【正文】 st the rock. In this way, soil and sand came into being.Nothing lived on the naked soil. And then the wind and birds brought plant seeds, spiders and other little creatures there. Only plants could grow first. Only they, in sunlight, could produce food from the minerals of the soil, water and air. While many animals landed on the island, they could find no food. A spider spun its web in vain, because there were no insects for its web to catch. Insects couldn’t stay until there were plants fro them to eat. So plants had to be the pioneer life on this new island.31. The passage centers on ____D_______.A. how an undersea volcano broke outB. how an island rose up in the seaC. how soil was formed on a new islandD. how life began on a volcanoproduced island32. According to the passage, the island got its first soil from ___A_______.A. sea wavesB. the sand brought by the windC. its own rockD. cool rains33. The word “naked” (in ) could be replaced by which of the following?__D______A. hiddenB. newC. mysteriousD. bare34. The order of ing into being on the island is __D_______.A. soil, plants and animalsB. soil, little creatures and plantsC. soil, birds and plantsD. soil, human beings and animals35. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?___D______A. Spiders were the first life that could live on the island.B. The island is far away from any piece of land.C. Insects could not live on the island without plants.D. Plants were brought to the island by human being.短文理解 2In the last 500 years, nothing about people—not their clothes, ideas, or languages – has changed as much as what they eat. The original chocolate drink was made from the seeds of the cocoa tree by South American Indians. The Spanish introduced it to the rest of the world during the 1500’s. And although it was very expensive, it quickly became fashionable. In London shops where chocolate drinks were served became important meeting places. Some still exist today.The potato is also from the New World. Around 1600, the Spanish brought it from Peru to Europe, where it soon was widely grown. Ireland became so dependent on it that thousands of Irish people starved when the crop failed during the “Potato Famine” of 18456, and thousands more were forced to emigrate to America.There are many other foods that have traveled from South America to the Old World. But some others went in the opposite direction. Brazil is now the World’s largest grower of coffee, and coffee is an important crop in Colombia and other South American countries. But it is native to Ethiopia. It is first made into a drink by Arabs during the 1400’s.According to an Arabic legend, coffee was discovered when a goatherd named Kaldi noticed that his goats were attracted to the red berries on a coffee bush. He tried one and experienced the “wideawake” feeling that onethird of the world’s population now starts the day with.36. According to the passage, which of the following has changed the most in the last 500 years? ___A___A. Food C. PotatoB. Chocolate D. Coffee37. “Some” in “Some still exist today” refers to ___C________.A. some cocoa trees C. some shopsB. some chocolate drinks D. some South American Indians38. Thousands of Irish people starved during the “Potato Famine” because ___C_________.A. they were so dependent on the potato that they refused to eat anything else.B. they were forced to emigrate to AmericaC. the weather conditions in Ireland were not suitable for growing the potatoD. the potato harvest was bad39. Coffee originally came from ___D_______.A. Brazil B. ColombiaC. Ethiopia D. Arabia40. The Arabic legend is used to prove that ___D_______.A. coffee was first discovered by KaldiB. coffee was first discovered by Kaldi’s goatsC. coffee was first discovered in South American countriesD. coffee drinks were first made by Arabs短文理解3Who will stage the games?Preparing for the Olympics Games is a huge undertaking. Just like the athletes, the host city spends years getting ready for the event. Before deciding which city will host the Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee(IOC) has to examine bids from all over the world. Bidding for the games begins about ten years in advance. Without preparing a very strong bid(1), a city will not win the petition to host the games. Beijing was chosen for the 2008 games from five bidders—Osaka, Paris, Toronto and Istanbul.(2)Why does it take so long to prepare?Building the infrastructure costs huge amounts of money. Holding the World Cup in 2002 in Japan and South Korea, for example, meant that ten new stadiums had to be built, as well as many hotels and an improved transport system. In Beijing, after winning the bid the government began major construction projects—the extension of the underground, the improvement of the airport and the building of new motorways. Each host city must also build an Olympic village for the athletes. By planting trees and creating parks, the city bees more attractive for tourists.Why do countries want to host the Olympic Games?Hosting the games has a major effect on the economy and brings international prestige to the country. Thousands and thousands of visitors e to the g