Joseph Banks was born in 1743,the only son of a wealthy land-owning family. From an early age, he was interested in natural history, and in particular, botany. In the early 1760 's he chose to make this dream to the full. In 1766 he travelled to Newfoundland and Labrador to collect plants, animals and rocks. For him, joining Captain Cook' s 1768 expedition to Tahiti was like a present- day scientist being given the chance of a trip to another planet, a chance to study new plants in unknown lands. They made collections and observations in South America, Tahiti and New Zealand before reaching Australia. His major landfalls on the eastern coast of Australia were at Botany Bay and at the Endeavor River. He thought collection of plants was grown so large that it was necessary that some extraordinary care should be taken of them in case they should destroy. The plant material collected and sorted on the voyage was huge, with the herbarium specimens about 1300 new species. After returning from this voyage, Banks travelled to Scotland, Wales, Holland and Iceland, collecting more and more  _ . Among many other activities, without thinking running out of his money, he controlled the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and was a Trustee of the British Museum. Although Linneaus' suggestion of naming the new country of Australia "Banksia" was not accepted, Banks' name was bestowed upon Australian plants and he made his mark upon Australian history in other ways, later he became the well-known authority  on matters relating to New South Wales. He had a great impact on the study of natural history in both Britain and Australia. He died in 1820. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage? A) Australian people loved Banks. B) Banks died at the age of 76. C) Banks' trips to many places laid foundation for his achievements in botany. D) Both Banks and Linneaus devoted their whole loves to investigating plants.
C

Today, almost everyone has heard of Harry Potter.The books detailing his experiences at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have aroused passion, creativity, and interest in reading throughout the world.     But have you ever considered why you are a fan of the Harry Potter series?     JK Rowling has created a list of characters and an environment for them to inhabit that appeals to both adults and children.     The fantasy aspect of the wizarding world expands the imagination, and takes the mind to new and exciting places.Anything could happen there.Her stories contain parts of the believable and unbelievable, changing the predictability that readers commonly come across and bear in fiction.     The main theme of the series, including good versus evil, prejudice, love, death, sacrifice, friendship and loyalty, in actuality contributes to the ever-lasting nature of the stories.At the same time, these themes remind us of classic literature, offering mature readers tales that wear like a comfortable pair of shoes, while introducing younger readers to concepts they will meet throughout their lives.     Much of the appeal also comes from the characters.In each book, JK Rowling introduces and describes the characters in such a way that we wonder not only about their futures, but also about their pasts.Even supporting characters are suddenly more than just extras in the background.And what of Harry Potter himself? We care about Harry, because we watch him grow from an innocent boy to a powerful wizard.We see him as both Hero and Victim.He experiences endless love and extreme pain, and as readers, we experience them with him.     This perfect combination of emotion, suspense and fantasy, together with the fact that JK Rowling is a superb storyteller is the reason why we are Harry potter fans.People are fond of Harry Potter series.With books like these, it' s hard not to be. The themes of the Harry Potter series do not contain   _  . A) prejudice and love B) good and evil C) death and sacrifice D) safety and peace
D

No matter what he is doing,every human being gives body heat.The usual problem is how to  _ it.But the designers of the Johnstown campus of the university of Pittsburg set themselves the opposite problem--how to collect body heat.They have designed a collection system which uses not only body heat but also the heat given off by such objects as light bulbs and refrigerators as well.The system works so well that no conventional fuel is needed to make the campus's six buildings comfortable. Some parts of most modern buildings--theatres and offices as well as classrooms-are more than heated by people and lights and sometimes must be air-conditioned even in the winter.The technique of saving and redistributing it is called "heat recovery".A few modern buildings recover heat,but the university's system is the first to recover heat from some buildings and reuse it in others. Along the way,Pitt has learned a great deal about some of its heat producers.The harder a student studies,the more heat his body gives off.Male students emit more heat than female students,and the larger a student,the more heat he produces.It is tempting to conclude that the hottest prospect for the Johnstown campus would be a hard-working,overweight male genius. From the passage,we can infer that_would produce the LEAST heat. A) a large female who does not study hard B) a thin male who studies hard C) a thin female who does not study hard D) a large male who studies hard
C

Zoe Chambers was a successful PR(Public Relations) consultant and life was going well--she had a great job, a beautiful life in London. Then one evening in June last year, she received a text message telling her she was out of work. "The first two weeks were the most difficult to live through," she said. "After everything I'd done for the company, they dismiss me by text! I was so angry and I just didn't feel like looking for another job. I hated everything about the city and my life." Then, Zoe received an invitation from an old school friend, Kathy, to come and stay. Kathy and her husband, Huw, had just bought a farm in north west Wales. Zoe jumped at the chance to spend a weekend away from London, and now, then months later, she is still on the farm. "The moment I arrived at Kathy's farm, I loved it and I knew I wanted to stay." said Zoe. "Everything about my past life suddenly seemed meaningless." Zoe has been working on the farm since October of last year and says she has no regrets. "It's a hard life, physically very tiring." she says. "In London I was stressed and often mentally exhausted. But this is a good, healthy tiredness. Here, all I need to put me in a good mood is a hot bath and on of Kathy's wonderful dinners." Zoe says she has never bored on the farm. Every day brings a new experience. Kathy has been teaching her how to ride a horse and she has learnt to drive a tractor. Since Christmas, she has been helping with the lambing-watching a lamb being born is unbelievable. She says, "It's one of the most moving experiences I've ever had. I could never go back to city life now " The most important reason why Zoe went to visit Kathy's farm is that  _  . A) Zoe got tired of the city life B) Kathy persuaded her to do so C) Zoe lost her job as a PR consultant D) Zoe loved Wales more than London

C