Directions: Read the following passages carefully and choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D.Questions 1 to 5 are based on the same passage.The crop circles you will see as part of the Crop Circle Connector web site are actual events that have taken place in crop fields worldwide. This web site is literally the largest crop circle site on the Internet. On this site you will find information to cater for all your needs including an international crop circle database.In the UK farmers recall simple circles appearing on their land for generations. The British media first reported on the circles in the early 1980s. By 1990 crop circles had exploded into the public mind as the new phenomenon changed from simple circular patterns into huge and complex, geometric formations. The crop circles are a worldwide phenomenon and each year new reports come from an ever increasing number of countries. However, the main concentration of events are to be found in Southern England, many around ancient sites such as Stonehenge, Avebury and Silbury Hill.Although there are many theories as to their creation, none have been able to explain satisfactorily exactly how the circles are made. But, perhaps some of the most persuasive evidence comes in the form of videotaped footage showing small bright balls of white light in and around the crop circles. Many of these lights have been filmed in broad daylight and the objects seem to move with purpose and intelligence. Could this hint at a possible link between them and the formation of crop circles?Scientific analysis has been carried out on plant samples taken from the crop circles. The work done suggests that some sort of microwave energy effect is involved in the circle making process. Crop circle researchers are increasingly being asked to use creative and innovative thought as part of their investigative process. Some current field research uses meditation, lights and musical sounds in an effort to communicate new patterns into the fields as the circles phenomenon has been seen to interact with the human mind.Whatever the crop circles are, they have perplexed and inspired people worldwide. For those involved it has changed their lives forever, with the growing realization that we live in a world that is infinitely more complex and mysterious than we could have imagined.This web site is dedicated to bringing you the very latest and most comprehensive crop circle news and information. We incorporate reports on all the new formations with top quality photographs from some of the foremost researchers and photographers.1.When were the crop circles first reported?A. In the early 1980s.B. In the 1990s.C. During the recent years.D. Many hundred years ago.2.The author's purpose in writing this essay is to________________.A. tell readers that we live in a complex and mysterious worldB. show how mysterious the crop circles areC. persuade people to pay a visit to EnglandD. introduce this web site to people3.Researchers use many creative methods to communicatenew patterns of circles except ________________.A. meditationB. lightsC. musical soundsD. calculation4.According to the passage, which of the following statements isNOT true?A. The crop circles appear on farmland.B. The crop circles are a world-wide phenomenon.C. Plant samples taken from the crop circles were analyzed byresearchers.D. Scientists get satisfactory explanations about how thecircles are made.5.The author's attitude towards the crop circles is________________.A. subjectiveB. objectiveC. indifferentD. worriedQuestions 6 to 10 are based on the same passage.Japan's famed cherry trees have carried the hearts of a nation for centuries but they will soon enjoy another honor—their seeds being launched into outer space.The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has approved a project to send the seeds of cherry trees to the Japanese laboratory at the International Space Station, officials said Tuesday.Japan Manned Space Systems Corp., a Tokyo-basedprivate-sector consortium of 55 companies, organized the cherry seeds' half-a-year stay in space in part to see whether or how microgravity would affect them."Scientific observation is one reason. But we also want the seeds to travel in space on our behalf as few ordinary people can go now," Manned Space Systems spokeswoman Yuko Otake said.Cherry trees' annual springtime blooming is a time for nationwide enjoyment in Japan, where friends and colleagues hold picnics to enjoy the short-lived beauty of the blossoms.The space project will send lily and violet seeds along with the seeds from 10 cherry trees, including three designated by the government as natural treasures and praised as producing Japan's most beautiful blossoms.One of the three ancient trees, named Takizakura, or "cascade cherry blossoms," draws 300,000 viewers for the three weeks it isin bloom in the small northern town of Miharu.Elementary school pupils in Miharu will pick some 200 fallen seeds in June or July for the space project. The town will share the returned seeds with research institutions."Since the seeds will be returned with a certificate that they have gone to space, we hope to use them to promote tourism here while drawing children's interest in science," town official Sadafumi Hirata said.The town will also plant some seeds, he said. "We are very proud that our tree was selected among many cherry blossoms that represent Japan," he said.The seeds will be lifted off into space around October and are expected to return to Earth early next year.Japan has an increasingly ambitious space program and last month began to set up its first space laboratory, which was launched on the US space shuttle Endeavour.6.Why have Japanese sent the seeds of cherry trees to outerspace?A. Because they love cherry trees very much.B. Because they want to see whether cherry tress can bloomin space.C. Because they want to see whether or how microgravitywould affect cherry trees.D. Because they want to produce more beautiful cherryblossoms.7.Who organized the space project?A. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.B. A private corporation.C. The Japanese Government.D. The official of Hirata.8.What will be sent into space with the seeds of cherry trees?A. The seeds of lily and lotus.B. The seeds of lily and violet.C. The seeds of violet and rose.D. The seeds of violet and plum.9.Who will pick fallen cherry seeds in Miharu?A. The elementary school students.B. The tourists in Miharu.C. The citizens of Miharu.D. Some experts from research institutions.10.The attitude the official Sadafumi Hirata holds towards thespace project is ________________.A. indifferentB. disbelievingC. pleasedD. criticalQuestions 11 to 15 are based on the same passage.South Korean scientists say they have engineered four beagles (比格犬) that glow red using cloning techniques that could help develop cures for human diseases.The four dogs, all named "Ruppy"—a combination of the words "ruby" and "puppy"—look like typical beagles by daylight. But they glow red under ultraviolet light.Seoul National University professor Lee Byeong-chun, head of the research team, called them the world's first transgenic dogs carrying fluorescent genes, an achievement that goes beyond just the glowing creation."What's significant in this work is not the dogs expressing red colors but that we planted genes into them," Lee told the reporters on Tuesday.His team identified the dogs as clones of a cell donor through DNA tests and earlier this month introduced the achievement in a paper on the website of a journal.Scientists in the US, Japan and in Europe previously have cloned fluorescent mice and pigs, but this would be the first time dogs with modified genes have been cloned successfully, Lee said.He said his team took skin cells from a beagle, inserted fluorescent genes into them and put them into eggs before implanting them into the body of a local mixed breed.Six female beagles were born in December 2007 through a cloning with a gene that produces a red fluorescent protein that made them glow, he said. Two died, but the four others survived.The glowing dogs show that it is possible to successfully insert genes with a specific trait, which could lead to implanting other, non-fluorescent genes that could help treat specific diseases, Lee said.The scientist said his team has started to implant humandisease-related genes in dog cloning, saying that will help them find new treatments for genetic diseases such as Parkinson's.A South Korean scientist who created glowing cats in 2007 based on a similar cloning technique said that Lee's puppies are genuine clones, saying he had seen them and had read about them."We can say this is a step forward toward finding cures for human diseases", said the scientist. "What is important now is on what specific diseases Lee's team will focus on."11.The significance of this research is that ________________.A. it shows us the dog can grow redB. it will help us find new treatments for human diseasesC. it shows that South Korean scientists have mastered highcloning techniquesD. it proves that scientists can find the cures for all diseases12.When do the four beagles glow red?A. During the whole day.B. At night.C. Under ultraviolet light.D. Under any condition.13.All of the following animals have been successfully clonedexcept ________________.A. fluorescent miceB. fluorescent pigsC. fluorescent catsD. fluorescent dogs with modified genes14.The four beagles glow red because ________________.A. they were born with red skinB. fluorescent genes were inserted into themC. the dogs carry modified genesD. their mother can glow red15.The scientists' attitude toward the cloning technique can bedescribed as ________________.A. disappointingB. suspiciousC. optimisticD. pessimisticQuestions 16 to 20 are based on the same passage.Robots could fill the jobs of 3.5 million people in Japan by 2025, a think-tank says, helping to alleviate worker shortages as the country's population shrinks.Japan faces a 16 per cent drop in the size of its workforce by 2030 while the number of elderly will mushroom, the government estimates, raising worries about who will do the work in a country unused to, and unwilling to think seriously about large-scale immigration.The think-tank, the Machine Industry Memorial Foundation, says robots could help fill the gaps, ranging from micronized capsules that detect problems to high-tech vacuum cleaners. Rather than each robot replacing one person, the foundation said in a report that robots could make time for people to focus on more important things.Japan could save 2.1 trillion yen (10.4 billion pounds) of elderly insurance payments in 2025 by using robots that monitor the health of older people, so they do not have to rely on human nursing care, the foundation said in its report. Caregivers would save more than an hour a day if robots helped look after children, older people and did some housework. Robotic duties could include reading books out loud or helping bathe the elderly."Seniors are pushing back their retirement until they are 65 years old, day care centers are being built so that more women can work during the day, and there is a move to increase the quota of foreign laborers. But none of these can beat the shrinking workforce," said Takao Kobayashi, who worked on the study. "Robots are important because they could help in some ways to relieve such shortage of the labor force."The current fertility rate is 1.3 babies per woman, far below the level needed to maintain the population, while the government estimates that 40 percent of the population will be over 65 by 2055, raising concerns about who will look after the graying population.Kobayashi said changes were still needed for robots to make a big impact on the workforce. "There's the expensive price tag, the functions of the robots still need to improve, and then there are themindsets of people," he said. "People need to have the will to use the robots."16.What is the main idea of this passage?A. Robots will play a very important role in society.B. Robots can relieve shortage of the labor force.C. Robots will change people's life style.D. Robots can save time for people.17.Which of the following best describes what robots could do inthe future?A. They could be high-tech vacuum cleaners.B. They could take care of children and older people.C. They could monitor the health of older people.D. They could do various things to make time for people.18.It can be inferred from the fifth paragraph that________________.A. delaying seniors' retirement can solve the problem ofworker shortageB. women will get better job in big companyC. foreign laborers can beat the shrinking workforceD. using the robots is the best way to alleviate workershortage19.Which of the following statements is NOT true?A. Japan faces the problem of workforce shrinkage.B. The number of older people will increase rapidly.C. Using robots can save money and time for people.D. Half of the population will be over 65 in 2055.20.Among the things we should do, which is NOT implied in thelast paragraph?A. Lower robots' price.B. Improve robots' functions.C. Produce more robots.D. Change our ways of thinking about robots.不用感谢我,我不叫雷锋.。