Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men, in which he looked millions of years ahead. He told of different men and of strange civilisations（文明）, broken up by long 'dark ages' in between. In his view, what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men. In 2,000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth or Last Men.
　　However, most of our ideas about the future are really very short-sighted. Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years. But the next hundred ? The next thousand? The next million? That's much more difficult.
　　When men and women lived by hunting 50,000 years ago, how could they even begin to picture modern life? Yet to men of 50,000 years from now, we may seem as primitive（原始的）in our ideas as the Stone-Age hunters do to us. Perhaps through the spundels and ballalators, these words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas that we simply can't think of .
　　So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future ? Here are two reasons. First unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are. If we make the earth a poor place to live because. we are careless or greedy（贪婪） or quarrelsome,our grand-children will not bother to think of excuses for us.
　　Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we may arrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves. For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now. So set your imagination free when you think about the future .
53．A particular mention made of Stapledon's book in the opening paragraph ____________
　　A．serves as a description of human history
　　B．serves an introduction to the discussion
　　C．shows a disagreement of views
　　D． Shows the popularity of the book
54．The text discusses men and women 50,000 years ago and 50,000 years from now in order to show that _________.
　　A．human history is extremely long    B．life has changed a great deal
　　C．it is useless to plan for the next 50 years
　　D．it is difficult to tell what will happen in the future
55．Spundels and ballalators are used in the text to refer to _________.
　　A．tools used in farming                   B．ideas about modern life
　　C．unknown things in the future         D．hunting skills in the Stone Age
56．According to the writer of the text, imagining the future will _________.
　　A．serve the interests of the present and future generations
　　B．enable us to better understand human history
　　C．help us to improve farming
　　D．make life worth living

E
Brazil has become one of the developing world’s great successes at reducing population growth－but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
Brazil’s population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas (通俗电视连续剧) and installment (分期付款) plans introduced in the 1970s. both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering, the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world’s biggest producers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil’s most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
“Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values － not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working,” says Martine. “They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package.”
Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers (消费者). “This led to an enormous change in consumption (消耗、消费) patterns and consumption was incompatible (不相容的) with unlimited reproduction.” Says Martine.
57. According to the passage, Brazil has cut back its population growth ____.
A. by educating its citizens 　　　　　　　　B. by careful family planning
C. by developing TV programs 　　　　　　　D. by chance
58. According to the passage, many Third World countries ______.
A. haven’t attacked much importance to birth control
B. would soon join Brazil in controlling their birth rate
C. haven’t yet found an effective measure to control their population
D. neglected the role of TV plays in family planning
59. Soap operas have helped in lowering Brazil’s birth rate because ____.
A. they keep people sitting long hours watching TV
B. they have gradually changed people’s way of life
C. people are drawn to their attractive package
D. they popularize birth control measures
60. What is Martine’s conclusion about Brazil’s population growth?
A. The increase in birth rate will increase consumption.
B. The desire for consumption helps to reduce birth rate.
C. Consumption patterns and reproduction patterns are contradictory (互相矛盾的)
D. A country’s production is limited by its population growth.

My payment rose_____10% in April_____ the same month last year.

A. in; compared to　 B.to; compared with　 C. in; compared with　 D. by; compared to

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从第36至第55小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。                         

Washoe is a young chimpanzee(黑猩猩). She is no 36 chimpanzee, though. Scientists are doing a research 37her. They want to see how civilized(驯化)she can 38 Already she does many things a human being can do.

　　For example, she has been learning how to exchange 39with people. The scientists are teaching her 40language. When she wants to be picked 41, Washoe points up with one finger. She rubs her teeth with her finger 42she wants to brush her teeth. This is done after every meal.

　　Washoe has also been 43to think out and find answers to problems. Once she was put in a 44with food hanging from the ceiling. It was too high to 45 . After she considered the 46 she got a tall box to stand 47The food was still too high to be reached.Washoe found a 48pole. Then she climbed onto the49, grasped the pole, and 50 down the food with the pole.

Washoe 51 like a human, too. The scientists keep her in a fully furnished(家具齐全的)house. After a hard 52in the laboratory, she goes home. 53 she plays with her toys. She 54 enjoys watching television before going to bed.

　　Scientists hope to 55 more about people by studying our closest,relative(亲属)—chimpanzee.

1. A.foolish　　　  B.ordinary　　　  C.special　　　   D.simple

2. A.for　　　　　 B.by　　　　　　 C.to　　　　  　 D.on

3.A.experience　   B.change　　　　 C.develop　　　  D.become

4. A.actions　　　  B.views　　　　  C.messages　　   D.feelings

5.A.sign　　　　  B.human　　　　 C.spoken　　　   D.foreign

6.A.out　　　　　 B.at　　　　　　 C.on　　　　　  D.up

7.A.when　　　　 B.until　　　　   C.since　　　　  D.while

8.A.raised　　　  B.trained　　　    C.ordered　　　  D.led

9.A.cave　　　　 B.zoo　　　　　   C.room　　　   D.museum

10.A.pull　　　　  B.see　　　　　  C.eat　　　　   D.reach

11.A.problem　　　B.position　　　  C.food　　　　  D.ceiling

12.A.by　　　　　 B.on　　　　　　C.up　　　　    D.with

13.A.straight　　   B.strong　　　　 C.long　　　　  D.big

14.A.wall　　　　  B.box　　　　　 C.ceiling　　　  D.pole

15.A.knocked　　　 B.picked　　　　 C.took　　　　  D.shook

16.A.lives　　　　  B.acts　　　　　 C.thinks　　　   D.plays

17.A.task　　　　  B.lesson　　　　 C.day　　　   　D.time

18.A.Here　　　　 B.There　　　　  C.So　　　　    DThen

19.A.quite　　　　 B.already　　　   C.even　　　　  D.still

20.A.observe　　　B.discover　　　   C.gain　　　　  D.learn

五、Cloze test(完形填空)20分

When Dave was eighteen,he bought a second-hand car for ￡200 so that he could travel to and from work more 　1　 than by bus.It worked quite well for a few years,but then it got so old,and it was costing him 　2　 much in repairs that he decided that he had better 　3　 it.

He asked among his friends to see if anyone was particularly 　4  to buy a cheap car,but they all knew that it was falling to pieces,so  5  of them had any desire to buy it.

Dave's friend Sam saw that he was  6  when they met one evening,and said,“What's  7 ,Dave?” Dave told him and Sam answered,“Well,what about advertising it in the paper? You may   8  more for it that way than the cost of the advertisement!” Thinking that Sam's   9  was sensible,he put an advertisement in an evening paper,which read:“For sale:small car,  10  very little petrol,only two owners.Bargain at ￡50.”

For two days after the advertisement first appeared,there was no   11 .But then on Saturday evening a man rang up and said he would like to  12  him about the car.“All right,” Dave said,feeling happy.He asked the man whether ten o'clock the next morning would be   13  or not.“Fine,” the man said.“And I'll  14  my wife.We intend to go for a ride in it to   15  it.”

The next morning,at ten quarter,Dave parked the car in the square outside his front door,  16  to wait there for the person who had   17  his advertisement.Even Dave had to   18  that the car really looked like a wreck.Then soon after he had got the car as   19  as it could be,a police car stopped just behind him and a policeman got out.He looked at Dave's car and then said,“Have you reported this   20  to us yet,sir?”

1.A.directly           B.safely                 C.properly                    D.easily

2.A.so                          B.such                          C.very                          D.too

3.A.keep               B.repair                 C.sell                           D.throw

4.A.anxious                  B.lucky                        C.ashamed                    D.generous

5.A.some               B.neither               C.none                         D.no one

6.A.calm               B.upset                         C.delighted                   D.astonished

7.A.no                         B.up                            C.it                       D.that

8.A.learn               B.miss                          C.get                            D.find

9.A.message                 B.advice                C.request               D.description

10.A.uses                     B.loses                         C.has                           D.spends

11.A.doubt                   B.help                          C.trouble               D.answer

12.A.tell                B.see                            C.agree                        D.call

13.A.exact                    B.suitable                     C.early                         D.late

14.A.follow                  B.meet                         C.bring                        D.introduce   

15.A.test               B.obtain                C.admire               D.recognize

16.A.failing           B.meaning                    C.turning               D.happening

17.A.read                     B.placed                C.answered                   D.understood

18.A.forget                   B.show                         C.disagree                    D.admit

19.A.clean                    B.crowded                    C.fast                           D.light

20.A.bargain          B.sale                           C.accident                    D.result