Antarctica and Environment
Antarctica has actually become a kind of space station – a unique observation post for detecting important changes in the world’s environment. Remote from major sources of pollution and the complex geological and ecological systems that prevail elsewhere, Antarctica makes possible scientific measurements that are often sharper and easier to interpret than those made in other parts of the world.
Growing numbers of scientists therefore see Antarctica as a distant-early-warning sensor, where potentially dangerous global trends may be spotted before they show up to the north. One promising field of investigation is glaciology. Scholars from the United States, Switzerland, and France are pursuing seven separate but related projects that reflect their concern for the health of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet – a concern they believe the world at large should share.
The Transantarctic Mountain, some of them more than 14,000 feet high, divide the continent into two very different regions. The part of the continent to the “east” of the mountains is a high plateau covered by an ice sheet nearly two miles thick. “West” of the mountain, the half of the continent south of the Americas is also covered by an ice sheet, but there the ice rests on rock that is mostly well below sea level. If the West Antarctic Ice Sheet disappeared, the western part of the continent would be reduced to a sparse cluster of island.
While ice and snow are obviously central to many environmental experiments, others focus on the mysterious “dry valley” of Antarctica, valleys that contain little ice or snow even in the depths of winter. Slashed through the mountains of southern Victoria Land, these valleys once held enormous glaciers that descended 9,000 feet from the polar plateau to the Ross Sea. Now the glaciers are gone, perhaps a casualty of the global warming trend during the 10,000 years since the ice age. Even the snow that falls in the dry valleys is blasted out by vicious winds that roars down from the polar plateau to the sea. Left bare are spectacular gorges, rippled fields of sand dunes, clusters of boulders sculptured into fantastic shapes by 100-mile-an-hour winds, and an aura of extraterrestrial desolation.
Despite the unearthly aspect of the dry valleys, some scientists believe they may carry a message of hope of the verdant parts of the earth. Some scientists believe that in some cases the dry valleys may soak up pollutants faster than pollutants enter them.What is the best title for this passage?
A Antarctica and environmental Problems.
B Antarctica: Earth’s Early-Warning station.
C Antarctica: a Unique Observation Post.
D Antarctica: a Mysterious Place.What would the result be if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet disappeared?
A The western part of the continent would be disappeared.
B The western part of the continent would be reduced.
C The western part of the continent would become scattered Islands.
D The western part of the continent would be reduced to a cluster of Islands.Why are the Dry Valleys left bare?
A Vicious wind blasts the snow away. B It rarely snows.
C Because of the global warming trend and fierce wind. D Sand dunes.Which of the following is true?
A The “Dry Valleys” have nothing left inside.
B The “Dry Valleys” never held glaciers.
C The “Dry Valleys” may carry a message of hope for the verdant.
D The “Dry Valleys” are useless to scientists.
When did you last see a polar bear? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3℃, and the water temperature was a bit higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group, this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.
Doctors do not agree about the medical effects of cold-water swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.
The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits (or advantages) of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system(循环系统) because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.
The main benefits(or advantages) of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim year-round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says. "When I go into the water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away."
51. The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that_____ .
A. they should be easy to make friends with
B. they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months
C. they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February
D. they must reach the age of 60
52. Doctors _____ .
A. encourage people to take part in cold-water swimming actively
B. point out the possible danger of blood illness during cold-water swimming
C. believe swimming is helpful both in winter and in summer
D. have different ideas about the medical effects of cold-water swimming
53. According to the passage, some doctors believe it is true that _____ .
A. you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue
B. cold-water swimming causes more heart attacks in summer than in winter
C. cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high
D. Polar Bears are bears swimming in freezing water
54. The Polar Bears like to swim all the year round, for _____ .
A. they can remain young B. it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter
C. they find it enjoyable and interesting D. they might meet fewer troubles in life
55. The passage is mainly about _____ .
a group of cold-water swimming lovers B. the polar bears' life
C. doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming D. the requirements of the Polar Bear Club
Societies all over the world name places in similar ways. Quite often there is no official naming ceremony but places tend to be called names as points of reference by people. Then an organized body steps in and gives the place a name. Frequently it happens that a place has two names: One is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habits died hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.
Many roads and places in Singapore are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries —in both the West and the East.
Another way of naming places is naming them after other places. Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were originally from the places that the roads were named after. The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases. If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus—obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel.
Some places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places. Bras Basah Road is an interesting example, “Base Basah” means “wet rice” in Malay. Now why would anyone want to name a road “Wet Rice Road”? The reason is simple. During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road.
A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes. There is “Circular Road” for one. Other roads may have part of their names to describe their shapes, like “Paya Lebar Crescent”. This road is called a crescent（月牙） because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again.
46. We learn from Paragraph 1 that _____.
A. the government is usually the first to name a place
B. many places tend to have more than one name
C. a ceremony will be held when a place is named
D. people prefer the place names given by the government
47. What does the underlined phrase “die hard” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Change suddenly. B. Change significantly（greatly）.
C. Disappear mysteriously. D. Disappear very slowly.
48. Which of the following places is named after a person?
A. Raffles Place. B. Selector Airbase. C. Piccadilly Circus. D. Paya Lebar Crescent.
49. Bras Basah Road is named _______.
A. after a person B. after a place C. after an activity D. by its shape
50. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Some place names in Singapore are the same as in Britain.
B. Some places in Singapore are named for military purposes.
C. The way Singaporeans name their places is unique.
D. Young Singaporeans have forgotten the pioneers.
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.
Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road.
“Millions of animals die each year on U.S. roads,” the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact, only about 80 ocelots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S. today. The main reason? Roadkill.
“Eco-passages” may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. “These eco-passages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid road accidents,” said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.
But do animals actually use the eco-passages? The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an eco-passage that went under a highway. This showed that the lions used the passage.
Builders of eco-passages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them. Animals seem to be catching on. Animals as different as salamanders (火蜥蜴) and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.
The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around. You might see an animal overpass!
41. The writer uses the example of “ocelots” to show that _______.
A. wild animals have become more dangerous
B. the driving condition has improved greatly
C. the measure for protecting wildlife fails to work
D. an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents
42. From the story, we know an eco-passage is ________.
A. an underground path for cars B. a fence built for the safety of the area
C. a bridge for animals to get over a river D. a path for animals to cross the road
43. When the writer says that “animals seem to be catching on”(Para. 6), he means __.
A. animals begin to realize the dangers on the road
B. animals begin to learn to use eco-passages
C. animals are crossing the road in groups
D. animals are increasing in number
44. The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because _____.
A. wild animals may attack cars B. wild animals may jam the road
C. they may see wild animals in the park D. they may see wild animals on eco-passages
45. The best title for the passage is ________.
A. Special bridges help animals cross the road B. Endangered animals increase because of roadkill
C. Animals fail to cross the road D. Take steps to protect animals in danger
Plants are very important living things. Life could not go on if there were no plants. This is because plants can make food from air,water and sunlight. Animals and man cannot make food from air,water and sunlight. Animals get their food by eating plants and other animals.Therefore animals and man need plants in order to live.This is why we find that there are so many plants around us.
If you look carefully at the plants around you,you will find that there are two kinds of plants:flowering plants and non-flowering plants.
Flowering plants can make seeds（种子）. The seeds are protected by the fruits. Some fruits have one seed, some have two, three or four, and some have many seeds. But a few fruits have no seeds at all. An example of a fruit without seeds is the banana fruit. Most non-flowering plants do not grow from seeds. They grow from spores（胚芽）. Spores are very small. Some spores are so small and light that they can float in the air. We may say that spores are quite the same as seeds. When these spores are all on wet and shady places, they usually grow into new plants.
72. The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______.
A. plants are important for life B. plants cannot grow without air
C. there are many plants in the world D. we can not live without water
73. Plants can make food from______.
A. flower, water and air B. water, sunlight and air
C. air, water and soil D. air, sun and light
74. What can we infer from the passage ？
A. Of all living things animals are most important
B.Spores are seeds
C. All fruits of flowering plants have seeds
D.Without plants, man will die out
75. This passage may be taken from______.
A. a medicine book B. a novel
C. a science magazine D. an experiment report
Even a child knows that nodding(点头) the head means “Yes”. But some people will probably be puzzled when they first come to India. When they talk to an Indian, he often shakes his head. They might think that the Indian does not like what he said, but on the contrary he is expressing agreement.
The Indians have a habit of shaking their heads slightly when they talk to somebody. It doesn’t mean “No”, but “Yes”.If a person doesn’t know this, it might cause misunderstanding.
At one time a foreigner in India told his driver who was an Indian to take him to his office. The driver shook his head. The foreigner repeated his request and the driver shook his head again. At last, the foreigner shouted angrily, “Drive me to my office at once!” The driver said in a low voice, “Yes, sir,” smiling and shaking his head again at the same time.
68. Generally speaking, nodding the head means _______, and shaking the head means _______.
A. Yes, No B. No, Yes C. Yes, Yes D. No, No
69. According to the habit of India, if someone agrees with you, he will _______.
A. nod his head
B. shake his head
C. neither nods his head nor shakes his head
D. either nod his head or shake his head
70. Why did the Indian driver shake his head when the foreigner asked him to drive him to his office? Because _______.
A. the Indian driver has something important to do
B. the foreigner promised to give him only a little money
C. The driver felt uncomfortable at that time
D. In India shaking the head means agreement
71. Why did the foreigner become angry? Because _______.
A. the Indian driver didn’t want to send him to his office
B. the Indian driver asked him for a lot of money
C. He misunderstood the meaning of shaking the head in India
D. he asked the driver to send him to his office, but the driver didn’t say any words