Not all bodies of water are so evidently alive as the Atlantic Ocean,an S-shaped body of water covering 33 million square miles. The Atlantic has,in a sense,replaced the Mediterranean as the inland sea of Western civili?zation. Unlike real inland seas,which seem strangely still,the At?lantic is rich in oceanic liveliness. It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.

  Storm at Sea,a short poem,is generally regarded as one of mankind's earliest artistic representations of the Atlantic.

When the voind is jrom the west All the uuaves that cannot rest To the east must thunder on Where the bright tree of the sun ' Is rooted in the ocean's breast.

  As the poem suggests,the Atlantic is never dead and dull. It is an ocean that moves,impressively and endlessly. It makes all kinds of noise―it is forever thun?dering,boiling,crashing,and whistling.

  It is easy to imagine the Atlantic trying to draw breath―perhaps not so notice?ably out in the midocean,but where it meets land? its waters bathe up and down a sandy beach. It mimics (模仿) nearly perfectly the steady breathing of a living crea?ture. It is filled with symbiotic existences,too; unimaginable quantities of crea?tures,little and large alike,mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony,giving to the waters a feeling of heartbeat,a kind of subocean vitality. And it has a psychology. It has personalities:sometimes peaceful and pleasant,on rare occa?sions rough and wild; always it is strong and striking.

5. Unlike real inland seas,the Atlantic Ocean is       .

   A. always energetic

   B. lacking liveliness

   C. shaped like a square

   D. favoured by ancient poets

6. What is the purpose of using the poem Storm at Sea in the passage?

   A. To describe the movement of the waves.

   B. To show the strength of the storm.

   C. To represent the power of the ocean.

   D. To prove the vastness of the sea.

7. What does the underlined word "symbiotic" mean?

   A. Living together.

   B. Growing fast.

   C. Moving harmoniously.

   D. Breathing peacefully.

8. In the last paragraph,the Atlantic is compared to       .

   A. a beautiful and poetic place

   B. a flesh and blood person

   C. a wonderful world

   D. a lovely animal

  The sea has always interested man. From it he can get food,minerals,and treasure. For thousands of years,he could sail on it. But he could not go far beneath its surface.

  Man wants to explore deep into the sea. However,he is not a fish. He must breathe air,so he can't stay under the water's surface for any length of time. To explore deep water,man faces even more dangers and problems.

  A diver who wants to stay under water for more than a few minutes must breathe air or a special mixture of gases. He can wear a diving suit and have air pumped to him from above. He can carry a tank of air on his back and breathe through a nose and a mouthpiece. Water weighs 800 times as much as air. Too much water pushes against a diver deep in the sea. His body is under great pressure.

  When a diver is under great pressure,his blood takes in some of the gases he breathes. As he rises to the surface,the water pressure becomes less. If the diver rises too quickly,the gases in his blood form bubbles. The diver is then suffering from the bends.The bends can cause a diver to double up in pain. They can even kill him.

1. On the whole,this passage is about       .

   A. special mixtures of gases in the deep sea

   B. the problems man faces in deepsea diving

   C. air pressure under the surface of sea water

   D. a kind of illness that man suffers from in the sea

2. A diver's body in deep water         .

   A. is under great pressure

   B. is just like that of a fish

   C. suffers from the bends

   D. weighs very little

3. The passage does not say so,but it makes you think that       .

   A. deepdivers should be in good health

   B. divers explore the deep sea only for treasure

   C. diving under the water too quickly causes a kind of illness

   D. there is a special mixture of gases under the sea

4. From the passage we can see that         .

   A. the sea began to interest man a few years ago

   B. man is not at home deep in the sea

   C. all divers will get the bends sooner or later

   D. the air in the sea water will kill a diver if he is not careful

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