Imagine a mass of floating waste is two times the size of the state of Texas. Texas has a land area of more than 678 000 square kilometers. So it might be difficult to imagine anything twice as big. All together, this mass of waste flowing in the North Pacific Ocean is known as the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch. It weighs about 3 500 000 tons. The waste includes bags，bottles and containers—plastic products of all kinds.
The eastern part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is about l 600 kilometers west of California. The western part is west of the Hawaiian Islands and east of Japan. The area has been described as a kind of oceanic desert，with light winds and slow moving water currents. The water moves so slowly that garbage from all over the world collects there.
In recent years，there have been growing concerns about the floating garbage and its effect on sea creatures and human health. Scientists say thousands of animals get trapped in the floating waste，resulting in death or injury. Even more die from a lack of food or water after swallowing pieces of plastic. The trash can also make animals feel full，lessening their desire to eat or drink.
The floating garbage also can have harmful effects on people. There is an increased threat of infection of disease from polluted waste，and from eating fish that swallowed waste. Divers can also get trapped in the plastic.
Its existence first gained public attention in l997. That was when racing boat captain and oceanographer Charles Moore and his crew sailed into the garbage while returning from a racing event. Five years earlier，another oceanographer learned of the trash after a shipment of rubber duckies got lost at sea. Many of those toys are now part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.
In August，2009，a team from the University of California，San Diego became the latest group to travel to it. They were shocked by the amount of waste they saw. They gathered hundreds of sea creatures and water samples to measure the garbage patch’s effect on ocean environment.How did the writer introduce the topic of the passage?
| A．By giving an example. | B．By listing the facts. |
| C．By telling a story. | D．By giving a comparison. |
What do we know about the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?
| A．It is made up of various kinds of plastic products. |
| B．It is a solid mass of floating waste materials. |
| C．It lies l60 000 kilometers east of California. |
| D．It is described as a kind of oceanic land. |
Why do people pay attention to the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?
| A．Because it may prevent the flow of ocean water. |
| B．Because the polluted plastic products will affect the food chain. |
| C．Because it maybe form an island in the pacific. |
| D．Because ships may be trapped in the floating waste. |
In 1985, a lionfish was caught off the coast of Florida. Now they can be found not only in the Atlantic Ocean but also in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. And they are continuing to move south. Lionfish are native to the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. So how did they end up in the Atlantic? Scientists believe some pet owners abandoned their unwanted lionfish and poured them into the sea. Little did they know the trouble their actions would cause.
The Atlantic Ocean turned out to be a comfortable home for lionfish. Their venomous spines (毒刺) protect them from sharks and other fish. Female lionfish can spawn (产卵) every few days, producing as many as 2 million eggs per year. Other big fish would have competed with lionfish for food. Bet overfishing has removed many of these large fish. As a result, the fish have eaten so much that they have grown to be more then three times the size of their cousins in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. “They eat mostly fish,” says Stephanie Green, a scientist at Oregon State University.
All that eating has caused great changes. Scientists have found that when lionfish are present somewhere, many other fish, which are small enough for them to eat, disappear. Some of the fish they eat are greatly missed in their habitats. For example, parrotfish eat certain plants off corals(珊瑚), which allows corals to grow better. But they are now disappearing due to lionfish.
Scientists say lionfish are here to stay. But there are ways to deal with the problem. The key, says Green, is to keep lionfish numbers in check. In Florida, drivers can now go though a special training program and get certified(授予合格证书) to catch lionfish in areas where fishing is not usually allowed. And a number of restaurants have added the fish to the menu. “It’s going to be a long-term battle, but the missing sea species will come back someday,” says Green.What can we learn about lionfish?
| A．Its population is growing very quickly. |
| B．All of them are almost the same size. |
| C．They eat other big fish and even sharks |
| D．Most of them have gathered in the Atlantic. |
Parrotfish were mentioned to show lionfish’s _____.
| A．loneliness | B．carelessness |
| C．weakness | D．harmfulness |
What is Stephanie Green’s attitude to the battle against lionfish?
| A．She doubts it. |
| B．She is hopeful of it. |
| C．She is worried about it. |
| D．She thinks it is against the law. |
By 1938, Europe had been experiencing an increased number of attacks on Jews. With no end in sight, Jewish refugee(难民) agencies requested the British government to allow them to bring in only Jewish children under17 years of age. This was to be only temporary, until the situation in their home countries was improved.
Kindertransport, meaning “children transport” in German, was then born. Children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and other Nazi-occupied regions were transported to the United Kingdom. There they were either placed with other families or in hostels. Later, it was found that many of these children were the only survivors of their families. Nicholas Winton was among those people who helped to save Jewish children. He managed to rescue 669 children from Czechoslovakia and bring them safely to England. In 1938 around Christmas, 29-year-old Nicky was about to leave for a skiing holiday. Suddenly, Martin Blake, one of his good friends, contacted(联络) him from Czechoslovakia, asking him to travel there to help political refugees on the run from the Nazis. And Nicholas agreed.
Nicky spent his entire holiday of 3 weeks in the capital city of Prague where he saw the situation first-hand. Once back in England, he immediately started organizing the evacuation(撤离) of children from the Czech region. From advertising for the necessary permits, Nicky worked tirelessly. By August 1939, 669 children had been helped by Nicky and his friends. Haplessly, the last group of children due to leave Prague in the beginning of September could not do so— World War Ⅱ broke out, and swallowed them up.
Nicky did not discuss his particular task with his wife, Grete. It was only when she found a scrapbook in 1988, with names of the rescued children, their (lost) parents and the foster families that had taken them in, that his heroism came to light. Nicky has received several awards in Britain and the Czech Republic.Kindertransport aimed to_____.
| A．help the homeless |
| B．transfer the affected |
| C．stop German attacks |
| D．save Jewish children |
We can learn from the text that Nicholas Winton_____.
| A．knew nothing about what happened in Prague |
| B．did a lot to help Jewish children out of danger |
| C．always told his wife what he was doing |
| D．saved 669 children and their parents |
The underlined word “Haplessly” in Paragraph 4 can best be replaced by “___”.
| A．Unfortunately | B．Hopefully |
| C．Strangely | D．Importantly |
Which of the following can best describe Nicholas Winton?
| A．Strict but caring |
| B．Proud but patient |
| C．Warm-hearted and cautious |
| D．Hard-working and humorous |
The Kinema, Lincolnshire
It’s a wooden building on the outside and a two-screen cinema on the inside, all nesting among pine trees in a tiny village. The Kinema showed its first film in 1922 and the first six rows were deckchair (折叠帆布躺椅). Today, it’s more richly decorated.
“People come here because it’s a fantastic experience,” says manager Philip Jones. “Many rooms in the Kinema are simple and not attractive, but we try to remain everything that makes it special.”
The Cube, Bristol
It’s not really a cinema. It is a not-for-profit cooperative run by volunteers, which has been operating for the last 15 years.
They are “unique for what we do, which is to operate seven nights a week and with no funding.” They make many things themselves, such as cola and yogurt.
The Broadway, Nottingham
A cinema has been here since the 1960s, when local fashion designer Paul Smith would come to see arty foreign films, which heavily influenced his career choice. Later, he designed the stripy(条纹的) sofas.
The Broadway was previously used as a church, but locals love it for its independent, art house, and DIY spirit. The Broadway also has a right-on restaurant, with locally sourced vegetables and salads, and even serves its own beer.
The Rex, Hertfordshire
It opened to the public in 1938 and has been named the most beautiful cinema in the UK. There’s a varied program with different films every night. Hot dogs and popcorn are banned. And a real person answers the phone when you call.
People speak very highly of the Rex. So do go, if only once, to see just how a cinema should be run.In Philip Jones’ opinion, the Kinema may attract people who_____.
| A．live in the nearby villages |
| B．are fond of rich decorations |
| C．are interested in wooden structures |
| D．want to experience something special |
We know from the text that the Broadway_____.
| A．was built in 1960 |
| B．owns a restaurant |
| C．is next to a church |
| D．was designed by Paul Smith |
The Cube and the Broadway are similar in the way that both_____.
| A．are non-profit cooperatives |
| B．show arty foreign films |
| C．offer homemade drinks |
| D．use stripy sofas |
Which of the following has the longest history?
| A．The Kinema. | B．The Cube. |
| C．The Broadway. | D．The Rex. |
It was raining as I ran out of the church, eager to get home and play with the gifts Father Christmas sent me. Across the street was a gas station, which was closed for Christmas, but I noticed a family standing under the narrow overhang to keep dry. I wondered briefly why they were there but then forgot about them as I couldn’t wait to see my gifts.
Once I got home, there was hardly any time to enjoy my gifts. My grandparents were still waiting for us to have Christmas dinner together at their house. As we drove down the highway, I noticed that the family was still there.
The closer we got to my grandparents’ house, the slower the car went. Suddenly, my father U-turned and said, “I can’t stand it!” “What?” asked my mother. “It’s those people back there at the gas station, standing in the rain.”
When my father pulled into the station, I saw there were five of them: the parents and three children—two girls and a small boy. Then we learned that the family was waiting for the bus to Birmingham, where the man planned to find a job.
“Well, that bus won’t come along for several hours. Winborn’s just a few miles away, and there is a shed(棚) with a cover there,” my father advised. “I will run you up there.”
Then they climbed into our car,. My father looked back and asked the children if Father Christmas had found them. Three sad faces gave him his answer.
“Well, Father Christmas said he was having trouble finding you, so he just left your toys at my house this morning. Let’s go to get them first,” my father said. All at once, the three children’s faces lit up.
When we arrived at our house, one girl spied a lovely doll, that little boy took a ball, and the other girl picked up something else. That was the Christmas when I learned the joy of making others happy.At the gas station the family might feel______.
| A．anxious | B．disappointed |
| C．frightened | D．ashamed |
The three children received Christmas gifts thanks to_______.
| A．the author | B．the author’s father |
| C．their parents | D．their grandparents |
We can learn from the text that the author’s father_____.
| A．knew that family very well |
| B．got lost on the way to Winborn |
| C．sent that family to Birmingham |
| D．was happy to help those in trouble |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Father Christmas saved us |
| B．My father never gives up. |
| C．Special Christmas gifts |
| D．A hard-working family |
Before we start a voyage, we usually try to find out more or less definitely where we are bound and how we are supposed to get there.
I happen to have the “Concise Oxford dictionary” on my desk and that will do as well as any other. The word I am looking for appears at the bottom of Page 344. edition 1912.
“Geography: the science of the earth's surface, form, physical features, natural and political divisions, climate, productions and population.”
I could not possibly hope to do better, but I still stress some of the aspects of the case at the expenses of others, because I intend to place man in the centre of the stage. This book of mine will not merely discuss the surface of the earth and its physical features, together with its political and natural boundaries. I would rather call it a study of man in search of food and shelter and leisure for himself and for his family and an attempt to his background or has reshaped his physical surroundings in order to be comfortable and well nourished and happy with his limited strength.
Among the two million human beings in the world, there is of course the widest possible range for all sorts of experiments of an economic and social and cultural nature. It seems that those experiments deserve our attention before anything else. For a mountain is after all merely a mountain until it has been seen by human eyes and has been walked on by human feet and until its slopes and valleys have been occupied and fought over and planted by a dozen generation of hungry settlers.
The Atlantic Ocean was just as wide and deep and as wet and salty before the beginning of the 13th century as after, but it took the human touch to make it what it is today—a bridge between the New World and the Old, the highway for the commerce between East and West.
For thousands of years the endless Russian plains lay ready to offer their abundant harvest to whoever should take the trouble to sow the first grain. But the aspect of that country today would he a very different one if the hand of a German or a Frank, rather than that of a Slav, had guided the iron-pointed stick that plowed the first furrows (犁沟).
The island of Nippon would shake and quake just as continually, whether they happened to be settled by Japanese or by the Tasmanian race, but in the latter case they would hardly be able to feed 60,000,000 people.
Generally speaking, I have paid more attention to the purely “human” side of geography than to the commercial problems which are so important in a day and age devoted to mass production. In the first four paragraphs, the author wants to share with the readers ______.
| A．his approach to planning a voyage |
| B．his emphasis on using a dictionary |
| C．his definition of the word “geography” |
| D．his altitude to the earth's physical features |
Which of the following will the author NOT consider to be on experiment according to Paragraph 5?
| A．Exploring a mountain. |
| B．Climbing a mountain. |
| C．Planting on slopes and valleys. |
| D．Becoming hungry. |
The author mentioned the Russian plains and the island of Nippon to show that _____.
| A．they both feed a lot of people |
| B．they enjoy very good natural conditions |
| C．different people may make the same place different |
| D．their natural conditions haven't changed for many years |
【原创】How is the passage organized?
| A．Topic ---Argument --- Explanation |
| B．Introduction --- Supporting examples --- Conclusion |
| C．Opinion --- Discussion --- Description |
| D．Main idea --- Comparison --- Supporting examples |