Three months after the government stopped issuing(发放)or renewing permits for Internet cafes because of security(安全)concerns, some cafe owners are having financial(经济的)concerns of their own.
The permits were stopped suddenly three months ago by the government until new safeguards could be put in place to prevent misuse of the information superhighway, but for cafe owners it’s a business breakdown with no fix in sight.
“I handed in a request to open up an Internet cafe and received the conditions,” said the businessman Obeidallah. “I rented a place in the Sharafiah district at SR45,000 and prepared the place with equipment that cost me more than SR100,000. When I went to the local government after finishing everything, I was surprised to find that they’d stopped issuing permits for Internet cafes.”
Having an Internet cafe without Internet is much like having a coffee shop without coffee. “I’m avoiding closing the place, but it’s been more than three months with the situation ongoing as it is.” Obeidallah said. “Who will bear the losses caused by the permit issue?”
The decision took many cafe owners by surprise. “I asked to open an Internet cafe, and I was handed a list of all the things that were needed to follow through, such as a sign for the place, filling out forms,” said Hassan Al-Harbi.
“I did all that was asked and rented a place. And after the Haj vacation I went to the local government and they surprised me, saying that there are new rules that forbid the issuing of any more Internet cafe permits and that one can’t even renew his permit. I’ve lost more than SR80,000,” Al-harbi added.
As for the government, officials say a method to deal with it is on the way. But security concerns come before profit(盈利).The government stopped issuing or renewing permits for Internet cafes .
| A.to prevent misuse of new safeguards in Internet cafes |
| B.to make cafe owners earn less profit from their business |
| C.to stop the use of the information superhighway on Internet |
| D.to make sure of the proper use of the information superhighway |
The government’s decision led to the fact that many cafe owners .
| A.suffered heavy financial losses |
| B.asked to open up Internet cafes |
| C.continued to operate Internet cafes |
| D.asked the government for payment |
The underlined phrase in the last paragraph “on the way” means .
| A.to be studied |
| B.to be put into practice |
| C.to be changed |
| D.to be improved |
The cafe owners found the government’s decision .
| A.surprising and unacceptable |
| B.understandable and acceptable |
| C.reasonable but surprising |
| D.surprising but acceptable |
The USA, New York —Whales and dolphins are facing increasing threats from climate change, according to a new report published by WWF and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society(WDCS).
The report “Whales in hot water?” draws attention to the growing impacts of climate change on whales. They range from changes in sea temperature and the freshening of the seawater because of the melting of ice and increased rainfalls, to a sea level rise, loss of icy polar habitats and the decline of krill populations in key areas. Krill, a tiny shrimp that is dependent on sea ice, is the main source of food for many of the great whales.
The speeding up of climate change adds greatly to trouble from other human activities, such as chemical and noise pollution, which kills some 1000 whales every day.
“Whales and dolphins have an ability to adapt to their changing environment,” said Mark Simmonds, International Director of Science at WDCS. “But the climate is now changing at such a fast pace that it is unclear to what extent whales and dolphins will be able to adjust.”
Climate change impacts are currently greatest in the Arctic and the Antarctic. According to the report
, cetaceans that rely on polar, icy waters for their home and food resources are likely to be greatly affected by the reduction of sea ice cover.
WDCS and WWF are urging governments to cut global production of CO2 by at least 50 percent by the middle of this century. The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change showed it was possible to stop global warming if the world’s emissions start to decline before 2015.
1
. From the passage, we can learn that whales mainly feed on ______.
A. dolphins B.krill C. sea horses D. sharks
2. Which of the following has the same meaning as the underlined word “decline” (in Para 2)?
A. produce B. develop C. fall D. increase
3. In what place is climate change greatest?
A. Two polar areas. B. Asia.
C. The pacific ocean. D. Equator.
4. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
A. Climate change will lead to the changes in sea temperature.
B. Climate change will result in the freshening of the sea water.
C. Climate change will have a bad effect on human activities and whales.
D. Human beings will forever have no ability to stop global warming
Five million people visit Grand Canyon in the US every year. For the purpose of helping protect Grand Canyon for your fellow visitors and future generations, please follow the guidelines below.
Camping
To protect the park, camping is allowed only within permitted campgrounds. Permits are required for overnight camping at the North Rim. Advance booking can be received by mail. Please write: Information Center, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023
Fires
Because of the extreme fire danger, campfires are not allowed except at Mather and Desert View campgrounds. Collection of firewood is not allowed either.
Hiking
Please stay on permitted paths. Otherwise you may destroy desert plants. Pack out what you pack in, so you leave no signs of your visit. It is important to keep in mind that you are in a national park where wildlife exists.
Weather
The weather at Grand Canyon can change very quickly. With so much rock, lightning causes a particular danger during sudden summer storms. These storms also frequently bring floods inside valleys, a danger to hikers. Watch the skies and check daily weather reports.
Wildlife
Do not feed park wildlife. There have been a few cases at Grand Canyon National Park where deer were purposely shot because they ate
plastic bags that left them sick and weak. Hungry deer can be a danger and have kicked and bitten visitors at Grand Canyon. Some other animals will also beg and bite. For your own safet
y and the well-being of the animals, please do not feed wildlife, no matter how gentle they may appear.
1. What can you do first if you want to go camping?
A. Book campgrounds in advance.
B. Know the permitted paths.
C. Make sure not to make a fire.
D. Stop at Mather and Desert View.
2. What do the underlined words “Pack out what you pack in” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. keep everything out of campgrounds
B. look after your personal belongings
C. carry all the necessary food
D. take away everything you bring in
3. Why were some deer killed on purpose at Grand Canyon?
A. They begged food from visitors.
B. They were a danger to other gentle animals.
C. They ate wrong things and became very ill.
D. They kicked and bit visitors.
4. What is the main purpose of the text?
A.To report some recent news.
B. To provide travel information.
C. To teach tourists hiking skills.
D. To introduce the wildlife.
第三部分阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard.
“I’ll be the first millionaire in Coleford!” Richard used to boast. “And you’ll be sorry you knew me,” George would reply “because I’ll be the best lawyer in the town!”
George never did become a lawyer and Richard never made any money. Instead both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street. It was hard to make money from books, which made the competition between them
worse.
Then Richard married a mysterious girl. The couple spent their honeymoon on the coast—but Richard never came back. The police found his wallet on a deserted beach but the body was never found. He must have drowned.
Now
with only one bookshop in town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow, old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his formal rival(竞争对手). Perhaps he missed him?
George was very interested in old dictionaries. He’d recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished—the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading.
“Bookends have bought ten bookstores from their rivals Dylans. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in Australia.”
1. George and Richard were ______ at school.
A. roommates B. good friends C. competitors D. booksellers
2. How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?
A. He envied(嫉妒) Richard’s marriage.
B. He thought of Richard from time to time.
C. He felt lucky with no rival in town.
D. He was guilty of Richard’s death.
3. George got information about Richard from ______.
A. the wrapping paper of a book
B. the latter’s rivals Dylans
C. a rare first edition of a dictionary
D. a dictionary collector in Australia
4. What happened to George and Richard in the end?
A. Both George and Richard became millionaires.
B. Both of them realized their original ambitions.
C. George established a successful business while Richard was missing.
D. Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success
Unlike modern animal scientists, dinosaur scientists cannot sit on a hillside and use telescopes to watch dinosaurs in order to know how they lived and whether they were good parents. Instead, they have to search hard for dinosaurs died out millions of years ago.
It’s very diffic
ult for the scientists to reach an agreement because different results can be got from the same fossils. Many fossils of the same kind of dinosaurs have been dug out from one place. They might have formed when an entire group of dinosaurs got stuck all at once. Or they might have been the result of dinosaurs getting stuck one after another over a course of a few centuries. Thus we can say that dinosaurs might have in the first case lived in big groups and in the second lived alone.
Though the
re are two different results, dinosaur scientists now generally agree that at least some kinds of dinosaurs lived in big groups.
“That’s pretty much settled at this point.” Says Paul Sereno. A kind of dinosaurs called Sauropods left behind tracks in the western United States that appear to run north and south, suggesting that they even moved long distances together.
As to whether dinosaurs cared for their young, dinosaur scientists have turned to the closest living relatives of dinosaurs-birds and crocodiles – for possible models, Birds give a lot of care to their young, while crocodiles just help their young to the water. The discovered fossils of dinosaurs sitting on their eggs and staying with their young suggest the parents were taking care of their babies, but we still cannot say that all dinosaurs did the same.
There is still a long way to go before the above questions could be answered. Dinosaur scientists will have to find more proof to reach an agreement.
1. Dinosaur scientists can get informat
ion directly by ______.
A. studying dinosaur fossils B. examining modern animals
C. watching dinosaurs D. using telescopes
2. What is pretty much settled according to Paul Sereno?
A. Half of the dinosaurs lived alone. B. Most dinosaurs moved long distance.
C. Many dinosaurs settled in the north. D. Some dinosaurs lived in big groups.
3. Dinosaur scientists can probably know whether dinosaurs were good parents by ____.
A. watching many kinds living relatives B. studying dinosaurs’ living relatives
C. watching birds flying D. working hard in labs
4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the paragraph?
A. Birds hardly pay attention to their young.
B. Baby crocodiles can loo
k after themselves well.
C. Some dinosaurs took care of their young.
D. Birds and crocodiles take good care of their young.
It’s not too late!
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1. The advertisement on the left is about _______.
A. offering chances to study at the university
B. graduation from the university
C. looking for jobs for students from the university
D. the history of the university
2. In which country is the university?
A. The USA B. Britain C. Hull D. We don’t know
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A. 01482-466103B. 01482-466104 C. 01482-466105 D. any of the above numbers
4. How many different ways are there in which you can get in touch with the university if yo
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A. One B. Two C. ThreeD. Four