68. What is the text mainly about?

　 A. The terrible conditions in the Antarctic.　　　　 　 　B. A special fish living in freezing waters.

　 C. The ice shelf around Antarctica.　　　　　　　　　　　 　 　D. Protection of the Antarctic cod.

62. The passage is mainly about _______.

A. why humans domesticated horses

B. how humans and horses needed each other

C. why horses came in different shapes and sizes　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

D. how human societies and horses influenced each other

答案　 59.B 　60.D　 61.C　 62.D

Passage 5

(08·辽宁D篇)

Far from the land of Antarctica (南极洲), a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.

　　　　 For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secrets. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer.

　　　　 Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point.

　　　　 The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88℃ and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05℃. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.

　　　　 The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange things made up of a protein(蛋白质) never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.

　　　　 Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules(分子) held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content，it is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein,or AFGP.

61. Horses contributed to the spread of culture by ______.

A. carrying heavy loads　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　 B. changing farming methods

C. serving as a means of transport　　　　　　 　　　　 D. advancing agriculture in different areas

60. The author uses the Shetland horse as an example to show ______.

A. it is smaller than the Clydesdale horse

B. horses used to have gentle personalities

C. some horses have better shapes than others

　 D. horses were of less variety before domestication

59. Before domestication horses were ______.

A. caught for sports 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　B. hunted for food

C. made to pull ploughs　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　 D. used to carry people

61.We learn from the passage that 　　　　.

A.all living things on the Earth depend on the Sun for their food

B.a forest looks dark in winter because it absorbs solar energy

C.only 0.023% of the energy from the Sun is made use of on the Earth

D.greenhouse gases allow heat energy to escape from the Earth’s surface

答案　 59.C　 60.C　 61.A　

Passage 4

(08·北京B篇)

　　　　 Domestic (驯养的) horses now pull ploughs, race in the Kentucky Derby, and carry people. But early horses weren’t tame (驯服的) enough to perform these kinds of tasks. Scientists think the first interactions humans had with horses were far different from those today.

Thousands of years ago, people killed the wild horses that lived around them for food. Over time, people began to catch the animals and raise them. This was the first step in domestication.

As people began to tame and ride horses, they chose to keep those animals that had more desirable characteristics. For example, people may have chosen to keep horses that had a gentle personality so they could be ridden more easily. People who used horses to pull heavy loads would have chosen to keep stronger animals. Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’ genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced, they passed the characteristics on to their young. Each new generation of horses would show more of these chosen characteristics.

Modern-day horse breeds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication. The Shetland horse is one of the smallest breeds-typically reaching only one meter tall. With short, strong legs, the animals were bred to pull coal out of mine shafts (矿井) with low ceilings. Huge horses like the Clydesdale came on the scene around 1700. People bred these heavy, tall horses to pull large vehicles used for carrying heavy loads.

The domestication of horses has had great effects on societies. For example, horses were important tools in the advancement of modern agriculture. Using them to pull ploughs and carry heavy loads allowed people to farm more efficiently. Before they were able to ride horses, humans had to cross land on foot. Riding horses allowed people to travel far greater distances in much less time. That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another. The new form of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world.

60.Only a small part of the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s surface because

most of it is 　　　　.

A.absorbed by the clouds in the lower atmosphere

B.reflected by the gases in the upper atmosphere

C.lost in the upper and lower atmosphere

D.used to evaporate water from the oceans and lakes

59.According to the passage,the root cause for weather changes on the Earth is 　　　　.

A.the atmosphere surrounding the Earth

B.water from oceans and lakes

C.energy from the Sun

D.greenhouse gases in the sky

67．What is the shortest safe distance from the whales?

A．400 metres．　 　　　　 B．300 metres．　 　　　 C．200 metres．　 　　　　 D．100 metres．

答案　 64.C　 65.B　 66.A　 67.D

Passage 3

(08·江苏B篇)

We experience different forms of the Sun’s energy every day.We can see its light and feel its warmth.The Sun is the major source of energy for our planet.It causes the evaporation (蒸发) of water from the oceans and lakes.Sunlight also provides the energy used by green plants to make their own food.These green plants then provide food for all organisms(生物) on the Earth.

Much of the energy that comes from the Sun never reaches the Earth’s surface.It is either reflected or absorbed by the gases in the upper atmosphere.Of the energy that reaches the lower atmosphere,30% is reflected by clouds or the Earth’s surface.The remaining 70% warms the surface of the planet,causes water to evaporate,and provides energy for the water cycle and weather.Only a tiny part,approximately 0.023%,is actually used by green plants to produce food.

Many gases found in the atmosphere actually reflect heat energy escaping from the Earth’s surface back to the Earth.These gases act like the glass of a greenhouse in that they allow energy from the Sun to enter but prevent energy from leaving.They are therefore called greenhouse gases.

When sunlight strikes an object,some of the energy is absorbed and some is reflected.The amount reflected depends on the surface.For example,you’ve probably noticed how bright snow is when sunlight falls on it.Snow reflects most of the energy from the Sun,so it contributes to the low temperatures of winter.Dark-coloured surfaces,such as dark soil or forest,absorb more energy and help warm the surrounding air.

66．When going side by side with whales, the vessel should 　　　．

A．keep moving in the same direction

B．surround the whales with other boats

C．travel closer and closer to the shore

D．take a good viewing position