A lot of people are afraid spiders（蜘蛛）–even the small ones. But a big tarantula（鸟蛛）is much more terrifying for many. Now, scientists in Sri Lanka have discovered a huge species of tarantula that’s about the size of a person’s face.
The first part of the spider’s scientific name, Poecilotheria rajaei, comes from the Greek words for “spotted”(poikilos) and “wild beast” (therion). Its species name, rajaei, comes from a local police officer who helped the team that discovered the creature. Poecilotheria rajaei has 8-inch long legs, and unusual spots colored gray, pink, and yellow.
Although it is very big, is there a real reason to be afraid of one? Maybe. This tarantula has enough poisonous fluid（毒液）to kill mice and small birds and snakes –but its bite wouldn’t cause the death of most humans.
Poecilotheria rajaei was first seen in 2009, when a villager in Sri Lanka found the body of a male and brought it to Ranil Nanayakkara, co-founder of Sri Lanka’s Biodiversity Education and Research organization.
An examination of the awesome creature proved that it was a type of tarantula scientists hadn’t seen before. So Nanayakkara carefully looked through the Sri Lankan forests to try to find more of the spiders.
It’s still too early to know whether this species is endangered. But researchers fear that the tarantulas’ natural habitat is slowly being destroyed.
“ They prefer old trees, but due to the widespread removal of trees the number has dropped,” Nanayakkara said in an interview.
Tarantulas have eight legs and two body parts. They are different from insects, which have only six legs but three body parts. Tarantulas have hairy bodies and are usually larger than other types of spiders. Some species of tarantulas can live up to 25 years.
While Poecilotheria rajaei is very big, the largest tarantula is the Goliath bird-eater (Theraphosa blondi). Found in the rainforests of South America, its legs can be up to 10 inches long. But don’t worry if you ever see one: Its poisonous fluid isn’t really dangerous to humans.According to the text, Poecilotheria rajaei _______.
| A．has unique spots |
| B．is mostly yellow |
| C．has 10-inch long legs |
| D．was first seen by the Greeks |
Which of the following is most likely to survive a bite from Poecilotheria rajaei?
| A．A little girl |
| B．A small bird. |
| C．A big mouse. |
| D．A small snake. |
The number of Poecilotheria rajaei has dropped because___________.
| A．the global climate has changed |
| B．they have too many natural enemies |
| C．some people are killing them illegally |
| D．more and more forests are disappearing |
Which of the following is TRUE about tarantulas?
| A．They are a kind of insect. |
| B．Most of them live in South America. |
| C．Their body is divided into three parts. |
| D．They are usually of bigger size than other spiders. |
Which section of a newspaper is the text most probably taken from?
| A．Life | B．Nature |
| C．Science | D．Business |
You may say it’s just a slip of the tongue. But as a senior official and a well-educated person, a professional who is supposed to be expert at using words shouldn’t have made such a remark like “Why did only two teachers commit suicide?” We use “only” to emphasize（强调） how small an amount is or how unimportant the matter is. When talking about death toll, such a word as “only” should never be appropriate.
Of course, it seems unfair to put all the blame on her, especially about the suicide of any individual. We should never indirectly encourage any self-destructive behaviour by making finger-pointing remarks afterwards. Any sensational accusation may help spread a very wrong message which will lead to even more copycat（模仿他人行为者）cases.
As expected, Professor Li has spoken out in her defence, saying that her remarks concerning the two suicides had been taken out of context, adding that she is a caring and warm-hearted person.
However, a seemingly “caring and warm-hearted person” without enough political sensitivity can hardly make a good government official. Mr. Tung used to be described as kind and selfless, but being kind is not enough. It is misleading to say such characteristics as kindness and devotion make somebody fit or capable.
Last time, her saying that students were the least qualified to criticize the Chief Executive had led to much criticism. Then she apologized. This time, a much more widespread furore（公众的骚动） has been brought. Again, she apologized. How many times is she going to apologize before she is willing to step down?
We need a more diplomatic（外交的） person to calm teachers, students and parents alike.
1. The purpose of the passage is to _____.
A. encourage teachers to commit suicide
B. criticize professor Li
C. put stress on the official’s remarks
D. show her dissatisfaction with the senior official
2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The official used improper words in her remarks.
B. The senior official’s apologies were not sincere.
C. Nobody could comfort the people.
D. The professional tried to mislead the people to continue their suicide.
3. The author thought ________.
A. the official was very fit for her office
B. the official used the word “only” not by mistake
C. it was quite right to blame the official
D. the official won’t make such mistakes any more
4. From the passage we can infer that ______.
A. the officials’ remark led to more suicide committing
B. the official was a sensitive politician
C. the official believed the students had rights to talk about the Chief Executive
D. professor Li showed favor to the official
Television is an important part of modern life, one we can hardly imagine living without it. If I were forced to live without television, I would seek other interests, socialize（参加社交活动） with my friends and family and exercise more often.
Without TV in my home, I would have time to seek other interests. For example, I love to play the piano and without the fun of TV, I would have more time to practice. At other times, I could paint portraits of my family and friends.
Not only that, but also I could find much more time to socialize with my friends and family if my TV disappeared. At my house, the TV is a
lways on during dinner. Without TV we might have time to tell each other about what happened to us that day. In addition, we could more easily find more time to talk with old friends on the telephone. Thus, social time would increase without TV.
Most importantly, lacking a TV would give me a big increase in the available time for exercise in my life. With extra time, I could make the long journey to Bowen Island and go on an enjoyable hike in the mountains. Another exercise would be to go swimming or to an aerobics（有氧运动） class at Bonsor Community Centre. Watching more TV will only develop my bottom muscle.
Seeking other interests, socializing with friends and family, and exercising frequently would be the benefits of having no TV at my home. Just think how much more time I would have if I got rid of my computer, too!
62. According to the passage, we can infer that the author _________ too much.
A. takes exercise B. plays the piano
C. watches TV D. talks with his family
63. The passage mainly tells us ________.
A. we can’t live without TV
B. TV does harm to the author’s life
C. what the author could do without TV
D. why the author dislikes TV
64. The author thinks that he could do the following EXCEPT _____ without TV.
A. playing computers
B. doing outdoor sports
C. make conversations with family and friends
D. doing social activities
65. What’s the most suitable title for the passage?
A. We can’t live without TV. B. TV benefits us a lot.
C. Disadvantages of TV. D. Living without TV.
In the early 80’s, I walked across the Burrard Bridge in Vancouver. Not alone, however. With me were more than 50,000 persons, mostly of my generation, on the Walk for Peace. Loving peace, I think, is one of three important qualities of my generation.
That desire for peace has been an important char
acteristic of my generation for a long time. I grew up in the 60’s and early 70’s. At that time, many of us took part in demonstrations（示威游行） against the Vietnam War. Many people of my generation have devoted their lives to world peace, and lately we have seen success: US and Russian nuclear weapons are half their 1980 levels and nuclear disarmament（裁减军备） is agreed upon worldwide.
Another characteristic of my generation is our participation in the “marriage revolution”. We were the first generation that had access to safe and reliable birth control. The idea of “free love” made it easier for men and women to safely express their love before marriage. The marriage revolution gave us power, especially to women, and the world was changed forever.
The most important characteristic, however, is that many of us are deeply concerned about the environment. The results of my generation’s activities can be seen everywhere.
Although not all of us have participated, it is sure that we will continue to have a large impact on North America. We are nearing 50 years old, an age where people of my generation will become successful in politics and then, who knows what changes will come.
59. Which of the following does not belong to the characteristics of the author’s generation?
A. Travelling peacefully. B. The wish for peace.
C. Belief in the idea of “free love”. D. Protecting the environment.
60. “My generation” may be people born between ________.
A. the 50s and 60s B. the 60s and 70s
C. the 70s and 80s D. the 80s and 90s
61. The passage implies that ________.
A. most of the author’s generation died for world peace
B. all the countries agreed to remove the nuclear weapons
C. the demonstrations against the Vietnam War achieved success
D. some of the author’s generation may have greater influence on the country
We learned that fossil fuels were formed before and during the time of the dinosaurs（恐龙）. We are using up the fuels. We can save fossil fuels by protecting and finding ways to use energy from “endless sources”, like the sun and the wind. Some people suggest that we should start using hydrogen（氢）.
Hydrogen is a colorless, smell-less gas that takes up 75 percent of the whole universe. Hydrogen is found on earth only in mixture with other elements such as oxygen, carbon and nitrogen. To use hydrogen, we must separate it from these other elements.
Hydrogen can be used in NASA’s space program as fuel for the spaceships, and in fuel cells that provide heat, electricity and drinking water for astronauts. Fuel cells are devices that directly change hydrogen into electricity. In the future, hydrogen could be used to fuel vehicles and aircraft and provide power for our homes and offices.
Hydrogen can be made from natural gas. An electrical current can also be used to separate water into its elements of oxygen and hydrogen. Some plants in the sea and bacteria（细菌） give off hydrogen through sunlight under certain conditions.
Hydrogen as a fuel is high in energy. Yet a machine that burns pure hydrogen produces almost zero pollution. NASA has used liquid hydrogen since the 1970s to drive rockets and spacecraft into orbit. Hydrogen fuel cells power the spacecraft’s electrical systems, producing clean by-product-pure water, which the crew drinks.
56. We can get hydrogen from the following EXCEPT ______ according to the passage.
A. natural gas B. water C. creature in the sea D. bacteria
57. Why could the hydrogen be used widely in the future?
A. Because it is of high quality.
B. Because it has no pollution.
C. Because it is easy to get it from all kinds of ways.
D. Because there are much hydrogen existing in the universe.
58. The passage mainly tells us ________.
A. the usage of a new energy source B. the future energy sources
C. a new energy source －hydrogen D. how to get the energy source
The bee，like the ant，is a social insect（昆虫）.Bees live in large groups in box-like houses called hives or beehives.Every bee does a certain job that helps the other members of th
e group.In a beehive there live three kinds of bees:the queen bee，the male bees and the worker bees.The worker bees are born to be hard-working，flying from flower to flower collecting nectar（花蜜），which is made up mostly of sugar mixed with water.Bees draw this nectar into their honey bags where some sort of liquid in their bodies turns the nectar into honey.The newly made honey flows slowly from the bees’ underside and then is stored in small cells in the hive.When the weather turns cold，and there are no flowers for them to collect nectar，the stored honey will see them through the winter months.People who raise bees and depend on bees for a living are thought of as beekeepers.A bee-keeper usually keeps hundreds of hives，and removes honey from hives and keeps it in glass bottles or jars.Honey usually appears as a clear golden-colored liquid，but this lie
s in the sort of flowers from which bees have taken the nectar.
66.The best title of this passage is_______.
A.The Social Habits of Bees B.Three Kinds of Bees
C.The Production of Honey D.Bee Keepers’ Work
67.Bees are regarded as social insects because they_______.
A.form themselves into a good organization
B.have learned something from human society
C.need beekeepers to arrange their jobs
D.are born to work hard
68.The color of honey in its final stage depends on the_______.
A.type of flowers which the nectar is taken from
B.amount of sugar the beekeeper gives the bees
C.season in which the nectar is collected
D.quantity of water the bees are able to drink
69.Worker bees are always busy collecting nectar in order to_______.
A.help beekeepers to earn money from honey
B.turn it into honey
C.have something to eat in winter months
D.please the queen bee at the hive
70.During the course in which nectar change into honey_______.
A.water and sunlight are necessary conditions
B.some special liquid inside bees must be in the presence
C.many complex（复杂的）chemical changes will take place
D.worker bees have to bring up what they collected into their hive
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