The African elephant, the largest land animal remaining on earth, is of great importance to African ecosystem(生态系统). Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment. As a big plant-eater, it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna(大草原) surroundings in which it lives, therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat.

It is the elephant’s great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and under-bushes, and pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters.

Take the rain forests for example. In their natural state, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants make open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well.

What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant disappears, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.

1.What does the underlined phrase “setting the terms” most probably mean?

A．Improving the quality.

B．Worsening the state.

C．Fixing the time.

D．Deciding the conditions.

2.The passage is developed mainly by_________.

A．showing the effect and then explaining the causes

B．giving examples

C．pointing out similarities and differences

D．describing the changes in space order

3.What is the passage mainly about?

A．Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants.

B．The eating habit of African elephants.

C．Disappearance of African elephants.

D．The effect of African elephants’ search for food.

4.What do we know about the open spaces in the passage?

A．They are home to many endangered animals.

B．They result from the destruction of rain forests.

C．They are attractive to plant-eating animals of different kinds.

D．They provide food mainly for African elephants.

 

I fell in love with Yosemite National Park the first time I saw it, when I was 13. My parents took us there for camping. On the way out, I asked them to wait while I ran up to E1 Capitan, a  16  rock of 3,300 feet straight up. I touched that giant rock and knew  17 I wanted to climb it. That has been my life’s passion (钟爱) ever since 18 the rocks and mountains of Yosemite. I’ve long made Yosemite my  19 .

About 15 years ago I started seeing a lot of  20 , like toilet paper, beer cans, and empty boxes, around the area. It’s   21  me why visitors started respecting the place 22 and treated such a beautiful home-like place this way.

I tried  23  trash(垃圾)myself, but the job was too big. I would  24  an hour or two on the job, only to find the area trashed all over again weeks later. Finally, I got so  25  it that I decided something had to change.

As a rock-climbing guide, I knew 26  about organizing any big event. But in 2004, together with some climbers, I set a date for a 27 . On that day, more than 300 people  28 . Over three days we collected about 6,000 pounds of trash. It was amazing how much we were able to  29 . I couldn’t believe the  30  we made—the park looked clean!

Each year volunteers come for the cleanup from everywhere. In 2007 alone, 2,945 people  31 42,330 pounds of trash.

I often hear people  32   about their surroundings. If you are one of them, I would say the only way to change things is by     33 rather than complaining. We need to teach by  34   . You can’t blame others  35  you start with yourself.

1.	A．distant B．huge C．narrow D．loose

 

2.	A．immediately B．finally C．gradually D．recently

 

3.	A．imagining B．painting C．describing D．climbing

 

4.	A．garden B．home C．lab D．palace

 

5.	A．source B．resources C．waste D．goods

 

6.	A．beyond B．against C．over D．within

 

7.	A．more B．most C．less D．least

 

8.	A．throwing away B．picking up C．breaking down D．digging out

 

9.	A．kill B．save C．wait D．spend

 

10.	A．satisfied with B．delighted in C．tired of D．used to

 

11.	A．something B．anything C．everything D．nothing

 

12.	A．cleanup B．party C．picnic D．concert

 

13.	A．dropped out B．showed up C．looked around D．called back

 

14.	A．demand B．receive C．accomplish D．overcome

 

15.	A．plan B．visit C．contact D．difference

 

16.	A．picked up B．set up C．handed D．set down

17..

A．talk

B．complain

C．argue

D．quarrel

 

18.	A．doing B．thinking C．questioning D．watching

 

19.	A．method B．explanation C．example D．research

 

20.	A．although B．if C．when D．unless

 

One afternoon I toured an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting．I was looking forward to a quiet   36   of the splendid artwork．

         A young  37  viewing the paintings ahead of me  38  nonstop between themselves．I watched them a moment and decided the lady was doing all the talking．I admired the man's   39  for putting up with her  40   stream of words．  41   by their noise, I moved on．

         I met them several times as I moved   42   the various rooms of art．Each time I heard her continuous flow of words, I moved away 43   .

         I was standing at the counter of the museum gift shop making a   44   when the couple approached the   45  ．Before they left, the man   46   into his pocket and pulled out a white object．He   47   it into a long stick and then   48   his way into the coatroom to get his wife's jacket．

         "He's a   49   man, " the clerk at the counter said．" Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age．During his recovery, he made a promise his life wouldn't change．So, as before, he and his wife come in   50   there is a new art show．"

         "But what does he get out of the art?" I asked．"He can't see．"

         "Can't see! You're   51  ．He sees a lot．More than you and I do," the clerk said．"His wife   52   each painting so he can see it in his head．"

         I learned something about patience,   53   and love that day．I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without   54   and the courage of a'' husband who would not  55   blindness to change his life．And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away, their arms intertwined．

1.A．view        　　    B．touch  　　　 C．wander          　　　　D．stare

2.A．lady    　     B．couple  　       C．man          　　　　D．clerk

3.A．yelled               B．argued       C．screamed    　　    D．chatted

4.A．attempt             B．independence      C．patience    　　      D．wisdom

5.A．constant        B．vivid         　　 C．casual          D．vague

6.A．Adopted            B．Adapted              C．Disturbed   　　 D．Conducted

7.A．from                B．to              　　 C．towards    　 D．through

8.A．anxiously       B．quickly     C．urgently    　　      D．sensibly

9.A．comment              B．purchase   C．decision  　　　      D．profit

10.A．exit          B．entrance    　　 C．front   　　　          D．queue

11.A．plugged              B．reached    　　 C．held    　　　         D．bent

12.A．lengthened          B．made          　　 C．brought    　　        D．broadened

13.A．led           B．found         　　 C．tapped    　　         D．forced

14.A．generous             B．rough      C．smart       　　　　D．brave

15.A．wherever 　 B．whatever 　　 C．whenever      D．whichever

16.A．unique            B．silly    　　         C．equal         D．wrong

17.A．decorates   B．draws        C．shoves          　　D．describes

18.A．kindness          B．pride         C．courage                D．enthusiasm

19.A．sight          B．support          C．expectation             D．confidence

20.A．get        　　　　B．allow         　　C．hope 　　　　D．cause

 

The Book of Life

So far, scientists have named about 1.8 million living species(物种), and that’s just a small number of what probably exists on Earth. With so many plants, animals, and other living things coveting the planet, it can be tough to figure out what type of grass is growing by the roadside or what kind of bird just flew by.

A soon-to-be-started Web site might help. An international team of researchers has announced the creation of Web-based Encyclopedia(百科全书) of Life ( EoL). The project aims to list every species on Earth in a single, easy-to-use reference guide.

To get the encyclopedia started, the creators will use information from scientific databases (数据库) that already exist. And eventually, in special sections of the site, non-scientists with specialized knowledge will come to help. Bird-watchers, for example, will be able to input what birds they’ve seen and where. To make sure the encyclopedia is accurate, scientists will review much of the information added to it.

As the EoL develops, you might find it useful for school projects. The site will feature (以……为特色) special pages for kids who are studying ecosystems in their neighborhoods. Another convenient feature of the EoL is that you’ll be able to pick the level of detail you want to see to match your interests, age, and knowledge.

It now takes years for scientists to collect all the data they need to describe and analyze species. The creators of the Encyclopedia of Life hope that their new tool will speed up that process.

1.The Web-based EoL aims to__________ .

A．find out what covers the earth

B．list all living things on Earth

C．work out the number of birds

D．save the existing plants

2.One characteristic of the EoL is that__________ .

A．it is run by school students

B．it focuses on different types of grass

C．it provides different levels of information

D．it allows non-scientists to review its data

3.In the last paragraph, "that process" means__________ .

A．analyzing species                        B．creating a new tool

C．collecting data                          D．describing species

 

Global warming is causing more than 300,000 deaths and about $125 billion in economic losses each year, according to a report by the Global Humanitarian Forum, an organization led by Annan, the former United Nations secretary general.

The report, to be released Friday, analyzed data and existing studies of health, disaster, population and economic trends. It found that human-influenced climate change was raising the global death rates from illnesses including malnutrition (营养不良) and heat-related health problems.

But even before its release, the report drew criticism from some experts on climate and risk, who questioned its methods and conclusions.

Along with the deaths, the report said that the lives of 325 million people, primarily in poor countries, were being seriously affected by climate change. It projected that the number would double by 2030.

Roger Pielke Jr., a political scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who studies disaster trends, said the Forum’s report was “a methodological embarrassment” because there was no way to distinguish deaths or economic losses related to human-driven global warming amid the much larger losses resulting from the growth in populations and economic development in vulnerable (易受伤害的) regions. Dr. Pielke said that “climate change is an important problem requiring our utmost (极度的) attention.” But the report, he said, “will harm the cause for action on both climate change and disasters because it is so deeply flawed (有瑕疵的).”

However, Soren Andreasen, a social scientist at Dalberg Global Development Partners who supervised the writing of the report, defended it, saying that it was clear that the numbers were rough estimates. He said the report was aimed at world leaders, who will meet in Copenhagen in December to negotiate a new international climate treaty.

In a press release describing the report, Mr. Annan stressed the need for the negotiations to focus on increasing the flow of money from rich to poor regions to help reduce their vulnerability(弱点) to climate hazards(危害)while still curbing (限制) the emissions of the heat-trapping gases. More than 90% of the human and economic losses from climate change are occurring in poor countries, according to the report.

1.What is the finding of the Global Humanitarian Forum?

A．Global temperatures affect the rate of economic development.

B．Rates of death from illnesses have risen due to global warming.

C．Malnutrition has caused serious health problems in poor countries.

D．Economic trends have to do with population and natural disasters.

2.  What do we learn about the Forum’s report from the passage?

A．It was challenged by some climate and risk experts.

B．It aroused a lot of interest in the scientific circles.

C．It was warmly received by environmentalists.

D．It caused a big stir in developing countries.

3. What does Dr. Pielke say about the Forum’s report?

A．Its statistics look embarrassing.

B．It is invalid in terms of methodology.

C．It deserves our closest attention.

D．Its conclusion is purposely exaggerated.

4.  What is Soren Andreasen’s view of the report?

A．Its conclusions are based on carefully collected data.

B．It is vulnerable to criticism if the statistics are closely examined.

C．It will give rise to heated discussions at the Copenhagen conference.

D．Its rough estimates are meant to draw the attention of world leaders.

5.  What does Kofi Annan say should be the focus of the Copenhagen conference?

A．How rich and poor regions can share responsibility in curbing global warming.

B．How human and economic losses from climate change can be reduced.

C．How emissions of heat-trapping gases can be reduced on a global scale.

D．How rich countries can better help poor regions reduce climate hazards.