Britain’s seed bank, the only one in the world aiming to collect all of the planet’s wild plant species, has reached its goal of banking 10 percent by 2010.

The Millennium Seed Bank Project, run by Kew Gardens—one of the oldest botanical gardens—will officially deposit the 24,200th species on Thursday, a pink, wild banana from China.

More than 50 countries are now on board with Kew's giant task but vast places of the globe, including India and Brazil, still need to join in and donate seeds, director Paul Smith said.                                                                                                                                                             

The seed bank is one of the largest and most diverse in the world with more than 1.5 billion seeds. Its goal is to help protect the planet’s bio-diversity during a time of climate change.

The wild banana seed is under threat of extinction(灭绝) in southwest China from agricultural development. It is a vital food source for Asian elephants and important for growing bananas for human consumption.

Stored at minus-20 degrees centigrade, so they can last for thousands of years, the seeds await the day that scientists hope never comes—when the species no longer exist in the wild.

It is a race against time, Smith said, because in the last decade alone, 20 plants held in the bank have already been wiped out in the wild. He estimates that between a third and a quarter will become extinct this century.

"It is urgent and it is happening now. An area, the size of England, is cleared of primary vegetation（植被）every year." Smith said.

Because most of the world's food and medicines come from nature, protecting wild plant species is quite important, scientists say. There are already many other seed banks safeguarding food crops, which only account for 0.6 percent of plant diversity.

For Kew's next goal—to collect a quarter of wild varieties by 2020—the botanists need 10 million pounds a year, or a further 100 million pounds on top of the 40 million they have already been granted.

What’s the final purpose of the Britain’s seed bank?

  A. To collect enough money for the project.  B. To safeguard food crops.

  C. To protect wild plants from extinction.        D. To help scientists study wild plants.

The wild banana seed in China is in danger because of _______.

  A. the expanding of farming work           B. the climate change in this area

  C. the large number of Asian elephants       D. human’s large consumption

We can learn from the passage that _______.

  A. the seeds in the bank can be used now and then all over the world

  B. India and Brazil haven’t joined in the Seed Bank Project at present

  C. there is only one seed bank in the world at present

  D. the wild plants in places like India and China will never die out

What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 7 refer to?

  A. The extinction of plant species.           B. The Millennium Seed Bank Project. 

C. Britain’s seed bank.                    D. Kew Gardens’ next goal.

Which of the following information isn’t mentioned in the passage?

  A. The global partnership of collecting wild plant species.

  B. The temperature condition of the conservative wild plant species.

  C. The government’s financial support for the seed bank project.

D. Scientists’ concern on the extinct wild plant species.

The Japanese economy is at a standstill，Japan ’ s government has said, as concerns about the

strong yen(曰元）continue to grow. The recovery in the economy was “pausing"，the Cabinet Office said in a monthly statement.

It is the most negative that the government has been about the economy in nearly two years. The rising yen and a slowdown in global demand for Japanese exports were blamed for the setback.

In recent months, the government has insisted that the economy is “picking up". But it said it now expected the economy to Femain weak for some time, with “weakening" exports a chief concern. It said shipments to Asia in particular were becoming weaker, further hitting exporters that are already suffering from the strong yen.

The yen remains near a 15 - year high against the US dollar, despite the financial interfer-ence ( 干预）in the currency markets last month for the first time in six years.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan(菅直人）has also passed a $ 63 billion stimulus(剌激）package in an effort to protect exporters who have seen the poor exchange rate eat into their prof-its. At the close of markets in Tokyo，the yen was trading at 81.44 yen to the dollar, just off the high of 81.27 yen.

"If the economy turns out as expected, we may end up describing the current situation as a soft patch，” one of die government officials said ’ “ But if it comes under further downward pressure, it could end up slipping into recession (衰退）.”

The Japanese government think the current bad economy situation is partly due to   .

A. the decline of the strong yen    B. the unsatisfactory exports

 C. the government' s mistaken policy   D. the decline in the quality of goods

In recent months, the government has a(n) attitude towards the economy situation.

A. shocking B. negative C. optimistic   D. aggressive

From the passage we know the government has taken measures mainly to   .

A. protect the foreign markets  B. protect profits of its hitting exporters

C. monitor the yen exchange rate    D. stimulate domestic demands

The passage could probably be found in .

A. government white paper   B. a science fiction

C. a travel journal D. a newspaper report

读写任务(共1小题，满分25分)

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文

I once met a middle-aged stranger who said his money had been stolen at the railway station，so he had no money to go home. He begged for help from passers-by，but they all pretended not to have heard what he was saying and went by quickly. Then he stopped me and wanted me to give him the help. At first I could not accept that because I didn't think he was telling the truth. But when I saw tears in his eyes，I began to believe that he might be in the real trouble，so，just immediately I gave him all the money I had. When he took the money， his face turned red. Before he left，he expressed his great thanks and also said he would give back my money when he reached home.

When I came back to school and told my classmates about my story，they held different opinions. Some of them thought that I did a good deed to have given a hand to the person in trouble，while others said that I was cheated. Some even laughed at me and called me a fool who could not judge things in the right way. Now，I am really confused！

【写作内容】

1.请用30个词概括短文的要点；

2.以约120个词就"陌生人可不可信"的主题发表看法，并包括如下要点：

    （1）叙述你给予陌生人帮助或拒绝帮助陌生人的一次真实或虚构的经历；   

    （2）说明你的理由。

 【写作要求】

    1.可以使用实例或其它论述方法支持你的论点，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；  

    2.标题自定。

用课本中学过的短语或者结构完成下列句子。（5和6小题各1.5分，其余每小题2分，共15分）

1. 我们应该充分利用每一分钟。

We should try to ______ ______ ______ ____ every minute.

2. 这是在两国交战的时期。

This was a time ______ the two countries _____ _____ _____.

3. 随着时间的推移，我们相信一切都会更美好。

_____ _____ ______ ______, we are sure that everything will be better .

4. 黄昏时我碰巧在楼上，窗户是开着的。

I ______ ______ ______ upstairs at dusk ______ the window was open.

5. 我们迫不及待地要见到他们。

We _______ ______ ______ to see them!

6. 说实在的，很多人把名和利看得很重。

To be honest, a lot of people ______ great _______ _____ becoming rich and famous.

7. 你们应该多关注我生活的热带雨林。

You should ______ more ______ _____ the rainforest _______ I live.

8. 跑步、游泳、划船和一些团队项目是在夏季运动会上进行的。

_____ ______ in the Summer Olympics _______ you have the running races, together _____ swimming, sailing and all the team sports.

As a boy of six,            .

    A. Tim’s parents asked him to play the piano every day.

    B. Tim and his parents would play the piano together.

    C. Tim had to practice playing the piano every day.

    D. to learn playing the piano is too hard for Tim.

　Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son: suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. “The door to his room is always shut.” Joanna noted.

Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter. “She used to cuddle up (蜷伏)with me on the sofa and talk,” said Mark. “Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady. The problem is figuring out which time is which.”

Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their minds. “In fact, parents are first on the list.” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. “This completely changes during the teen years.” Riera explained. “They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last.”

Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental break, for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.

“The door to his room is always shut” suggests that the son          .

 A．keeps himself away from his parents  

B．doesn’t want to be disturbed

 C．is always busy with his studies      

D．begins to dislike his parents

What troubles Tina and Mark most is that       .

 A．their daughter isn’t as lovely as before

 B．they don’t know what to say to their daughter

 C．they can’t read their daughter’s mind exactly

 D．their daughter talks with them only when she needs help

Which of the following best explains “the wall of silence” in the last paragraph?

 A．Teenagers do not talk much with their parents.

 B．Teenagers do not want to understand their parents.

 C．Teenagers talk a lot with their friends.

 D．Teenagers talk little about their own lives.

．What can be learned from the passage?

 A．Parents are unhappy with their growing children.

 B．Parents have suitable ways to talk with their teenagers.

 C．Parents should try to understand their teenagers.

 D．Parents should be patients with their silent teenagers.

信息匹配（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分)

    阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将该顼涂黑，选E请同时涂AB，选基请同时涂CD。

    以下是儿童读物的信息： 

以下是购买者或小读者的信息，请匹配购买者或小读者的信息与他们对应的读物。

Mrs. Green is a nurse in a hospital in London. She has a lovely daughter. She

    often says to her, "Hey, Baby! Look at you,. looking at me, looking at you looking

    at me." She is going to send her daughter to Grade 1 this September and buy a

    book with 40 pages for her.

Joe enjoys reading picture books about animals.He often buys some new ones.

    Last Saturday he bought a new book. There is such a sentence on the first page:

    "In a heart-warming twist on the ‘I-can-do-anything-you-can-do-better' theme,

    Little Nutbrown Hare goes through a series of declarations regarding the breadth

    of his love for Big Nutbrown Hare."

Tong Tong is five years and two months old now. Her father bought him a story

book for his birthday on July 2. Now he is reading "But as the boy grew older

he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave..."

Mr. Smith lives in New York City. He has a two-year-old grandson; who likes to

    listen to some stories about animals and read picture books with a hide-and-seek

    adventure and lots of pop-up surprises on every page!

Susan's mother bought her a new book today. In this book, there are many good

bedtime activities---a reappearing little mouse is particularly pesky: By the

end of the little rabbit's goodnight poem, the story has quieted to a whisper,

and the drawings have darkened with nightfall. As you turn the last page, you

can expect a sleepy smile and at least a yawn or two.

— I want someone to write the composition for me.

— No. As a student, you ________ depend on yourself.

A. shall       B. will     C. can  D. may

For many years, people           electric cars. However, making them has been more difficult than predicted.

    A. had dreamed of           B. have dreamed of      C. dreamed of           D. dream of

I ______ from him ever since he ______in Shanghai.

   A. didn’t hear, settled     B. haven’t heard, settled

C. don’t hear, settles      D. didn’t hear, hasn’t settled