The journey two divers made some time ago to the deepest point on the earth makes us realize how much of the world still remains to be studied. The two men went down seven miles to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean inside a small steel ball to find out if there are any ocean currents(水流) or signs of life.

It was necessary to set out early, so that the ball would come to the surface in daylight, and be easily found by the mother ship which would be waiting for it. The divers began preparations early in the morning and soon afterwards, when all was ready, the steel ball disappeared under the surface of the water.

The divers felt as if they were going down steps as they passed through warm and cold layers (层) of water. In time the temperature dropped to the freezing point. They kept in touch with the mother ship by telephone telling how they felt. Then, at a depth of 3,000 feet, the telephone stopped working and they were quite cut off from the outside world. All went well until some four hours later at 30,000 feet, the men were frightened by a loud, cracking noise. Even the smallest hole in the ball would have meant instant death. Luckily, though, it was only one of the outer windows that had broken. Soon afterwards, the ball touched the soft ocean floor raising a big cloud of "dust" made up of small dead sea creatures. Here, powerful lights lit up the dark water and the men were surprised to see fish swimming just above them quite untroubled by the great water pressure. But they did not dare to leave the lights on for long, as the heat from them made the water boil. Quite unexpectedly, the telephone began working again and the faint but clear voices of the divers were heard on the mother ship seven miles away. After a stay of thirty minutes the men began their journey up, arriving three hours later, cold and wet through, but none was worse for their experience.

65. The purpose of the divers' journey to the deepest point on the earth was to find

A. if there are water currents, and life in the great depths

B. if people can stand the severe cold in the great depths

C. if there are steps in the great depths

D. if the telephone works well in the great depths

66. The divers set out early in the morning so that                .

A. they could return to the surface during the day

B. they could see at the bottom of the ocean

C. they could avoid the cold at night

D. they could stay long at the bottom

67. As the divers went down to the ocean floor, the telephone              .

A. kept working all the time

B. stopped working at a depth of 3,000 feet and began working again after they reached the bottom

C. stopped working at a depth of 3,000 feet and began working again at 30,000 feet

D. stopped working at a depth of 3,000 feet and began working again when they returned to the same depth

68. On the ocean floor, the divers found that               .

A. there was no life but some small dead sea creatures

B. fish were swimming as freely as they do near the surface

C. fish were not swimming freely in the dark water

D. fish were not swimming freely under the high water pressure

 

Running like the wind, roaring like thunder, tigers have long been feared and respected as a king of the animal world．But last week a report said that there are no more than 30 wild tigers left in south China．

    This was the conclusion of a team of scientists from China's State Forestry Administration and the World Nature Fund．

    The South China tiger, also known as the Chinese tiger, is native to southern China．In the 1950's, there were over 4000 tigers found in mountain forests in the country．But due to the destruction of their natural habitat and uncontrolled hunting, it has been pushed on to the list of the world's top ten most endangered species．

    Sixty-six of the big cats can be found in the cages of a dozen zoos around China．But they are nothing like their wild cousins．They have lost their natural skills such as hunting and killing．If they were set free they could not look after themselves．

    "Breeding has damaged the quality of the species", said Pei Enle, deputy director of the Shanghai Zoo．

    To reintroduce the species into the wild, the country started a programme to send five to ten young tigers to South Africa．Four of them have already arrived．Progress has been made as two elder tigers have recovered some of their instincts（本能）and can hunt wild animals by themselves at the African base．

    " South Africans are very experienced in reintroducing big animals to the wild．The country has very good natural conditions for the tigers to learn in", said Lu Jun, office director of the National Wildlife Research and Development Center．" We tried in Fujian Province, but it was not successful as there was not a complete eco-chain（生物链） and there was a lack of space．"

The tigers should return to China in 2007 when the reservations in Fujian are ready．

1．What is the main reason for the South China tiger becoming one of the world's top ten most endangered species?

    A．Because it has lost its natural instincts．        B．Because there is not a complete eco-chain．

    C．Because there is no space for it．                 D．Because uncontrolled hunting has destroyed its natural living conditions．

2．How is the programme of sending several tigers to South Africa getting on?

    A．Its effect still remains to be seen．

    B．Two tigers can already compete with their wild cousins．

    C．Some of the tigers are already on the road to recovering their natural skills．

    D．The tigers should be able to recover their instincts completely by 2007．

3．By saying " but they are nothing like their wild cousins", the writer means that ______．

    A．they are no longer feared by other wild animals

    B．they don't know how to hunt or kill

    C．a complete change has resulted in the species because of breeding

    D．to reintroduce them into the wild has become an urgent task

4．What is the purpose of sending young tigers to South Africa?

    A．To help the tigers recover their ability to live in the wild．

    B．To provide them with a better environment．

    C．To get the tigers to go on a tour．

    D．To find a complete eco-chain for them．

5．Which one is not the reason for South Africa being chosen as the training place?

    A．Because the tigers can hunt wild animals by themselves at the African base．

    B．Because South Africans are skilled at dealing with the tigers．

    C．Because there is a complete eco-chain and enough space there．

    D．Because the country has good natural conditions for the tigers to learn in． 

 

To those scientists, it still remains to be a question ______ man can go back to the old days with time machine.

A．if

B．that

C．how

D．whether

  

The machine is designed to _______ people recycle wastes to a great degree but the result still remains to be seen.

A．aid

B．help

C．assist

D．improve

 

       Running like the wind, roaring （咆哮） like thunder, tigers have long been feared and respected as a king of the animal world．But last week a report said that there are no more than 30 wild tigers left in south China．

       This was the conclusion of a team of scientists from China's State Forestry Administration and the World Nature Fund．

       The South China tiger, also known as the Chinese tiger, is native to southern China．In the 1950's, there were over 4000 tigers found in mountain forests in the country．But due to the destruction of their natural habitat （栖息地） and uncontrolled hunting, it has been pushed on to the list of the world's top ten most endangered species．

       Sixty-six of the big cats can be found in the cages of a dozen zoos around China．But they are nothing like their wild cousins．They have lost their natural skills such as hunting and killing．If they were set free they could not look after themselves．

       "Breeding has damaged the quality of the species", said Pei Enle, deputy director of the Shanghai Zoo．

       To reintroduce the species into the wild, the country started a programme to send five to ten young tigers to South Africa．Four of them have already arrived．Progress has been made as two elder tigers have recovered some of their instincts（本能） and can hunt wild animals by themselves at the African base．

       " South Africans are very experienced in reintroducing big animals to the wild．The country has very good natural conditions for the tigers to learn in", said Lu Jun, office director of the National Wildlife Research and Development Center．" We tried in Fujian Province, but it was not successful as there was not a complete eco-chain（生物链） and there was a lack of space．"

The tigers should return to China in 2007 when the reservations in Fujian are ready．

What is the main reason for the South China tiger becoming one of the world's top ten most endangered species?

       A．Because it has lost its natural instincts．

       B．Because there is not a complete eco-chain．

       C．Because there is no space for it．

       D．Because uncontrolled hunting has destroyed its natural living conditions．

How is the programme of sending several tigers to South Africa getting on?

       A．Its effect still remains to be seen．

       B．Two tigers can already compete with their wild cousins．

       C．Some of the tigers are already on the road to recovering their natural skills．

       D．The tigers should be able to recover their instincts completely by 2007．

By saying " but they are nothing like their wild cousins", the writer means that ______．

       A．they are no longer feared by other wild animals

       B．they don't know how to hunt or kill

       C．a complete change has resulted in the species because of breeding

       D．to reintroduce them into the wild has become an urgent task

What is the purpose of sending young tigers to South Africa?

       A．To help the tigers recover their ability to live in the wild．

       B．To provide them with a better environment．

       C．To get the tigers to go on a tour．

       D．To find a complete eco-chain for them．

Which one is not the reason for South Africa being chosen as the training place?

       A．Because the tigers can hunt wild animals by themselves at the African base．

       B．Because South Africans are skilled at dealing with the tigers．

       C．Because there is a complete eco-chain and enough space there．

       D．Because the country has good natural conditions for the tigers to learn in．