POLAR bears have patrolled the planet’s icy regions for millions of years longer than previously thought – riding out several episodes of global warming in that time. While this suggests their future might not be so bleak, it is no guarantee they will survive the melting occurring in the polar regions today.Charlotte Lindqvist of the University at Buffalo, New York, and an international team of researchers have just completed the most comprehensive analysis yet of the polar bear genome (基因组). The team looked at DNA from 23 living polar bears and a 110,000-year-old polar bear jawbone. Aided by comparisons with the genomes of brown and black bears, they found that polar bears first emerged as a separate species between four and five million years ago. Previous studies had suggested the species didn’t diverge (分化) from brown bears until much later – perhaps just 600,000 years ago.The analysis also showed that polar and brown bears have sometimes interbred (杂交) since their initial divergence, and that populations of polar bears have been changing over the past million years in accordance with the climate. Polar bear numbers dropped during warm periods but bounced back with prolonged ice ages – most noticeably during a period of cooling between 800,000 and 600,000 years ago. The population looks set to fall again as melting pack ice forces polar bears back to the land-based habitats (栖息地) of brown bears, where interbreeding has recently been observed. Should extensive interbreeding occur, both polar and brown bear populations could decline with the emergence of a new hybrid (杂交的) species.Lindqvist says that the analysis reveals that polar bear DNA has lost diversity as population has decreased, drifted apart and become genetically isolated, suggesting today’s bears have less adaptability to the environmental change, habitat loss, pollution and diseases they now face.Earlier this year, Frank Hailer of the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Frankfurt, Germany, and colleagues estimated that polar bears diverged from brown bears 600,000 years ago – a result that itself pushed back the evolutionary record of polar bears by about 450,000 years. However, Hailer says that the new results broadly are consistent with his team’s findings, which also suggested that polar bears may have evolved much earlier than the 600,000 year mark.1. What is the closest meaning of the phrase “riding out” (Para.1)?A) Skyrocketing.B) Seesawing.C) Surviving. D) Substituting.2. What was found in the research of polar bear genome according to the passage?A) Polar bears appeared as a separate species much earlier than we had thought. B) The DNA of living polar bears is very similar to that of a 110,000-year-old polar bear.C) Polar bears have survived the icy ages and will also survive the melting today.D) Polar bears diverged from brown bears perhaps just 600,000 years ago.3. When would populations of polar bears drop over the past million years according to the passage?A) When the climate became colder.B) After the initial divergence between polar and brown bears.C) During a period between 800,000 and 600,000 years ago.D) When polar bears were forced back to the land-based habitats. 4. Why are the polar bears today less able to adapt themselves to the environment according to the passage?A) Because polar bears are isolated and cannot find new habitats.B) Because polar bears are facing more difficulties nowadays.C) Because the DNA of polar bears has lost diversity. D) Because the interbreeding with brown bears has produced a new hybrid species.5. What can be inferred from this passage?A) Brown bear populations may increase, while polar bear populations decline.B) We are not sure that polar bears will survive the melting of polar regions.C) A new hybrid species of polar bears will have more adaptability to the environmental changes. D) The polar bear populations would increase when they began to interbreed with brown bears.

“A proposed textbook about Mexican-American history that would be read by Texas high school students is filled with inaccuracies about Mexican Americans”, said a group of educators opposing the publication of the textbook. Latino (拉美裔的) activists and educators have been urging the Texas State Board of Education to allow for more coverage of Latino Americans in the textbooks, so when a textbook on Mexican Americans was included among the textbooks to be considered for the next school year, it appeared to be a win for those advocates. But when the textbook was released, it became clear that the book was far more harmful than helpful.On Monday, a newly formed Mexican American organization criticized the offensive cultural stereotypes that were found in the textbook that called Industrialists “driven” but said Mexican laborers “were not reared to put in a full day’s work so vigorously.”As for how it has been received by the board members themselves, reactions have been mixed. Texas Board of Education member Ruben Cortez Jr. said, “I don’t believe that this book should see the inside of any classroom in any shape... If it’s as bad as they’re all telling me, there’s not a chance I’m going to support this book.” However, fellow board member David Bradley, who didn’t want a Mexican-American heritage textbook in the first place said, “It’s really kind of amusing. These activists, having pounded the table for special treatment, get approval for a special course that nobody else wanted... Now they don’t like their special textbook?”The way marginalized groups are represented in historical texts has always been a source of controversy. For example, last year a Houston mother objected to a McGraw-Hill textbook that called slaves “workers” and implied that they emigrated to the Americas as opposed to the reality –that they were forced aboard ships to labor as slaves. A European gaming company also found itself under intense criticism last year for an educational game about the Atlantic slave trade that allowed users to stack slaves on top of each other to fit them all on the ship.The Texas State Board of Education will review the textbook and allow for a public comment period in the fall.1. What is the major concern of Latino activists and educators?A) They want to fight for their legal rights in America.B) They want to urge the authorities to confess their mistakes.C) They want the textbooks cover more about Latino Americans. D) They want to correct the inaccuracies of the textbook.2. Why was the book far more harmful than helpful?A) Because Industrialists were thought to be hard working in the book.B) Because Mexican workers were described as lazy people in the book. C) Because the book was full of inaccuracies about American history.D) Because there was too much coverage of Latino Americans.3. Which of the following statements about David Bradley is true?A) His words were quite ironic. B) He felt really amused.C) His opinion was fair enough.D) He was confused about the whole issue.4. The underlined phrase “marginalized groups” might refer to ________.A) African Americans who used to be slavesB) Latino Americans who used to be laborersC) people who were forced to emigrate to AmericaD) American minorities who were treated unfairly 5. It can be inferred from Paragraph 4 that ________.A) there are many mistakes in American history textbooksB) the Houston mother might be a Latino-AmericanC) the gaming company designed the game improperly D) the textbook will not be published in America

More than 1.5 million apps compete for attention in the Android App Store, making it difficult for new developers to get their apps noticed. Yet, with more than two billion devices running on Android, this is one platform you don’t want to ignore.If you’re just starting out, here are a few tips from iHub developers to ensure your app doesn’t get lost in the crowd.Be persistent. Successful developers spend a lot of time working on their apps. They accept feedback and use it as constructive criticism to build newer, better versions of their apps.Aim for quality, not quantity. Some developers think that the more apps they have, the more successful they are, but this is not the case. Rather invest the time it takes to develop three average apps in creating one awesome app.Flex your business muscle. Most developers focus only on the technology but this is just 30% of the work. The other 70% involves figuring out how to make money from your app. If it’s a paid-for app, who will your target market be and how will they discover it? If you’re going to give your app away for free, will you make money offering premium content or through advertising?Never stop learning. And learn quickly. Successful developers are able to jump on the latest technology and market trends.Research and understand your target market. If you’re not giving your market something they want or need, they’re not going to use your app. A good place to start is to make sure your app entertains, educates or makes life a little easier.By using Intel’s Integrated Native Developer Experience (INDE) software, you will already have some of these bases covered. It provides you with everything you need to create C++ and Java apps for Android, Windows and OS X, including compiler technology, domain specific libraries, performance analysers, hardware accelerator emulators and a whole lot more. Best of all, you can download the Professional Edition FREE for a limited time only. Click here to start developing today!1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?A) Owing to the hot app competition, it is impossible for new developers to let people know their apps.B) The tips from iHub developers can help new developers’ app find its way into market and attract people’s attention. C) The number of devices running on Android is 1.5 million.D) The Android platform is ignorable compared with other platforms.2. Which of the following statement about successful developers is NOT true?A) They are open to customers’ criticism and then improve apps.B) They think the more apps they have, the more successful they are. C) They keep learning about latest technology and market trends.D) They create apps that entertain, educate or make life easier.3. What does “flex your business muscle” mean in Paragraph 5?A) Make your muscle more flexible.B) Tighten your muscle to prepare for a business activity.C) Find ways to make money from apps. D) Start your own business and keep healthy at the same time.4. What is recommended for developers in the last paragraph?A) C++ language.B) Java language.C) Development software. D) OS X system.5. What is the best title of the passage?A) Five Traits of Successful Developers. B) Tips for Downloading Free Software.C) How to Create Excellent Apps.D) How to Make Money from Your App.

The price of rice on world markets has doubled and in the past two months alone has gone up 50 percent. The rising costs have triggered warnings of social chaos in the Philippines. Rising fuel and fertilizer costs, and natural disasters are the main reasons for the price increase. Cambodia and Vietnam have cut their rice exports, actions that analysts say threaten to push prices up even further in the coming months.U.S. and the World Food Program officials say they are searching for ways to cut transportation and other non-food costs. They say one way is to develop means of purchasing and processing food in the countries that receive the aid, rather than have to transport it from faraway places. The World Food Program recently launched an extraordinary emergency appeal for donor nations to increase their donations. Gaddi Vasquez, the U.S. ambassador to U.N. food and agriculture agencies told reporters the United States, the largest single donor to the World Food Program, has not yet decided if it will increase donations in the wake of rising food prices.1.What problem may be caused in the Philippines with the high price of rice?A) Social turmoil. B) Natural disasters.C) Increase of fuel costs.D) Shortage of fertilizer.2.How did Vietnam try to solve the rice problem?A) By cutting fertilizer costs.B) By reducing rice exports.C) By increasing rice imports.D) By encouraging rice planting.3.What was the reaction of the World Food Program towards rising food prices?A) It provided various ways of processing food.B) It imposed limits on rice imports and exports.C) It stopped transporting rice from faraway places.D) It asked donor nations to increase their donations.

People often ask which is the most difficult language to learn, and it is not easy to answer because there are many factors to take into consideration. Firstly, in a first language the differences are unimportant as people learn their mother tongue naturally, so the question of how hard a language is to learn is only relevant when learning a second language. A native speaker of Spanish, for example, will find Portuguese much easier to learn than a native speaker of Chinese, for example, because Portuguese is very similar to Spanish, while Chinese is very different, so first language can affect learning a second language. The greater the differences between the second language and our first, the harder it will be for most people to learn. Many people answer that Chinese is the hardest language to learn, possibly influenced by the thought of learning the Chinese writing system, and the pronunciation of Chinese does appear to be very difficult for many foreign learners. However, for Japanese speakers, who already use Chinese characters in their own language, learning writing will be less difficult than for speakers of languages using the Roman alphabet. Different cultures and individuals will find different languages more difficult. In the case of Hungarian for British learners, it is not a question of the writing system, which uses a similar alphabet, but the grammatical complexity, though native speakers may find it easier, struggling with languages that the British find relatively hard. No language is easy to learn well, though languages which are related to our first language are easier. Learning a completely different writing system is a huge challenge, but that does not necessarily make a language more difficult than another. In the end, it is impossible to say that one language that is the most difficult language in the world. 【小题1】Who might find Portuguese an easier language to learn? A．The Chinese. B．Russians. C．Spanish people. D．The Japanese. 【小题2】Why do Japanese speakers find the Chinese less difficult to learn? A．They use Chinese characters. B．Japan is the neighbor of China. C．Chinese is their second language. D．Many Japanese are learning Chinese. 【小题3】Which is the most difficult of Hungarian for British learners? A．Writing. B．Pronunciation. C．Grammar. D．Alphabet. 【小题4】What might be the author’s opinion? A. Chinese is the hardest language. B. Native language is always easy to learn. C. No languages are difficult to learn well.

First we had BSE (疯牛症); then we had Foot and Mouth followed by bird flu; and now there is another food scare—this time involving pigs. Anyone who has bought Irish bacons, sausages or other pork products over the past two months has been told to destroy them amid fears they could be poisoned. Ireland's Food Safety Authority is recalling all pork products made in the country since 1 September because super high levels of dioxins (二恶英) have been found at nine farms across Ireland; some are as much as 200 times the recommended amount. It's thought it contaminated animal feed, and which may be sold to more than 40 farms is to blame. The main message to consumers is if you have any Irish pork products in your fridges, get rid of them. But don't panic. The risk here isn't thought to be great. Dioxins are harmful if you are exposed to them over a long period of time, but as this outbreak (突发事件) only started two months ago, the danger is very slight. Plus the UK gets most of its pork products from countries other than Ireland. So, the amount of affected meat on the market here is small. It's a different story in Ireland though. Britain may not rely on Irish pork but the UK is still one of Ireland's biggest customers. Not only that, all bacons, hams, sausages and even things like meat pies have to be destroyed. And it could cause disaster for Ireland's 400 pig farmers in the period of time before Christmas. Their representatives insist this scare affects less than ten percent of the products on the market at the moment; and that all meat produced from now on will be perfectly safe. Still, it's likely to destroy consumer confidence on both sides of the Irish Sea at one of the most important times of year for the meat industry.1. Why were people asked to destroy Irish meat products?A) Because they try to avoid infection of BSE, Foot and Mouth and bird flu.B) Because they try to reduce the direct and indirect danger of swine flu.C) Because they try to reduce the possibility of eating poisonous meat food. D) Because they try to follow the command of the government.2. What caused Ireland's Food Safety Authority to recall pork products?A) The animal feed has been polluted by the producing companies.B) The pork from 49 farms was all found with high levels of dioxins.C) The pork products made in Ireland since 1 September were possibly poisonous. D) The dioxins in pork are as much as 200 times the allowed amount.3. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?A) Some people get sick after eating food with dioxins for several days.B) It is not sure the danger of food is harmful to human's health.C) The polluted meat only occupied a small quantity of the market. D) The UK decides to import the pork products from other countries.4. What is the influence on Ireland?A) There are few meat products sold on the market.B) Its 400 pig farmers hardly prepare for the Christmas Day.C) Most of the meat companies nearly go bankrupt.D) Its export of pork products has got heavy losses. 5. Which of the following can we infer from the passage?A) Farmers should feed healthier pigs.B) Today's food is not safe to us anymore.C) All meat produced from now on will be perfectly safe.D) People probably have less confidence in the meat industry.

Directions In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank before the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please write down the corresponding. letter for each item in the blanks. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. A) financially E) majority I) discriminated M) protection B) different F) same J) but N) group C) adapt G) adopt k) disadvantages O)easier D) continue H) however L) established Ironically in the United States a country of immigrants prejudice and discrimination__1_____to be serious problems There was often tension between each established group of immigrants and each succeeding group. As each group became more _______2___successful, and more powerful, they excluded newcomers from full participation in the society. Prejudice and discrimination are part of American history _______3___this prejudicial treatment of different groups is nowhere more unfair than with black Americans. Blacks had distinct_____4_____For the most part, they came to the "land of opportunity' as slaves and were not free to keep their heritage and cultural traditions. Unlike most European immigrants blacks did not have the____5______of a support group; sometimes slave owners separated members of the___6_______ family. They could not mix easily with the established society because of their skin color It was difficult for them to ____7______ to the American culture. Even after they became free people, they were still ___8_______ in employment housing education. Until the 20th century the ______9____of the black population lived in the southern part of the United States. Then there was a population shift to the large cities in the North Prejudice against blacks is often associated with the South Slavery was more common there and discrimination was usually______10____ to see.

A team of researchers in California has developed a way to predict what kinds of objects people are looking at by scanning what's happening in their brains．When you look at something，your eyes send a signal about that object to your brain．Different regions of the brain process the information your eyes send．Cells in your brain called neurons（神经元） are responsible for this processing．　　The fMRI （functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging功能性磁共振造影） brain scans could generally match electrical activity in the brain to the basic shape of a picture that someone was looking at．　　Like cells anywhere else in your body，active neurons use oxygen．Blood brings oxygen to the neurons，and the more active a neuron is，the more oxygen it will consume．The more active a region of the brain，the more active its neurons，and in turn，the more blood will travel to that region．And by using fMRI，scientists can visualize which parts of the brain receive more oxygen-rich blood--and therefore，which parts are working to process information．　　An fMRI machine is a device that scans the brain and measures changes in blood flow to the brain．The technology shows researchers how brain activity changes when a person thinks，looks at something，or carries out an activity like speaking or reading．By highlighting the areas of the brain at work when a person looks at different images，fMRI may help scientists determine specific patterns of brain activity associated with different kinds of images．　　The California researchers tested brain activity by having two volunteers view hundreds of pictures of everyday objects，like people，animals，and fruits．The scientists used an fMRI machine to record the volunteers'brain activity with each photograph they looked at．Different objects caused different regions of the volunteers'brains to light up on the scan，indicating activity．The scientists used this information to build a model to predict how the brain might respond to any image the eyes see．In a second test，the scientists asked the volunteers to look at 120 new pictures．Like before，their brains were scanned every time they looked at a new image．This time，the scientists used their model to match the fMRI scans to the image．For example，if a scan in the second test showed the same pattern of brain activity that was strongly，related to pictures of apples in the first test，their model would have predicted the volunteers were looking at apples．51．What is responsible for processing the information sent by your eyes？ ____ A．A small region of the brain．B．The central part of the brain．C．Neurons in the brain．D．Oxygen-rich blood．52．Which of the following statements is NOT meant by the writer？ ____ A．Cells in your brain are called neurons．B The more oxygen a neuron consumes，the more blood it needs．C fMRI helps scientists to discover which parts of the brain process information．D fMRI helps scientists to discover how the brain develops intelligently．53．"Highlighting the areas of the brain at work"means ____ A．"marking the parts of the brain that are processing information"B．"giving light to the parts of the brain that are processing information"C．"putting the parts of the brain to work"D．"stopping the parts of the brain from working"54．What did the researchers experiment on？ ____ A Animals，objects，and fruits．B Two volunteers．C fMRI machines．D Thousands of pictures．55．What is the best title for the passage？ ____ A．Mind-reading MachineB．A Technological DreamC．Device that can Help You CalculateD．The Recent Development in Science and Technology．

People often ask which is the most difficult language to learn, and it is not easy to answer because there are many things to take into consideration. Firstly, in a first language the differences are unimportant as people learn their mother tongue naturally, so the question of how hard a language is to learn is only relevant in terms of learning a second language.A native speaker of Spanish, for example, will find Portuguese (葡萄牙语) much easier to learn than a native speaker of Chinese, because Portuguese is very similar to Spanish, while Chinese is very different, so one’s first language can affect learning a second language. The greater the differences between a second language and our first language, the harder it will be for most people to learn a second language. Many people answer that Chinese is the hardest language to learn, possibly influenced by the thought of learning the Chinese writing system, and the pronunciation of Chinese does appear to be very difficult for many foreign learners. However, for Japanese speakers, who already use Chinese characters in their own language, learning writing will be less difficult than for speakers of languages using the Roman alphabet (字母).Some people seem to learn languages easily, while others find it very difficult. Teachers and the circumstances (环境) in which the language is learned also play an important role, as well as each learner’s purpose for learning. If people learn a language because they need to use it in work, they often learn it faster than people studying a language that has no direct use in their day-to-day life.No language is easy to learn well, though languages which are related to our first language are easier. Learning a completely different writing system is a huge challenge, but that does not necessarily make a language more difficult than another. In the end, it is impossible to say that there is one language that is the most difficult language in the world.【小题1】What does the underlined word “relevant” in paragraph 1 mean?A．Difficult.B．Meaningful.C．Necessary.D．Possible.【小题2】What is the example of Portuguese and Chinese used to prove?A．Chinese is harder to learn than Portuguese.B．Portuguese and Chinese are very different.C．Portuguese is very easy for foreigners to learn.D．One’s first language can affect learning a second language.【小题3】Why do many people think Chinese is hard to learn?A．Its writing system is strange.B．Its pronunciation is old-fashioned.C．Its characters are difficult to understand.D．It has many differences from other languages.【小题4】What can we learn from the text?A．A second language is easier than we think.B．Using a language daily will make it easy to learn.C．The writing system is harder than the pronunciation.D．Difficult languages are not as popular as simple ones.