Tony Burke, Australia’s environment minister, says he won’t decide until next year whether the koala should be protected as an endangered species. He was expected to make his decision by the end of October. But that decision has been put off. Burke said he needed more time to go over the latest information about the koala’s population.
In September, an Australian Senate committee reported that there was no question the koala’s population is on the decrease. “But they may not yet be eligible(符合条件的)—for listing as a threatened species,” said Senator Doug Cameron. “To have such a significant Australian icon(偶 像) included on the threatened species list would be a national shame.”
The koala is found only in the eucalyptus(桉树) forests of Australia. And its population is reported to have fallen sharply for many reasons, including the cutting down of forests to make way for human beings’ development, their own illness, climate change and killings by other animals such as wild dogs. And every year many koalas are hit by cars as they are trying to cross the busy roads.
Putting off the decision on protection for the koala “is really bad news,” said Debbie Pointing the president of the Koala Action Group. “We’ve worked tirelessly for many years to gather data on the populations,” Pointing said. “That data should be enough to make a decision.”
However, Burke pointed out that the Australian government had spent at least $6.3 milion on koala conservation efforts since 1996. Senators listed efforts that are already underway in Queensland-the construction of special koala bridges as well as fences along roads, to keep the animals out harm’s way.
Some people say that is not enough. “What we’re doing at the moment is likely to drive this species to extinction,” Queensland University zoologist Bill Ellis said.
“Koalas are an iconic Australian animal,” Burke told Australians. “They hold a special place in the hearts of Australians.”
But it is a fact that if more isn’t done to protect the koala, they might soon hold a place only in Australians’ memories.Tony Burke put off announcing the koala as an endangered species because .
| A．he needed more time to examine the latest information |
| B．he doubted whether koalas’ number is decreasing |
| C．he was thinking about ways to protect koalas |
| D．he had more important issues to deal with |
What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
| A．The habitat of the koala. |
| B．Australia’s traffic problems. |
| C．The importance of koalas for Australians. |
| D．Reasons for the decrease of the koala population. |
According to the text, Debbie Pointing thinks that .
| A．the construction of special koala bridges is of little use |
| B．koalas becoming less important in Australians’ hearts |
| C．the government is to blame for the decreasing koala population |
| D．the government should announce the koala as an endangered species |
It can be learned from the text that Tony Burke .
| A．thought the government has done much for koalas |
| B．called on Australians to take care of the koala |
| C．decided to construct more fences along roads |
| D．was optimistic about the koala’s future |
A new walking, talking robot from Japan which has black hair and a woman’s face that can smile will attend a fashion show. It has trimmed down（减少）to 43kg, but it still hasn’t reached the safety standards required to share the catwalk with human models.
Developers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, a government-backed organization, said their “cybernetic（全自动控制的）human” wasn’t ready to help with daily housework or work side by side with people—as many hope robots will be able to do in the future.
“In technology, it hasn’t reached that level,” said Hirohisa Hirukawa, one of the robot’s developers. “Even as a fashion model, people in the industry told us she was short and had a rather ordinary figure.”
For now, the 158 cm tall black-haired robot named HRP-4C—whose predecessor（前任）had weighed 58 kg — will mainly serve to draw and entertain crowds. Developers said the robot may be used in amusement parks or to perform human movement, as an exercise instructor, for instance.
HRP-4C was designed to look like an ordinary Japnese woman, although its silver-and-black body reminds people of a space suit. It will appear in a Tokyo fashion show — without any clothes — in a special part just for the robot next week.
The robotic framework（框架）for HRP-4C, without the face and other coverings, will go on sale for about 20 million yen（日元） each. Its programming technology will be made public so other people can come up with fun moves for the robot, the scientists said.
Japan is one of the leading robotics industries in the world, and the government is pushing to develop the industry as a road to growth.What do we know about HRP-4C’s predecessor?
A．It is shorter than HRP-4C . B．It is cleverer than HRP-4C .
C．It is taller than HRP-4C . D．It is heavier than HRP-4C .According to the passage, how many of the following could HRP-4C do?
a． drawing pictures
b. walking and talking
c. doing housework
d. working with people
e.smiling
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
Which of the following about HRP-4C is TURE?
| A．It wears a space suit. |
| B．Its price is 20 million dollars. |
| C．It can be used as an exercise instructor. |
| D．As a fashion model, it has a perfect figure. |
HRP-4C’s programming technology will be made public to .
| A．make money | B．make new frameworks |
| C．let other people improve it | D．help make new face and coverings |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．The purpose of making HRP-4C. B．Robotics industry in Japan.
C．A new Japanese robot. D．Japanese and robots.
A good night’s sleep in the early years of life could be very important in preventing a child becoming obese, say scientists. Babies and pre-school children who sleep for less than ten hours a night are more likely to be overweight when they are older, research has found. Experts believe that those who do not get enough sleep are more likely to feel hungry and want more calorie-rich food during the day.
Former research has linked sleeping with obesity in adults and teenagers, but this is one of the first to look at very young children. Researchers from the Universities of Washington and California looked at the sleeping habits of almost 1,000 children under the age of five. They found those who had less than ten hours’ sleep were twice as likely to be overweight five years later.
Childhood obesity has doubled over the past 10 years. A quarter of secondary school pupils are now judged to be so overweight that their health is in danger. Experts believe sleep, or lack（缺乏）of it, could be a major cause of this. On average children are sleeping for an hour less than they did 30 years ago. Last year Chinese researchers looked at more than 5,000 youngsters and found that those who were able to catch up on （补充）sleep at the weekend were far less likely to get body weight problems. Scientists have also found a link between lack of sleep and diabetes（糖尿病）. Last year Canadian researchers discovered those who did not get seven or eight hours’ sleep a night were two and a half times more likely to become sick.The underlined word “obese” in the first paragraph may mean .
| A．quite protective | B．very sad |
| C．very fat | D．quite young |
According to Chinese researchers, if a person who lacks sleep can get more sleep during weekends, .
| A．he won’t get hungry easily | B．he will feel tired all the time |
| C．there will be little chance of him becoming fat | |
| D．it will be very hard for him to fall asleep at night |
From the passage we know .
| A．too little sleep will result in illness besides obesity |
| B．in the past people didn’t connect sleep with weight |
| C．fat children must have slept less than 10 hours five years ago |
| D．most children are unhealthy because of little sleep |
What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．A good night’s sleep helps the development of kids’ brain! |
| B．Ten hours’ sleep prevents overweight in kids! |
| C．Children are sleeping much less nowadays! |
| D．More teenagers get weight problems! |
Where can you most probably read this passage?
| A．In the latest news. | B．In a children’s book. |
| C．In a health magazine. | D．In a scientist’s diary. |
Farah was sitting in the kitchen going over the party list with her mother. The exams were over and Farah wanted to invite her friends for a party.
“Farah, aren’t you going to invite Hafsa?” her mother asked. Hafsa had been her best friend since childhood.
“Mother, you know I am now a part of Purple Girls Club and we have some rules about people we can be friends with,” Farah answered.
“Really? And what are the rules?” her mother asked.
“Well, only very pretty girls can be part of our group. And Hafsa is so…you know …dark.”
“I canno
t believe it,”her mother said angrily.
As Farah left the kitchen, her father called her from the living room.
Farah went to her father and paled when she saw the exam report in his hands. “Farah, what has happened to your grades? You have failed in Mathematics,” her father said.
Farah had no answer. The truth was that the activities of Purple Girls Club left her with very little time for studies.
“Farah, it says that you can take part in supplementary exams（补考）. If your grades don’t improve then, I’ll cancel（职消）your trip to Spain.”
Farah went to her room and called Gina, the leader of Purple Girls Club. “Gina, can you help me to complete my notes before the exams?”
Gina laughed. “Exams? Who cares about exams?”
One by one, she called her friends in the club but no one seemed to care or wanted to help.
Farah knew Hafsa would help her. Farah also knew Hafsa had been hurt by her, but Hafsa said, “If you need any help, just let me know. We can study together till your exams.”
Next Monday, as two friends entered the school together, Gina called out.
“Farah, you know our rules. You cannot be friends with those who do not belong to our club.”
“Gina, I have a new rule about friendship,” Farah replied.After Farah became a member of Purple Girls Club, she chose a friend according to a person’s .
| A．looks | B．usual activities | C．grades | D．favorite colors |
Farah became pale after going to her father because.
| A．he didn’t allow her to go to Spain | B．she didn’t do well in her exams |
| C．she had to leave Purple Girls Club | D．he asked her to improve her grades |
．Which word can best describe Hafsa?
| A．Silly | B．Beautiful | C．Rude | D．Kind |
From the passage, we can know that .
| A．Hafsa is a member of Purple Girls Club |
| B．Gina will help Farah with her exams |
| C．Gina doesn’t care about exams |
| D．Farah would like to invite Hafsa to the party |
What lesson can we learn from the passage?
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. | B．A perfect friend will never be found. |
| C．Be slow in choosing a friend. | D．Friendship can be developed easily. |
阅读下列短文, 从每题所给的选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卷上将该项涂黑。
C
This hotel in the trees is famous in the world. People, who know very little about Kenya, know of Treetops. When King George VI died, Princess Elizabeth was staying on the 
Treetops, and when she came down from there, “She succeeded him as the queen of the country”. Th
is hotel in the middle of the forest shows the pleasure of Africa. When you visit it, you will be sent into the heart of the forest by hotel buses, and then a guide, with a gun to protect you against big game, will go with you to the Treetops. Before and after dinner, for the whole night if you wish, you can sit on the corridor (走廊), watching animals come to the water pool. The earliest hotel Treetops was built round a large tree on the opposite side of th
e water, but that was destroyed by fire and the new hotel Treetops, which is built round several trees, is much bigger.
The dining room at
Treetops is small, and the waiters cannot walk round to serve guests, a clever “railway service” has been invented. Guests take their food as it passes slowly in front of them, along a line in the center of the table.
There are many animals around the Treetops. When you visit them, you can see:
— Animals and their babies are waiting to greet the guests.
— Animals, enjoying the Treetops pool in the daylight.
— A long bodied, long ring tailed very active cat-like animal is a special one coming out at night.
He hunts and eats anything he can overpower, and his teeth and claws can do you harm.
— Some other animals that have a thick coating of fur to keep them warm in the cold forest nights.
— Many buffaloes (水牛) coming near to the Treetops for water and salt during the day or night.
In Paragraph One, “succeeded” means ______.
| A．did what she was trying to do | B．gained her purpose |
| C．got a position on the death of the King | D．completed a difficult task |
Which of the following description about “the cat-like animal” is NOT true?
| A．It comes for food only at night. | B．It lives in the trees at Treetops. |
| C．Its teeth and claws can do people harm. | D．It can catch any other animal in the forest. |
According to the passage. Treetops is famous in the world because ______.
| A．it can show the pleasure of Americans living in Africa |
| B．Princess Elizabeth got to the crown when coming down from there |
| C．they are built round several trees to provide adventures for visitors |
| D．there are many animals that can be trained and become lovely pets |
We can learn from the passage, that the guests ______.
| A．should not play games on the Treetops | B．could enjoy their dinner as usual |
| C．could not sit on the corridor at night | D．should keep off the cat-like animals |
阅读下列短文, 从每题所给的选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卷上将该项涂黑。
B
Two experts did some experiments on two groups of people — one who tended to sleep less than the
people around them and the other group more.
According to their report that the “short sleepers” had been more or less average in their sleep needs until the men were in their teens. But at about age 15 or so, the men automatically began to cut down their nightly sleep time because of pressures from school, work, and other activities. These men tended to view their nightly periods of unconsciousness as bothersome interruptions in their daily routines.
In general, these “short sleepers” appeared with ambition, active, energetic, cheerful, and conformist (不动摇) in their opinions, and very sure about their career choices. They often held several jobs at once, or even worked full time while going to school. And many of them 
had a strong urge to appear “acceptable” or “outstanding” to their friends and associates.
When asked to recall their dreams, the “short sleepers” did poorly. More than this, they seemed to prefer not remembering them. In similar fashion, their usual way of dealing with psychological problems was to deny that the problem existed, and then to keep busy in the hope that the trouble would go away.
The experts also stated that those “long sleepers” were quite different indeed. They reported that those men had been lengthy sleeps since childhood. They seemed to enjoy their sleep, protected it, and were a bit concerned when they were occasionally deprived of their desired 9 hours of nightly bed rest. They tended to recall their dreams much better than the “short sleepers did.
Many of the “long sleepers” were shy, anxious, introverted (内向), inhibited (压抑), passive, mildly depressed, and unsure of themselves (particularly in social situations). Several openly express it that being asleep was a good escape from their daily problems.
All in all, proper time of sleeping should be admired, not too long, neither too short. According to the report, ______.
| A．many “short sleepers” need less sleep just by nature |
| B．many “short sleepers” are obliged to reduce sleep time by work |
| C．long sleepers sleep a longer period of time during the day |
| D．many “long sleepers” formed sleeping habit during childhood |
Many “short sleepers” are likely to hold the view that ______.
| A．sleep is a very efficient escape from the reality |
| B．sleep is just an item which should be denied by them |
| C．sleep might be a disturbing thing for their daily business |
| D．sleep is the best way to deal with psychological troubles |
It is stated in the forth paragraph that “short sleepers” ______.
| A．are ideally energetic under the pressures of life |
| B．often ignore the ill effect of not enough sleep |
C．do not know how to re lax themselves p roperly |
| D．are more unlikely to run into mental problems |
Which of the following is nearest to the meaning of “… were a bit concerned” in the fifth Para?
| A．appeared troubled | B．became energetic |
| C．felt dissatisfied | D．were much depressed |
Which of the following is NOT correct according to the passage?
| A．If one sleeps improperly, his performance suffers and his memory is weakened |
| B．The sleep patterns of short sleepers are the same as those shown by “long sleepers” |
| C．Long and short sleepers differ in their attitudes towards sleep |
| D．Short sleepers may have been better off if they have more rest |