Researchers in over 80 nations are taking part in a project to conduct a decade-long census(统计) of sea life. Scientists presented some of their findings at a recent conference as the project neared its completion.
In deep icy waters under Antarctica, scientists found bulbous tunicates, an underground animal, and many newly-discovered creatures believed to be related to starfish (海星) and other marine(海洋的）creatures.
Elsewhere in the world’s oceans, they have recently discovered many kinds of underwater life forms new to science. It is all part of a research effort called the Census of Marine Life.
“There are about 2,000 scientists worldwide involved,” said Bob Gagosian, President, CEO of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. Gagosian helps manage the project. “Everywhere they’ve gone they’ve found new things,” he says. “The ocean basically is unexplored from the point of view of marine living things.”
Researchers have placed small markers on hundreds of fish and marine animals to track by satellite their migration(迁移）routes and to discover places where sea life gathers.
According to Ron O’Dor, a senior scientist with the Census of Marine Life, knowledge of life on the ocean floor is especially limited. “90% of all the information we have is from the top hundred meters of the ocean,” O’Dor states.
And he says the sea floor is, on average, at a depth of 4, 000 meters. And so, as some machines dive far below what people have previously seen, scientists are discovering new species of plants, animals and living things.
Since the census project began, more than 5,300 new marine animals have been found. Ocean researchers say they hope to catalogue 230,000 species during the census —which some say is only a small part of all the creatures living in the sea.Why do the researchers place small markers on many marine creatures?
| A．To catch them. | B．To research them. |
| C．To kill them. | D．To protect them. |
From what Ron O’Dor says, we can conclude that .
| A．human beings only know a little about marine life |
| B．the oceans don’t need to be further explored |
| C．he considers exploring the ocean a dangerous thing |
| D．the marine creatures mainly live on the top of the ocean |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．About 2,000 scientists from America are involved in the project. |
| B．The census of sea life will last for ten years. |
| C．230,000 new marine animals have been found. |
| D．The sea floor is at a depth of 400 meters. |
Why does the author write the passage?
| A．To tell the news that new marine creatures are being discovered |
| B．To encourage people to find new marine creatures |
| C．To prove the importance of marine creatures |
| D．To introduce the newly-discovered creatures. |
The Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, was crowded. People were waiting in long lines at checkout counters to pay for small things that would be next-morning treasures under someone’s Christmas tree.
The woman standing in cashier Jeffrey Kandt’s line seemed to be living on the edge of subsistence（生计）. Her clothes were worn and her hands were those of a person who’d worked hard for what she had. She held a single item in her arms as she patiently waited to move to the front of the line — a Sony CD player. She had saved all year for this. With tax, the total would be close to $ 220.
As the woman got close to the cashier, she suddenly shouted, “Where’s my money? All of my money fro my son’s gift! Oh no!”
“Why my line?” Kandt thought as he watched the poor woman searching through her clothes. He was going to have to call his manager to avoid the sale but it would mean a long wait for the customers behind her. “I am going to go home late tonight,” Kandt thought.
Then an amazing thing happened. At the back of the line, a man took out his wallet, pulled out $100 and passed it forward. As the cash moved up the line, a twen5ty-dollar bill was added here, and a ten-dollar bill was added there. When the collection finally reached the registewr, Kandt counted $ 220.
Strangers had fulfilled a poor woman’s Christmas wish.
The poor in his line at the Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, had come together on Christmas Eve, 2002.According to the passage, the woman’s Christmas wish was to ______.
| A．collect $ 220 for her family | B．buy her son a CD player as a gift |
| C．buy enough food for her family | D．organize a big party for her son |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about Jeffrey Kandt when the woman couldn’t find her money?
| A．He was impatient and wanted to go home. |
| B．He wanted to see whether the woman had money or not. |
| C．He wanted the woman to stand in another line. |
| D．He didn’t think about the customers waiting behind the woman. |
What does paragraph 5 mainly talk about?
| A．a description of a man standing in the line |
| B．the cashier, Jeffery Kandt |
| C．the collection of $ 220 |
| D．a reason why the strangers collected he money |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The woman collected money by herself. |
| B．The woman seemed to be poor, but in fact had lots of money. |
| C．Strangers in the line volunteered to help the woman. |
| D．The woman had never ay money. |
On June 5, 1981 the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, U.S. announced the presence of a rare, infectious disease in five American homosexuals(同性恋). Soon doctors were finding similar cases all over the country and the world. The AIDS epidemic(流行病)had officially begun. By 1983 it was clear that AIDS had spread around the world. More than twenty years later, AIDS has left twenty-six million dead and another forty million infected. AIDS has become the worst medical disaster ever experienced by mankind.
Hundreds of young people between the ages of 20 and 45 died each week during the early years of the U.S. AIDS. More than 600,000 cases of AIDS have been reported since 1981 in the United States, and it is estimated that there may be as many as 900,000 Americans infected with HIV.
Though the rate of HIV infections continues to increase in the United States, the number of AIDS cases has fallen sharply since 1996, when antiretroviral drugs came onto the market. Unfortunately, the AIDS epidemic continues today in Africa and much of Asia, where antiretroviral treatment is not available and health care is far from enough. AIDS is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, and the No. 1 cause of death due to infectious disease.
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was first separated in 1983 by a team at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. That discovery made it possible to develop a test for AIDS and trace back to victims who may have died before doctors were aware of the disease.
However, scientists still don't know exactly how and where AIDS started. Finding the source of AIDS could be important in developing a vaccine(疫苗) and be important in mapping the future course of the epidemic.It can be inferred from the passage that
A．antiretroviral drugs will be obtained easily all over the world
B．the best way to stop AIDS is to develop a vaccine
B．scientists will soon find a way to cure AIDS
D．there will be fewer AIDS cases in the world in the futureWhich areas are the most worrying places where AIDS spreads quickly?
| A．Africa. | B．Asia. | C．The United States. | D．France. |
The number of AIDS cases has greatly decreased in the United States due to the fact
A．a team at the Pasteur Institute in Paris succeeded in separating HIV
B．some effective medicine has been invented
B．scientists understand AIDS better and better.
D．The rate of HIV infections continue to rise in the United StatesWhat's the importance of the discovery of the source of AIDS?
A．It can be used to develop a test for AIDS.
B．It can stop HIV forming AIDS.
B．It can reduce the rate of death caused by AIDS.
D．It can help develop a drug to prevent AIDS.
In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum(highest) rent that a landlord can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartments. Their rent cannot increase; therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes. However, the critics say that after a long time, rent control may have negative effects. Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits. Therefore, they invest in other businesses where they can increase their profits(利润). They do not invest（投资） in new buildings which would also be rent—controlled. As a result, new apartments are not built. Many people who need apartments cannot find any. According to the critics, the result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city.
Some theorists argue that the minimum（lowest） wage law can cause problems in the same way. The federal（联邦） government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers. The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled, low—paying jobs. However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers. They will replace workers with machinery. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics claim, an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment. Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage.
Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity. Because of the law, workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum. Furthermore, employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages.
Economic theory predicts the results of economic decisions such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage. The predictions may be correct only if “other things are equal”. Economists do not agree on some of the predictions. They also do not agree on the value of different decisions. Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it. Economists do agree, however, that there are no simple answers to economic questions. There is the possibility that setting maximum rent may .
| A．cause a shortage of apartments |
| B．worry those who rent apartments as homes |
| C．increase the profits of landlords |
| D．encourage landlords to invest in building apartment |
According to the critics, rent control .
| A．will always benefit those who rent apartments |
| B．is totally unnecessary |
| C．will eventually bring negative effects |
| D．is necessary at any time |
Some theorists believe the problem of unemployment will arise .
| A．if the minimum wage is set too high |
| B．if the minimum wage is set too low |
| C．if the workers are unskilled |
| D．if the maximum wage is set |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The results of economic decisions can not always be predicted. |
| B．Minimum wage can not always protect employees. |
| C．Economic theory can predict the results of economic decisions if other factors are not changing. |
| D．Economic decisions should not be based on economic theory. |
This is the place for you to come to share stories with other real kids who are trying hard to improve their bodies and minds! Did you score a goal in your soccer game? Have you got rid of a bad habit? Are you working to reduce your stress in life? Tell the world what makes your body and mind healthy!
Posted by DP, Ohio
I have been working on a fitness equipment to exercise for over four months. I have completed my goal of losing weight and I am very proud of myself. That is so cool!
Posted by MK, Missouri
I was always tired at school, because I used to stay up late watching TV. I even fell asleep one day in my history class, and when I woke up, the teacher was looking at me and laughing! I decided that minute to start going to bed on time. It’s kind of a drag missing the shows I like, but I can tell my body loves it----I feel so much better.
Posted by SP, Georgia
Last year , I didn’t make the soccer team at school. I didn’t want to try out again this year, but a few weeks before tryouts(选拔赛), I started kicking the ball around and practicing. When tryout day came, I decided to give it another shot. Guess what? I made the team!
Posted by JS , New York
I’m deaf, so I’ve had more trouble playing sports than other people. But who wants to sit at home all the time? I like to play basketball with guys in my neighborhood. I can’t hear the ball bounce(弹起) or listen to the guys call plays, but I’ve taught them to use some sign language, and so far, we’ve been unstoppable. The kids mentioned in the text came here _______.
| A．to talk about their efforts to keep fit | B．to learn to tell stories |
| C．to make new friends | D．to share weight-losing experiences |
The achievement that SP, Georgia has made is that ____.
| A．his soccer skills have improved a lot this year |
| B．he scored a goal in an important soccer match |
| C．he helped the school soccer team win an important match |
| D．he was admitted to the school soccer team |
Who taught other kids sign language?
| A．DP, Ohio | B．MK, Missouri |
| C．SP, Georgia | D．JS, New York |
A week ago, I read When Money Talks, Listen! by Rich Ezzo. It took only about an hour to read, and that included one trip to the coffee maker and about 10 distractions (分心)from Alex, our cat, who thinks he is the center of the universe.
When I first received a copy, I thought it was a get-rich-quick type of publication. There is nothing wrong with that kind of book, but my mind just doesn’t chase after dreams of wealth. I figure that if God ever wants me to be rich, he knows where to find my purse.
When I began reading When Money Talks, Listen!, I was overjoyed to find that Rich Ezzo isn’t money hungry either. He, too, is hungry for things far more important than money.
I absolutely love this e-book. Why did I wait a week to write the review ? simple. I wanted to see if the impact it had on me could keep up. After reading the last word of the e-book, I totally agreed with the subtitle(副标题)which promised to forever change the way we thought about money. I had so many thoughts running around my mind that I had to install a stop light to stop some while others made their way into the picture. I had a mental traffic jam, which only goes to show how slow the traffic usually is.
It has been a week and the impact is the same. I guarantee this is an e-book you’ll want to read. I urge you to visit the author’s website, MysterMoney. Com, and to download the e-book. You won’t
regret it.What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．to strongly recommend an e-book |
| B．to show the author’s attitude to money |
| C．to introduce the general idea of an e-book |
| D．to tell us Rich Ezzo isn’t money hungry |
The author didn’t write the review right after reading because _____.
| A．he was too excited to write anything |
| B．he was not sure whether he liked the book |
| C．he had to wait for Rich Ezzo’s permission |
| D．he wondered if this book had a long influence on him |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The author had known Rich Ezzo before |
| B．The author hasn’t dreamed of getting rich instantly |
| C．The author always prefers e-books to paper books |
| D．The author likes the get-rich type of publication |