Australian scientists are trying to give kangaroo-style stomachs to cattle and sheep in order to cut the greenhouse gases they send out，which is thought to be responsible for global warming．
Thanks to special bacteria in the stomachs，kangaroo flatulence（肠胃气胀）contains no methane（甲烷）and scientists want to transfer that bacteria to cattle and sheep which produce large quantities of the harmful gas．
While the usual image of greenhouse gas pollution is a huge factory chimney pushing out carbon dioxide，farm animals’ passing wind contributes to a surprisingly high percentage of total emission（排放物）in some countries．
“Fourteen percent of emissions from all sources in Australia is from methane from cattle and sheep，’’said Athol Klieve，a senior research scientist with the Queensland state government．
“And if you look at another country such as New Zealand，which has got a much higher agricultural base，they are actually up around 50 percent，”he said．
Researchers say the bacteria also make the digestive process much more efficient and could potentially save millions of dollars in feed costs for farmers．
But it will take researchers at least three years to isolate the bacteria before they can even start to develop a way of transferring it to cattle and sheep．
Another group of scientists，meanwhile，has suggested Australians should farm fewer cattle and sheep and just eat more kangaroos．And about twenty percent of health-conscious Australians are believed to eat the national symbol already．
“It’s low in fat，it’s got high protein levels and it’s very clean in the sense that basically it’s the free-range（放养的）animal，”said Peter Ampt of the University of New South Wales’s institute of environmental studies．The passage mainly talks about ________.
| A．a better way to prevent air pollution |
| B．the danger of methane from farm animals |
| C．possible solutions to protecting environment |
| D．a recent research on global warming |
Scientists intend to put the bacteria into cattle and sheep in order to ________.
| A．prevent them from sending out harmful gases |
| B．promote Australian farming |
| C．protect Australian ecosystem |
| D．make the most of the special bacteria |
Another possible solution to the problem is ________.
| A．to reduce the number of animals raised on farms |
| B．to eat more kangaroos rather than keep more sheep and cattle |
| C．to eat more plants rather than beef and mutton |
| D．to grow more trees to absorb carbon dioxide |
From the passage we learn that ________.
| A．it is easy to transfer the bacteria to cattle and sheep |
| B．farm animals are to blame for global warming in some countries |
| C．cattle and sheep produce more methane than kangaroos |
| D．less cattle and sheep are raised in New Zealand |
The African elephant, the largest land animal remaining on earth , is of great importance to African ecosystem(生态系统). Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment. As a big plant-eater, it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna(大草原) surroundings in which it lives, therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat.
It is the elephant's great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and underbushes, and pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters. 
Take the rain forests for example. In their natural state, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants make open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well.
What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant disappears, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.
11. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Disappearance of African elephants.
B. Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants.
C. The effect of African elephants' search for food.
D. The eating habit of African elephants.
12. What does the underlined phrase “setting the terms” most probably mean?
A. Fixing the time. B. Worsening the state.
C. Improving the quality. D. Deciding the conditions.
13. What do we know about the open spaces in the passage?
A. They result from the destruction of rain forests.
B. They provide food mainly for African elephants.
C. They are home to many endangered animals
D. They are attractive to plant-eating animals of different kinds.
14. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The African elephant is the largest animal on earth.
B. African elephants have 300 pounds of plants every day, including small trees and underbushes.
C. The African elephant is in a way the builder of the environment like other land animals
D. If the African elephant disappears, the whole ecosystem won’t be affected..
15. The passage is developed mainly by .
A. showing the effect and then explaining the causes
B. pointing out similarities and differences
C. describing the changes in space order
D. giving examples
Danielle Steel, America’s sweetheart, is one of the hardest working woman in the book business. Unlike other productive authors who write one book at a time, she can work on up to five. Her research some before writing takes at least three years. Once she has fully studied her subjects, ready to divided into a book, she can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk. 
Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education. After graduation, he worked in the public relations and advertising, industries. Later she started a job as a writer which she was best fit for. Her achievements are unbelievable: 390 million copies of books in print, nearly fifty New York Times best-selling novels, and a series of “Max and Martha” picture books for children to help them. Deal with the real-life problem of death, new babies and new schools. Her l998 book about the death of her was shot to the top of the New York Times best-selling list as soon as it came out. Twenty-eight of her books have been made into film. She is listed in the Guinness Books of World Records for one of her books being the Times best-seller for 381 weeks straight.
Not content with a big house, a loving family, and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Danielle Steel considers her readers to be the moat important resource and has kept in touch with them by e-mail. While she is often compared to the heroines(女主人公) of her own invention. Her life is undoubtedly much quieter. But if she does have anything in common with them, it is her strength of will and her inimitable style. There is only one Danielle Steel
6. Danielle Steel is different from other writers in that .
A. she can write several books at the same time
B. she often does some research before writing a book
C. she is one of the most popular American women writers
D. she can keep writing for quite a long time without a break
7. Children who have read “Max and Martha” picture books may know .
A. how to deal with affairs at school
B. what to do if Max and Martha die
C. what to do when new babies are born into their families
D. how to solve the difficult problems in their writing classes
8. One of Danielle Steel’ a achievements is that .
A. some TV plays were based on her books
B. her picture books attracted a lot of young men
C. one of her books became a best-seller in 1998
D. she wrote the Guinness Book of World Records
9. We can learn from the passage that Danielle Steel .
A. lives an exciting life
B. values her readers a lot
C. writes about quiet women
D. is pleased with her achievements
10. What does the underlined word “inimitable” mean?
A. hardworking B. attractive C. strange D. unique
Dear all,
Please read Professor Hume's email about his next lecture on Rosa Parks.
Susan Miller
Secretary
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊Dear Susan,
Please forward this message to students of my history class.
Besides the life story of Rosa Parks in the textbook, the students are also required to read the passage below and some related stories that can be borrowed from the school library.
Ted Hume
w*
The early experiences of Rosa Parks(1913-2005), long known as the “mother of the civil rights movement,” were not different from those of many African-Americans at that time. The black woman, however, turned the course of American history in December 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. “By sitting down,” remarked John Lewis, “she was standing up for all Americans.”
Among the numerous awards Parks received in her life were the Presidential Medal of Freedom(1996) and the Congressional Gold Medal(1999).
Parks died on Oct. 24, 2005. At St. Paul A. M. E. Church in Montgomery, a large crowd including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice celebrated her life. Rice said she and others, who grew up when the political activities of Parks held public attention, might not have realized her impact(影响) on their lives, “but I can honestly say that without Mrs. Parks, I probably would not be standing here as Secretary of State.”
After her casket(灵柩) was placed at the Capitol, U. S. President Bush, members of Congress and ordinary Americans paid their respects. In American history Parks is the first woman to lie in state at the Capitol, a very high regard usually reserved for Presidents of the United States.
1. What is the main purpose of Susan’s email?
A. To make arrangements for Professor Hume's class.
B. To introduce to the students Rosa Parks.
C. To help the students organize a lecture
D. To answer Professor Hume's last email.
2. What does the underlined word “forward” mean?
A. Explain. B. Send. C. Take. D. Read.
3. The political impact of Rosa Parks lies in the fact that she ______.
A. helped Condoleezza Rice achieve political success
B. joined the civil rights movement at a young age
C. made racial equality a common value in American society
D. set a good example in her early life for other black Americans
4. How was Rosa Parks treated after her death?
A. She was named “mother of the civil rights movement. “
B. She was received by President Bush at the Capitol.
C. She was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
D. She was honored to lie in state at the Capitol.
5. Which of the following statements about Rosa Parks is wrong？
A. Rosa Parks was once forced to give up her seat to a white man on a bus.
B. Parks received numerous awards in her life, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.
C. Parks died at the age of 92.
D. Rosa Parks won respects both ordinary Americans and members of Congress.
For hundreds of years humans have dreamt of finding life on distant planets. Now the hope of discovering real evidence of life has greatly increased
NASA’s Mars detector (探测器), Opportunity, succeeded in finding signs that water once existed on the planet. Opportunity landed on Mars in January. Scientists now believe that the planet could once have supported life.
This discovery was chosen by Science, one of the world’s leading magazines, as the most important scientific achievement of 2004 last Friday
“This little, wheeled, one-armed box went around another planet and has done something no human has ever managed,” according to Science. “It has discovered another place in the universe where life could once have existed.”
“Although we still can’t say that life could have existed in this environment, it is now certain that there was water on Mars,” said Steve Squyres, one of the scientists working on the Mars mission. The evidence comes from pictures and chemical readings taken by Opportunity. It includes marks on rocks like those caused by flowing water on Earth and salty chemicals like those found in dried-out sea-beds. Scientists said the new evidence proved beyond doubt that water has been existed on Mars. But it is still unknown whether the water on Mars was like an ocean or just ice.
While Opportunity has not found any signs of life, the presence of water means life is possible. “In everything we know about life on Earth, there is no example without liquid water,” Squyres said. “So water is important for the search for life on Mars.”
Researchers agree that a future mission (任务) should bring back physical samples (样品). But some scientists worry about the risk that this could introduce dangerous foreign creatures to Earth. “The problem here is how to get the samples back,” Squyres replied. “I think it is our responsibility to limit any risk.”
1. ________ prove that water existed on Mars.
A. The physical samples with salty chemicals
B. The marks on rocks and salty chemicals
C. Scientific achievements of 2004
D. Creatures from Mars
2. Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. It is now certain that there was water on Mars.
B. The water on Mars was like an ocean.
C. Evidence of life on Mars has been found.
D. Search for life on Mars is a great risk to humans.
3. How did scientists draw the conclusion that there was water on Mars?
A. The world’s leading magazine has announced the fact.
B. Scientists have taken many pictures and chemical readings on the Mars.
C. Astronauts have got some rocks from Mars.
D. Scientists have made a study of the pictures and readings sent back by Mars detector.
4. It can be inferred that, if the creatures from Mars came to Earth, ________.
A. they would be kind to humans
B. they would be cruel to humans
C. they would be a great danger to Earth
D. it would be hard to say whether it would be a good news or bad news
In the West, advertisements are the fuel that makes mass media work. Many TV stations, newspapers, magazines, radio stations are privately owned. The government does not give them money. So where does the money come from? From advertisements. Without advertisements, there would not be these private businesses.
Have you ever asked yourself what advertising is? Through the years, people have given different answers to the question. For some time it was felt that advertising was a means of "keeping your name before the public" And some people thought that advertising was "truth well told" Now more and more people consider it in this way; Advertising is the paid, non-personal, and usually persuasive presentation of goods, services and ideas by some certain sponsors (发起人) through various media
First, advertising is usually paid for. Various sponsors pay for the advertisements we see, read, and hear over the various media. Second, advertising is non-personal. It is not face-to-face communication. Although you may feel that a message in a certain advertisement is aimed directly at you, in reality, it is directed at large groups of people. Third, advertising is usually persuasive. Directly or indirectly it asks people to do something. All advertisements try to make people believe that the product, idea, or service advertised can benefit them. Fourth, the sponsors of the advertisement must show their names. From the advertisement, we can see if the sponsor is a company, or a single person. Fifth, advertising reaches us through old and modem mass media. Included in the old media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and films. Modem media include emails, matchbox covers, and boards on top of buildings.
9. The existence of the privately owned mass media depends on the support of ________.
A. the government B. their owners’ families
C. advertisements D. the TV stations
10. The passage seems to say that different ideas of advertising are given due to ________.
A. the change of time B. the subject of the advertisements
C. people’s age difference D. people’s different opinions
11. Which of the following is considered modem mass media?
A. Newspapers. B. Emails. C. Magazines. D. Films.
12. According to the passage, which of the following statements about advertisements is NOT true?
A. The sponsors are always mentioned.
B. Advertising must be honest and humorous.
C. There is the description of things advertised.
D. Advertising is meant for large groups of people.