The southwest of Australia has been named as one of 25”hot spots” for future species extinction(灭绝)because of global warming.A new study says global warming will become a top cause of extinction across the world,with thousands of species of plantsand animals likely to be wiped out in the coming decades.
According to the study,global warming ranks among the most serious threats to the planet’s biodiversity and,under some conditions,may be more than that due to deforestation.This study provides even stronger scientific evidence that global warming will result in catastrophic(灾难性的)species losses across the planet.Last month,a UN study said humans were responsible for the worst extinction and urged extra efforts to reach a UN target of slowing the rate of losses by 2010.
Scientists disagree about how far global warming is to blame compared with other human threats such as deforestation,pollution and the introduction of some species to new habitats.But the new study looks at the 25 “hot spots”—areas that contain a big concentration of plants and animals—and predicts that 11.6 percent of all species,with a range from 1 to 43 percent,could be driven to extinction if levels of heat trapping gases in the atmosphere were to keep rising in the next 100 years.
The range would mean the loss of thousands of species.The study gave a wide range because of uncertainties, for instance, about the ability of animals or plants to move towards the poles if the climate warmed. Rare plants,tortoises or birds found only on the southern tip of Africa cannot move south because the nearest land is thousands of miles away in Antarctica. According to the passage,which of the following about Australia is TRUE?
| A．Australia possesses the richest species in the world. |
| B．Australia is the country with the highest rate of extinction. |
| C．The species in the southwest of Australia will be easily affected by global warming. |
| D．Australia will have the highest temperature in the world. |
According to the passage,all the 25”hot spots”-------- .
| A．are rich in plants and animals |
| B．are lacking in natural resources |
| C．lost most of their plants in 2010 |
| D．will be much hotter than the rest of the world |
We can infer if the climate warms,the animals in Australia will most probably move to the ______ .
| A．north | B．east | C．west | D．south |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Australia Named as Extinction”Hot Spot” |
| B．Global Warming and Species Extinction |
| C．Global Warming is Number One Killer |
| D．Australia on the Edge of Extinction |
With the advent (到来，出现)of fast food chains from the West such as McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut, the Chinese are being introduced to a diet that markedly increases the death rate from certain diseases.
The main killers in North America，the degenerative diseases such as heart attack and stroke as well as colon cancer, will become ways of death in this country if the Chinese do not act quickly and compete with these health-destroying food chains.
Scientific studies from all over the world show that a diet high in animal foods、such as pork, beef, including sugar, white flour, white noodles and even white rice, undermines one's health. Deposits of animal fat cling to the walls of arteries, blocking the blood supply to various organs.
This causes diseases in almost every organ，but in particular it damages two of the most vital ones, the heart and the brain.
Compare these problems with the excellent health one may enjoy if one consumes good Chinese food. The cook goes out every day, procures tasty，fresh vegetables, then cooks them for just a few minutes so that their nutritional value is preserved and afterwards serves them in a most artistic and elegant fashion. Please cling to your traditional ways of eating. They are far superior to those of the West.
Certainly the fast food chains make lots of money，but who wants to fill the pockets of a foreign food chain that proceeds to ruin the health of the Chinese people?
Another reason why Western fast food restaurants make money is that the food they serve, which comes from assembly lines, will not attract bugs or spoil easily.
How the Chinese could patronize (经常光顾)these fast food places when Chinese cook such delicious food, not just in this country but over the entire world, is beyond my comprehension.
Western restaurants are clean and tastefully decorated. Moreover, these restaurants do have "good service and an inviting dining atmosphere". However, Chinese food chains could do likewise if they would organize themselves as the Western chains do.
These lessons in management and decoration are the only ones worth learning from the invasion of this country by the Western fast food chains. In other words, only imitate the style of the restaurants' form.
Do not let the desire for money destroy the wonderful tradition that China has established in producing fantastically tasty as well as healthful food. The following are fast food chains from the West EXCEPT ______ .
| A．McDonald's | B．Kentucky Fried Chicken |
| C．Pizza Hut | D．Chinese restaurants |
The underlined word" undermines" in the third paragraph may have the similar meaning with "______".
| A．improves | B．damages |
| C．affects | D．strengthens |
What will be worth learning from the Western fast food chains?
| A．The content of the food. |
| B．The menus. |
| C．The lessons in management and decoration. |
| D．Shape or form of the food. |
In the passage, the author thinks ______.
| A．Chinese should learn everything from Western fast food restaurants. |
| B．Chinese should say no to Western fast food. |
| C．Western fast food restaurants offer healthy diets. |
| D．Chinese food doesn't contain enough nutrition. |
The cost of rice is expected to go up in the coming months，as an improving global economy raises demand，and drought (旱灾) cuts production in countries such as India. Some economists say prices for rice，the Precision Casting staple food for much of the world's population, could be returning to levels that sparked inflation (通货膨胀)fears in much of Asia last year.
Charuk Singhapreecha is dean of the faculty (系)of economics at Thailand's Kasetsart University. He says prices—especially for Thai rice are being pushed higher by new customers coming into the market after the economic slowdown of the past year. "They expect that the world demand will increase and Cast steel we expect that the price of rice will increase next year," Charuk said. "There are many new markets for the Thai rice and also we still have for our old customer —China，some Arab countries—they will increase the demand."
Prices on the global market could again near the record above $1,000 a ton set in the middle of 2008. This month, export prices for Southeast Asian rice have jumped from about $550 a ton or less to more than $650.
Vichai Sriprasert, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association ，says further weakness in the US dollar and concerns over drought add to pressure on prices. Market experts say next year India is likely to try to import three million tons of rice—entering the world market for the first time in 21 years—because of a drought.
Vichai also warns that increasing demand for bio-fuels (生物燃料)from grain could reduce food crops，forcing the price of food grains higher. "This is very serious. That's why the price of rice will not go back to the level that we used to see," Vichai said. "It will have to be elevated at a higher level, but I don't know where."
The Philippines this week said it is cutting rice imports because of high prices, even though the country lost more than a million tons of grain to typhoons this year. Officials from Vietnam, a leading export competitor with Thailand，predict prices will reach about $800 a ton by the middle of 2010. This week the Philippines' National Food Authority offered almost $ 665 a ton for 600，000 tons of Vietnamese rice.
Economists say higher food prices will only increase the problems faced by the region's poor, who are highly dependent on rice as a staple food.
(VOA News 16 December,2009) Which of the following is NOT true according to Paragraph 1?
| A．Drought reduces production of rice in India. |
| B．Prices for rice were lower all the time in 2008. |
| C．Rice is a major food for the world's population. |
| D．The improving global economy increases the need for rice. |
How many reasons did Vichai mention about rice price's going up?
| A．1. | B．2. | C．3. | D．4. |
Why does the Philippines plan to cut rice imports?
| A．Because of high prices. | B．Because of typhoons. |
| C．Because of civil war. | D．Because of drought. |
What's the best title of the passage?
| A．Higher food prices will increase problems. |
| B．There are many new markets for the Thai rice. |
| C．The global economy is improving. |
| D．Prices for rice are expected to rise. |
Organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food, according to a major study.
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers were paying higher prices for organic food because of its imagined health benefits，creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007.
A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, however, found there was no significant difference.
"A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally (通常)produced foodstuffs， but these have nothing to do with public health，" said Alan Dangour， one of the report's authors.
"Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority."
The results of research， which was commissioned by the British government's Food Standards Agency, were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Sales of organic food have fallen in some markets，including Britain，as a slowdown in economic growth has led consumers to cut back on purchases.
The Soil Association said that growth in sales of organic products in Britain slowed to just 1.7percent, well below the average annual growth rate of 26 percent over the last decade. Why does organic food cost more than conventionally produced food?
| A．Because people think they are much healthier. |
| B．Because they are more delicious. |
| C．Because people prefer organic food. |
| D．Because they sell better. |
According to the study, organic food is ______ than conventionally produced food.
| A．much healthier | B．better |
| C．no healthier | D．less healthier |
Sales of organic food have fallen because of ______ .
| A．high price | B．economic decline |
| C．bad service | D．poor quality |
Where can you find this passage in a newspaper?
| A．Economy. | B．Science. |
| C．Food & Nutrition. | D．Fashion. |
When should people be made to retire? 55? 65? Should there be a compulsory age limit?
Many old people work well into their 70s and 80s, running families, countries or corporations. Other people, however, despite being fit and highly talented, are forced to retire in their fifties or even earlier because of the regulations of a company or the nation. This essay will examine whether people should be allowed to continue working as long as they want or whether they should be encouraged to retire at a particular stage.
Some people think there are several arguments for allowing older people to continue working as long as they are able. First of all, older employees have an immense amount of knowledge and experience which can be lost to a business or organization if they are made to retire. A second point is that older employees are often extremely loyal employees and are more willing to carry out company policies than younger less committed staff. However, a more important point is regarding the attitudes in society to old people. To force someone to resign or retire at 60 indicates that the society does not value the input of these people and that effectively their useful life is over. Age is irrelevant to a working life, surely if older employees are told they cannot work after 60, this is age discrimination. That they become old does not necessarily mean they are going to be sick. Old people could be more aware, experienced and committed than some youngsters.
Others, however, think that allowing older people to work indefinitely is not a good policy. Age alone is no guarantee of ability. Old people are only ambitious workaholics who are too selfish and self-centered to believe that a younger person could do better. Actually, many younger employees have more experience or skills than older staff, who may have been stuck in one area or unit for most of their working lives. Having compulsory retirement allows new ideas in an organization. In addition, without age limits, however, many people would continue to work purely because they did not have any other plans or roles. A third point of view is that older people should be rewarded by society for their life’s labor by being given generous pensions and the freedom to enjoy their leisure. We now have youngsters who can’t find jobs because old people are choosing not to retire. Old people are not retiring because this new generation of “old people” think they will never die due to modern advances in medicine.
With many young people unemployed or frustrated in low-level positions, there are often calls to compulsorily retire older workers. However, this can affect the older individual’s freedom and right to work and can deprive（剥夺）society of valuable experience and insights. I feel that giving workers more flexibility and choice over their retirement age will benefit society and the individual.What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To explain the compulsory age limit. |
| B．To discuss the retirement age. |
| C．To examine people’s working life. |
| D．To introduce a particular stage. |
Which of the following is NOT a reason for allowing old people to continue working according to the passage?
| A．Their contribution should be valued. |
| B．Their experience should be made use of. |
| C．They can help the youngsters. |
| D．They are loyal employees. |
It can be inferred in the fourth passage that ______.
| A．the young people have more creative spirits |
| B．Modern advances in medicine make old people never die |
| C．Pensions and freedom are not given to the old now |
| D．old people believe that a younger person could do better |
The passage is arranged as follows:
What is the author’s opinion on the retirement age?
| A．The author thinks when to retire depends on the employees themselves. |
| B．The author is against lengthening the retirement age. |
| C．The author thinks that retirement age varies from country to country. |
| D．The author is in favor of allowing old people to continue working. |
I don’t ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it’s like to work in a field dominated by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-time and the nature of black holes.
At 19, when I began studying astrophysics, it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement—jobs, research papers, awards—was viewed through the lens of gender (性别) politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus (相对于) right brain, or nature versus nurture (培育), I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind.
Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations（挑衅）: I don’t talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn’t want to deal with gender issues. Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don’t study sociology or political theory.
Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women’s college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how many of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I don’t dismiss those concerns. Still, I don’t tell them “war” stories. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And that’s a sight worth talking about.Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?
| A．She feels unhappy working in male-dominated fields. |
| B．She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination. |
| C．She is not good at telling stories of the kind. |
| D．She finds space research more important. |
From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would owe the author’s failures to ________.
| A．the very fact that she is a woman |
| B．her involvement in gender politics |
| C．her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist |
| D．the burden she bears in a male-dominated society |
What did the author constantly fight against while doing her Ph.D. and post-doctoral research?
A. Lack of confidence in succeeding in space science.
B. Unfair accusations from both inside and outside her circle.
C. People’s stereotyped attitude toward female scientists.
D. Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurtured.Why does the author feel great satisfaction when talking about her class?
| A．Female students no longer have to bother about gender issues. |
| B．Her students’ performance has brought back her confidence. |
| C．Her female students can do just as well as male students. |
| D．More female students are pursuing science than before. |
What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?
| A．Women students needn’t have the concerns of her generation. |
| B．Women have more barriers on their way to academic success. |
| C．Women can balance a career in science and having a family. |
| D．Women now have fewer problems pursuing a science career. |