The smallest animal with a backbone（脊椎） known to science, a fish from the carp family, has been discovered in the peat swamps （沼泽）of Indonesia. Mature（成熟的）females of the fish species （种类）Paedocypris reach just 7.9mm in length.
The species was discovered in the highly acidic (酸性的) peat swamps of the Indonesian island of Sumatra by a team led by Ralf Britz, a zoologist at the Natural History Museum in London.
“This is one of the strangest fish that I’ve seen in my whole career,” Dr Britz said. “It’s tiny, and it lives in acid. I hope that we’ll have time to find out more about them before their habitat disappears completely.”
The species lives in dark tea-colored swamp waters, which are 100 times more acidic than rainwater. Although these swamps were once thought to be inhabited by very few animals, recent research has shown that they are home to a highly different range of species that occur nowhere else.
The peat swamps were damaged by forest fires in 1997, and are also threatened by agriculture. The scientists behind the discovery said that several populations of Paedocypris had already been lost.
“Many of the peat swamps we surveyed（调查）throughout South-East Asia no longer exist,” Dr Britz said. “Populations of all the miniature（微型的）fish of peat swamps have decreased or disappeared.”
Details of the discovery are published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B.64.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Strangest Fish |
| B．Acidic Peat Swamps |
| C．Strange Species |
| D．The Smallest Backbone Animal |
65.Where does the smallest backbone animal live?
| A．It lives in highly acidic rainwater. |
| B．The species lives in the acidic waters of dark tea-coloured swamps. |
| C．It was put in the Natural History Museum in London. |
| D．Its habitat disappears completely. |
66.According to the passage, the forest fires in 1997 have led to the fact that______.
| A．many places where these animals lived have been damaged |
| B．the population of the specieshas increased |
| C．there are many animals in the acidic peat swamps today |
| D．agriculture doesn’t affect the living space of these animals |
67.Dr Britz’s words imply______.
| A．the habitat will be more after a period of time |
| B．many peat swamps that they surveyed have already survived |
| C．he wants to find more miniature fishes before their habitat disappears |
| D．he wants to have further research |
A “blogger” is a person who writes on an Internet website called a “blog”. The word “blog” is a short way of saying “web log”, or “personal website”. Anyone can start a blog, and they can write about anything they like．
There are millions of blogs on the Internet today. They provide news, information and ideas to the people who read them．They contain links to other websites．And they provide a place for people to write their ideas and react to the ideas of others．
A research company called Perseus has studied more than 3,000 web logs. It says that blogs are most popular with teenage girls. They use them to let their friends know what is happening in their lives. The study also says that more than 100,000 bloggers stopped taking part in the activity after a year．
However, some people develop serious blogs to present political and other ideas. For example, the Republican and Democratic parties in the southern state of Kentucky recently started their own blogs. And American companies are beginning to use blogs to advertise their products．
At thesame time, some long-standing blogs have ended. Last week, blogging leader Dave Winer closed his free blog service “weblogs.com”． He said the site became too costly to continue. He started the blog four years ago, and thousands of people had written on it. They are now upset because they did not know that the site was closed．
One blog that is still going strong is called Rebecca’s Pocket．Rebecca Blood created the website in 1999. She wrote about the history of blogs on the site．That article led to a book called The Weblog Handbook．It has been translated into four languages so far．
Miss Blood says Rebecca’s Pocket gets about thirty thousand visitors a month．She writes about anything and everything —— politics, culture and movies. She recently provided medical advice． And she wrote about how to prevent people from being stolen from online bank accounts．The text is mainly written to _______．
| A．introduce an Internet website called “blog” |
| B．introduce a short way of saying “web log” |
| C．tell readers about blogs |
| D．tell readers how to write blogs |
From the text we can learn that blogs cover almost everything except _______．
| A．different ideas | B．medical advice |
| C．advertisements | D．account passwords |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?
| A．Politicians don’t use blogs at all． |
| B．A lot of bloggers no longer write or read blogs． |
| C．Those who like to use blogs are mostly teenage girls． |
| D．Dave Winer closed his “weblogs.com” because of the money shortage． |
The reason why Rebecca’s Pocket is still going strong is that _______．
| A．it was created by a woman |
| B．it is about the history of blogs |
| C．it provides useful information and advice |
| D．it has editions in atleast four different languages |
Short people, studies have shown , are more likely to have a stroke , suffer from high blood pressures and heart disease and be bullied in school .
Now, researchers report that short people—at least in the past—were also more likely to die at a younger age than their taller peers.
Their study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology (流行病学) and Community Health , found that short bones have something to do with short life for more than 1,000 years. The conclusion was based on 490 sets of adult skeletal(骨架) remains from an archaeological(考古学的) site in northeastern England , YC dating from the 9th century to about 1850 .
About 55% of men and 73% of women died before the age of 45, and 39% of men and 56% of women died before age 30. The risk of death before age 30 declined as bone length increased.
“This study provides evidence from an archaeological sample that long bone length is connected with age at death—those with smaller bones tend to die younger,” according to Dr. D.J. Gunnell of the university of Bristol in the UK and colleagues .
While it is not clear why short stature(身材) might be linked to earlier death , the researchers point out that height is an indicator of childhood nutrition, which may have long-lasting effect on health .
“Mechanism (身体结构) for height-mortality(死亡) associations in the past may differ from those today , for example , short stature may have increased the risk of death in childbirth and this may explain the higher risk of premature(未成熟的) mortality in women,” Gunnell and colleagues write .
“However, short bones, it would appear, have always been a marker of a short life,” the authors conclude.The title of the passage should be.
| A．Short people and their taller peers |
| B．Men and women |
| C．Short stature and short life |
| D．Long life and short life |
“An indicator” in Paragraph 6 means.
| A．a study | B．a marker | C．a risk | D．an age |
Which of the following statements is Not true according to the passage?
| A．People with smaller bones were more likely to die younger. |
| B．Women were more likely to die at a young age. |
| C．Short-stature women bear higher risk of death in giving birth to babies. |
| D．Most people were more likely to die at the age of 30 in the past. |
Short stature may be caused by.
| A．less childhood nutrition | B．heart disease |
| C．some illnesses | D．high blood pressure |
The topic in this passage is probably connected with
| A．space medicine | B．sports medicine |
| C．social medicine | D．industrial medicine |
The blockbuster film Titanic has brought millions of dollars and thousands of people to the theaters and continues to touch people today in their homes. Why is this film so successful? It is a combination of many different things. Among these are many different elements. Looking at some of these elements will show how the director and others involved were able to create an emotionally charged movie that appealed to millions.
The film uses one thematic(主题的) element called - The Truth of Human Nature. The two main characters seem to represent noble people. Most of the other characters in the film are shown as non-tolerant, rude and cold-hearted people. The element of focusing on the two main characters' love and emotion seems symbolic of an ideal state.
There are also social problems addressed. This is done in a few different ways. The most noticeable way is that the lower class people remain locked in the basement as the ship goes down. Throughout Titanic, the lighting is very important. The poor, lower class people are always shown in very warm-coloured light that gives them a sense of life and happiness. On the other hand, the rich, upper class are always shown in a flat light portraying the feeling of hardness and coldness. By using these techniques, they show the issue of class segregation(种族隔离), and they create stereotypes. The main characters are able to break free of these stereotypes and be together. This is the solution to the segregation problem.
As you can see, Titanic took a lot of thinking and preparation to film in a manner that would create emotion and bring to the surface the issues and story of the great ship.The underlined word “blockbuster” in the first paragraph probably means “________”．
| A．something very successful |
| B．a highly explosive bomb |
| C．something worth a lot of money |
| D．a touching story |
In Titanic, the scene of the lower class people remaining locked in the basement as the ship goes down is used to ________.
| A．criticize non-tolerant and cold-hearted rich people |
| B．enlarge the scene of the film |
| C．make the film more attractive |
| D．emphasize the condition of the poor at that time |
Why were different colours of light used in the film Titanic? ________
| A．They were used to show the difference between the rich and the poor. |
| B．The director was determined to achieve good visual effect. |
| C．The social status was represented by the color of light in the past. |
| D．The use of light was the main technique the director made use of. |
What can we infer from the passage? _________
| A．The segregation problem in the society can be solved by using the light. |
| B．Though love is the main theme of Titanic, it also reflects some social problems. |
| C．Because of the director's talents, the film Titanic achieved great success. |
| D．In the film Titanic there are two characters altogether. |
The writer mainly talks about ________ in this passage.
| A．the process of shooting Titanic |
| B．the leading actor and actress in Titanic |
| C．the reasons why Titanic became a blockbuster film |
| D．the outline of Titanic |
Sir,
Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare. Your company, Cosmo books Ltd., offered this set (eight books of plays and two books of poetry) at what was claimed to be a ‘remarkable’ price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing. I had wanted a set of Shakespeare’s plays and poems for some time, and these books, in red imitation leather, looked particularly attractive; so I sent for them.
Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of the complete works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered. So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare. Two more weeks passed. Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French. Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all. However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you at the end of August of last year, instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice.
You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds, and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German. Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have. The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside.
I have no room for any more books, and even if I read from now until the Last Judgment, I should not finish reading all the books that you have sent me.
Please send no more books, send no more bills, send no more angry letters demanding payment. Just send one large lorry and take all the books away, leaving me only with the one set of the complete works of Shakespeare for which I have paid.
Yours faithfully,
SIMON WALKERSimon Walker wrote the letter to ________
| A．show his anger to Cosmo Books Ltd.. |
| B．complain about getting books he didn’t want. |
| C．advise readers not to order books from Cosmo Books Ltd.. |
| D．urge for the final solution to the problem with the unwanted books. |
The advertisement that Mr. Walker saw in the Morning Mail was for ________
| A．unlimited number of Cosmo Books. |
| B．a set of 10 books of the works of Shakespeare. |
| C．fifteen pounds and fifty pence. |
| D．a book containing all the plays and poems of Shakespeare. |
Mr. Walker answered the advertisement because ________
| A．he wanted a set of Shakespeare’s works which was a good bargain |
| B．he claimed that the books were being offered at a remarkable price. |
| C．he had ordered the set and had been waiting for them to come for some time. |
| D．the set he already had was not particularly attractive. |
It can be inferred that _______
| A．Cosmo Books have sent bills for books that they have not sent. |
| B．Mr. Walker took some action after receiving the books he did not order. |
| C．Mr. Walker hasn’t received the books that he ordered. |
| D．Several sets of books have been sent to Mr. Walker free of charge. |
The tone of the letter is that of _______
| A．bitterness | B．respect | C．annoyance | D．humor |
You’re rushing to work and a man ahead of you collapses on the sidewalk. Do you stop to help? In a study of by-standers, it was found that some people avert their gaze and keep on walking rather than stop and get involved.
“There is a tendency to decide that no action is needed.” says a psychologist. “The first thoughts that pop into your mind often keep you from offering help. In order to take action, you have to work against them.” Here are some common thoughts that might prevent you from helping.
● Why should I be the one? I’m probably not the most competent（有能力的） person in this crowd. You might think someone older or with more medical knowledge should offer assistance.
● What if he doesn’t really need my help? The fear of embarrassment is powerful; no one wants to risk looking foolish in front of others.
● No one else looks concerned- this must not be a problem. We can follow the people around us, but most people tend to hold back their emotions in public.
“If you spot trouble and find yourself explaining inaction, force yourself to stop and evaluate the situation instead of walking on,” says the psychologist. “Then retry to involve other people; you don’t have to take on the entire responsibility of being helpful. Sometimes it’s just a matter of turning to the person next to you and saying, ‘It looks like we should do something.’ Or asking someone if an ambulance has been called and, if not, to call for one. Once you take action, most people will follow you.”Which is NOT the common thought that stops you from helping others?
| A．I’m not the very person capable of setting the problem. |
| B．It looks like we should do something. |
| C．It must not be a problem as no one else is concerned. |
| D．He doesn’t really need my help. |
According to a study of by-standers, what will some people do when a man ahead falls down on the sidewalk?
| A．They will call for help and then walk away. |
| B．They will stop and offer help. |
| C．They will turn away their eyes and go on walking. |
| D．They will laugh at him. |
We learn from the last paragraph that if we spot trouble, ．
| A．we should call the ambulance as soon as we can. |
| B．we should take on the whole responsibility and do something alone. |
| C．we should stop and evaluate the situation and try to make other people follow. |
| D．we should turn to other people and ask them to take on the responsibility |
In order to offer others your timely help, you need to．
| A．ask others for help and call the police |
| B．get along well with the passers-by who spot the trouble |
| C．go directly to the police station |
| D．work against the first thoughts that prevent you offering help |
The main purpose of the text is to tell readers．
| A．to give others a hand |
| B．to be more competent |
| C．not to risk looking foolish |
| D．to stop and evaluate the situation |