As people slowly learn to cure diseases, control floods, prevent hunger, and stop wars, fewer people die every year. As a result, the population of the world is becoming larger. In 1925 there were about 2 billion people in the world; today there are over 6 billion.
When the number rises, extra mouths must be fed. New lands must be brought under development, or land already farmed must be made to produce more crops. In some areas the land is so over-developed that it will be difficult to make it provide more crops. In some areas the population is so large that the land is divided into too tiny units to make improvement possible with farming methods. If a large part of this farming population went into industrial work, the land might be farmed much more productively (多产地) with modern methods.
There is now a race for science, technology, and industry to keep the output of food rising faster than the number of people to be fed. New types of crops, which will grow well in bad weather, are being developed, so there are now farms beyond the Arctic Circle in Siberia and North America. Irrigation (灌溉) and dry-farming methods bring poor lands under the plough. Dams hold back the waters of great rivers, which can provide water for the fields in all seasons and provide electric power for new industries. Industrial chemistry provides fertilizer to suit different soils. Every year, some new methods are made to increase or to protect the food of the world.
【小题1】The author says that the world population is increasing because _____.

We know that many animals do not stay in one place. Birds, fish and other animals move from one place to another at a certain time. They move for different reasons most of them move to find food more easily, but others move to get away from places that are too crowded. When cold weather comes, many birds move to warmer places to find food. Some fishes give birth in warm water and move to cold water to feed. The most famous migration（迁移）is probably the migration of the fish, which is called “salmon”. This fish is born in fresh water but it travels many miles to salt water. There it spends its life. When it is old, it returns to its birthplace in fresh water. Then it gives birth and dies there. In northern Europe, there is a kind of mice. They leave their mountain homes when they become too crowded. They move down to the low land. Sometimes they move all the way to the seaside, and many of them are killed when they fall into the sea.

    Recently, scientists have studied the migration of a kind of lobsters（龙虾）. Every year, when the season of bad weather arrives, the lobsters get into a long line and start to walk across the floor of the ocean. Nobody knows why they do this, and nobody knows where they go. So, sometimes we know why humans and animals move from one place to another, but at other times we don’t. Maybe living things just like to travel.    

Most animals move from one place to another at a certain time to __________ .

A. give birth              B. enjoy warmer weather  

C. find food more easily     D. find beautiful places

The fish called “salmon” spends a long life in __________ .

A. salt water         B. rivers          C. fresh water       D. its birthplace

The mice in northern Europe move when __________ .

   A. they give birth                   B. the weather is bad

   C. the place gets too crowded         D. they haven’t enough food

The lobsters move __________ .

   A. to the fresh water              B. to the sea floor

   C. at a certain time               D. to find more food

What is the main idea of the passage?

   A. Animals move in order to find food more easily.

   B. The migration of the fish called “salmon” is the most famous migration.

   C. Living things move from one place to another because they like to travel.

D. Sometimes we know why and how living things move from one place to another, but sometimes we don’t.

ERATH WEEK---A DIARY OF THE PLANET

Enduring Storms

Several more rounds of severe storms, tornadoes and flash flooding struck many parts of the American Midwest and Northeast as bad weather continued across the US for a second month.   

Monsoon Storms

A south-west monsoon has caused havoc in parts of Sri Lanka. Government meteorologists said that unexpected monsoonal winds blew directly across the country from the Southern Hemisphere at about 100km/h, producing several rounds of stormy weather. Nearly 250 houses in the capital Colombo were damaged.

Mt. Etna Erupts

   Sicily’s Mount Etna volcano erupted shortly after midnight on July 1, shooting “bombs” of lava nearly 1.5 meters in diameter on the eastern side of the mountain. The 30-minute eruption could be seen for several miles, but did not threaten any nearby villages.

Hurricane

   Hurricane Blas lost strength as it moved over cooler waters in the Pacific Ocean to the west of Mexico. Blas formed off southwest Mexico during the previous week, but squalls on the outer fringes of the storm lashed western Michoacan State, killing four people when their wood and cardboard home collapsed.

Monkey Repellent

   After years of unsuccessful attempts to keep crop-eating monkeys out of Japanese fields, a Tokyo research team believes that it may have finally found a way to prevent the damage caused by the monkeys. Animal raids on crops were successfully prevented by shooting chilli powder into the air, irritating the eyes and noses of monkeys that passed in front of carefully-placed warning sensors. “We’ve tried al kinds of preventive measures, but the monkeys are smart enough to outwit the tricks, “said Toshiaki Wada, Director of the Tokyo Forestry Experiment Station in western Tokyo.

1..

. According to the information, which of the following statements is TURE?

A. The eruption of Mt. Etna lasted thirty days.

B. Hurricane Blas was formed off the coast of Italy.

C. The American Midwest had fine weather throughout July 1998.

 The eruption of Mt. Etna did not destroy local villages.

2..

. According to the information, the monkeys in the Japanese fields ________.

A. destroy crops                  B. kill unsuspecting humans

C. spread eye diseases to humans    D. stop farmers from working

3..

. The information in the “Earth Week” diary _______.

A.       predicts future weather patterns

B.        gives advice on dealing with monsoons

C.        shows that weather can be unpredictable

D.       shows the effects that storms have on animals

Camping wild is a wonderful way to experience the natural world and ,at its best, it makes little environmental influence. But with increasing numbers of people wanting to escape into the wilderness, it is becoming more and more important to camp unobtrusively（不引人注目地）and leave no mark.   ks5u

Wild camping is not permitted in many places, particularly in crowded lowland Britain. Wherever you are, find out about organizations responsible for managing wild spaces, and contact them to find out their policy on camping and shelter building. For example, it is fine to camp wild in remote parts of Scotland, but in England you must ask the landowner’s permission, except in national parks.   ks5u

Camping is about having relaxation, sleeping outdoors, experiencing bad weather, and making do without modern conveniences. A busy, fully-equipped campsite（野营地）seems to go against this, so seek out smaller, more remote places with easy access to open spaces and perhaps beaches. Better still, find a campsite with no road access: walking in makes a real adventure.   ks5u

Finding the right spot to camp is the first step to guaranteeing a good night’s sleep. Choose a campsite with privacy and minimum influence on others and the environment. Try to use an area where people have obviously camped before rather than creating a new spot. When camping in woodland, avoid standing dead trees, which may fall on a windy night. Avoid animal runs and caves, and possible homes of biting insects. Make sure you have most protection on the windward side. If you make a fire, do so downwind of your shelter. Always consider what influence you might have on the natural world. Avoid damaging plants. A good campsite is found, not made―changing it should be unnecessary.   ks5u

72. You needn’t ask for permission when camping in         .   ks5u

A. national parks in England   B. most parts of Scotland   ks5u

C. crowded lowland Britain     D. most parts of England   ks5u

73. The author thinks that a good campsite is one        .   ks5u

A. with easy access      B. used previously   ks5u

C with modern conveniences     D far away from beaches   ks5u

74. The last paragraph mainly deals with   ks5u

A. protecting animals       B building a campfire   ks5u

C camping in woodland     D finding a campsite with privacy   ks5u

75 The passage is mainly about   ks5u

A the protection of campsites    B the importance of wild camping   ks5u

C the human influence on campsites    D the dos and don’ts of wild camping   ks5u

If, for some reason, you had 2,010 empty plastic bottles, what would you do? You’d probably sell them cheaply, right? But Xia Yu collected 2,010bottles and built a boat with them, As you read this, Xia is, in fact, on a river somewhere in Anhuai, slowly going towards his destination: the Expo Garden in Shanghai．2,010 plastic bottles was to celebrate Expo (世博会) 2010 Shanghai．On the opening day of the Expo, Xia, together with five friends, went on a 1,500 – km journey from Xiangtan to the Expo Garden, in spite of the doubt whether they’ll make it．After all, the boat they are on can hardly be called a boat．It cost only 2,000 yuan to build in a month.

What’s keeping Xia going is a major cause behind the trip．“We are examining water pollution through our journey and trying to promote a low – carbon (低碳) lifestyle．Before we started, no one believed we could sail the boat to the Dongting Lake．But we made it.” But as they expected, the journey has not always been smooth．Of the six from Xiangtan, four gave up．As of the press time (到发稿时), only Xia and his friend Huang Ying were on the boat．Huang suffered from a disease when they reached Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, Xia said, “There are so many things that can stop up from making it to Shanghai, like the weather, health, and sometimes swift rive water.”

“The boat was produced in a factory according to our design, and perhaps it’s not in a very good condition．But,” Xia said, “we are wearing life jackets”．“Some boats passing by offered help.” What is more of a reward for Xia and Huang is that the Yangtze Rive truned out much cleaner than they had expected．Although Xia and Huang are uncertain about the journedy ahead, they are “quite happy” with what they have already achieved．“After all, it’s not the destination that counts．It’s always the course that matters the most.”

Xia Yu doubts the success of the journey because of        .

    A．such a 1ong journey on the river

    B．the poor boat and the bad weather

    C．few people taking part in the journey

    D．the seriously polluted river in some parts

Which of the following is NOT the purpose of the journey?

A．To examine water pollution．   

B．To celebrate Expo 2010 Shanghai.

C．To win a race on the water． 

D．To promote a low－carbon lifestyle.

From the text we know that       .

    A．They stay on the boat at night．

    B．Three people gave up due to their bad health.

    C．Xia Yu and his mate have arrived in Shanghai

    D．Huang suffered from a disease on the journey.

The last paragraph tells us Xia Yu and Huang Ying         .

A．pay more attention to the process.

B．are sure to arrive at the destination.

C．helped turn the Yangtze River cleaner.

D．are happy because of their final success.