35. This scientist is known _______ on this problem for about ten years.

A. to work B. to be working C. to have been working D. to have been worked

36. It was only when I reread his poems recently ________ I began to appreciate their beauty.

A. that B. which C. when D. so

37. Smokers who regularly drink are nearly________ to suffer from lung cancer as are smokers who don't drink, according to a new study in Cancer Research.

A. twice likely as B. twice as likely C. as twice likely D. as likely as

38. _______ different life today is from what it was fifty years ago!

A. What B. What a C. How D. How a

39. ________ thoroughly, the garden looked more beautiful than ever before.

A. Cleaning B. Having been cleaned C. Having it cleaned D. He had cleaned it

40. ________ there is water nearby, make a special effort to breed fish.

A. Although B. Unless C. Where D. Until

Section B

Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. requiredB. earC. qualityD. abandonedE. dim

F. conscious G. riddleH. titleI. bornJ. convinced

Everyone has a childhood full of dreams. Looking back on my childhood, I am 41 that naturalists are born and not made. Although we were all brought up in the same way, my brothers and sisters soon 42 their pressed flowers and insects. Unlike them, I had no 43 for music and languages. I was not an early reader and I could not do mental arithmetic.

Before World War I, we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the 44 memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys. Nor do I recall clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door. But I do have a clear memory of the dogs, the farm animals, the local birds, and above all, the insects.

I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love for the natural world and my enthusiasm had led me into various investigations. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil reading about other people's observations and discoveries. Then something happens—that brings these observations together in my 45 mind. Suddenly you fancy you see the answer to the 46 , because it all seems to fit together. This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books, which some might honor with the 47 of scientific research.

But curiosity, a keen eye, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist: one of the outstanding and essential qualities 48 is self-discipline, a quality I lack. A scientist, up to point, can be made. A naturalist is 49 . If you can combine the two, you get the best of both worlds.

III. Reading Comprehension

Section A

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

It’s hardly surprising that weather is a favorite topic for so many people around the world. It 50 where we choose to live, what we wear, our moods, and perhaps even our national features. A sunny day can lessen the deepest 51 , while very bad weather can destroy homes and threaten lives.

The human race has always tried to 52 the weather, especially in areas of the world where there are many changes. Two popular traditional ways of predicting weather use pine cones(松果) and seaweed(海草). When the air has a high level of humidity(湿度), there is a higher chance of rain. When the humidity is low, there is more chance of 53 weather. Pine cones and seaweed feels dry when the humidity is low, 54 high humidity has the opposite effect.

Today’s methods of prediction increasingly depend on 55 . Satellites, balloons, ships, aircraft and weather centers with 56 equipments send data to computers. The data is then 57 , and the weather is predicted. However, 58 this system can not predict weather for longer than about a week.

A recent study by an Australian scientist suggests that certain people may have a special 59 for predicting weather. However, it is 60 that these people could use their talent in another way, since the same group had a lot of success in predicting changes in another system—the stock market.

It 61 that a study of weather may also enable scientists to predict the sudden 62 of a disease. An Ebola epidemic (a kind of disease) in Uganda in the year 2000 came after the same rare 63 conditions that had been present before a sudden spread of the disease 6 years earlier. Efforts to 64 the spread of air-borne diseases such as foot and mouth are also strongly dependent on favorable wind conditions.