The vast ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica are melting faster than previously thought, and that melting is accelerating, according to a new report that verifies 18 years of melting via two independent techniques. Left unchecked, the extra water dumped into the oceans could push average global sea level six inches higher by 2050, the report finds. That would mark the ice sheets as the largest contributors to sea level rise, outstripping(超过)melting from Earth’s two other huge, frozen reservoirs, mountain glaciers and polar ice caps. The new estimate of ice sheet melting—and the subsequent rise in sea level—outstrips more modest figures offered by the International Panel on Climate Change in 2007, the last time that international body published a comprehensive assessment of the ice sheets. “It’s going to be a concern for people in coastal areas,“ said Isabella Velicogna of the California Institute of Technology and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a co-author of the report online at Geophysical Research Letters. While six inches of additional sea height may sound small, the increase will distribute unevenly across the globe, Velicogna said, and disproportionately(不匀称地)impact low-lying countries like Bangladesh. The study used two techniques to measure the melting of the ice sheets. The most thorough data set, from 1992 through the present, employed satellite radar readings of ice movement, soundings of ice thickness, and other grown-based observations to build a complete picture of the size of the ice sheets from month to month. The second technique drew on unique twin satellites, together called Grace, which measure minute differences in gravity over the entire Earth. The Grace satellites, an acronym for Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, were launched by NASA and the German Aerospace Center in 2002.

What is the source of this extreme self-confidence found in almost all optimists(乐观主义者), this belief that they can accomplish great things? Do they have a(n)【C1】______view of their abilities? Usually not. Many optimists are quick to【C2】______out that others have talents【C3】______to theirs. Yet they are【C4】______they can accomplish almost anything. What makes many successful people【C5】______from talented people who fail is the【C6】______of their wills. They have【C7】______passions and greater desires than【C8】______A young man who wanted to study law once wrote Lincoln for advice. Lincoln replied, “【C9】______you are determined to make a lawyer of yourself, the thing is more than half done already. Always【C10】______in mind that your resolution to【C11】______is more important than any other thing.“ A salesman said this about his beginnings: “ When I【C12】______my career, I evaluated myself and listed my【C13】______and shortcomings. I had no sales【C14】______, no extensive education, no voice training, and certainly no attractive personality.【C15】______, I lacked nearly all the【C16】______of the top salesman. As far as advantages were【C17】______, I could find only one. That was a【C18】______—a desire to become a top salesman. Even【C19】______that early age I considered this trait(特点)an advantage for the simple reason that I never heard of anyone achieving【C20】______who didn’t want to achieve it.“

W: Airports are sad places M: Sometimes I guess so. But we’ll keep in touch and I’ll fly over to see you at Christmas. Q: What are the speakers doing? The woman is meeting the man at the airport. They are complaining about the poor airport service. They are discussing their plan for Christmas. The man is seeing the woman off.

Almost anything can be the topic of a reality show.(18)“Big Brother“ is one of the most popular reality shows, in which a group of people, moved into a house together and were filmed 24 hours a day for three months. These people, who are all strangers, live together, eat together, and share bedrooms. They are isolated from the outside world, while people at home watch them all on TV.(19)The show started in Netherlands in 1999. Soon other countries started their own versions of “Big Brother,“ and the show became popular all over the world. Another popular reality show is called “Survivor.“(20)The idea came from a TV show made in Sweden in 1997. The show leaves a group of ordinary people in a place far away, such as an island or a desert. The people have to find their own food, make fire to keep themselves warm, build their own places to sleep, and participate in difficult challenges. Each week, the participants choose one person to leave the show. The last person left is the winner and wins one million dollars. Today, people in over 20 countries around the world watch to see who will be the survivor! 18. How long do the volunteers in “Big Brother“ stay together? 19. When did “Big Brother“ start? 20. What does the idea for “Survivor“ come from? 24 hours. 24 days. Three days. Three months.

Pollution of water supplies is usually due to poor health conditions close to water sources, sewage 【T1】______into the sources themselves, leakage of sewage into 【T2】______ systems or pollution with industrial or 【T3】______waste. Even if a piped water supply is safe at its source, it is not always safe by the time it reaches the tap. Intermittent tap water supplies should be 【T4】______as particularly suspect. Travelers on short trips to areas with water supplies of uncertain 【T5】______should avoid drinking tap water, or 【T6】______water from any other source. It is best to drink hot drinks, bottled or canned drinks of well-known brand names—international 【T7】______ of water treatment are usually followed at bottling plants. Carbonated (含二氧化碳的) drinks are acidic (酸性的), and slightly safer. 【T8】______, and that their rims (边缘) are clean and dry. Boiling is always a good way of treating water. 【T9】______. Portable boiling elements that can boil small quantities of water are useful when the right voltage (电压) of electricity is available. 【T10】______.

Stress may be defined as the response of the body to any demand. Whenever people experience something pleasant or unpleasant, we say they are under stress. We call the pleasant kind “eustress“, the unpleasant kind “distress“. People sometimes compare our lives with that of the cave man, who didn’t have to worry about the stock market or the atomic bomb. They forget that the cave man worried about being eaten by a bear or about dying of hunger—things that few people worry about today. It’s not that people suffer more stress today: it’s just that they think they do. It is inconceivable (不可思议的) that anyone should have no stress at all. Most people who are ambitious and want to accomplish something live on stress. They need it. But excessive stress is by all means harmful. Worse, chronic exposure to stress over a long time may cause more serious diseases and may actually shorten your life. The most frequent causes of distress in the modern man are psychological—lack of adaptability, not having a code of behavior. So the secret of coping with stress is not to avoid it but to do what you like to do and what you were made to do, at your own rate. For most people, it is really a matter of learning how to behave in various situations. The most important thing is to have a code of life, to know how to live.

The motor vehicle has killed and disabled more people in its brief history than any bomb or weapon ever invented. Much of the blood on the street flows essentially from uncivil behaviour of drivers who refuse to respect the legal and moral rights of others. So the massacre on the road may be regarded as a social problem. In fact, the enemies of society on wheels are rather harmless people—just ordinary people acting carelessly, you might say. But it is a principle both of law and common morality that carelessness is no excuse when one’s actions could bring death or damage to others. A minority of the killers go even beyond carelessness to total negligence(疏忽). Researchers have estimated that as many as 80% of all automobile accidents can be attributed to the psychological condition of the driver. Emotional upsets can distort drivers’ reactions, slow their judgment, and blind them to dangers that might otherwise be evident. The experts warn that it is vital for every driver to make a conscious effort to keep one’s emotions under control. Yet the irresponsibility that accounts for much of the problem is not confined to drivers. Street walkers regularly violate traffic regulations, they are at fault in most vehicle-walker accidents, and marty cyclists even believe that they are not subject to the basic rules of the road. Significant legal advances have been made toward safer driving in the past few years. Safety standards for vehicle have been raised both at the point of manufacture and through periodic(定期的)road-worthiness inspections. In addition, speed limits have been lowered. Due to these measures, the accident rate has decreased. But the accident experts still worry because there has been little or no improvement in the way drivers behave. The only real and lasting solution, say the experts, is to convince people that driving is a skilled task requiring constant care and concentration. Those who fail to do all these things present a threat to those with whom they share the road.

If you are a student with bad credit or a low credit score, not having a credit card can be frustrating.【D1】______, you can increase your chance of getting a credit card in a few【D2】______ways. Secured credit cards are cards that you must first pay a deposit(存款)to. Typically, your credit【D3】______will be that of the deposit that you send in. While this may not be ideal since you do not【D4】______a credit beyond what you first deposit, it is a way to have access to a card you can use for online【D5】______or to pay bills. Keeping all your accounts current and making payments on【D6】______will help improve your credit score, which will help you to apply for new cards. Having a good credit【D7】______for six months will help you to increase your score, perhaps【D8】______to reapply for a credit card. If you are looking for a card to help pay online accounts and to pay bills, look into prepaid cards. Prepaid cards【D9】______a credit card logo(商标)so they can be【D10】______, just like a credit card, but the money on it can be direct deposited by your job or by adding money at a retailer. A)many F)receive K)different B)limit G)Nevertheless L)poor C)used H)purpose M)purchases D)time I)history N)enough E)security J)carry O)Besides

M: It’s already 7:45. Have the children left for school yet? W: Bob left 20 minutes ago and Jane, late as usual, 10 minutes later. Q: At what time did Jane leave? At 7:45. At 7:35. At 7,25. At 7:15.

We often feel embarrassed if we enter a shop and don’t buy anything. But this doesn’t happen if we enter a good bookstore. Time spent in a bookshop can be enjoyable if you go to a good shop. No assistant will come near to you and say “Can I help you?“ and you needn’t buy anything you don’t want. You may try to find out where the book you want is.(11)The assistant will lead you there and then he will go away and look as if he is not interested in selling a single book. There is a story which tells us about a good shop. A medical student has to read a textbook which is too expensive for him to buy. He can’t get it from a bookshop.(12)So every afternoon he goes there to read a little at a time. One day, however, he can’t find it in its usual place and is about to leave when he notices an assistant signing to him. To his surprise, the assistant points to the book, which is in a corner.(13)“I put it there so as not to sell it,“ says the assistant. Then he leaves the student to continue his reading. 11. What does the speaker think an assistant should do in a good bookstore? 12. When does the medical student usually go to the bookshop? 13. Why can’t the student find the book in its usual place? Lead the customers to where they want to go and then leave. Come near to the customers and say “Can I help you?“ Introduce to the customers what they want in detail. Follow the customers until they leave the shop.

Can you imagine being able to buy something with just a penny? Throughout much of American history, children looked forward to the treat of penny candy when they went to the store. Penny candy emerged in the 1800s for the first time. Prior to the industrial revolution, candy was expensive to make.(11)As the candy industry developed in the 19th century, manufacturers were able to produce large quantities of very inexpensive candies. Many stores across the United States carried penny candy, and children shopping with their parents always looked forward to the sweet treat.(12)In the 19th century, penny candy was not wrapped in anything—store owners placed the candy in large glass jars that had either glass,or metal lids. Most early candies were hard candies. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, many other types of candies were making appearances in these jars. By the latter part of the 20th century, it became more and more difficult to find penny candy. In part, the types of stores that had carried penny candy,(13)commonly known as general stores because they carried so many different items, were disappearing.(14)Grocery stores took their places, and these stores did not have employees available to count out individual pieces of candy. 11. When did the candy industry begin to grow? 12. Where did store owners put penny candies in the 19th century? 13. What can be inferred about general stores? 14. Why is it difficult to find penny candies in grocery stores? In the 18th century. In the 19th century. In the 20th century. Before the industrial revolution.

After trying to mollify (平息) its critics in recent years by offering better health care benefits to its employees, Wal-Mart is substantially rolling back coverage for part-time workers and significantly raising premiums (保险费) for many full-time staff. Citing rising costs, Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer, told its employees this week that all future part-time employees who work less than 24 hours a week on average will no longer qualify for any of the company’s health insurance plans. In addition, any of new employees who average 24 hours to 33 hours a week will no longer be able to include a spouse as part of their health care plan, although children can still be covered. This is a big shift from just a few years ago when Wal-Mart expanded coverage for employees and their families after facing criticism because so many of its 1.4 million workers could not afford or did not qualify for coverage—rendering many of them eligible for Medicaid (医疗补助). Under pressure from states saddled with rising Medicaid costs and from labor unions and community groups, Wal-Mart had agreed to offer part-time employees, even those averaging less than 24 hours a week, health care insurance after a year on the job, shaving a year off the eligibility requirement. Wal-Mart also said that it was offering health plans that cost its employees about $ 250 a year for family coverage. At the time, the moves were considered a departure from some of its major rivals and large employers, more than half of whom offer no company-sponsored health plan for part-time workers. On Thursday, the company would not say what percentage of its workforce was part-time or worked fewer than 24 hours a week. Greg Rossiter, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said the decision to deny coverage to new part-time employees resulted from the company’s revamping(修改) of its health care offerings in light of rising costs. Questions:

For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition of no less than 100 words, whose title is On College Students’ Occupying Seats. Remember your composition must be written according to the following outline: 1．大学校园里占座是很普遍的现象 2．针对这一行为，人们持不同意见 Words for reference：资源短缺resource shortage 校园环境campus atmosphere

What would be the result of dumping extra water into oceans?

Which can prove the modesty of figures offered by the International Panel on Climate Change?

According to Velicogna, what will happen if the sea level rise six inches?

What can we learn about the most thorough data set from 1992 through the present?

What can we learn about the second technique to measure the melting of ice sheets?