Man first appeared on earth half a million years ago. Then he was little more than an animal; but early man had several big advantages over the animals. He had a large brain, he had an upright body, he had clever hands; and he had in his brain special groups of nerve cells, not present in animals, that enabled him to invent a language and use it to communicate with his fellow men. (46) This ability to speak was of great value because it allowed men to share ideas, and to plan together, so that tasks impossible for a single person could be successfully undertaken by intelligent team-work. Speech also enabled ideas to be passed on from generation to generation so that the stock of human knowledge slowly increased. It was these special advantages that put men far ahead of other living creatures in the struggle for existence. They can use their intelligence against their difficulties and master them. Since these far-off times, when he first appeared, man has achieved a great deal. He has used animals, steam, electricity and oil to move himself more and more quickly from place to place. He has overcome rivers and seas with rafts, canoes, boats and ships of endless variety. (47) He mastered dark ness, to% first with dim lights and later with brighter and brighter lamps, until he can now make for himself so dazzling a light with an arc-lamp that, like the sun, it is too strong for his naked eyes. (48) Man found that his own muscles were too weak for the work which he wanted to do; he explored many forms of power—wind, water, steam, electricity—until now he has his hands on the ultimate source of physical energy, the nuclear power which ties together the smallest units from which all matter is made. From man"s earliest days the flight of birds has raised his wonder and desire. Why should he not fly as they did? Then he began to experiment. At last he learnt how to make the right machines to carry him through the air. Now he can fly faster than sound. Already he has plans for conquering space, and a series of experiments has been completed. (49) It will not be long now before man takes a giant step away from his planet and visits the moon, learning what it is like to have no weight to his body, no upward direction and no downward. Man, always a wanderer, has to overcome the difficulty of adapting himself to different climates, (50) Fortunately, in spite of having no thick skin or warm fur to protect him, he is peculiarly strong compared with other living creatures, most of whom are unable to live far outside the region that suits them best. Man, however, can go almost everywhere. You will find him living on the plains and up in the hills; he lives in damp areas and in dry; in the forests of the hot regions of the earth, and in snow huts in the Far North.

Considered by many to be one of the greatest statesmen of all time, Benjamin Franklin has, without a doubt, left an indelible mark on history for all time. The man who would come to impact the course of the United States" development came from the most humble of backgrounds. Born the fifteenth child of a candle maker in Boston, Massachusetts, young Benjamin only attended two years of formal schooling before entering the candle making business himself at the age of ten. After his stint in the candle shop, he worked in a printing shop for five years, educating himself all the while by constantly reading and writing. Franklin"s intellectual and political growth continued unabated for decades, with such notable achievements along the way as the famous "Poor Richard"s Almanac" which was used as a tool by farmers and as entertainment by more intellectual patrons. Also personally responsible for the founding of the first public library in the United States, the University of Pennsylvania, the fire department and police force of his state, young Franklin was seldom seen at rest, preferring to utilize his talents for the betterment of his community. He was particularly crucial in the formation of the new American republic after its war of independence from Britain, using his considerable intellectual clout to influence thinkers of the period and garner support for the revolution. In 1776, Franklin traveled to France on a diplomatic mission, the culmination of which was a strategic alliance that greatly assisted the ailing American military with France"s naval power. Franklin was still not satisfied to rest on his laurels after liberation from England was achieved, rather continuing on his rapid pace of accomplishments. In 1785 he returned to Pennsylvania to take part in the Constitutional Convention, and ended up writing a good deal of the constitution himself. Smaller feats were continually achieved, up until the time of his death on April 17, 1790. He was busy until the end, constantly working toward the betterment of humanity. A telling tribute is the fact that just two months prior to his death, he performed his last political action by signing a petition to Congress, which called for the abolition of the institution of slavery.

Your friend is in need of a secretary. Write a note to introduce Mary, an experienced secretary to him/her. You should write about 100 words and do not sign your own name at the end of the note. Use "Li Ming" instead.

BSection I Use of EnglishDirections: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D./B

Over the past decade, thousands of patents have been granted for what are called business methods. Amazon.com received one for its "one-click" online payment system. Merrill Lynch got legal protection for an asset allocation strategy. One inventor patented a technique for lifting a box. Now the nation"s top patent court appears completely ready to scale back on business-method patents, which have been controversial ever since they were first authorized 10 years ago. In a move that has intellectual-property lawyers abuzz, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said it would use a particular case to conduct a broad review of business-method patents. In re Bilski, as the case is known, is "a very big deal," says Dennis D. Crouch of the University of Missouri School of law. It "has the potential to eliminate an entire class of patents." Curbs on business-method claims would be a dramatic about-face , because it was the Federal Circuit itself that introduced such patents with its 1998 decision in the so-called State Street Bank case, approving a patent on a way of pooling mutual-fund assets. That ruling produced an explosion in business-method patent filings, initially by emerging internet companies trying to stake out exclusive rights to specific types of online transactions. Later, move established companies raced to add such patents to their files, if only as a defensive move against rivals that might beat them to the punch. In 2005, IBM noted in a court filing that it had been issued more than 300 business-method patents, despite the fact that it questioned the legal basis for granting them. Similarly, some Wall Street investment films armed themselves with patents for financial products, even as they took positions in court cases opposing the practice. The Bilski case involves a claimed patent on a method for hedging risk in the energy market. The Federal Circuit issued an unusual order stating that the case would be heard by all 12 of the court"s judges, rather than a typical panel of three, and that one issue it wants to evaluate is whether it should "reconsider" its State Street Bank ruling. The Federal Circuit"s action comes in the wake of a series of recent decisions by the supreme Court that has narrowed the scope of protections for patent holders. Last April, for example, the justices signaled that too many patents were being upheld for "inventions" that are obvious. The judges on the Federal Circuit are "reacting to the anti-patent trend at the Supreme Court," says Harold C. Wegner, a patent attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.

BSection I Use of EnglishDirections: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D./B

Over the last twenty years, scholarly and popular writers have analyzed and celebrated the worlds of leisure and entertainment in the burgeoning cities of mid-nineteenth-century America, greatly expanding the literature on these subjects. They have found an enthusiastic readership by offering glimpses of modes of leisure, performance, and charlatanism that passed from the scene in the early 20th century, indicating how lively they were and how comparatively impoverished our own entertainment choices have become in an era dominated by corporate electronic media. Many scholars have been lured into a fascination with the extinct demimonde of dime museums, exhibition hails, saloons, and industrial exhibitions. During this period entertainment relied upon artful deception, comparable in importance to such contemporary forms of amusement as minstrelsy and melodrama. The cultural activities were forms of representational play in which spectators are caused to doubt their perceptions and judgment. Entertainments that tricked, or duped the paying public flourished in America"s cities in the 19th century. What distinguished these cohorts of entertainers, was not their ability to perpetrate fraud but that they understood the dynamics of a new urban audience that enjoyed distinguishing the genuine from the fake and the authentic from the concocted. The willing audience for artful deceptions maintained a double consciousness in which it simultaneously marveled at the qualities of the object or action displayed while enjoying the act of appraising the quality, audacity, and performance of the deception. By offering semiotic analyses of a range of Victorian performances, we learn there was more to these exhibitions than appeared at first viewing. The tricks and lures of these entertainers deserve a more than marginal position in American cultural history.

You read an advertisement on Beijing Weekly, in which a foreign company is looking for a secretary. Write a letter to the personnel department of the company telling them about 1) your age, 2) your educational background, 3) your work experience. You should write about 100 words neatly. Do not sign your own name. Use "Li Ming" instead. You do not need to write the address.

You are required to write a memorandum on behalf of the Students" Union, encouraging all the students and teachers on your campus to make donations for people in flooded regions of our country. In your writing, you should cover the following points: 1) difficulties confronting people in flooded areas, 2) appeals to the readers, and 3) time and place to collect the donations. You should write about 100 words neatly.

You made a travel with the help of a travel agency and you were disappointed with service. Write a letter to the related department to: 1) complain about bad service; 2) advance your suggestions. You should write about 100 words. Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. Use "Li Ming" instead. You do not need to write the address.

Generally speaking, a British is widely regarded as a quiet, shy and conservative person who is (1)_____ only among those with whom he is acquainted. When a stranger is at present, he often seems nervous, (2)_____ embarrassed. You have to take a commuter train any morning or evening to (3)_____ the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or dozing in a corner; hardly anybody talks, since to do so would be considered quite offensive. (4)_____, there is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, (5)_____ broken, makes the offender immediately the object of (6)_____. It has been known as a fact that a British has a (7)_____ for the discussion of their weather and that, if given a chance, he will talk about it (8)_____. Some people argue that it is because the British weather seldom (9)_____ forecast and hence becomes a source of interest and (10)_____ to everyone. This may be so. (11)_____ a British cannot have much (12)_____ in the weathermen, who, after promising fine, sunny weather for the following day, are often proved wrong (13)_____ a cloud over the Atlantic brings rainy weather to all districts! The man in the street seems to be as accurate—or as inaccurate—as the weathermen in his (14)_____. Foreigners may be surprised at the number of references (15)_____ weather that the British make to each other in the course of a single day. Very often conversational greetings are (16)_____ by comments on the weather. "Nice day, isn"t it?" "Beautiful!" may well be heard instead of "Good morning, how are you?" (17)_____ the foreigner may consider this exaggerated and comic, it is worthwhile pointing out that it could be used to his advantage. (18)_____ he wants to start a conversation with a British but is (19)_____ to know where to begin, he could do well to mention the state of the weather. It is a safe subject which will (20)_____ an answer from even the most reserved of the British.

China"s entry into the WTO actually represents the result of a three-sided win-win situation - China, the United States and the WTO. China, still a developing country, has a total economic (1)_____ ranking seventh worldwide, and is the 10th largest nation (2)_____ trade worldwide. In the 21st century, China"s economy will have a (3)_____ impact on the world economy. Without China, the WTO is (4)_____, and its role greatly limited. Thus, China"s entry into the WTO is necessary for the WTO to realize its (5)_____, (6)_____ the United States, China"s entry into the WTO will (7)_____ the general needs of the development (8)_____ and the mutual interests of Sino U.S. (9)_____ trade, and will help gradually solve the problem of huge deficits in the U.S. trade with China. As for China, through 13 years of difficult (10)_____, China has finally realized its (11)_____ of joining the WTO as a developing country: the bilateral agreement between China and the United States (12)_____ this fundamental principle. China"s entry into the WTO as a developing country is of great significance, implying as it does that China will enjoy, according to law, a developing country"s preferential arrangements, protection of export subsidies for its embryonic industries, as well as (13)_____ stipulations(协定) in the tariff system. For example, China will retain for a six-year period a 25 percent import tax rate for its auto industry; in the agriculture sector, most of markets (wheat, maize, rice, cotton, sugar, and fertilizer) will be franchised by the State so as to ensure the State has (14)_____ means of macroeconomic control, thereby (15)_____ farmers" interests; and the banking sector will gradually open during a transitional period. Moreover, in some sectors, the markets will still remain closed, or, at least, the opening of these markets has to be specifically (16)_____ by the Chinese government. Only developing countries have the right to enjoy the above- mentioned buffer opportunities. The Sino-U. S. agreement further contains no (17)_____ prohibiting China from adopting WTO exceptional clauses; instead, China can adopt exceptional clauses which are exclusively (18)_____ to developing countries. This objectively recognizes that China enjoys status of a developing country and means that China can adopt such exceptional clauses as protection of its infant industries. Should its domestic markets be seriously affected or harmed by external factors? China can adopt temporary measures to compensate. In short, China"s (19)_____ to the WTO as a developing country ensures that China"s (20)_____ to the WTO are compatible with its current development level, thus greatly reducing the negative effects to China"s industries resulting from its entry into the WTO.

Your friend Peter had a traffic accident and one of his legs was injured. Write a note asking after his health. You should write 100 words. Do not sign your own name at the end of the note. Using "Li Ming" instead.

Saudi Arabia, the oil industry"s swing producer, has become its flip-flopper. In February, it persuaded OPEC to cut its total production quotas by lm barrels per day (bpd), to 23.5m, as a precaution against an oil-price crash this spring. That fear has since been replaced by its opposite. The price of West Texas crude hit $40 last week, its highest since the eve of the first Iraq war, prompting concerns that higher oil prices could sap the vigour of America"s recovery and compound the frailty of Europe"s. On Monday May 10th, Ali al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia"s energy minister, called on OPEC to raise quotas, by at least 1.5m bpd, at its next meeting on June 3rd. Thus far, the high oil price has been largely a consequence of good things, such as a strengthening world economy, rather than a cause of bad things, such as faster inflation or slower growth. China"s burgeoning economy guzzled about 6m bpd in the first quarter of this year, 15% more than a year ago, according to Goldman Sachs. Demand was also strong in the rest of Asia, excluding Japan, growing by 5.2% to 8.1m bpd. As the year progresses, the seasonal rhythms of America"s drivers will dictate prices, at least of the lighter, sweeter crudes. Americans take to the roads en masse in the summer, and speculators are driving up the oil price now in anticipation of peak demand in a few months" time. Until recently, the rise in the dollar price of oil was offset outside America and China by the fall in the dollar itself. But the currency has regained some ground in recent weeks, and the oil price has continued to rise. Even so, talk of another oil price shock is premature. The price of oil, adjusted for inflation, is only half what it was in December 1979, and the United States now uses half as much energy per dollar of output as it did in the early 1970s. But if oil cannot shock the world economy quite as it used to, it can still give it "a good kick", warns Goldman Sachs. If average oil prices for the year come in 10% higher than it forecast, it reckons GDP growth in the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations will be reduced by 0.3%, or $70 billion. The Americans are certainly taking the issue seriously. John Snow, their treasury secretary, called OPEC"s February decision "regrettable", and the rise in prices since then "not helpful". Washington pays close heed to the man at the petrol pump, who has seen the average price of a gallon of unleaded petrol rise by 39 cents in the past year. And the Saudis, some mutter, pay close heed to Washington. Besides, the high oil price may have filled Saudi coffers, but it has also affronted Saudi pride. Mr. al-Naimi thinks the high price is due to fears that supply might be disrupted in the future. These fears, he says, are "unwarranted". But the hulking machinery in the Arabian desert that keeps oil flowing round the world presents an inviting target to terrorists should they tire of bombing embassies and nightclubs. On May 1st, gunmen killed six people in a Saudi office of ABB Lummus Global, an American oil contractor. Such incidents add to the risk premium factored into the oil price, a premium that the Saudis take as a vote of no confidence in their kingdom and its ability to guarantee the supply of oil in the face of terrorist threats.

The topic of cloning has been a politically and ethically controversial one since its very beginning. While the moral and philosophical aspects of the issues are entirely up to the interpretation of the individual, the application of cloning technology can be studied objectively. Many in the scientific community advocate the use of cloning for the preservation and support of endangered species of animals, which aside from cloning, have no other practical hope for avoiding extinction. The goal of the use of cloning to avoid extinction is the reintroduction of new genes into the gene pool of species with few survivors, this ensuring the maintenance and expansion of genetic diversity. Likely candidates for this technique are species known to have very few surviving members, such as the African Bongo Antelope, the Sumatran Tiger, and the Chinese Giant Panda. In the case of Giant Panda, some artificial techniques for creating offspring have already been performed, perhaps paving the way for cloning as the next step in the process. With the estimated population of only about 1000 Giant Pandas left in the world, the urgency of the situation has led to desperate measures. One panda was born through the technique of artificial insemination in the San Diego Zoo in the United States. "Hua Mei" was born in 1999 after her parents, Hsing-Hsing and Ling-Ling, had trouble conceiving naturally. The plan to increase the Giant Panda population through the use of cloning involves the use of a species related to the Giant Panda, the American Black Bear. Egg cells will be removed from female black bears and then fertilized with Panda cells such as those from Ling-Ling or Hsing-Hsing. The fertilized embryo will then re-implanted into the black bear, where it will grow and mature, until a new panda is delivered from the black bear host. Critics of cloning technology argue that the emphasis on cloning as a method by which to preserve species will draw funding away from other methods, such as habitat preservation and conservation. Proponents of cloning counter that many countries in which many endangered species exist are too poor to protect and maintain the species" habitats anyway, making cloning technology the only practical way to ensure that those species survive to future generations. The issue is still hotly debated, as both sides weigh the benefits that could be achieved against the risks and ethical concerns that constantly accompany any argument on the issue.Notes:ethically 道德上gene pool 基因库insemination n. 受精fertilize 使受精embryo 胚胎proponent 支持者，拥护者weigh A against B权衡A和B的利弊

House-price falls are gathering momentum and are spreading across the UK, according to a monthly poll of surveyors which on Monday delivered its gloomiest reading for nearly 12 years. Fifty-six percent of surveyors contacted by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors reported price falls in the three months to October. Only 3 percent saw prices rise in their area, compared with 58 percent as recently as May. There was further evidence of slowing activity in the property market as the number of sales per surveyor dived to a nine-year low. Unsold stock on agents" books has increased 10 percent since the summer. Ian Perry, Rics" national housing spokesman, said it was now very clear that buyers were unsettled by higher interest rates. The Bank of England raised rates five times to 4.75 percent over the last year to cool the property boom. But he also blamed comments by Mervyn King, the Bank"s governor, and misleading media headlines for "injecting additional uncertainty into the market by continued speculation over more serious price declines". "Mervyn King presumably felt that he had to be more explicit in the summer when people were still buying. His warnings of a drop in property prices then have had the desired effect. "But our concern now is that the pendulum is swinging too far", be said. Last week, the Bank"s monetary policy committee predicted for the first time that "house prices may fall modestly for a period" in its November inflation report. The Nationwide and Halifax mortgage lenders both showed a modest monthly decline in house prices in their latest loan approval data. Although the majority of surveyors expect prices to fall further in the next three months, Mr. Perry stressed there were signs of stabilizing demand from buyers in London. "London tends to be ahead of the rest of the market. And agents are telling us that more people are looking to buy. It is much better than it was", Mr. Perry said. However, falling prices continued to spread from the South of England as surveyors reported the first clear decline in prices in Yorkshire and the Humber, the north and the northwest. Scotland remained the only region with rising prices.

There is controversy over the good and bad sides of being an only child in the family. Some believe that growing up in a family with several brothers or sisters offers more advantages than disadvantages while others argue that being an only child is more advantageous. This is an interesting topic worth discussion. What is your point of view? You are going to write an essay to offer your opinion about it. In your essay, you should 1) state clearly your point of view, 2) support your view with example or examples, 3) draw a nature conclusion to your essay, and 4) remember to supply an appropriate title to your essay. You should write 160—200 words neatly. (20 points)

In the following text, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 41-45, choose the most suitable one from the list (A、B、C、D、E、F、G……) to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are several extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps. (10 points) It"s not just an American phenomenon: Across the globe, single-parent homes are on the rise. Numbers for one-parent families increased from England to Australia during the 1990s, mirroring demographic shifts reflected in the U.S. census. Just as in America, those shifts raised new questions about how involved government should be in helping single-parent families, which often are less well-off financially than those led by a married mom and dad.(41)______ Annie Oliver, a 32-year-old single mother from Bristol, England, thinks so. "You wouldn"t believe how becoming a single parent suddenly made me a second-class citizen," said Oliver, who struggles to keep a full-time job and give the extra care her disabled son needs.(42)______ By comparison, 9.8 million house-holds, or 9 percent of all U.S. households were headed by an adult raising a child alone or without a spouse. The 1990 census showed 26 percent of homes were led by a married mother and father, and 8 percent of homes were led by a single parent. Similar increases occurred in other countries, though data from those countries are not directly comparable to U.S. census figures because of methodology differences.(43)______ Single parent households in Australia rose from 5.8 percent in 1990 to 7.6 percent in 1999. Other countries that saw large increases, according to the Organization:—Belgium, 1.8 percent of households in 1990 to 2.7 percent in 1999;—Ireland, 1.8 percent to 2.8 percent;—Luxembourg, 1.3 percent to 2.2pereent.(44)______ Those countries tend to have greater acceptance of single parenting because there are fewer nearby family members to disapprove, Riche said. Lone-parent family households in Japan increased from 5.1 percent in 1990 to just 5.2 percent in 1999.(45)______ "The position of one-parent families in any given country is very much a gender issue—women"s opportunities, especially working-class women on low income," said Sue Cohen, coordinator of the Single Action Parents Network in England.A. In the United States, the 2000 census showed 24.8 million, or nearly 24 percent of the nation"s 105:5 million house-holds, were traditional two-parent homes.B. Should single parents be afforded tax breaks to help pay for child care? Should employers be monitored to make sure flexible work-hours are offered?C. Countries with increases in single-parent homes are often those where the nuclear family structure—just Mom, Dad and the kids—is more common than an extended, multigenerational family living under one roof, said demographer Martha Farnsworth Riche, a former Census Bureau director.D. In the United Kingdom, lone-parent family homes increased from 3.3 percent of all households in 1990 to 5.5 percent in 1999, according to data compiled by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. It did not specify whether children in those homes were younger than 18.E. Some research suggests children raised in two-parent families are better off than those who rely on one.F. Rates were relatively unchanged during the same period in Greece, Italy and Portugal. These countries tend to think more conservatively about family makeup, and there is more pressure to avoid divorce or unmarried parenthood, Riche said.G. "Most of the research linking single-parenthood to children"s school performance has been done with single nations," says Dr. Suet-ling Pong, associate professor of education and sociology and demography. "We do not know much about the impact of single parenthood across cultures and countries."

One day you dined at your local restaurant. You are not happy with the food as well as the service. Write a letter to the restaurant manager to complain about the problems and give necessary details. Write your letter with no less than 100 words on this matter. Write it neatly and do not sign your own name at the end of the letter; use "Li Ming" instead. You do not need to write the address.

Lawyers are less than 1% of American adults, 【C1】______they are well-represented in government. Both the president and the vice-president trained as lawyers. 【C2】______did 55% of senators and 100% of Supreme Court justices. There are【C3】______to having a bit of legal expertise among those who write and【C4】______the nation"s laws, or assess their constitutionality. But there is also a potential conflict of interest. 【C5】______florists had such a lock on the levers of【C6】______, you might expect subsidies for weddings and a campaign to beautify cities. Lawyers, alas, are no more 【C7】______. The American legal system is the most lawyer-friendly on Earth. It is dizzily【C8】______. The regulations that accompany the Dodd-Frank law governing Wall Street, 【C9】______, are already more than 3 million words long—and not yet half-written. Companies must hire【C10】______lawyers to guide them【C11】______a maze created by other lawyers. They must also hire lawyers to【C12】______themselves against attacks by other lawyers on a playing field【C13】______by lawyers. The cost—roughly $800 a year for every American—is【C14】______to consumers. The【C15】______are hard to detect Americans are probably no less likely to be injured or cheated than the citizens of countries【C16】______spend a fraction as much. 【C17】______it is hard to feel sympathy for lawyers facing a【C18】______labour market. America"s 250 biggest law firms shed more than 9500 people last year. Law students are【C19】______to find the lavishly paid work they expected after graduation. One big law firm even went bust. None of this is nice for the people【C20】______especially those with large student debts.