We know more about the surface of the planet Mars than we know about what is at the bottom of Earth’s oceans.
Until recently, scientists had mapped only about 20 percent of the sea floor. But our knowledge of the deep seas is changing because of information from satellites. Scientists have produced a new map that provides a detailed picture of the oceans. The map is expected to help oceanographers, industry and governments.
The new map is twice as detailed as the map made 20 years ago. David Sandwell is a geophysics professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California. He and other scientists worked on the mapping project. He says they turned to space to look deeper into the ocean. He spoke to VOA on SKYPE.
“The way we’re doing that is to use a satellite altimeter(高度计), a radar to map the topography(地貌) of the ocean surface. Now that seems sort of strange that you’d map the topography of the ocean surface when you really want to get at the sea floor. But, the ocean surface topography has these bumps and dips due to gravitational effects that mimic what’s on the sea floor.”
The scientists collected and studied information from two satellites. Some of the data came from the European Space Agency’s Cryo-2 satellite. It was placed in Earth’s orbit to watch sea ice. The other satellite is the American space agency’s Jason-1. It is studying the surface of the oceans. Scientists combined the satellite data with images gathered by sonar equipment on ships. Sonar works by sending sound waves through the water. When the sound waves hit an object, its presence is confirmed.
“That enables us to look at smaller-scale features and also features that are buried by sediments in the ocean basins.”
The new map shows the sea floor as it has never been seen before. It shows thousands of underwater mountains and places where continents pulled apart. It shows where earthquakes were active many years ago. They all are buried deep underneath the ocean floor.
In one place, three mountain ridges join at the same area. Huge tectonic (构造的) plates can be seen clearly there.The passage is likely to ______________________.
| A．be an advertisement | B．appear on VOA |
| C．make a comment on radar | D．appear on SKYPE |
What will be mentioned in the following paragraph, according to the last paragraph?
| A．The detailed information about the place. |
| B．The more important thing in the ocean. |
| C．The things buried in the ocean. |
| D．Scientists told SKYPE they will explore at the same area. |
Scientists collected and studied information by ____________.
| A．the European Space Agency’s Cryo-2 satellite |
| B．the American space agency’s Jason-1 |
| C．sonar equipment on ships |
| D．the Cryo-2 and the Jason-1 |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Scientists Create New Maps of Ocean Floor |
| B．Scientists Knows More Oceans Than Mars |
| C．Oceans Will Provide Us With Maps |
| D．People Knows Easily About Mars |
In the modern world more and more people meet the problem of identity．The most interesting example is that of a so – called “banana”, which refers to an American who has an Asian face but holds Western values．
In Shanghai, there now live a group of people from abroad．They look no different from the locals and speak fluent Chinese or even Shanghai dialect, but when it comes to writing Chinese characters, they are almost illiterate（文盲）．Jack is such an example．He never learned to read or write Chinese characters, which he finds mysterious and difficult．From time to time, he files to the US as he does not feel Shanghai is where he comes from．“But when I am in the States, I feel that’s not my home either,” he said．
At De Gaulle Airport in France, there is a Swiss man who has been living in the waiting – room for a long time because he lost h is passport during his travels．He was refused entry into several countries．But when he was eventually allowed to return to Swizerland, he refused to leave the airport．His reason was very simple—“I am sure who I am．I need no acknowledgement from others,” he said during an interview．For th is reason he was honored by the Western media as “the Hero of identity．”
As the Internet becomes more and more popular, the problem of identity becomes more serious．In a virtual world, people can have different addresses registered with different names．In the Internet chat room, even one’s gender（性别） is hard to determine．It seems that in the glohal village, people are saying hello every day to each other without knowing whom they are talking to．
What will be the next crisis（危机） of identity? With the development of cloning technology, it might be: who is the real “I”?What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．The importance of identity． |
| B．The crisis of identity． |
| C．Differences between Eastern and Western cultures． |
| D．Difficulty in living in foreign counties． |
The Swiss man had to live in De Gaulle Airport in France because．
A．he needed to board a plane at any time
B．he couldn’t afford to live in a hotel
C．he needed others acknowledgement
D．he couldn’t prove who he was
65．A “banana” in the passage is in fact an．
A．American traveling to Asia B．American keeping Eastern culture
C．American born in Asia D．America – born AsianWe can infer from the passage that the author believes．
| A．there will be more problems relating to identity in the future |
| B．Internet technology helps solve problems of identity |
| C．only people traveling abroad have problems of identity |
| D．people don’t need to worry about identity |
Until recently, I hadn’t done much community service．In face, I did nothing to benefit anyone but myself．My selfishness and laziness were clear before I received an assignment from my teacher．Each student was required to complete 10 hours community service．To me, 10 hours was a huge amount of time to spend helping others．Volunterring, for me, has been a truly life – changing experience．
My mom suggested that I organize a food drive（募捐活动）in our development（新建筑宅区）and donate what I collected to a local shelter．Anything that would help finish the project seemed like a good idea, so I agreed．I made up flyers（传单）asking for donations and placed flyers at every house in my neighborhood．
I was getting ready to fetch the cans from my neighbor’s yards on the day of the food drive when all of a sudden it started to pour．Rain flooded the roads and wind blew hard, but I was determined to complete my task．My mom drove me around our development and I jumped out at every house to collect items people had put out．
When we finally arrived the shelter, I was a little nervous because I had never been there before．The woman in charge was extremely grateful for the donations and said that the world would be ganizing the food drive and delighted that my service to the community would make a difference in people’s lives．
As I was leaving the shelter, a man asked if I was the one who had brought all the food．I shyly nodded, and he said, “A round here, you are a hero．” From that point on, I made myself a promise that I would serve the community more often, even when it was not required．Through this school assignment, I have realized that caring for others is an important part of living and the world would be a completely different place if people all help those who are less fortunate．From the first paragraph we know the author．
| A．was satisfied with the assignment of his teacher |
| B．was unwilling to do good things for others |
| C．thought it impossible for him to spend 10 hours helping others |
| D．didn’t realize his selfishness until he received the assignment |
The author decided to serve the community more often because．
| A．he was treated as a big hero by his neighbors |
| B．he received gratitude from the woman in the shelter |
| C．he found what he did had an effect on people’s lives |
| D．he found the people in the shelter were warm – hearted |
The author wrote this passage in order to．
| A．show his pity for those poor people |
| B．care about the future of the world |
| C．give advice on organizing a drive |
| D．expect more people to think of others |
Steps Shoes Salon
Steps Shoes Salon, 4518 S．Cottage Grove, knows our “economy is weathering a little storm” They’ve discounted winter botts and shoes for their fellow shoes lovers．So step in and save! Hours: 11a．m．to 7 p．m．Monday through Friday; 11 a．m．to 6 p．m．Saturaday; Noon to 5 p．m．the first Sunday of this month （closeed other Sundays）．Call 773-548
Jonathan Saunders for Target
If you’ve ever watched a runway shoes and thought “yeah, that dress would be awesome if it wasn’t $ 1,800”, you’ll be very pleased to know that British designer Jonathan Saunders has decided to use his powers for good and offer fashion – forward clothing．His collection was inspired by the works of Gustav Klimt, Jackson Pollack and Rothko．The clothing ranges from $ 14．99 to $ 29．99 and is only available until Novermber 1 （close evenings）．So hurry! Here are some highlights: Color – Block Tunic is $ 17．99; Ponte Skirt is $ 29．99; Marble – Print color – Block Dress is $ 19．99 and Reversible Belt in Yellow is $ 14．99．
Don’t miss these two boutique （时装用品小商店）sale events
Shop at boutiques along Roscoe, including Cinnamon Boutique, between 5 and 9 p．m．to-night, October3, and 15 percent of all sales will be donated to Children’s Memorial Hospital．Other stores include A Pied, Little Threads, Glas-to-Go, Sacred Art and Original Expressions Happy shopping!
The adorable Lincoln Square boutique Dressing Room just opened a sister store called Dressing Room Shoes．Grab your fellow shoe worshippers and has over for snack, sales, specials and giveaways（免费样品）during one of these three parties: from 6 to 8 p．m．tomorrow, October 4; from 1 to 4 p．m．．, October 5 Sunday and from 1 to 4 p．m．Octorber6, Monday．Also, the store is launching a new art exhibition from Morpho Galley, which will run through the end of the month．Enjoy!Miss Blythe, who will be free at 7 p．m．tonight, might go to for some purchase．
| A．Cinnamon Boutique | B．Jonathan Saunders for Target |
| C．Steps Shoe Salon | D．Dressing Room Shoes |
The underlined word “awesome” in the second part probably means “ ”．
| A．common | B．fashionable | C．perfect | D．expensive |
What is the main idea of the first part?
| A．The world is being hit by an economic downturn（开始下降） |
| B．Steps Shoe Salon is providing weather forecast for us． |
| C．A snowstorm has interrupted the traffic in Cottage Grove． |
| D．Steps Shoe Salon marks down（减价）winter shoes and boots． |
What can we learn about Jonathan Saunders from the passage?
| A．Most of his designs are classical． |
| B．The clothes he designed are affordable． |
| C．He is returning to Britain on November 1． |
| D．Rothko once instructed him in designing． |
Health experts have long worried about the increasing rate of obesity in kids. It’s an important concern: Being very overweight or obese during childhood can lead to serious problems normally seen in adults, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Poor diets and a lack of exercise are usually the causes. But would you ever have imagined there might be a connection between the bacteria that lived in your guts （内脏）when you were a baby and the chance that you would become overweight?
Scientists in Finland recently found just such a link. In a recent study, they showed that overweight kids had different species of bacteria living in their guts.
You probably think of bacteria only as germs that can make you sick. While it’s true that some bacteria can make people ill, your body actually depends on some types of bacteria to help you digest food and extract nutrients from it. These “good” bacteria live in your guts, where they process the food you eat.
Human babies get these bacterial helpers from their moms. When a baby is born, some of the bacteria in the mother move into the baby’s body. Growing babies get additional “good” bacteria from the milk their mothers produce. And it turns out the bacteria might play an important role in regulating weight just six years later.
So how could these bacteria affect weight? The researchers still haven’t tested that question, but future tests might lead to an answer.The “link” in Paragraph 2 refers to the relationship between _______.
| A．bacteria and the chance of being overweight | B．obesity and diabetes |
| C．diets and the chance of being overweight | D．bacteria and exercise |
Which of the following is NOT the function of “good” bacteria?
| A．Helping to digest food. | B．Helping to take nutrients from food. |
| C．Helping to regulate weight. | D．Making a person ill. |
The purpose of writing this passage is to _______.
| A．introduce the role of bacteria in children’s weight |
| B．analyze the influence of obesity on kids |
| C．give advice on how to lose weight quickly |
| D．explain the function of bacteria in foods |
Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling. Recycling in the home is very important of course. However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need. We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place.
The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK. In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard.
Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment. The UK, for example, is running out of areas for burying this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such items in the first place. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example.
But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have learned to associate packaging with quality. We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality. This is especially true of food. But is also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary.
There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realise just how much unnecessary material are collecting. We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb.What does the underlined phrase “over-consumption” refer to?
| A．Using too much packaging. |
| B．Recycling too many wastes. |
| C．Making more products than necessary. |
| D．Having more material than is needed. |
The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show _______.
| A．the tendency of cutting household waste |
| B．the increase of packaging recycling |
| C．the rapid growth of super markets |
| D．the fact of packaging overuse |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
| A．Unpackaged products are of bad quality. |
| B．Supermarkets care more about packaging. |
| C．It is improper to judge quality by packaging. |
| D．Other products are better packaged than food. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Fighting wastefulness is difficult. |
| B．Needless material is mostly recycled. |
| C．People like collecting recyclable waste. |
| D．The author is proud of their consumer culture. |