Against the supposition that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia warm the climate, scientists have discovered that cooling may occur in areas where burnt trees allow more snow to mirror more sunlight into space.

This finding suggests that taking steps to prevent northern forest fires to limit the release of greenhouse gases may warm the climate in northern regions. Usually large fires destroyed forests in these areas over the past decade. Scientists predict that with climate warming, fires may occur more frequently over the next several centuries as a result of a longer fire season. Sunlight taken in by the earth tends to cause warming, while heat mirrored back into space tends to cause cooling.

This is the first study to analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate. Earlier studies by other scientists have suggested that fire in northern regions speed up climate warming because greenhouse gases from burning trees and plants are released into the atmosphere and thus trap heat.

Scientists found that right after the fire, large amounts of greenhouse gases entered the atmosphere and caused warming. Ozone（臭氧） levels increased, and ash from the fire fell on far-off sea ice, darkening the surface and causing more radiation from the sun to be taken in. The following spring, however, the land within the area of the fire was brighter than before the fire, because fewer trees covered the ground. Snow on the ground mirrored more sunlight back into space, leading to cooling.

“We need to find out all possible ways to reduce the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.” Scientists tracked the change in the amount of radiation entering and leaving the climate system as a result of the fire, and found a measurement closely related to the global air temperature. Typically, fire in northern regions occurs in the same area every 80 to 150 years. Scientists, however, found that when fire occurs more frequently, more radiation is lost from the earth and cooling results. Specifically, they determined when fire returns 20 years earlier than predicted, 0.5 watts per square meter of area burned are soaked up by the earth from greenhouse gases, but 0.9 watts per square meter will be sent back into space. The net effect is cooling. Watts are used to measure the rate at which energy is gained or lost from the earth.

1.．According to the new findings, taking steps to prevent northern forest fires may __________.

2.．The following are all the immediate effects after a forest fire EXCEPT __________.

3.．Earlier studies about northern forest fires __________.

4.．The underlined phrase “soak up” in the last paragraph most probably means __________.

5.．From the passage we can draw a conclusion that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia may ____.

第三部分  閱讀理解（共20小題;每小題2分,滿分40分）

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個選項（A 、B、 C 和D）中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。

While traveling abroad, Mr. Jackson Frank ran short of money. So he wrote to his brother, asking for $500. “Send the money by telegram,” he wrote, “to the Fisher Bank in P...”?After a week he began calling at the Fisher Bank. He showed his passport. “ Nothing has come for you,” he was told. This went on for two weeks and Mr. Frank got very worried. He sent a telegram to his brother， but there was no reply. In the fourth week Mr. Frank was arrested for failing to pay his hotel bill. His passport was taken from him. He tried to explain the problem, but no one believed him. He was sent to prison for six days.?

When he came out, he went immediately to the Fisher bank. The clerk he spoke to was a new man. “Have you received $500 for me?” he ask,” My name is Jackson Frank.” The clerk checked his books. “Yes, Jackson, it's here. It came by telegram.—let me see—oh, more than two months ago. We wondered where you were.” He showed Mr. Frank the order. The order read:” Pay Mr. Frank Jackson the sum of $500...” “ But my name is Jackson Frank, not Frank Jackson.” “ Oh, that's all right, sir. It was in our books under the letter ‘J', but it's your money.” The clerk laughed,” A human mistake, sir! We're all human beings, so we all make mistakes. A family name like Frank sounds strange to me.” Mr. Frank was silent. He really wanted to hit somebody. At last he said,” A human mistake—I think some humans need kicking.” 

56. Jackson didn’t just go to his brother and get some money because ____.

A. he was afraid to see his brother?

B. he was in prison and was not allowed to go anywhere?

C. he was traveling in a foreign country and was far from his brother?

D. he knew that his brother had no money

57. Jackson was arrested and sent to prison because ____.?

A. his brother hadn’t sent him any money and he couldn’t pay his hotel bill?

B. he had spent almost all his money and couldn’t pay his hotel bill?

C. he had lost all his money and couldn’t pay his hotel bill?

D. his brother hadn’t sent him as much money as he asked for and he couldn’t pay his hotel bill

58.Which of the following statements is true??

A. The money did not reach the Fisher Bank.?         B. The money reached the wrong bank.?

C. The money reached the bank after he was arrested.?  D. The money reached the bank before he was arrested.

59. The clerks put his name under the wrong letter ____.?

A. through carelessness.          B. because they were human beings?

C. because he had a strange name   D. by pronouncing his name incorrectly

In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord (房東) can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartment. Their rent cannot increase; therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes. However, the critics say that after a long time, rent control may have negative effects. Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits. Therefore, they invest in other businesses where they can increase their profits. They do not invest in new buildings which would also be rent-controlled. As a result, new apartments are not built. Many people who need apartments cannot find any. According to the critics, the end result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city.
Some experts argue that the minimum wage law can cause problems in the same way. The federal government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers. The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled, low-paying jobs. However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers. They will replace workers with machinery. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics hold the opinion that an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment. Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage.
Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity. Because of the law, workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum. Furthermore, employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages.
Economic theory predicts the results of economic decision, such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage. The predictions may be corrected only if “other things are equal”. Economists do not agree on some of the predictions. They also do not agree on the value of different decisions. Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it. Economists do agree, however, that there are no simple answers to economic questions.

1. 1.

   There is the possibility that setting maximum rent may________.

   1. A.
      cause a shortage of apartments
   2. B.
      worry those who rent apartments as homes.
   3. C.
      increase the profits of landlords.
   4. D.
      encourage landlords to invest in building apartments.
2. 2.

   We can safely say that rent control_________.

   1. A.
      will always benefit those who rent apartments.
   2. B.
      is unnecessary.
   3. C.
      will probably bring inactive effects in the long run.
   4. D.
      is necessary under all conditions
3. 3.

   There will be the problem of unemployment if ________________.

   1. A.
      the minimum wage is set too high..
   2. B.
      the minimum wage is set too early.
   3. C.
      the workers are unskilled.
   4. D.
      the maximum wage is set for poor workers.
4. 4.

   The passage tells us about _______________.

   1. A.
      the relationship between supply and demand.
   2. B.
      the possible results of government controls.
   3. C.
      the necessity of government control.
   4. D.
      the urgency of getting rid of government control.
5. 5.

   Which of the following statements is NOT true?

   1. A.
      The results of economic decisions cannot always be predicted.
   2. B.
      Minimum wage cannot always protect employees.
   3. C.
      Economic theory can help predict the results of economic decision if other factors are not changing.
   4. D.
      Economists usually have the same prediction about an economic decision.

Hilary Smith belonged to a good family．But by the age of twenty, he had spent all the money the good old family had．He then had some trouble with the bank and was put in prison．He escaped from the prison and ran to Australia without delay.

Hilary did not like Australia. What he could do seemed to be one of two things: die or work．Then he remembered that he was not alone in the world．He had an aunt．

She was his father's only sister, but his father used to say she brought no glory to the family．Hilary, of course, tried to discover what she had done．It seemed that she had failed to marry a nobleman．Instead, she had chosen a husband who was connected with "trade"．Of course as soon as she became "Mrs Parks" ,her brother considered her dead．Later on, Mr Parks died and left her a lot of money; but that did not bring her back to life in her brother's opinion．

Hilary discovered his aunt's address．Fortunately she remained faithful and honest to him even after she fell ill．So Hilary's star shone again, and soon he moved into her house and lived as comfortably as a sailor who had just reached harbour．He had only about a six pence in his pocket．

One thing was soon clear: his aunt was seriously ill, and nothing could cure her illness．Hilary was very worried．Fate had found a home for him, and was now going to throw him out of it．There was only one thing that could save him: her will．

"Will?" she said, "yes, I have made one．That was when I was a girl and had not much money．I left all my money to some religious people．"

"Didn't you make another will when you were married?" Hilary asked．

His aunt shook her head．"No," she said in a low voice, "There was no need．When I finally had a lot of money I found I had no relations．"

On the next day he went to the public library and examined a book of law．It told him what he already believed．When a woman is married, an earlier will lose its value．A new will must be made．If no new will is made, the money goes to the nearest relation．Hilary knew that he was his aunt's only relation．His future was safe．

After a few months had passed, Hilary's problems became serious．He badly needed money．He had expensive tastes, and owed a lot of money to shopkeepers．They trusted him because his aunt was rich; but the debt was terrible．

Unfortunately his aunt did not want to discuss money matters at all．In the end they had a quarrel about the small amount of ten pounds．Hilary was not very angry．He began to wonder about a new problem．Was it kind to want his aunt to live．a(chǎn)ny longer? Was it not better for her to die now? While he was considering what to do, his aunt told him that she was going to send for her lawyer．So she was going to make a new will, Hilary thought．She might leave all her money to someone else．Soon he reached a clear decision．He must do a great kindness to the poor old woman.

One night when the old servant who had been nursing his aunt went off, he doubled the amount of some medicine．The total amount was too great and it could just put her to sleep forever．

"Thank you," his aunt took the glass from his hand with a grateful look．"I want more than anything to sleep, and never to wake up again．Is that what you wish, Hilary? Don't blame me if I have some doubts about what you intended to do.Sick people get these ideas, you know．One thing I ought to explain to you．Mr Parks never married me．He already had a wife and couldn't marry again．That made your foolish father very angry with me．．．Well, if I am alive tomorrow I shall make another will in your favour．If I die tonight, you'll get nothing．．．No, Hilary, don't try to take the glass away．If you do that, I shall know and I don't want to know．Goodnight, Hilary．"

Then, very carefully, she raised the glass to her mouth and drank．

1.From the story ,we learn that Hilary's aunt was ______．

A．bad-tempered and lonely                 B．kind-hearted and wise

C．careless about money                    D．cruel to her nephew

2.Why did Hilary's father consider his aunt dead?

A．Because they lost contact with each other after her marriage．

B．Because she married a businessman with a wife against his will．

C．Because she broke away from the family for a better life．

D．Because he thought she was a shame to the family

3.The underlined sentence "He must do a great kindness to the poor old woman" in paragraph 11 suggests that Hilary Smith ______．

A．was determined to put his aunt's life to an end

B．decided to do his aunt a favor to call in a lawyer

C．made up his mind to take good care of his aunt

D．would help his aunt to donate all her money to religious people

4.Which of the following is the focus of the story?

A．Hilary's aunt's money．                  B．Hilary Smith's debts．

C．The intended murder．                  D．Hilary's aunt's marriage．

5.According to the law book,_____．

A．Hilary's aunt is not allowed to make a new will．

B．the money will go to Hilary after his aunt dies without a new will．

C．Hilary's aunt must leave the money to the religious people after she dies．

D．Hilary must look after his aunt till her death because he is the only relation．

6.Which detail from the story is the climax（高潮）of the story?

A．Hilary escaped from the prison．

B．Hilary quarelled with is aunt about ten pounds．

C．Hilary's aunt drank the medicine her nephew prepared for her．

D．Hilary's aunt made a will to leave all her money to someone else．

Say sorry to your wife---it may help her live longer, according to scientists.

“Sorry” may be the hardest word, but scientists say it could be one of the healthiest. Researchers have discovered that women who receive an apology for hurtful behavior suffer less stress and possible damage to their heart than those who don’t.

It is said that the heartbeat of a wronged woman returns to normal 20 percent quicker after a well-timed “sorry” than without it. But for men, their heartbeat takes longer to recover, according to the research.

The research was undertaken by American scientists using 29 men and 59  women whose diastolic blood pressure was measured throughout an experiment. Diastolic blood pressure

is a measure of pressure in the blood vessels( 血管 ) between heartbeats---if it is continuously high it can increase the chances of heart attacks.

The men and women were asked to undertake a difficult mathematical task. They were told they had five minutes to complete it but were disturbed after a minute and told rudely to carry out the task more quickly. They were disturbed twice more before five minutes had passed and told to speed up. Finally they were told, “ You’re obviously not good enough.” Two minutes later researchers said sorry to half of the men and women.

The researchers found that, on average, the women’s diastolic blood pressure dropped back to normal 20 percent---quicker if they received an apology from the researchers, while the men’s took 20 percent longer to return to normal. One of the researchers said, “Results indicates that the effects of apology and forgiveness on women are greater.”

1.The term “sorry” is considered as one of the healthiest words because it _________.

2.We can know from Paragraph 3 _________.

3.Which of the following is the RIGHT time order for events in the study?

a. Half of them received apologies.

b. They were disturbed a minute later.

c. They were told that they weren’t good enough.

d. They were asked to finish a math task in five minutes.

e. They were disturbed two more times during the study.

4.The research confirmed (證實) that _________.