The link between environment and poverty is central to that great race for sustainability. It is a pity, then, that several powerful fallacies (谬论) keep getting in the way of sensible debate. One popular myth is that trade and economic growth make poor countries' environmental problems worse: Growth, it is said, brings with it urbanization, higher energy consumption and industrialization —all factors that contribute to pollution and pose health risks.

    Another common view is that poor countries should pollute now and clean up later. Certainly poor countries should not be made to adopt American or European environmental standards. But there is evidence to suggest that poor countries can and should try to tackle some environmental problems now, rather than wait till they have become richer.

    One powerful—and until recently ignored—weapon in the fight for a better environment is local people. Much academic research has shown that the poor are often victims of resource depletion (损耗) : it tends to be rich locals or outsiders who are  responsible for the worst exploitation (开发). Local people usually have a better knowledge of local ecological conditions than experts in faraway capitals, as well as a direct interest in improving the quality of life in their village.

　　  1. From the first paragraph we can learn that——.

　　　　  A. in developing countries 6 million people die from environmental factors each year

　　　　  B. in developing countries 3 million people lose their lives each year because of water shortage

　　　　  C. in developing countries environmental factors are the biggest cause for abnormal death

　　　　  D. in developing countries more people die from malnutrition

　　  2. According to the author, which of the following contributes most to environmental problems in poor countries?

　　　　    A. poverty　　　　　　　　 B. urban air pollution

　　 C. water-related diseases　　  D. rich locals and outsiders

　　  3. The main idea of Para. 3 is

　　　　    A. poor countries should pollute now and clean up later

　　　　    B. poor countries should take environmental problems seriously as early as possible

　　　　    C. poor countries should follow American or European environmental standards

　　　　    D. some poor countries hold a false guideline in tackling environmental problems

　　  4. According to the author, people who can play an important role in tackling environmental problems are ——.

　　　　    A. rich locals　　　　　　  B outsiders

　　　　    C. local residents　　　　   D environmental experts

　　My parents were all standing there, shouting at each other.　　　　　　　　　　    1．________

The word “divorce（离婚）” was repeated and broke my heart each　　　　　　   

time. I had trapped between them and didn’t know what to do.　　　　　　　　　　　　 2．________

A million thoughts rushed into my mind, but nothing of them could　　　　　　　　    3．________

ease my feelings. I rushed back to my room, seated down i n　　　　　　　　　　　　   4．________

silence and stared out of the window. The leaves were floating in air.　　　　　　　　 5．________

They struggled trying to catch the wind and finally they had to fall　　　　　　　　    6．________

on the ground. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   

　　I knew I was not the only one who had got through this. But I　　　　　　　　   7．________

must learn to fight against this. Later in the day I took up with a pen　　　　　　　　  8．________

and wrote down. It is until I take a step back and look at my family　　　　　　　　   9．________

that I can really appreciate this thing has helped me grow strong and　　　　　　　　 10．________

mature（成熟）.

Nineteenth-century writers in the United States, whether they wrote novels, short stories, poems or plays, were powerfully drawn to the railroad in its golden years. In fact, writers responded to the railroads as soon as the first were built in the 1830’s. By the 1850’s, the railroad was a major presence in the life of the nation. Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David saw the railroad both as a boon(要求) to democracy(民主国家) and as an object of suspicion. The railroad could be and was a despoiler(掠夺者) of nature, furthermore, in its manifestation of speed and noise. It might be a despoiler of human nature as well. By the 1850’s and 1860’s, there was a great distrust among writer and intellectuals of the rapid industrialization of which the railroad was a leading force. Deeply philosophical historians such as Henry Adams lamented the role that the new frenzy for business was playing in eroding traditional values. A distrust of industry and business continued among writers throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth.

　 For the most part, the literature in which the railroad plays and important role belong to popular culture rather than to the realm of serious art. One thinks of melodramas, boys’ books, thrillers, romances, and the like rather than novels of the first rank. In the railroads’ prime years, between 1890 and 1920, there were a few individuals in the United States, most of them with solid railroading experience behind them, who made a profession of writing about railroading—works offering the ambience of stations, yards, and locomotive cabs. These writers, who can genuinely be said to have created a genre, the “railroad novel”, are now mostly forgotten, their names having faded from memory. But anyone who takes the time to consult their fertile writings will still find a treasure trove of information about the place of the railroad in the life of the United States.

The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to______.

　　A. railroad 　　B. manifestation　　 C. speed 　　D. nature

In the first paragraph, the author implies that writers’ reactions to the development of railroads were______.

　　A. highly enthusiastic 　 B. both positive and negative　  C. unchanging　 　D. Disinterested

According to the passage, the railroad played a significant role in literature in all of the following kinds of books except_______.　

A. thrillers 　 B. boys’ books　　C. romances　　D. important novels

The phrase “first rank” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to______.

A. largest category(类别) 　B. highest quality　  C. earliest writers 　D. most difficult language

Which of the following topics is the main idea of passage?

A. The role of the railroad in the economy of the USA　

B. Major nineteenth century writers

C. The conflict between expanding industry and preserving nature

D. The railroad as a subject for literature

I used to be ashamed of my grandma. I know that's a　 36　 thing to say, but it was true until today, so I have to　 37　 it.

The　 38　 started when my friend Katy found Grandma's false teeth floating in a glass on the bathroom sink. I was so used to seeing them that I　 39　 took notice of them. But Katy shouted, laughing and　 40　 to talk to them. I had to get down on my knees and　 41　 her to shut up so my grandma wouldn't　 42　 and get hurt.

After that happened, I　 43　 there were a million things about Grandma that were embarrassing（令人窘迫）.

Once she took Jill and me out to Burger King.　 44　 ordering our hamburgers well-done, she told the person behind the counter, "They'll have two Whoppers (巨无霸) well-to-do. " Jill burst out laughing, but I almost　 45　.

After a while, I started wishing I could　 46　 Grandma in a closet. I even complained to my parents. Both my parents said I had to be careful not to make Grandma feel　 47　 in our home.

Then last Wednesday, something happened that　 48　 everything completely. My teacher told us to help find interesting old people and　 49　 them about their　 50　 for a big Oral History project. I was trying to think of someone when Angie pushed me gently.

"Volunteer your grandmother," she whispered. "She's　 51　 and rich in experience."

That was the last thing I ever thought Angie would say about my grandma.

This is how I ended up on　 52　 today interviewing my own grandmother before the whole school assembly (集合). All my friends and teachers were listening to her　 53　 she was a great heroine. I was　 54　 of my grandma and hoped she would　 55　 know that I had been ashamed of her.

36. A. funny　　　　 B. common　　　　C. terrible　　 　D. clear

37. A. admit　　　　 B. receive　　　  C. refuse　　　　 D. show

38. A. quarrel　　　  B. accident　　　 C. trouble　　 　  D. adventure

39. A. already　　　  B. always　　　　C. simply　　　 　D. hardly

40. A. enjoying　　　 B. pretending　 　C. imagining　 　 D. continuing

41. A. warn　　　　　B. demand　　　　C. advise　　　  D. beg

42. A. mind　　　　　B. hear　　　　　C. see　　　　　 D. fall

43. A. expected　　 　B. declared　　　 C. realized　　 　D. doubted

44. A. Because of　　 B. Except for 　  C. Such as 　　 　D. Instead of

45. A. died 　　　　  B. cheered 　　　C. disappeared　　D. suffered

46. A. meet 　　　　 B. avoid　　　　 C. arrange 　　 　D. hide

47. A. independent　  B. inconvenient　 C. unwelcome　　 D. unfamiliar

48. A. changed 　　　B. finished　　　 C. stopped　　　　D. Prepared

49. A. interview 　　 B. report 　　　  C. tell 　　　　　 D. write

50. A. news 　　　　 B. lives　　　　 C. advantages　　  D. achievements

51. A. free　　　　 　B. popular　　　 C. interesting　　  D. embarrassing

52. A. show 　　　　 B. stage　　　　 C. duty　　　　　 D. time

53. A. and then 　　  B. even if　　　  C. so that　　　　 D. as if

54. A. sure　　　　 　B. proud　　　　 C. ashamed　　　 D. afraid

55. A. never　　　　  B. even　　　　　C. still　　　　　 D. once

A pill，code-named HT-0712，may make forgetfulness a thing of the past. It is being developed in the US and could go on sale within five years.

According to the newspaper The Sun，the wonder drug has been nicknamed “Mind Viagra”and has already been shown to boost the memory power of mice and flies. Next it will be tested on humans. This is just one of a number of drugs in a pharmaceutical (制药的) race to develop an increased memory pill. At least 12 US companies are believed to be working on similar projects.

Tim Tully，the founder of US drug company Helicon Therapeutics，who is in charge of the HT-0712 project，gave this practical example of its use for students：“If it takes two weeks to memorize a verse of Shakespeare，with one of these drugs you might be able to do it in two or three days. ”

“The memory drug business appears to be set to become a multi-million dollar industry，”experts say. This summer，100 Americans suffering mild memory loss will test HT-0712 in the first experiment on people.

“You don’t think better than you did before，you just get the facts in with less practice. There is a growing belief that memory and memory loss is just another treatable condition，”says Tully.

However，there is some doubt whether the drugs can really improve memory. In a study by the US’s Yale University Medical School，researchers suggested that the drug might affect other parts of the memory.

1.Which of the following can be most likely to replace the underlined word “boost” in the second paragraph?

A.Reduce.　　　 B.Increase.　　　　 C.Kill.　　　　　　 D.Harm.

2.What will happen to the students most probably if they take HT-0712?

A.They will grow taller.

B.They can memorize things easily.

C.They won’t suffer from illness.

D.They will choose whatever universities they like.

3.The future of HT-0712 can be said　　　　 according to experts.

A.dim　　　　　 B.uncertain　　　　 C.bright　　　　　　 D.worried

4.HT-0712 is a pill that　　　　 .

A.has bad effect on the health of mice and flies

B.has been experimented on dozens of animals

C.will be experimented on humans this summer

D.is certain to do no harm to human

5.The purpose of writing the passage is to　　　　 .

A.warn people the harm of HT-0712

B.introduce to people the advantages of HT-0712

C.tell people something about HT-0712

D.doubt whether it is worth developing HT-0712