A New Zealand fishermen caught what may prove to be a world-record-breaking colossal squid(鱿鱼).

In the cold, dark waters of the Antarctic hides a creature with eight arms, two super long tentacles(触须) and eyes as big as dinner plates. Sound like something out of a science fiction movie? Think again.

On February 21, New Zealand fishermen landed a colossal squid the length of a school bus. They had been fishing with long lines for Chilean sea bass in the waters off the coast of New Zealand when they caught the rare squid. With two hours of hard work, the crew skillfully pulled the creature into a net and dragged in aboard their ship.

Scientists evaluate that the animal weighs about a half ton and is about 40 feet long. That would make this colossal squid the biggest on record.

First identified in 1925 after two tentacles were found in a whale’s stomach, the colossal squid has long been a mystery. The animals are not easy to observe because they can go down to ocean depths of 6,500 feet. What scientists do know from studying the bodies of a half dozen colossal squids is that they are fierce hunters.

The recently captured colossal squid has been frozen to keep it for scientific study. It will be transported to New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa, in the capital city of Wellington. Experts believe it to be the first adult male ever caught undamaged. Scientists hope to learn more about the colossal squid’s diet, behavior and reproductive(繁殖)patterns.

 “Scientists will be very interested in this amazing creature, ”said New Zealand Fisheries Minister Jim Anderson. “It adds immeasurably to our understanding of the marine environment. ”

1.Why is it usually difficult for experts to observe the squid?

A. Because it moves too fast                B. Because it is too large.

C. Because it is dangerous.             D. Because it can go down to deep ocean.

2.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. The squid is from a science fiction story 

B. The fishermen often meet colossal squids

C. Scientists know much about the colossal squid. 

D. The fishermen had some difficulty catching the large squid.

3.What’s the purpose of catching such a huge squid?

A. To make it into food  B. To set a world record 

C. To do research on it  D. To display it for visitors

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. The biggest squid ever found             B. Scientific research on squid

C. The lifestyle of the colossal squid          D. How the fishermen caught the squid

 Space is a dangerous place. not only because of meteors (流星) but also because of rays from the sun and other stars. The Atmosphere again acts as our protective blanket on earth. Light gets through, and this is essential for plants to make the food which we eat. Heat, too, makes our environment endurable. Various kinds of rays come through the air from outer space, but enormous quantities of radiation from the sun are screened off. As soon as men leave the atmosphere they are exposed to this radiation but their spacesuits or the walls of their spacecraft, if they are inside, do prevent a lot of radiation damage.

    Radiation is the greatest known danger to explorers in space. The unit of radiation is called “rem”. Scientists have reason to think that a man can put up with far more radiation than 0.1 rem without being damaged; the figure of 60 rems has been agreed on. The trouble is that it is extremely difficult to be sure about radiation damage-a person may feel perfectly well, but the cells of his or her sex organs may be damaged, and this will not be discovered until the birth of deformed (畸形的) children or even grandchildren. Missions of the Apollo flights have had to cross belts of high radiation and, during the outward and return journeys, the Apollo crew accumulated a large amount of rems. So far, no dangerous amounts of radiation have been reported, but the Apollo missions have been quite short. We simply do not know yet how men are going to get on when they spend weeks and months outside the protection of the atmosphere, working in a space laboratory. Drugs might help to decrease the damage done by radiation, but no really effective ones have been found so far.

1. According to the first paragraph, the atmosphere is essential to man in that ______.

A. it protects him against the harmful rays from space    

B. it provides sufficient light for plant growth

C. it supplies the heat necessary for human survival      

D. it screens off the falling meteors

2. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. the Apollo mission was very successful        

B. protection from space radiation is no easy job

C. astronauts will have deformed children or grandchildren

D. radiation is not a threat to well-protected space explorers

3. The best title for this passage would be ________.

A. The Atmosphere and Our Environment   B. Research on Radiation.

C. Effects of Space Radiation             D. Importance of Protection Against Radiation

Space is a dangerous place. not only because of meteors (流星) but also because of rays from the sun and other stars. The Atmosphere again acts as our protective blanket on earth. Light gets through, and this is essential for plants to make the food which we eat. Heat, too, makes our environment endurable. Various kinds of rays come through the air from outer space, but enormous quantities of radiation from the sun are screened off. As soon as men leave the atmosphere they are exposed to this radiation but their spacesuits or the walls of their spacecraft, if they are inside, do prevent a lot of radiation damage.

    Radiation is the greatest known danger to explorers in space. The unit of radiation is called “rem”. Scientists have reason to think that a man can put up with far more radiation than 0.1 rem without being damaged; the figure of 60 rems has been agreed on. The trouble is that it is extremely difficult to be sure about radiation damage-a person may feel perfectly well, but the cells of his or her sex organs may be damaged, and this will not be discovered until the birth of deformed (畸形的) children or even grandchildren. Missions of the Apollo flights have had to cross belts of high radiation and, during the outward and return journeys, the Apollo crew accumulated a large amount of rems. So far, no dangerous amounts of radiation have been reported, but the Apollo missions have been quite short. We simply do not know yet how men are going to get on when they spend weeks and months outside the protection of the atmosphere, working in a space laboratory. Drugs might help to decrease the damage done by radiation, but no really effective ones have been found so far.

1. According to the first paragraph, the atmosphere is essential to man in that ______.

A. it protects him against the harmful rays from space    

B. it provides sufficient light for plant growth

C. it supplies the heat necessary for human survival      

D. it screens off the falling meteors

2. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. the Apollo mission was very successful        

B. protection from space radiation is no easy job

C. astronauts will have deformed children or grandchildren

D. radiation is not a threat to well-protected space explorers

3. The best title for this passage would be ________.

A. The Atmosphere and Our Environment   B. Research on Radiation.

C. Effects of Space Radiation             D. Importance of Protection Against Radiation

Space is a dangerous place, not only because of meteors (流星 ) but also because of rays from the sun and other stars. The atmosphere again acts as our protective blanket on earth. Light gets through, and this is essential for plants to make the food which we eat. Heat, too, makes our environment endurable（可忍受的）. Various kinds of rays come through the air from outer space, but enormous quantities of radiation（辐射） from the sun are screened off. As soon as men leave the atmosphere they are exposed to this radiation but their spacesuits or the walls of their spacecraft, if they are inside, do prevent a lot of radiation damage.
Radiation is the greatest known danger to explorers in space. The unit of radiation is called "rem". Scientists have reason to think that a man can put up with far more radiation than 0.1 rem without being damaged; the figure of 60 rems has been agreed on. The trouble is that it is extremely difficult to be sure about radiation damage - a person may feel perfectly well, but the cells of his or her sex organs may be damaged, and this will no be discovered until the birth of abnormal children or even grandchildren.
Missions of the Apollo flights have had to cross belts of high amount of rems. So far, no dangerous amounts of radiation have been reported, but the Apollo missions have been quite short. We simply do not know yet how men are going to get on when they spend weeks and months outside the protection of the atmosphere, working in a space laboratory. Drugs might help to decrease the damage done by radiation, but no really effective ones have been found so far.
1. According to the first paragraph, the atmosphere is essential to man in that ____.
A. it protects him against the harmful rays from space
B. it provides sufficient light for plant growth
C. it supplies the heat necessary for human survival
D. it screens off the falling meteors
2. We know from the passage that ____.
A. exposure to even tiny amounts of radiation is deadly
B. the effect of exposure to radiation is slow in coming
C. radiation is avoidable in space exploration
D. astronauts in spacesuits needn't worry about radiation damage
3. The harm radiation has done to the Apollo crew members ____
A. is significant            B. seems overestimated
C. is enormous             D. remains unknown
4. It can be inferred from the passage that ____.
A. the Apollo mission was very successful
B. protection from space radiation is no easy job
C. astronauts will have deformed children or grandchildren
D. radiation is not a threat to well-protected space explorers
45. The best title for this passage would be ____.
A. The Atmosphere and Our Environment   B. Research on Radiation
C. Effects of Space Radiation             D. Importance of Protection Against Radiation

Space is a dangerous place, not only because of meteors (流星 ) but also because of rays from the sun and other stars. The atmosphere again acts as our protective blanket on earth. Light gets through, and this is essential for plants to make the food which we eat. Heat, too, makes our environment endurable（可忍受的）. Various kinds of rays come through the air from outer space, but enormous quantities of radiation（辐射） from the sun are screened off. As soon as men leave the atmosphere they are exposed to this radiation but their spacesuits or the walls of their spacecraft, if they are inside, do prevent a lot of radiation damage.

Radiation is the greatest known danger to explorers in space. The unit of radiation is called "rem". Scientists have reason to think that a man can put up with far more radiation than 0.1 rem without being damaged; the figure of 60 rems has been agreed on. The trouble is that it is extremely difficult to be sure about radiation damage - a person may feel perfectly well, but the cells of his or her sex organs may be damaged, and this will no be discovered until the birth of abnormal children or even grandchildren.

Missions of the Apollo flights have had to cross belts of high amount of rems. So far, no dangerous amounts of radiation have been reported, but the Apollo missions have been quite short. We simply do not know yet how men are going to get on when they spend weeks and months outside the protection of the atmosphere, working in a space laboratory. Drugs might help to decrease the damage done by radiation, but no really effective ones have been found so far.

1. According to the first paragraph, the atmosphere is essential to man in that ____.

A. it protects him against the harmful rays from space

B. it provides sufficient light for plant growth

C. it supplies the heat necessary for human survival

D. it screens off the falling meteors

2. We know from the passage that ____.

A. exposure to even tiny amounts of radiation is deadly

B. the effect of exposure to radiation is slow in coming

C. radiation is avoidable in space exploration

D. astronauts in spacesuits needn't worry about radiation damage

3. The harm radiation has done to the Apollo crew members ____

A. is significant            B. seems overestimated

C. is enormous             D. remains unknown

4. It can be inferred from the passage that ____.

A. the Apollo mission was very successful

B. protection from space radiation is no easy job

C. astronauts will have deformed children or grandchildren

D. radiation is not a threat to well-protected space explorers

45. The best title for this passage would be ____.

A. The Atmosphere and Our Environment   B. Research on Radiation

C. Effects of Space Radiation             D. Importance of Protection Against Radiation