Half of the world’s population is affected by Asian monsoons（季风）, but monso

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     Half of the world’s population is affected by Asian monsoons（季风）, but monsoons are difficult to
predict. American researchers have put together a 700-year record of the rainy seasons, which is
expected to provide guidance for experts making weather predictions.
     Every year, moist （潮湿的）air masses, known as monsoon，produce large amounts of rainfall in
India, East Asia, Northern Australia and East Africa. All this wet air is pulled in by a high pressure area
over the Indian Ocean and a low pressure area to the south.
     According to Edward Cook, a weather expert at Columbia University in New York, the complex
nature of the climate systems across Asia makes monsoons hard to predict. In addition, climate records
for the area are too recent and not detailed enough to be of much use. Therefore, he and a team of
researchers spent more than fifteen years traveling across Asia, looking for trees old enough to provide
long-term records. They measured the rings, or circles, inside thousands of ancient trees in more than 300 places.
     Rainfall has a direct link to the growth and width of rings on some kinds of trees. The researchers
developed a document they are calling a Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas. It shows the effect of monsoons
over seven centuries, beginning in the 1300s.
     Professor Cook says the tree-ring records show periods of wet and dry weather. "If the monsoon
basically fails or is a very weak one, the trees affected by monsoons at that location might put on a very
narrow ring. But if the monsoon is very strong, the trees affected by that monsoon might put on a wide
ring for that year. So, the wide and narrow ring widths of the chronology that we developed in Asia
provide us with a measure of monsoon variability." With all this information, researchers say they can
begin to improve computer climate models for predicting the behavior of monsoons.
     "There has been widespread famine and starvation and human dying in the past in large droughts. And
on the other hand, if the monsoon is particularly heavy, it can cause extensive flooding." said Eugene
Wahl, a scientist with America"s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "So, to get a sense
of what the regional moisture patterns have been, dryness and wetness over such a long period of time in
great detail, I would call it a kind of victory for climate science."1. What"sthe passage mainly about?A. The effects of Asian monsoons.
B. The necessity of weather forecast.
C. The achievements of Edward cook.
D. A breakthrough in monsoon prediction.2. It is difficult for experts to predict Asian monsoons because_________A. it is hard to keep long-term climate records.
B. they are formed under complex climate systems.
C. they influence many nations.
D. there is heavy rainfall in Asia.3. What can be inferred from the passage?A. Long and details climate records can offer useful information for monsoon research.
B. The Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas has a monsoon record for about 1,300 years.
C. The trees affected by monsoon grow fast if the monsoon is weak.
D. The rainfall might be low although the monsoon is strong in monsoon-affected areas.4. What do we know about the research according to Eugene Wahl?A. It is a great achievement in climate science.
B. It should include information about human life in the past.
C. It has analysed moisture models world wide,
D. It will help people prevent droughts and floods.5. Which of the following best describes the tone of this passage?A. Matter-of-fact
B. Pessimistic
C. Humorous
D. Friendly.

答案

1-5: DBAAA

举一反三

阅读理解。     Medical experts have established that there is a direct link between our personality and
better health. According to a new study, the ability of the body to resist some diseases that
are associated with stress is not just a matter of our genetics, race, or gender, but a matter
of our personality.
      The investigators followed 103 adults above 40, examining their personalities and degrees
of extroversion. They found that extroverts (性格外向者)have significantly lower levels of
an inflammatory (炎症性的)chemical that leads to the blocking of arteries(动脉),heart attack
and stroke. They have also found that extroversion is an image of personality which consists
of three parts: a tendency to think in a happy way, a desire to be around other people and a
sense of active engagement with life.
     Though the study was able to show that extroversion and active involvement in life are
associated with lower levels of the inflammatory chemical, it may be really hard to tell which
one comes first. Dr. Chapman warned that the researchers have not discovered yet whether
low inflammation is a result of people"s tendencies toward socializing, or inflammation itself is
affecting people by changing their personality tendencies.
     The researchers are not sure how to stimulate people to change their lifestyle or nature.
Physical activity may be a piece of the solution, and has been found to lower stress levels,
especially with aging. Dr. Chapman says that beyond exercise, some individuals just have
this innate (天生的)energy that makes them enthusiastically involved in life. As a result,their
bodies have an increased ability to resist the physical effects of stress.
     The experts arc continuing to try to develop specific therapies, such as the ones  that are
being used to treat depression, and to help people find ways to increase active engagement
in life. Engaging in life can keep people much happier and healthier.1．List all the factors that affect the body"s resistance against diseases caused by stress according to the new study. (No more than 5 words)
________________________________________________________________________2．What would happen to a person if he or she had a large amount of inflammatory chemical? (No more than 12 words)
________________________________________________________________________3．Why are some people actively involved in life besides exercise according to Dr. Chapman? (No more than 13 words)
________________________________________________________________________4．What"s the main idea of the passage? (No more than 10 words)
________________________________________________________________________

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阅读理解     Even plants can run a fever, especially when they"re under attack by insects or disease. But unlike
human, plants can have their temperature taken from 3,000 feet away-straight up. A decade ago,
adopting the infrared(红外线)scanning technology developed for military purposes and other satellites,
physicist Stephen Paley came up with a quick way to take the temperature of crops to determine which
ones are under stress. The goal was to let farmers precisely target pesticide(杀虫剂)spraying rather than
rain poison on a whole field, which invariably includes plants that don"t have pest problems.
     Even better, Paley"s Remote Scanning Services Company could detect crop problems before they
became visible to the eye. Mounted on a plane flown at 3,000 feet at night, an infrared scanner measured
the heat emitted by crops. The data were transformed into a colourcoded map showing where plants
were running "fevers". Farmers could then spotspray, using 50 to 70 percent less pesticide than they
otherwise would.
     The bad news is that Paley"s company closed down in 1984, after only three years. Farmers resisted
the new technology and longterm backers were hard to find. But with the renewed concern about
pesticides on produce, and refinements in infrared scanning, Paley hopes to get back into operation.
Agriculture experts have no doubt the technology works. "This technique can be used on 75 percent of
agricultural land in the United States, " says George Oerther of Texas A & M. Ray Jackson, who recently retired from the Department of Agriculture, thinks remote infrared crop scanning could be adopted by the end of the decade. But only if Paley finds the financial backing which he failed to obtain 10 years ago.1. Plants will send out an increased amount of heat when they are________.A. facing an infrared scanner
B. sprayed with pesticides
C. in poor physical condition
D. exposed to excessive sun rays 2. In order to apply pesticide spraying precisely, we can use infrared scanning to________. A. estimate the damage to the crops
B. draw a colourcoded map
C. measure the size of the affected area
D. locate the problem area3. Farmers can save a considerable amount of pesticide by________.A. resorting to spotspraying
B. transforming poisoned rain
C. consulting infrared scanning experts
D. detecting crop problems at an early stage 4. The application of infrared scanning technology to agriculture met with some difficulties-________.A. its high cost
B. the lack of official support
C. the lack of financial support
D. its failure to help increase production 5. Infrared scanning technology may be brought back into operation because of________. A. full support from agricultural experts
B. growing concern about the excessive use of pesticides on crops
C. the forceful promotion by the Department of Agriculture
D. the desire of farmers to improve the quality of their produce

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     Nuclearpowered aircraft carriers are considered one of the most important marine weapons in the
20th century. So far, only two countries in the world, the USA and France, have ever produced them.
But these fearful fighting machines are about to enter Asia.
     The US Navy said last month that one of its nine nuclearpowered aircraft carriers will be sent to
Japan to replace the diesel(柴油)powered carrier Kitty Hawk in 2008. In an agreement on October
30, the two countries also planned to level up their military (军事的) cooperation and the USA called
for Japan to take a larger role in alliance military moves.
     It will be the first time that a nuclearpowered carrier is based in Japan. Bombed by US forces in
World War? at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan is the only world country to have been attacked by
a nuclear weapon. Therefore, the citizens are highly sensitive to where nuclearpowered weapons are
based.
     "A radiation leak at Yokosuka would kill 100,000 people as far away as Tokyo, and could cause
billions of dollars in damage," said Masahiko Goto, leader of a protest group in Yokosuka. His group
has collected more than 300,000 signatures of people across Japan opposed to the nuclear carrier.
     The 44 year old Kitty Hawk, the US Navy"s oldest active ship, has been based in Yokosuka since
1998. It had returned to the US to be decommissioned in 2008. The new carrier, yet to be unveiled,_
will travel faster, be capable of supporting longer operations and carry with it the Navy"s most modern
technology.
     Experts pointed that this change is not only to strengthen the USJapan military alliance but also to
keep the military power of China and North Korea within limits. However, even Japanese experts
don"t believe that the two countries are threats to the region.
     "There is no need for Japan to have a nuclear carrier as defense," said Tetsuo Maeda, an
international relations professor at Tokyo International University. He said that the change of ship
indicates an increased military capability in the region, much more than what is needed.1. With such a formidable weapon to enter its country, Japanese citizens ________. A. are aware of its benefits to the country
B. are anxious about its potential danger
C. are curious about the advanced technology
D. are against where the carrier will be based 2. The replacement of the aircraft carrier is intended to________. A. set up a kind of base in Japan
B. strengthen the USJapan military alliance
C. show Japan"s greater military capability
D. get rid of the dated marine weapon3. From the story, we learn that________. A. no other countries except the USA and France possess aircraft carriers
B. Japan has long planned to increase its military capability with new weapons
C. Japan will be the first country in Asia to have a nuclear aircraft carrier
D. Japan will be the third country to produce a nuclearpowered aircraft carrier4. The underlined word "unveiled" in the fifth paragraph probably means________. A. perfected
B. discussed about
C. produced
D. brought to view 5. By his remark in the last paragraph, the professor means that________. A. he is quite confident of their military defense
B. he is completely opposed to a new nuclear carrier
C. what is needed is far more than a nuclear carrier
D. it is unnecessary to guard against the two countries

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     An American space company says a powerful new rocket should be ready for a test launch by the
end of 2012. The company is Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX. Its new rocket is called the
Falcon Heavy.
     Company officials say it"ll be able to transport satellites or spacecraft weighing up to 53 metric tons
into orbit. Fiftythree metric tons is 117,000 pounds. That load weight is double the capacity of NASA
space shuttles. The space agency is retiring its shuttles after thirty years.
     Elon Musk is the chief executive officer of SpaceX. He says the Falcon Heavy will be the second
most powerful rocket ever. He says it was designed to carry satellites and other equipment into space.
He says the rocket was designed to meet NASA"s ratings for human flight safety. So it could someday
be used to carry astronauts and other travelers into space.
     Mr. Musk says the Falcon Heavy could also be used for missions(任务) like carrying a robotic lander
to collect samples from Mars. He says, "It has so much more capability than any other vehicle that I think we can start to consider missions like a Mars sample return, which requires a tremendous amount of lift
capability because you"ve got to send a lander to Mars that still has enough propellant(推进物) to return
to Earth."
     The first launch is planned from the company’s launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. A launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is expected in late 2013 or 2014.
     In time, SpaceX hopes to launch ten Falcon Heavy rockets a year. It says the rocket should cut back
on launch costs to about 2,000 dollars a kilogram.
     SpaceX already has a billionandahalfdollar deal with NASA to use a smaller rocket to transport
cargo(货物) to the International Space Station. The rocket is the Falcon 9, and the deal is for after the
two last shuttles-Endeavour and Atlantis-are retired this year.
1. What do we know about the feature of the new rocket from the second paragraph?
(No more than 11 words)
________________________________________________________________________
2. Why did SpaceX want to design the new rocket？(No more than 16 words)
________________________________________________________________________
3. Why can the new rocket be used to carry a robotic lander to collect samples from Mars?
(No more 6 words)
________________________________________________________________________
4. What will SpaceX do for the NASA after Endeavour and Atlantis are retired?
(No more than 14 words)
________________________________________________________________________

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阅读理解                     Father upset by Manchester school"s "Victorian" wall of shame
     Josie Robinson, who appeared on a so-called wall of shame at her school in south Manchester, was
in tears. Her father has hit out at the "Victorian" methods.
     Chorlton High School put up pictures of year 10 pupils who teachers believed had behaved badly.
Children singled out for praise were placed on the wall of fame. Its head teacher said the scheme (策划)
was designed to motivate pupils.
     Carlo Robinson, whose daughter Josie was put on the wall after missing lessons, wants to make a
complaint. The teenager had been missing school and turning up late because she was upset that her
mother was ill. She said: " I thought it was embarrassing."
    Mr Robinson added: "She was in tears. She couldn"t tell me at first - it took her about an hour-because she wasn"t sure what I would think of it. When she told me I was really shocked. I contacted at least 20
friends and they all agreed it was wrong - it"s like Victorian times."
     Head teacher Andy Park said: "We"ve successfully used a similar scheme in the past with Year 11
students to incentivise pupils and it really did make a difference - pupils took it in the right spirit and were motivated by it to improve their performance. Obviously this latest scheme wasn"t intended to cause
offence to pupils. It was actually developed to praise the students moving forwards successfully and to
support pupils who needed to make improvements. No parents have complained directly to the school
and I"d be very happy to meet with any parents to discuss further."
     Mr Robinson told the reporter he had contacted the school to schedule a meeting with the head
teacher. 1. What does Mr. Robinson mean by saying this is the "Victorian" methods?  A. The methods ignore women"s rights.
B. The methods are totally out of time.
C. The methods have a long history.
D. The methods worked well in the past. 2. Why had Josie been missing school, according to her father? A. She got up late.
B. She hated the wall of shame.
C. She wasn"t on the wall of fame.
D. Her mother was not well.  3. What does the underlined word "incentivise" most probably mean? A. To encourage.
B. To exchange.
C. To hurt. D. To force. 4. What can we learn from the passage?  A. The scheme proved successful before.
B. Most students didn"t take the scheme in the right spirit.
C. Twenty other parents have similar complaints.
D. The school has apologized to Mr. Robinson.

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