If California were not already so famous for Sillicon Valley(硅谷) and Hollywood, it might be well－known for the groups of water－technology firms in its San Diego County. The reverse－osmosis (RO) spiral module, the technique that supports turning seawater and waste－water into drinkable stuff, began in San Diego in 1964. Today dozens of firms in the area supply many of the world's approximately 13，000 RO plants in places from the Persian Gulf and Israel to Australia and China.

Southern California itself, however, has not so far been a big user of its own technology. This is surprising, given that the whole American south－west faces a water problem. But now as the climate gets warmer and the population increases, there is more agreement that the existing infrastructure, consisting of vast pipes that carry water from the Sacramento Delta in the north and the Colorado River in the east, will not be enough. In places such as San Diego, which has inadequate and salty groundwater and currently imports 90% or its water, the answers must be greater conservation, reusing as much water as possible, and getting most of the rest from the sea.

The first part, conservation, has been widely accepted by the public. San Diego today uses less water with a larger population than it did in 1989, the year water consumption peaked. The second part, water recycling has been a hard sell, because of an unpleasant factor. Americans still use the term “toilet－to－tap” for recycling, even though properly treated waste－water is nowadays completely clean. Singapore made its programme acceptable in part by renaming it as NEWater.

This is where desalination comes in, which means taking the salt out of salt water. A firm called Poseidon Resources is now close to building the biggest desalination plant in America behind a power station by the beach in Carlsbad. The power plant sucks in 304m gallons of seawater a day for cooling, so Poseidon plans to change 104m gallons a day by using the RO spiral module.

Lots of people like the idea. Once fully running in 2015, the plant could produce 10% of the region's water. And there are plans for more desalination plants. Many places would need to take much less water from the endangered Colorado River. But a few people hate it a lot. Joe Geever, an expert in biology, says desalination uses too much energy and that Poseidon plant would kill too much sea life. He understands that there is a role for desalination, he says, but would rather not have it right there, right now, and on this scale.

43．Which of the following is WRONG about the RO spiral module according to the passage?

A. This technology is not widely used in its birthplace.

B. Today there are about 13，000 RO plants in the Persian Gulf, Israel, Australia and China.

C. This technology can be used in desalination plants to make sea water drinkable.

D. It is a promising water treatment technology welcomed by a lot of people.

44．How many solutions to the water problem in San Diego are mentioned in the article?

A. 2.  B. 3.  C. 4.  D. 5.

45．What can we infer from the article?

A. The Colorado River is the main water source for California.

B. Americans still use the term “toilet－to－tap” for recycling water.

C. NEWater serves as a brand for recycled clean water in Singapore.

D. Poseidon Resources stands for the power station by the beach in Carlsbad.

46．What is Joe Geever's attitude toward building a large desalination plant at present?

A.Supportive.  B. Negative.  C. Optimistic.  D. Vague.

The advertisement appeared in my e-mail—“1-800-Flowers: Mother’s Day Madness —for just $39.99！” I almost clicked on it, forgetting that those services would not be needed this year. My mother, Margaret Feiddman, died at the age of 89, and so this is my first Mother’s Day without my mom.

In my childhood, my mom appeared to be a typical suburban housewife of her generation. She sewed many of my sisters’ clothes, including both of their wedding dresses and boy’s suits for me. And on the side, she won several national bridge tournaments(桥牌锦标赛).

My mom left many indelible marks on me. The first was to never lose heart and to be independent. My dad died suddenly when I was 19. My mom worked hard for a couple of years. But in1975, I won a scholarship to study in Britain and my mom surprised us all by announcing that she decided to go with me. When I met difficulties, she always said: “You’re a man, so never lose heart, never be knocked down, and try your best to pursue(追求) your dreams.”

My mom’s other big influence on me is a sense of optimism (乐观). She had taken her knocks. But every time life knocked her down, she got up and kept on marching forward, encouraged by the saying that pessimists(悲观者) are usually right, optimists are usually wrong, but most great changes are made by optimists.

How I wish to listen to my mother’s words, and give my best regards on this Mother’s Day, but I have no chance now! My best friends, treasure(珍惜)your mother’s love!

The author mentioned the advertisement to ___.

   A．show he’s tired of the advertisements       B．explain he missed his mother very much

C．make you believe that he was very kind     D．urge the readers to buy the present for their mothers

What experience of the author’s mother surprised the author?

   A．That she volunteered to go to Britain with her son.

B．That she gained knowledge all by herself.

C．That she did all the housework by herself.

D．That she won several national bridge tournaments.

What dose the underlined word “indelible” in the 3rd paragraph probably mean?

   A．be out of control    B．be easy to remember

C．be destroyed easily   D．be impossible to forget

We can know about the author’s mother that_____.

   A．She encouraged the author to pursue his dreams       B．she felt very lonely in her late life

C．She never received a present from her children        D．she passed away before the author’s father

Which can be the best title for the passage?

   A．My Great Mother       B．Mother and I  

C．Treasure Mother’s Love        D．Mother’s Day Madness

If practicing an attitude of gratitude(感激) during the storms of life is too much for you right now, that’s OK. When things are tough, most people have a hard time being thankful. They’re so caught up in what’s wrong in the present moment that they simply can’t see some things are still right.

If that’s true for you, then accept it. You’re going through a particularly difficult or unhappy period of time, and you don’t like it one bit. Very normal, very human. But remember this: there is always something to be grateful for. It maybe only a small comfort right now, but it is a start. Make a list of some of the terrible things that didn’t happen. For example:

●You’re in debt...but you’re not homeless.

●You lost your job...but you didn’t lose your health.

●You broke your leg...but you didn’t break your neck.

●Your mother has Alzheimer’s disease...but your father doesn’t.

No matter how bad things are, they could always be worse. Start finding gratitude for what might have happened, but didn’t. It does help a lot. Of course, you may not be thankful for everything— but you can always be thankful for something.

1.The passage is intended for those who ________.

A．have done a lot for others                 B．have met with difficulties in life

C．have something to do in return             D．don’t know how to be thankful

2.The writer thinks it ______ for people to feel unhappy in time of difficulty.

A．understandable     B．necessary         C．impossible         D．helpful

3.How many “terrible things that didn’t happen” are listed in this passage?

A．Two.             B．Three.            C．Four.             D．Five.

4.What is the purpose of this passage?

A．To discuss ways to make a list of terrible things.

B．To explain what is gratitude towards the storms of life.

C．To persuade people to be thankful for what didn’t happen.

D．To show people different ways to consider their tough situations.

5.How is the passage organized?

A．Explanation—Comparison—Topic

B．Argument—Opinion—Discussion

C．Comparison—Argument—Explanation

D．Introduction—Discussion—Conclusion

The day after news broke of a possible revolution in physics ——particles （粒子） moving faster than light ?a scientist leading the European experiment that made the discovery calmly explained it to a standing-room- only crowd at CERN．

The physicist, Dario Auterio, did not try to explain what the results might mean for the laws of physics, let alone the broader world．After an hour of technical talk, he simply said, "Therefore, we present to you today this difference, this unusualness．"

But what unusualness it may be．From 2009 through 2011, the massive OPERA detector （探测器）buried in a mountain in Gran Sasso, Italy, recorded subatomic particles called neutrinos （ 中微子） arriving faster than light can move in an empty space．The neutrinos generated at CERN are hardly detectably early．If confirmed, the finding would throw more than a century of physics into disorder．

"If it's correct, it's phenomenal．" said Rob Plunkett, a scientist at Fermilab, the Department of Energy physics laboratory in Illinois．"We'd be looking at a whole new set of rules" for how the universe works．Those rules would bend, or possibly break, Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity, published in 1905．Basical at the time, the theory tied together space and time, matter and energy, and set a hard limit for the speed of light, later measured to be about 186, 000 miles per second．

No experiment in 106 years had broken that speed limit．Physicists expect strict study to follow, which OPERA and CERN scientists welcomed．

Fermilab operates a similar experiment, called MINOS, that shoots neutrinos from Illinois to an underground detector in Minnesota．In 2007, MINOS discovered a just detectable amount of faster than-light neutrinos, but the permissible difference of error was too big to "mention" , Plunkett said．

Fermilab scientists will reanalyze their data, which will take six to eight months．In 2013, the MINOS detector, now offline, will restart after an upgrade．It could then offer confirmation of the results．

72．Why are the European scientists not sure about the results of the experiment?

       A．Because they are so unexpected．

       B．Because the scientists do not believe them．

       C．Because the scientists are careful and calm．

       D．Because they are against the present law of physics．

73．The underlined word " phenomenal" in the fourth paragraph has the closest meaning to           .

       A．amazing           B．attractive           C．embarrassing        D．sensitive

74．The best title for the passage may be _____．

       A．Are the laws of physics in disorder?

       B．Particles faster than light; Revolution or mistake?

       C．Faster than light measurement: right or wrong?

       D．Is Einstein's theory still right today?

75．What may be discussed in the paragraphs to follow?

       A．Different opinions about the experiment．

       B．How Albert Einstein's theory developed．

       C．The new rules for how the universe works．

       D．How Fermilab scientists will reanalyze their data．