1、READING You are going to read an article. For questions 1 8, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. _ Genealogy, or researching your family tree, is a hobby that can rapidly develop into an obsession. Before you start looking for your own ancestors, read th
2、is advice from genealogist Maria McLeod. The first question to ask yourself is why you want to research your family tree. Genealogy is not about discovering that you are the heir to the throne of an unknown country. Its about finding out more about yourself. For most people the important question is
3、 why am I like I am?. You might not look like other members of your immediate family and you want to know where your green eyes or curly hair come from. You may be curious about why you have such a quick temper or are utterly hopeless at mathematics. You may even be suffering from a medical conditio
4、n and want to know if something in your genetic make-up has caused it. Another common motive for researching your family tree is that you plan to visit the place that your ancestors came from and you secretly hope that you will find some long lost cousins with whom you can share your memories. There
5、 can be few more exciting things than meeting a distant cousin who is living on the other side of the globe and finding that she looks just like your younger sister. But you should also bear in mind that they may not necessarily want to have anything to do with you. Sometimes there are skeletons in
6、the cupboard that you and your branch of the family are unaware of, but which are still fresh in the minds of your more distant relatives. This brings up an important aspect of this kind of research that some people do not anticipate. Of course you want to find out about yourself and what makes you
7、you, but you may not be so keen on discovering some unpleasant facts about your relatives. Your ancestors were human beings too and there is no reason to expect them to have led blameless lives. It is all part of your own history, after all, and if you are going to do the research, you should accept
8、 this fact and understand that you cannot change it. Once you are clear about your motives, you need to take a moment to think about just how many ancestors you might have and how far back you intend to go. You have, no doubt, thought about your parents parents and your parents parents parents; you
9、may even know quite a bit about them. But go back ten generations and the picture becomes much more complicated. To begin with, many more people are involved. You can work it out for yourself. You may be descended from no fewer than 1024 people through ten generations and that means there are a lot
10、of different individuals to trace and stories to check. This can mean that you spend hours going through official records, either in person at the records office or on the Internet. Are you prepared for such a huge task? Simply starting the search can be overwhelming and right now you are probably a
11、sking yourself Where do I begin? I have prepared a report which will put you on the right path to finding your family history. When you get this report, you will have a step-by-step method to follow. The report tells you where to begin and what kind of items you are searching for. It will also provi
12、de you with a great way to organise what you find so that future generations will benefit from your search. There will be dead ends and false trails that will have you tearing your hair out but once you start to experience a little success, you will be hooked. And, with my report, you will experienc
13、e success. I guarantee it! 1. According to Maria McLeod, which of the following is not a valid reason for researching your family tree? A. You think you may have a hereditary illness. B. You want to know if any of your ancestors looked like you. C. You suspect you may have royal relatives. D. You th
14、ink you may have a similar character to your ancestors. 2. Why might some relatives be reluctant to meet you? A. You bring back bad memories for them. B. You remind them of their younger relatives. C. They suspect you of having wrong motives. 3. You might have to accept that your ancestors A. did no
15、t want to be found out. B. were not like you at all. C. were rather unpleasant. D. did some things that were wrong. 4. What does Maria McLeod assume that the reader has already done? A. found out about their family ten generations ago B. considered the three previous generations C. decided how far b
16、ack in time they want to go D. asked their parents about their grandparents and great grandparents 5 . What does the word it in the sentence“You can work it out for yourself“ refer to? A. how far back you should go in your research B. how many people you are descended from C. why doing genealogical
17、research is so complicated D. when the tenth generation were alive 6 . Why might you think twice about researching your family tree? A. You already know about your great-grandparents. B. Going back ten generations is too far. C. You dont have time to do it. 7. Maria McLeod has written the article to
18、 A. put people off researching their familys past B. share an experience of researching the past C. promote instructions on genealogy research TEST Choose the correct answer. 1. - I . about buying new recently. - Really? What sort of ? have been thinking have thought thought 2. - Wed better take tax
19、i to the station. - Yes. The train . in fifteen minutes. has left will have left leaves 3. - Where is the newspaper? - I threw it away. I thought you . reading it. have finished finished had finished 4. - Cathy doesnt study enough. - I know. Im afraid she . her exam. wont pass wont b passing wont ha
20、ve passed 5. - Whose is this earring? - I dont know. I found it when I . the house. was cleaning had cleaned am cleaning 6. - I . to reach Jane on the phone all day. - Dont you know? Shes gone on holiday. tried have been trying have tried 7. That . like Dads . - It is. must have finished work early.
21、 sounds had sounded has sounded 8. - Is that new jumper? - No. I . it from Laura yesterday. have borrowed had borrowed borrowed 9. - . to the library today? - Yes. Would you like me to return your books? Will you have gone Will you have been going Will you b going 10. - How is your grandfather? - Hi
22、s condition . day b day. improves has improved is improving 11. - When did you speak to Sue? - I met her as I . to work. had walked was walking am walking 12. - Shall we go shopping? - I cant go until the babysitter . . arrives will arrive arrived 13. - Ive invited Sam to my party. - I doubt if he .
23、 Hes studying for an exam. comes will come is coming 14. - Im having trouble with the . - Im sure John . you fix it if you ask him. is going to help helps will help 15. - Hw long . James? - Since we were children. have you known do you know did you know 16. - You . good teacher one day. - D you real
24、ly think so? were will b are being WRITING Write a short summary of the article below (about 100 words) _ Salty rice plant boosts harvests British scientists are breeding a new generation of rice plants that will be able to grow in soil contaminated with salt water. Their work may enable abandoned f
25、arms to become productive once more, writes Sean Margrave. Tim Flowers and Tony Yeo, from Sussex Universitys School of Biological Sciences, have spent several years researching how crops, such as rice, could be made to grow in water that has become salty. The pair have recently begun a three-year pr
26、ogramme, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, to establish which genes enable some plants to survive saline conditions. The aim is to breed this capability into crops, starting with rice. It is estimated that each year more than 10m hectares of agricultural land are
27、lost because salt gets into the soil and stunts plants. The problem is caused by several factors. In the tropics, mangroves that create swamps and traditionally form barriers to sea water have been cut down. In the Mediterranean, a series of droughts have caused the water table to drop, allowing sea
28、 water to seep in. In Latin America, irrigation often causes problems when water is evaporated by the heat, leaving salt deposits behind. Excess salt then enters the plants and prevents them functioning normally. Heavy concentrations of minerals in the plants curb the process of osmosis and stop the
29、m drawing up the water they need to survive. To overcome these problems, Flowers and Yeo decided to breed rice plants that take in very little salt and store what they do absorb in cells that do not affect the plants growth. They have started to breed these characteristics into a new rice crop, but
30、it will take about eight harvests until the resulting seeds are ready to be considered for commercial use. Once the characteristics for surviving salty soil are known, Flowers and Yeo will try to breed the appropriate genes into all manner of crops and plants. Land that has been abandoned to nature will then be able to bloom again, providing much needed food in the poorer countries of the world.
