A high official from the central government will come and explain ______ what the country has done to ensure to make the Football World Cup the best-ever game.

　 A. in length　 B. at length　 C. by length　 D. to length

 

The smallest animal with a backbone（脊椎） known to science, a fish from the carp family, has been discovered in the peat swamps （沼泽）of Indonesia. Mature（成熟的）females of the fish species （种类）Paedocypris reach just 7.9mm in length.

　 The species was discovered in the highly acidic (酸性的) peat swamps of the Indonesian island of Sumatra by a team led by Ralf Britz, a zoologist at the Natural History Museum in London.

　 “This is one of the strangest fish that I’ve seen in my whole career,” Dr Britz said. “It’s tiny, and it lives in acid. I hope that we’ll have time to find out more about them before their habitat disappears completely.”

　 The species lives in dark tea-colored swamp waters, which are 100 times more acidic than rainwater. Although these swamps were once thought to be inhabited by very few animals, recent research has shown that they are home to a highly different range of species that occur nowhere else.

　 The peat swamps were damaged by forest fires in 1997, and are also threatened by agriculture. The scientists behind the discovery said that several populations of Paedocypris had already been lost.

　 “Many of the peat swamps we surveyed （调查）throughout South-East Asia no longer exist,” Dr Britz said. “Populations of all the miniature（微型的） fish of peat swamps have decreased or disappeared.”

　 Details of the discovery are published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B.

1. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

　　 A. The Strangest Fish

　　 B. Acidic Peat Swamps

　　 C. Strange Species

　 D. The Smallest Backbone Animal

2. Where does the smallest backbone animal live?

　　 A. It lives in highly acidic rainwater.

　　 B. The species lives in the acidic waters of dark tea-coloured swamps.

　　 C. It was put in the Natural History Museum in London.

　　 D. Its habitat disappears completely.

3. Dr Britz’s words imply____.

　　 A. the habitat will be more after a period of time

　　 B. many peat swamps that they surveyed have already survived

　　 C. he wants to find out more about them before their habitat disappears

　　 D. he wants to have a further research

4. According to the passage, the forest fires in 1997 have led to the fact that ____.

　　 A. many places where these animals lived have been damaged

　　 B. the population of the species has increased

　　 C. there are many animals in the acidic peat swamps today

　　 D. agriculture doesn’t affect the living space of these animals

 

In a recent class I was asked “What is a short story?” My first answer was that it was something that could be read in one sitting and brought an illumination（启示）to the reader, sudden and golden like sunlight cracking through heavy cloud．I went on to say that in my opinion a “real” short story was closer to poetry than to the novel．

Here are some definitions of the short story．My favorite is Benet's: “something that can be read in an hour and remembered for a lifetime”．One writer said: “the theme of a novel won't fit into the framework of a short story; it's like trying to squeeze a large painting done on a wall into the frame of a miniature （微型画）．And as in a miniature painting, the details need to be sharp．”

The short story is an example of one aspect of human nature．Often a character undergoes some event, something that offers him or her change．This is why it’s said that short stories usually “say something ”, often a small something, but sometimes delivered with such accuracy that the effect is strongly felt, even a life-moment for some readers, something similar to a religious experience or to witnessing a never-to-be-repeated scene in nature．

Ok, let’s form a definition here: A short story is an account, rarely over 10, 000 words or below 500 words—more commonly 1, 500 to 5, 000 words—a single-sitting read, but with enough time and weight to move the reader．It is narrow and focused to produce an effect through the story, most commonly through events affecting some change in an individual．

Writer Isabelle Allende once wrote: “Novels are, for me, adding up details, just work, work, work, then you're done．Short stories are more difficult—they have to be perfect, complete in themselves．”

64．The writer of the passage is probably a ______．

　　　 A．poet　　　 　　　　　 B．painter　　　 　　 C．teacher　　　 　　　 D．student

65．What should the ideal short story be in length?

　　　 A．at most 10, 000 words　　　　　　　 　 B．below 500 words　　　

　　　 C．over 5, 000words　　　　　　　　　 　 D．around 2, 000 words

66．The underlined word “undergoes ” in the third paragraph probably means “______ ”．

　　　 A．experiences 　　　　 B．discovers　　 　　　 C．discusses　　 　　 D．appreciates

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

　　　 A．How Do You Write a Short Story?　 　　　　 B．What Exactly Is a Short Story?

　　　 C．Is a Short Story Similar to Poetry?　 　　　 D．Are Short Stories Perfect and Complete?

　 The smallest animal with a backbone（脊椎） known to science, a fish from the carp family, has been discovered in the peat swamps （沼泽）of Indonesia. Mature（成熟的）females of the fish species （种类）Paedocypris reach just 7.9mm in length.

　 The species was discovered in the highly acidic (酸性的) peat swamps of the Indonesian island of Sumatra by a team led by Ralf Britz, a zoologist at the Natural History Museum in London.

　 “This is one of the strangest fish that I’ve seen in my whole career,” Dr Britz said. “It’s tiny, and it lives in acid. I hope that we’ll have time to find out more about them before their habitat disappears completely.”

　 The species lives in dark tea-colored swamp waters, which are 100 times more acidic than rainwater. Although these swamps were once thought to be inhabited by very few animals, recent research has shown that they are home to a highly different range of species that occur nowhere else.

　 The peat swamps were damaged by forest fires in 1997, and are also threatened by agriculture. The scientists behind the discovery said that several populations of Paedocypris had already been lost.

　 “Many of the peat swamps we surveyed （调查）throughout South-East Asia no longer exist,” Dr Britz said. “Populations of all the miniature（微型的） fish of peat swamps have decreased or disappeared.”

　 Details of the discovery are published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B.

1. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

　　 A. The Strangest Fish

　　 B. Acidic Peat Swamps

　　 C. Strange Species

　 D. The Smallest Backbone Animal

2. Where does the smallest backbone animal live?

　　 A. It lives in highly acidic rainwater.

　　 B. The species lives in the acidic waters of dark tea-coloured swamps.

　　 C. It was put in the Natural History Museum in London.

　　 D. Its habitat disappears completely.

3. Dr Britz’s words imply____.

　　 A. the habitat will be more after a period of time

　　 B. many peat swamps that they surveyed have already survived

　　 C. he wants to find out more about them before their habitat disappears

　　 D. he wants to have a further research

4. According to the passage, the forest fires in 1997 have led to the fact that ____.

　　 A. many places where these animals lived have been damaged

　　 B. the population of the species has increased

　　 C. there are many animals in the acidic peat swamps today

　　 D. agriculture doesn’t affect the living space of these animals

 

A high official from the central government will come and explain ______ what the country has done to ensure to make the Football World Cup the best-ever game.

　 A. in length　 B. at length　 C. by length　 D. to length