For as long as they can remember Jynne Martin and April Surgent had both dreamed of going to Antarctica. This winter, they each made it to the icy continent as guests of the National Science Foundation (NSF). But they didn’t go as scientists. Martin is a poet and Surgent is an artist. They went to Antarctica as participants in the NSF’s Artists and Writers program. The NSF is the government agency that funds scientific research in Antarctica. But it also makes it possible for artists, including filmmakers and musicians, to experience Antarctica and contribute their own points of view to our understanding of the continent.
The mixing of science and art in Antarctica isn’t new. Some of the earliest explorers brought along painters and photographers. Edward Wilson was a British painter, doctor, and bird expert who journeyed with Robert Falcon Scott on two separate Antarctic expeditions more than 100 years ago. Herbert Ponting was a photographer who also accompanied Scott on one of those expeditions. In hundreds of photos, Ponting captured the beauty of the continent and recorded the daily lives and heroic struggles of the explorers.
Today’s scientists write articles for scientific journals. Unlike the early explorers’ journals, scientific papers can now be very difficult for non-scientists to understand. Writers in Antarctica work to explain the research to the public. Peter Rejcek is editor, writer, and photographer for the Antarctic Sun, an online magazine devoted to news about the U.S. Antarctic Program. Rejcek began his career in the Antarctic in 2003 by spending a year at the South Pole. He has returned every year since, interviewing scientists about research at Palmer, McMurdo, and South Pole stations.
There are also scientists in Antarctica who work hard to explain their research to the public. Scientist Diane McKnight wrote The Lost Seal, a children’s book that explains the research she and others are doing in an unusual ice-free area in Antarctica called the Dry Valleys.
Antarctica is full of stories and wonders that are scientific, historical, and personal. People such as Martin, Surgent, Rejcek, and McKnight are devoted to bringing those stories to as many people as they can. “Some people are going to be scientists, some people are going to be journalists, some people are going to be artists, but we can all work together,” says Surgent, “to celebrate this extraordinary place.”What do we know about the NSF?
| A．It is a government agency. |
| B．It only funds scientists in Antarctica. |
| C．It encourages the understanding of human nature. |
| D．It enables the mixing of science and art for the first time. |
Why didn’t some earliest explorers bring writers along?
| A．Writers were not funded at that time. |
| B．Writing can’t capture the beauty of the continent. |
| C．Writers were not interested in popularizing science. |
| D．Early explorers’ journals can be easily understood by the public. |
By mentioning Diane McKnight, the author may try to suggest that ______.
| A．scientists should explain their research to children |
| B．writers are not necessary since scientists can tell stories as well |
| C．telling stories to children is more important than knowing the truth |
| D．no matter what role we play, we can work together to appreciate Antarctica |
What would be the best title for this article?
| A．Antarctica: A Land for All |
| B．The NSF: A Program for All |
| C．Antarctica: A Land of Beauty and Stories |
| D．The NSF: A Program for Artists and Scientists |
Tom was one of the brightest boys in the year, with supportive parents. But when he was 15 he suddenly stopped trying. He left school at 16 with only two scores for secondary school subjects. One of the reasons that made it cool for him not to care was the power of his peer(同龄人) group.
The lack of right male(男性的) role models in many of their lives — at home and particularly in the school environment(环境) — means that their peers are the only people they have to judge themselves against.
They don’t see men succeeding in society so it doesn’t occur to them that they could make something of themselves. Without male teachers as a role model, the effect of peer actions and street culture(文化) is all-powerful. Boys want to be part of a club. However, schools can provide the environment for change, and provide the right role models for them. Teachers need to be trained to stop that but not in front of a child’s peers. You have to do it one to one, because that is when you see the real child.
It’s pointless sending a child home if he or she has done wrong. They see it as a welcome day off to watch television or play computer games. Instead, schools should have a special unit where a child who has done wrong goes for the day and gets advice about his problems — somewhere he can work away from his peers and go home after the other children. （08辽宁卷）Why did Tom give up studying?
| A．He disliked his teachers. |
| B．His parents no longer supported him. |
| C．It’s cool for boys of his age not to care about studies. |
| D．There were too many subjects in his secondary school. |
What seems to have a bad effect on students like Tom?
| A．Peer groups. | B．A special unit. |
| C．The student judges. | D．The home environment. |
What should schools do to help the problem schoolboys?
| A．Wait for their change patiently. |
| B．Train leaders of their peer groups. |
| C．Stop the development of street culture. |
| D．Give them lessons in a separate area. |
A teacher’s work is most effective with a schoolboy when he ______.
| A．is with the boy alone |
| B．teaches the boy a lesson |
| C．sends the boy home as punishment |
| D．works together with another teacher |
It is often necessary to release a fish, that is, set it free after catching, because it is too small, or you just don't want to take it home to eat. In some cases, releasing fish is a good measure that will help keep fish variety and build their population size. The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) encourages fishermen who practice catch-and-release fishing to use a few simple skills when doing so. The advice provided below will help make sure that the fish you release will survive (存活) to bite again another day.
-When catching a fish, play it quickly and keep the fish in the water as much as possible.
Don't' use a net in landing the fish and release it quickly to prevent it from dying.
-Hold the fish gently. Do not put your fingers in its eyes. Don't wipe the scales (鱼鳞) off the fish because it might cause it to develop a disease and reduce its chance of survival.
-Remove your hook (鱼钩) quickly. If the hook is too deep or hooked in the stomach, cut the line and leave the hook in. The hook left inside will cause no serious problem to the fish.
-Take good care of the fish by moving it gently in water . Release the fish when it begins to struggle and is able to swim.
-Do not hold fish in a bucket or some other containers and later decide to release it. If you are going to release a fish, do so right away.
With a little care and by following the suggestions given above, you can give the released fish a better chance of survival.
| 1． |
People sometimes set a fish free after catching it because they（）
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| 2． |
Which of the following will probably make a fish ill?（）
|
| 3． |
A proper way to release a fish is to（）.
|
| 4． |
What is the purpose of the test?（）
|
Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars(火星), and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.
The first caves discovered beyond the Earth appear as seven mysterious black dots on the pictures sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. Each as large as a football field, they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.
“If there is life on Mars, there is a good chance you’d find it in caves,” said Jut Wynne, one of the researchers who noticed the features while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.
Jonathan Clarke, a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia, yesterday described the discovery as exciting.
One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm, suggesting hot air trapped during the day is flowing out.
“I said: ‘Wow, that’s a cave’” Dr. Clarke said excitedly. “People have been looking for these for a long time; now we have found them.”
He agreed such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life escaping from the bitterly cold, radiation-soaked(充满辐射的), dry surface.
“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,” he said. “If there are gases coming out, they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria. A cave is also a protection from radiation; the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”
The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lave flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago. The outside of the tubes cooled, forming solid walls, while something hotter inside allowed the remaining have to flow out, forming caves. What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．How the caves were formed on Mars. | B．How scientists found these caves on Mars. |
| C．Caves on Mars may be full of hot air or a sign of life. | |
| D．Scientists have completely recognized the surface of Mars. |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．water has already been found on Mars | B．the scientists found all the caves at night |
| C．it is certain that there is life in these caves | |
| D．the surface of Mars is bitterly cold, radiation-soaked and dry |
According to the passage, Dr. Clarke was so excited because .
| A．such caves could provide energy for life | B．they had finally found the caves on Mars |
| C．such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life | |
| D．scientists had long been looking for these caves |
Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include .
| A．lava and energy | B．water and radiation from space |
| C．gases and lava | D．water and protection from radiation |
Lying in the sun on a rock, the cougar(美洲狮) saw Jeb and his son, Tom, before they saw it. Jeb put his bag down quickly and pulled his jacket open with both hands, making himself look big to the cougar. It worked. The cougar hesitated, ready to attack Jeb, but ready to forget the whole thing, too.
Jeb let go of his jacket, grasped Tom and held him across his body, making a cross. Now the cougar’s enemy looked even bigger, and it rose up, ready to move away, but unfortunately Tom got scared and struggled free of Jeb.
“Tom，no!”shouted his father.
But Tom broke and ran and that’s the last thing you do with a cougar. The second Tom broke free, Jeb threw himself on the cougar, just as it jumped from the rock. They hit each other in mid-air and both fell. The cougar was on Jeb in a flash, forgetting about Tom, which was what Jeb wanted.
Cougars are not as big as most people think and a determined man stands a chance, even with just his fists. As the cougar’s claws(爪子) got into his left shoulder. Jeb swung his fist at its eyes and hit hard. The animal howled(吼叫) and put its head back. Jeb followed up with his other fist. Then out of the corner of his eye. Jeb saw Tom. The boy was running back to help his father.
“Knife, Tom,” shouted Jeb.
The boy ran to his father’s bag, while Jeb started shouting as well as hitting, to keep the cougar’s attention away from Tom. Tom got the knife and ran over to Jeb. The cougar was moving its head in and out, trying to find a way through the wall Jeb was making out of his arms. Tom swung with the knife, into the cougar’s back. It howled horribly and ran off into the mountains.
The whole fight had taken about thirty seconds.Why did Jeb pull his jacket open when he saw the cougar?
| A．To get ready to fight. | B．To frighten it away. |
| C．To protect the boy. | D．To cool down. |
What do we know about cougars?
| A．They are afraid of noises. |
| B．They hesitate before they hit. |
| C．They are bigger than we think. |
| D．They like to attack running people. |
How did Jeb try to hold the cougar’s attention?
| A．By keeping shouting and hitting. |
| B．By making a wall out of his arms. |
| C．By throwing himself on the cougar. |
| D．By swinging his fists at the cougar’s eyes. |
Which of the following happened first?
| A．The cougar jumped from the rock. |
| B．Tom struggled free of his father. |
| C．Jeb asked Tom to get the knife. |
| D．Jeb held Tom across his body. |
The Law to Keep the Oil Industry under Control
The Norwegian Government is doing its best to keep the oil industry under control. A new law limits exploration to an area south of the southern end of the long coastline; production limits have been laid down (though these have already been raised); and oil companies have not been allowed to employ more than a limited number of foreign workers. But the oil industry has a way of getting over such problems, and few people believe that the Government will be able to hold things back for long. As on Norwegian politician said last week: “We will soon be changed beyond all recognition.”
Ever since the war, the Government has been carrying out a programme of development in the area north of the Arctic Circle. During the past few years this programme has had a great deal of success: Tromso（特罗姆瑟[挪威北部港市]）has been built up into a local capital with a university, a large hospital and a healthy industry. But the oil industry has already started to draw people south, and within a few years the whole northern policy could be in ruins.
The effects of the oil industry would not be limited to the north, however. With nearly 100 percent employment, everyone can see a situation developing in which the service industries and the tourist industry will lose more of their workers to the oil industry. Some smaller industries might even disappear altogether when it becomes cheaper to buy goods from abroad.
The real argument over oil is its threat to the Norwegian way of life. Farmers and fishermen do not make up most of the population, but they are an important part of it, because Norwegians see in them many of the qualities that they regard with pride as essentially Norwegian. And it is the farmers and the fishermen who are most critical of the oil industry because of the damage that it might cause to the countryside and to the sea.The Norwegian Government would prefer the oil industry to
A provide more jobs for foreign workers.
B slow down the rate of its development.
C sell the oil it is producing abroad.
D develop more quickly than at present.The Norwegian Government has tried to
A encourage the oil companies to discover new oil sources.
B prevent oil companies employing people from northern Norway.
C help the oil companies solve many of their problems.
D keep the oil industry to something near its present size.According to the passage, the oil industry might lead northern Norway to
A the development of industry.
B a growth in population.
C the failure of the development programme.
D the development of new towns.In the south, one effect to the development of the oil industry might be
A a large reduction on unemployment.
B a growth in the tourist industry.
C a reduction in the number of existing industries.
D the development of a number of service industries.Norwegian farmers and fishermen have an important influence because
A they form such a large part of Norwegian ideal.
B their lives and values represent the Norwegian ideal.
C their work is so useful to the rest of Norwegian society.
D they regard oil as a threat to the Norwegian way of life.
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