C
“Plants were supposed to grow larger with increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but changes in temperature, humidity and nutrient availability seem to have trumped the benefits of increased carbon dioxide, “said researchers from the National University of Singapore.
45 percent of the species studied now reach smaller adult sizes than they did in the past. The researchers point out that warmer temperatures and changing habitats, caused by climate change, are possible reasons for the shrinking of creatures.
“We do not yet know the exact mechanisms involved, or why some organisms are getting smaller while others are unaffected,” the researchers said. “Until we understand more, we could be risking negative consequences that we can’t yet quantify.”
The change was big in cold-blooded animals. Only two decades of warmer temperatures were enough to make reptiles (爬行動(dòng)物) smaller. An increase of only 1℃ caused nearly a 10 percent increase in metabolism (新陳代謝). Greater use of energy resulted in tiny tortoises and little lizards. Fish are smaller now too. Though overfishing has played a part in reducing numbers, experiments show that warmer temperatures also stop fish growth.. There is a recent report on warmer temperatures’ negative effects on plankton (浮游生物), the base of the marine ecosystem.
Warm-blooded animals weren’t immune from the size change caused by climate change. Many birds are now smaller. Mammals have been miniaturized too. Soay sheep are thinner. Red deer are weaker. And polar bears are smaller, compared with historical records. This isn’t the first time this has happened in Earth’s history.
55 million years ago, a warming event similar to the current climate change caused bees, spiders and ants to shrink by 50 to 75 percent over several thousand years. That event happened over a longer time than the current climate change.
The speed of modern climate change could mean organisms may not respond or adapt quickly enough, especially those with long generation times. So, it is likely that more negative influences of climate change will be shown in the future.
66. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Why do some species become smaller?   
B. Species become smaller as climate warms.
C. Climate change has many negative effects.
D. How does climate change in Earth’s history?
67. The underlined word “trumped” in the first paragraph can be replaced by “________”.
   A. beaten       B. increased    C. strengthened      D. equaled
68. Researchers from the National University of Singapore believe that ________.
   A. climate change has more negative effects on warm-blooded animals
   B. all the animals on the Earth have become smaller
   C. too many studies on animals’ sizes have been done
   D. how climate change affects animals’ sizes has not been found clearly 
69. What can we learn from the passage?
   A. Cold-blooded animals become smaller because of the lack of food.
   B. Birds have suffered more from climate change than fish.
   C. Climate change has even affected plankton negatively.
   D. The warming event has never happened in Earth’s history before.
70. What is the author’s attitude toward climate change?
   A. Optimistic.           B. Concerned.    C. Indifferent.         D. Confident.
Part IV: Writing (45 marks)
Section A  (10 marks)
Directions: Read the following passage. Complete the diagram by using the information for the passage. Write NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer.
   Centuries ago, during the Middle Ages, most of the land in Europe was owned by many different kings and queens, princes and princesses, and lords （領(lǐng)主）and ladies. They did not all get along well. They were always fighting. They all wanted to get more land. To protect themselves, they started building huge homes out of stone. They called their homes castles (城堡). A castle was built behind a strong stone wall. The wall was five or six feet thick and ten to twenty feet high. A deep ditch called a moat（壕溝） was dug around the outside of the wall. It was often filled with water, and the only way anyone could enter the castle was to cross a drawbridge. The drawbridge could be raised or lowered over the moat from inside the castle walls. There was also a tunnel that began in the castle and ended at the moat. This was important in case the castle was captured. It allowed the king and queen to escape. They could swim across the moat and hide in the forest. 
Living in a castle was not very comfortable. The rooms were cold and damp. Every room could have a fire burning in a great fireplace, but until the twelfth century castles did not have chimneys. The smoke from their fireplaces had to go out through open doors and windows. Meals often had ten or twelve courses. The meat might be wild boar （野豬）or birds that were boiled or roasted over an open fire. All the food was highly seasoned. People even put pepper in their drinks! The people sat at a long table and ate with their fingers and a knife, all picking their food from the same big dish. They had no napkins. Therefore, they often wiped their hands on pieces of bread. When their fingers were clean, they threw the bread to their hunting dogs.

Title: European medieval （中世紀(jì)的）castles

I. Reason for building the castles:

l To   71    

II.     72     of  the castles:

l a strong stone wall: five or six feet thick and ten to twenty feet high 

l a moat: outside the wall often    73    

l a drawbridge: the only    74    to the castles across the ditch

l a tunnel:    75     route for the king and queen from being captured

III.    76     life inside the castles:

l     77     rooms

l a great fireplace   78   until the 12th century

l      79     food

l No napkins to wipe hands but    80   
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