Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D ). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
57、Questions 57-66 are based on the following passage.
People have been passionate about roses since the beginning of time.In fact, it is said that the floors of Cleopatral's palace were carpeted with delicate rose petals, and that the wise and knowing Confucius had a 600-book library specifically on how to care for roses.
The rose is a legend on its own.The story goes that during the Roman Empire, there was an incredibly beautiful maiden named Rhodanthe.Her beauty drew many zealous suitors who pursued her relentlessly.
Exhausted by their pursuit, Rhodanthe was forced to take refuge from her suitors in the temple of her friend Diana.Unfortunately, Diana became jealous.And when the suitors broke down her temple gates to get near their beloved Rhodanthe, she became angry turning Rhodanthe into a rose and her suitors into thorns.
In Greek legend, the rose was created by Chloris, the Greek goddess of flowers.It was just a lifeless seed of a nymph that Chloris found one day in a clearing in the woods.She asked the help of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who gave her beauty.Dionysus, the god of wine, added nectar to give her a sweet scent, and the three Graces gave her charm, brightness and joy.Then Zephyr, the West Wind, blew away the clouds so that Apollo, the sun god, could shine and made this flower bloom.And so the Rose was born and was immediately crowned the Queen of Flowers.
The first true primary red rose seen in Europe was "Slater's Crimson China" introduced in 1792 from China, where it had been growing wild in the mountains.Immediately, rose breeders began using it to hybridize red roses for cultivation.Ever since, the quest for the perfect red rose has been the Holy Grail of rosarians: a fragrant, disease-resistant, long-lasting, long-stemmed, reblooming, perfectly formed rose with a clear non-fading vivid red color.Absolute perfection still hasn't been attained, and of course never will!
There is a special rose language invented as a secret means of communication between lovers who were not allowed to express their love for one another openly.In the mid 18th century the wife of the British ambassador in Constantinople described this in her letters, which were published after her death.These letters inspired many books on the language of flowers, each describing the secret message hidden in each flower.
A red rose bud stands for budding desire; an open white rose asks "Will you love me?" An open red rose means "I'm full of love and desire", while an open yellow rose asks "Don't you love me any more?"
A good example of being passionate about roses is
A.the legend of the rose
B.Confucius's books on roses
C.the story about Rhodanthe
D.the Greek goddess of flowers
58、 Why do roses have thorns in Roman legend?
A.Suitors were turned into thorns.
B.Diana wanted to appreciate roses with thorns.
C.Rhodanthe's beauty aroused others' jealousy.
D.Suitors pursuit exhausted Rhedanthe.
59、 Who didn't help the creation of the rose in Greek legend?
A.Aphrodite.
B.Dionysus.
C.Cleopatral.
D.Apollo.
60、 Is it possible to attain the absolute perfection of roses?
A.Possible.
B.Will surely be possible.
C.Impossible.
D.Used to be impossible.
61、 What's the purpose of utilizing rose language?
A.Demonstrating romantic feeling.
B.Communicating without being known.
C.Inspiring publication of books.
D.Creating flower languages.
62、Questions 62-71are based on the following passage.
Admittedly, minor accidents and slip-ups continue to shake public confidence in nuclear power.Given the unquantifiable risks that nuclear power carries, it is only right that the industry be subjected to the test of public opinion and due political process.However, this argues for exceptional alerts, regulatory scrutiny and acconntability-and not for bans or shut-downs.Those nuclear operators with a good safety record deserve to have their licenses renewed, so that existing plants may mn to the end of their.useful lives.
The Bush administration's enthusiastic support goes a lot further than this, however.It also wants to see new plants.Proponents of new nuclear power stations make three arguments in their favor.They will enhance energy security by lessening dependence on fossil fuels; far from being environmentally harmful, they will be beneficial because they will reduce the output of greenhouse gases; and, most crucially, the economics of nuclear power has improved from the days when it was wholly dependent on bail-out(财政支持)and subsidy.
Yet these arguments do not stand up to investigation.The claim that governments should support nuclear power to reduce their vulnerability(弱点)to the OPEC oil cartel(联合企业)is doubly absurd.Little oil is used in power generation: What nuclear power displaces is mostly natural gas and coal, which are not only more plentiful than oil but also geographically better distributed.Security is enhanced not by seeking energy self-sufficiency but through diversification of supplies.Creating lots of fissile material that might be pinched by terrorists is an odd way to look for security anyway.
What about the argument that climate change might be the great savior of nuclear power? Global warming is indeed a risk that should be taken mare seriously than the Bush administration has so far done.Nuclear plants do not produce any carbon dioxide, which is the principal greenhouse gas.However, rushing in response to build dozens of new nuclear plants would be both needlessly expensive and environmentally unsound.It would make far more sense to adopt a carbon tax, which would put clean energy sources such as solar and wind on an equal footing with nuclear, whose waste poses an undeniable (if remote) environmental threat of its own for aeons to come.Governments should also dismantle( 拆除 )all subsidies on fossil fuelsespecially for coal, the dirtiest of all.They should adopt reforms that send proper price signals to those who use power, and so reduce emissions: global warming certainly provides one argument in favor of nuclear Dower.but it is not sufficient on its own to justify a nuclear renaissance.
What's the public's opinion about nuclear industry?
A.People have little confidence in nuclear power for the potential disaster of nuclear accidents.
B.People think it important to exercise strict monitoring and effective management of the existing plants.
C.People believe the best way to avoid nuclear disaster is to shut down all the nuclear power stations.
D.People agree to prohibit the existing nuclear plants from running to the end of their useful lives.
63、 The most important reason why the Bush administration support more new nuclear-power plants is that
A.they need little government financial support
B.they will increase energy security
C.they help lessen dependence on fossil fuels
D.they are environmentally friendly
64、 According to the author, energy security can only be achieved by
A.using less oil in power generation
B.replacing fossil fuels with more nuclear power
C.seeking energy self-sufficiency
D.expanding the sources of power supply
65、 According to the passage, which of the following measures is the least helpful in protecting the environment?
A.Cutting off subsidies on all fossil fuels.
B.Encouraging the use of clean energy sources.
C.Promoting the resurgence of nuclear power.
D.Adopting price reform to reduce emission.
66、 It's implied that
A.nuclear power stations may become the targets of terrorist attack
B.carbon dioxide is the principal source of greenhouse gas
C.the Bush administration doesn't give due weight to environment protection
D.nuclear waste will turn to be an environmental threat in the long-run term