阅读理解Directions: There are 3 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A., B., C. and D.. You should decide on the best choice and write the answer on the Answer Sheet.Passage twoThe first flying vertebrates were true reptiles in which one of the fingers of the front limbs became very elongated, providing support for a flap of stretched skin that served as a wing. These were the pterosaurs, literally the “winged lizards.” The earliest pterosaurs arose near the end of the Triassic period of the Mesozoic Era, some 70 million years before the first known fossils of true birds occur, and they presumably dominated the skies until they were eventually displaced by birds. Like the dinosaurs, some the pterosaurs became gigantic; the largest fossil discovered is of an individual that had a wingspan of 50 feet or more, larger than manyairplanes. These flying reptiles had large tooth-filled jaws, but their bodies were small and probably without the necessary powerful muscles for sustained wing movement. They must have been expert gliders, not skillful fliers, relying on wind power for their locomotion.Birds, despite sharing common reptilian ancestors with pterosaurs, evolved quite separately and have been much more successful in their dominance of the air. They are an example of a common theme in evolution, the more or less parallel development of different types of body structure and function for the same reason—in this case, for flight. Although the fossil record, as always, is not complete enough to determine definitively the evolutionary lineage of the birds or in as much detail as one would like, it is better in this case than for many other animal groups. That is because of the unusual preservation in a limestone quarry in southern Germany of Archaeopteryx, a fossil that many have called the link between dinosaurs and birds. Indeed, had it not been for the superb preservation of these fossils, they might well have been classified as dinosaurs. They have the skull and teeth of a reptile as well as a bony tail, but in the line-grained limestone in which these fossils occur there are delicate impressions of feathers and fine details of bone structure that make it clear that Archaeopteryx was a bird. All birds living today, from the great condors of the Andes to the tiniest wrens, trace their origin back to the Mesozoic dinosaurs.

阅读理解Directions: There are 3 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice and write the answer on the Answer Sheet.Passage threeThe year 1850 may be considered the beginning of a new epoch in America art, with respect to the development of watercolor painting. In December of that year, a group of thirty artists gathered in the studio of John Falconer in New York City and drafted both a constitution and bylaws, establishing The Society for the Promotion of Painting in Water Color. In addition to securing an exhibition space in the Library Society building in lower Manhattan, the society founded a small school for the instruction of watercolor painting. Periodic exhibitions of the members’ paintings also included works by noted English artists of the day, borrowed from embryonic private collections in the city. The society’s activities also included organized sketching excursions along the Hudson River. Its major public exposure came in 1853, when the society presented works by its members in the “Industry of All Nations” section of the Crystal Palace Exposition in New York.The society did not prosper, however, and by the time of its annual meeting in 1854 membership had fallen to twenty-one. The group gave up its quarters in the Library Society building and returned to Falconer’s studio, where it broke up amid dissension. No further attempt to formally organize the growing numbers of watercolor painters in New York City was made for more than a decade. During that decade, though, Henry Warren’s Painting in Water Color was published in New York City in 1856—the book was a considerable improvement over the only other manual of instruction existing at the time, Elements of Graphic Art, by Archibald Roberson, published in 1802 and by the 1850fs long out of print.In 1866 the National Academy of Design was host to an exhibition of watercolor painting in its elaborate neo-Venetian Gothic building on Twenty-Third Street in New York City. The exhibit was sponsored by an independent group called The Artists Fund Society. Within a few months of this event, forty-two prominent artists living in and near New York City founded The American Society of Painters in Water Colors.

阅读理解Passage 2 In her novel of Reunion, American Style, Rona Jaffe suggests that a class reunion is more than a sentimental journey

阅读理解Passage 2 The Internet can make the news more democratic, giving the public a chance to ask questions and seek out facts behind stories and candidates, according to the head of the largest US on-line service

阅读理解Passage B By 1950, the results of attempts to relate brain processes to mental experience appeared rather discouraging

阅读理解Directions: There are 3 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A., B., C. and D.. You should decide on the best choice and write the answer on the Answer Sheet.Passage OneA study of nearly 140,000 women in the U.S. showed that regular helpings of a small portion of nuts can have a powerful protective effect against a disease that is threatening to becomea global epidemic. Women who consumed a 28 gram packet of walnuts at least twice a week were 24 per cent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who rarely or never ate them. Eating walnuts just two or three times a week can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by almost a quarter.The latest findings, published in the Journal of Nutrition, are not the first to highlight the anti-diabetic effects of walnuts, with earlier research showing similar benefits. However, this is thought to be one of the largest studies to find regularly snarling on them can help prevent the condition. Although the latest research was carried out on female nurses, it’s likely that the same benefits apply to men.According to the charity Diabetes UK, at the current rate of increase, the numbers affected by type 2 diabetes in the UK will rise from around 2.5 million currently to four million by 2025 and five million by 2030. Left untreated, it can raise the risk of heart attacks, blindness and amputation (截肢). Being overweight, physically inactive and having a poor diet are major risk factors for the disease.Scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, U. S., tracked 137,893 nurses aged from 35 to 77 over a ten year period to see how many developed type 2 diabetes. Their dietary habits were closely monitored, including details on how often they ate nuts, particularly walnuts. After allowing for body fat and weight, the researchers found eating walnuts one to three times a month reduced the risk by four per cent, once a week by 13 per cent and at least twice a week by 24 per cent.In a report on the findings the researchers said: “These results suggest higher walnut consumption is associated with a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes in women: Walnuts are rich in healthy fatty acids(脂肪酸) which have been shown to reduce inflammation (炎症) in the body and protect against heart disease, cancer and arthritis.”Last year, experts at the University of California Los Angeles also found young men in their twenties and thirties who ate walnuts every day increased their sperm count and boosted their fertility.The research comes just after a Louisiana State University study which showed that eating nuts can reduce people’s risk of obesity. The study found that those who consumed varieties such as almonds and pistachios(开心果) demonstrated a lower body weight, body mass index BMI) and waist circumference compared to non-consumers. They were also at lower risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

阅读理解Passage 1 President Roosevelt‟s administration suffered a devastating defeat when on January 6, 1936, the AgriculturalAdjustment Act was declared unconstitutional

阅读理解Passage 2 Many people believe the glare from snow causes snowblindness

阅读理解Passage 2 A British sociologist has advanced the theory that many working-class children are unsuccessful at school because of the nature of their language

阅读理解In the world of entertainment, TV talk shows have undoubtedly flooded every inch of space on daytime television

阅读理解Passage 1 Some people think Im extra organized because I always enter notes in my iPhone

阅读理解Passage A The importance and focus of the interview in the work of the print and broadcast journalist is reflected in several books that have been written on the topic

阅读理解Passage 3 Present-day philosophers usually envision their discipline as an endeavor that has been, since antiquity, distinct from and superior to any particular intellectual discipline, such as theology or science

阅读理解Passage 4 Recent findings in the southeast corner of Washington indicate that prehistoric hunters roamed the area 10,000 years ago, and perhaps even earlier

阅读理解Text B While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states? At least in getting people off welfare

阅读理解If you want to know why Denmark is the world‟s leader in wind power, start with a three-hour car trip from the capital Copenhagenmind the bicycliststo the small town of Lem on the far west coast of Jutland

作文题Directions: For this part, you are to write a composition on the topic Attending TV PK Shows Does (or Does no) good to Young People. You should write at least 150 words and you should base your composition on the following instructions. 1)现在各种各样的电视选秀节目吸引了许多年轻人

作文题Directions: Write on the Answer Sheet a composition of about 400 words on the following topic

作文题With the growing popularity of the MOOCs (or Massive Open Online Courses), which allow students to sign up for courses given by famous professors from famous universities, many people argue that many Chinese universities should be closed in the near future

作文题For this part, you are required to write a composition of about 400 words entitled Say No to Chinese in English Class