Pretoria, South Africa – Hundreds of swimmers play in the water along a South Africa beach. Suddenly a huge shark appears off shore and heads for the bathers. Before it can get close to the swimmers, the shark, for some mysterious reason, starts swimming parallel to the beach. Then it turns away from the shore and heads out to sea, leaving the swimmers untouched.
Such a scene will soon become common along shark-in-fasted (鲨鱼成群的) shores. An electrical engineer from the University of Pretoria has developed an electrical system that repels (击退) sharks by controlling their movements. Confused by this action, the sharks end up turning away from the beach.
In this unusual shark-repellent method, an insulated (绝缘的) cable is buried on the bottom of the sea around a beach where people swim. When an electric current is sent through the cable, an electric field is produced in the water above the cable.
When shark swims into the electric field, nerve cells just below the shark' s skin will sense the field. The electricity produces a reflex (反射作用) action in the shark' s muscles, causing the dangerous animal to swim parallel to the cable. Confused by increasing loss of control of its muscles, the shark suddenly changes its direction and heads seaward, away from the electric field.
In a test of the invisible new shark-repellent system, a cable was placed around a beach in St. Lucia, an island around the beach a long time ago to keep sharks away from swimmers, and a net was left in place during the experiment.
When the electric field was left on for more than a year and a half, no sharks were found in the net. However, when the power was turned off,89 sharks ended up in the net.
Using the electric-wall method instead of net to protect bathers would avoid the needless death of many sharks, said biologists. Currently, thousands of sharks die each year when they become trapped in protective nets that surround holiday resorts in Africa and Australia. About 10 to 15 humans are killed by sharks annually.
1．Why doesn' t the shark attack the swimmers according to the passage?
A．Because there are so many swimmers in the water.
B．Because the shark isn’t so hungry as to eat the swimmers.
C．Because of some mysterious power from the heaven.
D．Because there is an invisible electric field confusing the shark.
2．An electrical engineer from the University of Pretoria has developed __ .
A．a protective net
B．a new shark-repellent system
C．the electric field
D．an insulated cable
3．An electric field is produced in the water above the cable .
A．only when a shark swims into the electric field
B．only when an insulated cable is buried on the bottom of the sea around a beach where people swim
C．only when an electric current is sent through the cable
D．only when the sharks are trapped in protective nets
4．Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A．Protective nets had been fixed earlier than the new shark-repellent system.
B．The new shark – repellent system will probably replace the protective nets.
C．Thousands of sharks have died each year since this new system was put into use.
D．Using the electric-wall instead of nets would avoid the needless death of many sharks.
Special Bridges Help Animals Cross the Road
— Reported by Sheila Carrick
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(灰熊)and mountain lion can cross the road.
"Millions of animals die each year on US roads," the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact，only about 80 ocelots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the US today. The main reason? Road kill.
"Ecopassages (生态通道 ) " may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. "These ecopassages 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 ecopassages? The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an ecopassage that went under a highway. This showed that the lions used the passage.
Builders of ecopassages 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!The writer uses the example of "ocelots " to show that ________.
| A．wild animals have become more dangerous |
| B．the driving conditions have improved greatly |
| C．the measure for projecting wildlife fails to work |
| D．an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents |
From the news story, we know an ecopassage 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 |
When the writer says that animals seem" to be catching on", he means ________.
| A．animals begin to realize the dangers on the road |
| B．animals begin to learn to use ecopassages |
| C．animals are crossing the road in groups |
| D．animals are increasing in number |
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 ecopassages |
Today only one person in five in the United States lives within 50 miles of his birthplace. Since the country was first settled, Americans have moved around a great deal, and are often far away from their parents. Because they have broken ties with their past at a young age, chosen their own occupations, established their own homes and developed their own lifestyles, few American children grow up closely surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins as they do in Italy, Nigeria, or India, for example. This along with the fact that modern American families do not have servants has made the “baby-sitter” a vital part of the American scene. A “sitter” is someone who is hired to care for children for a specific length of time—usually relatively short—while the parents are out for an evening, going to a party or a course of study for example. Sometimes the baby-sitter is also hired for longer period, perhaps when the parents are away for a weekend. In such cases the “sitter” is likely to be a mature and motherly woman. For short periods, teen-agers, college students, nursing students, and others are commonly employed on an hourly basis.
From the point of view of convenience, the best sitters are often young people who live in your apartment building or close by in the neighborhood. This gives you a chance to meet the parents and see what they are like. If an emergency occurs, young sitters can call upon their parents quickly for help; you do not have to take them far to see them home at night or pay expensive taxi fares. Another advantage is that young people living close by can usually fill in quite readily on short notice or for short periods of time.
In an apartment house you can ask the superintendent for permission to post a notice for a baby-sitter by the mailboxes. This is often the best way to find out if there is anyone in the building who is interested in baby-sitting. Retired people as well as students are often glad to earn a little money in this way and can be found by such a note.A baby-sitter is a person who________.
| A．helps to do housework |
| B．is a cleaning woman |
| C．looks after children while their parents are out |
| D．takes care of babies and cooks for the family |
It is advised that when you are out for short periods, you may hire________ to be baby-sitters.
| A．motherly women | B．retired people |
| C．young people | D．mature women |
The best title for the passage is________.
| A．American Families | B．Baby-Sitters |
| C．A Way of Earning Money for Young Students | D．A Best Way to Find Baby-Sitters |
The African elephant,the largest land animal remaining on earth ,is of great importance to African ecosystem(生态系统).Unlike other animals,the African elephant is to a great degree the builder of its environment.As a big plant-eater,it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna(大草原)surroundings in which it lives,therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat(栖息地).
It is the elephant's great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat.In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day,it kills small trees and underbushes,and pulls branches off big trees.This results in many open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover
part of the African savannas.In these open spaces are many plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters.
Take the rain forests for example.In their natural state,the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor.By pulling down trees and eating plants,elephants make open spaces,allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor.In such situations,the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well.
What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species.If the elephant disappears,scientists say,many other animals will also disappear from large areas of forest and savanna,greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem. What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Disappearance of African elephants. |
| B．Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants. |
| C．The effect of African elephants' search for food. |
| D．The eating habit of African elephants. |
What does the underlined phrase “setting the terms” most probably mean?
A．Fixing the ti me. |
B．Worsening the state. |
| C．Improving the quality. | D．Deciding the conditions. |
What do we know about the open spaces in the passage?
| A．They result from the destruction of rain forests. |
| B．They provide food mainly for African elephants. |
| C．They are home to many endangered animals. |
| D．They are attractive to plant-eating animals of different kinds. |
The passage is developed mainly by________..
| A．showing the effect and then explaining the causes |
| B．pointing out similarities and differences |
| C．describing the changes in space order |
| D．giving examples |
Three Gorges Cruises(游程)
Day 1 Home → Beijing
We will meet you at the airport in Beijing and take you to the hotel in the downtown area.
Day 2 Beijing
After breakfast, you’ll visit Tiananmen Square. Then you will go to the Forbidden City, the home of Chinese emperors for more than 500 years. In the e
vening you will attend a welcome party and have a chance to enjoy Beijing Roast Duck!
Day 3 Beijing → Chongqing
After breakfast, you will fly to Chongqing and visit the Chongqing Museum. Then your cruise down the Yangtze River will begin on the five-star cruise ship, Regal China.
You will spend the night on the ship.
Day 4 Chongqing → Fengdu
At 8:00 a.m., the cruise will leave Chongqing. Relax on the deck, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the river. In the afternoon, we will arrive at Ghost City — Fengdu for an excursion (短途游览) on the shore. Overnight on the ship.
Day 5 Three Gorges
You will sail through the Qutang Gorge and the Wu Gorge, and take a small boat down the Shennong Stream to enjoy the scenery.
Day 6 Three Gorges
After passing the Xiling Gorge, you will go on a morning shore excursion to the Three Gorges Dam.
Day 7 Three Gorges → Wuhan → Shanghai
At 2:30 p.m., the cruise ship will arrive in Wuhan and the cruise tour will end. You will have a chance to visit the Yell
ow Crane Tower（黄鹤楼）, and then you will fly to Shanghai.
Day 8 Shanghai → Home
You will visit the Shanghai Museum in the morning. After lunch, you will visit the Bund （外滩）, which is said to be a landmark of Shanghai. Then 
you will be seen off at Shanghai airport.
How many nights will you spend on the cruise ship?
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
On which day will you h
ave an afternoon shore excursion?
| A．Day 4. | B．Day 5. | C．Day 6. | D．Day 7. |
What is the order of the journey?
① the Wu Gorge② the Yellow Crane Tower
③ the Xiling Gorge④ the Bund
⑤ Chongqing Museum⑥ Fengdu
⑦ the Three Gorges Dam ⑧ the Forbidden City
| A．⑧⑤⑥③①②⑦④ | B．⑧⑤⑥①③⑦②④ |
| C．⑧⑥③⑤②①⑦④ | D．④⑤⑥①②③⑦⑧ |
How much will a family with 2 adults and a 3-year-old child pay for the visit?
| A．US$4375. | B．US$4905. | C．U S$3950. |
D．US$4537.5. |
Their grandmothers fought for the vote, and their mothers have battled to have it all. Now the upcoming generation of girls have decided to turn the clock back and stay at home with their babies.
According to a survey of more than 5,000 teenage girls in Britain, their main ambition (追求的目标) is to complete university then stay at home. More than nine out of ten of the girls believe it should be up to their husbands to provide for them. And although 43 percent of those questioned believe they should continue with their education until they have achieved a university degree, one in four say getting married is the most important thing for them.
The supposedly super-modern, “fun comes first” teenage generation
has proved to be very traditional in every area of their beliefs, with over 50 percent saying they would not dream of having c
hildren before seeing a ring on their finger.
The desire to have children is beginning earlier too. On average, teenage girls plan to have their first child at 26, and most plan to have one or two more children over the following four years. The national average now is 1.64 children per couple.
“This survey doesn’t show that the battles of feminism (女权运动) have been lost,” said author Claire Rayner, “Feminism was never opposed (反对) to marriage or children. On the contrary, feminism was about to equal opportunities for women to do what they wanted to do, when they wanted to do it, and this is exactly what these girls are choosing to do.” The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．the result of the battles of feminism |
| B．women’s struggle for independence in the society |
| C．the girls’ desire to stay at home after they graduate |
| D．women’s social status in the modern society |
Girls prefer to be housewives rather than independent women because _______.
| A．it’s hard for women to find jobs |
| B．men would rather their wives look after babies at home |
| C．girls want to live a more comfortable life |
| D．women have a low salary |
From the last paragraph we can see that Rayner thinks ________.
| A．women should stay at home with their babies |
| B．women should find jobs and support the family |
| C．women should be offered more job opportunities |
| D．women should live the life they like |