Global warming could make humans shorter, warn scientists who claim to have found evidence that it caused the world’s first horses to shrink nearly 50 million years ago.
In fact, a team from the universities of Florida and Nebraska says it has found a link between the Earth heating up and the size of mammals — horses, in this case, the last time the world heated up.
The scientists used fossils to follow the evolution of horses from their earliest appearance 56 million years ago.
As temperatures went up, their size went down, and vice versa (反之亦然); at one point they were as small as a house cat, said Dr Jonathan Bloch, curator (馆长) of the Florida Museum of Natural History, was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying.
The scientists say that the current warming could have the same effect on mammals — and could even make humans smaller.
“Horses started out small, about the size of a small dog like a miniature schnauzer (雪纳瑞犬). What’s surprising is that after they first appeared, they then became even smaller and then dramatically increased in size, and that exactly corresponds to the global warming event, followed by cooling. It had been known that mammals were small during that time and that it was warm, but we hadn’t understood that temperature specifically was driving the evolution of body size，” Dr Bloch said in the Science journal.
1.How did the scientists find out the evolution of horses?
A. By using fossils.
B. By following the horses.
C. By heating up.
D. By studying cats.
2.What does the underlined word “miniature” in the last paragraph probably mean?
A. Small. B. Large.
C. Natural. D. Gentle.
3.What can we learn from what Dr Jonathan Bloch said?
A. As temperatures went down, the size of horses went down.
B. Horses first appeared small, then smaller and then became big.
C. Horses’ becoming smaller was connected with the global cooling.
D. Horses will be as small as a house cat in the end.
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Global warming could make humans shorter
B. Scientists from Florida and Nebraska
C. Horses used to be like cats
D. Dr Jonathan Bloch
I think people everywhere dream about having lots of money. I know I do. I would like to earn large amounts of money. You can win a large amount of money in the United States through lotteries. People pay money for tickets with numbers. If your combination of numbers is chosen, you will win a huge amount of money — often in the millions.
A few years ago, my friend Al won the lottery. It changed his life. He was not “born with a silver spoon in his mouth”. Instead, my friend was always short of money. And the money he did earn was chicken feed.
Sometimes Al even had to accept handouts (施舍物) from his friends. But do not get me wrong. My friend was always very careful with the money he spent. In fact, he was often a cheapskate. He did not like to spend money. The worst times were when he had no single penny left.
One day, Al scraped together a few dollars for a lottery ticket. He thought he would never gain lots of money unexpectedly. But his combination of numbers was chosen and he won the lottery. Al was so excited. The first thing he did was buy a costly new car — one thing that he normally would not buy. Then he started spending money on unnecessary things. It was like he had “money to burn”．
When we got together for a meal at a restaurant, Al paid every time. He would always tell me the money made him feel like a millionaire. But, Al spent too much money. Soon he was “down and out” again. He had spent his “bottom dollar” — his very last amount. He did not even save any of the money.
I admit I do feel sorry for my friend. He had enough money to “live like a king”. Instead, he was back to “living on a shoestring” — a very low budget. Some might say he was wise about small things, but not about important things.
1.What does the author desire to do like others?
A. To combine the numbers perfectly.
B. To make a huge fortune.
C. To be chosen for selling lotteries.
D. To get in touch with millionaires.
2.Before Al won the lottery ________.
A. he spent too much money buying chicken
B. he didn’t value the money he had earned
C. he had trouble feeding his family
D. he hated to give a hand to his friends
3.What does the fourth paragraph imply?
A. Al always had good luck in life.
B. Al valued his money above his life.
C. Al had loved the expensive car probably.
D. Al pretended to have more money.
4.When a person is “down and out”， ________.
A. he is as poor as a church mouse
B. he lives a life like other people
C. he has set aside all his money
D. he is looking forward to big success
The young man arrived on the Massachusetts beach early carrying a radio, a shovel (铁锹), and a strange set of tools: a brick layer’s trowel, a palette knife, spatulas, spoons, and a spray bottle.
He walked down near the water — the tide (潮水) was out — and switched on the radio to listen to soft rock. Then he shoveled wet sand into a pile nearly four feet high and as many feet across. Then he created a square shape.
After that, he set to work with palette knife, spatulas, and spoons. He shaped a splendid tower, topped walls, fashioned beautiful bay windows, and carved (雕刻) out a big front gate.
The man knew his sand. He smoothly finished some surfaces and carved artistic designs on others. As the shapes began to dry, he gently kept them slightly wet with water from the spray bottle, in case they might break in the wind.
All this took hours. People gathered. At last he stood back, obviously satisfied with a castle worthy of the Austrian countryside or Disneyland.
Then he gathered his tools and radio and moved them up to drier sand. He had known for a while what many in the crowd still ignored: the tide was coming in. Not only had he practiced his art with confidence and style, he also had done so against a powerful, irresistible (不可抵抗的) deadline.
As the crowd looked on, water came at the base of the castle. In minutes it was surrounded. Then the rising flood began to eat into the base, walls fell, the tower fell, and finally the gate fell. More minutes passed, and small waves erased bay windows — soon no more than a small part was left.
Many in the crowd looked terribly sad; some voiced fear and discouragement. But the man remained calm. He had, after all, had a wonderful day, making beauty out of nothing, and watching it return to nothing as time and tide moved on.
1.In this passage, why did the young man start early in the day?
A. He needed the sun to help dry the sand.
B. It gave plenty of time for the crowd to gather.
C. He knew the tide was out on this particular morning.
D. It was easier to begin his work with only a few people around.
2.In this passage, what does the incoming tide signal?
A. It is time to begin working.
B. It is the end of a day’s work.
C. It is the busiest time of the day.
D. It is time for lookerson to leave.
3.How did the lookerson react when the tide began to come in?
A. They were disappointed to see the art ruined.
B. They tried their best to save the sand castle.
C. They were nervous about their own belongings.
D. They helped the artist finish the castle.
4.We can tell that the young man’s reward for his work is ________.
A. payment for his work
B. personal satisfaction
C. popularity as an artist
D. attention from the crowd
（题文）假定你是李华，是新华中学的一名学生，为了让更多的人了解中国优秀传统文化，学校近日准备举办中国画展(The Chinese Painting Fair)。请给你的外教Mr. Johnson写一封电子邮件，邀请他参加，邮件的内容包括：
1．展会的目的、时间、地点以及参加人；
2．展出内容：相关画家画作。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)画掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Dear Sir，
Thank you for invite me to the summer English course in your school.As for your choice between the two courses, I prefer the fourweek course because of this will allow me more time to do some traveling but make a few new friends.Of all the subject I’m learning at school, I like English best.I had been learning English for eleven years but my spoken English remains poorly.So I really hope to take this chance improve it.If possible, I’d like to stay with a family for a couple of days in order that I can know some customs in England, that I’m particularly interested in.I believe I will have wonderful time this summer.
The first time I saw Suzy Khan, I knew I had to help her. She was really small for her age of 12. The boys in my class often ______ about her and laughed their heads off. She would open a book, pretending to read, with tears dropping on the open page.
All I knew was that she was an orphan (孤儿) from Africa. She had just been adopted by a family in town who ______ that the best way for her to learn American ways of life was to be with American kids. I looked down at this ______ girl and promised myself that somehow I would help her. But how could I help her ______ in with us? There had to be a ______.
One day, when I went into the classroom, I saw that Suzy had ______ her geography book to a picture of a train, and in her notebook, she had made a(n) ______ copy.
I was surprised and thought that she could do something in the coming ______ show. So, I took her to see the art teacher, Miss Parker, and showed her what Suzy had ______. “Why, it’s wonderful，” said Miss Parker, who then showed us a poster she had painted ______ the talent show. “I need more of these, but I just don’t have enough ______. Could you help me, Suzy？”
On the day of the talent show, Suzy’s ______ were everywhere — all over the hall and all over the school, each one different.
“And finally，” said Mr. Brown, the schoolmaster, at the end of the show, “we have a (n) ______ award. I’m sure you’ve all noticed the wonderful posters.” Everyone nodded. “One of our own students ______ them.”
I could hear everyone whispering. “Who in our school could draw ______ well？”
Mr. Brown waited a while before saying, “______ this student worked so hard on the posters, she deserves a ______，too. Our mystery (神秘) artist is our new student — Suzy Khan！”
Mr. Brown thanked her for all the wonderful posters and gave her a professional artist’s set. “Thank you，” she cried.
I ______， at that time when I was looking at her excited face, she’d probably never ______ anything in her whole life.
Everyone started to ______ their hands. Suzy Khan gave them a shy smile and the applause was deafening. I knew then Suzy was going to be all right.
1.A. joked B. cared C. forgot D. worried
2.A. reported B. decided C. complained D. questioned
3.A. rich B. proud C. tiny D. popular
4.A. come B. fall C. fit D. tie
5.A. manner B. pattern C. choice D. way
6.A. read B. taken C. opened D. put
7.A. free B. perfect C. final D. extra
8.A. art B. talk C. quiz D. talent
9.A. colored B. written C. carved D. drawn
10.A. at B. after C. for D. around
11.A. room B. time C. paper D. interest
12.A. gifts B. books C. photos D. posters
13.A. special B. academic C. national D. royal
14.A. painted B. found C. printed D. collected
15.A. very B. that C. quite D. too
16.A. If B. Though C. Unless D. Since
17.A. prize B. rank C. rest D. place
18.A. replied B. realized C. remembered D. regretted
19.A. offered B. valued C. owned D. controlled
20.A. clap B. wave C. raise D. shake
