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New York’s streets were covered by people dressed in elephant costumes (服装) and others waving antiwar posters with pictures of US President George W. Bush on them last week. But this was no carnival (狂欢节) – it was the Republican Party’s National Convention (共和党全国大会), which attracted thousands of protestors (抗议者). It was the largest protest ever at a US political convention, with at least 120,000 people marching through Manhattan on August 29. They demanded that the US leave Iraq and a new president be chosen.
The Republicans say the opposition – Democrat Party (民主党) encouraged the people on to the streets. They believe it is a democratic move to help win presidential election, to be held on November 2. The election is described as “the decisive battle between donkey and elephant”. The two animals are the symbols of the two major political parties in the US. The elephant represents (象征) the Republicans, whose candidate (侯选人), President George W. Bush, is trying to defeat the donkey to win his second them. The donkey represents the democrats, whose candidate, John Kerry, is trying to kick the elephant out of the White House.
Republicans think the elephant is powerful and clever, but the Democrats argue it is stupid and conservative (守旧的). In return, the Republicans regard the donkey as stubborn (倔强的) and silly but the Democrats say it is humble, plain, smart and courageous.
The Republicans have been sending emails to Bush supporters and journalists with the heading, “An Elephant Never Forgets”, said party spokeswoman Heather Layman. Elephants are known for their long memories. The emails suggest that Bush will keep his promises, while Kerry will not stick to his words.
It is interesting that both symbols were created by a single person, Thomas Nast, a famous political cartoonist of the late 19th century. During the election in 1874, Nast drew a cartoon, in which a donkey in a lion’s skin frightened an elephant marked “Republican”.
What does “kick the elephant out of the White House” mean?

A．Drive the animal out of the White House.	B．Drive President Bush out of power.
C．Keep the elephant out of the White House.	D．Insist on Bush’s being elected.

In the eyes of the Republicans, the donkey is considered as .

A．clever

B．foolish

C．polite

D．brave

Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The same artist created the two symbols.

B．The emails suggest Kerry will not carry out his promises.

C．“An Elephant Never Forgets” means that an elephant has a good memory.

D．John Kerry is a Democrat.

Indonesia’s coral reefs(珊瑚礁) are in trouble. Coral mining, Industrial pollution and poisonous agricultural runoff all play a role in their destruction, but the fishermen have been the worst offenders. They not only bomb fish but also poison them with cyanide, an equally destructive practice. The fishermen are also among the biggest potential victims(受害者). Two thirds of Indonesia’s 7, 000 coastal villages are close to coral reefs and thus depend for their livelihood on the harvest of reef fish. The disappearing reefs are already leading to a dramatic decline in the productivity of coastal fisheries and to increasing fights among fishermen.
Indonesia’s reefs are vast – they cover 51, 000 square kilometers, surround 17, 500 islands and stretch 3,500 kilometers – but they are not infinite. Many foreign experts and Indonesians fear that the region’s entire marine environment could be seriously damaged if the reefs keep dying at their present rate. “The overall picture is depressing,” says Ian Dutton, Indonesian director of an environmental group.
Depressing, but not hopeless. Despite the destruction, environmentalists have in recent years made significant progress in changing the hearts and minds of the fishermen. Working closely with local Indonesian authorities in North Sulawesi and less populated eastern Indonesia, where most of the country’s reefs are located, they have succeeded in preventing destructive fishing practices and coral mining from overwhelming the reefs.
Increasing numbers of fishermen are waking up to the threat and protecting the life-sustaining coral before it’s too late. Nuhung, a 56-year-old fisherman, says, “I always knew blast fishing was harmful. Then I suddenly realized that by bombing the reefs I was destroying not only my own but my children’s future.”
The fishermen are named “worst offenders” because .

A．they defend their rights of mining the coral reefs too eagerly

B．they wake up too late to realize the terrible situation

C．they use the fishing ways, which destroy the coral reefs

D．they pretend to follow the government’s rules

In the text the author .

A．presents us some facts and people’s opinions as well

B．shows that he’s worried about the situation, but still feels a little hopeful

C．says he’s delighted and meanwhile, depressed

D．disagrees with what’s being done and gives suggestions

The underlined word “infinite” in the 2nd paragraph most probably means .

A．incomplete

B．short

C．unfit

D．limitless

Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the text?

A．But for the fishermen’s protection, the reefs would disappear soon.

B．More and more fishermen have realized their mistakes.

C．Without the coral reefs, the fishermen would have nothing for their livelihood.

D．Some practical measures have been taken to stop the situation worsening.

This passage may be taken from______.

A．a magazine

B．a novel

C．a newspaper

D．a storybook

Mary Cassatt is one of the first great women American painters. At first her father did not want her to become an artist. But she followed her dreams and became an artist.She was born on
May 22, 1844, and lived in Europe for several years as a child.
Her family returned to the United States and, at age 16, Mary attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Four years later she decided she couldn't learn anything fresh and practical in Philadelphia, so she returned to Europe. There she studied the skills of the masters in Rome, Seville, Antwerp, and Paris.
Mary received the chance of a lifetime at the age of 33 when the famous French painter, Edgar Degas, asked her to join a group of painters that included now-famous artists like Manet and Renoir. Their style of painting is called Impressionism. They used primary colors and short brush strokes(笔画) in their work. They recognized Mary 's spirit and powerful talent and invited her to exhibit in the Impressionist art shows.
Mary painted what she saw: gardens, and paintings of persons, especially of mothers and children involved in everyday living. One of her paintings, "Young Mother and Two Children," was given to the White House in 1954 where it hangs today.
Mary never married and, in 1877, her parents and sister moved to Europe to join her. Mary devoted much of her time to them for the next 18 years to their care. Mary painted until 1914 when her failing eyesight made it impossible to continue. She spent the later years of her life in Paris. She died in 1926 at the age of 82. Unfortunately,all her life, she refused to accept students.
Mary left Pennsylvania for Europe at age 20 mainly because_____.

A．she wanted to learn another style of paintings

B．she didn’t learn anything in Pennsylvania

C．her desire for the learning wasn’t satisfied well

D．her father didin’t want her to learn painting again

Which year was the most critical to her career and life?

A．1860

B．1864

C．1877

D．1914

Which of the statements about Mary Cassatt is supported by the passage?

A．Her father had a decisive effect on her painting

B．Her painting featured scenes of everyday living

C．She used various colors and long lines in her works

D．She studied the paintings of the masters in U.S.A

Mary Cassatt stopping painting because of_____.

A．her poor eyesight

B．her old age

C．lack of interest

D．her family

It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

A．during the last ten year of life, she painted nothing.

B．the paintings of Edgar Degas belong to realism

C．her works were controversial though highly recognized

D．her students showed great respect for her

A small piece of fish each day may keep the heart doctor away. That’s the finding of a study of Dutch men in which deaths from heart disease were more than 50 percent lower among those who consumed at least an ounce of salt water fish per day compared to those who never ate fish.
The Dutch research is one of three human studies that give strong scientific support to the long held belief that eating fish can provide health benefits, particularly to the heart.
Heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States, with more than 550,000 deaths occurring from heart attacks each year. But previous research has shown that the level of heart disease is lower in cultures that consume more fish than Americans do. There are fewer heart disease deaths, for example, among the Eskimos of Greenland, who consume about 14 ounces of fish a day, and among the Japanese, whose daily fish consumption averages more than 3 ounces.
For 20 years, the Dutch study followed 852 middle-aged men, 20 percent of whom ate no fish. At the start of the study, average fish consumption was about two-thirds of an ounce each day, with more men eating lean fish than fatty fish.
During the next two decades, 78 of the men died from heart disease. The fewest deaths were among the group who regularly ate fish, even at levels far lower than those of the Japanese or Eskimos. This relationship was true regardless of other factors such as age, high blood pressure, or blood cholesterol（胆固醇）levels.
The passage is mainly about _________.

A．the high incidence of heart disease in some countries

B．the changes in people’s diet

C．the effect of fish eating on people’s health

D．the daily fish consumption of people in different cultures

We can infer from the passage that there are fewer heart disease deaths ________.

A．in countries of the yellow-skin race

B．in highly-developed countries

C．in the countries with high consumption of fish

D．in the countries with good production of fish

The phrase “this relationship” in paragraph 6 refers to the connection between _________ and the level of heart disease.

A．the amount of fish eaten	B．regular fish-eating
C．the kind of fish eaten	D．people of different areas

From the passage we know the author is most probably ______.

A．a heart doctor	B．a science researcher
C．a supporter of healthy eating	D．a university student

Everyday rubbish could provide a valuable source of energy thanks to a clever new invention. Smelly methane（沼气）gas expelled from landfill sites containing tones of rotting household waste could be used to produce a valuable energy resource. In Europe alone land fill tips produce 94 billion cubic meters of methane per year but currently only one percent of what could be a valuable source of energy is used, the rest is burnt off to prevent an explosive build up of gas.
Methane gas forms when organic matter breaks down and is drawn off from large rubbish tips by pipes sunk into the middle of the waste. Until now this process wasn’t possible on small sites because the pipe allowed oxygen to seep in and that stop the breakdown process.
Viktor Popov of the Wessex Institute of Technology has now developed a system to modify existing landfill sites by making them airtight while the methane is extracted from sunken wells. The site is covered by a special three-layered skin whose two outer layers are made of clay with a pressurized（加压的）layer of carbon dioxide gas in the middle. As the methane is sucked out through a central well it is replaced by carbon dioxide from the middle layer rather than oxygen, allowing the breakdown process to continue.
Unfortunately there are no plans to use the power of methane even though Popov claims his invention could provide a valuable source of energy over the next 20 years.
The passage mainly introduces ______ to us.

A．how to make methane	B．a new way to make use of rubbish
C．the valuable things in rubbish	D．the amount of rubbish beig reused

From the passage we can see that _____.

A．in Europe 94 billion cubic meters of methane is produced every year

B．some of the waste will explode if it is not burnt off

C．99% of the rubbish has been burnt off in Europe

D．only a very small part of this kind of energy is used in Europe

In the passage the underlined word “that” refers to ______.

A．methane gas

B．the long pipe

C．oxygen

D．the rubbish

Which of the following statement is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Oxygen can cause the breakdown process to stop.

B．When the methane is sucked out, oxygen will enter from the middle layer.

C．Carbon dioxide doesn’t affect the breakdown process.

D．The new invention has not been put into use.

A．Spring Restaurant	B．Science Museum
C．Sunshine Shopping Center	D．Huatai Hotel

A．Peace Road	B．East Road
C．West Road	D．Green Road

A．Spring Restaurant.	B．Science Museum
C．Sunshine Shopping Center.	D．Huatai Hotel

A．a novel	B．a guide book
C．a dictionary	D．a science report