.
Have you ever heard of Paynes prairie? It is one of the most important natural and historical areas in Florida. Paynes Prairie is located near Gainesville. It is large, 21,000 acres. This protected land is called a preserve. The Florida Park Service manage the preserve.
The Paynes Prairie basin was formed when limestone dissolved and the ground settled. It is covered by marsh(沼泽)and wet prairie vegetation. There are areas of open water. During brief periods it has flooded enough to be considered a lake. Except for that, the basin has changed little through time.
Man has lived on Paynes Prairie a very long time. He lived there as far back as 10,000 B. C. At one time, the Seminoles lived there. The prairie is thought to have been named after King Payne, a Seminole chief. During the late 1600s, the largest cattle ranch in Florida was on Paynes Prairie. Today, Paynes Prairie is preserved land . It is occupied by visitors and Florida Park Service employees.
Willam Bartram visited Paynes Praire. Bartram was the first person who portrayed (described)nature through personal experience as well as scientific observation. He lived 200 years ago. He visited Paynes Prairie in 1774. At that time he described it. He called Paynes Prairie the "great Alachua Savannah."
Most of the animal life, which Bartram described, is still here. A large number of sandhill cranes, hawks and waterfowl are here in winter. The animal diversity is increased by the presence of pine flatwoods, hammock, swamps and ponds.
The Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is open year round. The Florida Park Service works hard so that the park will appear as it did in the past. It offers many opportunities for recreation. At the park you can camp and picnic. You can hike and bike. You can boat and fish. You can ride on horse trails. And you can see lots of nature and wildlife. You can see Florida as it was in the early days.
Paynes Prairie is part of our Florida history. It is an example of our Florida natural resources. It is a place for recreation. Paynes Prairie is an important experience of the Real Florida.
49．How was the Paynes Prairie basin formed?
A．By the Seminole Indians.
B．By the Florida Park Service.
C．From dissolved limestone and the ground settling.
D．From lots of flooding and wet prairie vegetation.
50．The underlined word "diversity" means “ .”
A．variety B．society C．population D．area
51．All of the following are true EXCEPT that __ .
A．Paynes Prairie has changed little through time
B．Paynes Prairie is covered by wet prairie vegetation
C．there used to be a big cattle farm on Paynes Prairie
D．William Bartram was the first person~ to visit Paynes Prairie
52．The purpose of the passage is to .
A．call on people to protect wildlife
B．attract people to this preserved park
C．show you the formation of Paynes Prairie
D．introduce the recorded history of Paynes Prairie
Once the 2008 Olympic Games finishes, the drums and trumpets(喇叭) of the competitions would also stop. But would the city remain as lively as it would be after this world event? Investment sustainability and high demand are two highly invaluable economic concepts(概念) that can be looked at in order to ensure post-Olympics flourish, or perhaps, an even better future for Beijingers.
Naturally, an economic downturn occurs in an Olympic host city once the major event finishes. Renmin University Professor Jin Yuanpu noted that a global event like this would put Beijing into a position of large importance in the international stage. But after this event, who would use the heavily-funded equipment and public and private investments left in the city? Various economists argued that a meltdown (彻底垮台) is highly unlikely. Jonathan Anderson, UBS Asia economist, suggested that the negative effects of the end of Beijing Olympics 2008 on the entire country aren’t important compared to previous host cities. China is such a huge economy that the conclusion of the Olympics games is the same as an ant-bite on a dragon.
But what about post-Olympics Beijing? Retired Headmaster of Peking University, Li Yining, noted that a long-term civil demand growth and a popular desire by companies to adopt careful financial management decisions can lead to continued investment growth. Even though demand in some departments of the economy would drop in the short-run, creativity, practicality and innovation(创新) would be the key factors that would continually enhance the city's image and flourish long after the Olympics in the city has ended.
So what's next for Beijing after the Olympics? Well, it's business as usual...Which one of the followings is the author’s idea?
| A．Beijing’s economy will have a downturn after the 2008 Olympic Games. |
| B．The 2008 Olympic Games have no effects on Beijing’s economy. |
| C．Beijing’s economy will go on as usual. |
| D．Beijing’s economy will go worse after the 2008 Olympic Games. |
What’s the Jin Yuanpu idea about Beijing’s economy after the 2008 Olympic Games according to the passage?
| A．to have a downturn |
| B．to develop as usual |
| C．to develop more rapidly |
| D．all of the above |
Why did Jonathan Anderson believe that the negative effects of the end of Beijing Olympics 2008 on the entire country aren’t important?
| A．The negative effects are small. |
| B．The Chinese government has many measures to take. |
| C．The Chinese economy has developed at a certain level so that the negative effects can’t affect it too much. |
| D．Jonathan Anderson liked China very much so he didn’t want China to go worse. |
Choose a best title for this passage.
| A．Beijing After the Olympics |
| B．The negative effects of the end of Beijing Olympics |
| C．Can Beijing get through the difficult period after the 2008 Olympic Games |
| D．Beijing’s economy after the 2008 Olympic Games |
The snow has paralysed(使瘫痪) transport in China during the country’s most important vacation period, the celebration of the Chinese New Year. Not only have transport delays hindered personal trips, but they have also slowed the delivery of fresh produce to markets. Consequently, in Zhengzhou, the capital city of the Henan province, tomato prices have doubled, and the cost of 47 other vegetables has increased by 36%, as reported by local media at the end of January.
According to an inside PR source, “wholesalers in Beijing were quoted as saying that only about 20% of the usual fresh vegetable supplies were reaching the city.” As an Asian country with a diet based on fresh produce, the shortage of vegetables and the rise in prices is not only affecting fresh food producers, but also the final consumers.
In terms of production, this is the worst snow disaster to hit China in the last 50 years, affecting a total of 9.4 million hectares of farmland in the country, according to a report published on 4 February 2008 by Feng Tao of Xinhua News, at the Chinese government website. Most of the crops devastated（毁坏）by the frost are located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the traditional natural border between North and South China.
Chen Xiwen, Director of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Rural Work, pointed out at the end of last week that “the blizzard disaster in the south has had a severe impact on winter crops, and the impact on fresh vegetables could be catastrophic in certain areas”, as stated in the Xinhua News report.
The Chinese government has been quick to take extreme measures. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has sent 13 teams of experts to 8 of the areas most seriously affected by the harsh weather. The aim of this initiative is to provide farmers with technical assistance to minimize their losses. From this passage, we can know that the snow happened _____.
| A．During the Spring Festival |
| B．In the coldest days of the winter |
| C．In the North of China. |
| D．It’s not mentioned here. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word in paragraph four?
| A．worst | B．snowstorm | C．cold weather | D．biggest |
This passage mainly tells us _____ .
| A．The snow in the south of China caused many problems. |
| B．The effect of the snow in the south of China on the fresh food |
| C．The snow in the south of China slowed the delivery of fresh produce to markets. |
| D．The Chinese government has taken extreme measures to help the suffered farmers. |
The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has sent 13 teams of experts to 8 of the areas to _____ .
A. help the farmers plant crops B. give money to the farmers
C. give directions to the farmers with their technic（技术；技巧）.
D. deliver crops for the farmers.
Beijing's broadened ban on smoking in public places took effect Thursday, adding force to the effort to hold a smoke-free Olympics.
The new rules extend existing anti-smoking regulations to more places, including fitness centers, cultural relic sites, offices, meeting rooms, dining halls, toilets and lifts. Restaurants, Internet cafes, parks, and waiting halls at airports, railway stations and coach stations are required to set up smoking areas. Hotels will have to offer smoke-free rooms or floors, but the regulations do not specify a proportion.
However, some restaurant owners have complained that it would be difficult to have a separate smoking room as required by the new regulations. "We plan to issue specific rules to solve this problem as soon as possible," Rao Yingsheng, vice-director of the Beijing Committee for Patriotic Public Health Campaign, was quoted by the Beijing News as saying Thursday. He said small restaurants without a separate room should set aside at least 70 percent of their area for non-smokers. He also said customers and restaurant owners would be asked for their thoughts on the new rule.
Local authorities dispatched about 100,000 inspectors to make sure the ban was being enforced Thursday. Everyone has the right to dissuade people from smoking in public places, Liu Zejun, who works for the Beijing committee, said. "Citizens are encouraged to expose those who refuse to obey the rule by calling the free telephone line 12320," Liu said.
People caught smoking in forbidden areas will be fined 10 yuan ($1.40), while enterprises and institutions that violate(违反) the ban will face fines of between 1,000 yuan and 5,000 yuan. Smoking was forbidden in hospitals, kindergartens, schools, museums, sports venues and other places before the new regulations took effect. From Oct 1 last year, the city also banned smoking in its 66,000 cabs, and imposed fines of 100 yuan to 200 yuan on drivers caught smoking in taxis.
China has pledged a cigarette-free, green Olympics. This year's event will be the first non-smoking Olympic Games since the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), of which China is a signatory(签名人), went into effect in 2005. The passage mainly tells us _____.
| A．There will be more places where smoking is forbidden. |
| B．More people should give up smoking. |
| C．Broadened ban on smoking in public places took effect in order to set up a non-smoking Olympic Games. |
| D．Those who smoke at public places will be fined. |
Smoking is _____ at airports, railway stations or coach stations etc.
| A．forbidden | B．allowed |
| C．allowed at it’s smoking areas | D．we don’t know |
Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?
| A．Hotels will have to offer smoke-free rooms. |
| B．Smoking is not allowed in most restaurants. |
| C．12320 is a free telephone line to expose those who smoke at public places. |
| D．People caught smoking in forbidden areas will be fined. |
If a taxi driver smokes in his cab, he will probably be fined _____ .
| A．10 yuan | B．50 yuan | C．120 yuan | D．1000 yuan |
It's time to be water efficient!
As populations increase across Australia and the rest of the world, demand for water will also increase. If we don’t reduce each individual’s demand for water (both directly and through embodied water) the water situation will become dire.
It is obvious that we cannot increase demands for water much more without detrimental(有害的) effects to the environment, society and the economy.
It’s all too easy to blame someone else for the water situation –“if 70% of water is used for agriculture then that’s what we should target” – but it’s not that easy. We all depend on the food and resources that agriculture provides, and while there are definitely opportunities to increase water efficiency on the farm, the solution will take more than that.
We each share responsibility for the sustainable management of our water resources, which means using less water at home, in the workplace, at school, on holidays, on the farm, … everyone, everywhere, every time.
It's time to become water efficient! This involves reassessing our relationship with water, and learning to use it more sparingly. On the most basic level, it requires a behavioural（行动的） change, and assigning a value to water that truly reflects its worth.
We can also unlock economic benefits of being water efficient. There are many real world examples given in the case studies on this site.
Everybody has a responsibility to save water, if future generations are to enjoy a similar standard of living to the one we enjoy now. In fact, many of the impacts associated with water use are likely to have an effect on our own lives!
www.savewater.com.au has been designed to help you respond to the challenge to become water efficient. It acts as a central repository for relevant information and further advice, so that you can actually achieve significant savings. It also showcases those companies with products that will assist you in your goal. Can you infer where this passage is from?
| A．newspaper | B．TV programme | C．Radio broadcast | D．Internet |
What can we do to save water?
| A．find more water resources |
| B．use less water everywhere, every time |
| C．realize the importance of saving water |
| D．unlock economic benefits of being water efficient |
What is not the reason to save water?
| A．There are more and more people in the world. |
| B．The water resources are limited. |
| C．Agriculture needs more water. |
| D．The water is very important for us. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Water is very important for the human. |
| B．Everybody has a responsibility to save water. |
| C．It's time to be water efficient. |
| D．Let’s save water for our future generations. |
China news, Beijing, Feb. 9 – Housing price in China has always aroused heated discussions among property developers and ordinary Chinese. To many property developers and local government officials, housing price in China is still low compared with many developed countries. However, the average housing price in the United States is only 8,000 yuan per square meter, while in China, it is even higher than in the United States. This shows that there are some bubbles(泡沫) in Chinese real estate market, the International Finance News reported.
Although the average price of residential houses in the United States, after converted to Renminbi, is about 8,000 yuan per square meter, the houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. If US property developers sell their houses according to the building area, then the housing price will be even lower than 8,000 yuan per square meter. In most big Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, houses are sold at a price even higher than those in the US.
The high housing sales price in large cities in China proves that Chinese real estate market does have some bubbles. Moreover, Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. Furthermore, it should be noted that American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. How can the Chinese afford to buy a house which is even more expensive than that sold in US?
At the beginning of 2007, Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public. Now in order to reduce the high housing prices, the government can regulate(控制) the real estate market by raising tax on property industry and controlling the release of loans and lands to property developers. At the same time, the government should allow people to build more houses through various fund-raising channels, such as funds collected from buyers or raised by working units. By applying these multiple means, it is expected that the high housing prices can be lowered. What is the average housing price per square meter in China?
| A．8,000 yuan | B．10,000 yuan | C．7,000 yuan | D．It’s not mentioned here |
Which of the following does NOT support the idea that the average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States?
| A．Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. |
| B．American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. |
| C．The houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. |
| D．There are more people who need houses in China. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．The housing price in China is so high that the government should do something useful to prevent it. |
| B．There are some bubbles in Chinese real estate market |
| C．The average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States |
| D．Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public. |
How many measures are mentioned in the last paragraph in order to reduce the high housing prices?
| A．Four | B．Three | C．Five | D．Two |