How “Kangaroo” Became an Animal’s Name

Early in the 18th century, Captain Cook, a famous explorer of Australia, unexpectedly caught sight of an unusual animal during his first visit to Australia. The animal had a large mouth-like head and jumped along on its large legs. To his surprise, the unusual animal carried it’s young in a special pocket of flesh. Captain Cook pointed to the animal which was eating grass in the distance and asked his native guide what the animal was referred to. The guide seemed not to know what he was pointing at and finally said Kang-a-roo, which Cook carefully wrote down as the animal’s name in his word book. The Europeans who later got to Australia were anxious to see the unusual animal “Kang-a-roo”, but their requests met with puzzled looks of the native people. Before long they got to discover that the native guide who made the answer to Cook’s question really meant, “I don’t know what you are pointing at.” Funny enough, the name “Kang-a-roo” stuck and it is still in use today.

60. Which of the following sentences best expresses the main idea?

   A. Captain Cook’s guide had a sense of humour.

   B. Native Australians could speak English in Cook’s time.

   C. Some words have rather funny origins.

   D. Captain Cook was a lover of wild animals.

61. The main use for the animal’s flesh pocket is to_______.

   A. keep food                       B. carry its babies

   C. a long distance                D. store food and water

62. When the native guide said “Kang-a-roo” he really meant_______

   A. “Ah, it is a special kind of animals.”      

   B. “I wonder what you have said.”

   C. “I have no idea of what you are pointing at.”

   D. “What do you mean by pointing at that animal?”

63. The writer indirectly expresses that early in the 18th century_______

A. the native Australians and the Europeans explorers were not friendly to each other.

B. a common language was needed by the Europeans to communicate with the   native in Australia.

C. a great many Europeans showed great interest in Australia.

D. a war against the European invaders was a break out

 

When someone says “SHARK” most people think of a big, toothy, underwater animal; basically we are imagining a Great White. In fact sharks come in all shapes, sizes and even colors! Follow me please; I’d like to show you a very special small shark commonly known as horn sharks, only found in the coastal waters of north-west North America.

Look at this shark, and you can easily see the horns on it and you will know the reason why it is called the horn shark is that it has the broad, flattened head and two large horn-like spines(脊椎) found behind its eyes and makes it one of the hardiest of all shark species. What makes it unique is that as its enemy attempts to swallow it, the spines on its back will stick into the enemy’s mouth and give a good chance for it to get away.

The horn shark is brown in color with black spots all over its body. The adults can reach up to a length of 4 feet and weigh up to 10 kg. An interesting fact about the horn shark is that it has five gills(鳃). The horn shark is a clumsy swimmer using its flexible pectoral fins(胸鳍)to push itself along the bottom of the ocean. The maximum distance that has ever been recorded for a horn shark to have traveled out from its habitat is 10 miles.

Today, as so little is known about its population off the Californian coast, they have been listed as being “Data Deficient” in the World Conservation Union. The horn shark is being threatened both by water pollution and commercial fishing in the area. Though they are not among those sea creatures hunted primarily for food, but they often get caught as a by-catch in fishing expeditions.

1.The horn shark gets its name for______.

A. its small size                            B. its large eyes

C. its two large spines                       D. its brown color with spots

2.How is paragraph 3 mainly developed?

A. By giving descriptions                     B. By following time order

C. By analyzing causes                       D. By making comparisons

3.Which factors contribute to the horn shark’s being on the “Data Deficient” list?

①That people like hunting them for pets        ②That people fish them for fun

③Water pollution off the coast                ④Knowing little about them

A. ①②                B.②③            C. ①④            D.③④

4. According to the passage, all of the following are unique to the horn shark EXCEPT that_____.

A. it doesn’t travel far

B. it is good at swimming

C. its spines can be used to attack the enemy and escape

D. it is only found in the coastal waters of north-west North America

 

Museums in Germany

Germany is one of the most important countries in Europe. You can visit many museums in Germany and learn about the country, its culture and people.

If you are interested in learning about the history of the country, then you can have a look at the displays in the wonderful museum in the Roman Open Air Museum in Hechingen Stein. This museum, with its large numbers of artifacts (手工艺品) like paintings, pieces of pottery, tools, jewelry and other items, provides a complete picture of Roman history in Germany. The museum is built inside an ancient Roman house called “Villa Rustica”.

Apart from this, another German museum that is worth visiting is the DB Museum, or the German Railway Museum. It is the oldest railway museum in the country, and it offers a comprehensive insight into the history of the railways in Germany. Here, you can see models of trains and engines from an ancient era. If this interests you, you can also visit the Museum of Communication, where you can learn a lot about the transport in Germany. It is a great place to visit with your family.

Another famous museum in Germany, where you can learn a lot about the culture, is the Gutenberg Museum. This museum is filled with ancient memorabilia and artifacts that deal with the history of printing, not only of Germany, but of the whole world. This, in fact, is the oldest printing museum in the world. Amongst the many displays of interesting objects, the most famous is the second Gutenberg Bible. Apart from the museums mentioned above, other museums that are worth visiting include the German Leather Museum, Kingspor Museum, Optical Museum Jena, Deutsches Museums and others. Each of the museums in Germany deals with a different theme.

You can visit the museums in Germany with your family and have a good time looking at the displays.

1.Which of the following is not displayed in the Roman Open Air Museum?

A．Pieces of pottery.   B．Jewelry.           C．Paintings.          D．Models of trains.

2.What can we learn about the German Railway Museum?

A．It is the oldest railway museum in Europe.

B．It covers the history of the railways in Germany.

C．It offers information about the transport in Germany.

D．It is built inside an ancient Roman house.

3.If you want to learn about the history of Germany, you can go to the _______.

A．Roman Open Air Museum                 B．Kingspor Museum

C．Optical Museum Jena                    D．Deutsches Museums

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To attract more visitors to the museums.

B．To act as an introduction to the history of Germany.

C．To make Germany more popular.

D．To call on people to do something for the museums.

 

Early in the 18th century, Captain Cook, a famous explorer of Australia, unexpectedly caught sight of an unusual animal during his first visit to Australia. The animal had a large mouse like head and jumped along on its large legs. To his great surprise, the unusual animal carried its young in a special pocket of flesh. Captain Cook pointed to the animal which was eating grass in the distance and asked his native guide what the animal was referred to. The guide seemed not to know that he was pointing at and finally said “Kang-a-roo”, but their requests were met with puzzled looks of the native people. Before long they got to discover that the native guide who made the answer to Cook’s question really meant, “I don’t know what you pointing at. “ Funny enough, the name “ Kang-a-roo”, stuck and it is still in use today.

1.Which of the following sentences best expresses the main idea?

A．captain Cook’s guide made a joke.

B．Native Australians could not speak English in Cook’s time.

C．Some words have rather funny origins (起源).

D．Captain Cook was a lover of wild animals.

2.When the native guide said “Kang-a-roo ”, he really meant “ ______”

A．Ah, it is a special kind of animal

B．I wonder what you have said

C．What do you mean by pointing at that animal?

D．I have no idea of what you are referring to.

3.We can infer from this passage ______.

A．we should learn many different languages

B．Captain Cook made a mistake in understanding

C．Captain Cook was a foolish explorer

D．the importance of a language in common

 

As people in Beijing and northern China struggle with severe air pollution this winter,the toxic(有毒的)air is also making life hard for plants and even food crops of China．

"in the last 50 years there has been a 1 6-fold increase in ozone(臭氧)pollution”in the Beijing area，said Hanqin Tian of Auburn University in Alabama,who studies the effects of China's pollution and climate change on plants．

Ozone is particularly harmful to plants because it damages the pores(气孔)  on leaves，called stomata,which plants use to regulate how much water evaporates from the leaves．That，in turn，affectS how much water a plant must take up through its roots．Changes in water uptake by plants have been documented in other parts of the world，including the United States，as having major impacts on regional groundwater and surface water supplies．

In studies of the long-term productivity of plants，Hanqin Tian and some of his colleagues show that ozone pollution,along with climate change，has been lowering plant productivity in China,which reduces the amount of carbon and other pollutants that the plants Can absorb to fight all the emissions from the burning offossil fuels．

The worst effects on plants are likely to be in areas where the growing pollution problem is just fairly new, said Arthur Chappelka, also a plant researcher at Auburn University．Some plants are more resistant to pollutants than others，he said，and the plants that are living today in long-polluted urban areas are likely to be only those that are very pollution tolerant．

Away from the cities, however, where crops are necded to feed China’s yast population, the effeets of the growing pollution on crops is a significant concern.

“In some ways it affects the crop production and food securiy of China,”said Hanqin Tian.“Air quality is really important for human health, plants and ecosystem and sustainability.”

The problem is bound to get worse as China continues to develop economically, he said, and so he and other researchers continue to urge the Chinese government to take action to reduce emissions from cars and industries.

1.ozone does harm to plants mainly by ________.

A.exposing them to strong sunlight

B.damaging the structure of their leaves

C.adding more pores to the roots

D.making the land unfit for the plants to grow

2.Which of the following statement does Hanqin Tian support?

A.Ozone pollution has increased 1 6 times in the past 30 years．

B．Ozone pollution has lowered plant productivity alone．

C.Plants can take in a large amount of carbon and other pollutants．

D.The toxic air has few effects on food supply in China．

3.What Can we infer from the passage?   

A．Healthy foods are not available in Beijing．

B．Some kinds of plants aren’t affected by air pollution．

C．Crops in China are hard to feed its large population．

D．People should stop developing economically

4.According to the passage，the Chinese govemment should

A．care more about developing economy

B．reduce the number of cars and industries

C．continue to make more researches

D．take measures to reduce carbon emissions

5.What′S the best title of the passage?

A．Polluted air damages plants and crops

B．Air pollution is becoming more serious

C．China’s air pollution and climate changes

D．Food security in China