Many people may not believe it, but this is what is happening: polar bears are dying out! They are dying because they are losing a great deal of habitat due to human incursion（侵入）and global warming. They are dying because of starvation as well. With the sea ice they depend on for survival shrinking, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to find food.
An ecosystem is highly dependent on all of its parts, and removing even a single species can result in serious consequences. Polar bears are at the top of the predators（捕食性动物）where they live. They play an important part in the ecosystem. They feed on seals, fish and deer. Several other animals depend on the kill of polar bears. The failure to save polar bears might result in loss of these predators.
In addition, all large predators perform a very important function in their habitat: helping to control the populations of other species. When an animal group loses its natural predators, its population will rise rapidly, having a direct result in population decrease of other groups. A huge boom in population of Arctic seals would have a direct effect on the prey(捕食) of seals, and could reduce numbers of certain types of fish.
This could also have a direct effect on humans, who might have to compete with Arctic seals for food supplies from fish. Lack of polar bears could eventually affect human food supply. Human beings shall save polar bears to ensure the food supply.
There is no doubt that we should save polar bears. However, there is still another question: can they be saved? This is a matter that scientists debate because of rapid degradation（恶化）of the polar bear’ environment in recent years due to warming temperatures. It is estimated that if the bears cannot adapt to changing climates, they might die out before the end of the 21st century, with about 50% of the animals disappearing by 2050. So time is running out!
There are some things that may help slow down global warming and help delay extinction of polar bears. These include finding new energy sources that don’t give off greenhouse gases and not making any more incursions into polar bear’s territory.
Which is NOT the threat to the survival of polar bears according to the passage?
| A．Human’s killing. | B．Global warming. |
| C．Habitat loss. | D．Lack of food. |
Why do we need to save polar bears?
| A．For the predators in the ecosystem. |
| B．For the seals in Arctic Circle. |
| C．For our own source of food. |
| D．For our environment. |
If bears can’t adapt to changing climates, we will probably have lost _____ by the middle of the 21st century.
| A．half of polar bears |
| B．most of polar bears |
| C．90% of polar bears |
| D．all of polar bears |
We can infer that _____ .
| A．nothing can prevent the extinction of polar bears |
| B．drilling for oil in the Arctic should be encouraged |
| C．polar bears can surely adapt to changing climates |
| D．using solar energy is good for saving polar bears |
Space is where our future is — trips to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Most people would think that aside from comets(彗星) and stars, there is little else out there. But, since our space journey started we have left so much trash（垃圾） there that scientists are now concerned that if we don't clean it up, we may all be in mortal （致命的）danger.
The first piece of space junk was created in 1964, when the American satellite Vanguard I stopped operating and lost its connection with the ground center. However, since it kept orbiting around the Earth without any consequences, scientists became increasingly comfortable abandoning things that no longer served any useful purpose in space.
It is estimated that there are now over 500,000 pieces of man-made trash orbiting the Earth at speeds of up to 17,500 miles per hour. The junk varies from tiny pieces of paint chipped off rockets to cameras, huge fuel tanks, and even odd items like the million-dollar tool kit that astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn Piper lost during a spacewalk.
The major problem with the space trash is that it may hit working satellites and damage traveling spacecraft(飞船). Moreover, pieces of junk may collide（碰撞） with each other and break into pieces which fall back to the Earth. To avoid this, scientists have invented several ways for clearing the sky. Ground stations have been built to monitor larger pieces of space trash to prevent them from crashing into working satellites or space shuttles. Future plans include a cooperative effort among many nations to stop littering in space and to clean up the trash already there.What was the first piece of man-made space trash?
| A．A camera. | B．A tool kit. |
| C．A fuel tank. | D．A broken satellite. |
Why were scientists NOT concerned about space trash in the beginning?
| A．It no longer served any useful purpose. |
| B．It was millions of miles away from the Earth. |
| C．It did not cause any problems. |
| D．It was regarded as similar to comets and stars. |
Which of the following statements is true about space junk?
| A．It is huge, heavy machines. |
| B．It never changes position. |
| C．It floats slowly around the Earth. |
| D．It may cause problems for space shuttles. |
What has been done about the space trash problem?
| A．Scientists have cleaned up most of the trash. |
| B．Large pieces of space trash are being closely watched. |
| C．Many nations have worked together to stop polluting space. |
| D．Ground stations are built to help store the trash properly in space. |
It seems hard to watch someone yawn（打哈欠） and not to yawn ourselves. Even reading about yawning can make you do it. Now, a new study has found why yawning has such a powerful force.
Yawning when others yawn, the study suggests, is a sign of pity and a form of social connection. Kids don’t develop this deeply rooted behavior until around age four, the study found. Kids with autism (自闭症) are less likely to catch yawns. In the most serious cases, they never do. Yawning might help doctors to see whether the children are developing rightly. The work could also lead to a better understanding of the ways that people communicate and connect.
"Emotional infection seems to be a born thing that connects us together," said Molly Helt, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Connecticut. "Yawning may be part of that." Inspiration for her study came when she tried to get her own autistic son to clear his ears on an airplane. She repeatedly yawned at him, hoping he would yawn back. He never did.
"The fact that autistic kids don’t do it might mean they’re really missing out on that emotional connection with people around them," she said. "The biggest thing people try to figure out after birth is how we become humans and understand that humans have minds that are different from others’," she added. "Autistic people never seem to understand that."
Like infectious （有感染力的）laughter and crying, scientists have found that yawning is a shared experience that promotes social connection. Helt said it could fight stress after a period of being nervous and spread a feeling of calm through a group.What does the new study suggest, according to the first two paragraphs?
| A．Yawning is a form of communication. |
| B．It is easy to stop yawning when you see others yawn. |
| C．Children follow others in yawning just after they are born. |
| D．Yawning has some mysterious force which is related to God. |
According to Molly Helt, _________.
| A．humans differ from animals because they communicate with others |
| B．yawning is a kind of emotional connection among humans |
| C．emotions are infectious, but yawning is not |
| D．yawning helps clear ears on planes |
Which of the following is NOT true about yawning?
| A．It is natural to yawn back if people around you yawn. |
| B．Some kids are too young to yawn after others. |
| C．Yawning can be used to test children’s development. |
| D．Kids with autism yawn easily when others yawn. |
The author implies in the last paragraph that ________.
| A．yawning is different from infectious laughter and crying in theory |
| B．it is bad manners to yawn on some social occasions |
| C．the more you yawn, the happier you will be |
| D．yawning can make people feel relaxed |
The Swiss army knife is a popular device that is recognized all over the world. In Switzerland, there is a saying that every good Swiss citizen has one in his or her pocket. But the knife had poor beginnings.
In the late nineteenth century, the Swiss army issued（发给） its soldiers a gun that required a special screwdriver（螺丝刀） to take it apart and clean it. At the same time, canned food was becoming common in the army. Swiss generals decided to issue each soldier a standard knife to serve both as a screwdriver and a can opener.
It was a lifesaver for Swiss knife makers, who were struggling to compete with cheaper German imports. In 1884, Carl Elsener, head of the Swiss knife manufacturer（maker） Victorinox, seized that opportunity with both hands, and designed a soldier's knife that the army loved. It was a simple knife with one big blade(刀片), a can opener, and a screwdriver.
A few years after the soldier's knife was issued, the "Schweizer Offizier Messer," or Swiss Officer's Knife, came on the market. Interestingly, the Officer's Knife was never given to those serving in the army. The Swiss army purchasers considered the new model with a corkscrew（瓶塞钻） for opening wine not "essential for survival," so officers had to buy this new model by themselves. But its special multi-functional design later launched(发行) the knife as a global brand. After the Second World War, a great number of American soldiers were stationed in Europe. And as they could buy the Swiss army knife at shops on army bases, they bought huge quantities of them. However, it seems that "Schweizer Offizier Messer" was too difficult for them to say, so they just called it the Swiss army knife, and that is the name it is now known by all over the world.What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To explain the origin of the Swiss army knife. |
| B．To introduce the functions of the Swiss army knife. |
| C．To emphasize the importance of the Swiss army knife. |
| D．To tell a story about the designer of the Swiss army knife. |
What does "It" in the third paragraph refer to?
| A．The Swiss army needed a knife for every soldier. |
| B．Every good Swiss citizen had a knife in his pocket. |
| C．Swiss knives were competing with imported knives. |
| D．Canned food was becoming popular in the Swiss army. |
Why didn't the Swiss army purchase the Swiss Officer's Knife?
| A．The design of the knife was too simple. |
| B．The knife was sold out to American soldiers. |
| C．The army had no budget to make the purchase. |
| D．The new design was not considered necessary for officers to own. |
Who gave the name "the Swiss army knife" to the knife discussed in the passage?
| A．Carl Elsener. | B．Swiss generals. |
| C．American soldiers. | D．German businessmen. |
The day of my holiday arrived, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. I had little money and had only been able to afford to stay with my Aunt Rosa in Spain. So, I wasn’t really excited as I knew exactly what it was going to be like: lots of noisy cousins , and Aunt Rosa begging me to take her for a ride.
After I had checked in, I made my way slowly to the departure gate. As I was waiting to board the plane, I kept thinking about my ideal holiday destination: Jamaica, with its long, sandy beaches and crystal clear water.
As soon as the plane took off, I fell fast asleep and only woke to the sound of the announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten you seat belts, as we will shortly be landing in Kingston.” I froze in my seat. Was I dreaming? Kingston? Jamaica? I had boarded the wrong plane!
Immediately after the plane landed, I explained the situation to the authorities. It seems there were also three other passengers heading for Spain. Apparently it had been the airline’s fault, since the flight numbers for Spain and Jamaica were exactly the same! Therefore, with no flight back to London for a week, the airline had no choice but to pay for our stay.
So there I was, lying on the beach, enjoying the music and the marvelous food of Jamaica! As for Aunt Rosa, I suppose she just had to live without me!Why did the writer choose to spend her holiday with her aunt in Spain?
| A．She missed her cousins very much. |
| B．Her aunt begged her to go there. |
| C．She could hardly afford any better trip. |
| D．Spain was her ideal destination. |
In the story, the writer ended up _________.
| A．flying to London immediately |
| B．heading for Spain from Jamaica |
| C．complaining to the authorities |
| D．enjoying a free beach holiday |
Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
| A．A Lucky Mistake | B．A Terrible Adventure |
| C．A Nice Dream | D．A Well-Planned Trip |
It is a wonderful morning, as I write this: hot, but without being too hot．Outside my window, I can see the sunniest sky of the year reflected in a huge natural expand of water．It is the kind of sun that makes you well aware of summer's temporary nature a reminder that if I am ever to go around to book this year's holiday, time is running out．
It is now close to four years since I last took a holiday．This is because I have come to the conclusion, over the course of my adult life, that I am not very good at it．You might say this sounds like saying you are not very good at drinking tea or listening to music．What could possibly be difficult about the natural act of putting your working life on hold for a couple of weeks and going somewhere to do nothing?
So what is my problem? On the surface, I'm probably a bit of homebody．And I just find the pressure of being on holiday too severe: it always feels like having a gun held to my head and being forced to have fun．Somehow, packing a carefully itemized（详细列举的）list of possessions and meeting a scheduled flight has none of the excitement of suddenly deciding to take a day off and driving somewhere for the fun of it．
Thankfully, I am not alone． This summer, most of my friends have decided not to have a break． And a recent survey highlighted the downside（负面）of holidays, with the results showing that nearly two thirds of people found that the calming effects of a holiday wore off within 24 hours, as stress levels returned to normal．And this year's the Idler magazine published its hook, Awful Holidays．Here you will find a list of the five most ecologically-damaging vacations it's possible to take, along with 50 horrible holidays experiences voted for on the idler website． Over the last decade, The Idler has become well known for promoting the idea of an easy, lazy life．The leisure（休闲）industry might seem an unlikely target of its criticism, but Dan Kienan, the book ' s editor, says that he was flooded with entries from readers for his list of awful holidays．According to the first paragraph we can know that the writer ．
| A．has a strong desire to book a holiday |
| B．wishes that the weather would change |
| C．finds it is too late to enjoy the sunshine |
| D．realizes it's time to decide whether to go on a holiday |
The reason why the writer dislikes going on holidays is that ．
| A．it usually costs too much money |
| B．he is tired of making preparations too much for holidays |
| C．it is far less enjoyable than breaks planned in advance |
| D．he feels embarrassed when other people are having fun but he isn't |
We can learn from the survey that ．
| A．most people pretend to enjoy their holiday |
| B．all people fail to relax while they are on holiday |
| C．a lot of people feel that the benefits of going on holidays are limited |
| D．many people have made the same decision as the writer and most of his friends |
The writer takes the book of Awful Holidays as an example to ．
| A．damage the reputation of the magazine |
| B．prove the idea of living an easy, lazy life to be wrong |
| C．indicate that his dislike of holidays is widely shared |
| D．focus entirely on bad personal experiences of holidays |
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