2010 was a good year for American farmers. They earned about eighty-two billion dollars. That is almost one-third more than that they earned last year. And it is twenty-six percent higher than the ten-year average. Values for grain and oilseed crops are up about three percent from last year. The value of animal production is up by almost seven percent.

In 2011, farm exports are expected to break the all-time high set in 2008.The Agriculture Department says exports in 2011 could top one hundred and twenty-six billion dollars. The largest buyer of agricultural products is expected to be Canada. But farm exports to China are predicted to come within five hundred million dollars of Canadian purchases. Secretary Vilsack says countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East are also buying more from American farmers.

Poor growing conditions overseas played an important part in higher prices for American crops in 2010.Charlotte Hebe brand is chief executive of the International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council in Washington. She said drought(干旱)conditions had a big effect over the summer. She said,“There were horrible weather problems, not just in Russia but also in some of the other former Soviet Union countries.”

Wheat prices rose after Russia stopped wheat exports,although Russia later eased the ban(禁令).“Wheat used to be America’s top crop. What’s interesting,though,is that wheat production has actually become less over the past few years because corn has become the most popular crop,”said economist Charlotte Hebebrand.

Corn is mostly fed to animals. But Miss Hebebrand said with the recent increase in wheat prices, American farmers might plant more wheat again. Corn and wheat are the two largest crops supported by the government.

1.We know that compared to 2009,in 2010 American farmers——.

2.What does the Agriculture Department expect in 2011?

3.What is implied in Paragraph 3?

4.We can infer that in the past few years American farmers——

5.According to what Miss Hebebrand said, we know American farmers will ——

I recently turned fifty, which is young for a tree, midlife for an elephant , and ancient for a sportsman, Fifty is a nice number for the states in the US or for a national speed limit but it is not a number that I was prepared to ave hung on me．Fifty is supposed to be my father’s age．but now I am stuck with this number and everything it means．

A few days ago, a friend tried to cheer me up by saying,  “ Fifty is what forty used to be ．”He had made an inspirational point, Am I over the hill ?People keep telling me that the hill has been moved, and I keep telling hem that he high-jump bar has dropped from the six feet I once easily cleared to the four feet that is impossible for me now．

“ Your are not getting older, you are getting better ．” says Dr．Joyce Brothers ．This, however, is the kind of doctor who inspires a second opinion．

And so．as I approach the day when I cannot even jump over the tennis net．I am moves to share some thoughts on aging with you．I am moved to show how aging feels to me physically and mentally．Getting older．of course, is obviously a better change than the one that brings you eulogies（悼词）．In fact , a poet named Robert Browning considered it the best change of all :

Grow old along with me!

The best is yet to me．

Whether or not Browning was right , most of my first fifty years have been golden ones, so I will settle for what is ahead being as good as what has gone by．I find myself moving toward what is ahead with a curious blend （混合）of both fighting and accepting my aging, hoping that the philosopher（哲学家） was right when he said ．”Old is always fifteen years from now．”

20．The author seems to tell us in Paragraph I that _____

       A．time alone will tell B．time goes by quickly

       C．time will show what is right   D．time makes one forget the past

21．When the author turned fifty , people around him _____

       A．tried to comfort him      B．got inspiration with him

       C．were friendlier with him        D．found him more talkative

22．The author considers his fifty years of life ______

       A peaceful            B．ordinary                              

       C．satisfactory             D．regretful

23．We can infer from the passage that _____

       A．the old should led a simple life      B．the old should face the fact of aging

       C．the old should take more exercise   D．the old should fill themselves with curiosity

For an owl (猫头鹰) with one-metre wingspan, the sky should be the limit. But Troy prefers his bird’s eye view to be no higher than 5 feet 10 inches. The one-year-old owl has an inconvenient symptom: he’s afraid of heights. After an unfortunate start in life when he fell from his nest by accident, Troy was raised by Gareth Tonen, a handler (饲养员), who just happens to be 5 feet 10 inches tall.

As a result, Troy has grown up without any great ambitions of his own. When it comes to trees, he can’t see what is about and would prefer to fly along at Mr. Tonen’s side. Only when the 25-year-old handler climbs up a tree can Troy be tempted to leave his comfort zone and join him.

Ashley Smith said, “ Troy’s fear of heights was a result of forgetting how to be a bird. He’s been in captivity (被圈养) for as long as he can remember and has never been higher than his handler can lift him. He sees himself as more of a human than an owl, and he doesn’t know how to sit in trees or hunt. Gareth has to almost act like an owl to get Troy to behave like one.”

As a result, a daily tree climb has become part of Troy’s – and Mr. Tonen’s – routine. Ladders have been fixed so Mr. Tonen can climb into the trees and call for Troy, who will fly up and join his handler but go no higher. Most of the time he flies down again, but occasionally Mr. Tonen has to carry him back to ground level. The afternoon ends with a meal of mouse, rabbit or his favorite, chicken.

Mr. Tonen said, “He now looks upon me as his mum or dad. He’s gaining more confidence and if I have to carry on climbing up trees with him then we’ll do what it takes for him to be a high flyer.

1.Troy was brought up by Gareth Tonen because he ______.

A. couldn’t fly high                    B. got badly hurt

C. left his parents accidentally         D. couldn’t live in trees

2. What can you learn from the second paragraph?

A. Troy doesn’t show any interest in flying high up in the sky.

B. Gareth Tonen has spoiled Troy by offering him everything.

C. Gareth Tonen is pleased to see Troy fly along at his side.

D. Troy would like his owner Gareth Tonen to climb up trees.

3.According to Ashley Smith, Troy doesn’t know he is a bird because ______.

A. he has developed the symptom of fearing heights.

B. he has been raised since he was very small.

C. he can’t learn how to fly higher than his owner.

D. he doesn’t want to fly among trees hunting for food.

4. Why does Gareth Tonen have to climb up trees every day?

A. To set an example of flying high to Troy.

B. To see how high Troy can really fly.

C. To teach Troy how to get meals in high trees.

D. To get Troy back down to cure his fear of heights.

An increase in students applying to study economics (经济学) at university is being attributed to （归因于）the global economic crisis (危机) awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.  

Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.  

Professor John Beath, the president of the society and a leading lecture at St Andrews University, said his first-year lectures which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.  

“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done. ” He added.   

University applications rose 70% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in careers in the pubic sector（部门）, which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.  

A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.  

Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said: “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped (使…有能力) to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”

1.Professor John Beath’s lectures are            .  

2. Careers in the public sector are more attractive because of their        .

3.In the opinion of most parents ,           .  

4.According to Hocking , the global economic crisis might make the youngsters_____.

5.What’s the main idea of the text?

The first day of university our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a  11  ,little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that  12 her entire being.

She said, “Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?” I laughed and enthusiastically  13  , “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant  14 . “Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.

She  15  replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…”

“No seriously,” I asked. I was  16   what may have motivated her to be taking on this  17  at her age.

“I always dreamed of having a   18   and now I’m getting one!” she told me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she  19  made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she enjoyed the attention bestowed upon her from the other   20  . She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow    21   because we stop playing.

There are only four  22  to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your  23 ,you die.

Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or  24  . The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in  25 . Have no regrets.”

1.                A．strong          B．beautiful        C．wrinkled  D．charming

2.                A．surrounded with  B．lit up           C．covered  D．showed off

3.                A．responded      B．announced      C．agreed   D．allowed

4.                A．kiss            B．squeeze（紧抱） C．smile D．arm

5.                A．seriously        B．happily         C．jokingly   D．hopefully

6.                A．curious         B．eager          C．unsure   D．doubtful

7.                A．career         B．degree         C．hobby    D．challenge

8.                A．college education B．rich husband     C．good job  D．happy family

9.                A．frequently      B．seldom         C．easily D．often

10.               A．elderly         B．people         C．friends    D．students

11.               A．mature         B．weak          C．relaxed   D．old

12.               A．notes          B．suggestions      C．secrets    D．requirements

13.               A．courage        B．dreams         C．confidence D．friends

14.               A．ability          B．time           C．money    D．effort

15.               A．university       B．hope          C．trial  D．change