Scientists discovered 163 new species in Southeast Asia’s Greater Mekong region last year，but all are at risk of extinction due to climate change，the WWF said in a report released Friday.
The newly discovered creatures include a birdeating frog with fangs (毒牙)，a bird that would rather walk than fly and a gecko (壁虎) whose alien appearance inspired the report’s title of “Close Encounters”，the conservation group said.
The report was released ahead of major UN talks on climate change in Bangkok next week，which are being held before a makeorbreak summit in Copenhagen this December.
“Some species will be able to adapt to climate change，and many will not，potentially resulting in massive extinction，” Stuart Chapman，director of the WWF Greater Mekong program，said in the report.“Rare and endangered species like those newly discovered are especially vulnerable (易受伤害的) because climate change will further shrink their already restricted habitats，” he said.
“The new discoveries in 2010 include 100 plants,28 fish,18 reptiles,14 amphibians,2 mammals and a bird，”the WWF report said.The area spans Cambodia，Laos，Myanmar，Thailand，Vietnam and China’s Yunnan Province.
“Among the new species is the birdeating fanged frog，which remains hidden in a protected area of Thailand despite the fact that scientists are studying there for 40 years，” the report said.
The tigerstriped pit viper was discovered accidentally on an island off the coast of Vietnam when a scientist was looking for a lizard and his son pointed out that his hand was on a rock right next to the snake’s fangs.“We caught the snake and the gecko and they both proved to be new species，” researcher Lee Grismer of La Sierra University in California was quoted as saying in the report.The leopard gecko，found on another Vietnamese island，has the coloring of a leopard and bizarre orange，catlike eyes and thin legs.
The Greater Mekong region has proved a rich area for scientists.The WWF said in December 2010 that it had found 1,068 new species there between 1997 and 2009.What is special about the newly discovered bird?
| A．It usually walks. |
| B．It likes walking and flying. |
| C．It can eat other birds. |
| D．It can eat frogs. |
Stuart Chapman believes that________.
| A．most of the newly discovered species can adapt to climate change |
| B．climate change can cause massive extinction of the newly discovered species |
| C．the newly discovered species are not so vulnerable to climate change |
| D．many species have already died out because of climate change |
When Lee Grismer discovered the tigerstriped pit viper，he probably felt________.
| A．frightened | B．disappointed |
| C．excited | D．puzzled |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．The Greater Mekong region is a rich area for scientists. |
| B．Many rare species remain to be discovered in the Mekong region. |
| C．Scientists have discovered many new species in the Mekong region. |
| D．Climate change threatens Mekong new species. |
Science, as we think, was born when the Greek philosopher ( 希腊哲学家 ) Thales ( about 640-546 B.C.) asked a difficult question: What makes up our universe?
No one had a ready answer, so Thales went on studying the earth around him, the sky and the stars. He saw so much water on earth and so much water falling from the sky as rain that he decided water must be the basic substance ( 物质 ) of the universe.
Other Greek thinkers became interested in this question. They suggested other answers. One said that because air lies around the earth, it must be air that makes up all things. Another said that fire, appearing in different forms, was the building block of the universe.
The Greek philosophers were feeling their way towards the ideas on which chemistry is based. Centuries later, scientists proved that the universe is made up of certain basic substances. But the list is much more complicated than the Greeks realized. We now know of 103 basic substances which we call “ elements ( 元素 )”.Thales, the famous Greek philosopher, died when he was about _________.
| A．106 years old | B．94years old | C．64 years old | D．46 years old |
From the passage we know that __________.
| A．Thales asked many questions | B．Greeks were all philosophers |
| C．science began long ago | D．water and air make up all things. |
After reading the passage, we can be sure that_________.
| A．nothing ever changes in the universe |
| B．Thales decided that the basic substance of the universe was air |
| C．the universe is made up of four different substances |
| D．the early Greek thinkers did much valuable work for the progress of science |
There are only about 1,000 Hawaiian monk seals(夏威夷僧海豹) left and its population is going down 4% a year. Hawaiian monk seals are found in the northwest part of the Hawaiian Islands. They spend a lot of time at sea. They are able to dive 600 feet deep, and can stay under water for up to 20 minutes. Adults grow up to seven feet long, and weigh between 400 and 600 pounds. They can live as long as 30 years.
These seals are born on land. Every year, usually in May or June, females find sandy beaches and give birth to a single baby. The female seals avoid beaches where the water becomes deep very quickly because this lets sharks swim close to land and catch the seals.
Mothers stay with their babies for six weeks. During that entire time, they do not leave the beach even to eat. Instead, they live off fat that they have stored up over the previous year and feed their babies with fat-rich milk. After six weeks, mothers go back to the sea. The young have to live on their own.
Human disturbance(打扰) has been regarded as the important factor in the decrease of the monk seals. In fact, if human come too near a mother seal too often, she will go out to the sea. Unfortunately, this usually means death for the baby. It is now against the law for people to come within 100 yards of a seal on a beach.
Recent research has shown that the decrease in the Hawaiian monk seal population is due to lack of survival of these seals at one of the most important breeding(繁殖) beaches at French Frigate Shoals. Also, seals often get trapped in fishermen and by changes in weather patterns. If these threats(威胁) were not enough, during the breeding season, males will attack females until they are badly injured or finally killed.What can we learn about Hawaiian monk seals?
| A．They are in danger of dying out. |
| B．They spend most of the time on the beach. |
| C．They are the largest animals on the Hawaiian Islands. |
| D．They can stay under water as long as they like. |
According to the text, a seal baby______.
| A．is born at sea |
| B．is fed on fat by the mother |
| C．stays with its parents all life |
| D．is looked after by its mother for 6 weeks |
It can be inferred from the text that______.
| A．sharks are a threat to Hawaiian monk seals |
| B．male monk seals fight each other for females in the breeding season |
| C．when disturbed by people, the mother seal will protect the baby seal |
| D．Hawaiian monk seals give birth usually in July |
What are the last two paragraphs mainly about?
| A．Ways to protect Hawaiian monk seals。 |
| B．The struggle of Hawaiian monk seals to survive. |
| C．The reasons for the decline(减少) of Hawaiian monk seals. |
| D．The influence of climate change on Hawaiian monk seals. |
Italian Lakes and Greek Islands (12 Days)
Your tour begins in Milan, Italy(意大利), and moves on to the pretty Italian Lake District and the attractive resort(胜地)of Stresa, your home for two nights. Collette Vacations has carefully chosen the Costa Victoria as your home for your 7—night journey along the waterways of the Mediterranean. The cruise ship is filled with the warmth and culture of Italy and is richly designed with entertainment(娱乐)areas and very good living conditions. It will take you to the places of your dreams.
You’ll spend 4 days touring Greek cities you’ve always heard about. In Katakolon, you will have an exciting tour to nearby Olympia without a guide. Then with a local guide you will visit the Greek islands of Santorini, which is often related to the story of the lost city of Atlantis, and Mykonos, a wonderful island with beautiful beaches.
Your journey ends in Verona, home of the love story Romeo and Juliet, with a fun—filled Goodbye dinner—a perfect ending to a pleasant journey.
12 Days, 25Meals: 10 Breakfasts, 6 Lunches, 9 Dinners
Day 1 Overnight flight to Italy
Days2—3 Regina Palace, Stresa, Italy
Days4—10 Costa Victoria ( Costa cruises)
Day 11 Hotel Leopardi, Verona, Italy
Day12 Leave for home
Please Note:
| Leaving date |
Price for one person |
| April 7 |
$2,099 |
| June 2 |
$2,199 |
| October 6 |
$2,099 |
| November 3 |
$1,999 |
How is the journey planned?
| A．It starts and ends in Italy. |
| B．It starts and ends in Greece. |
| C．It starts in Italy and ends in Greece. |
| D．It starts in Greece and ends in Italy. |
What can be inferred from the travel plan?
| A．The price may get lower than those in the plan. |
| B．The prices include three meals a day. |
| C．The price is the highest in summer. |
| D．The prices include entertainment service. |
What does the underlined part “ the Costa Victoria” most probably refer to?
| A．A famous hotel. | B．A beautiful resort. |
| C．A comfortable ship. | D．A long—distance bus. |
Tourists will travel on their own in .
| A．Stresa | B．Olympia | C．Mykonos | D．Verona |
Whenever the sun dropped and the blue sky came up, my father and I used to climb the mountain near my house. Walking together, my father and I used to have a lot of conversations through which I learned lessons from his experiences. He always told me, “You should have goals like climbing the mountain.” Without the mountain-climbing that we both enjoyed. We couldn’t have enough time to spend together because my father was very busy. I really got a lot from mountain-climbing. It gave me time to talk with my father and to be in deep thought as well as develop my patience.
Once we climbed a very high mountain. It was so challenging for me because I was only ten years old. During the first few hours of climbing. I enjoyed the flowers and trees, and the birds’ singing, but as time passed, I got a pain in both of my legs. I wanted to quit climbing. In fact, I hated it at that mountain, but my father said to me, “You can always see a beautiful sky at the top of the mountain, but you can’t see it before you reach the top. Only there at the top, can you see all of the nice things, just like in life.”
At that time, I was too young to understand his words. But later after that, I got knew hope and confidence. I found myself standing at the top of the sky in my life, which was as clear as crystal (水晶).The passage tells us that mountain-climbing was _____for Father and Son.
| A．hard | B．painful | C．enjoyable | D．unhappy |
The word “quit” in the passage means “______”.
| A．carry on | B．put off | C．pick up | D．give up |
We can infer from the last paragraph that ______.
| A．the writer reached the top of the mountain. |
| B．the writer was very successful in his life. |
| C．thought the writer was young, he could understand his father. |
| D．the writer used to hate climbing the mountain. |
The best title for the passage is ______.
| A．How to Get to the Top of the Mountain | B．Father’s love |
| C．Conversations between Father and Son | D．Reaching the Top of the Mountain |
The Internet is not perfect. There are many problems with it. The Internet is not organized. There is no one in charge of the Internet. It is sometimes difficult to find what you are looking for. It is also easy to get the wrong information on the “Net”. Some businessmen cheat people on the Internet. Internet thieves can steal credit card numbers. Some advertisers send spam to e-mail boxes. E-mail boxes are often filled with these unwanted advertisements. Illegal(不合法的) businesses can operate on the Internet. These businesses sell X-rated materials, cigarettes and alcohol to teenagers.
The Internet has websites with information about making bombs, breaking the law and terrorism. Criminals（罪犯） can fool people, especially children, in chat rooms. They can spread poisonous（有毒的） information and attack new members.
The Internet is the greatest advance in communication since human appeared. But it can also be like a dark road in a dangerous part of town. Parents need to set parental controls on their children when they use the Internet. This will keep some of the bad material away from their children. The Internet can be dangerous to computers, too. Some people who have bad intentions enjoy causing problems for other people they don’t even know. They create computer viruses（病毒）. A computer can get virus by downloading a program that has a virus in it. Some virus come by e-mail.
A virus can destroy the data a person has saved in computer files. A virus can cause a computer to crash（崩溃）. A virus can also reproduce（复制） itself! It can send copies of itself to everyone on a person’s e-mail address list. Then these people’s will have the same problems and can’t work normally!The underlined word “spam” in the third paragraph means ___________
| A．letters | B．products |
| C．useless information | D．poisonous information |
Why can illegal businesses operate on the Internet?
| A．Because there is no one in charge of the Internet. |
| B．Because some people like to buy banned products on the Internet. |
| C．Because X-rated materials, cigarettes, alcohol and so on can be sold well on the Internet. |
| D．Because people who operate businesses on the Internet are criminals. |
Parental controls are needed when children use the Internet because________
| A．children can’t use the computers well |
| B．children may damage the computers |
| C．the Internet is always unsafe for the children |
| D．poisonous information may have a bad effect on children |
The harm of a computer virus is that___________
| A．it can change the saved data in computer |
| B．it can reproduce the computer |
| C．it can make the computer operate ill |
| D．it can destroy the saved files and the computer itself |
We can infer from the passage that the key to solving the problems with the Internet is____________
| A．to improve the computers | B．to improve people’s moral （道德）level |
| C．to order people not to use the Internet | D．to find a medicine to kill computer viruses |