Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a major cause of climate change, and now a new study has confirmed that atmospheric CO2 is also affecting the ocean chemistry and potentially harming sea life.
Montana State University scientist Robert Dore has been researching the water in the Pacific Ocean for almost two decades.
“We’ve been going to the same spot in the Pacific Ocean, and we try and characterize long-term change in the open ocean environment. And one of the key things that we measure is CO2 levels. And we’ve been able to record this increasing quantity of atmospheric CO2 into the ocean.”
Scientists expected that as atmospheric CO2 increased, more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean, affecting the chemical balance of the sea water, with a potentially harmful impact on shellfish and coral in particular.
“As carbon dioxide dissolves (溶解) in the water, or seawater in this case, it forms a weak acid (酸), carbonic acid, ” Dore explains. “And therefore, as the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere goes up and that exchanges with the surface seawater, it drives the pH down, and makes it more acidic.”
The seawater Dore and his colleagues have analyzed confirms what the theory predicts.
The effect was particular striking at about 250 meters down, and again at 500 meters. Dore and his colleagues came up with two possible explanations. It could be that surface water picked up CO2 and then moved to those depths. Or there could be a biological explanation.
“It’s important to realize that the oceans are really becoming acidic。And it can have negative impacts on a whole variety of sea life from fish to coral. It’s potentially catastrophic.”
1. What can be the best title of the passage?
A. Sea Life Facing Danger B. Scientist Researching Seawater
C.Oceans Becoming More Acidic D. Climate Change Affecting Seawater
2. Which of the following shows the process of the impact of atmospheric CO2 on sea life?
a. Sea life is endangered.
b. CO2 goes into the surface water.
C.The ocean chemistry is affected.
d. CO2 decreases the pH and makes the seawater more acidic.
e. CO2 levels in the atmosphere go up.
A. a→b→c→d→e B. e→b→c→d→a
C.a→e→c→d→b D. e→d→c→b→a
3. Scientist Robert Dore came to the conclusion based on ________.
A. his research and analysis B. the expectation of other scientists
C.some former theory D. a major cause of climate change
4. What does the passage want to tell us most?
A. It takes time to make a scientific study.
B. Atmospheric CO2 is doing harm to sea life.
C.Robert Dore is a committed and serious scientist.
D. Measures should be taken to prevent the potential catastrophe.
Do you want to be a successful person? Would you like to know how successful people usually think and what drives them? Here I am going to tell you the key to success that successful people share.
First of all, successful people never blame someone or something outside of themselves for their failure to move ahead. They realize that their future lies in their own hands. They understand that they can’t control things in life, such as nature, the past and other people. At the same time, they are well aware that they can control their own thoughts and actions. They take responsibility for their life.
Perhaps what most separates successful people from others is that they live life “on purpose”-- they are doing what they believe they are put here to do. In their opinion, having a purpose in their life is the most important element that enables them to deal with things around them. They hold the view that when they live their life “on purpose”, their main concern is to do the job right. They live what they do. People want to do business with them because of their commitment. To live their life “on purpose”, successful people find a cause they believe in and create a business around it.
Besides, they never give up easily. Once they have set up goals in their life, they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. To achievers always bear in mind what they don’t have forever. Rather than see this as negative or depressing, they would use the knowledge to spur themselves on and go after what they want energetically and passionately.
So keep in mind what successful people always hold to be true so that you will have a clear idea of what you should do to be successful in life.According to the passage, to be successful, ______.
| A．you should set up a realistic goal |
| B．you should know your strengths and weaknesses |
| C．you shouldn’t blame others for your failure |
| D．you shouldn’t waste time |
Which is NOT the key to success that successful people share?
| A．Taking responsibility for their life. |
| B．Never giving up easily. |
| C．Having a goal in life. |
| D．Controlling things in life. |
The underlined word “spur” in paragraph 4 probably means “______”.
| A．interest | B．equip |
| C．depend | D．inspire |
The author’s purpose in writing this passage is to ______.
| A．explain the exact meaning of success |
| B．share the key to success with readers |
| C．tell his experience of achieving success |
| D．encourage readers to learn from failure |
| LOST AND FOUND |
ROOMMATES |
| FOUND：Cat, 6 months old, black and white marking. Found near Linden and South U.Steve, 800-4661. |
FEMALE ROOMMATE WANGTE Own room near campus. Available December 1. Rent $80 per month until March 1 st. $129 Thereafter. Call Jill for details. 800-7839 |
| LOST: Gold wire rim glasses in brown case. Campus area. Reward. Call Gregg 800-2896 |
Need person to assume lease for own bedroom in apt. Near campus, $92/mo. Starting Jan.1. Call 800-6157 after 5pm |
| FOR SALE |
HELP WANTED |
| MOVING：Must sell. TV b/w 12,$50; AM/FM transistor radio A/C or battery, $15; cassette tape recorder, $10; music records, Call John or Pat, 800-0739 after 5pm or weekends |
BABYSITTER-MY HOME If you are available a few hours during the day, some evenings and occasional weekends to care for 2 school-age children, please call Gayle Moore days 800-1111, evenings and week ends 800-4964 |
| USED FUR COATS and JACKETS. Good condition. $50-$125. Call 800-0436 after 12 noon |
WAITRESS WANTED:10am-2pm or 10:30 am-5pm. Apply in person, 207S. Main, Curtis Restaurant. |
What was lost in campus area according to the LOST AND FOUND ads?
| A．A cat | B．A radio |
| C．A pair of glasses | D．A cassette tape recorder |
You will callif you want to buy a radio.
| A．800-0436 | B．800-0739 |
| C．800-4661 | D．800-4964 |
If you want a job of taking care of children, which ad will you answer?
| A．Lost AND FOUND | B．ROOMMATES |
| C．FOR SALE | D．HELP WANTED |
It was Monday, Mrs. Smith’s dog was hungry, but there was not any meat in the house.
Considering that there was no better way, Mrs. Smith took a piece of paper, and wrote the following words on it: “Give my dog half a pound of meat.” Then she gave the paper to her dog and said gently: “Take this to the butcher（卖肉者）, and he’s going to give you your lunch today.”
Holding the piece of paper in its mouth, the dog ran to the butcher’s shop. It gave the paper to the butcher. The butcher read it carefully, recognized that it was really the lady’s handwriting and presently did as he was asked to. The dog was very happy, and ate the meat up immediately.
At midday, the dog came to the shop again. It gave the butcher a piece of paper again. After reading it, he gave it half a pound of meat once more.
The next day, the dog came again exactly at midday. And as usual, it brought a piece of paper in the mouth. This time, the butcher did not take a look at the paper, and gave the dog its meat, for he had thought of the dog as one of his customers.
However, the dog came again at four o’clock. And the same thing happened once again. To the butcher’s more surprise, it came for the third time at six o’clock, and brought with it a third piece of paper. The butcher felt a bit puzzled. He said to himself, “This is a small dog. Why does Mrs. Smith give it so much meat to eat today?”
Looking at the piece of paper, he found that there were not any words on it!When Mrs. Smith’s dog was hungry, what did she give to the dog?
| A．some chicken |
| B．half a pound of meat |
| C．a hot dog |
| D．a piece of paper with some words on it |
Mrs. Smith treated her little dog quite __________.
| A．rudely | B．proudly |
| C．friendly | D．angrily |
From its experience, the dog found that __________.
| A．only the paper with Mrs. Smith’s words on it could bring it meat |
| B．a piece of paper could bring him half a pound of meat |
| C．the butcher would give the meat to it whenever he saw it |
| D．Mrs. Smith would pay for the meat it got from the butcher |
At the end of the story, you’ll find that __________.
| A．the dog was clever enough to write on the paper |
| B．the butcher was told not to give any meat to the dog |
| C．the dog dared not go to the butcher’s any more |
| D．the butcher found himself cheated by the smart animal |
“If you have not played video games, your childhood should be called 'incomplete'.” That's from Zhan Zaozao, 29, the screenwriter（编剧）of Play to Grow Up, a 40-minute short movie.
It tells the story of two men growing up fans of video games and how they find happiness in games. While people think playing games makes one lazy and is a waste of time, Zhan tries to prove that one can make a living out of it. In the movie, the two heroes, Dunzi and Yanjing, who are in middle school, visit a video games room on the street each day after school.
But why make a short movie about video games, since there are lots to write about childhood, such as puppy love, sports and study? “Playing games is so important to everyone's childhood from little kids to teenagers, though it's a bittersweet experience,” said Zhan. According to him, his teachers and parents didn't allow video games, but they played games “under their noses ” anyway.
In the movie, the two playmates follow different paths after school. Dunzi opens a small store selling gaming products. Yanjing works as a manager in his father's company, After years of working and facing various problems in life, they get together again, build a video game machine and play on the street. Free, simple and happy. They rediscover the carefree childhood, which they have lost in the adult world.
Many consider playing games as a bad influence, but it isn't all true, according to Zhan. “It can change your attitude toward life,” said Zhan. “On the other hand, the movie also tells you that, although the world of video games is fun, you must face real life at the end of the day. ” What is the purpose of Zhan writing the short movie?
| A．To memorize his past. |
| B．To offer an exciting movie. |
| C．To prove that people can make life better with playing video games. |
| D．To prove that people can make a living out of playing video games. |
What's the fourth paragraph mainly about?
| A．The plot((情节）of the movie. |
| B．The end of playing video games. |
| C．The happy childhood. |
| D．The gathering of the two men. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．Playing games is forbidden by all parents. |
| B．People can learn something from the movie. |
| C．Playing games is longed by the two heroes. |
| D．People in their childhood couldn't afford the games. |
The writer writes the text to ______ .
| A．criticize some parents' attitude towards playing video games |
| B．attract people to see the movie Play to Grow Up |
| C．show the film focusing on video games |
| D．promote the film Play to Grow Up |
An energy watchdog is alarmed about the threat to the environment from the increasing electricity needs of gadgets（小装置）like MP3 players, mobile phones and flat screen TVs.
In a report today, the Paris-based International Energy Agency says new electronic gadgets will be three times their energy consumption by 2030 to 1,700 terawatt hours（千瓦时）, which is equal to today's home electricity consumption of the United States and Japan combined.
The world would have to build around 200 new nuclear power plants just to power all the TVs, iPods, PCs and other home electronics expected to be plugged in by 2030,when the global electric bill to power them will rise to $200 billion a year, the agency said.
“Consumer electronics is the fastest growing area and the area with the least amount of policies in place to control energy efficiency, ” said Paul Waide, a senior policy analyst at the agency.
Electronic gadgets already account for about 15 percent of household electric consumption, a share that is rising rapidly as the number of these gadgets multiplies. Last year, the world spent $80 billion on electricity to power all these household electronics, the energy agency said.
“ Most of the increase in consumer electronics will be in developing countries, where economic growth is the fastest and ownership rates of gadgets are the lowest , ”Waide said.
“This will jeopardize efforts to increase energy security and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.” the agency said. Existing technologies could cut down gadgets’energy consumption by more than 30 percent at no cost or by more than 50 percent at a small cost, the agency estimates, meaning total greenhouse gas emissions（排放） from households’electronic gadgets could be held stable（稳定的） at around 500 million tons of CO2 per year. How many terawatt hours did the energy consumption of new electronic gadgets reach?
| A．Nearly l, 700. | B．Nearly 600. |
| C．About 200. | D．About 60. |
What is the condition in the area of consumer electronics?
| A．There are a lot of rules to control the market. |
| B．There are few policies to control energy efficiency. |
| C．There are few choices for the customers. |
| D．There are lots of regulations to protect consumers' rights. |
The underlined word “jeopardize” in the last paragraph probably means “________ ”.
| A．harm | B．inspire |
| C．strengthen | D．encourage |
We can know from the last paragraph that existing technologies ___________.
| A．are able to control gadgets’energy consumption |
| B．could do nothing about gadgets’ energy consumption |
| C．could only cut down gadgets’ energy consumption by 30 percent |
| D．cut down gadgets’energy consumption at great cost |