Life in the Clear
Transparent animals let light pass through their bodies the same way light passes through a window. These animals typically live between the surface of the ocean and a depth of about 3,300 feet—as far as most light can reach. Most of them are extremely delicate and can be damaged by a simple touch. Sonke Johnsen, a scientist in biology, says, “These animals live through their life alone. They never touch anything unless they’re eating it, or unless something is eating them.”
And they are as clear as glass. How does an animal become see-through? It’s trickier than you might think.
The objects around you are visible because they interact with light. Light typically travels in a straight line. But some materials slow and scatter(散射) light, bouncing it away from its original path. Others absorb light, stopping it dead in its tracks. Both scattering and absorption make an object look different from other objects around it, so you can see it easily.
But a transparent object doesn’t absorb or scatter light, at least not very much, Light can pass through it without bending or stopping. That means a transparent object doesn’t look very different from the surrounding air or water. You don’t see it ----you see the things behind it.
To become transparent, an animal needs to keep its body from absorbing or scattering light. Living materials can stop light because they contain pigments(色素) that absorb specific colors of light. But a transparent animal doesn’t have pigments, so its tissues won’t absorb light. According to Johnsen, avoiding absorption is actually easy. The real challenge is preventing light from scattering.
Animals are built of many different materials----skin, fat, and more----and light moves through each at a different speed. Every time light moves into a material with a new speed, it bends and scatters. Transparent animals use different tricks to fight scattering. Some animals are simply very small or extremely flat. Without much tissue to scatter light, it is easier to be see—through. Others build a large, clear mass of non-living jelly-lie(果冻状的)material and spread themselves over it .
Larger transparent animals have the biggest challenge, because they have to make all the different tissues in their bodies slow down light exactly as much as water does. They need to look uniform. But how they’re doing it is still unknown. One thing is clear for these larger animals, staying transparent is an active process. When they die, they turn a non-transparent milky white.According to Paragraph 1, transparent animals_______.
| A．stay in groups |
| B．can be easily damaged |
| C．appear only in deep ocean |
| D．are beautiful creatures |
The underlined word “dead” in Paragraph 3 means__________.
| A．silently | B．gradually |
| C．regularly | D．completely |
One way for an animal to become transparent is to ________.
| A．change the direction of light travel |
| B．gather materials to scatter light. |
| C．avoid the absorption of light |
| D．grow bigger to stop light. |
The last paragraph tells us that larger transparent animals________.
| A．move more slowly in deep water |
| B．stay see-through even after death |
| C．produce more tissues for their survival |
| D．take effective action to reduce light spreading |
A "blogger" is a person who writes on an Internet computer Web site called a "blog". The word "blog" is a short way of saying Web log, or personal Web site. Anyone can start a blog, and they can write about anything they like.
There are millions of blogs on the Internet today. They provide news, information and ideas and many people read them. They contain links to other Web sites. And they provide a place for people to write about their ideas and react to the ideas of others.
A research company called Perscus has studied more than 300 Web logs . It says that blogs are most popular with teenage girls. They use them to let their friends know what is happening in their lives. The study also says that more than 100,000 bloggers stopped taking part in the activity after a year.
However, some people develop serious blogs to present political and other ideas. For example, the Republican and Democratic parties in the southern state of Kentucky recently started their own blogs. And American companies are beginning to use blogs to advertise their products.
At the same time, some long-standing blogs have ended last week, blogging leader Dave Winer closed his free blog service "weblogs. com". He says the site became too costly to continue. He started the blog four years ago. And thousands of people had written on it. They are now upset because they did not know that the site was closing.
One blog that is still going strong is called Rebecca's Pocket. Rebecca Blood created the Web-site in 1999. She wrote about the history of blogs on the site. That article led to a book called "The Weblog Handbook". It has been translated into four languages so far.
Ms. Blood says Rebecea's Pocket gets about 30,000 visitors a month. She writes about anything and everything--politics, culture and movies. She recently provided medical advice. And she wrote about how to prevent people from stealing money from on -line bank accounts. The author wrote this passage mainly to _________.
| A．introduce an Internet computer Web site called "blog" |
| B．introduce a short way of saying Weblog |
| C．tell readers about blogs |
| D．tell readers how to write blogs |
From the passage we can learn that blogs cover almost everything EXCEPT ______.
| A．different ideas | B．medical advice |
| C．advertisements | D．account passwords |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Politicians don' t use blogs at all. |
| B．A lot of bloggers no longer write or read blogs. |
| C．Among school children, fewer boys like to use blogs. |
| D．People have 5 language versions of "The Weblog Handbook" to read. |
Dave Winer closed his "weblogs. com" because __________.
| A．more than 100,000 bloggers stopped taking part in the activity |
| B．American companies used blogs to advertise their products |
| C．people stole money from on -line bank accounts |
| D．He couldn’t afford the increasing money needed to run the blogs |
The reason why Rebecca' s Pocket is still going strong is that ______.
| A．it was created by a woman |
| B．it is about the history of blogs |
| C．it provides useful information and advice |
| D．it has editions in at least four different languages |
Years after throwing a bottle-up note into a lake for a class project and just one year after his death, a man’s childhood message was found and returned to his mother.
Eleven years ago, a then 10-year-old boy, Joshua Baker, wrote the message, folded and put it in an empty container, his mother, Maggie Holbrook said. He died last February in a motor vehicle accident in California. He had recently returned after a serving in the Middle East as a US marine.
“ I think he was just letting us know he was OK and keep doing what we are doing ,” Holbrook said.
The message surfaced in White Lake in late April, just days after the 11th anniversary of its being thrown into the lake. It was found by one of Baker’s closest friends, Steve Lieder, she said. Lieder and two friends were chatting near the lake when Lieder looked down and saw the bottle. He broke it open and found the note inside.
“My name is Joshua Baker. I am 10. If you find this, put it on the news. The date is 4/16/95.”
They immediately took it to Holbrook, who said she is now having the note preserved and will display it in her home.
She can remember when her son wrote the message for the school project. She said she always wondered why he didn’t put it in the nearby Wolf River, which has a much stronger current（水流）.
“I still remember the day he wrote it,” Holbrook said. “ I couldn’t understand why he threw it in the lake. No one would never see it again. Now I know.” What was Joshua Baker when he died in motor vehicle accident in California?
| A．An official | B．A soldier | C．A worker | D．A teacher |
Who found the bottle according to the passage?
| A．Joshua Baker’s mother | B．A fisherman |
| C．Joshua Baker’s friend | D．Joshua Baker’s mother’s friend |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．The mother believes his son is still living with her in the house. |
| B．The mother thinks his son will come to see her one day |
| C．The mother thinks it’s foolish to throw the note in the lake |
| D．The mother thinks the bottle is her son’s gift only left to her after his death |
Which of the following statements is correct according to the passage?
| A．The man threw the bottle into the lake without any purpose. |
| B．The man didn’t put the bottle into the nearby river because it had a strong current. |
| C．Not until recently did his mother understand why he put the bottle into the lake instead of the nearby river. |
| D．The man made the bottle-up note so as to let his parents know he was OK. |
The best title for this passage would be ____.
| A．A man’s Bottle Message Found After His Death |
| B．A Ridiculous and Unbelivable Bottle Message |
| C．A Strange Bottle-up Note Appearing In a Lake |
| D．An Important Childhood Message 11 Years After His Death |
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Recently some American scientists have given a useful piece of advice to people in industrialized nations. They say people should eat more of the same kind of food eaten by humans living more than 10,000 years ago. ______
The scientists say that the human life has changed greatly. Our bodies have not been able to deal with these changes in lifestyle and this had led to new kinds of sickness. ______ So they are called “disease of civilization”. Many cancers and diseases of the blood system are examples of such diseases.
Scientists noticed that people in both the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age enjoyed very little alcohol or tobacco, probably none. _____ However, a change in food is one of the main differences between life in ancient times and that of day.
Stone Age people hunted wild animals for their meat, which had much less fat than domestic ones. They ate a lot of fresh wild vegetables and fruits. They did not have milk or any other dairy product, and they made very little use of grains.
______ We eat six times more salt than our ancestors(祖先). We eat more sugar. We eat twice as much fat b
ut only one third as much protein and much less vitamin C.
______ But scientists say that we would be much healthier if we eat much the same way as our ancestors did, cutting the amount of fatty, salty and sweet food.
| A．These new sicknesses were not known in ancient times. |
| B．People today probably don’t want to live the way people thousands of years ago did. |
| C．Ancient people also lived in large groups. |
| D．But today, we eat a lot of these. |
E.Ancient people also got a great deal of physical exercise.
F.In that case, they would live much healthier.
G. People today probably live the same life as people thousands of years ago did.
Many Chinese have been greatly shocked by the traffic accident caused by the drunk driver Sun Weiming, who has killed five and injured some others in Chengdu, Sichuan. However, such a case is not rare.
Today, the traffic accidents may have been regarded as a social problem. The car has killed and disabled more people in its brief history than any bomb or weapon ever invented. Much of the blood on the street flows actually from rude behavior of drivers who refuse to respect the legal and moral(道德的) rights of others. In fact, the enemies of society on wheels are rather harmless but just ordinary people acting carelessly, you might say. But it is a principle both of law and common morality that carelessness is no excuse when one's actions could bring death or damage to others. A minority of the killers go even far beyond carelessness that can be imagined.
Researchers have estimated 
that as many as 80 percent of all automobile accidents can be attributed to(归属于) the psychological condition of the driver. Emotional upsets can change drivers' reactions incorrectly, slow their judgment, and make them blind to the dangers that might otherwise be obvious. The experts warn that it is important for every driver to make a conscious effort to keep his/her emotions under control.
Yet the irresponsibility that accounts for much of the problem isn't only put upon drivers. Street walkers regularly ignore or break traffic regulations. They are blamed in most vehicle walker accidents, and many cyclists even believe that they are not subject（受…支配） to the basic rules of the road.
Significant legal advances have been made towards safer driving in the past few years. Safety standards for vehicles have been raised both at the point of manufacture and through regular road inspections. In addition, speed limits have been lowered. Due to these measures, the acci
dent rate has decreased. But the accident experts still worry because there has been little or no improvement in the way drivers behave. The only real and lasting solution, say the experts, is to make people believe that driving is a skilled task requiring constant care and concentration. Those who fail to do all these things present a threat to those with whom they share the road.Traffic accidents may be regarded as a social problem because .
| A．auto driving has become dangerous and harmful in today's society |
| B．people usually pay no attention to law and morality when driving |
| C．they have caused serious psychological problems among drivers |
| D．the car has killed and disabled more people than any weapon in history |
Who are NOT mentioned as being responsible for the road accidents?
| A．Careless bicycle-riders. | B．Careless people walking in the street. |
| C．Irresponsible auto drivers. | D．Irresponsible auto manufacturers. |
Discussing solutions to traffic accidents, the author seems to be.
| A．doubtful and hopeless |
| B．angry and disappointed |
| C．objective (客观的) and concerned |
| D．anxious and annoyed |
Many ___ choose to give up meat because they believe it is cruel to kill animals for food.
| A．vegans | B．vegetarian | C．fruitarians | D．researchers |
According to the text, “vegetarians” ref
er to people who choose ___.
| A．not to eat meat or fish | B．to eat meat or fish |
| C．not to eat protein | D．to eat vegetables |
____ only eat fruit and vegetables that have not been killed when harvested.
| A．Vegetarians | B．Veggies | C．Vegans | D．Fruitarians |
According to the text, which one of the following is not mentioned?
| A．Only in China, there are so many people eating meat. |
| B．There are many vegetarians in Europe. |
| C．Vegetarian diets are healthier than the average western diet. |
D．There are many reasons for people turning vege tarians. |