1. Passage One There are three separate sources of danger in supplying energy by nuclear power. First， the radioactive material must travel from its place of production to the power station. Although the power stations themselves are strongly built， the containers used for the transport of the materials are not. Normally， only two methods of transport are in use， namely road or rail. Unfortunately， both of these may have an effect on the general public， since they are sure to pass near， or even through， heavily populated areas. Second， there is the problem of waste. All nuclear power stations produce wastes that in most cases will remain radioactive for thousands of years. It is impossible to make these wastes nonradioactive， so they must be stored in one of the inconvenient ways that scientists have invented. For example， they may be buried under the ground， or dropped into deserted mines， or sunk in the sea. However， these methods do not solve the problem， since an earthquake could easily break the containers.
Third， there may occur the danger of a leak or an explosion at the power station. Compared with the other two dangers， this is not very likely， so it does not provide a serious objection to the nuclear program. However， it can happen. Separately， these three types of dangers are not a great cause for worry. Taken together， though， the probability of disaster is extremely high. Which of the following is FALSE?

37. The firm’s promise to increase our pay was a concession (_____)_union demands.

A. 　 against

B. 　 for

C. 　 upon

D. 　 to

3. Passage Twenty-Six Today 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?

A. Farmers in the future will depend totally on computers.

B. Both computers and robots have been in use on today’s farms.

C. Farmers mainly use machines on their farms at present.

D. Students at agricultural colleges must take computer classes because they can do nothing without the help of computers on today’s farms.

39. The police are suspicious (_____)_ making plans for the summer vacation.

A. 　 to

B. 　 at

C. 　 on

D. 　 of

37. We are looking forward (_____)_ a trip to your country.

A. 　 to take

B. 　 to taking

C. 　 to be taking

D. 　 to having taken

2. Passage Twenty-Seven Out of all the students who enroll in a massive open online course 【MOOC】， only about 5 percent complete the course and receive a certificate of accomplishment. This statistic is often cited as evidence that MOOCs are fatally flawed (有缺陷的) and offer little educational value to most students. Yet more than 80 percent of students who fill out a post-course survey say they met their primary objective. How do we look at these two facts? We’re used to focusing on completion rates in higher education， but they’re not the only—or even the most meaningful—indicator of engagement in open online courses. With no cost to enroll， no punishment for dropping out， and little reward for actually earning a certificate， MOOCs are fundamentally different from traditional classes—and students use them in fundamentally different ways. Data from more than 1.8 million students enrolled in 36 MOOCs offered by the University of Pennsylvania show that students treat MOOCs like a buffet (自助餐)， sampling the material according to their interests and career goals. Some are curious about the subject matter and just watch one or two video lectures; others use the discussion forums to connect with their intellectual peers around the world. Of all enrolled students， nearly 60 percent watch at least one video， complete at least one assignment， or post at least once in a forum. So focusing on the tiny fraction of students who complete a MOOC is misguided. The more important number is the 60 percent engagement rate. Students may not finish a MOOC with a certificate of accomplishment， but the courses nonetheless meet the educational goals of millions. In Para. 2， the author stresses ( ) .

A. the primary objective of MOOC students

B. the significance of completion rates in education

C. the strengths and weaknesses of open online courses

D. the differences between MOOCs and traditional classes

46. I got to the airport, (_____)_ that the plane had left ten minutes before.

A. 　 only to find

B. 　 to only find

C. 　 only having found

D. 　 only found

1. Passage Nineteen A 3-year-old boy who was lost in the woods for two days is now safe at home. But Casey Hathaway told his rescuers that he was not alone in the rainy， freezing cold woods. He said he was with a friend——abear. The child went missing on January 22 while playing with friends at his grandmother’s house in the southern state of North Carolina. When the other children returned to the house and Casey did not， the family searched the area for almost an hour before calling the police. Police formed a search and rescue team to look for the young boy in the nearby woods. But two days went by and still——no Casey. The woods of North Carolina are home to many black bears， like this one. It seems one of them helped a little boy while he was lost in the woods. Then on January 24， someone called the police saying they heard a child crying in the woods. Police followed up on the information and found Casey at about 9:30 that night. They pulled him out of some briar (荆棘). He was in good health. Police Officer Chip Hughes said that Casey did not say how he was able to survive in the woods for two days in the cloud， rainy weather， but that “he did say he had a friend in the woods that was a bear that was with him. ” Hundreds of people helped in the search and rescue efforts， including some 600 volunteers， federal police and members of the military. Hughes told reporters that at no point did he think Casey had been kidnapped (绑架). Doctors at Carolina East Medical Center treated Casey for minor injuries. He was then released to his family on January 25 . According to the passage， Casey’s missing is a case of ( ) .

A. pure accident

B. planned kidnap

C. children’s trick

D. animal attack

5. Passage Five The appeal of advertising to buying motives can have both negative and positive effects. Consumers may be convinced to buy a product of poor quality or high price because of an advertisement. For example， some advertisers have appealed to people’s desire for better fuel economy for their cars by advertising automotive products that improve gasoline mileage. Some of the products work. Others are worthless and a waste of consumers’ money. Sometimes advertising is intentionally misleading. A few years ago， a brand of bread was offered to dieters with the message that there were fewer calories in every slice. It turned out that the bread was not dietetic， but just regular bread. There were fewer calories because it was sliced very thin， but there were the same number of calories in every loaf. On the positive side， emotional appeals may respond to a consumer’s real concerns. Consider fire insurance. Fire insurance may be sold by appealing to fear of loss. But fear of loss is the real reason for fire insurance. The security of knowing that property is protected by insurance makes the purchase of fire insurance a worthwhile investment for most people. If consumers consider the quality of the insurance plans as the message in the ads， they will benefit from the advertising. Each consumer must evaluate her or his own situation. Are the benefits of the product important enough to justify buying it? Advertising is intended to appeal to consumers， but it does not force them to buy the product. Consumers still control the final buying decision. The passage is mainly about ( ) .

A. how to make a wise buying decision

B. ways to protect the interests of the consumer

C. the positive and negative aspects of advertising

D. the function of advertisements in promoting sales

48. (_____)his last word,he got into a taxi and disappeared in time.

A. 　 Finishing

B. 　 Finished

C. 　 Having finished

D. 　 To finish

5. Passage Eight Wisdom teeth are normally the last teeth to appear. This usually happens when people are in their late teen years or early twenties—in other words， when they are older and wiser. Wisdom teeth are chewing teeth， at the back of the mouth. They can grow into place normally and never cause a problem. But often there is not enough room for them in the mouth. They might crowd other teeth. Sometimes they even push sideways through the gums (牙床). An impacted wisdom tooth is one that fails to completely rise through the gum—the term is 【erupt】. Wisdom teeth that only partially erupt can leave space for bacteria to enter around the tooth. Infection is a risk in these cases. Wisdom teeth that are not well in place and become impacted are often removed. People should have the placement of their wisdom teeth examined between the ages of sixteen and twenty. X-rays can show wisdom teeth that are below the gums. The American Dental Association says removal is generally advised when wisdom teeth only partly break through the gums. Removal is also advised if there is a chance that poorly placed wisdom teeth will damage other teeth. And removal is called for in cases where fluid collects around a wisdom tooth that is partly or fully below the gum. But why do we have wisdom teeth if we often need to get them removed? One theory has to do with our diets. Scientists say the diet of prehistoric humans probably required more chewing teeth. Life was probably alittle rougher on the teeth back then， too. So it was good to have extras. The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial (上颌面的) Surgeons says young adults are the best candidates for wisdom teeth removal. The group says older patients may be at greater risk for disease in the tissue surrounding the teeth. After surgery， there can be swelling of the gums and face and some pain. Both can be treated with cold wraps and medication (药物治疗). The problem wisdom teeth should be removed early， because ( ) .

A. older patients will feel more pain

B. older patients may face more serious problems

C. wisdom teeth are easier to be removed at young age

D. young people have stronger resistance to diseases