Biodiversity(生物多样性), or biological diversity, is a wide-ranging concept that covers all the different kinds of plant and animal species present on earth. Environmentalists believe that many millions of species exist. As all these living organisms are dependent on each other in some way, biodiversity is desirable. Any loss to the planet is actually a loss for mankind as well, and it is our responsibility to try and save Earth’s biodiversity.
Biodiversity has a vital role to play in the evolution（演变）of species. Species become extinct, but new species evolve, and this is how a balance is maintained. This may sound pretty simple, but it takes millions of years for changes to take place.
Biodiversity is also very important to the stability of food webs. Damage to them can mean disaster for an entire ecosystem. The extinction of a single animal species can put huge pressure on the numerous other species dependent on it.
Biodiversity also has an important role to play in human society. Apart from being the most intelligent species on earth, human beings are also the most dependent. We depend on nature to meet our basic needs. When we change the balance of nature to create our cities and bring about our technical advances, we knowing or unknowing cause great damage to the ecosystem. This must be understood, and the damages must be reversed（颠倒）in any way they can to ensure that the balance of the ecosystem is maintained.
【小题1】We learn from the first paragraph that_________.
A biodiversity can be seen
B all living species are found on earth.
C people everywhere are aware of the importance of biodiversity
D the loss of any species can affect humans
【小题2】Why can change in food webs lead to disaster?
A Because it can make people suffer from disease
B Because it can put huge pressure on some species
C Because it takes a long time for such changes to take place
D Because it will damage ninety-nine percent of species
【小题3】What does the underlined word probably mean?
A Immovability  B Peace  C Strength  D Variety
【小题4】We learn from the last paragraph that __________.
A humans are as independent as they are intelligent
B the balance of the ecosystem is easily maintained
C nature has given us a lot
D nature is taking revenge on us
【小题5】Which of the following may be the best title for this passage?
A Food Webs are Closely Related to Biodiversity.
B Biodiversity Plays a Very Important Role in Evolution
C How Biodiversity Affects Human Society.
D Understanding Biodiversity and Its Importance.

阅读下面短文，从短文后方框中所给的五个句子中选出四个，分别填入文中相应的序号后，使短文语义连贯，结构完整。

Reading is very important to help you learn English. This book provides not only different kinds of English but also a good way to check your reading ability.

1._______.

Part 1 is Messages. In this part somebody wants to send information in writing to somebody else. There is a test on timetable and a test on text messages.

2. ________. You will find some descriptive writing in this part. There are descriptions of clothes and of a computer.

Part 3 is Places. In this part, too, many different kinds of English are shown, some informal and some formal（正式的）. There is the informal English of a holiday postcard. There is also the formal English in a thank-you letter.

Part 4 is People. In this part all the tests are about people. 3.________. There are also some biographies（传记）about famous people. There is a job application as a model to help with your writing, as well as testing your reading.

4.________, or you can do all the tests with a formal or informal text.

 

A. Part 2 is Things B. There are four parts in the book C. There is another part about Nature D. You can do these tests in any order you like E. For example, there are some letters between friends

 

 

·Basic Study Manual      Hardcover: $37

Future success depends on the ability to learn. Here are the answers to the questions most often asked by parents, teachers, business trainers and by students themselves. Read this book and learn:

▲ What the three barriers to study are — and what to do about them.

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▲ Buy and read the Basic Study Manual and use it to dramatically improve your ability to study.

·Study Skills for Life    Hardcover: $32

L. Ron Hubbard’s study technology for teenagers opens the door to their future success by giving them the ability to study and learn. Fully illustrated （插图）for easy comprehension.

·Learning how to learn     Hardcover: $25

The basics of effective study for 8 to 12-year-olds, fully illustrated. Children who read and apply the materials in this book regain their liking for study and their ability to apply this knowledge in life. Get this book for a child you want to see win at his studies!

·How to Use a Dictionary Picture Book for Children   Hardcover: $36

In spite of billions of dollars spent on “educational research”, children are not taught the most basic skills of learning, even the most basic of these: how to use a dictionary. In fact, a search of educational books for children found not one that told them how to use a dictionary — or that one should. Written for children 8 to 12-year-olds, this fully illustrated book will teach your child:

▲ How to find words in a dictionary.

▲ The different ways that words are used.

▲ What the different marks and symbols that are used in a dictionary mean.

▲ How to use a dictionary to correctly pronounce words.

It includes a section for parents and teachers showing you how to use this book with children. Buy this book and give it to your children to unlock their education. What’s more, you’ll just pay 50% for it before May 1, 2011.

1.According to the advertisements, the four books are all intended for ______.

A．teachers

B．adults

C．children

D．women

2.Some of the four books were illustrated in order to_________

A．make them suitable to different readers	B．persuade readers to buy them
C．reduce the cost of them	D．help readers understand them

3.If you buy the four books on April 30, 2011, your will have to pay_______ for the four books.

A．$130

B．$65

C．$112

D．$18

4.The purpose of the passage is to _______.

A．introduce some cheap books to readers	B．sell the four books to readers
C．enrich students’ knowledge about nature	D．help children to learn English

 

Look carefully at the back of a California state quarter. A man with a walking stick is pictured there. A bird called a California condor(大秃鹫)is flying overhead. Who is this man, and why is he so important that he is featured(处于显著地位)on the back of a coin?

The man on this quarter is John Muir. Even as a child, Muir loved watching nature. As a young man, he spent much of his life exploring the beauty of the wilderness. He walked more than a thousand miles across the country, through fields and woods. John Muir liked writing about the places he visited, describing their beauty.

Muir also wrote about problems. In order to create more farmland for sheep and cattle, many trees were being cut down. This made Muir unhappy and worried, because he knew that trees were important to forests and to the animals that lived in them．Muir believed that nature should be conserved(保护)instead of being changed by human beings. He wrote articles in magazines and newspapers to spread the word about conserving forests. Soon, others began to listen.

Muir wrote letters to important people, such as President Theodore Roosevelt. The president admired Muir’s love for nature. When Roosevelt came to visit Muir in California. Muir convinced(说服)the president to go camping with him for three nights under the trees so they could talk about conservation. Later, President Roosevelt set aside 148 million acres of land for national forests and established(建立)five national parks. National parks are large areas of land that are protected from development. This means that people cannot build homes or businesses there. One of these parks is Yosemite National Park, the area that is featured on the back of the California quarter.

Though it has been almost one hundred years since John Muir died, people continue his work today. His work as a conservationist helped us to see the beauty of our natural world. John Muir made us understand the importance of protecting our earth and our resources---then, now, and for the future.

1.Why did President Theodore Roosevelt visit John Muir?

A．Because Roosevelt loved watching nature.

B．Because Roosevelt received letters from John Muir.

C．Because Roosevelt admired John Muir’s love for nature.

D．Because Roosevelt was sad about the problems with farmland.

2.Why is John Muir featured on the back of a California state quarter?

A．Because he walked over a thousand miles across the country.

B．Because he helped people understand the importance of protecting the natural world.

C．Because he wrote articles to spread the word about conserving forests.

D．Because he once wrote several letters to President Theodore Roosevelt.

3.What is the writer’s purpose of writing this article?

A．To advise readers to become active conservationists.

B．To make us interested in the story about a great man.

C．To tell us something about an important person in history.

D．To give information about how to conserve the environment.