C

Today just as technology changed the face of industry, farms have experienced an “agricultural revolution”. On the farm of today, machines provide almost all the power.

    One of the most important benefits will be the farm computer. A few forward-looking farmers are already using computers to help them run their farms more efficiently. The computers help them keep more accurate records so they can make better decisions on what crops to plant, how much livestock(家畜) to buy, when to sell their products, and how much profit they can expect. Many computer companies have been developing special computer programs just for farmers. Programs are being written for pig producers, grain farmers, potato farmers, and dairy farmers. In the future, farmers will be able to purchase computer programs made to their needs. Because of the growing importance of computers on the farm, students at agricultural colleges are required to take computer classes in addition to their normal agricultural courses. There can be no doubt that farmers will rely on computers even more in the future. While the old-time farm depended on horse power, and modern farms depend on machine power, farms of the future will depend on computer power.

Another technological advance which is still in the experimental stage is the robot, a real “mechanized hired hand” that will be able to move and, in some ways, think like a human being. Agricultural engineers believe that computer-aided robots will make shocking changes in farming before the end of the century. Unlike farmers of the present, farmers of the future will find that many day-to-day tasks will be done for them. Scientists are now developing robots that will be able to shear（修剪） sheep, drive tractors, and harvest fruit. Even complex jobs will be done by robots. For example, in order to milk their cows, farmers must first drive them into the barn, then connect them to the milking machines, watch the machines, and disconnect them when they are finished. In the future, this will all be done by robots. In addition, when the milking is completed, the robots will automatically check to make sure that the milk is pure. The complete change of the farm is far in the future, but engineers expect that some robots will be used before long.

49. Which sentence carried the main idea of the whole passage?

A. The first sentence of the third paragraph.

B. The first sentence of the second paragraph.

    C. The first sentence of the first paragraph.   

D. The last sentence of the second paragraph.

50. According to the passage, computers can not help farmers decide _______.

    A. how much money they can earn from their products

    B. whether to plant a certain kind of crop

    C. what livestock to raise       D. when to sell their products

51. Which of the following statements is true?

 A. Farmers in the future will depend totally on computers.

 B. Farmers mainly use machines on their farms at present.   

C.  Both computers and robots have been in use on today’s farms.

D. Students at agricultural colleges must take computer classes because they can do

nothing without the help of computers on today’s farms.

52. What is the best title for the whole passage?

    A. Computer, Farmers’ Best Friend               B. Farmers in The Future

    C. The Agricultural Revolution                    D. Computers and Robots

Choosing a nice mountain bike for you is easier than learning how to ride it. Keep these tips in mind：
Decide how you are going to use your new mountain bike.
Are you a new rider who simply wants to travel outdoors on the weekend，weather permitting？Do you intend to test yourself on the rough roads，every day，rain or shine？Or are you going to use your new mountain bike to ride to and from school or work？Be honest about your intentions，and you’re more than half way toward choosing the right mountain bike for you.
Visit your local bike shops.
Any good bike shop will stock a wide range of quality mountain bikes in all price points and sizes. Your local bike shops will carry more than one brand of bicycle. Not only will they sell you a mountain bike that suits your needs，but they will service what they sell. Visit at least a few shops. You’ll get one that satisfies you right away.
Don’t be bashful.
Tell your salesperson how you intend to use your new mountain bike，and how much you are willing to spend. Your salesperson will show you a selection of models and brands accordingly. He or she will also help you determine the right size for you. You may ask more without any sense of shyness.
Take a test ride.
All good bike shops let customers take test rides. There’s a good reason for this beyond “try­before­you­buy” salesmanship. Since you already know your price range and find the right size，you now have to find out which brand you ride best. They want you to be happy with your purchase. After only a few test rides from more than one bike shop，the right mountain bike will choose you.
【小题1】
What would be the best title for the text?

There once lived a young man who was always unhappy and complained about his poverty. One day, he went to see a fortune teller to inquire how to become_____1____. The fortune teller said, "Young man, you are already wealthy now."

"Where is my wealth?" the young man asked _______2____.

"It is with you. Your _______3___ is (are) your wealth. You use them to see this world. You use them to see all the ______4______things in this world. You can read, study and learn. Your hands are your wealth. You can use them to work. You can use them to hug your beloved ones. Your ____5_____are your wealth. You can go to any places..." the fortune teller said.

"You call these wealth? Everyone has them," the young man said.

"These are wealth. What you have now are not what others can luckily have. Are you ______6___ to give your eyes to me? I am willing to give you a lot of money to _____7_____ for them," the fortune teller said.

"No, are you crazy? I am not going to exchange my eyes for money! They are _____8____ to me!" the young man ____9_______.

"Precisely, these are wealth to you. You will not exchange them for money. Furthermore, although a lot of people have their wealthy things, they do not ____10_____ them or treasure them. They are not_____11____ to Heaven for giving them their wealth. They even complain that Heaven is unfair to them. Do you want to _____12_____one of them before you will treasure them?" the fortune teller said.

Everyone is wealthy. But we should not ____13______it for granted. We need to treasure our wealth, take care of it and use it _____14_____. We should not overuse it because once it is ____15____, it is gone forever. Remember it is our wealth that we do not want to lose.

How should one invest a sum of money in these clays of inflation （通货膨胀）? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate．Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market．Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past．Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques．

I sometimes wonder what a being from another planet might report back about our way of life．"The planet Earth is ruled by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound．It has a face with twelve black marks and two hands．Men can do nothing without its permission, and it fastens its young round people's wrists so that everywhere men go they are still under its control．This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves．"

Whether or not we are slaves of time today depends on our culture and personality, but it is believed that many years ago kings kept special slaves to tell the time．Certain men were very clever at measuring the time of clay according to the beating of their own hearts．They were made to stand in a fixed place and every hour or so would shout the time．So it seems that the first clocks were human beings．

However, men quickly found more convenient and reliable ways of telling the time．They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun．They marked the hours on candles, used sand in hour- glasses, and invented water-clocks．Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past．

Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home．After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in an antique clock and perhaps make a future profit?

According to the passage, collecting antique clocks____．

       A．can hardly keep the value of your savings

       B．will cost much of your savings

       C．may increase your wealth

       D．needs your bravery

Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to measure the time?

       A．Counting the beating of one's own heart．

       B．Making use of candles, sand and water．

       C．Observing shadows cast by the sun．

       D．Keeping slaves busy day and night．

The underlined phrase stately homes in paragraph 4 means

       A．state-owned houses

       B．houses in very good condition

       C．grand houses open to the public

       D．houses where statesmen meet regularly

How should one invest a sum of money in inflation (通货膨胀)? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate. Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market. Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past. Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques.
I sometimes wonder what a being from another planet might report back about our way of life. "The planet Earth is ruled by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound. It has a face with twelve black marks and two hands. Men can do nothing without its permission, and it fastens its young round people's wrists so that everywhere men go they are still under its control. This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves."
Whether or not we are slaves of time today depends on our culture and personality, but it is believed that many years ago kings kept special slaves to tell the time. Certain men were very clever at measuring the time according to the beating of their own hearts. They were made to stand in a fixed place and every hour or so would shout time. So it seems that the first clocks were human beings.
However, men quickly found more convenient and reliable ways of telling the time. They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun. They marked the hours on candles, used sand in hour- glasses, and invented water-clocks. Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past.
Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home. After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in an antique clock and perhaps make a future profit?
【小题1】According to the passage, collecting antique clocks ________.