15.Corn originated in the New World and thus was not known in Europe until Columbus found it ()in Cuba.

3. Passage Twenty-SixToday just as technology changed the face of industry， farmers have undergone an “agricultural revolution”.On the farm of today， machines provide all the power.One of the most important benefits will be the farm computer.A few forward-looking farmers are already using computers to help them run their farms more efficiently.The computers help them keep more accurate records， so they can make better decisions on what crops to plant， how much livestock to buy， when to sell their products， and how much profit they can expect.Many computer companies have been developing special computer programs just for farmers.Programs are being written for hog (猪)producers， grain farmers， potato farmers， and dairy farmers.In the future， farmers will be able to purchase computer programs made to their needs.Because of the growing importance of computers on the farm， students at agricultural colleges are required to take computer classes in addition to their normal agricultural courses.There can be no doubt that farmers will rely on computers even more in the future.While the old-time farm depended on horse power， and modern farms depend on machine power， farms of the future will depend on computer power.Another technological advance which is still in the experimental stage is the robot， a real “mechanized hired hand” that will be able to move and， in some ways， think like a human being.Agricultural engineers believe that computer-aided robots will make startling changes in farming before the end of the century.Unlike farmers of the present， farmers of the future will find that many day-to-day tasks will be done for them.Scientists are now developing robots that will be able to shear (修剪)sheep， drive tractors， and harvest fruit.Even complex jobs will be done by robots.For example， in order to milk their cows， farmers must first drive them into the special barn (畜棚)， then connect them to the milking machines， watch the machines， and disconnect them when they are finished.In the future， this will all be done by robots.In addition， when the milking is completed， the robots will automatically check to make sure that the milk is pure.The complete mobilization of the farm is far in the future， but engineers expect that some robots will be used before long.Which of the following statements is true?

1、Directions: You are to write in no fewer than 100 words on the topic “The effect of my parent， teacher， or friend on my life”.Write your passage on the ANSWER SHEET.

36.I make notes in the back of my diary()things to be mended or replaced.

A. 　by

B. 　in

C. 　with

D. 　of

4. Passage Thirty-FiveTelevision has changed the lifestyle of people in every industrialized country in the world.In the United States， where sociologists have studied the effects， some interesting observations have been made.Television， although not essential， has become an important part of most people’s lives.It alters people’s ways of seeing the world; in many ways， it supports and sustains (维持)modern life.Television has become a baby-sitter， an introducer of conversations， the major transmitter of culture and a keeper of tradition.Yet when what can be seen on TV in one day is critically analyzed， it becomes evident that television is not a teacher but a sustainer; the poor quality of programming does not elevate (提高)people into greater understanding， but rather maintains and encourages the life as it exists.The primary reason for the lack of quality in American television is related to both the history of TV programming development and the economics of TV.Television in America began with the radio.Radio companies and their sponsors first experimented with television.Therefore， the close relationship which the advertisers had with radio programs became the system for American TV.Sponsors not only paid money for time within programs， but many actually produced the programs.Thus， in American society， television is primarily concerned with reflecting and attracting society rather than experimenting with new ideas.Advertisers want to attract the largest viewing audience possible.To do so requires that the programs be entertaining rather than educational， attractive rather than challenging.Television in America today remains， to a large extent， with the same organization and standards as it had thirty years ago.The hope for further development and true achievement toward improving society will require a change in the entire system.The author believes that television in the United States has become important to most people because ().

2. Passage Twenty-EightOn November 19， 1863， Abraham Lincoln went to Gettysburg in Pennsylvania to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery.The Civil War was still going on.There was much criticism of President Lincoln at the time.He was not at all popular.He had been invited to speak at Gettysburg only out of politeness.The principal speaker was to be Edward Everett， a famous statesman and speaker of the day.Everett was a handsome man and very popular everywhere.It is said that Lincoln prepared his speech on the train while going to Gettysburg.Late that night， alone in his hotel room and tired out， he again worked briefly on the speech.The next day Everett spoke first.He spoke for an hour and 57 minutes.His speech was a perfect example of the rich oratory of the day.Then Lincoln rose.The crowd of 15，000 people at first paid little attention to him.He spoke for only nine minutes.At the end there was little applause.Lincoln turned to a friend and remarked， “I have failed again.” On the train back to Washington， he said sadly， “That speech was a flat failure， and the people are disappointed”.Some newspapers at first criticized the speech， but little by little as people read the speech， they began to understand better.They began to appreciate its simplicity and its deep meaning.It was a speech which only Abraham Lincoln could have made.Today， every American school child learns Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address by heart.Now everyone thinks of it as one of the greatest speeches ever given in American history.Lincoln was invited to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery because he was ().

2. Passage Twenty-FiveOnline dating has just been revealed to be one of the most common ways to start a relationship.But new research reveals that the concept is still highly flawed (有缺陷的).An analysis of 400 studies into online dating shows that while it offers access to plenty of other singles， users can be overwhelmed and put off by the volume of choice， defeating the purpose.The research， by Northwestern University and published in the journal Psychological Science in the public interest， found that the processes involved don’t lend themselves to forming strong relationships.The findings also indicated that the concept of an online profile (介绍)is not entirely useful and “can result in treating potential partners as mere objects”.Lead author Eli.J.Finkel explained， “Online dating is a terrific addition for singles to meet.However， there are two problems.” First， studying over seemingly endless lists of profiles of people one does not know， as on Match.com， does not reveal much about them.Second， it “overloads people and they end up shutting down，” he said.He compared it to shopping at “supermarkets of love” and said psychological research shows people presented with too many choices tend to make lazy and often poor decisions.The study’s authors also questioned the algorithms (算法)employed by sites such as eHarmony.com to match people based on their interests or personality—comparing it to having a real estate agent of love.While the algorithm may reduce the number of potential partners from thousands to a few， they may be as unsuitable for each other as two people meeting at random， Dr.Finkel explained， adding the chances are no better than finding a relationship by walking into any bar.“There’s no better way to figure out whether you’re a match with somebody than talking to them over a coffee or beer，” Dr.Finkel said.According to Paragraph 2， online dating ().

42.After the guests left， she spent half an hour ()the sitting-room.

A. 　ordering

B. 　tidying up

C. 　arranging

D. 　clearing away

44.Americans eat ()vegetables per person today as they did in 1910.

A. 　more than twice

B. 　as twice as many

C. 　twice as many as

D. 　more than twice as many

1、近年来，随着科技发展，电子产品越来越多，学生的汉字书写能力大大降低。假定你是校书法协会的会长，为了让同学们重视书写，写一封倡议书，内容包括:1.减少对电子产品的依赖，多动手记笔记;2.养成练书法和写日记的习惯。

5. Passage Twenty-ThreeWashington Irving was America’s first man of letters to be known internationally.His works were received enthusiastically both in England and in the United States.He was， in fact， one of the most successful writers of his time in the country， and at the same time winning the admiration of fellow writers like Scott in Britain and Poe and Hawthorne in the United States.The respect in which he was held was partly owing to the man himself， with his warm friendliness， his good sense， his urbanity， his gay spirits， his artistic integrity， his love of both the Old World and the New.Thackery described Irving as “a gentleman， who， though himself born in no very high sphere， was most finished， polished， witty; socially the equal of the most refined Europeans.” In England he was granted an honorary degree from Oxford—an unusual honor for a citizen of a young， uncultured nation—and he received the medal of the Royal Society of Literature.America made him ambassador to Spain.Irving’s background provides little to explain his literary achievements.A gifted but delicate child， he had little schooling.He studied law， but without zeal， and never did practice seriously.He was immune to his strict Presbyterian home environment， frequenting both social gatherings and the theatre.Why might Irving’s literary ability have been surprising to the English?