Some scientists say that animals in the oceans are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings.
The noise that affects sea creatures comes from a number of human activities. It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines. Such noises are added to natural sounds. These sounds include the breaking of ice fields, underwater earthquakes, and sounds made by animals themselves.
Decibels（分贝）measured in water are different from those measured on land. A noise of one hundred and twenty decibels on land causes pain to human ears. In water, a decibel level of one hundred and ninety-five would have the same effect.
Some scientists have proposed setting a noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels in oceans. They have observed that noises at that level can frighten and confuse whales.
A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that louder noises can seriously injure some animals. The research team found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing. This seriously affected the whales' ability to exchange information and find their way. Some of the whales even died. The explosions had caused their ears to bleed and become infected.
Many researchers whose work depends on ocean sounds object to a limit of one hundred and twenty decibels. They say such a limit would mean an end to important industrial and scientific research.
Scientists do not know how much and what kinds of noises are harmful to ocean animals. However, many scientists suspect that noise is a greater danger than they believed. They want to prevent noises from harming creatures in the ocean. According to the passage, which of the following is increasingly dangerous to sea creatures?
| A．The man-made noises. | B．The noises made by themselves. |
| C．The sound of earthquakes. | D． The sound of the ice-breaking. |
Which of the following is discussed in the third paragraph?
| A．Different places with different types of noises. |
| B．The very human ears sensitive to all types of noises. |
| C．The ocean animals' reaction to noises. |
| D．The same noise measured differently on land and in the ocean. |
We can know from the passage that many researchers think that the noise limit of one hundred twenty decibels would _____.
| A．prevent them from doing their research work |
| B．benefit them a lot in their research work |
| C．do good to their health |
| D．increase the industrial output |
According to the passage, what will scientists most probably do in the future?
| A．They will try their best to decrease noise. |
| B．They will work hard to cut down noise pollution. |
| C．They will study the effect of different noises. |
| D．They will protect animals from harmful noises. |
Making greener choices and encouraging healthy lifestyles can promote your health and benefit the environment. Here are some guidelines to follow:
Choose foods thoughtfully
Americans have never had such a variety or abundance of food to choose from. Besides so many choices, we now hear about our “food print”, the amount of land needed to supply one person’s nutritional needs for a year. Do we buy cherry tomatoes from Mexico or tomatoes grown locally in a hothouse? Do we get the Granny Smiths from the farmers’ market or the supermarket? Is organic produce healthier for us and the planet?
These are very complex issues that require analysis of many criteria, including the energy used in producing and transporting the food, as well as the type of soil and methods of raising the food.
Despite the complexities, there are some general guidelines you can follow. For instance, eat less meat or eat low on the food chain. Your doctor may have recommended you to restrict your consumption of red meat because of its too much fat content. Beyond that, there are environmental reasons, too. Raising food animals contributes substantially to climate change because a meat-based diet requires more land, energy and water than a plant-based one.
______________________________
Drinking plenty of fluids is significant during hot weather or when exercising. But is bottled water the way to go? You may not think so when seeing the true costs. Based on a survey, manufacturing the 30-plus billion plastic water bottles can produce more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide and use three times the amount of water in the bottle. Adding in transportation, the energy used comes to over 50 million barrels of oil equivalent (等价物). Consequently, skip the bottled water and drink tap water, both at home and at restaurants. Additionally, bottled water is not necessarily cleaner than tap.In Paragraph 2 the author puts forward three questions mainly ______.
| A．to prove Americans have less food to choose from |
| B．to show us the shopping habits of most Americans |
| C．to indicate Americans tend to buy food from abroad |
| D．to remind people to reconsider their food purchase |
According to the text, which of the following is true?
| A．Americans all prefer to buy cherry tomatoes from Mexico. |
| B．The plant-based diet is responsible for the climate change. |
| C．Americans have a variety of food to choose from. |
| D．Organic produce is the only choice for Americans. |
Based on the last paragraph, we know that ______.
| A．bottled water is cleaner than tap water |
| B．tap water is economical as well as eco-friendly |
| C．bottled water is more available than tap water |
| D．tap water uses one-third the cost of bottled water |
What is the best subtitle for the last paragraph?
| A．Skip bottled water, carry tap | B．Drink bottled water |
| C．Produce plastic water bottles | D．Save water resources |
Greece declared a national state of emergency on Saturday as scores of forest fires that have killed at least 46 people continued to burn out of control, leaving some villages trapped within walls of flames, cut off from firefighters.
Although most of the fires have been on the Peloponnesian Peninsula, some broke out on the outskirts of Athens on Saturday, forcing the evacuation of homes and closing a major road linking the capital to the main airport for several hours. The national fire brigade said that by evening it had brought those blazes under control, including one that came within about six miles of the city.
The country has been helpless to fire this summer because of drought and three consecutive heat waves that sent temperatures high over 100 degrees. More than 3,000 forest fires have destroyed thousands of acres of wooded areas since June; the earlier fires killed nine people.The latest wave of fires on the peninsula started Friday. Strong, hot winds have spread the flames.
Firefighters expect the death toll to rise, because they have not yet been able to search some areas that had been overrun by flames.
Hardest hit by the fires were a dozen small villages around the town of Zaharo in the western peninsula, where at least 12 people, including some who may have been trying to flee by car, were killed. Scores of other residents, including elderly and disabled people, remained trapped in their homes, phoning into local television and radio stations, crying for help.
Late Saturday, Mr. Karamanlis, Prime Minister of Greece appeared on national television and declared that he was mobilizing all of the country’s resources to control the fire. Mr. Karamanlis also suggested that the recent fires might have been purposely set. “So many fires sparked at the same time in so many regions is no coincidence,” he said, “We will get to the bottom of this and punish those responsible.”
The overstretched national fire services are being helped by an estimated 6,000 soldiers mobilized for the operation. A fleet of water-dumping aircraft was expected from France, Germany and Norway, after Greece appealed to the European Union for “urgent assistance.”The writer mainly wants to tell us that ______ in the passage.
| A．firefighters battles fearlessly in Greece to control the fire |
| B．constant fires in Greece have caused great life and wealth lose |
| C．Greece is facing great danger as forest fires continue to break out |
| D．Greek government is investigating the cause of recent forest fires |
According to the passage, which of the following might not contribute to the recent forest fires in Greek?
| A．Storm thunders in summer | B．Lack of rainfall |
| C．Extremely hot weather this summer | D．Hot and strong wind |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
| A．now the fire crisis in Greece has come to an end |
| B．assistance from EU members is expected to come to help Greece |
| C．firefighters in Greece so far can still manage the situation |
| D．the number of people who die in the fire is expected not to rise any more |
Mr. Karamanlis believes the forest fires in Greece _______.
| A．is a happening by chance | B．is a natural disaster |
| C．might be caused by human on purpose | D．is a punishment of nature |
Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage.
Indian’s snake charmers are to be retrained as wildlife teachers under a plan to prevent their unique skills and knowledge from being lost. The charmers， who make snakes dance to the sound of flutes， used to be a traditional feature of Indian life， performing in towns and villages， until they were banned in 1972 to control the trade in snake skins.
The government is now considering a plan to train the saperas， as they are known， to visit schools and zoos to tell children about forests and wildlife. There is also a proposal to set up a “dial a snake charmer” service to help householders to deal with unwelcome intruders.
“For generations they have been a feature of Indian life but now they can’t earn a living for fear of arrest，” said Behar Dutt， a conservationist behind the plans， “if a policeman doesn’t catch them， animal rights activists report them.”
Many snake charmers have continued to work clandestinely(暗中地) since the ban， despite the threat of up to three years in jail. But their trademark cloth-covered baskets， hung from a bamboo pole carried across their shoulders， make them an easy target for police.
The fate of Shisha Nath， 56， from Badarpur， a village just outside of New Delhi， is typical of practitioners(从业者) of the dying art. “I used to earn enough to support my family and send my children to school，” he said. “Now it’s hard to earn even $1 a day. My children want to be snake charmers. It’s our identity. We love the work. But it’s become impossible.”
Next month Dutt’s project to train 30 snake charmers will begin at a snake park in Pune， western India， where experts will enrich their home-grown skills with some formal knowledge.
More than the law， though， it is the dishonest attitude of their fellow countrymen that anger many snake charmers.
“We’re disturbed all the time but when people want a snake removed from the house， they rush to us，” said Prakash Nath， who was ordered recently to the home of Sonia Gandhi， the Congress party leader. What do snake charmers usually do in India？ (no more than 8 words) (2 marks)
How long will a saperas be in prison if he is caught during the ban？ (no more than 3 words) (2 marks)
For what purpose will snake charmers in India be retrained as wildlife teachers？(no more than 10 words) (3 marks)
According to the passage， what will make snake charmers angry？ (no more than 11 words) (3 marks)
Read the following passage. Complete the diagram by using the information from the passage. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
A device that stops drivers from falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months. The system， called Driver Alert， aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20%—40% that are caused by tiredness. Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30% of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue(疲劳).
Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband(表带). The device， worn by drivers or pilots， gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey. After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel(方向盘). A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time between the sound and the driver’s response. Tiredness is directly related to a driver’s response time. Usually， a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to respond， but once that falls to more than 500 milliseconds， it suggests that the driver is getting sleepy.
In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds， showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest. If the driver’s response continues to slow down， the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warns that the driver must stop as soon as possible.
The device has been delivered to the department’s laboratories for testing. If these tests， scheduled for six months’ time， are successful， the markets will bring the product to market within about a year.Driver Alert
Ⅰ. ：
To reduce accidents.
Ⅱ. Working principle：
● (the device) based on
● (the device) giving out a sound
● (the driver) by squeezing the steering wheel
● (the device) giving out more regular and louder sounds when response time is
● (the driver) stopping if a nonstop alarm rings
Ⅲ. Present situation：
● (the device) still
● (the device) to be brought to market within about if the tests are
Stepfamilies are commonplace in the United States and their number continues to grow. While stepfamilies differ widely in their make-up， they all consist of a parenting couple and children， one or more of whom is of a previous union. Such combinations of his kids， her kids， and then， possibly， kids of the new union make for complicated and often trying difficulties， more challenging than those of traditional families.
Since stepfamilies involve more people and， consequently， more potential problems from the start than do childless new marriage， it is wise for the couple to do some careful planning prior to (＝before) marriage. Not only do the prospective(预期的) marital partners need agreement about their own carriers， life goals， finance and special interests， they must also prepare for new relationship with their children and attempt to accommodate their individual needs and feelings. Furthermore， there are often the rights of other relatives to consider.
As for any family， the basic ingredient(成分) of a successful stepfamily are affection， kindness and mutual(相互的) respect. However， love alone is not enough. Certainly love is the cornerstone upon which the foundation of any family is built， but there are also many other important ingredients involved in building a successful stepfamily.
Surveys reveal that successful families regard the ability to communicate openly as the most important factor in their success. Communication is what keeps families on track and functioning as a unit. Although healthy communication is easier for some people than for others， this skill can be learned and improved. Healthy communication involves speaking clearly and listening carefully.
By their very nature， stepfamilies often are complicated by past events that give rise to ambivalent(矛盾的) loyalties， lingering(持久的) hurts， fears， feelings of guilt and unrealistic dreams. The difficulties that arise within the stepfamilies are human and understandable. However， there are ways to confront(面临) and resolve them. For example， support groups and professional counselors(法律顾问) are available in most communities to provide help and guidance when communications stopped and problems seem overwhelming(压倒性的).
Planning and building a stepfamily is not a responsibility to take lightly. It can be a very trying and， at times， seemingly impossible effort. Many potential troubles can arise and threaten to destroy the stepfamily. Nevertheless， meeting and mastering these special challenges can bring unexpected satisfactions and rewarding depths of family closeness and affection.According to the passage， there are in the United States.
| A．no stepfamilies |
| B．more stepfamilies than ever before |
| C．fewer stepfamilies than ever before |
| D．fewer stepfamilies than traditional ones |
Which of the following can help avoid the potential problems arising in a stepfamily？
| A．The pursuit of the same careers. |
| B．Professional interventions(干涉). |
| C．The development of special interests. |
| D．Careful planning before the marriage. |
Many people believe that contributes most to the building of a successful stepfamily.
| A．everlasting loyalties |
| B．open communication |
| C．kindness and mutual respect |
| D．persistent(持久稳固的) affection |
It is natural for a stepfamily to be .
| A．unrealistic |
| B．complicated |
| C．ambivalent |
| D．guilty |
According to the author， planning and building a stepfamily is .
| A．impossible |
| B．satisfying and rewarding |
| C．discouraging and frustrating |
| D．a difficult and trying experience |