The huge Florida wetland known as the Everglades is a slow-moving river 80 kilometres wide but only a few centimeters deep. People call the Everglades a “river of grass” because sawgrass covers most of it. Sawgrass is not really grass. It is a plant that has leaves edged with tiny sharp teeth that can easily cut through clothes—and skin!

Travel in the Everglades is difficult. You cannot walk through shallow water because the sawgrass will cut you. The water is too shallow for regular boats. So, we use an airboat. An airboat is a flat, open boat. Like an airplane, it has a big propeller to move it. The propeller is fixed on the rear of the boat. It makes a tremendous noise, but it does the job. The boat skims along the water’s surface. Although we can still get lost in an airboat, at least we are above the alligators(短吻鳄).

While hundreds of different kinds of animals live in the Everglades, the most famous is surely the alligator. Once endangered, alligators are now protected within Everglades National Park. Visitors are likely to see them both on land and in water.

For a long time, dangers have threatened the Everglades. Around 1900, some people felt this precious wetland should be drained (排干). They said it was just a big swamp and not good for anything. In the 1920s, there was a land boom in Florida. People wanted to build homes everywhere, including in the Everglades. They built canals, levees (防洪堤), and other water systems that stopped the rivers flowing into the Everglades. Factories were built near rivers that flowed into the wetland. These factories dumped poisonous waste that damaged the Everglades ecosystem.

?People are now working to preserve the Everglades National Park for the future. Right now, one big problem is the paperbark tree. This tree is an invader from Australia.

Paperbark trees soak up a lot of water. In the early 1900s, people brought them to Florida because they thought they would help drain the Everglades. However, the invaders adapted too well. Paperbark trees have taken over hundreds of thousands of acres of the Everglades and killed other trees. Scientists are cutting down these invaders or spraying them with herbicides (除草剂) to kill them.

1.Which helps to explain why it is difficult to travel in Everglades?

A．Airboats may make a very big noise.

B．You may get lost when passing through.

C．Paperbark trees soak up too much water there.

D．Many different kinds of animals are to be protected.

2.Why do people use airboats instead of normal boats?

A．They have big propellers to move them faster than alligators.

B．The propeller makes loud noise so as to scare alligators.

C．Their flat bottom can skim along the water surface.

D．They can watch alligators without hurting them.

3.The following measures were taken to drain the Everglades except that people______.

A．built canals and levees to stop the rivers flowing into Everglades

B．built factories near rivers that flowed into the wetland

C．brought Paperbark to soak up water in Everglades

D．are cutting down these Paperbark trees?

4.The underlined word "invader" probably means something______.

A．that moves in from another place

B．that enters and takes control

C．that has been brought in

D．that is in danger

To reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, many countries are increasing the use of natural gas, wind and other forms of _______ energy.

A. abandoned????????????? ?? ????????????? B. original??? ????????????? ??? C. alternative????????????? ??????? ????????????? D. precious

请阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。

请仔细阅读下面有关信息。

A. A scarf, a good present for fair ladies. In winter, in addition to keeping you warm, a scarf around your neck can help draw other’s attention.

B. Guitar Beginners. Do you like music? Do you want to play the guitar well in a short time?

This new book, written by guitarist Frank Jones, helps even the most basic beginner read his way to being a competent guitar player in just 20 days.

C. The Adventure of Tom Sawyer is a short novel written by Mark Twain, an American famous writer. It is very interesting and adventurous.

D. The Milk Calcium, produced for the senior. More and more people have realized that to be healthy is really the most important. The milk Calcium is especially good for the ones lack of calcium(钙).

E. The Classic Explorer’s Compass, a precious instrument, will help you know wherever you are. Each comes with its own waterproof leather case.

F. Super Shoes, the sports shoes liked by all the young. Wearing Super Shoes can be attractive. It is said that Super Shoes can help you to be the winner in every sports game.

匹配信息

你打算为你的朋友Mike, Mary, Robert, Lily和Tom选购新年礼物。请阅读有关对他们的描述，选出最适合他们的礼品。

56. Mike likes sports and travel. He would like something that he can take with him on his  journeys, especially when he is camping or hiking, because sometimes it is hard to find the direction.

57. Mary likes parties and discos. She likes to look smart, and she is very fond of music. She says that she likes books, but she never reads any. Now, she wants to learn how to play a musical instrument.

58. Robert is an eighty-year-old man. He likes doing exercise in the morning. But one week ago, the doctor told him that he suffered from osteoporosis(骨质疏松) in a common health examination.

59. Lily is a beautiful girl. She sings well and is going to perform at the New Year’s party. She’d like to wear something that is attractive at the party.

60. Tom is a junior student. He likes playing basketball and reading. He would like to read something about taking a risk.

These companies succeeded because they were the first companies to make use of the ____________ of the internet and was thought highly of by some experts.

A．potential          B．possibility         C．prejudice         D．precious

Mother used to ask me what the most important part of the body is. Through the years I would   ­­1  ­­­ at the correct answer. When I was younger, I thought   2   very important to us, so I said, “My ears, mum.” She said, “No, many people are   3  . But think about it and I’ll ask you again.”

Since making my first   4  , I had often thought over the question. So the next time I told her, “Mum, it must be our eyes.” She said, “You are   5   fast, but the answer isn’t correct because there are blind people.”

   6   the years, mother asked me a couple more   7   and always her response was, “No, but you are getting   8  , dear.” Last year, my Grandpa   9  . Everybody was heartbroken, crying. When it was our   __10   to say our final good-bye to Grandpa, Mum asked me, “Do you know the important body part yet, my dear?”

I was   11   when she was asking me. I always thought this was a    12__ between us. She saw the   __13   look on my face and told me “This question’s very important. It shows you have really   14   your life.” I saw her eyes full of tears. She said, “My dear, the most important body part is your   15  .” I asked, “Is it because they hold up your head?” she replied, “No, it is   16   on them a crying friend or a loved one can   __17   their head. I hope you’ll have a shoulder to cry   18   when you need it.”

Then and there I understood the most important body part is not a   19   one. It is being sympathetic(同情的) to the pain of   20  .

1.A. guess          B. believe                   C. doubt                D. notice

2.A. love           B. health           C. sight                   D. sound

3.A. blind                   B. invisible                  C. deaf                    D. thoughtful

4.A. discovery B. decision                 C. advice                D. attempt

5.A. thinking      B. learning                  C. growing                  D. changing

6.A. Over           B. Till                      C. Beyond                    D. Before

7.A. times          B. things            C. questions               D. ways

8.A. stronger    B. taller                 C. nicer                    D. smarter

9.A. left out      B. got ill             C. passed away          D. got wounded

10.A. turn          B. duty                    C. pity                     D. chance

11.A. satisfied   B. shocked                  C. interested             D. excited

12.A. test           B. secret                C. match             D. game

13.A. worried B. regretted                C. puzzled          D. pained

14.A. lived                  B. found            C. disliked                  D. enjoyed

15.A. feet          B. shoulders               C. hands            D. hair

16.A. how                  B. why                    C. because          D. whether

17.A. put                    B. carry                 C. leave                   D. rest

18.A. on             B. by              C. above             D. for

19.A. valuable B. selfish                C. useful                  D. precious

20.A. Grandpa  B. the deaf            C. others            D. the blind