To me, the ocean is our greatest wilderness. I love swimming in it , surfing its waves, watching it from shore and thinking about all the life living unseen under the surface.
When I take my little kids to check out tide pools, we’re overjoyed when we find a sea star or some shellfish. Lately, though, I've noticed a change in my favorite pools: there are more sea grasses and fewer animals with shells.
I can't help feeling these small changes portend something more troubling about our oceans. It matches what scientists are telling us: our oceans are being troubled by carbon dioxide that threatens corals, colorful fish, salmon, sea otters, even whales. Our oceans are facing a major change.
Every hour, a million tons of carbon dioxide from cars, factories and power plants rain down on the world’s oceans. Carbon pollution brings about a chemical reaction that turns sea water more acidic (酸的) and takes away things important for sea animals .
Some of us are already feeling the effects of this growing crisis（危机）. Shellfish farmers in the Pacific Northwest have reported a decrease in natural and farmed oysters(牡蛎). Just this week, a new studyproved the link between the huge reduction in the numbers of oysters and ocean acidification. As polar waters become more acidic, Alaskan fishermen are troubled by the future of smaller fish.
Without action, ocean acidification will have a disastrous influence on the food chain, affecting not only sea life but the people who depend on it for food and their living. Already, our oceans have become 30 percent more acidic since preindustrial times, and it gets worse every day. We can stop this frightening dream, but only if we act now.
That's why the Center for Biological Diversity has started a petition (请愿书) requesting President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a plan to deal with ocean acidification. Decisive action can save sea life as we know it.
Now it isn’t too late to save our oceans and sea life. With immediate action to reduce carbon dioxide release we can start taking important steps today to deal with this disastrous situation. Join me in our petition calling for a national plan to save our oceans.The author’s recent visits to the tide pool brought her ___ .
| A．happiness | B．anger | C．concern | D．comfort |
The underlined word “portend” in Paragraph 3 probably means ___ .
| A．predict | B．prevent | C．replace | D．reduce |
What the author worries about most is ____ .
| A．the harm of sea grasses |
| B．carbon pollution in the sea |
| C．that the petition may be turned down |
| D．how fishermen can make a living in the future |
What is the main purpose of the text ?
| A．To inform. | B．To educate. | C．To persuade . | D．To instruct. |
"Bad luck always comes in three" and last Saturday seemed to prove it． After trouble with the car, the television, we spent the evening waiting for the next trouble． Shortly after dinner we both smelled smoke． My wife, who was often careless when cooking, ran to the kitchen but returned looking puzzled． I rushed up the stairs to see smoke coming from under our bedroom door． I went to the bathroom and tied a wet cloth over my face． Then I returned to the bedroom, opened the door and crawled(爬) in—there would be less smoke at floor level． With one hand reaching out in front of me I advanced carefully feeling for the switch to turn off the electric blanket． At that moment I heard the bell of a coming fire engine． Thank goodness my wife had not been wasting her time．
The wife rushed into the kitchen because ______．
| A．the smoke came out of the kitchen |
| B．she left something in the kitchen |
| C．she was afraid the smoke was caused by her carelessness |
| D．things in the kitchen were easy to cause fire |
The cause of the fire might be______．
| A．the fire |
| B．the kitchen |
| C．electricity |
| D．bad luck |
When the husband was upstairs trying to stop the smoke______．
| A．the wife telephoned the firemen |
| B．the firemen saw the smoke and came |
| C．thewife was downstairs doing nothing |
| D．they were in great danger |
The passage wants to express that______．
| A．an unlucky person will have trouble one after another |
| B．an unlucky person will only have trouble three times |
| C．"THREE" is an unlucky number |
| D．"THREE" always comes with a bad luck． |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。O． Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories． His real name was William Sydney Porter． He was born in North Carolina in 1862． As a young boy he lived an exciting life． He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know． When he was about 20 years old, O． Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs． He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went missing from the bank O． Henry was believed to have stolen it． Because of that, he was sent to prison． During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories． After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing． He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there． People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise．
In which order did O． Henry do the following things?
a． Lived in New York．
b． Worked in a bank．
c． Travelled to Texas．
d． Was put in prison．
e． Had a newspaper Job．
f． Learned to write stories．
| A．e．c．f．b．d．a |
| B．c．e．b．d．f．a |
| C．e．b．d．c．a．f． |
| D．c．b．e．d．a f． |
People enjoyed reading O．Henry’s stories because
| A．they had surprise endings |
| B．they were easy to understand |
| C．they showed his love for the poor |
| D．they were about New York City |
O．Henry went to prison because ．
| A．people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper |
| B．he broke the law by not using his own name |
| C．he wanted to write stories about prisoners |
| D．people thought he had taken money that was not his |
What do we know about O． Henry before he began writing?
| A．He was well-educated． |
| B．He was not serious about his work． |
| C．He was devoted to the poor． |
| D．He was very good at learning． |
OUR KIDS ARE AMAZING－especially compared with everybody else’s (who seem to cry all the time)．How do you show your love for your kids this holiday season? With toys that are smooth and colorful, interactive and exciting．And with ones that have educational value－because you are the boss．
1.FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET
Here is a toy that doesn’t need power－and the kids have to put it together themselves．This 50-piece puzzle set is made of soft-edged hardwood and makes a complete hospital, with an X-ray room．It also includes eight patients, a car and a driver． $135; flaxart.com.
2.TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL
Sure, it’s cool, but this colorful baby toy also develops problem solving and motor skills．It has a head and legs, a magnetic(磁性的) hand and a tail．Suitable for little ones from 6 to 36 months． $19.95; tinylove.com.
3.ROBOSAPIEN
This small, remote-control robot is really powerful．It performs 67 preprogrammed functions, including throwing, kicking, picking up and dancing．You can even program your own function-which, sadly, does not include doing windows．$99; robosapienonline.com.
4.MINI PEDAL CAR
Want a Mini Cooper but can’t fit the family inside? Get one for the kids．They can jump into this Mini car, which comes in hot orange with a single adjustable seat, and ride away．But it could spoil them for that used car they’ll be driving when they turn 16.For ages 3 to 5.$189; mininss．com (click on “gear up,” then “Mini motoring gear”).
Which toy is said to have the special design for children’s safety?
| A．ROBOSAPIEN |
| B．MINI PEDAL CAR |
| C．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET |
| D．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL |
Which toy are fit for three-year-old kids?
| A．1 and 3 |
| B．2 and 4 |
| C．1 and 2 |
| D．3 and 4 |
This passage is written for _______．
| A．parents |
| B．children |
| C．the writer |
| D．the boss |
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments －mostly for entertainment purposes － is fair and respectful?
Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals．However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats．Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural homes.
Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species, but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty．Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range．The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs．www．
The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise．This results in unusually and self-destructive behavior called zoochosis．A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages．Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.
Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered．Captive breeding(圈养繁殖) of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild．Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out．In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers．Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?
Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them．Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.
How would the author describe the animals’ life in zoos?
| A．Dangerous． |
| B．Unhappy． |
| C．Natural． |
| D．Easy. |
In the state of zoochosis, animals _________.
| A．remain in cages |
| B．behave strangely |
| C．attack other animals |
| D．enjoy moving around |
What does the author try to argue in the passage?
| A．Zoos are not worth the public support． |
| B．Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals. |
| C．Zoos should treat animals as human beings. |
| D．Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment. |
The author tries to persuade readers to accept his argument mainly by _________.
| A．pointing out the faults in what zoos do |
| B．using evidence he has collected at zoos |
| C．questioning the way animals are protected |
| D．discussing the advantages of natural habitats |
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
“Have you ever been out on a boat and felt it lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the rush of energy as waves came over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh．“There is certainly a lot of energy in waves,” he said．Scientists are working to use that energy to make electricity．Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean．“The wind starts out by making little ripples(涟漪), but if they keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves,” Taylor said．“Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey.” When waves come toward the shore, people can set up dams to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine（涡轮机）．The turbine can then power an electrical generator to produce electricity．
“The resource is huge,” said Janet Swain of the World Watch Institute．“We will never run out of wave power.” Besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil or coal．Oceans cover three quarters of the Earth’s surface—that would make wave power seem ideal for creating energy throughout the world, though there are some weak points yet to overcome.
Swain said that wave power still costs too much money．She also said that its effects on sea animals are still unknown．What is more, wave power could affect fishing and boat traffic．Traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may someday run out．“Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is rising rapidly throughout the world,” Swain said．In the future when you turn on a light, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!
The writer uses the two questions at the beginning of the passage to .
| A．test the readers’ knowledge about waves |
| B．draw the readers’ attention to the topic |
| C．show Jamie Taylor’s importance |
| D．invite the readers to answer them |
The underlined phrase “picking up” is closest in meaning to .
| A．starting again |
| B．speeding up |
| C．improving |
| D．gathering |
We can make better use of wave energy if we .
| A．shorten its journey to thousands of homes |
| B．build more small power stations on the oceans |
| C．reduce the cost of turning it into electric power |
| D．quicken the steps of producing electricity |
It can be inferred that someday we might not worry about .
| A．our power supply |
| B．our boat traffic |
| C．air pollution |
| D．our supply of sea fish |
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