Excerpt 1 The climate of Earth is changing. Climatologists are confident that over the past century, the global average surface temperature has increased by about half a degree Celsius. This warming is thought to be at least partly the result of human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels and the clearing of forests for agriculture. As the global population grows and national economies expand, the global average temperature is expected to continue increasing by an additional 1.0°C to 3.5°C by the year 2100. Excerpt 2 Global warming may or not be the great environmental crisis of the 21st century, but—regardless of weather it is or isn't—we won't do much about it. We will argue over it and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments to avoid it. But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely they are to be observed. Excerpt 3 Since the early eighties we have been only too aware of the devastating effects of large-scale environmental pollution. Such pollution is generally the result of poor government planning in many developing nations or the short-sighted, selfish policies of the already industrialized countries which encourage a minority of the world's population to squander the majority of its natural resources. Excerpt 4 Even if we were to magically stop all greenhouse-gas emissions tomorrow the impact on global climate would continue for decades. Delay will simply make the problem worse. The fact is that some of us are doing quite well the way things are. In the developed world prosperity has been built on 150 years of cheap fossil fuels. Material progress has been linked to energy consumption. Today 75 percent of all the world's energy is consumed by a quarter of the world's population. The average rich world resident adds about 3.2 tons of CO 2 yearly to the atmosphere, more than four times the level added by each Third World citizen. The US, with just 7 percent of the global population, is responsible for 22 percent of global warming. Excerpt 5 One group, led by Gerald Meel at NCAR, used two state-of-the-art climate models to explore what could happen if the world had held atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases steady since 2000. The results: Even if the world had slammed on the brakes five years ago, global average temperatures would rise by about 1 degree Fahrenheit by the end of the 21st century. Sea levels would rise by another 4 inches over 20th-century increases. Excerpt 6 We must, however, find a solution to the threat of global warming early in the 21st century. Such a commitment would require a degree of shared vision and common responsibilities new to humanity. Success lies in the force of imagination, in imagining what would happen if we fail to act. Although many living in cold regions would welcome the global-warming effect of a warmer summer, few would cheer the arrival of the subsequent tropical diseases, especially where there had been none.

BSection BDirections: Translate the following passage into English. Write your translation on the ANSWER SHEET./B

Some of these studies A have shown that although some people have trouble B to fall asleep , others have C an equally difficult time D waking up .

A. ariseB. think ofC. tend toD. consideredPhrases:A. it may be【T13】______foolishB. misunderstandings【T14】______between people from culturesC. no one would【T15】______keeping a business friendD. guests【T16】______feel they are not highly regarded In social life, time plays a very important part. In the U. S. A. 【T17】______if the invitation to a dinner party is extended only three or four days before the party date. But it is not true in all countries. In other areas of the world,【T18】______to make an appointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten. The meaning of time differs in different parts of the world. Thus,【T19】______that treat time differently; promptness is valued highly in American life, for example. If people are not prompt, they may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible. In the U. S.【T20】______waiting for an hour; it would be too impolite.

Readers are required to abide by the rules of the library and mind their manners.

The view over a valley of a tiny village with thatched (草盖的) roof around a church; a drive through a narrow village street lined with thatched cottages painted pink or white; the sight over the rolling hills of a pretty collection of thatched farm buildings—these are still common sights in parts of England. Most people will agree that the thatched roof is an essential part of the attraction of the English countryside. Thatching is in fact the oldest of all the building crafts practiced in the British Isles (英伦诸岛). Although thatch has always been used for cottage and farm buildings, it was once used for castles and churches, too. Thatching is a solitary (独自的) craft, which often runs in families. The craft of thatching as it is practiced today has changed very little since the Middle Ages. Over 800 full-time thatchers are employed in England and Wales today, maintaining and renewing the old rods as well as thatching newer houses. Many property owners choose thatch not only for its beauty but became they know it will keep them cool in summer and warm in winter. In fact, if we look at developing countries, over half the world lives under thatch, but they all do it in different ways. People in developing countries are often reluctant to go back to traditional materials and would prefer modern buildings. However, they may lack the money to allow them to import the necessary materials. Their temporary mud huts with thatched roofs of wild grasses often only last six months. Thatch which has been done the British way lasts from twenty to sixty years, and is an effective defence against the heat.

The multi-billion-dollar Western pop music industry is under fire. It is being blamed by the United Nations for the dramatic rise in drug abuse worldwide. "The most worrisome development is a culture of drug-friendliness that seems to be gaining prominence (显著)," said the UN's 13-member International Narcotics Control Board in a report released in late February 1998. The 74-page study says that pop music, as a global industry, is by far the most influential trend-setter for young people of most cultures. "Some lyrics advocate the smoking of marijuana (大麻) or taking other' drugs, and certain pop stars make statements and set examples as if the use of drugs for non-medicinal purposes were a normal and acceptable part of a person's lifestyle," the study says. Surprisingly, says the Board, the effect of drug-friendly pop music seems to survive despite the occasional shock of death by overdose (过量用药). "Such incidents tend to be seen as an occasion to mourn the loss of a role model, and not an opportunity to confront the deadly effect of 'recreational' drug use," it notes. Since the 1970s, several internationally famous singers and movie stars—including Elvis Presley, Janice Joplin, John Belushi, Jimi Hendrix, Jonathan Melvin and Andy Gibbs—have died of either drug abuse or drug related illnesses. With the globalization of popular music, messages tolerating or promoting drug abuse are now reaching beyond their countries of origin. "In most countries, the names of certain pop stars have become familiar to the members of every household," the study says. The UN study also blames the media for its description of certain drug issues—especially the use of marijuana and issues of liberalization and legalization—which encourages, rather than prevents, drug abuse. "Over the last years, we have seen how drug abuse is increasingly regarded as being acceptable or even attractive," says Hamid Ghodse, president of the Board. "Powerful pressure groups run political campaigns aimed at legalizing controlled drugs," he says. Ghodse also points out that all these developments have created an environment which is tolerant of or even favorable to drug abuse and spoils international drug prevention efforts currently under way. The present study, he says, focuses on the issue of demand reduction and prevention within an environment that has become tolerant of drug abuse. The Board calls on governments to do their legal and moral duties, and to act against the pro-drug messages of the youth culture to which young people increasingly are being exposed.

It's a typical Snoopy card: cheerful message, bright colors, though a little yellow and faded now. Though I've received fancier, more expensive card over the years, this is the only one I've saved. One summer, it spoke volumes to me. I received it during the first June I faced as a widow to raise two teenage daughters alone. In all the emotional confusion of this sudden single parenthood, I was overwhelmed with, of all things, the simplest housework: leaky taps, oil changes, even barbeques (烧烤). Those had always been my husband's jobs. I was embarrassed every time I hit my thumb with a hammer or couldn't get the lawnmower (割草机) started. My uncertain attempts only fueled the fear inside me: How could I be both a father and mother to my girls? Clearly, I lacked the tools and skills. On this particular morning, my girls pushed me into the living room to see something. (I prayed it wasn't another repair job.) The "something" turned out to be an envelope and several wrapped bundles on the carpet. My puzzlement must have been plain as I gazed from the colorful packages to my daughters' bright faces. "Go ahead! Open them!" They urged. As I unwrapped the packages, I discovered a small barbecue grill (烧烤架) and all the necessary objects including a green kitchen glove with a frog pattern on it. "But why?" I asked. "Happy Father's Day!" they shouted together. "Moms don't get presents on Father's Day." I protested. "You forgot to open the card." Jane reminded. I pulled it from the envelope. There sat Snoopy, on top of his dog house, merrily wishing me a Happy Father's Day. "Because," the girls said, " you've been a father and mother to us. Why shouldn't you be remembered on Father's Day?" As I fought back tears, I realized they were right, I wanted to be a "professional" dad, who had the latest tools and knew all the tricks of the trade. The girls only wanted a parent they could count on to be there, day after day, performing repeatedly the maintenance tasks of basic care and love. The girls are grown now, and they still send me Father's Day cards, but none of those cards means as much to me as that first one. Its simple message told me being a great parent didn't require any special tools at all—just a willing worker.

You must be alert when buying a used car; be sure the engine is in good condition.

Political cartoons often convey messages by mocking a particular type of personality or institution.

Relentless rains triggered heavy flooding in nine provinces, where 68 persons were killed. The government pledged relief funds of $ 2. 8 million to assuage the calamitous damage.

Fear and its companion pain are two of the most useful things that men and animals possess, if they are properly used. If fire did not hurt when it burnt, children would play it until their hands were burnt away. Similarly, if pain existed but fear did not, a child would burn itself again and again, because fear would not warn it to keep away from the fire that had burnt before. A really fearless soldier—and some do exist—is not a good soldier because he is soon killed; and a dead soldier is of no use to his army. Fear and pain are therefore two guards without which men and animals might soon die out. In our first sentence we suggested that fear ought to be properly used. If, for example, you never go out of your house because of the danger of being knocked down and killed in the street by a car, you are letting fear rule you too much. Even in your house you are not absolutely safe: an airplane may crash on your house, or ants may eat away some of the beams in your roof so that the latter falls on you, or you may get cancer! The important thing is not to let fear rule you, but instead to use fear as your servant and guide. Fear will warn you of dangers; then you have to decide what action to take. In many cases, you can take quick and successful action to avoid the danger. For example, you see a car coming straight towards you; fear warns you, you jump out of the way, and all is well. In some cases, however, you decide that there is nothing that you can do to avoid the danger. For example, you cannot prevent an airplane crashing onto your house. In this case, fear has given you its warning; you have examined it and decided on your course of action, so fear of this particular danger is no longer of any use to you, and you have to try to overcome it.

As with any work of art, the merit of Chapman Kelley's "Wildflower Works I" was in the eye of the beholder. Kelley, who normally works with paint and canvas, considered the twin oval gardens planted in 1984 at Daley Bicentennial Park his most important piece. The Chicago Park District considered it a patch of raggedy vegetation on public property that could be dug up and replanted at will like the flower boxes along Michigan Avenue. And that's what happened in June 2004, when the district decided to create a more orderly vista for pedestrians crossing from Millennium Park via the new Frank Gehry footbridge. If you're looking for evidence that the rubes who run the Park District don't know art when they see it, all you have to do is visit what's left of Kelley's masterpiece. The exuberant 1.5-acre tangle of leggy wildflowers is now confined to a tidy rectangle, restrained on all sides by a knee-high hedge and surrounded by a closely cropped lawn. White hydrangeas and pink shrub roses complete the look. We don't know who's responsible for the redesign, but we'll bet the carpet in his home doesn't go with the furniture. Still, you'd think the Park District was within its rights to plow under the prairie. Wrong. Kelley just won at lawsuit in which he argued that the garden was public area and therefore protected by the federal Visual Artists Rights Act. Under that law, the district should have given him 90 days' notice that it intended to mess with his artwork instead of rushing headlong into the demolition, a la Meigs Field. That way Kelley could have mounted a legal challenge, or at least removed the plants. Park District officials said they never considered the garden a work of art, even though it was installed by an established artist and not, say, Joe's Sod and Landscaping. We can understand their confusion. Just recently, we figured out that the caged greenery directly south of Pritzker Pavilion is supposed to be an architectural statement and not a Christmas tree lot. All that's left is for the district to compensate Kelley for his loss. Whatever price the parties settle on, let's hope the agreement also provides for the removal of the rest of "Wildflower Works I." If it wasn't an eyesore before—and plenty of people thought it was...it sure is now.

According to a survey, which was based on the responses of over 188,000 students, today's traditional-age college freshmen are "more materialistic and less altruistic (利他主义的)" than at any time in the 17 years of the poll. Not surprising in these hard times, the students' major objective " is to be financially well off. Less important than ever is developing a meaningful philosophy of life." It follows then that today the most popular course is not literature or history but accounting. Interest in teaching, social service and the "altruistic" fields is at a low. On the other hand, enrollment in business programs, engineering and computer science is way up. That's no surprise either. A friend of mine (a sales representative for a chemical company) was making twice the salary of her college instructors her first year on the job—even before she completed her two-year associate degree. While it's true that we all need a career, it is equally true that our civilization has accumulated an incredible amount of knowledge in fields far removed from our own and that we are better for our understanding of these other contributions—be they scientific or artistic. It is equally true that, in studying the diverse wisdom of others, we learn how to think. More important, perhaps, education teaches us to see the connections between things, as well as to see beyond our immediate needs. Weekly we read of unions who went on strike for higher wages, only to drive their employer out of business. No company; no job. How shortsighted in the long run! But the most important argument for a broad education is that in studying the accumulated wisdom of the ages, we improve our moral sense. I saw a cartoon recently which shows a group of businessmen looking puzzled as they sit around a conference table; one of them is talking on the intercom (对讲机): "Miss Baxter," he says, "could you please send in someone who can distinguish right from wrong?" From the long-term point of view, that's what education really ought to be about.

{{B}}Section ADirections: In this section there are 10 sentences, each with one word or phrase underlined. Choose the one from the 4 choices marked A, B, C and D that best keeps the meaning of the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter with a single bar across the square brackets on your machine-scoring ANSWER SHEET.{{/B}}

A. It's been paining me all night.B. Let's have a look and see what they've done to you.C. Do I take these Sofradex as they're prescribed here, Doctor? Doctor: Well, what can we do for you today?Patient: Oh, I've an infection in my gum, Doctor.Doctor: In your gum?Patient: Up here. I've some tablets and, er, I don't know.Doctor:【D4】______Aye, the Sofradex is not doing very much for that, is it?Patient: I've never taken them. I've just, I stopped taking them.Doctor: Aye, I don't think they're doing very much to you.Patient:【D5】______Doctor.Doctor: Aye.Patient: I'm just wondering if it's my teeth or that it's just my blood that's doing it.Doctor: I think it might be the teeth. It'd be worth getting the dentist to have a look at your plate.Patient: 【D6】______Doctor: Yes, yes. Keep on with those just now.Patient: Yes. Aye, two four, one or two four times a day.Doctor: Yes, one four times a day.Patient: Fine, yeah.

Could the bad old days of economic decline be about to return? Since OPEC agreed to supply-cuts in March, the price of crude oil has jumped to almost $26 a barrel, up from less than $10 last December. This near-tripling of oil prices calls up scary memories of the 1973 oil shock, when prices quadrupled, and 1979—1980, when they also almost tripled. Both previous shocks resulted in double-digit inflation and global economic decline. The oil price was given another push up this week when Iraq suspended oil exports. Strengthening economic growth, at the same time as winter grips the northern hemisphere, could push the price higher still in the short term.

A. keen toB. soak upC. a major factorD. bring aboutPhrases:A. children【T13】______A-characteristics is schoolB. A-type parents usually 【T14】______A-type offspringC. Being too 【T15】______win can have dangerous consequencesD. it is likely to become 【T16】______ Personality is to a large extent inherent—【T17】______ But the environment must also have a profound effect, since if competition is important to the parents,【T18】______in the lives of their children. One place where【T19】______, which is, by its very nature, a highly competitive institution. Too many schools adopt "the win at all costs" moral standard and measure their success by achievements. The current passion for making children compete against their classmates or against the clock produces a two-layer system, in which competitive A-types seem in some way better than their B-type fellows.【T20】______: remember that Pheidippides, the first marathon runner, dropped dead seconds after saying : " Rejoice, we conquer!"

【T16】

Why do so many Americans distrust what they read in their newspapers? The American Society of Newspaper Editors is trying to answer this painful question. The organization is deep into a long self-analysis known as the journalism credibility project. Sad to say, this project has turned out to be mostly low-level findings about factual errors and spelling and grammar mistakes, combined with lots of head-scratching puzzlement about what in the world those readers really want. But the sources of distrust go way deeper. Most journalists learn to see the world through a set of standard templates (patterns) into which they plug each day's events.