He didn’t make good preparations for the English speech competition and had to _____ at the last moment.

   A. back out    B. turn off    C. carry on    D. pull down

 So long as Peter goes all out to do the work, I don't mind how long it _____ him to complete it.

A. took         B. will take        C. take            D. takes

第二節(jié)：完形填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分）

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個選項（A、B、C、D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項。并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。

The town I live in is about to put cameras at all traffic lights to catch people who run red lights. It  31  me of how many people I’ve seen who take the yellow light as a signal to go faster. I also can’t  32  why people don’t move when the traffic light has turned green. Above all, there are those  33  situations in which someone doesn’t even  34  that the light is red, and just keeps going; that is how many accidents happen. All these situations make me  35  about the purpose of traffic lights.

However, it’s even more  36  to imagine letting people make their own  37  at a crowded traffic crossing. Who decides who goes next?  38  I guess I do like the idea of a system to  39   traffic. And I also do my best to  40  the traffic signals: to go, to be  41 , and to stop when I’m supposed to.

It occurs to me that my  42  have done much the same for me in terms of  43  me how to live. They have given me many  44  lights: to live in harmony with others to help others, to live with  45  and purpose. They have also given me some red lights so that my  46   doesn’t goastray(走入歧途): to watch my temper, and to control my desires. And there have been some yellow lights: to watch how much I drink, to keep control of my behavior, to  47   school regularly and work hard.

If I obey these signals, my life will be as  48  as it can. Just as I’m wise to pay attention to the traffic lights when I’m walking  49  the street, I’m wise to pay attention to the “l(fā)ife  50 ” given me by my parents.

31. A. informs       B. reminds      C. suggests     D. indicates

32. A. realize  B. understand  C. prove  D. remember

33. A. surprising    B. competitive       C. dangerous   D. mysterious

34. A. feel      B. stop    C. receive       D. notice

35. A. care      B. worry C. complain   D. wonder

36. A. frightening   B. relaxing     C. confusing   D. interesting

37. A. attempts       B. efforts C. decisions    D. preparations

38. A. Since   B. But     C. So      D. As

39. A. affect   B. control       C. serve   D. improve

40. A. obey     B. recognize   C. reflect D. recover

41. A. defenceless   B. angry  C. careful       D. hopeful

42. A. teachers       B. relatives     C. parents       D. friends

43. A. allowing      B. seeing C. encouraging       D. teaching

44. A. yellow  B. red     C. colorful      D. green

45. A. worry   B. joy     C. luck    D. chance

46. A. confidence   B. life     C. dream D. opinion

47. A. attend B. miss    C. leave   D. join

48. A. good    B. convenient  C. special       D. simple

49. A. through       B. across C. over    D. above

50. A. purposes      B. plans   C. qualities     D. signals

 It reported that the police are _________ the disappearance of the two children.

A. looking for      B. looking through   C. looking into         D. looking around

Some experts warn that global wanning will______more than one million sorts of plants.

A.turn dnwn   B.bring in     C.wipe out       D.take away

I would have called you up for help had it been possible, but I _____your phone number then.

A. hadn’t had       B. didn’t have         C. shouldn’t have     D. couldn’t have

C

Researchers have just offered evidence in a study that says obesity appears to spread through social ties, much like a virus. When one person gains weight, their close friends often follow. But the findings might also offer hope.

If friends help make obesity acceptable, then they might also be influential in losing the fat. The researchers note that support groups are already an effective tool in dealing with other socially influenced problems, like alcoholism.

The findings appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers used information collected from? 12 000 people. It was collected between 1971 and 2003 as part of the Framingham Heart Study.

The information was highly detailed. There was even contact information for close friends of the people in the study.

The researchers examined more than 40 000 social ties. They found that a person’s chances of becoming severely overweight increased by 57% if a friend had become obese.

A sister or brother of a person who became obese had a 40% increased chance of becoming obese. The risk for a wife or husband was a little less than that.

Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School was a lead investigator in the study. He says there is a direct causal relationship between a person getting fat and being followed in weight gain by a friend.

The study found that the sex of the friends was also an influence. In same—sex friendships, a person had a 71% increased risk of becoming obese. Men had a 44% increased risk of becoming obese after weight gain in a brother. In sisters, it was 67%.

The researchers also considered the effect of where people lived in  relation to each other. James Fowler of the University of California,San Diego, was the other lead investigator. He says a friend who lives a few hundred kilometers away has as much influence as one in the same neighborhood. He says the study demonstrates the need to consider that a major part of people’s health is tied to their social connections.

Both investigators say their research shows that obesity is not just a private medical issue, but a public health problem.

59.What does the underlined sentence in Para. 2 mean?

A.Obesity has a negative influence on a close friend.

B.Friends might also play a part in losing weight.

C.One might have a positive influence on one’s friend.

D.Friends usually don’t follow each other to lose weight.

60.Who is mostly likely to gain weight?

A.A man who has a fat brother.        B.A husband who has a fat wife.

C.A wife who has a fat husband.        D.A woman who a fat female friend.

61.Which of the following statements doesn’t the passage agree with?

A.You are sure to lose weight if you have a skinny friend.

B.If one gains weight, one’s friends are likely to get fat.

C.A person’s health is closely linked with his/her social relationship.

D.Even if the friend lives far away, the influence still remains.

62.The reason why the study involves both family members and friends is that_______

A.researchers fail to find a more different sample

B.researchers have different ideas for family members and friends

C.researchers can meet these people regularly

D.researchers can compare the results

第三部分　閱讀理解（共20小題；每小題2分, 滿分40分）

閱讀下列短文, 從每題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中, 選出最佳選項。

A

While researchers have long shown that tall people earn more than their shorter counterparts, it's not only social discrimination that accounts for this inequality -- tall people are just smarter than their height-challenged peers, a new study finds.

"As early as age three -- before schooling has had a chance to play a role -- and throughout childhood, taller children perform significantly better on cognitive tests," wrote Anne Case and Christina Paxson of Princeton University in a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

The findings were based primarily on two British studies that followed children born in 1958 and 1970, respectively, through adulthood and a U.S. study on height and occupational choice.

Other studies have pointed to low self-esteem, better health that accompanies greater height, and social discrimination as culprits(罪犯) for lower pay for shorter people.

But researchers Case and Paxson believe the height advantage in the job world is more than just a question of image.

"As adults, taller individuals are more likely to select into higher paying occupations that require more advanced verbal and numerical skills and greater intelligence, for which they earn handsome returns," they wrote.

For both men and women in the United States and the United Kingdom, a height advantage of four inches equated with a 10 percent increase in wages on average.

But the researchers said the differences in performance crop up long before the tall people enter the job force. Prenatal care(產(chǎn)前護理) and the time between birth and the age of 3 are critical periods for determining future cognitive ability and height.

"Prenatal care and prenatal nutrition are just incredibly important, even more so than we already knew," Case said in an interview.

Since the study's data only included populations in the United Kingdom and the United States, the findings could not be applied to other regions, Case said.

And how tall are the researchers?

They are both about 5 feet 8 inches tall, well above the average height of 5 feet 4 inches for American women.

51. What can be learnt from the study of Anne Case and Christina Paxson is that ______.

A. the reason for lower pay for shorter people is social discrimination

B. taller children perform significantly better on cognitive test

C. tall people earn more than shorter counterparts

D. prenatal care and prenatal nutrition are less important than we already knew

52. Which period is the most important for determining future cognitive ability and height?

A. between age 3 and schooling          B. between birth and the age of 3

C. the whole childhood                    D. between 1958 and 1970

53. The underlined phrase “crop up” in the Eighth Paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.

A. get in         B. rise up         C. come up       D. stand up

54. The best title for this passage would be _______.

A. Tall people earn more than shorter counterparts 

B. A study on height and occupational choice

C. The difference between tall people and short people 

D. Taller people are smarter

 If you ________ your attention on the job in hand, you’ll soon finish it.

   A. adapt                 B. concentrate          C. apply                D. request

第三節(jié)、閱讀理解（共20小題；每小題2分，滿分40分）

閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項（A，B，C，D）中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項目涂黒。

A

Hillary ,Clinton, 59, with her famous “I’m in, and I’m in to win.” 2008 Race, began her e-mail to supporters, saying “I want you to join me not for the campaign but for a conversation about the future of our country. Let’s talk．1et’s chat．”

    Mrs．Clinton said that she would focus on “practical changes” in foreign, domestic, and national security policy, such as finding “a right end”to the Iraq war , expanding health insurance, pursuing greater energy independence and strengthening Social Security and Medicare, which satisfies many American people．

     In her statement, Mrs Clinton also frankly talked about an issue that worries her a lot. Whether she can , in fact, win the presidency, some voters sti1l associate her most with the Clinton government.

    “I have never been afraid to stand up for my beliefs,”Mrs.Clinton said on the Website．“After nearly $70 million spent against my campaigns in New York and two wins, I can say I know how Republicans think, how they operate, and how to beat them.”

If successful, she would be the first female nominee(被提名者)of a major American political party, and the first wife of a former president to seek a return to the White House．President Bill CIinton left office in 2000 after two terms rnarked by economical expansion and a series of official examinations of his personal life and the CIintons’ busincss dealings．But the successes and shadows of those years will likely affect Mrs．Clinton．who was once an important adviser and caused some disagreements in his government．

    Yet Mrs Clinton has become a major political figure in America．

56. By saying “I’m in to win.” Hillary probably means that ______.

A. she is online to get people’s support to run for presidency

B. she is going to run for election and work hard to win

C. she is online to get more support and she is sure she is to win

D. She has decided to run for president and work hard to win

57. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

A. Clinton left office only because of his personal life

B. Hillary was once deeply involved in her husband’ government

C. all her voters strongly support her and believe in her

D. the whole election campaign costs Hillary nearly $70 million

58. What many American people are deeply concerned about is _______

A. how to solve the energy problem

B. when and how to find a proper solution to the Iraq war

C. what practical things Hillary will do for them

D. how to strengthen Social Security and Medicare

59. The author’s attitude toward Hillary is ________

A. critical        B. positive     C. negative       D. objective