16．It is usually not quite cold in this area in March，but sometimes temperature_______low．

  A．should     B．must      C．can      D．Shall

35. This plan is said _____five times.

A.to have discussed          B. to have been discussed

C. having been discussed    D. having discussed

第三部分  阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

A

Fifty years from now the world’s population will be declining, with no end in sight. Unless people’s values change greatly, several centuries from now there could be fewer people living in the entire world than live in the United States today. The big surprise of the past twenty years is that in not one country did fertility (生育能力) stop falling when it reached the replacement rate（出生率）—2.1 children per woman. In Italy, for example, the rate has fallen to 1.2. In Western Europe as a whole and in Japan it is down to 1.5. The evidence now indicates that within fifty years or so world population will peak at about eight billion before starting a fairly rapid decline.

Because in the past two centuries world population has increased from one billion to nearly six billion, many people still fear that it will keep “exploding” until there are too many people for the earth to support. But that is like fearing that your baby will grow to 1,000 pounds because its weight doubles three times in its first seven years. World population was growing by two percent a year in the 1960s; the rate is now down to one percent a year, and if the patterns of the past century don’t change completely, it will head into negative numbers. This view is coming to be widely accepted among population experts, even as the public continues to focus on the threat of uncontrolled population growth.

As long ago as September of 1974 Scientific American published a special issue on population that described what demographers (人口统计学家) had begun calling the “demographic transition” from traditional high rates of birth and death to the low ones of modern society. The experts believed that birth and death rates would be more or less equal in the future, as they had been in the past, keeping total population stable after a level of 10-12 billion people was reached during the transition.

56. Which of the following statement is NOT true according to the passage?

A. The world’s population in the future will be reducing endlessly.

B. When the earth population reaches 8 billion, it will see a rapid decrease.

C. In modern society the birth and death rates will be more or less equal in the future.

D. The public now pay little attention to the threat of uncontrolled population growth.

57. What’s reason for the sharp increase of world population in the past two centuries?

A. Because people fear that the world will explode.

B. Because the world’s replacement rate keeps falling.

C. Because people’s values has greatly changed.

D. The passage doesn't mention it.

58. The expression “demographic transition” (Paragraph 3) probably means _______.

A. high death rate to the low one

B. high birth rate to the low one

C. high rates of birth and death to the low ones

D. low rates of birth and death to the high ones

59. We can learn from the passage that _______.

A. in the near future there will be a rapid decline of the world population

B. the birth and death rates of modern society will be unequal in the future

C. there would be the same population living in the world than it in the US today

D. in Western Europe the replacement rate has declined to a negative number

D

Work is a very important part of life in the United States. Americans spend most of their lives working. For most Americans, their work defines them. They are what they do. What happens, then, when a person can no longer work?

Most Americans stop working at the age of sixty-five or seventy and retire. Because work is such an important part of life in this culture, retirement can be very difficult. Retirees often feel that they are useless and unproductive. Of course, some people are happy to retire, but leaving one’s job, whatever it is, is a difficult change, even for those who look forward to retiring. Retirement can also bring financial problems. Many people depend on Social Security checks every month. During their working years, employees contribute a certain percentage of their salaries to the government. When people retire, they receive this money as income. These checks do not provide enough money to live on, however, because prices are increasing very rapidly. Senior citizens, those over sixty-five have to have savings in the ban or other retirement plans to make ends meet. The rate of inflation is forcing prices higher each year. Social Security checks alone can not cover these growing expenses. The government offers some assistance, but many senior citizens have to change their life styles after retirement. They have to spend carefully to be sure that they can afford to buy food, fuel and other necessities.

Of course, many senior citizens are happy with their retirement. They have time to spend with their families or to enjoy their hobbies. Some continue to work part time, others do volunteer work. Some, like those in the Retired Business Executive Association, even help old people to get started in new businesses. Many retired citizens also belong to “Golden Age” groups. These organizations plan trips and social events there are many other opportunities for retirees.

68．Which of the following could be the title of the passage?

A．“Golden Age” groups        　      B．The American Opinion of Work

C．The Importance of Work in America     D．The Problems in Retirement in America

69．Which of the following is NOT true about the retirees?

A．Some retirees feel happy as they can have more time to enjoy themselves.

B．Some retirees have to be careful with their money because of the rising prices.

C．Some retirees like to work without being paid.

D．Some retirees find work in new businesses.

70．It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

A．the Americans show their value through their work

B．the American government pays little attention to the life of the retirees

C．the retirees’ former employers offer some assistance to the retirees

D．the Americans can not find much time to travel before their retirement

71．What does the paragraph following the passage most likely discuss?

A．An explanation of why the retirees feel lost.

B．The difficult situation the retirees have.

C．A different opinion of the physical and emotional needs of the retirees.

D．A description of other activities the retirees can have.

第二节  书面表达（满分35分）

假如你是李华，从报纸上看到甲型H1N1流感 (A/H1N1 flu) 在加拿大流行。你很为你的加拿大笔友Kathy的健康担心。请给她写一封信，询问她的健康状况以及她们学校是否有甲型H1N1流感病例，并给她提出防护建议（至少三条）。

注意：

1. 词数100左右，信的开头和结束语已为你写好（不计入总词数）。

2. 可根据内容要点适当增加细节，使行文连贯。

参考词汇：感染 infect

Dear Kathy,

I learn in the newspaper that there are still many A/H1N1 flu cases reported recently in

Canada. ________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Take care.

Yours truly,

                                                          Li Hua