Penguins are lovely animals．Most people like them．But now as many as 10 of the 17 kinds of penguins are in danger of disappearing．The number of penguins has decreased by（减少了）30% since 1987．

Penguins are black and white birds that live in the southern part of the world．They are common in the Antarctic Continent（南极大陆）, New Zealand, Australia and South America．Many live near cold waters（水域）．But some live near warm waters in Galapagos Islands．Penguins cannot fly, but they are fine swimmers．The shape of their body helps them to survive．Penguins eat fish and krill（磷虾）．They have short wings that help them to dive up to 900 feet to catch larger fish．They can swim 10-15 kilometers an hour which lets them protect themselves．They also have lots of body oil that helps in keeping them dry in the water．

The warming of the earth is the reason for the decrease in the number of penguins．The hotter and hotter air has caused ocean waters to become warmer．Higher water temperature hasde creased the fish and krill．Some years later these birds are completely unable to reproduce．And many adult penguins die of hunger.

Too much fishing, exploration for oil and oil leaks（泄漏）also make penguins be in danger．

Poisonous things in ocean waters are another danger．Penguins also have their enemies, including sharks, seals and sea lions．

1．Penguins can do the following except             ．

A．diving                  B．flying              C．swimming        D．catching fish

2．Which of the following is NOT the reason for the decrease in the number of penguins?

A．The warming of the earth．               B．Too much fishing．

C．Natural disasters．                                D．Poisonous things in ocean waters．

3．What does the underlined word "reproduce" mean?

A．繁殖              B．灭绝                C．迁徙              D．觅食

4．What's the passage mainly about?

A．Fish and krill have decreased．

B．Ocean waters are polluted．

C．Sharks and seals are the enemies of penguins．

D．The decrease in the number of penguins．

   Do you know that you can use your watch as a compass (指南针)on a sunny day?Take a watch and point the hour-hand in the direction of the sun .Imagine (想象)a line which runs from the center of the watch through a point half-way between the hour-hand and number one. This line will surely point south.
    If you know astronomy a little, you will understand why this works. Inthe northern half of the earth, the sun is in the south at noon. In Russia, the real noon is one o'clock. If at that time we piont  the hour-hand at the sun, the hour-hand and the number one will point south. That is why you must imagine a line which will run from the center .If the watch through a point half -way between the hour-hand and number one. It will point south. If you are in the southern part of our planet, you must point number 12 at the sun. The line which you can imagine between number twelve and the hour-hand will then show north.
1 When we carry out this experiment in the northern part of the earth ,we should point ______at the sun.
A．number 12   B．the minute-hand   C．the hour-hand  D．number one
2 What does the underlined word "astronomy" mean in the passage?
A．天文学  B．地理学  C．宇航学  D．逻辑学
3 The passage tells us that we can use a watch ____on a sunny day.
A．to study the weather     B． to show direction   
C．to enjoy ourselves       D． to keep good time
4 If you are in Australia ,which of the following is the right way to show north?
 
5 What's the best title for this passage?
A． Your Watch Becomes a Compass  B． An Interesting Watch
C． The Story  of a Watch          D． The Sun and a Watch

Have you ever been out on a sunny day without an umbrella when suddenly it starts to rain? Who changed tile weather? Certainly not the weather man．Nor the weather report of your town．It is the sun!

    When the sun rises，it is day．When the sun sets．it is night．Again，days are warmer than nights．This is because the sunshine falls on the earth during the day．The sunshine makes the land，the water and the air warm．At night when the sun is not there，it is cooler．In the mornings and in the evenings the sunshine is slanting．So it is not very hot．At noon the sunshine falls straight on the earth，and it is very hot．

    We know that the earth goes round the sun．When one half of the earth is close to the sun，the other half is away from it．The part of the earth closer to the sun has summer．Here the days are warmer and longer．And the part of the earth away from the sun has winter．Here the days are cooler and shorter．For example，when it’s winter in China，it is summer in Australia．So you see，the temperature and the length of the days are decided by the sun．

1．The weather may suddenly be changed by __________．

       A．the weather report   B．the weather man      C．the sun                   D．a heavy rain

2．Why does China have winter while Australia has summer? This is because __________．

       A．Australia is very far from China

       B．when China is away from the sun，Australia is closer to it

       C the weather in Australia is different from that in China

       D．it is cloudy and windy in China while it is sunny in Australia

3．In the sentence“So you see，the temperature and the length of days are decided by the sun．”，the word“length”means how __________ something is．

       A．long                       B．large                       C．little                        D．light

4．Which of the following is not true?

       A．Nights are cooler than days

       B．The sunshine doesn’t fall straight on us in the evening．

       C．The sun rises in the east and sets in the west because it goes round the earth．

       D．When winter comes in Australia．summer arrives in China．