题目内容
E
BBC News (May 11, 2008) —Edinburgh Zoo plans to bring a pair of giant pandas from China to Scotland. Representatives from Edinburgh Zoo have recently returned from China. They signed a letter of intent (意向书) there, making a promise to bring giant pandas to the Zoo.
It has been suggested that the pair of giant pandas should be on loan (暂借) to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) for 10 years. The pair of giant pandas would give birth to babies during that time. Edinburgh Zoo would be the eighth zoo in the Western world to care for the species if the project goes ahead.
Zoo chiefs said that looking after the endangered animals could benefit conservation. David Windmill, chief of RZSS, said, "Working with giant pandas means so much more to us than introducing a new species to our collection. It is an opportunity to work on a global level with other conservationists to gain a better understanding of the giant pandas, the threats they face, and what we can do to ensure their survival."
At present, there are only around 1,500 giant pandas in the wild. RZSS has been working on the project for almost a year, hoping to have giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo by 2009, the year of the society’s centenary (一百周年纪念日). Mr. Windmill said that the project has received strong support from the UK and Scottish Governments. He also said that this must continue if the Zoo is to reach an agreement with the Chinese. As part of the agreement with the Chinese Government, Edinburgh Zoo will work together with Chinese scientists on research projects benefiting conservation in the wild.
RZSS will also provide money to support giant panda conservation projects in the wild. Giant pandas live in mountainous regions in central China and almost mainly feed on bamboo, which makes up 99% of what they eat.
57. What do we know from the first two paragraphs?
A. China will give a pair of giant pandas to Edinburgh Zoo.
B. Representatives from Edinburgh Zoo have been to China.
C. The Scottish Government has signed a letter of intent with China.
D. Edinburgh Zoo is the first Western zoo to have giant pandas.
58. According to the text, RZSS may be ___________.
A. a company that deals with international business
B. an organization that researches endangered animals
C. a government department in charge of Western issues
D. an activity having something to do with animals
59. We can know from the text that _____________.
A. David Windmill is Edinburgh Zoo’s chief
B. the number of giant pandas in the wild is still unknown
C. RZSS will celebrate its centenary in 2009
D. RZSS knows the threats the giant pandas face well
60. What’s the main idea of the text?
A. Edinburgh Zoo expects giant pandas from China.
B. Edinburgh Zoo does research into giant pandas.
C. Scotland supports giant panda conservation.
D. Giant pandas live happily in central China.
57--60 BBCA
The iPhone, the iPad, the iPod : each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad (时尚). Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” — and many other brands are following suit. The BBC’s iPlayer — which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet — adopted the title in 2008. A lovely bear — popular in the US and UK — that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version of London’s Independent newspaper came out last week under the name “i”.
In general, single-letter prefixes have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.
Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of Independent’s “i”, it is no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name.
But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i” . Why not use “a”, “b” or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King’s College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPad, it seems it didn’t have one clear definition ,” he says.
“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now associated with portability (轻便).” adds Thorne.
Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.
Along with “Google” and “Twitter”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade.
But as history shows, fads come and go. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was associated with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the trend inevitably(不可避免地)disappeared.
【小题1】People use iPlayer to ____________.
A.listen to music | B.make a call | C.watch TV programs online | D.read newspapers |
A.young readers | B.old readers | C.fashionable women | D.engineers |
A.advanced | B.portable | C.recyclable | D.environmentally friendly |
A.“i” products are often of high quality | B.all “i” products have something to do with Internet |
C.the popularity of “i” products may not last long | D.iTeddy is a live bear |