Do more species develop in warm, tropical climates or cooler, temperate areas? It turns out the
longtime answer-the tropics - may be wrong.
     True, more different types of animals exist there than in places farther from the equator.
     New research suggests that is because tropical species do not die out as readily. Cooler regions
have a higher turnover rate, with more species developing but also more becoming extinct.
     By analyzing the DNA of 618 mammal and bird species that lived in the past several million years,
they were able to determine that new species develop more readily farther away from the tropics.
     "It would take one species in the tropics 3 to 4 million years to evolve into two distinct species,
whereas at 60 degrees latitude, it could take as little as 1 million years," weir said.
    "In other words, there's a higher turnover of species in places like Canada, making it a hotbed of
speciation, not the amazon," said Schluter.
    That, however, is balanced by a higher extinction rate in colder climates, so the tropics still have
more diversity.
     It also raises the question of whether a more variable climate causes more rapid evolution.
     The next step is to look at changes in behavior and body form, comparing tropical and temperate
areas.
      Kenneth E. Filchak said, "scientists and naturalists have been wondering about patterns of diversity
for well over a century. But these questions still hold a central place in science."
     He said the new report was "interesting and significant", for its look at the process of evolution and
patterns of diversity. One is left with the question of why.
      Weir said the got interested in the topic while studying the effects of ice sheets on evolution. They
found that new species developed more rapidly in areas that had been covered with ice sheets than in
regions that did not have ice cover. That caused them to widen the research to cover a larger area.

1. What did the subject discuss in the text?

A. Species evaluate quickly in a variable climate.
B. Species develop more in tropics than in temperate area.
C. Species develop more quickly in cooler areas.
D. Species have become extinct in cold climate.

2. Why do species develop slowly in tropics?

A. Because tropical species need more time to become different species.
B. Because tropical species have a long life.
C. Because tropical species in pattern of diversity are different.
D. Because tropical provide warm climate for species.

3. The researchers still need to study ______.

A. how different climates affect species growth
B. what kind of climate makes species develop quickly
C. what are the effects of ice sheets on ecosystem
D. if species in tropics and cooler areas change in behavior and body form

4. What makes less diversity in colder climates?

A. The process of evolution.
B. The ice sheets.
C. A higher extinction rate.
D. The cold climate.

5. This text is most probably taken from a ______.

A. research paper
B. newspaper report
C. class presentation
D. geography textbook

      The following people are expressing their thoughts (1-5) to show their concern for food, environment
and so on. After that are pieces of related information (A--F) . Now decide which piece of information
would be most suitable for the thought and idea mentioned in questions1-5 and mark your answer letter (A-F) on your answer sheet. There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

     ______1. How I was struck by the clear water and fresh air in my childhood! But everything has
changed, that is, the clear water and fresh air are nowhere to be found again as they were.  Above all, a
great deal of waste hardly rots away.
     ______2. More and more people are beginning to have a good knowledge of the importance of a
safer and cleaner environment, which in turn forces the business to be cleaned up.
______3. Organic products are getting more and more popular among people, but we should know the
fact that organic products might also have something to do with pesticides.
     ______4. I`m very much fond of growing some vegetables of my own in my small garden, for many
vegetables on sale in markets are actually becoming more and more dangerous as a result of widespread
pesticides.
     ______5. Nowadays it is very convenient for consumers to find and buy green food in supermarkets
as they are clearly marked.
     A. "Organic produce is always better, "Gold said. "The food is free of pesticides(農(nóng)藥) ,and you are
generally supporting family farms instead of large farms. And more often than not it is locally grown and
seasonal, so it is tastier." Gold is one of a growing number of shoppers buying into the organic trend, and
supermarkets across Britain are counting on more like him as they grow their organic food business.
      B. Market research shows that Gold and others who buy organic food can generally give clear
reasons for their preferences - but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete. For example,
small amounts of pesticides can be used on organic products. And about three quarters of organic food
in Britain is not local but imported to meet growing demand. "The demand for organic food is increasing
by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market, "said Sue Flock, a specialist in this line
of business.
     C. Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Careless methods of production and lack
of consumer demand for environment-friendly products have contributed to the pollution problem. One
result is that millions of tons of glass, paper, plastic, and metal containers are produced, and these are
difficult to get rid of.
      D. However, today, more and more consumers are choosing "green" and demanding that the products they buy should be safe for the environment. Before they buy a product, they ask questions like these:
"Will this shampoo damage the environment?"  "Can this metal container be reused or can it only be used
once?"
     E. Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are
hundreds. Some supermarket products carry labels(標(biāo)簽) to show that the product is green. Some
companies have made the manufacturing(制造) of clean and safe products their main selling point and
emphasize it in their advertising.
     F. The concern for a safer and cleaner environment is making companies rethink how they do business. No longer will the public accept the old attitude of "Buy it, use it, throw it away, and forget it." The public
pressure is on, and gradually business is cleaning up its act.

     People travel for a lot of reasons. Some travelers go to see places of a long history. Others are
looking for cultures, or just want to have their pictures taken in front of famous places. Most European
travelers are looking for a sunny beach to lie on. Northern Europeans like to pay a lot of money for the
sun because they have so little of it. People of cities like London, Copenhagen and Amsterdam spend
much of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest of the year in the
rain. This is the reason why the sea attracts them. Every summer many people travel to Mediterranean
resorts(度假勝地) and beaches for their vacation. They all come for the same reason: the sun.
     The large crowds mean lots of money for the countries along the sea. Italy's hotels are all booked
without a break every summer, and also French beaches, Spain's coastline.
     The Mediterranean is becoming one of the most polluted seas on earth. But people do not mind much. They don't go there for clean water and they allow traffic jams and seem to like crowded beaches. No
matter how dirty the water is, the coastline still looks beautiful. If the sun shines, it is much better than
sitting in the cold rain in those big cities.

1.The writer suggests Europeans travel mostly for the reason that _____.

A. they take interest in different cultural and social customs
B. they prefer to take pictures before famous places
C. they wish to be away from cold, dark and rainy days
D. they want to see places of interest

2. In the second paragraph, the underlined word "attract" most probably means _____.

A. upset
B. concern
C. trouble
D. interest

3. The country to which lots of foreigners travel can _____ .

A. get a lot of moneyB. have more sunshine  
C. have more beachesD. have dirty water

4. Which of the following might damage travelers' fun at the beaches?

A. Crowded beaches    
B. Rainy weather  
C. Traffic jams  
D. Polluted water

      Harvard University named historian Drew Gilpin Faust as its first female president on Sunday, ending
a lengthy and secretive search to find a successor(接任者)to Lawrence Summers .
      The seven-member Harvard Corporation elected Faust, a noted scholar on History of the American
South and dean of Harvard's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, as the university's 28th president.
      "This is a great day, and a historic day for Harvard." James R. Houghton, chairman of the presidential
search committee, said in a statement. "Drew Faust is an inspiring and accomplished leader, a superb
scholar, a dedicated(獻(xiàn)身的) teacher, and a wonderful human being."
      Her selection is noteworthy given the heated debates over Summers' comments that genetic
differences between the sexes might help explain the lack of women in top science jobs.
      Faust has been dean of Radcliffe since 2001, two years after the former women's college was
combined into the university as a research center with a mission to study gender issues(性別問(wèn)題).
      Some professors have quietly groused that the 371-year-old university is appointing a fifth president
who is not a scientist. No scientist has had the top job since James Bryant Conant retired in 1953; its last
four have come from the fields of classics, law, literature and economics.
      Faust is the first Harvard president who did not receive a degree from the university since Charles
Chauncy, a graduate of Cambridge University, who died in office in 1762. She attended the University
of Pennsylvania.
      "Teaching staff turned to her constantly," said Sheldon Hackney, a former president of the University
of Pennsylvania and historian who worked closely with Faust. "She's very clear. She has a sense of humor, but she's very strong-minded. You come to trust in her because she's so solid."    

1. Which might be the best title for the passage?

A. Harvard named its 1st female president.
B. History of Harvard University changed.
C. Debates on female equality ended.
D. Drew Gilpin Faust, a famous woman historian.

2. Lawrence Summers held the view that ________.

A. women cannot achieve as much as men in management
B. women cannot hold important positions in society
C. women can match men in science jobs
D. few women make top scientists owing to genes

3. The underlined word "groused" in the 6th paragraph means ________.

A. approved
B. commented
C. complained
D. indicated

4. This passage probably appears in a ________.

A. biography
B. personal letter
C. research paper    
D. newspaper

1. People meet face to face offline when they think they _____.

A. have known each other well          
B. have the same interest
C. have enough free time                
D. have nothing to do

2. Fox's Shadow thinks QQ is ______.

A. the biggest messaging service in China
B. a good place to spend her time when bored
C. a safe place to chat with strangers        
D. the best place to make friends                  

3. From the passage, we know "they are all just a few clicks away" means " ______".

A. it is wonderful to see your friends by clicking
B. it is easy and fast to get in touch with your friends
C. it is possible to live much closer to your friends
D. it is popular to make friends 

4. Which of the following sentence is TRUE according to the passage?

A. All the people on QQ are talking about foolish things.
B. Chatting online is a waste of time and money.
C. We should be careful about boys or men online.
D. We should think more of our friends on real life.

5. We can infer from the passage that_____

A. Chatting on line is a good way of learning about foreign cultures.
B. Tencent is also a big user of QQ in China.
C. It shows that 4 million people used QQ one Friday night in October.
D. Young people like communicating with others through QQ.