Last spring, members of Alaska’s Troop 34, based in Fairbanks, trudged (跋涉) out into the snowy wilderness to take part in their state’s Take a Kid Trapping program. In many parts of the state, beavers (海狸)are pests and need to be controlled.
The 10-to-12-year-old girls found out where beavers lived, set traps, and skinned the two animals they caught. The girls hope to catch ten more beavers so that the entire troop can make mittens and hats with the fur. They also want to cook beaver meat.
Troop leaders and members say the Scouts are doing a good deed by helping control the state’s beaver population. But animal-rights activists say trapping is cruel. They want the Girl Scouts to stop in their tracks.
Beavers aren’t only causing a problem in Alaska. Residents in Sampson County, N.C. , have turned to a local committee to help them battle the growing beaver population there.
County landowners are frustrated after the county spent more than $ 50,000 in eight years trying to reduce the beaver population through a government program. The joint state and federal program included paying money to trappers for every beaver carcass they trapped.
Many local residents say that the program didn’t work because there were too few trappers. That’s why the county set up its own committee to investigate other ways to control the area’s beaver population.
The county will rely on its own beaver-trapping program. It has hired a trapper to set traps in various areas. The county will pay $10 for every beaver carcass.
Why do many people say that beavers are a nuisance? For beavers to survive, they need lots of water. Water provides the large rodent (啮齿动物)with a place to hide from meat – eating animals. Beavers also store food underwater for the winter. When there’s not enough water in a particular area, beavers get busy building dams.
Beaver dams can cause major flooding and damage to the surrounding countryside as the animals cut down trees to use in their construction projects. Beavers build canals to transport heavy objects.
59.What is Alaska’s Troop 34?
A.A team of the Boy Scouts. B.An army.
C.A team of the Girl Scouts. D.A sports team.
60.Why does the troop hope to catch ten more beavers?
A.To fulfill their task. B.To sell them for money.
C.To get enough fur. D.To exchange them for mittens and hats.
61.Which of the following statements is true?
A.Sampson County has to find a new way to control the beaver population there.
B.The government program in Sampson County has proved to be a success.
C.The local government has controlled the number of beavers in the County.
D.More and more trappers now start to set traps in Sampson County.
62.Local residents hate beavers because they can ___________.
A.cause damage to dams
B.block up canals with heavy objects.
C.do great harm to construction projects.
D.badly damage the environment and cause floods.
Situated in the South West of England, between Exeter and Plymouth, Torquay is one of the most popular holiday resorts in Britain. It provides a variety of entertainment, sports of every kind and cultural facilities, all set in a position of outstanding natural beauty. Visitors can choose between luxury hotels by the sea, with private suites(套房),swimming pools and saunas, and comfortable but less expensive guest houses. There are camping sites, too, and hundreds of houses displaying“B & B”signs.
As well as a number of small quiet bays, which are ideal for beach barbecues away from the crowds, Torquay has large sandy beaches where you can buy refreshments(饮料)and hire deck chairs, boats and even beach huts. There are large areas of grassland overlooking the sea, and miles of winding cliff paths for walkers who just want to enjoy the scenery and what is often said to be the healthiest air in the country. For the sportsmen and women there are opportunities not only for golf, tennis, squash and bowls, but also for water-skiing, hang-gliding and deep-sea fishing.
After a day in the open air, there’s lots to do in the evenings, too. There are plenty of discos, the occasional opera or ballet, and summer variety shows in the seafront theatres. For the children, there is a beautiful model village with a complicated railway layout which is remarkably realistic-especially when the lights are all on at night.
Of course, there’s no need to spend your whole holidays in Torquay. Only a s
hort drive away is Dartmoor National Park, where you can walk for miles through dramatic, unspoiled countryside, or picnic by beautiful rivers and streams. Or, nearer to home, you can sail across Tor Bay to the lovely old fishing village of Brixham.
Torquay seems to have something for everyone. But don’t take my word for it----come and see for yourself. Which of the following best explains what “B & B” means on the signs?
| A.Beach and barbecue | B.Breakfast and bath |
| C.Bed and breakfast | D.Beautiful and British |
According to the text Torquay might be described as.
| A.comfortable and expensive | B.remote and beautiful |
| C.croweded and lively | D.fresh and healthy |
What is special about the model village?
| A.It opens at night. | B.It has a real railway system. |
| C.It’s in the open air. | D.It has something for the children |
What is the purpose of writing this text?
| A.To introduce the geography of Torquay to students. |
| B.To make some places known to visitors. |
| C.To show the beauty of resorts. |
| D.To attract more tourists. |
Ed Jocelyn and Andy McEwen might have appeared to be a bit mad---the
two set off on their own “Long March” through the remotest regions of China on October 16. The idea was to take a year to retrace one of the epic movements of modern military history.
The two British men in their mid-30s were working as editors in Beijing when they decided to reexperience
the tales of the original marches. “We hold these people in such respect,” McEwen says.
They plan to keep diaries but will not share the contents during the trip. “When we get to the end we’ll put our heads together and try and come up with a book,” Jocelyn said.
Their trip has had some auspicious beginning, they have already met two Long March veterans(老战士) in less than a month of travel.
In this modern version, the pair are aided by high-tech equipment including a satellite phone, mini-computer, video camera and solar panels to recharge batteries. A mountain tent and portable stove will help them in the remoter stretches.
They plan to average 35-40 kilometers a day, and rest about every third day. Ed admitted that their trip would be very tough.
If they succeed, they will be the first foreigners to complete the entire Long March route since Otto Braun, the German military advisor who accompanied the Red Army on the Long March. This text is mainly about.
| A.high-tech equipment helpful to the Long March |
| B.first foreigners to walk the Long March |
| C.British recall of the Long March spirit |
| D.British editors’ adventure original in China |
The underlined word “auspicious” most probably means.
| A.friendly | B.favourable | C.strange | D.surprising |
Which of the following statements is NOT true about the two foreigners?
| A.They will use anything modern on the way. |
| B.They will do some cooking by themselves. |
C.They’re planning to have a book pu blished one year later. |
| D.They will send off news about what happens day by day. |
Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars, and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.
The first caves appear as seven mysterious black dots (点) on the pictures which were sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. Each as large as a football field, they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.
“If there is life on Mars, there is a good chance that you’d find it in caves,” said Jut Wynne, one of the researchers who noticed th
e features (特征) while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.
Jonathan Clarke, a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia, yesterday described the discovery as exciting.
One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm, suggesting hot air may be flowing out.
“I said: ‘Wow, that’s a cave’” Dr. Clarke said excitedly. “People have been looking for these for a long time; now we have found them.”
He agreed such caves could be perfect places to search for life escaping from the bitterly cold, radiation-soaked(充满辐射的), dry surface.
“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,” he said. “If there are gases coming out, they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria (细菌). A cave is also a protection from radiation; the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”
The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lava flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago. The outside of the tubes cooled, forming solid walls, while something hotter inside allowed the remaining to flow out, forming caves. What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A.How the caves were formed on Mars. |
| B.How NASA sent the pictures back to earth |
| C.Caves on Mars may be full of hot air or a sign(迹象)of life. |
| D.Scientists have completely recognized the surface of Mars. |
We can learn from the passage that __________.
| A.water has already been found on Mars |
| B.the scientists found all the caves at night |
| C.it is certain that there is life in these caves |
| D.the surface of Mars is bitterly cold, radiation-soaked and dry |
According to the passage, Dr. Clarke was so excited because ________.
A.such caves could provide energy for life |
| B.they had finally found the caves on Mars |
| C.such caves would be perfect places to search for life |
| D.There would be life on Mars. |
Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include_________.
| A.lava and energy | B.water and radiation from space |
| C.gases and lava | D.water and protection from radiation |
what does the underlined word “ the planet” in paragraph 1 refer to?
| A.the Mars | B.the earth | C.the caves | D.radiation |
Discover
A science magazine, designed for wonders of modern science, written for the educated general readers. Published by Disney Magazine Publishing Co., Discover tells many of the same stories professionals (专业人员) read in Scientific American. A truly delightful family science ma
gazine, each issue (每期) brings new topics to make dinner time and water-cooler conversations interesting.
Cover Price: $59.88
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Issues:12 issues/12months
Self
Published by Conde Nast Publications Inc., Self is a handbook designed for women’s overall physical and mental health. Every issue contains usable articles such as “Style Lab”, in which wearable clothes are mixed and matched on non-modles and the “Eat Night Road Map”, with tips on how to eat properly.
Cover Price: $35.86
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Instyle
Instyle is a guide to the lives and lifestyle of the world’s famous people. The magazine covers the choices people make about their homes, their clothes and their free time activities. With photos and articles, it opens the door to these people’s homes, families, parties and weddings, offering ideas about beauty, fitness and in general, lifestyles. Publisher: The Time Inc. Magazine Company.
Cover Price: $47.88
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Wired
This magazine is designed for leaders in the field of information engineering including top managers and professionals in the computer, business, and education industries. Published by Conde Nast Publications Inc. , Wired often carries articles on how technology changes people’s lives.
Cover Price: $59.40
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Issues: 10 issues/12monthsWhich two magazines are published by the same publisher?
| A.Wired and Instyle | B. Discover and Instyle |
| C.Self and Discover | D.Self and Wired |
Which magazine offers the biggest price cut?
| A. Instyle | B.Wired | C.Discover | D.Self |
The “Style Lab” in Self provides readers with articles which _________.
| A.offer advice to ordinary women on clothes. |
| B.show how a woman can become famous |
| C.introduced places with the best food |
| D.discuss ways of training models |
Jane Austen, a famous English writer, was born at Steventon, Hampshire, on December 16,1775, and died on July 18, 1817. She began writing early in life, although the prejudices (偏见) of her times forced her to have her books published anonymously (匿名 ).
But Jane Austen is perhaps the best known and best loved of Bath’s many famous local people and visitors. She paid two long visits here during the last five years of the eighteenth century and from 1801 to 1806, Bath was her home. Her deep knowledge of the city is fully seen in two of her novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, which are largely set in Bath. The city is still very much as Jane Austen knew it, basically keeping its streets and public buildings in the original shape, just like what she described in her novels. Now the pleasure of learning Jane Austen’s Bath can be enhanced (增强)by visiting the Jane Austen Centre in Gay Street. Here, in a Georgian town house in the heart of the city, you can find out more about Bath in Jane Austen’s time and the importance of Bath in her life and work.
The Centre has been set up with the help and guidance of members of the Jane Austen Society. After your visit to the Centre, you can look round the attractive shop, which offers a huge collection of Jane Austen related books, cards and many specially designed gifts. Jane Austen quizs (小测验) are offered to keep the children busy.
You can also have walking tours of Jane Austen’s Bath, which is a great way to find out more about Jane Austen and discover the wonderful Georgian city of Bath. The tour lasts about one and a half hours. The experienced guides will take you to the places where Jane lived, walked and shopped. Jane Austen paid two long visits to Bath________.
| A.in her early twenties | B.in her early teens |
| C.in her late twenties | D.in her late teens |
What can we learn about Bath from the passage?
| A.Bath has greatly changed since Jane Austen’s death. |
B.The city has changed as much as J ane Austen knew it. |
| C.Bath remains almost the same as in Jane Austen’s time. |
| D.No changes have taken place in Bath since Jane Austen’s time. |
The author writes this passage in order to________.
| A.attract readers to visit the city of Bath |
| B.ask readers to buy Austen’s books |
| C.tell readers about Jane Austen’s experience |
| D.give a brief introduction to the Jane Austen Society |
It takes you about one and a half hours________.
| A.to get to the Jane Austen Centre in Gay Street |
| B.to buy Jane Austen related books, cards and gifts |
| C.to find a guide to take you to the Centre |
| D.to look around the city of Bath on foot |