Sometime early in the next century, human beings will move to Mars. They will live there for about a year, and then will be replaced with another group of pioneers. Building the base on Mars will advance our knowledge of the solar system and aid in our understanding of the earth.

We already know that Mars resembles the earth in many aspects: general size, presence of water, length of day, range of temperatures. These resemblances have caused many people to consider a centuries-long project: to terraform Mars. Terraforming means altering a planet’s surface so that Earth’s life forms can survive there. This concept, previously found only in science fiction is now being seriously considered by scientists.

Terraforming Mars is theoretically simple: add nitrogen and oxygen to the atmosphere; pump water to the surface; and add the earth’s plants and animals in the order in which they developed on Earth. But it will take at least 300 years.

Some people think that such a project is too huge for humans to undertake, but there are very good reasons to make the attempt. The earth now contains some 6 billion people, and no one has any idea of how many humans the earth can support. Our very existence and numbers are threatening many other species. We also have had some experience with terraforming our own planet: altering the landscape, the atmosphere and the climate. Currently terraforming earth has become a wiser activity as we try to control global warming, air and water pollution, and preserve some natural living places.

While the possibility of such a project is small, it is not impossible. Even if earth-bound societies come and go in the next 300 years, the project can continue through the work of the Mars settlers without the need for constant backing from the earth.

The future existence of all the people in our world may very well depend upon our ability to terraform Mars.

What would be the best title for this passage?

A．Terraforming Mars. B．Saving the Earth.

C．Travelling to Mars.  D．A Newly-found Place.

What does the underlined word “altering” mean in the second paragraph?

A．Warming. B. Changing.  C. Planting.    D. Building.

According to the passage the main purpose of terraforming Mars is to ___________ .

A．do some scientific research work

B．find out its similarity to earth

C．avoid the dying away of many other species

D．find on Mars living place for the increasing human beings

The main reason for causing many people to consider terraforming Mars is that _________ .

A．there are some resemblances between Earth and Mars.

B．terraforming Mars is theoretically simple

C．we have had some experience with terraforming our own planet: Earth

D．the development of science and technology is very rapid

What’s the author’s attitude towards the project?

A．Optimistic    B．Negative.  C.  Skeptical（怀疑的）     D．Objective.

I once experienced an unforgettable trip to Gloucester to see some of the world's most beautiful and exciting animals in their own habitat(栖息地), the North Atlantic Ocean.

    After a long trip by bus, we got on the ship. After a while, we stopped and everyone on the ship started to shout because we saw a humpback whale(座头鲸). It was wonderful. Sometimes, whales came so close to the ship that you thought you could easily touch them.

    While we were watching the whales, a guide was giving us some information about them. She told us that we saw only two kinds of whales -- 50-foot humpback whales (singing whales) and 70-foot fin back whales (the second largest whales on earth). She also said we could easily recognize a whale by its tail because every whale has a different kind of tail just like people have different fingerprints.

    They all have names, and on this trip, we saw "Salt" and "Pepper", two whales named by a biologist and a fisherman. They were swimming together all the time.

    I took twenty-seven photos, but it was very hard to take them because the whales were quick and stayed on the surface(表面) of the ocean just for a short time. It was really something. It was one of the chances that a person hardly ever experiences in life, but I had that chance.

This passage is mainly about ____.

    A. an unforgettable experience in the forest

    B. an unforgettable trip to see some strange animals in the mountains

    C. a long trip on the ship

    D. an unforgettable trip to watch whales

Everyone on the ship began to shout because ______.

A. a whale came so close to the ship                   B. they saw a singing whale

C. they saw a fin back whale                             D. they could touch the whale

When they were watching the whales, ____.

A. some of them fed the whales                        

B. they found several kinds of whales

C. a guide told them something about the whales

D. some of them took many photos and touched the whales

How can we recognize a whale?

A. By its tail(认识).                         B. By its head.

C. By its neck.                               D. By its eyes.

阅读下面短文，并根据短文后的要求答题（请注意问题后的字数要求）。

    Scientists believe that conditions on Mars around 3.8 billion years ago were very similar to those of the early earth, when primitive organisms were spreading through our oceans. At that time, Mars would have been much warmer and wetter than it is today, with an atmosphere composed mainly of carbon dioxide, just like that of the earth at the time. Under these conditions, it is highly probable that life may have arisen on Mars as well.

    But, even if life did not arise naturally on Mars, it does not mean that it could not have existed there. According to Professor Paul Davies of the University of Adelaide, Australia, life forms could have been transferred between the earth and Mars in wreckage (broke pieces) created by the impact of comet(彗星) and small planets on the surface of the two planets.

    Even today, about 500 tons of material from Mars lands on earth every year. It is mainly in the form of the dust but occasionally a larger chunk(厚片，大块) strikes the earth. In 1911, a piece of Martian rock crashed in Egypt, killing a dog. According to Professor Davies, it is in these chunks of rock, which were much larger and more frequent in the past that life forms could have been transported from planet to planet.

    “But how could these life forms have survived their journey through space?” says Paul Davies, “The difficulty in believing this theory is that a bacterium on its own in space has to struggle itself not only against cold but also against deadly cosmic (宇宙的) radiation. But wrapped in a rock the situation is different. A rock ten meters across would shield life inside it from a lot of radiation and the temperature might only be minus 10 or 20 degrees, the sort of thing we have on earth.”

1.Where do some scientists suppose life probably come from? (3’) (No more than 6 words)

____________________________________________________________________________

2.What does Professor Paul Davies believe? (3’) (No more than 6 words)

____________________________________________________________________________

3.Why could life survive when transferred from one planet to another? (3’) (No more than 12 words)

____________________________________________________________________________

4.According to Professor Paul Davies, how did the wreckage come into being? (3’) (No more than 10 words)

____________________________________________________________________________

5.List at least two differences about Mars between the past and now. (3’) (No more than 16 words)

____________________________________________________________________________

I was listening to the radio while 1 was driving home from coaching basketball yesterday. I could tell right away that there was something  41  by the mood of the speaker. There had been a plane crash. What made the 42  even more tragic was that Bob Collins，the morning show man, was among those who had been killed. Throughout my 40-minute  43 , I listened as sincere love and affection from the audience  44 .The more I listened about how this man had influenced those around him, the more   45 I became.

That was because I wanted to know  46 we as a culture, wait until somebody has passed away before we tell them how much they  47 to us? Why do we wait until it is too late before we  48 someone up after they have died? Yes，49  memory after memory about someone's good  50 does help us cope with the sadness of losing someone special to us. But as we  51 remember this person, our words fall short of the ears that most need to hear  52 .

Just once,  53 a gathering of death，1 would like to see a celebration of life,  54 stories are told, tears fall down，laughter rings out；and as the speaker  55 his or her loving tribute(颂词), the person they are  56  rises from the chair and gives them a  57 hug! Wouldn’t that be   58 !

Life is too short to leave kind words   59 . How I wish that when the unavoidable funeral finally comes，we could say  60 with the knowledge that they knew exactly how people felt about them while they were here on earth.

1.                A．important       B．wrong          C．pleasant  D．unnoticed

2.                A．speaker        B．radio           C．station   D．story

3.                A．drive          B．silence         C．ride D．tour

4.                A．poured in       B．grew up        C．broke out D．got through

5.                A．determined     B．delighted       C．discouraged   D．devoted

6.                A．what           B．that            C．if    D．why

7.                A．impress        B．love           C．mean D．affect

8.                A．bring          B．build           C．pick D．bury

9.                A．recovering      B．showing        C．sharing   D．losing

10.               A．qualities        B．manners        C．records   D．attitudes

11.               A．barely         B．lovingly         C．suddenly  D．finally

12.               A．him           B．them          C．it D．us

13.               A．as for          B．apart from      C．except for D．instead of

14.               A．where         B．because        C．whether   D．which

15.               A．mentions       B．writes          C．pays  D．ends

16.               A．staring         B．listening        C．honoring  D．talking

17.               A．tight           B．quick          C．cold  D．necessary

18.               A．anything        B．nothing         C．everything D．something

19.               A．untouched      B．unsaid         C．unfinished D．unpacked

20.               A．hello          B．sorry          C．goodbye   D．thanks

阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。

首先，请阅读下列中国旅游城市的介绍：

A．Beijing

For travelers in China, Beijing is a must, as it is a political and cultural center and it offers many scenic attractions. Foods are very popular with tourists as well, such as authentic（真正的） Beijing roast duck and instant-boiled mutton.

B. Shanghai

You know what? Shanghai is one of the developed cities in China. It is a commercial （商业的）and industrial （工业的）city. Tourists will be satisfied with what the city supplies, from various snacks and cakes to handcrafts and textiles. Spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit the city.

C. Suzhou and Hangzhou

Suzhou and Hangzhou are two cities near Shanghai. They were once described by Italian traveler Marco Polo as the most beautiful and prosperous （繁荣的）cities in the world. Both of them are called “Paradise （天堂）on Earth”.

D. Xi’an

Xi’an is the capital of Shanxi Province. It dates back over 2,000 years as an ancient capital which served as the capital for many dynasties in the Chinese history. It is also the starting pointing of the famous ancient Silk Road. The life-size terra cotta soldiers and horses of the Qin Dynasty are described as the “Eighth Wonder of the world”.

E. Harbin

If you want to travel in winter, Harbin is particularly good for sightseeing in January and February. If you have never seen any snow, you may enjoy the ice festival and even go skiing and skating in this world of snow.

F. Kunming

Kunming is regarded as “Scenic City of Eternal Spring” because of its year-round spring weather.

You may find almost every kind of Asian flowers there.

以下是几个人物的信息，请将人物与旅游城市匹配起来。

1.The Whites want to visit China recently. They are fond of Asian cultures. They are both professors of botany, who are interested in the study of species（物种）. They expect to discover new species of plants, especially about flowers that no one has ever seen during the trip.

2.Tony is a British young man who likes to play online games. He learns a lot about world history while playing games. Tony is very fond of the history of ancient China and curious about how Qin Shi Huang managed to unite all the seven states.

3.Mark is a sport lover. His hobbies include horse-riding, wrestling, boating, skating and skiing. He is looking forward to a trip with his parents next winter holiday when he can have fun on the snow.

4.Jack is a retired （退休的）teacher in Texas. He has been teaching for over 30 years. He enjoys traveling and tasting all kinds of food in other countries. Recently his friends invited him to a city in China, where he could have some traditional Chinese food such as duck cooked in a special way.

5.Lily is a middle school student who loves reading. Among all her books, she loves the one written by Marco Polo describing a place called “Paradise on Earth” best. She always dreams about taking a trip there one day.