Climate change, pollution, overuse of water and development are killing some of the world’s most famous rivers including China’s Yangtze, India’s Ganges and Africa’s Nile, WWF said on Tuesday．At the global launch of its report “World’s Top 10 Rivers at Risk”, the group said many rivers could dry out, affecting hundreds of millions of people and killing unique aquatic life．
“If these rivers die, millions will lose their livelihoods, biodiversity will be destroyed on a massive scale, there will be less fresh water and agriculture, resulting in less food security,” said Rayi Singh, secretary-general of WWF-India．The report launched ahead of “World Water Day” today, also cited the Rio Grande in the United States, the Mekong and Indus in Asia, Europe’s Danube, La Plata in South America and Australia’s Murray-Darling as in need of greater protection．
Rivers are the world’s main source of fresh water and WWF says about half of the available supply is already being used up．Dams have destroyed habitats and cut rivers off from their flood plains while climate change could affect the seasonal water flows that feed them, the report said．Fish populations, the top source of protein and overall life support for hundreds of thousands of communities worldwide, are also being threatened, it found… The Yangtze basin is one of the most polluted rivers in the world because of decades of heavy industrialization, damming and huge influxes of sediment from land conversion．
Climate change, including higher temperatures, also means serious consequences for fishery productivity, water supply and political security in Africa’s arid Nile basin．Tributaries flowing into the Ganges are drying up because of irrigation, WWF said．What does the text mainly talk about?
A．Sav ing fresh water in our life． |
B．How to protect our rivers． |
| C．An important discovery． | D．World’s top 10 rivers are at risk． |
We can infer from the text that _____．
| A．rivers’ dying out could affect food security |
| B．there are four Asian rivers mentioned in the passage |
| C．the Yangtze is polluted thanks to the lack of enough tributaries |
| D．higher temperatures couldn’t affect fishery productivity |
The top 10 rivers are fast dying as a result of the following EXCEPT _____．
| A．climate change | B．wasting water |
| C．pollution | D．dams |
WWF is probably a name of _____．
| A．an organization | B．a newspaper | C．a magazine | D．a report |
Foods from Around the World
Foods that are well known to you may not be familiar to people from other countries. Here are four people’s experiences with foreign food.
Shao Wong is a student in France. He comes from China. “I’d never tasted cheese or even milk before I came here. Cattle are rare in my part of China, so there are no dairy products. I tried milk when I first arrived in France. I hated it! I sampled cheese too, but couldn’t manage more than one bite. I love ice cream, though, and that’s made from milk.”
Birgit is from Sweden. She traveled to Australia on vacation. “I was in a restaurant that specialized in fish, and I heard some other customers order flake. So I ordered some too and it was delicious. Later, I found out that flake is an Australian term for shark. After that pleasant experience, whenever I see a new food I try it out on purpose. You know why? I remember how much I enjoyed flake.”
Chandra is a dentist in Texas. She originates from India. “I’m frightened of eating new foods because they might be made from beef. I’m a Hindu, and my religion forbids me to eat meat from the cow. It’s a sacred animal to Hindus, so that’s the reason I can’t eat hamburgers or spaghetti with meatballs.”
Nathan is American. He taught for a year in China. “My friends gave me some 100-year-old eggs to eat. I didn’t like the look of them at all. The insides were green, but my friends said the color was normal. The Chinese put chemicals on fresh eggs. Then they bury them in the earth for three months. So the eggs weren’t really very old. Even so, I absolutely refused to touch them.”
Life in a new country can be scary, but it also can be fun. Would you sample a 100-year-old egg? Would you order shark in a restaurant?
56. Which of the following sentences is true about Shao Wong?
A. He is a French – Chinese.
B. Cattle are seldom raised in his hometown.
C. He doesn’t like any diary products.
D. He didn’t taste cheese because he hated it.
57. What kind of girl is Birgit?
A. Religious. B. Brave. C. Confident. D. Open- minded.
58. Chandra is frightened of eating food made from beef, because _________.
A. It’s against Hindus’ religion.
B. She is a doctor and she thinks beef is not easy to chew and digest.
C. She is an Indian.
D. Hindus think beef is not tasty.
59. The underlined word “Sacred” in paragraph 4 means _________.
A. frightening B. large C. man – eating D.greatly respected
60. What can you infer from this passage?
A. Foods that are well known to you may not be familiar to people from other countries.
B. Despite (虽然) cultural differences in food, have a try and maybe you’ll get used to it.
C. A vacation is a good way to learn about new foods. Be sure to go on vacation more often.
D. People dislike eating new foods only because their religion forbids it.
D
For Chinese, it’s a time for dragon boat racing and Zongzi（粽子）. But across the Yellow Sea, South Korea, wrestling（摔跤）and swing play are the highlights. However, both events go by the same name---the Dragon Boat Festival---which falls on May 5 of the lunar calendar.
One festival, two cultures: does one nation have the right to call its own? It has been reported that South Korea will apply to the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization（UNESCO联合国教科文组织）to make the celebration its cultural heritage（文化遗产）. If successful, people from other countries may see the Dragon Festival as a Korean creation.
As the birthplace of the yearly event more than 2,000 years ago, China is not happy with the situation. “It would be a shame if another country successfully made a traditional Chinese festival part of its own cultural heritage ahead of China,”said Zhou Heping, deputy culture minister. The Ministry of Culture is even thinking of making its own application to UNESCO, covering all traditional Chinese festivals, including the Dragon Boat event.
Over the years, the Dragon Boat Festival has spread throughout the world. In Japan and Viet Nam, as well as South Korea, the festival has mixed with and become part of local culture.
With this in mind, some experts say that it is meaningless to argue about which country the festival belongs to. “No one can deny that it came from China,”said Long Haiqing , an expert from Hunan Province. “But if all the countries involved can protect culture heritage together, they will all benefit.”
56. The underlined word “highlights”can be probably replaced by “ ”.
A. most exciting events B. highest lights on the building
C. brightest lights at night D. most famous festivals
57. It can be inferred that South Korea ______.
A. has proclaimed（宣布）the Dragon Boat Festival as a part of its cultural heritage
B. has the exactly same Dragon Boat Festival as China
C. has no idea that China has such a festival
D. is paying more attention to its cultural heritage than China
58. China is not happy with the situation because .
A. it created the festival
B. it is also making an application
C. South Korea has no right to call the festival its own
D. UNESCO may approve（批准）South Korea’s application
59. If South Korea’s application to UNESCO is successful, _____.
A. China will also make its own application to UNESCO
B. it will be meaningless to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival
C. people from other parts of the world will think South Korea created the festival
D. the Dragon Boat Festival will become part of local culture
60. The author would probably support____ .
A. a move by South Korea to cancel its application
B. China getting UNESCO’s approval of the festival first
C. the opinion of Zhou Helping
D. China paying more attention to its cultural heritage
C
One day , Wilson was walking quietly along the road when someone hit him hard on the back of his neck. He looked behind him, and saw a young man whom he had never seen before.
“How dare you hit me like that?” shouted Wilson.
The young man said he had mistaken Wilson for a friend of his and that he thought Wilson was making a lot of noise about nothing.
This insult (侮辱) made Wilson even angrier, of course, and he at once decided to bring the young man before a judge.
Now, the judge, who heard the case was a friend of the young man's father's, and, although he pretended to be quite fair, he was thinking about what he could do to protect the young man from being punished while at the same time not to be appearing unfair.
Finally he said to Wilson, “I understand your feelings in this matter very well. Would you be satisfied if I let you hit the young man as he hit you?”
Wilson said he would not be. The young man had insulted him and should be properly punished.
“Well, then,” said the judge to the young man, “I order you to pay ten coins to Wilson.”
Ten coins was very little for such a crime, but the young man did not have it with him, so the judge allowed him to go and get it.
Wilson waited for him to return with the money. He waited an hour, and then two hours, while the judge took care of other business.
When it was nearly time for the court to close, Wilson chose a moment when the judge was especially busy, came up quietly and hit him hard on the back of the neck. Then he said to him, “I am sorry, but I can’t wait any longer. When the young man comes back, tell him that I have passed my right to the ten coins on to you.”
52. Why did the young man hit Wilson from behind?
A. Wilson had hit him before.
B. He had mistaken Wilson for a friend of his.
C. Wilson was a stranger there.
D. Wilson made a lot of noise when he was walking.
53. The judge thought about how to protect the young man because
A. he thought it a small matter
B. as a judge, he should be fair
C. he thought the man too young to be punished
D. the young man was his friend’s son
54. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A. The young man was ordered to hit himself as hard as he had done on Wilson.
B Wilson was allowed to hit the young man as hard as he had done.
C. Wilson was allowed to do more insulting on the young man.
D. The young man was ordered to hand a lot of money to Wilson.
55. The best title for this passage is ________.
A. I’ve passed my right on to you B. The judge and Wilson
C. Wilson and the young manD. The young man was set free
B
I started teaching English abroad when I was 22 , soon after I graduated from university. I’m 35 now and have been doing it ever since. If you want to travel the world, there’re a few ways to earn money while you do so. You can pick fruit, pull pints or teach English. The third one has definitely suited me best. I taught in Russia, Argentina, Spain and Slovakia and stayed an average of two years in each country.
Our flat is in the Sanlitun area, not far from the main football stadium , and I work at various schools in the city. The demand for English language teachers is staggering. Basically , if a Chinese person wants a job with an international company such as Hewlett Packard, then English is a must .
In China there’s no shortage of work, though the pay can vary. If you teach English as a second language at an international school, you can earn 22,000 yuan a month, about
￠2,200 or￡1,500. If you’re short of cash, you can always do a bit of extra private tuition, which pays really well—about ￡30 an hour .
The best thing about Beijing is that you aren’t going to be lonely. There’s a huge expat (侨民) community here, mostly based in Sanlitun and growing all the time. I don’t know my way around Dublin or London very well, but I can tell you Beijing is the restaurant capital of the world .
49. Why did the author stay in Beijing to teach English ?
A. He wanted to make a fortune . B. Beijing made a good impression on him .
C. He wanted to live in China for ever . D. He wanted to travel around the world .
50. The underlined word “staggering” in Paragraph 2 means “________”.
A. very weak B. often changing C. great D. unsteady
51. It can be inferred from the passage that the author ____ .
A. often felt lonely in SanlitunB. was satisfied with living in China
C. was very familiar with Dublin D. liked Chinese restaurants best
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题,每小题2分,满分30分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
A
Basic Training: Second Saturday Chef’s Series
For the second year , The University of Arkansas System’s Winthrop Rockefeller Institute is offering hands-on cooking workshops to the public. It begins on Saturday ,October 11 and continues the second Saturday of each month through May 2009 .
This year , the series will be held in the Rockefeller Institute’s new culinary (烹饪的) arts classroom – a large room with seats as well as a large cooking area where Executive Chef Steve Jenkins can demonstrate his techniques to the class. Each class begins at 9 am and ends around 4 pm.
Chef Jenkins will present the following courses:
SOUP’S ON – Oct. 11. 2008
DIP INTO CHOCOLATE – Nov. 8, 2008
THE SAUCY SIDE OF COOKING—Dec. 13,2008
SOMETHING’S FISHY—Jan. 10, 2009
IT’S ALLIN THE DOUGH (面团)—Feb .14,2009
IF YOU LOVE SUSHI (寿司) LIKE I LOVE SUSHI Mar.14,2009
COOL AS A CUCUMBER—Apr. 11,2009
SPICE IT UP . HERB—May 9,2009
Space is limited , and reservations are required. To reserve your place at our table , visit www. Wawri.org or call (501) 727-5435. Overnight Lodging (住宿) is available. Cost: $59— $60 per person .
46. If one wants to learn to make Sushi , he / she can attend the course held on___ .
A. Oct. 11,2008 B. Mar. 14, 2009 C. Dec. 13, 2008 D. May 9,2009
47. What can we learn from this passage ?
The cooking work shops last a year
The cooking work shops are held in the evening .
One needs to book in advance to attend the cooking workshops .
The cooking workshops are held on the second Sunday of every month .
48. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage ?
A. Who will give the presentations .
B. Where the cooking workshops are held .
C. How many seats there are in the classroom .
D. How much one should pay to attend the cooking workshops .