If you see a group of people dancing and singing on the street or in the railway station, you don't need to feel surprised.They are a flash mob (快闪族), which is a group of people who come together suddenly in a public place, do something unusual for a brief period of time, and then quickly break up.They are usually organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communication network.At a predetermined time, they gather and perform some distractions(消遣) such as waving their hands and exchanging books, Then, they quickly break up before the police can arrive.Using mobile phones, the flash mob can change its location if the first one has been replaced for any reason.

Bill Lasik, senior editor of Harper’s Magazine, organized the first flash mob in Manhattan in May 2003 and the first successful flash mob came together on June 3, 2003 - after the first attempt was foiled at Macy's department store.Lasik claimed that the activity was designed to make fun of hipsters (起时髦的人), and call attention to the cultural atmosphere.

Flash mob gatherings can sometimes shock people.Such an activity might seem amusing and untrue, but it also might frighten people who are not aware of what is taking place.Undoubtedly, flash mobs can serve as good political tools in any direction.They also have great economic potential, such as using flash mobs to advertise a product.

The flash mob is now becoming more and more popular.People use it to do many things.For example, in 2009, Michael Jackson's fans took part in a flash mob to remember him.Hundreds of his fans gathered singing and dancing Michael's famous song "Beat It" together.Flash mobs give people from all walks of life an opportunity to come together to create a memory.

1.The undefined word "foiled" in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by .

A. forgotten B. prevented

C. announced D. confirmed

2.What can you learn about the flash mob from the passage?

A. The flash mob usually breaks up quickly for lacking enough time.

B. Once the place for the activity is determined, it can't be changed.

C. The flash mob can be made use of in many fields just for fun.

D. It gives people the chance to come together to do something unusual.

3.The main purpose of the passage is ______

A. to entertain B. to encourage

C. to inform D. to persuade

4.The writer's attitude towards the flash mob is

A. negative B. favorable

C. objective D. doubtful

Five times in the earth’s history, some three-quarters of all living species disappeared forever-and within a short period of time. Those species losses stand for a major change in the planet’s ecology(生态学). Clues to these changes can be seen in the fossils(化石)and rock layers.

Today, human activities are driving species to die out at a rate never seen before. And this loss of species really does matter, said Anita Narwani. She works at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. That’s because the diversity(多样性)of species in an ecosystem provides people with all types of services we can’t do without.

Trees provide oxygen for us to breathe. At the same time, they remove carbon from the air which is a cause of global warming. Plants help clean air and water. Animals move seeds from one area to another. A broad range of living resources also provides people with food, shelter and medicine.

Narwani wanted to find out how important the diversity of species is for people. So she teamed up with other ecologists to review more than 1,700 studies. They found that more diverse parts of the earth tend to do well in things like removing carbon and providing us with wood and other natural resources. They were also better at keeping fisheries large and healthy so that they could feed many people.

Unfortunately, the diversity of species is in steep drop. It is too soon to say that the earth is undergoing a sixth mass extinction, Narwani said. She said a mass extinction means the loss of 75 percent of species over 2 million years or less. We haven’t lost that many – at least not yet. But according to her, if species losses continue so fast, such a mass extinction could occur in just 300 years.

The new findings highlight the potential for humans to use up many of the resources on which we now depend. As people learn more, however, they can take steps to lessen those risks. People should protect ecosystems so that they can continue to provide us with their services.

1.What’s the writer’s purpose in giving the examples in Paragraph 3?

A. To tell us how we get our food and resources.

B. To show the importance of the diversity of species.

C. To tell us the use of each species.

D. To show the writer is very learned.

2.The underlined word “They ” in Paragraph 4 refers to .

A. humans

B. Narwani and her team

C. natural resources

D. various species

3.Narwani and her team found that .

A. many people know the importance of protecting wildlife

B. many species die out because of human activities

C. making good use of natural resources benefits people

D. rich diversity of species greatly benefits people

4. We can learn from Paragraph 5 that .

A. the world’s species are dying out in a very fast rate

B. we’ll lose 75 percent of species on the earth

C. the earth is undergoing a sixth mass extinction

D. a mass extinction of species will occur in 300 years

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