阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。

　　There are 25,000 kinds of bees identified in the world. The most well-known are the honey bee. In the United States there are known 3,500 species. Most bees do not live in large groups, they are solitary(独居的)bees. The honey bee is not a native of the United States. The first bees were brought to the U.S. from Holland. Later other bees were brought from many other countries. South America had some honey bees, but they did not produce much honey.

　　When honey bees were brought to the United States, native American called them“white man's flies”. Soon bees became a known sight in America.

　　In Brazil, honey bees did not survive well and scientists brought African bees to Brazil. These bees were found to be aggressive(好斗的) and mistakenly escaped into the wild. These bees are very common in Brazil now.

　　Beekeepers raise bees for honey, but more often they raise them to pollinate crops. Pollination occurs when the bee lands on a flower and some of the pollen(花粉)gets stuck to the bees' hairy legs. The next time the bee lands, some of the pollen falls off her legs and onto another flower, allowing it to reproduce.

　　Beekeepers have been raising bees for their honey for thousands of years. The first beekeepers kept their bees in hollow logs or clay pots. Now they keep the bees in wooden hives. When beekeepers raise bees for honey, they must remove part of the hive to retrieve (获取) the honey. They must“calm”the bees by using a special smoker. The smoke is puffed out around the bees and the bees move slower and are not as aggressive.

1．What's the best title for the passage?

[　　]

A．An Introduction to Bees.　　　　　　B．Why Bees Are Kept.

C．The Great Use of Bees.　　　　　　D．Bees in the USA.

2．What's the meaning of the underlined word“pollinate”?

[　　]

A．Make something fertile (结果实的) with pollen.

B．Get pollen away from.

C．Plant.

D．Harm.

3．From the passage we can infer that _____.

[　　]

A．bees want their honey to he taken away in order to get more room

B．all bees are kept by raisers

C．bees don't want their honey to be taken away

D．it is easy to retrieve the honey

Australia －a huge island continent that lies to the south of Asia．Australia－more than two hundred years old, a nation that is still growing．
Its big cities lie on the southeast coast, this is where most Australians live．Australians prefer to own their own houses, though some live in apartments．Australians are a suburban people．The suburbs surround the cities for many miles, and so efficient transport is of great importance．As the economy grows, so do its industries- a higher level of production, a wider range of products．
The Australian works hard, but he likes his leisure．The climate makes outdoor activities the most popular．
Canberra, the capital of Australia, is a planned modem city located inland．Australia is governed by a parliamentary democracy．The representatives of other countries have their embassies here．Australia wants to strengthen relations with her neighbors．
Australia is a strange land, a land of vast expanses- fertile valleys, snow fields and deserts- also a land with unique animal, many that can not be found on any other continent in the world today．
Much of the continent is dry, but man has utilized the land, made it productive, with its tools, with its technology．This is the driest continent of all, and water is a precious possession, more precious than all other natural resources．Large dams are built to collect the water, there to irrigate the fields of pastures and crops． But Australia is changing．The land of wool and wheat is now a land of large-scale industry and mining．The costs of developing the new mineral discoveries are enormous, but the rewards are great too．
Australia — a young and developing nation．Australia — a nation that wants to communicate with its neighbors．
【小题1】Australia is an island located ______ of Asia and its big cities lie ____ of the coast．

A．to the south; on the southeast

B．to the north; on the southwest

C．to the east; on the northeast

D．to the east; on the southwest

【小题2】We can infer from the passage that the Australian likes outdoor activities for the _____ climate．

A．dull and wet

B．fine and shiny

C．gloomy and rainy

D．wet and cold

【小题3】____ is the most precious source in Australia．

A．Mineral resource

B．Animal

C．Desert

D．Water

【小题4】Which of the following statements about Australia is wrong?

A．Australians are a suburban people

B．Australia is governed by a parliamentary democracy．

C．Australia prefers to live in the downtown of big cities．

D．Wool and wheat used to be the main products of Australia．

 

Have you ever noticed the colour of the water in a river or stream after a heavy rainfall? What do you think caused this change in colour? It is soil that has been washed into the river from the riverbank or from t}le nearby fields．

Components of Soft

Soil is made up of a number of layers（层），each having its own distinctive colour and texture．The upper layer is known as the litter．It acts like a blanket．limiting temperature changes and reducing water loss．The topsoil layer is made up of small particles of rock mixed with rotten plant and animal matter called humus（腐殖质），which is black and gives the topsoil its dark colour．This layer is usually rich in nutrients，oxygen，and water．Below the topsoil is the subsoil，a layer that contains more stones mixed with only small amounts of organic matter．This layer is lighter in colour because of the lack of humus．Beneath the soil lies a layer of bedrock．

Soil forms from the bottom up．Over time bedrock is attacked by rain, wind，frost, and snow．It is gradually broken down into smaller particles in a process called weathering．Plants begin to grow，and rotten materials enrich the topsoil．Most of the soil in Eastern Canada．for example．Was formed from weathered rock that was exposed when the ice disappeared l2．000 years ag0．

Water Beneath the Soil

Surface water collects and flows above the ground in lakes．ponds．and rivers．Once in the soil or rock，it is called groundwater．Gravity pulls groundwater through the soil in a process called percolation（渗透）．Eventually the water reaches a layer called the water table．Under this is bedrock through which water cannot percolate．

As water percolates downward，it dissolves organic matter and minerals from the soil and carries them to deeper layers．This causes a serious problem because plants require these nutrients for growth.

Soil pH

Soil can be acidic．neutral．or basic．The pH of the soil is determined by the nature of the rock

from which it was formed．and by the nature of t}le plants that grow and rot in it．

The acidity of rain and snow can lower the pH of the groundwater that enters the soil．By burning fossil fuels such as coal，oil and gasoline，humans have been contributing to higher levels of acidity in many soils．When fossil fuels are burned．gases are released into the air and then fall back to earth as acid rain．Acid soil increases出e problem of carrying nutrients to lower soil levels．As nutrients are removed，soil is less fertile．Plants grow more slowly in acidic soil，and also become easily attacked by diseases．

1.The layer of soil that provides necessary nutrients for plant growth is called．

A．1itter    B．topsoil    C．humus D．subsoil

2.According to the text．which of the following is NOT true?

A．Soil forms from weathered rock on the earth surface．

B．The deeper layer of soil is darker in colour than t}le surface soil．

C．Air pollution is partially responsible for acid soil．

D．Groundwater tends to carry away nutrients for plant growth．

3.We can infer from the passage that the water table lies       ．

A．between the topsoil layer and the subsoil layer

B．in the subsoil layer above bedrock

C．between the subsoil layer and bedrock

D．in the bedrock layer beneath the subsoil

4.The underlined word “dissolve” is used to express the idea that organic matter and minerals from soil are          ．

A．rushed away into the river

B．cleaned and purified by water

C．destroyed and carried away by water

D．mixed with water and become part of it

 

If you want your land to keep fertile, you must try to stop soil from being carried away by water or wind. When soil is taken away by flowing water or blowing winds we call it soil erosion. Ways have been found to stop soil erosion, and this is known as soil conservation. One way of stopping soil erosion is to grow small plants such as grass. These plants are referred to a cover crops, whose roots hold the soil tightly together. The rain water can not wash away the soil. When trees and tall bushes are planted at the edges of an open field, soil erosion by strong winds can not take place. The trees and bushes, which act as a very big and firm wall, protect the open land from the winds. The way to stoop soil erosion on slopes is to build terraces on the slope of hillside and mountainside. When the slope of a hillside is cut into “step”, water carrying soil can not run straight down the terraces, which are used to slow down the speed of the flowing water containing much soil in it. In this way most of the soil in the water is left behind on the terraces, much soil in it.
【小题1】What takes place in soil erosion?

A．Flood happens to the fertile land

B．A large quantity of the soil loses away gradually.

C．Terraces are built on the slope of hillside or mountainside.

D．Plants are grown to protect the open land

【小题2】“Cover crops” in this passage means _________.?
A. grass        B. trees and bushes     C. plants life and an area
E.   covering plants that produce grain or vegetables
【小题3】Besides growing small plants, another method to fight against soil erosion is to ___________.

A．build terraces

B．build walls

C．plant trees

D．plant tall bushes

【小题4】According to the passage, trees and tall bushes are planted around an open field ________________.

A．because their roots hold soil tightly

B．to stop soil from being blown away by winds.

C．Because soil erosion causes terrible damages to crops

D．To keep the balance of nature

【小题5】Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．What Causes Soil Erosion

B．The Importance of Erosion

C．Rain Erosion and Wind Erosion

D．Erosion and the Way of Tight against Erosion