The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans that separate the Old World from the New. For centuries it kept the America from being discovered by the people of Europe.
Many wrong ideas about the Atlantic made early sailors unwilling to sail far out into it. One idea was that it reached out to “the edge of the world” . Sailors were afraid that they might sail off the earth. Another idea was that at the equator(赤道) the ocean would be boiling hot.
The Atlantic Ocean is only half as big as the Pacific, but it is still very large. It is more than 4,000 miles (6,000 km) wide where Columbus crossed it. Even at its narrowest it is about 2,00 miles (3,200 km) wide.
Two things make the Atlantic Ocean rather unusual. For so large an ocean it has few islands. Also, it is the world’s saltiest ocean.
There is so much water in the Atlantic that it is hard to imagine how much there is. But suppose no more rain fell into it and no more water was brought to it by rivers, it would take the ocean about more than 4,000 years to dry up. On the average, the water is a little more than two miles (3.2km) deep, but in some places it is much deeper. The deepest spot is near Puerto Rico. This “deep” measures 30,246 feet---almost six miles (9.6km).
One of the longest mountain ranges of the world rises from the floor of the Atlantic. This mountain range runs north and south down the middle of the ocean. The tops of a few of the mountains reach up above the sea and make islands.
Several hundred miles eastward from Florida there is a part of the ocean called the Sargasso Sea. Here the water is quiet, for there is little wind. In the days of sailing vessels(船) the crew were afraid they would be becalmed (can’t move) here. Sometimes they were.
Today the Atlantic is a great highway. It is, however, not always a smooth and safe one. Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves. Icebergs float down from the far North across the paths of ships.
We now have such fast ways of traveling that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller. Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it. A fast modern steamship can make the trip in less than four days. Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours and from South America to Africa in four!
61. What caused people to be unwilling to explore the Atlantic?
A. There were no ships big enough to get across the Ocean.
B. Sailors were afraid of being lost in the Ocean.
C. The Atlantic Ocean was very unusual because it has few islands and the saltiest water.
D. Many incorrect ideas such as “the edge of the world”, “the equator with boiling hot water” made people think the Ocean was full of danger.
62. What is the main idea of the fifth paragraph?
A. How deep the water is.        
B. How to measure the water in the Atlantic.
C. How much water the ocean holds.             
D. How rain affects the Ocean water.
63. What does the underlined word “highway” mean?
A. High road      B. Broad way      C. Fast road           D. Main water way
64. Why does the writer think “this big ocean seems to have grown smaller”?
A. The water in the ocean is becoming less.
B. We have more and more advanced traveling tools now
C. The distance between the ocean and us is shorter.
D. The steamship has a higher speed.

It is hard to track the blue whale, the ocean’s largest creature, which has almost been killed off by commercial whaling and is now listed as an endangered species. Attaching radio devices to it is difficult, and visual sightings are too unreliable to give real insight into its behavior.
So biologists were delighted early this year when, with the help of the Navy, they were able to track a particular blue whale for 43 days, monitoring its sounds. This was possible because of the Navy’s formerly top-secret system of underwater listening devices spanning the oceans.
Tracking whales is but one example of an exciting new world just opening to civilian scientists after the cold war as the Navy starts to share and partly uncover its global network of underwater listening system built over the decades to track the ships of potential enemies.
Earth scientists announced at a news conference recently that they had used the system for closely
monitoring a deep-sea volcanic eruption （爆發(fā)） for the first time and that they plan similar studies.
Other scientists have proposed to use the network for tracking ocean currents and measuring changes in ocean and global temperatures.
The speed of sound in water is roughly one mile a second—slower than through land but faster than through air. What is most important, different layers of ocean water can act as channels for sounds, focusing them in the same way a stethoscope （聽診器） does when it carries faint noises from a patient’s chest to a doctor’s ear. This focusing is the main reason that even relatively weak sounds in the ocean, especially low-frequency ones, can often travel thousands of miles.
81. The passage is chiefly about ____ .
A. an effort to protect an endangered marine species
B. the civilian use of a military detection system
C. the exposure of a U.S. Navy top-secret weapon
D. a new way to look into the behavior of blue whales
82. The underwater listening system was originally designed ____ .
A. to trace and locate enemy vessels
B. to monitor deep-sea volcanic eruptions
C. to study the movement of ocean currents
D. to replace the global radio communications network
83. The deep-sea listening system makes use of ____ .
A. the sophisticated technology of focusing sounds under water
B. the capability of sound to travel at high speed
C. the unique property of layers of ocean water in transmitting sound
D. low-frequency sounds travelling across different layers of water____
84. It can be inferred from the passage that____.
A. new radio devices should be developed for tracking the endangered blue whales
B. blue whales are no longer endangered with the use of the new listening system
C. opinions differ as to whether civilian scientists should be allowed to use military technology
D. military technology has great potential in civilian use
85. Which of the following is true about the U.S. Navy underwater listening network?
A. It is now partly accessible to civilian scientists.
B. It has been replaced by a more advanced system.
C. It became useless to the military after the cold war.
D. It is indispensable in protecting endangered species.

B
　　More and more young people enjoy having pets,but they don't like to keep them.At present in Changchun,people prefer to rent pets and play with them during weekends,regarding this as a fashionablelifestyle.
　　Mr.Feng,from Jilin Province,likes pet dogs.Last weekend he rented a Scottish shepherd dog from a localpet shop.He bathed the dog,and went walking with it.He said he could not keep pets in his spare time because he was busy everday except weekends.To rent pets during weekends seemsto be the most practical and economical way to relax himself.
　　A manager from a pet shop says his customers(主顧) are all like Mr.Feng,usually too busy to keeppets,and some of them have never kept any pets before. But they hope torent pets and learn to keep pets so that they can know whether they can be good pet masters or not.
　　It's reported that all pets for rent need to beimmunized(免疫).Before they are rented out,pet shops will teach their customers the ABCs of pet keeping and preparing pet food based on each pet's taste.
　　Shop assistants will also provide(提供)different konds of services for pets like health checkup if their customers want to rent pets for a longer period.
　　Dogs for rent are often not ordinary ones,so their rent is high,usually 200 - 500 yuan(US＄ 25-63) per day.Sometimes,you have to leave thousands of yuan with the owner before you can take a dog away.
　　60.Mr.Feng rents pets instead of keeping them mainly because _______.
　　A.it's cheaper                  B.it is more fun
　　C.he has little spare time         D.he wants a new pet for each week
　　61.What do we know about those who rent pets?
　　A.None of them ever kept a pet before.
　　B.They'll become pet owners later.
　　C.They enjoy having pets.
　　D.They want to help protect animals.
　　62.The underlined phrase "the ABCs(of…)"in the 4th paragraph refers to "______(of…)".
　　A.the possible dangers           B.the basic knowledge
　　C.the communicative language    D.the rules set by the shops
　　63.The dogs' rent is high because___________.
　　A.the customers are rich           B.there are few dogs to rent
　　C.their owners hate to leave them    D.they are top - class dogs

B
A new study suggests that the more teenagers watch television , the more likely they are to develop depression (抑郁)as young adults. But the extent to which TV may or may not be to blame is a question that the study leaves unanswered.
The researchers used a national long-term survey of adolescent health to investigate the relationship between media use and depression . They based their findings on more than four thousand adolescents who were not depressed when the survey began in 1995.
As part of the survey, the young people were asked how many hours of television or videos they watched daily. They were also asked how often they played computer games and listened to the radio.
Media use totaled an average of five and one-half hours a day. More than two hours of that was spent watching TV.
Seven years later, in 2002, more than seven percent of the young people had signs of depression. Their average age at that time was twenty-one.
Brian Primack at the Universtiy of Pittsburgh Medical School was the leading author of the new study . He said every extra hour of television meant an eight percent increase in the chances of developing signs of depression.
The researchers say they did not find any such relationship with the use of other media such as movies, video games or radio. But the study did find that young men were more likely than young women to develop depression given the same amount of media use.
Doctor Primack says the study did not explore if watching TV causes depression . But one possibility, like sports and socializing. It might also interfere with sleep, he says, and that could have an influence.
The study was just published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. In December, the journal Social Indicators Research published a study of activities that help lead to happy lives. Sociologists from the University of Maryland found that people who describe themselves as happy spend less time watching television than unhappy people. The study found that happy people are more likely to be socially active, to read, to attend religious services and to vote.
60．The average age of the depressed young people should be_______when they began to receive the survey.
A．21           B．15              C．14                D．20
61．According to the passage, which of the following can possibly lead to depression?
A．Swimming                           B．Attending a party
C．Attending religious services             D．Watching TV for a long time.
62．We can learn from the passage_______.
A．the survey lasted a short time
B．over 280 teenagers who received the survey became more or less depressed in 2002
C．men are more likely to become depressed than women
D．the study about the relationship between media use and depression was published in the journal Social Indicators Research
63．What is the best title for the passage?
A．Teens, television, depression
B．Depression—the common problem of teens
C．Problems of watching TV
D．Teens—a group enjoying watching TV

B
　　Chinese children will be able to get a taste of adult working life in a theme park planned for Hang-zhou city,East China's Zhejiang Province.The Kids City,the first of its kind in China,will allow children aged five to ten to try out jobs of their choice after it opens in October 2008.
　　Located in eastern Hangzhou,the indoor entertainment and educaion park,similar to "Kidzania" in Mexico and Japan,offers more than 50 professions,including pilot,doctor,police officer and lawyer,according to Hangzhou Youth Activity Center(HYAC),the organizer of the park,The park will be a 7:10 scale (比例尺) city with streets,hospitals,museums,supermarkets, schools,airport and other facilities.Construction has begun on the indoor section.
　　Inside the 7,000-square-meter city,every kid would get a bank account holding special money that they can only spend in the park.They could earn more money by working in different booths or workshops.One job would take about half an half an hour and the whole tour would usually last five to six hours."The interactive(交互式) experience will help kids to learn about the adult life,which is good for their future career planning.They will have a lot of fun here,"said Huang Jianming,chief of HYAC.Parents are not allowed to enter the city,but they can take pictures from outside the huge glass house.
　　The ticket price has not been decided yet.But HYACsaid it might be lower than Kidzania Tokyo's and around several hundren yuan.With the majority of investment(投資) coming from the government,the project also needs financial support from companies and organizations,according to HYAC.
　　The world's first Kidzania was opened in Mexico City in 1999.It has turned out to be a huge success receiving about 800,000 visitors every year.In 2006,Kidzania opened its Tokyopark in Japan,which also became an attraction to kids."We are confident that the Chinese version(版本) wll be very successful."said Huang.
　　60.The theme park is aimed at letting the kids_______.
　　　A.work with adults B.experience adult careers
　　　C.imitate adults looking after a family D.watch adults work
　　61.The Kids City will________.
　　　A.be more than half the size of Hangzhou City
　　　B.consist of two parts,one larger than the other
　　　C.contain buildings smaller than those we use
　　　D.have lower buildings than Kidzania Tokyo's
　　62.A visitor to the Kids City ______.
　　　A.has nothing in his bank unless he's worked
　　　B.always leaves his tour with much money in his bank
　　　C.learns to earn money as well as to use it
　　　D.can try out all the professions on one tour
　　63.How many of such theme parks are open to visitors at present in the world?
　　　A.Only one B.Two C.Three D.None

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

D
The price of gas has been going up. We do not know when it will end. Many people want to know how they can save gas. The best way to save gas is to change driving habits.
The accelerator (加速器) or gas pedal, has a lot to do with how much gas you use. The faster you drive, the more gas you use. Drivers should slow down a bit to save gas. Driving at a steady speed helps to save much gas you use. Accelerating slowly to get to the speed you want to go helps save gas too.
The more you drive your car, the more gas you use. Think about the places you need to go before leaving your home. You should run as many errands (差事) that you need to do in one trip. Always try to pick the shortest route when going somewhere.
Cars that are in good working condition use less gas. Take care of your car. Make sure the engine is running well and is tuned up often. Have a repairman check it if something seems wrong.
Tires are important too. Keep the tires inflated (飽滿) properly on a car. It will help the car roll better and will get you better mileage （英里數(shù)） If the tires of a car are worn then they should be replaced.
Finally, think about using your car less. Walk or ride a bike if you do not have far to go. Carpool (合伙用車) or take public transportation when you can. Leaving your car at home really saves gas.
There are many ways a person can save gas. These are just a few ideas that can help you save some money at the gas pump. Try changing the way you drive and see how much it saves you!
68. Which of the following can help save gas?
A. Driving as fast as you can.
B. Accelerating quickly to get to the speed you want.
C. Driving fast a little now and slowly a little then.
D. Driving at a speed that is, seldom changed.
69. The underlined sentence in the 3rd paragraph probably means you should
A. do as many things as you can in one trip
B. go to as many places as you can in one trip
C. take as many people as you can in one trip
D. use as many ways of driving as you can in one trip.
70. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Always keep your car in good working condition.  B. Never use your car unless it is necessary.
C. Replace your tires if they are worn out.                 D. Always stick to your own driving habits.
71. Which would be the best title for the passage?
A. How to use your car correctly.
B. How to save gas when using your car.
C. How to deal with the price of gas.
D. How to form good driving habits.

B
In China, if you are not married by the time you are 30, you are in for trouble: social blame and pressure from family and friends can get you down. And if you are a woman it’s even worse.
Many young people get married simply to get other people off their backs(免受別人的指責(zé)) . This is a serious compromise (妥協(xié)) with their ideals (理想). One ends up not marrying the ideal partner.
There are, however, a few young people who refuse to compromise: if they can’t find a good marriage partner,they say, they would rather not many at all.
34-year-old Kate is university lecture in English.She said she would not describe herself as backelorette(獨身主義者) but simply a woman who hasn't come across the right man yet. She has sharp comments for the way in which the old generation looks at marriage.
“Many people think marriage is a duty —— to your parents, family and society. Nobody cares if your marriage is happy or not. she said, I think this is very wrong and I intend to live and act according to my own will.”
Happily for her, her parents are open-minded and not put pressure on her. But the same does not apply to her friends. They are .constantly trying to get her together with some young man or another. She always refuses politely.
59. The main idea of this passage is that ____ .
A. marriage is duty to society
B. people should get married before 30 years old
C. late marriage should be respected
D. women should get married earlier than men
60. Miss Kate refuses to get together with some young man or another because____.
A. she doesn’t think he is the right man she wants
B. he is either too old or too young
C. he is either important or little learned
D. he doesn’t have good manners
61. In the first paragraph the underlined words “in for”  refer to ____.
A. interested in   B. satisfied with    C. worried about   D. possible to suffer
62. Which is not true according to this passage
A. In China, one mil face social blame and family pressure if one hasn’t got married at he age of 30.
B. Miss Kate’s parents are always worried about her marriage.
C. Miss Kate won’t compromise with her ideal marriage.
D. Miss Kate wants to many a worthy young man.
63. If marriage is regarded as a duty to society,_______.
A. everybody will be happy and satisfied
B. nobody will pay attention to whether you are happy or not in your family life
C. you can easily find an ideal partner
D. young people will have nothing to worry about in marriage

In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin. Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success. These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial group. As a result, more and more people with dark skin are using skin-lightening products, even if they may face health risks.
Many people believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives. They think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family. Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful.
Some beauty care products contain chemicals that make skin lighter. This process is also called bleaching (漂白). But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous. One chemical has been linked to kidney (腎) damage and some kinds of cancer. It also causes low birth weight in babies when used by mothers-to-be.
At first, bleaching products make the skin color lighter. But after long-term use they can cause problems. The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color to skin. The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight. Then the skin can become thick and discolored. Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse.
Fatimata Ly treats skin problems in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal. She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger. Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage.
And these are not the only risks. Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional damage. They feel regret and sadness. They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color as it was.
63. Why has skin lightening become popular all over the world?
A. There are many ways to help change skin color.
B. Many people with dark skin have no confidence.      
C. Light skin seems to bring more advantages than dark skin. 
D. People with dark skin are facing the pressure from their family.
64. According to the passage, people using bleaching products would risk         .
A. thinner skin       B. low weight C. lung cancer D. emotional damage
65. Which of the following is NOT true about bleaching products?
A. Some of them contain dangerous chemicals.
B. They will not make the skin color lighter. 
C. They may cause skin damage.          
D. They are likely to bring health risks.
66. The writer's attitude toward using bleaching products is ________.
A. supportive  B. positive      C. uncertain    D. negative

Today’s teens have a knowledge of the Internet that often surpasses(超過) that of their parents. Because so many teens are Internet savvy(了解, 常識), it is important that they also have an understanding of the dangers that exist online and how to deal with them. Watch teens share their own “Real-Life Stories” about issues affecting them on the Internet such as cyberbullying (網(wǎng)絡(luò)欺凌), online enticement(誘惑), and giving out too much personal information.