It is a race which can only have one winner. Who will be the first man to "spot" 10,000 of Britain's species of wildlife?

 In the green corner is Jonty Denton, who has "spotted" 9,947 wild species. And in the other green corner is David Gibbs, who is rapidly catching up with 9,444 species. The pair are now locked in a battle to see who will be the first to break through the 10,000 mark. Overseeing (监督) the contest is Mark Telfer, who runs a website which is tracking their progress.

 Around a quarter of the species on Dr Denton's list are beetles. Two of the beetles listed, as well as a spider, have never previously been recorded in Britain until discovered by Dr Den?ton.

He has also drawn up a wish list of the five he wants to see most,which is given extra ex?citement because he knows that two of them have already been seen by Mr Gibbs. One is the Pallas' Sandgrouse. When it appeared Mr Gibbs travelled to see it from his then home in Berk?shire. The other is a ghost orchid, a rare flower.

 Dr Denton's strategy to reach 10,000 is to look closer to his home,in the garden in front of his house in Four Monks, Hampshire. He says, "There are hundreds of tiny things that I could find in my own pond.”

 Species spotting is only one of his many hobbies. He also has a collection of 1,600 model aircraft, 100 model trains and 100 toy tanks and trucks. He also says, "I don't go to pubs and don't drink. You'd be amazed how much time people waste doing those sorts of things.” 

(   ) 1. What can we learn about Telfer?

   A.He will offer an award to the winner.

   B.He also competes in the species spotting race.

   C.He reports Denton's and Gibbs' progress timely.

   D.He exhibits Britain's 10,000 species on his website. 

(   ) 2. How many species has Denton first found in Britain?

   A. 2.    B. 3.    C. 5.    D. 10.

(   ) 3. Which of the following has Denton NOT spotted?

   A.The blackbird.   B.The brown hare.

   C.The spring gentian.  D.The Pallas' Sandgrouse.

(   ) 4. What does Denton plan to do to win the race?

   A.To turn to Telfer for help.

   B.To travel to Berkshire's fields.

   C.To go to ponds outside the town.

   D.To look around his house.

 Girls' behavior at school is becoming worse due to the appeal of Wag lifestyles and reality TV shows, according to teachers.

  They are giving up on studying because they want an " easy route to money" by becoming a footballer's wife or an instant star on Britain's Got Talent or The X Factor. Many want to be?come a mini-celebrity instantly and they often interrupt classes,spread rumors and even take cy-berbullying. As a result, teachers' time is increasingly taken up with dealing with "horsing a-round",use of mobile phones in lessons and bullying.

  The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) surveyed 859 teachers, heads, lecturers and support staff working in state and independent schools ahead of its annual conference,which begins in Liverpool today. Nearly half said girls' behavior has worsened over the past two years. And one in five believed that girls' behavior is more challenging than that of boys.

  Hank Roberts, ATL's junior vice president, cited the influence of Wags―young women who obtain instant wealth by marrying sportsmen. And he thought that teaching is made more difficult by programmes such as The X Factor, which is judged by Cheryl Cole―herself the winner of a TV talent show and a former footballer's wife.

  Mr Roberts,a teacher at Copland Community School in Wembley,said that the TV shows create a "false image of success that anyone can do it and it's just a matter of luck rather than hard work". Other reasons given for girls' bad behavior are bust-ups(破裂) with friends and family and problems associated with puberty(青春期) .Almost half of teachers said the most common form of bad behavior is bullying by isolating another pupil and spreading rumors. 

(   ) 1. Girls are giving up on studying because   . .

   A.the lessons at school are not valuable enough

   B.they prefer to watch TV shows

   C.they want immediate wealth or success

   D.they can become wealthy more easily

(   ) 2. Under the influence of Wag lifestyles, girls want to        .

   A.work hard to become successful

   B.become wealthy by marrying sportsmen

   C.become successful in the field of sports

   D.compete with boys in both study and work

(   ) 3. Which of the following is NOT true about Cheryl Cole?

   A.She is just an example of Wag lifestyles.

   B.She became wealthy by marrying a sportsman.

   C.She won a TV talent show once.

   D.She can influence girls in a positive way.

(   ) 4. Mr Roberts believes that the TV shows      .

   A.give more practical lessons to students

   B.influence the relationship between girls and their parents

   C.are misleading girls

   D.should be forbidden

 "If there is one thing I'm sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers. It is not that newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people reading a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to genera?tion.

  The nature of what is news may change. What basically makes news is what affects our lives―the big political stories, the coverage of the wars,earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It's already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic(基因的) engineering. In the future,I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do―as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.

  It's quite possible that in the next century newspapers will be transmitted electronically from Fleet Street and printed out in our own home. In fact,I'm pretty sure that it will happen in the future. You will probably be able to choose from a menu,making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read―sport and international news,etc.

  I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media(媒体) .They actually feed off each other. Some people once foresaw that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn't happened. What is read on the printed page lasts lon?ger than pictures on a screen or sound lost in the air. And as for the Internet, it's never really pleasant to read something just on a screen.

(   ) 1. In the writer's opinion, in the future,        .

   A.more big political affairs, wars and disasters will make news

   B.newspapers will not be printed in publishing houses any longer

   C.newspapers will cover more scientific research

   D.more and more people will watch TV

(   ) 2. From the passage, we can infer that        .

   A.newspapers will win the competition among the different media

   B.newspapers will stay with us together with other media

   C.television will take the place of the newspaper

   D.the writer believes some media will die out

(   ) 3. The phrase "feed off" in the last paragraph means "        _".

   A. depend on   B. compete with   C. fight with   D. kill off

(   ) 4. What is the best title for the passage?

    A. The Best Way to Get News.   B. The Changes of Media.

   C. Make Your Own newspaper.   D. The Future of Newspaper.

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