ERATH WEEK---A DIARY OF THE PLANET
Enduring Storms
Several more rounds of severe storms, tornadoes and flash flooding struck many parts of the American Midwest and Northeast as bad weather continued across the US for a second month. 
Monsoon Storms
A south-west monsoon has caused havoc in parts of Sri Lanka. Government meteorologists said that unexpected monsoonal winds blew directly across the country from the Southern Hemisphere at about 100km/h, p
roducing several rounds of stormy weather. Nearly 250 houses in the capital Colombo were damaged.
Mt. Etna Erupts
Sicily’s Mount Etna volcano erupted shortly after midnight on July 1, shooting “bombs” of lava nearly 1.5 meters in diameter on the eastern side of the mountain. The 30-minute eruption could be seen for several miles, but did not threaten any nearby villages.
Hurricane
Hurricane Blas lost strength as it moved over cooler waters in the Pacific Ocean to the west of Mexico. Blas formed off southwest Mexico during the previous week, but squalls on the outer fringes of the storm lashed western Michoacan State, killing four people when their wood and cardboard home collapsed.
Monkey Repellent
After years of unsuccessful attempts to keep crop-eating monkeys out of Japanese fields, a Tokyo research team believes that it may have finally found a way to prevent the damage caused by the monkeys. Animal raids on crops were successfully prevented by shooting chilli powder into the air, irritating the eyes and noses of monkeys that passed in front of carefully-placed warning sensors. “We’ve tried al kinds of preventive measures, but the monkeys are smart enough t
o outwit the tricks, “said Toshiaki Wada, Director of the Tokyo Forestry Experiment Station in western Tokyo..
. According to the information, which of the following statements is TURE?
A. The eruption of Mt. Etna lasted thirty days.
B. Hurricane Blas was formed off the coast of Italy.
C. The American Midwest had fine weather throughout July 1998.
The eruption of Mt. Etna did not destroy local villages..
. According to the information, the monkeys in the Japanese fields ________.
| A．destroy crops | B．kill unsuspecting humans |
| C．spread eye diseases to humans | D．stop farmers from working |
.
. The information in the “Earth Week” diary _______.
| A．predicts future weather patterns |
| B．gives advice on dealing with monsoons |
| C．shows that weather can be unpredictable |
| D．shows the effects that storms have on animals |
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
In the 1960s, while studying the volcanic history of Yellowstone National Park, Bob Christiansen became puzzled about something that, oddly, had not troubled anyone before: he couldn't find the park's volcano. It had been known for a long time that Yellowstone was volcanic in nature-that's what accounted for all its hot springs and other steamy features. But Christiansen couldn't find the Yellowstone volcano anywhere.
Most of us, when we talk about volcanoes, think of the classic cone (圆锥体) shapes of a Fuji or Kilimanjaro, which are created when erupting magma (岩浆) piles up. These can form remarkably quickly. In 1943, a Mexican farmer was surprised to see smoke rising from a small part of his land. In one week he was the confused owner of a cone five hundred feet high. Within two years it had topped out at almost fourteen hundred feet and was more than half a mile across. Altogether there are some ten thousand of these volcanoes on Earth, all but a few hundred of them extinct. There is, however, a second les known type of volcano that doesn't involve mountain building. These are volcanoes so explosive that they burst open in a single big crack, leaving behind a vast hole, the caldera. Yellowstone obviously was of this second type, but Christiansen couldn't find the caldera anywhere.
Just at this time NASA decided to test some new high-altitude cameras by taking photographs of Yellowstone. A thoughtful official passed on some of the copies to the park authorities on the assumption that they might make a nice blow-up for one of the visitors' centers. As soon as Christiansen saw the photos, he realized why he had failed to spot the caldera; almost the whole park-2.2 million acres-was caldera. The explosion had left a hole more than forty miles across-much too huge to be seen from anywhere at ground level. At some time in the past Yellowstone must have blown up with a violence far beyond the scale of anything known to humans.
（1）What puzzled Christiansen when he was studying Yellowstone?
| A． |
Its complicated geographical features. |
| B． |
Its ever-lasting influence on tourism. |
| C． |
The mysterious history of the park. |
| D． |
The exact location of the volcano. |
（2）What does the second-paragraph mainly talk about?
| A． |
The shapes of volcanoes. |
| B． |
The impacts of volcanoes. |
| C． |
The activities of volcanoes. |
| D． |
The heights of volcanoes. |
（3）What does the underlined word "blow-up" in the last paragraph most probably mean?
| A． |
Hot-air balloon. |
| B． |
Digital camera. |
| C． |
Big photograph. |
| D． |
Bird's view. |
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
| Whatever your age or interests, Buxton has something to see or do to make your visit truly memorable. High energy If you desire physical activities, you can choose activities from swimming to horse riding. Explore the heights with Go Ape, the high wire forest adventure course, or journey beneath the earth at Poole's Cavern. And don't forget: we are surrounded by a natural playground just perfect for walking, caving, climbing and cycling. High minded Buxton is justifiably proud of its cultural life and you'll find much to suit all tastes with art, music, opera and the performing arts at Buxton Opera House & Pavilion Arts Centre and Green Man Gallery. There are plenty of opportunities for the creative person to become involved, including workshops and events. Keeping the kids happy Children love the small train and playgrounds in the Pavilion Gardens and there's plenty more to explore at the Buxton Museum. There's a new indoor play centre, plus the special events and workshops, and others during school holiday periods |
（1）If you want to take an undergounld journey, which place is the best choice?
| A． |
Pole's Caven. |
| B． |
Pavilion Gardens. |
| C． |
Buxton Museum. |
| D． |
Green Man Gallery. |
（2）Buxton Open House & Pavilion Arts Centre is special because it offers ________.
| A． |
rides in small trains |
| B． |
courses in modcm arts |
| C． |
artistic and cultural activities |
| D． |
basic courses in horse riding |
阅读短文，按照题目要求用英语回答问题。
Haze Mabry, who has worked as a school keeper for thirteen years, walks into the school building every day and empties garbage cans, wipes down bathrooms and mops wet messes in the hallways.
Last Friday, after he arrived at the school, instead of finding garbage to clean up, he found almost 800 students lining the hallways with handmade cards, blowing noisemakers and singing a full-throated happy birthday to him. It was his 80th. As he walked the long hallway, some popped out of lime to hug him. They handed him so many cards that they filled several large boxes. Touched by their enthusiastic expression of affection. Mabry thanked them all. "They're like my children," Mabry said.
On a regular day, students at the school sometimes come up to him to say they're not feeling well or other times to tell him about something that happened at break. He knows most of the kids at the school, but can't name each one. Some of them make him know them. Like Faith, who often forgets her backpack in the cafeteria, and Lucy, who just wants a hug.
"He won't brag（夸耀）on himself, but it doesn't matter what he's doing or where he is, he will always stop what he's doing to take care of a child if that child is having a bad day. If a child approaches him, he will pause to give that child his undivided attention. He's the most loved one in this building," said Lori Gilreath, a reading teacher.
Mabry works circles around all the students, cleaning up messes others don't want to touch. He doesn't expect a lot. Mabry said he hadn't planned to do much for his milestone birthday, so he was happy the students had prepared the surprise celebration.
Over the weekend, he worked through the piles of handmade cards at his house. One card from a student stood out to him. It read: "Mr. Haze, you are my sunshine."
（1）What is Mabry's daily work as a school keeper？（no more than 5 words）
（2）How did the students celebrate Mabry's birthday？（no more than 15 words）
（3）What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 probably mean？（1 word）
（4）Why is Mabry's presence at the school important？（no more than 10 words）
（5）Who is the "sunshine" in your life？Please explain. （no more than 20 words）
Would you BET on the future of this man？He is 53 years old. Most of his adult life has been a losing struggle against debt and misfortune. A war injury has made his left hand stop functioning, and he has often been in prison. Driven by heaven-knows-what motives, he determines to write a book.
The book turns out to be one that has appealed to the world for more than 350 years. That former prisoner was Cervantes, and the book was Don Quixote（《堂吉诃德》）. And the story poses an interesting question: why do some people discover new vitality and creativity to the end of their days, while others go to seed long before？
We've all known people who run out of steambefore they reach life's halfway mark. I'm not talking about those who fail to get to the top. We can't all get there. I'm talking about people who have stopped learning on growing because they have adopted the fixed attitudes and opinions that all too often come with passing years.
Most of us, in fact, progressively narrow the variety of our lives. We succeed in our field of specialization and then become trapped in it. Nothing surprises us. We lose our sense of wonder. But, if we are willing to learn, the opportunities are everywhere.
The things we learn in maturity seldom involve information and skills. We learn to bear with the things we can't change. We learn to avoid self-pity. We learn that however much we try to please, some people are never going to love us-an idea that troubles at first but is eventually relaxing.
With high motivation and enthusiasm, we can keep on learning. Then we will know how important it is to have meaning in our life. However, we can achieve meaning only if we have made a commitment to something larger than our own little egos（自我）, whether to loved ones, to fellow humans, to work, or to some moral concept.
Many of us equate（视……等同于）"commitment" with such "caring" occupations as teaching and nursing. But doing any ordinary job as well as one can is in itself an admirable commitment. People who work toward such excellence whether they are driving a truck, or running a store-make the world better just by being the kind of people they are. They've learned life's most valuable lesson.
（1）The passage starts with the story of Cervantes to show that_________.
| A． |
loss of freedom stimulates one's creativity |
| B． |
age is not a barrier to achieving one's goal |
| C． |
misery inspires a man to fight against his fate |
| D． |
disability cannot stop a man's pursuit of success |
（2）What does the underlined part in Paragraph 3 probably mean？
| A． |
End one's struggle for liberty. |
| B． |
Waste one's energy taking risks. |
| C． |
Miss the opportunity to succeed. |
| D． |
Lose the interest to continue learning. |
（3）What could be inferred from Paragraph 4?
| A． |
Those who dare to try often get themselves trapped. |
| B． |
Those who tend to think back can hardly go ahead. |
| C． |
Opportunity favors those with a curious mind. |
| D． |
Opportunity awaits those with a cautious mind. |
（4）What does the author intend to tell us in Paragraph 5?
| A． |
A tough man can tolerate suffering. |
| B． |
A wise man can live without self-pity. |
| C． |
A man should try to satisfy people around him. |
| D． |
A man should learn suitable ways to deal with life. |
（5）What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?
| A． |
To provide guidance on leading a meaningful adult life. |
| B． |
To stress the need of shouldering responsibilities at work. |
| C． |
To state the importance of generating motivation for learning. |
| D． |
To suggest a way of pursuing excellence in our lifelong career. |
How does an ecosystem（生态系统）work? What makes the populations of different species the way they are? Why are there so many flies and so few wolves? To find an answer, scientists have built mathematical models of food webs, noting who eats whom and how much each one eats.
With such models, scientists have found out some key principles operating in food webs. Most food webs, for instance, consist of many weak links rather than a few strong ones. When a predator（掠食动物）always eats huge numbers of a single prey（猎物）, the two species are strongly linked; when a predator lives on various species, they are weakly linked. Food webs may be dominated by many weak links because that arrangement is more stable over the long term. If a predator can eat several species, it can survive the extinction（灭绝）of one of them. And if a predator can move on to another species that is easier to find when a prey species becomes rare, the switch allows the original prey to recover. The weak links may thus keep species from driving one another to extinction.
Mathematical models have also revealed that food webs may be unstable, where small changes of top predators can lead to big effects throughout entire ecosystems. In the 1960s, scientists proposed that predators at the top of a food web had a surprising amount of control over the size of populations of other species---including species they did not directly attack.
And unplanned human activities have proved the idea of top-down control by top predators to be true. In the ocean, we fished for top predators such as cod on an industrial scale, while on land, we killed off large predators such as wolves. These actions have greatly affected the ecological balance.
Scientists have built an early-warning system based on mathematical models. Ideally, the system would tell us when to adapt human activities that are pushing an ecosystem toward a breakdown or would even allow us to pull an ecosystem back from the borderline. Prevention is key, scientists says because once ecosystems pass their tipping point（临界点）, it is remarkably difficult for them to return.
（1）What have scientists discovered with the help of mathematical models of food webs？
| A． |
The living habits of species in food webs. |
| B． |
The rules governing food webs of the ecosystems. |
| C． |
The approaches to studying the species in the ecosystems. |
| D． |
The differences between weak and strong links in food webs. |
（2）A strong link is found between two species when a predator______.
| A． |
has a wide food choice |
| B． |
can easily find new prey |
| C． |
sticks to one prey species |
| D． |
can quickly move to another place |
（3）What will happen if the populations of top predators in a food web greatly decline？
| A． |
The prey species they directly attack will die out. |
| B． |
The species they indirectly attack will turn into top predators. |
| C． |
The living environment of other species will remain unchanged. |
| D． |
The populations of other species will experience unexpected changes. |
（4）What conclusion can be drawn from the examples in Paragraph 4？
| A． |
Uncontrolled human activities greatly upset ecosystems. |
| B． |
Rapid economic development threatens animal habitats. |
| C． |
Species of commercial value dominate other species. |
| D． |
Industrial activities help keep food webs stable. |
（5）How does an early-warning system help us maintain the ecological balance？
| A． |
By getting illegal practices under control. |
| B． |
By stopping us from killing large predators. |
| C． |
By bringing the broken-down ecosystems back to normal. |
| D． |
By signaling the urgent need for taking preventive action. |
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