Opposition is growing to the Berlin Zoo’s plans to find a new home for Knut, the moneymaking celebrity polar bear whose popularity has been exploited by environmentalists and even Canadian tourism promoters.
No longer cute, and just days before his second birthday, Knut will be given a new home that is expected to include a potential mating partner.
The Berlin Zoo, facing the global economic crisis, can’t afford the estimated $ 13 million it would take to acquire a female and a new home for them to share. “It’s time for him to go—the sooner he gets a new home the better,” said senior bear keeper Heiner Kloes.
But some Berliners are beginning a campaign, collecting petition (情愿书) signatures and arguing that he’s a tourist draw and a symbol as important as the Brandenburg Gate. “He means a lot to many people. When you’re with him you forget your problems,” Hartmut Wiedenroth, co-founder of the campaign, told Spiegel Online.
Knut became an international celebrity in 2007, drawing huge crowds to his cage and triggering sales of thousands of Knut toys and Knut-shaped candies.
The Vancouver-based Canadian Tourism Commission made Knut a major part of its “Canada—Keep Exploring” campaign to draw tourists to the country— and especially to polar bear country in northern Manitoba to see them in their natural habitat. Environmentalists also used the bear to promote the fight against global warming.
But Knut’s popularity diminished as his size increased to 210 kilograms, He was photographed at one point snapping (咬) at a child near his cage. In September his keeper, Thomas Doerflein, died of a heart attack. Doerflein, who became a celebrity himself after nursing the tiny ball of white fur when Knut’s mother rejected him, had been re-assigned shortly after Knut’s first birthday. Some animal rights critics said Knut has been showing unusually aggressive behavior because of his unnatural upbringing.The Berlin Zoo intends to find a new home for Knut mainly because of .
| A．the mother bear deserting him |
| B．Knut’s aggressive behavior |
| C．lacking a skillful bear keeper |
| D．its financial problem |
A campaign is being launched in Berlin .
| A．in order to keep Knut in the zoo |
| B．by selling Knut-shaped candies |
| C．to draw tourists to northern Manitoba |
| D．to warn people of global warming |
The underlined word “triggering” in Paragraph 5 can be replaced by “ ”.
| A．decreasing | B．preventing |
| C．promoting | D．conducting |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Doerflein, a celebrity of Germany |
| B．Zoo says Knut must go |
| C．The polar bear capital of the world |
| D．Polar bears in Canada |
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题； 每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文, 然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
A
In England, afternoon tea, taken between four o’clock and five o’clock is the most informal meal of the day. If you are a friend of the family, you may drop in for tea without an invitation or telling you are coming. Very often it is not served at table. The members and visitors take tea in the sitting-room. Each person has a cup and saucer(一套杯碟), a spoon and a small plate for bread-and-butter and cake. By the way, do not help yourself to cake first, but bread-and-butter first, then cake if there is any. Another piece of advice: do not put more than one piece of bread or cake at the same time.
56. In England, tea is usually taken _______.
A. early in the morning B. shortly after lunch
C. between lunch and supper D. any time in the afternoon
57. A typical（典型的） English tea consists of__________.
A. either tea or food B. tea food and vegetable
C. both tea and food D. the same thing as other meals
58. If you want to have tea in a friend’s home, __________.
A. it is important to wait for his invitation;
B. you must send him a message before you start out;
C. you call on him any time you think proper;
D. you should ask for his permission first.
59. Which of the following is not true according to the passage? __________.
A. Very often people can share a set of tea things;
B. Tea is often had in the sitting-room;
C. The things do not consist of cups and spoons only;
D. Cake is not always served at tea.
E
Concern with money, and then more money, in order to buy the conveniences and luxuries of modern life, has brought great changes to the lives of most Frenchmen. More people are working harder than ever before in France. In the cities the traditional leisurely midday meal is disappearing. Offices, shops, and factories are discovering the great efficiency of a short lunch hour in company lunchrooms. In almost all lines of work, emphasis now falls on ever-increasing output thus the “ typical” Frenchman produces more, earns more, and buys more consumer goods than his counterpart of only a generation ago he gains in creature comfort and ease of life what he loses to some extent is his sense of personal uniqueness, or individuality.
Some say that France has been Americanized. This is because the United States is a world symbol of the technological society and its consumer products. The so-called Americanization of France has its critics. They fear that “assembly-line life” will lead to the disappearance of the pleasures of the more graceful and leisurely (but less productive) old French style.
What will happen, they ask, to taste, elegance, and the cultivation of the good things in life- to enjoy in the smell of a freshly picked apple, a stroll by the river, or just happy hours of conversation in a local café?
Since the late 1950’s life in France has indeed taken on qualities of rush, tension, and the pursuit of material gain. Some of the strongest critics of the new way of life are the young, especially university students. They are concerned with the future, and they fear that France is threatened by the triumph of this competitive, goods-oriented culture. Occasionally, they have reacted against the trend with considerable violence.
In spite of the critics, however, countless Frenchmen are committed to keeping France in the forefront of the modern economic world. They find that the present life brings more rewards, conveniences, and pleasures than that of the past. They believe that a modern, industrial France is preferable to the old.
The passage is about ______.
A. changes in the life style of the French B. criticism of the old life style
C. approval of the new life style D. analysis of the old way of life in France
73. The old French way of life mainly featured ______.
A. elegance, leisure and romanticism B. efficiency, elegance and leisure
C. elegance, leisure and taste D. efficiency, leisure and taste
74. Which of the following about the French is NOT true?
A. They show more concerns about money than before
B. They do enjoy working on the assembly line.
C. Many of them prefer the new life style to the old.
D. They are more competitive than the elder generation.
75. What is the attitude of the general Frenchmen towards the new life style?
A. They fear that France is threatened by the new trend
B. They are unsatisfied with the new way of life
C. They welcome the new life style enthusiastically
D. They confuse the traditional life style with the new one
D
STAGE
Stories in Boxes: Britain performing artist Bobby Baker will present Box Story to conclude the UK performing Arts Festival.
Her performances cover various aspects of life: including health, shopping, and educating children. She explores these themes with originality and “outside the square”.
Time: 7:30 pm, December 3-5
Place: North Theater, Beibingmasi Lane, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng District
Tel: 8602-4898
Elvis Story: Le Caoitole De Quebee will bring its production The Elvis Story to Beijing audiences this month.
This remarkable musical production relates the best moments of Elvis Preeley’s life and his career. The show is a musical reconstitution of the life of a singer who revolutionized American popular music and become the most famous rock star of the 20th century.
Time: 7:30 pm, November 25-28
Place: Poly Theater, Dongsishitiao
Tel: 6506-5343, 6413-1321
Soldier’s musical: A Soldier’s Diary, a Chinese musical describing the life of contemporary (当代的)soldiers in China, is to be staged for 12 performances by the Song and Dance Essembles of the Political of the Chinese People Liberation Army .
Time: 7:30 pm, November 29-December15
Place: China Theatre, Xisanhuan Beilu, Handian District
Tel: 6843-0560
Social tolerance: The Italian opera Pagliacci, by Ruggero Leoneavallo ( 1856--1919), is to premiere(首次公演), performed by Chinese opera singers from China’s Central Opera Theatre.
A violent opera exploring the limits of social tolerance, the opera premiered in 1892 and gained popularity throughout Europe and America. Within two years, it had been translated into all major European languages including Swedish, Serbo-Croatian and Hebrew.
Leoneavallo was a prolific writer, yet none of his other works ever matched the popularity of this opera.
Chinese vocal artists include Huang Yuefeng, Wang Feng, Sun Xiewei, Gao Lei and Shen Na, Li Wei is to conduct..
Time: 7:30 pm, November 27
Place: Peking University Concert Hall, Peking University
Tel: 6275-1278, 6551-4787
If you want to see Bobby Baker’s performance you should phone ______ to book a seat.
A. 8602-4898 B.6843-0506 C. 6413-1321 D. 6551-4787
69. Which performance covers the life of contemporary soldiers in China?
A. The Elvis Story B. Box Story C. Pagliacci D. A Soldier’s Diary
70. From the passage we can learn that Leoneavallo was ______.
A. an opera singer B. a writer C. a pop singer D. an actor
71. If Peter is a soldier, which place perhaps would he like to go on November 29?
A. North Theatre B. China Theatre C. Poly Theatre D. Peking University
C
With only about 1,000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone the animal and save the endangered species. That’s a move similar to what a Texas A&M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.
Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, Dr, Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2,000 species of mammals, birds and reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.
The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.
“ The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available ( capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes, “ They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy ( having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the project at Texas A&M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.
“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.”
64. The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to ______.
make efforts to clone the endangered pandas
save endangered animals from dying out
collect DNA of endangered animals to study
transfer the nuclear of name animal to another
According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of ______.
A. available panda eggs B. host animals
C. qualified researchers D. enough money
66. The best title for the passage may be ______.
A. China’s Success in Pandas Cloning B. The First Cloned Panda in the World
C. Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas D. China-- the Native Place of Pandas Forever
67. From the passage we know that ______.
A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog
B. scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit
C. Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches
D. about two thousand of species will probably die out in a century
B
Las Ramblas is the most famous street in Barcelona. Especially in summer, thousands of tourists go the seaside by passing through this street, making it a centre of shops and bazaars. Not only can you find tourists there, but also thieves, swindlers, cops--- among whom the living statue artists are the most special group. They were covered with greasepaint（化妆油) in different colors, wearing season-disproportional clothes, standing on a pedestal for several hours without making even a single move. Are they real or fake, the guests were wondering--- and then suddenly the statues came to life, just for a few seconds to shift positions. But the movement of the statues seemed like someone just had breathed life into them. They really do look like statues, and that’s how they got their names.
Usually there is a jar or a hat in front of them. They would change to another pose whenever some tourists put a coin in the hat. You may take photos after giving a Euro, or even less, but be careful not to touch the statues, unless you want yourself to be covered in paint. It’s a really special experience, don’t you think?
60. Why is Las Ramhlas the most famous street in Barcelona?
A. It is a place where people come for holiday.
B. It is in Barcelona that makes it famous.
C. Thousands of tourists go to the seaside by passing through this street.
D. It is a center of trade.
61. Why are those persons called living statues?
A. They were covered with greasepaint in different colors.
B. They were wearing season-disproportional clothes.
C. They are standing on a pedestal for several hours without making even a single move.
D. Their movement seemed like someone just had breathed life into them.
62. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
A. There are tourists, thieves, swindlers, cops and living statues in the famous street.
B. The persons who make living statues want to earn money by this way.
C. Taking photos with living statues is free.
D. People can touch living statues
63. Which kind of persons are most special in Las Ramhlas street?
A. Tourists B. Thieves C. Guides D. Living statues