"It's this time of year when the weather starts warming up and frogs start breeding - but they haven't been breeding," says John Wilkinson, research and monitoring officer at the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC).
Amphibians (两栖动物) are just one of the groups of animals that nature observers fear may have problems reproducing this year, as groundwater levels are even lower now than in the infamously dry summer of 1976, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). According to the UK's Centre for Hydrology and Ecology the average rainfall so far this winter has been the lowest since 1972.
"If ponds dry up totally," says Mr. Wilkinson, "you could have lots of dead tadpoles." Drier and windier conditions could also make it more difficult for juvenile amphibians to survive their journeys between wet habitats.
But Peter Brotherton, the biodiversity manager for Natural England, says that "drought is part of nature's cycle", and, at present, a lot of animals, plants and insects are still in hibernation. This means that the population picture is unclear. "However, when we get extreme events, we get animals dying," he says. "And what is worrying is that normally at this time of year we expect soil to be near saturation（湿润）after winter."
Charlie Kitchin, the RSPB's site manager of the Nene Washes in Cambridgeshire, says the 2,000-acre wetland and grassland area is now struggling following two winters with relatively little winter rain and no flooding. One species that could suffer, he says, is the black-tailed godwit（黑尾豫）. "There are only 50 breeding pairs in the country, and we have 40 of them, and everything is bone-dry," Mr Kitchin says.
But one bad nesting season, he says, is "not the end of the world". "One of the features of flood plains is that they're volatile anyway," he adds. "But if they fail to breed another year, the population is likely to dip again."According to the passage animals may have problems reproducing this year mainly due to _____.
| A．drought | B．hibernation | C．windier conditions | D．extreme events |
What really worries Peter Brotherton is that ________.
| A．drought is part of nature’s cycle | B．animals are still in hibernation |
| C．soil at this time is far from saturation | D．the population of animals is still unclear |
Which of the following is NOT true of Charlie Kitchin’s words?
| A．Drought has so far continued for two winters. |
| B．Animals could survive one bad nesting season. |
| C．The black-tailed godwit is in danger of extinction. |
| D．40 black-tailed godwits live in the Nene Washes. |
The underlined word volatile in the last paragraph can be replaced by ________.
| A．losing water | B．undergoing changes |
| C．breeding animals | D．suffering flood |
It can be learnt from the text that ______________.
| A．groundwater levels this summer are lower than those of 1976 |
| B．the average rainfall this year has been the lowest since 1972 |
| C．windier conditions could also cause some amphibians’ death |
| D．flooding plays no useful role in wetlands and grasslands |
When TV news programmers report wars or diseases, the editors rarely use the most horrifying pictures of dead or wounded victims because they don’t want to upset their viewers. Even so, viewers are usually warned in advance that they“may find some of these scenes disturbing”, so they can look away if they choose. But the men and women whose job is to record those scenes, the TV cameramen, have no such choice. It is their duty to witness the horrors of the world and record them, no matter how unpleasant they may be. As a result, it is one of the most dangerous, exposed and emotionally taxing jobs the world has to offer.
Today, the demand for their work is rising. The explosion of satellite broadcasting and 24hour news in recent years has created an almost insatiable（不能满足的）demand for TV information. But major broadcaster sand the TV news agencies（部）, such as Reuters and WTN, have never had enough staff（人员）to meet thje worldwide demand for up-to-date pictures, so increasingly they turn to freelance（自由职业的）TV cameramen.
These freelance cameramen are independent operators tied to no particular organization. They will work for any company which hires them, for just a few hours or for several weeks in a war zone. But if the freelance cameraman is injured in the course of the job, the TV company is not responsible for him. The freelance must survive on his own.
“TV will always need hard, vivid and moving pictures which are fresh, but these companies feel uncomfortable with large numbers of employees on their books.”Explains Nik Cowing, once a foreign editor for Britain’s Channel 4 news and now a BBC news presenter.
“By hiring freelancers, they can buy in the skills they need only when they need them. It also enables them to reduce the risk.”He says.In the last sentence of the first paragraph,“taxing”most probably means“”.
| A．depressing | B．satisfying |
| C．demanding | D．encouraging |
TV news agencies turn to freelance cameramen in order to.
| A．save expense and avoid（避免）risks |
| B．buy pictures which are the most stimulating（剌激的）to the senses |
| C．look for pictures that are of fine qualities |
| D．get first-hand information and pictures |
The freelance cameramen.
| A．have better skills than other cameramen |
| B．are tied to many TV news agencies |
| C．have to take great risks in the course of work |
| D．need to reduce risks of work for TV companies |
It is implied in the passage that.
| A．TV cameramen have to witness disasters and killings whether they like them or not |
| B．TV cameramen are a special group of people who enjoy horrifying pictures |
| C．TV cameramen should be given greater choice of work |
| D．the development of TV resulted in the growing demand for TV cameramen’s work |
The main idea of the first paragraph is.
| A．TV programs are reducing the use of horrible pictures of death and wound |
| B．it is a requirement of work for TV cameramen to disregard people’s feelings |
| C．it is the duty of TV cameramen to record horrifying scenes |
| D．TV cameramen’s job is extremely dangerous and emotionally taxing |
In some countries in which there is very little rain at any time, the farmers have to irrigate their fields. Irrigation is easy enough if there is a great river near the crops, and if there is plenty of water in it. Canals carry the river water to the fields when necessary. In some seasons there may be too much water in the river, and the water may flood all the land near it. At other times the river water may not be enough for all the farmers, and then it will be difficult to irrigate the fields.
To prevent these difficulties, a dam may be built across the river. This will store water for dry seasons, and in wet seasons it will prevent the flooding of the land. A great lake will, no doubt, be formed behind the dam, and this may mean that houses and fields will be covered with water. Most people will accept that and will be ready to move to other places. Then the country can have the right amount of water at all times; more crops will be grown, there will be more food for everyone, and there will be no more floods.
Dams have been built for centuries in different parts of the world. Modern dame are usually built of concrete（混凝土）but earth dams were used in India and Sri Lanka about 2500 years ago. There was another across the River Tigris very long ago, and large numbers of irrigation canals were made in Iraq to irrigate the land. The Romans were great dam-builders and there was also a famous dam at Ma’ rubin Arabia.
We cannot use sea water for irrigation; the salt will not allow the crops to grow. Fresh water is always needed, and it is very difficult and costly to make fresh water from sea water. This is done in a few countries, but the fresh water is for drinking. There is not enough at present for irrigation. Perhaps a scientist will one day invent a cheaper way of producing fresh water from the sea.The first paragraph mainly talks about.
| A．the problems caused by river water |
| B．the necessity to irrigate the field |
| C．the water shortage in some countries |
| D．the canals carrying water to fields |
A dam is usually built.
| A．to cover the houses and fields |
| B．for people to have the right amount of water at all times |
| C．to grow crops better |
| D．to form a large lake |
The underlined word“that”means.
| A．a dam will be built across the river |
| B．a dam will store water for dry seasons |
| C．in wet seasons a dam will prevent the flooding of the land |
| D．houses and fields will be covered will water |
The third paragraph suggests that.
| A．modern dams are made of concrete |
| B．Romans once built many great dams |
| C．there was too much water in 1rap in the past |
| D．modern dams are better than early dams |
Never give out identifying information such as Name, Home Address, School name, or Telephone Number in a public message such as at a chat room or on bulletin bards. Never send a person a picture of you without first checking with your parents or guardian.
● Never respond to messages or bulletin board items that are: Suggestive / Obscene / Belligerent / Threatening / Make You Feel Uncomfortable.
● Be careful when someone offers you something for nothing, such as gifts and money. Be very careful about any offers that involve your coming to a meeting or having someone visit your house.
● Tell your parents or guardian right away if you come across any information that makes you feel uncomfortable.
● Never arrange a face-to-face meeting without telling your parents or guardian. If your parents or guardian agree to the meeting, make sure that you meet in a public place and have a parent or guardian with you.
● Remember that people online may not be who they seem. Because you can’t see or even hear the person, it would be easy for someone to misrepresent him or herself. Thus, someone indicating that“she”is a“12-year-old-girl”could in reality be an older man.
● Be sure that you are dealing with someone that you and your parents know and trust before giving out any personal information about yourself via E-mail.
● Get to know your“online friends”just as you get to know all of your other friends.We can infer from the passage that.
| A．it is not safe to surf the internet |
| B．people now are no longer honest |
| C．we can chat with unfamiliar people online |
| D．people online are not who they are |
Which of the following is right according to the passage?
| A．People online never tell their friends their real names. |
| B．You can often get something free from the internet. |
| C．Your friends online may want to meet you. |
| D．Online friends are not friends at all. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．How to surf the internet. |
| B．Kids shouldn’t surf the internet. |
| C．How to choose online friends. |
| D．How to protect yourselves online. |
If you don’t use a dictionary. What should you do instead? The first thing you can do is trying to guess what the word means. Often the surrounding context gives a very clear idea of the meaning of the word. Even if you can’t work out the meaning exactly, you may be able to get a vague idea, enough to enable you to continue reading.
Sometimes It is impossible to guess the meaning of a word from the context and then you will have to decide whether the word is important enough to make it worthwhile stopping and looking it up in a dictionary or whether you can just pass it by.
Many times in your reading, you will come across words which you don’t know, but which do not prevent you from understanding all the main points of the text. You can made your dictionary use much more efficient if you only look up the words which are necessary to understand the text. and this means that you must develop the skill to decide whether the words are worth looking up.The passage mainly tells us in our reading what we would do.
| A．without knowledge of English |
| B．when we look up words in a dictionary |
| C．when we are guessing new words |
| D．without using a dictionary |
What does the underlined word“vague”mean?
| A．Mysterious. | B．Not clear. | C．Exact. | D．Important. |
In our reading some words we don’t know.
| A．help us to understand the text well |
| B．don’t prevent us from understanding the main points of the text |
| C．will be remembered forever |
| D．are borrowed from other languages |
In this passage the writer.
| A．advised us to use the dictionary as much as possible |
| B．told us not to be discouraged by the sight of a dictionary |
| C．gave us some advice on how to deal with these unknown words |
| D．introduced some ways to take notes in the course of reading |
Want to find a job? Now read the following advertisement.
| FAIRMONT HOTELK Five Waiters and Ten Waitresses -Aged under 22 -At least high school graduate -Good-looking; men at least 1．72 meters tall and women at least 1．65 meters -Those knowing foreign languages favoured -Paid 1, 600-2,200 dollars per month One Secertary -Aged under 30 -Female favoured -Good at writing and skilled at computer If interested, call 465-4768 or write to: Mr. Jack Hundris Room 0825, Fairmont Hotel 567 wood Street, San Markers, 78003 Fax:6954828 |
WILSON BOOKSTORE Accountant(会计) -Aged between 25 and 40 -With an experience of at least two years With a degree and an accountant certificate(证书) -Paid 3, 000-4,000 dollars monthly -With a practical knowledge of computer Salesclerk -Basic education of 12 years or more -Good at computer -Paid 1, 800-2,2000 dollars monthly Tel:447-4398 Fax:3485269 |
If you don’t know how to use a computer, you can just apply for the position as.
| A．a secretary | B．a waiter or a waitress |
| C．an accountant | D．a salesclerk |
If you want to get the position of accountant in Wilson Bookstore, you have to satisfy the following conditions EXCEPT.
| A．being a woman | B．knowing well how to use a computer |
| C．having been an accountant | D．having n accountant certificate |
If you want to try for a job in Fairmont Hotel, you.
| A．have to be a woman and know foreign languages |
| B．should be a university graduate |
| C．have to be taller than 1.72 meters |
| D．should be younger than 30 years old |
From the ads we can conclude that.
| A．you’ll be better paid in Wilson Bookstore than in Fairmont Hotel |
| B．all the jobs offered require experience |
| C．the better education you’ve received, the more money you’ll make |
| D．if you want to be an accountant, you may call 465-4768 |