1. When the animator decided how Shrek should walk, _______. A. they built his body in the computer just like a human's B. they drew a lot of pictures and chose the best looking one C. they made a clay model of the body D. they thought about Shrek's character

3. What does Rick Wagoner mean by "a fuel cell car is more than just a new concept car"? 　　　　 A. A fuel cell car is not something that only exists in future. 　　　　 B. A fuel cell car will be very important in the future. 　　　　 C. It will become a reality. 　　　　 D. A fuel cell car is still very expensive.

Passage 56　 Drawing comes alive

If you watched the animated film (动画电影), "Shrek", did you wonder how this big cartoon monster (怪物) could look, act and speak like a real human being? 　　 Well, people at DreamWorks in the US are now working on "Shrek 2". And they have given us a little look at the making of Shrek and how animation works. 　　 Shrek may be hi-tech now, but he started out as a simple piece of art. People drew hundreds of monsters until they found the best-looking one. He had to be ugly but lovable, says Raman Hui, the leading animator for the film. 　　 A clay (陶土) model of Shrek was then made. And animators made a three-dimensional (三维的) copy of the model on a computer. 　　 Building the body 　　 To make Shrek walk, talk and move like a person, they built his body in the computer as if it were a human body. First, they made a skeleton (骨架). The joints (knees, fingers and so on) are controlled by the animator. And they move like a real body. 　　 Then, it took three months to decide "how a monster should act" said Hui. Since Shrek is so heavy, they decided he shouldn't walk too fast. But, "when we made him walk more slowly, he looked too old... So we made him walk like a muscular (强健的) man. ... If you watch, when he moves pretty fast, you will see that his tummy bounces (肚子抖动)." 　　 Better moves 　　 When Shrek speaks, his mouth matches his words. Stand in front of a mirror and say "donkey". See the shape of your mouth? Computer animators copy that shape and put it on Shrek's mouth when he says "donkey" to make it move just like yours. 　　 Animators then started working on Shrek's looks - his face, his skin, his clothing. They got their ideas from all over the place. For example, the texture (纹路) on Shrek's jaw came from a photo of the jaw of one of the animators. 　　 Putting it together

Three minutes of animation is called a "sequence". Each sequence is first drawn out by hand so the animators know what to do. 　　 Each one has 4,320 frames and six people working on it. In "Shrek", each sequence took two months to finish. There were about 30 in total and 128,000 frames. As each sequence is finished, editors put it in the right place of the movie. And when all the sequences are finished, the movie is done. "Shrek" took three years to complete.

2. What makes the traditional car frame not able to change with drivers' needs? A. Traditional fuels. B. High cost of changing the frames. C. The traditional car frame can't last many years. D. Traditional motor.

1. Besides Ford, the writer uses GM as another example to show _______. A. another car war is on B. big car makers are depending on fuel cells for their future C. fuel cells will replace traditional power sources D. fuel cell car will be produced earlier than expected

4. Why did critics think engineered trees dangerous? Because _______. A. these trees can destroy the balance of nature B. everything except trees has been genetically engineered C. trees are home to many endangered species D. these trees may affect normal trees

Passage 55　 Cars drive into cleaner future

Ford, the second-largest car maker in the world, celebrates its 100th birthday this month. And it is already looking forward to its next 100 years. Ford expects to have nearly half its cars powered by fuel cells (燃料电池) by the year 2050. 　　 In the meantime, another car maker in the US, General Motors (GM, 通用汽车公司), is building the technology for cars to be powered by fuel cells. 　

So, what makes fuel cells so special? Why are car makers so enthusiastic about them? 　　 Fuel cells are based on an electrochemical (电气化学的) process. They change chemical energy from hydrogen and oxygen (氢和氧) into electrical energy. 　　 Fuel cells pollute much less than traditional power sources. They produce little more than water as a by-product. Car makers expect them to cut CO2 emissions (散发) in half and so make cars more environmentally friendly. 　　 Fuel cells are not dependent on oil supplies. Instead, they run on hydrogen, the most common element in the universe. And they can be refuelled. Car makers expect fuel cells to lesson the industry's need to rely on decreasing oil supplies. 　　 Using fuel cells, without the traditional motor, engineers have many more possibilities for developing cars. 　　 A fuel cell frame can last 20 years, so car bodies could change with drivers' needs - or even with the seasons - and be replaced at will. Owners could switch from a sports car to a family car while keeping the same fuel cell frame. This is a much cheaper solution to buying a whole new vehicle. 　　 "A fuel cell car is more than just a new concept car; it's the start of a revolution in how cars are designed, built and used," said GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner.

While this may sound great, fuel cells are still too expensive to produce. For cars, they can be ten times the price of normal engines. The current test models can cost US$1 million or more. 　　 Besides Ford and GM, a number of other car makers are now testing fuel cell vehicles. And all are aiming for mass production by 2010. By that time, the cost of buying a fuel cell car should be as affordable as that of a traditional car.

3. Which of the following was probably the first kind of trees being engineered? A. Papaya. B. Pine. C. Apple. D. Poplar.

2. What caused the American scientists to work on special trees? A. They think science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers. B. Great numbers of trees have been lost due to attacks by viruses. C. Researchers successfully introduced seeds designed to resist the virus. D. Tree genomes are mapped out so scientists know how to improve trees.

1. Which kind of tree is not the ones that scientists are planting in the US? A. Trees that worms can't hurt. B. Trees that can protect themselves at a chemical attack. C. Trees that can resist wind better. D. Genetically engineered trees.

3.　　　 Choose the phrase which has the same meaning with “at random”.

A.　　　　 at will

B.　　　　 on purpose

C.　　　　 freely

D.　　　　 particularly

Passage 54　　 America plants tougher trees

Special trees that grow faster, fight pollution, produce better wood, and even sense chemical attacks are being planted by scientists in the US. 　　　 When 40 per cent of Hawaii's US$14 million-a-year papaya (木瓜)industry was destroyed by a virus five years ago, work began on creating genetically engineered (转基因的) trees. 　　　 Researchers successfully introduced seeds that were designed to resist the virus. Since then, more and more people have been testing genetically engineered trees. 　　 Some researchers put special bacteria into trees to help them grow faster and produce better wood. Others are trying to create trees that can clean polluted soil. 　　 Meanwhile fruit farmers are looking for trees that are strong enough to resist worms, and paper companies want trees that produce more wood and therefore more paper. 　　 The Pentagon (五角大楼，美国国防部所在地) even gave the researchers US$500,000 this year after they developed a pine tree that changes its colours if it senses a chemical attack. 　　 So far, the poplar, eucalyptus (杨树与桉树), apple and coffee trees are among those being engineered. All this is can be done today because we have a better understanding of tree genomes (基因组). 　　 However, some people fear that the genetically engineered trees will cause dangerous results. They are worried that the new trees will breed with natural species and change the balance of the forest environment.

"It could be destructive," said Jim Diamond, an environmentalist. "Trees are what is left of our natural environment and home to many endangered species." 　　 But researchers insist that science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers. 　　 They hope to answer the critics by stopping the new trees from breeding, so their effect on the environment can be controlled.

2.　　　 Which statement is true?

A.　　　　 Intelligence is something we are born with.

B.　　　　 Intelligence depends on birth.

C.　　　　 We can make a boy born with low intelligence clever by special education.

D.　　　　 People who have no blood relation can’t have the same intelligence.