As we enjoy the summer ocean waves along the beaches, we may think nervously about Steven Spielberg's Jaws and the great fear that sharks inspire in us. Yet we are happy to see global efforts to protect the declining number of sharks. The world has realized that we need the species, like sharks, to keep a balanced ecosystem.
Sharks, in particular, are “in” these days. Thanks to good public policy and famous stars such as Jackie Chan and Ang Lee, killing sharks for fin soup is no longer cool.
The demand for shark fins has been rising for decades, threatening sharks with extinction -- up to 100 million sharks are killed each year just for their fins. But we have started to reverse the trend, particularly in many areas of the United States and overseas where restaurants once proudly provided delicious shark fins on the menu.
In California, a ban on the sale and possession of shark fin soup has gone into effect this year through the efforts of Wild Aid and other organizations.
Overseas marketing and public efforts featuring posters on public transportation systems and TV ads have been underway for the past few years. These efforts all show signs of success, on both the supply side and the demand side of trade in shark fins.
Actually, stopping the killing of sharks is part of a broader movement to stop the killing of wild animals and the buying and selling of wildlife products. These products come from hunting elephants, tigers and rhinos, besides killing marine life.
Whether it is shark fin soup or ivory piano keys, killing animals is big business. The hunting of elephants in search of ivory tusks for luxury（奢侈的）goods has become a full-scale war. The decrease of African elephant populations is alarming. Together with international partners, the United States is leading the worldwide effort to reduce demand for high-end products that rely on killing animals. The underlined word “reverse” in Paragraph 3 probably means _______.
| A．follow | B．keep | C．change | D．show |
From the passage, we know _______.
| A．a lot of wild animals have been killed for products |
| B．Jackie Chan and Ang Lee make fin soup popular |
| C．Steven Spielberg's Jaws inspires us to protect sharks |
| D．the number of African elephants has been increased |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．People have kicked the habit of having shark fin soup. |
| B．Shark fins will not be available any more in restaurants. |
| C．Global efforts have succeeded in stopping killing wild animals. |
| D．More animals for high-end products will be saved. |
Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago . He studied the observations of comets (彗星) which other scientists had made . The orbit（轨道） of one particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not figure it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.
However , Halley had a friend named Newton, who was a brilliant (有才华的) mathematician .Newton thought he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse (椭圆) .
Now Halley set to work .He figured out the orbits of some of t
he comets that had been observed by scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607, and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearances had been 75 to 76 years apart (相隔).
This seemed very strange to Halley. The different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about it, the more he thought that there had not been three different comets, as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times .The comet had gone away and had come back again.
It was an astonishing idea! Halley felt certain enough to make a prediction of what would happen in the future. He decided that this comet would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley’s prediction could be tested .In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since then that comet has been called Halley’s comet, in his honor.Edmund Halley figured out the orbit of.
| A．some different comets appearing several times |
| B．the same comet appearing at different times |
| C．three different comets appearing three times |
| D．several comets appearing at the same time |
Halley made his discovery.
| A．by doing experiments |
| B．by means of his own careful observation |
| C．by using the work of other scientists |
| D．by chance |
Halley made a surprising, but correct prediction in the year.
| A．1704 | B．1705 | C．1706 | D．1707 |
According to the passage, which of the flowing is NOT true?
| A．Newton figured out the orbit of the comet . |
| B．Halley figured out the orbit of the comet first. |
| C．Newton gave Halley some help . |
| D．Halley died before 1758. |
Sydney Airport International Terminal（航空终点站）－Arrival Area
SPECIALTY RETAIL
Newslink: Two separate Newslink stores cater to all your reading needs including newspapers, magazines and the latest bestsellers.
Downtown Duty Free: Make sure you shop at Downtown Duty Free for great savings on a range of items including perfume, alcohol, skincare and cigarettes. It’s your last chance before customs.
Beach Culture: A must for those into the Latest in beach clothing. Top surfer street and fashion labels including Mambo, Stussy and Quicksilver, including children’s sizes.
DINING
Blue Sky Cafe: Speedy service leaves you time to keep an eye on the arrivals gate. Fresh milk, coffee, lemon juice, beer, Whisky, ice－cream, soda water, cakes and dumplings are on sale.
Macdonald’s: hamburgers, fries, pancakes, toasted potatoes, muffins, Pepsi, coca－cola and chocolates－all your family favorites. Breakfast served until 10:30.
SERVICES
ATM: ATMs are conveniently located throughout Arrival and Departures. Dollars, pounds and francs and RMB are all available.
Vodafone Rentals: This communications center offers the very latest technology for mobile phone rentals, sales and serving.Where is the passage likely to appear?
| A．A morning newspaper. | B．A monthly magazine. |
| C．A geography book. | D．An official guide. |
The underlined phrase “cater to” probably means ________.
| A．satisfy | B．afford | C．support | D．help |
You may have better choices to deal with _________.
| A．your hunger problem in Blue Sky Cafe and your thirsty problem in Macdonald’s |
| B．your thirsty problem in Blue Sky Cafe and your hunger problem in Macdonald’s |
| C．your hunger and thirsty problems in the Blue Sky Cafe |
| D．your hunger and thirsty problems in the Macdonald’s |
At Beach Culture you can probably buy __________.
| A．newspapers and magazines | B．skincare and cigarettes |
| C．adult cotton T－shirts | D．fresh juice and breakfast roils |
I’m a pig, and my son is a rabbit. I have snakes for daughters, and my wife, believe it or not, is a dragon! Do I live in a zoo? No, of course not! I am talking about Chinese zodiac signs（十二生肖）. Depending on the year of your birth, each person has an animal for a sign. That’s why I am a pig and my wife is a dragon. If you, like me, were born in the year of the pig, then you are brave, thoughtful and loyal. The year of the pig is filled with good fortune.
Now let’s take a closer look at this interesting animal.
Pigs were first raised by man about 9,000 years ago, and are still a very common farm animal in many parts of the world. We don’t just use pigs for their meat — almost every part of the animal is used. The hair is used for artists’ brushes. The fat is used to make floor wax, rubber and plastics.
Pigs have also been important in the world of entertainment. In 1995 the film ‘Babe’ starred a loveable talking pig as its main character. The film won an Oscar and was nominated （提名）for 6 more. In England you can even go to watch pig racing. A farmer, Rob Shepherd, has been raising money for charity by holding pig races on his farm. The events have been very successful. People don’t just want to eat pigs, it seems!
Pigs also play an important role in the English language. For example, if someone says that he will travel to the sun one day, you can say “pigs might fly!” to him. Hungry? Well then, you can “pig out” and eat lots of food. And what if someone rescues you? Well, you can say that they “saved your bacon”. The writer wrote the first paragraph in a ______ tone.
| A．sad | B．confused | C．serious | D．humorous |
We may know from the passage that ______.
| A．people in England like pigs more than other animals |
| B．pigs are more useful than ordinary people imagine |
| C．pigs are the first animals raised by man |
| D．more people don’t want to eat pigs now |
The underlined sentence “pigs might fly!” in the fifth paragraph means “______”.
| A．What you have just said is impossible |
| B．Pigs are great animals |
| C．I don’t understand your words |
| D．I can’t agree with you more |
Which diagram shows the structure（结构） of the passage?
A B C D
Malaysia is a country of exciting beauty, with a tropical（热带的） climate. Malaysia’s weather is hotter in the lowlands and cooler in the mountains and highlands. Temperatures vary between 20 and 30 centigrade. Rainfall can be expected at any time, with an average of between 200 and 260 centimeters.
The Malaysian population consists of Malays, Chinese, Indians and Eurasians. Its main religions are Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Christianity. Its national language is Malay. English is widely spoken and is used all over the country. Other languages spoken in Malaysia are some Chinese dialects, Tamil, Portuguese and Arabic.
Malaysia is an exciting and fascinating place for tourists, with something special planned throughout the year. The natural attractions are plentiful, with magnificent mountains lying in green, large stretches of sandy beaches and hospitable and friendly people.
Malaysia’s economy is the most advanced in this part of the world. The annual income is M$1, 680, one of the highest in the whole of Asia. Malaysia is the world’s leading exporter of rubber, tin, tropical hardwood, palm oil, pepper, tea, coffee and cocoa and has vast resources of oil.
Malaysia’s capital is Kuala Lumpur in the southwest of the Malay Peninsula. Kuala Lumpur arose in the 1860s when tin was discovered, grew and spread very quickly. It became the state’s capital within forty years of its founding. Now it is home to over one million inhabitants(居民), about 56% of whom are Chinese, 28% Malays and the rest are from anywhere and everywhere.If you visit Malaysia, you will see ________.
| A．people of the white and yellow races |
| B．many temples and churches |
| C．beautiful tropical scenery |
| D．All of the above. |
Though Malay is Malaysia’s national language, ______.
| A．over half of its population speak Chinese |
| B．English is also a popular language |
| C．people don’t know Malay |
| D．it’s only spoken by Malays |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage
| A．Malaysia is one of the richest countries in Asia. |
| B．It rains a little now and a little then in Malaysia. |
| C．Kuala Lumpur became Malaysia’s capital before 1910. |
| D．Malaysia is rich in agricultural products. |
The campaign（竞选）is over. The celebrations have ended. And the work for US president-elect Barack Obama has begun.
The 47-year-old politician rose to the highest post because of his stand against the war in Iraq and his plans to fix a weak economy. But what will the first 47-year-old African-American president do for race relations?
Obama’s victory appears to have given blacks and other minorities（少数民族）a true national role model. For years, many looked to athletes and musicians for inspiration. As Darius Turner, an African-American high school student in Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times, “Kobe doesn’t have to be everybody’s role model anymore.”
However, Bill Bank, an expert of African-American Studies, says that eventually young blacks need to find role models in their own communities. “That’s not Martin Luther King, and not Barack Obama,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s actually the people closest to them. Barack only has so much influence. ”
In the opinion of black British politician Trevor Phillips, Obama’s rise will contribute more to multiculturalism than to race relations in the US.
“When the G8 meets, the four most important people in the room will be the president of China, the prime minister of India, the prime minister of Japan and Barak Obama,” he told London’s The Times newspaper. “It will be the first time we’ve seen that on our television screens. That will be a huge psychological shift（心理转变）for both the white people and the colored ones in the world. ” For years, before Obama was elected president of the US, __________.
| A．Kobe was the only role model for all the blacks |
| B．blacks could only find role models on the basketball court |
| C．minorities in America couldn’t find role models in their real life |
| D．American blacks had no role model who was successful in political area |
According to Bill Bank, ____________.
| A．it’s better for young blacks to find role models in those who are close to them |
| B．young blacks should not be so much influenced by Obama |
| C．blacks should find other role models because Obama is far from their reality |
| D．Obama is not the proper role model for African-Americans |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．The First African-American President | B．America’s New Role Model |
| C．Obama-- A Successful Black. | D．Choosing a Right Role Model |
What will be the huge psychological shift Trevor mentioned at the end of the passage?
| A．The other three leaders all support Obama. |
| B．Obama is an African-American president. |
| C．None of the four leaders is white. |
| D．The other three leaders except Obama are from Asian countries. |