Conservationists have made plans to preserve and protect the world's most important species of coral, in a response to increasing threats that they say will lead to "functional extinction" within decades．
Led by scientists at the Zoological Society of London, the Edge Coral Reefs project has identified 10 coral species in most urgent risk of becoming extinct．The scientists say that reefs are under pressure from a variety of threats including rising sea temperatures due to climatic instability, increased acidity（酸性）, overfishing and pollution．
The Edge plan, which focuses on the most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species , will take a regional approach to conservation．This means focusing on the "coral triangle" around the Philippines, the West Indian Ocean around the Mozambique channel, and in the Caribbean channel．
"Coral reefs are threatened with functional extinction in the next 20-50 years, due predominantly to global climatic instability," said Catherine Head, coordinator of the reefs project．"In these regions, we'll be supporting and training in-country conservationists to carry out research and implement targeted conservation actions," she said．"Their projects will last for two years．We provide them with a whole host of tools to carry out their projects including funding and intensive training．" She added．
Coral reefs are the planet's most diverse marine ecosystem, known as the rainforests of the oceans．Despite taking up under 0．2% of the ocean floor, they provide food and shelter for almost a third of all sea life．If we lose the ecosystems, we lose not only the biodiversity, but we also lose the capability of people to obtain income and food from coral reefs．
Climatic instability, which leads to rising sea temperatures, causes corals to bleach(漂白)．Bleaching occurs when sea temperatures rise and this causes the coral tissue to expel their symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae - these are what give the coral their color．Bleached corals often die if the stress continues．Among the 10 species chosen to start the Edge project are the pearl bubble coral, a food source for the hawksbill turtle, and the Mushroom coral, which supports at least 15 brightly colored fish．What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Scientists are taking measures to protect coral. |
| B．Scientists are doing research about coral reef. |
| C．Why some coral are dying out. |
| D．People should change climate to protect coral. |
Which of the following can’t threaten the existence of coral?
| A．Overfishing． |
| B．Polluted water |
| C．The increase in sea temperature. |
| D．Human exploration． |
What is the bad result of coral extinction?
| A．It help to keep the balance of the marine ecosystems |
| B．It will cause the temperature of sea water rise. |
| C．It can lead to the loss of about thirty percent of the marine life |
| D．It can destroy the rainforests on our earth． |
Which statement may Catherine Head agree with?
| A．Nearly all kinds of coral species are at risk. |
| B．Increased acidity has a negative on the existence of coral. |
| C．Climatic instability can’t affect corals. |
| D．It will takes decades to complete the Edge Coral Reefs project. |
How will the scientists help carry out the Edge Coral Reefs project?
| A．By providing tools and money. |
| B．By doing some experiments. |
| C．By removing some dangerous sea animals. |
| D．By punishing the people who break the rules. |
One day I heard that one of my dear friends had lost his mother. This made me sad, for my friend was very close to his mother. He had been by her side as she traveled through her long and hard journey with cancer. At this time, many memories about my loved ones that had passed away came flooding to me. Finally these memories passed, but it was really sad to think that my friend would have to go through the pain.
Three times I tried to write an email to my friend and three times words failed me. I am a person who is not often lost for words and I decided to have a sleep. Upon waking up I could hardly wait for my computer to work, the words I needed were there. I was still left with a heavy heart although I had sent an email.
Everything in this universe is balanced and indeed it is. Three days later, I received his reply letter. I was happy to hear that he’d been admitted to (录取) Cambridge University. It served as a gentle reminder for me that my friend would be okay and that life would go on.
Everything in life is balanced; the lowest feelings change places with the highest feelings. Without the lows, we would never appreciate the highs. No matter how dark the clouds seem to be, the sunshine is always there and just waiting for the opportunity to shine through.When the author learnt her friend had lost his mother, she ______.
| A．gave him some money | B．wrote an email to him |
| C．went to visit him | D．went for a journey with him |
What good news did the author’s friend receive?
| A．He received the author’s email. | B．He was told that life would go on. |
| C．He would go to Cambridge University. | D．His life would go back to normal again |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．The author wrote four emails to her friend. |
| B．The mother of the author’s friend died from cancer. |
| C．The author’s friend is a teacher in Cambridge University. |
| D．The author felt relaxed after sending the email. |
The author aims to tell us that ______.
| A．life is not fair to everybody | B．time waits for no man |
| C．everyone has good and bad times in life | D．where there is a will, there is a way |
This is the SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, I’m Barbara Klein.
Animal experts say one of the world’s most beautiful and rare kinds of big cat is close to disappearing from the wild. A study earlier this year found that about thirty Amur leopards(豹) still live free. The cats are also called Far Eastern leopards.
Recently, their numbers have been reduced by one. Some person shot a female Amur, then beat her to death. The animal’s body was discovered last month in the Barsovy National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Russia.
An official of the World Wildlife Fund, Darron, said this was the third such killing in the area in the past fives years. Mr. Collins said the death of even one adult female is a huge loss for the endangered cat. He noted that the killing reduces the possibility for cubs(幼兽) or young.
It is not clear how many Amur leopards still live free. One population count was performed in February and March. Wildlife expert Dmitry Pikuuov led this study. It found evidence of seven to nine males. The study identified(确定) three to seven females without cubs. Four leopards were identified as females with cubs. In all, five or six cubs were recorded. Six to eight animals could not be identified.
Most of the land where the Amur leopard once lived was in China. New roads and climate change there threatened(威胁) the animals. So did hunters who kill big cats for their body parts.
Mr. Pikuuov says adult Amurs need about five hundred square kilometers with good forests to survive. He said they also need a large and continuing supply of animals like deer for food. He believes the answer to saving the Amur leopard is for governments to provide protected spaces for wildlife. This passage is probably from____________.
| A．a magazine | B．a newspaper report | C．a TV report | D．a film |
Why is the killing of an adult female a huge loss?
| A．It could lead to the death of an adult male. |
| B．It means it can not give birth to the young any more. |
| C．It is worth more money than a male. |
| D．There is only one adult female in the world. |
The number of the Amur leopards in China is becoming smaller because of all the following EXCEPT
| A．new roads | B．climate change | C．human hunting | D．rare diseases |
According to the experts the Amur leopards ____________.
| A．are living on plants | B．are living in the zoo |
| C．are well protected by people | D．are endangered |
Mistakes are a part of life. To err is human. Failure is also a part of life, not the end of life. Be happy facing life’s challenges. When you make the effort to be happy and to improve your life, you are actually rewarded along the way.
Life is like a game and maybe you can award points for every effort that has been a success for you. Try it. Add ten points for every achievement. And when you have reached 50 points, just yell, “Hey, I’ve won!” and give yourself a reward. If you happen to have missed your points for whatever reason, tell yourself, “Well, I tried!” which is better than not trying at all. Don’t let it be said you didn’t try.
What is it that you want to make yourself happy? Actually happiness means different things to different people. For example, an athlete will be happy winning his first race. For a new mother happiness would be seeing her baby’s first steps. Happiness for a poor person would mean having a meal just for today. So happiness for you is really something simple that you want for yourself.
It really doesn’t have to be big. As a matter of fact, you should be always realistic(现实的). Make the best out of every given situation. If you expect a certain result from a situation and it does not happen, don’t get despondent. This just means trying harder next time. We all have in us the power to succeed. Don’t let “give up” be a part of your vocabulary.By saying “To err is human”, the author means that____________.
| A．human beings should try to avoid making mistakes |
| B．no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes |
| C．mistakes and failures make up our life |
| D．human beings make mistakes easily |
What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?
| A．Try to reach 50 points. | B．Try to get as many points as you can. |
| C．Award yourself for your success | D．Don’t be afraid of missing your points. |
The author proves his idea in Paragraph 3 through____________.
| A．examples | B．numbers | C．experiments | D．stories |
The underlined word “despondent” in the last paragraph means____________.
| A．frightened | B．disappointed | C．surprised | D．excited |
Few of us haven’t read Cinderella(灰姑娘), the story of a young woman living in poverty who meets the prince of her dreams. Some might not want to admit it, but there is a hidden Cinderella in everyone’s heart—we all wish we could achieve recognition or success after a period of obscurity(默默无闻). Mary Santiago has that secret dream, too. Her story is featured(特点) in Another Cinderella Story, a film set in a US high school.
Mary is shy but loves to dance. Compared with other girls, she is invisible. However, her world changes completely when a famous teenager pop singer, Joey Parker, appears. Joey is everything the rest of the boys in her class are not—kind, handsome and desirable. Mary and Joey’s paths cross at a ball. They meet and fall in love with each other. But when Mary has to rush back home, she leaves behind her MP3 player, which becomes the only clue Joey has to find the girl of his dreams. Of course, there is a wicked(邪恶的) stepmother, who turns out to be Dominique Blatt and she takes in Mary after her dancer mother dies. Dominique treats Mary like a maid and does everything she can to make sure Mary doesn’t get into the top dance school. Her two daughters are equally determined to stop Joey falling for Mary, even if that means embarrassing her.
The story, though it mostly follows Cinderella, does add a few modern day twists to the classic fairy tale. Refreshingly, the film, unlike many high school films, does not focus on looks, although the actors are all beautiful. There is also a lot less materialism in Another Cinderella Story than in many similar movies.
“The movie takes the Cinderella fairytale as its jumping off point,” writes movie critic Amber Wilkinson, “The focus is firmly on following your dream.”The first paragraph is mainly to ____________.
| A．build interest and lead us to Mary’s secret dream |
| B．remind us why Cinderella is popular all the years |
| C．tell us what is the Cinderella Story |
| D．tell us how interesting the fairy tale Cinderella is |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Joey is just like other boys in Mary’s class. |
| B．Mary’s mother influences her a lot in singing. |
| C．Not many people have a dream to be realized. |
| D．The MP3 player helps Joey in finding Mary. |
The passage is mainly about ____________.
| A．an introduction to a novel | B．a review about a film |
| C．a passage about dreams | D．an advertisement of Cinderella |
Ten years ago I used to be very fit. I rode a bike to work and I got a lot of exercise at weekends. I used to play tennis a lot and go for long walks. In those days I didn’t earn very much. I had a job in an office. It wasn’t a very good job but I had a lot of time to do the things I enjoyed doing.
Then, about eight years ago, I got a much better job. The pay was better, but the hours were a lot longer. I bought a car and drove to work every day. I began to take people out to lunch. And I began to put on weight, too. I stopped playing tennis and going for long walks at weekends because I just didn’t have any time for things like that any more.
There’s a lot of stress in my job. Perhaps that’s why I started drinking more than I used to. For example, I used to have only half a glass of whisky when I got home, but then I started filling my glass to the top, and instead of having one glass, I would have several. I started smoking a lot, too. I never used to smoke at all.
Two months ago I had a heart attack. At first I just couldn’t believe it. Luckily it wasn’t very serious. The doctor advised me to stop smoking and to eat less. He also advised me to work less and get more exercise. But I just haven’t any time! My job takes everything out of me!
Sometimes I wonder if I should get another job. Perhaps I could do something as I used to. But if I do that, I won’t earn as much. I have a family to support. I have to think of them, too. I just don’t know what I should do. What do you think?Compared with ten years ago, what is worse for the author now?
| A．His job. | B．His pay. |
| C．His means of transport. | D．His health. |
According to the passage, when the author got the better job, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．He got higher pay. | B．His working hours weren’t long. |
| C．He found it very stressful. | D．He had little free time at weekends. |
After the author had a heart attack, the doctor advised him ____________.
| A．not to work any longer |
| B．to take a long vacation abroad |
| C．to stop smoking and take exercise |
| D．not to eat out any more |
What can we learn about the author?
| A．The author is not sure what he should do now. |
| B．The author has taken the doctor’s advice already. |
| C．The author has got another new job. |
| D．The author feels much better now. |
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