hardly drive ____46____ a passenger. So I earn two or three thousand Yuan a month with ease. Yes， I never _____47_____ an empty taxi. If it goes southward， I go northward. If it goes along a _____48_____， I turn into a narrow street…”

　　His words showed his ______49_____ with his life and the pride he _____50_____ in his job. Such feelings are so rare among people nowadays as oxygen in high _____51_____. As an ancient saying goes，”Neither joy in material _____52_____ nor grieve over personal setbacks.” How many people nowadays can show high ideals by _____53_____ living and go far with a calm mind？ I couldn't help feeling _____54_____ when finding such a state of mind in a stranger on a cold _____55_____.

A. window     B. stillness    C. silence D. quietness

A. on condition B. for fear   C. in belief    D. in order

A. night B. trip     C. cycle    D. process

A. threw out   B. gave away    C. made up D. led to

A. character   B. confidence   C. explanation D. easiness

A. suffer B. request C. benefit D. hear

A. detected   B. ordered C. fined    D. seized

A. keeping    B. tasting C. enjoying     D. choosing

A. exciting    B. disappointing C. tiring D. amazing

A. freedom    B. pleasure     C. hobby    D. company

A. without     B. with     C. behind   D. beside

A. follow     B. admire   C. envy     D. meet

A. route B. path     C. railway D. highway

A. intelligence B. satisfaction C. competition    D. honesty

A. made   B. held     C. caught   D. took

A. buildings B. mountains    C. standard     D. heaven

A. gains B. concerns     C. supports     D. loss

A. special    B. happy    C. simple   D. original

A. angry B. content C. dangerous    D. curious

A. morning    B. night    C. moment   D. season

The 2012 London Olympics had enough problems to worry about. But one more has just been added -- a communications blackout caused by solar storms.

　　After a period of calm within the Sun, scientists have detected the signs of a flesh cycle of sunspots that could peak in 2012, just in time for the arrival of the Olympic torch in London.

　　Now scientists believe that this peak could result in vast solar explosions that could throw billions of tons of charged matter towards the Earth, causing strong solar storms that could jam the telecommunications satellites and interact links sending five Olympic broadcast from London.

　　"The Sun's activity has a strong influence on the Earth. The Olympics could be in the middle of the next solar maximum which could affect the functions of communications satellites," said Professor Richard Harrison, head of space physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.

　　At the peak of the cycle, violent outbursts called coronal mass ejections (日冕物质抛射) occur in the Sun's atmosphere, throwing out great quantities of electrically-charged matter. "A coronal mass ejection can carry a billion tons of solar material into space at over a million kilometres per hour. Such events can expose astronauts to a deadly amount, can disable satellites, cause power failures on Earth and disturb communications," Professor Harrison added. The risk is the greatest during a solar maximum when there is the greatest number of sunspots.

　　Next week in America, NASA is scheduled to launch a satellite for monitoring solar activity called the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which will take images of the Sun that are 10 times clearer than the most advanced televisions available.

　　The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory helped to make the high-tech cameras that will capture images of the solar flares (太阳耀斑) and explosions as they occur.

　　Professor Richard Harrison, the lab's director, said that the SDO should be able to provide early warning of a solar flare or explosion big enough to affect satellite communications on Earth "If we have advanced warning, we'll be able to reduce the damage. What you don't want is things switching off for a week with no idea of what's caused the problem," he said.

1.The phrase "communications blackout" in paragraph 1 most probably refers to____________ during the 2012 Olympics.

2.According to the passage, scientists are convinced that __________.

3.What can be inferred about the solar activity described in the passage?

4.According to the passage, NASA will launch a satellite to _________.

5.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?