题目内容

Today, many species of animals and plants are endangered. This means they are in danger of becoming extinct and living on only in the pages of history books. The famous dodo is a classic example of a creature that became extinct. A flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius, it was discovered by sailors in 1598 but was hunted to extinction by 1681.

Hunting has caused the Bengal tiger and the African elephant to be endangered today but habitat destruction can also lead to extinction. This is equally true for plants. Animals and plants disappear for other reasons too, but the main cause is often a disruption(打乱,破坏) in the natural food chain, whether due to hunting, habitat destruction, or even the introduction of alien species.

The natural food chain is the cycle that governs the existence of all life on this planet. It is a carefully balanced cycle and any imbalance that occurs can cause knock-on effects that have serious consequences. At the beginning of the natural food chain are plants which turn sunlight into energy and draw nutrients from the earth. Plants are called producers.

After the producers come the consumers. There are three tiers of consumers. First are creatures such as plant-eating animals, fish and insects which feed off the producers. These animals that only eat plants are called herbivores. The second tier of consumers are carnivores - animals that live off other animals. The third tier of consumers eats both other animals and plants. These consumers, including most humans, are called omnivores.

After animals and plants die, they become food for other smaller creatures, such as bacteria and some plants, such as fungi. As they feed, these creatures turn the dead bodies back into gases and minerals which are again food for the producers at the beginning of the food chain. And so the cycle continues.

All of nature is connected and governed by hundreds of these delicate food chains and if a single plant in the chain cannot survive, then the insects that live off the plant start to die and the animals that eat the insects also start to die.

When a food chain is disrupted, the consequences can be extremely serious. One estimate suggests that for each plant species that is lost, up to 30 animals and insects may also die out. One wonders how many species were affected by the extinction of the dodo?

Humans can have disastrous effects on food chains. We've already mentioned hunting but now let's look at travel. When people first started to explore the world they took plant and animal species from their home countries and introduced them wherever they went. They didn't realize that by introducing alien species they were disrupting the natural food chains of the areas they discovered. Although there are strict rules in place today controlling the import and export of alien species, some places are still fighting the effects of aliens introduced hundreds of years ago.

For example, Gough Island in the South Atlantic Ocean is a breeding ground for albatrosses that have been nesting there for centuries. But in the 19th century, mice from passing ships were brought to the island. Being a species alien to the island, they had no natural predators and have now grown to such a size that they are attacking and killing albatross chicks. If they are allowed to continue, they will wipe out the albatross population.

With import laws and people's rising awareness of how humans affect the natural environment, hopefully we can learn to fit better into the natural food chains that govern our world. Otherwise we need to accept that the loss of any more plants and animals could eventually mean our own extinction.

1.What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?

A. Hunting and habitat destruction lead to extinction.

B. Many species of animals and plants are endangered.

C. Plants and animals become extinct for the same reasons.

D. The main cause of extinction is often a disruption in the natural food chain.

2.Which of the following sentence is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Strict rules alone can remove the bad effects of alien species.

B. Plants, herbivores and carnivores are the three tiers of consumers.

C. If a bird becomes extinct, the relevant food chain will be disrupted.

D. Animals and plants become extinct because alien species are imported.

3.By mentioning the mice in Gough Island, the author intends to highlight ______.

A. mice worldwide are growing all the time

B. being aliens, they had no natural predators

C. some places are still fighting the effects of aliens

D. traveling can have disastrous effects on food chains

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A. Survival of the fittest.

B. Endangered animals and plants.

C. How to protect the natural environment.

D. The link between food chains and extinction.

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My daughter Alisa was born blind in her right eye and was bullied (欺侮) pretty severely in school. So I quitted my job as a babysitter and then schooled my daughter heart and soul at home.

A year ago a boy of 14 befriended my daughter on Facebook after reading something Alisa wrote about bullying. Today he messaged her and asked if she would like six tickets to a Colorado Rockies baseball game. They have never met in person but she said, “Sure! That would be great.”

Then I received a call from his mother explaining why her son had chosen my daughter. She said he thought my daughter deserved them because of all the good she did in the community. Her son, she explained, had experienced a similar situation and was also home schooled.

What she said is true. Now my daughter Alisa continues to teach groups of girls in trouble in our community how to look within themselves for the positive and how to be their own person.

Everything taken into consideration, we decided to meet the mother and the boy at a local bike shop. After meeting, the boy approached my car and my daughter gave him a hug and thanked him for his generosity. She told him that she had never been to a baseball game and that she was going to take her entire family, including myself, her dad, little sister, her cousin and an aunt who has brain cancer.

We all thanked one another, got in our car, and went our way. As we drove home my daughter opened the envelope. Inside it were the tickets and $100 each to buy hot dogs, pay for parking and not have any worries but a great time.

My daughter has always been the giver and now she and our family are the receivers and I can not tell you how incredibly honored we feel to be on the other end. What an incredible young man to have such a kind idea.

1.What did the author once do according to the passage?

A. She was a ticket seller.

B. She was a school teacher.

C. She was a babysitter.

D. She was a social worker.

2.How did the boy get to know the author’s daughter?

A. They met when buying tickets to a baseball game.

B. They got in touch via the Internet.

C. They became familiar when talking face to face.

D. They went to the same school and met each other.

3.Why did the boy want to offer free tickets to Alisa?

A. Because Alisa is a disabled girl.

B. Because he has a lot money to share.

C. Because Alisa often helps those in trouble.

D. Because he has a similar situation with Alisa.

4.Which of the following best describes the passage?

A. Good is rewarded with good.

B. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

C. Two heads are better than one.

D. Where there is a will, there is a way.

The adolescent girl from Tennessee was standing on the stage of a drama summer camp in New York. It was a beautiful day. But the girl didn’t feel beautiful. She was not the leggy, attractive Hollywood type. In fact, she described herself as stupid.

Her name is Reese Witherspoon. Since Reese Witherspoon was six years old, she had admired and respected Dolly Patton, who was a famous country singer. For three years she had gone all out to act, dance and sing, fancying that she could be another dolly Patton.

However, at the end of the camp her coaches told her to forget about singing. They suggested she think about another career. She took their words to heart. After all. why shouldn’t she believe the professionals?

But back at home in Nashville, her mother-a funny, happy, optimistic woman-wouldn’t let her feel depressed. Her father, a physician, encouraged her to achieve in school. So she worked hard at everything and was accepted at Stanford University.

And at 19, she got a part in a low-budget movie called Freeway, which prepared for her role in the movie Pleasantville. But her big break came with Legally Blonde.

“If you can’t sing and you aren’t charming, play to your strengths. If you’re going to make it in this business, better focus on what you’re good at,” she told the interviewer later.

And then came the offer that took her back to her Nashville-playing the wife of a country star Johnny Cash, a singing role. All of a sudden the old fears learned on that summer stage were back. She was so nervous on the stage. But she didn’t give up on the movie or herself. She spent 6 months taking singing lessons again. She learned to play the Autoharp. And the hard work built up her confidence.

Last March, Reese Witherspoon walked up on another stage, the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, and accepted the Oscar as Best Actress for her heartbreaking, heartwarming singing role as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line.

1.Why was Reese Witherspoon sad at the end of the camp?

A. She was described foolish

B. She was told to give up singing

C .She failed to be famous

D. She had to go back home

2.What was Reese’s parents’ response after her coaches suggested her giving up singing?

A. They agreed with her coaches

B. They only focused on her study

C. They ignored her frustration

D. They encouraged her

3.How did Reese succeed in playing the singing role?

A. By regaining her confidence through hard work

B. By practicing autoharp for over 6 months

C. By making herself leggy and attractive

D. By forgetting that summer stage

4.Which is the best title for the passage?

A. A successful actress B. Reese Witherspoon

C. Never give up D. Fortune is important

Some time ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended, as there are a whole lot of antique(古董) shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception(接待). I was quite wrong. The man wouldn't even look at my chair.

The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth—so I decided that my approach must be wrong.

I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, “Would you like to buy a chair?” “Twenty pounds,” I said. “OK,” he said. “I’ll give you twenty pounds.” “It’s got a slightly broken leg,” I said.” Yes, I saw that. It’s nothing.”

Everything was going according to plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?” I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done.” “I'll buy it,” I said. “What do you mean?” “You've just sold it to me,” he said. “Yes, I know but I've changed my mind. I am sorry. I'll give you twenty-seven pounds for it.” “You must be crazy,” he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair.” “You're right,” I said. “And what would you have done if I had walked in and said, ‘Would you mend this chair for me?’” “I wouldn't have agreed to do it,” he said. “We don't do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I'll mend this for you, shall we say for a fiver?” He was a very nice man and was greatly amused by the whole thing.

1.We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer_________.

A. was rather impolite

B. was warmly received

C. asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair

D. asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair

2.The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper ____.

A. changed his mind

B. accepted the offer

C. saw the writer's purpose

D. decided to help the writer

3.From the text, we can learn that the writer was _________.

A. honest B. careful C. smart D. funny

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