Environmental protection is frequently talked about nowadays. The authorities are doing their best to arise the public awareness of the vital importance of the environmental protection. This issue is, indeed, worth following up.
Environmental protection is closely related not only to our personal life, but also to the entire human race and the world’s further development. For one thing, the environment, in a narrow sense, determines the quality of our individual life. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, etc. , all come directly from the environment. If they continue to be contaminated, we may have neither clean water, nor healthy food. For another thing, in a broader sense, the environment plays a decisive role in fate of mankind. As is known to all, the earth, up to now, is human being’s only dwelling place. We can expect that some day we will live on another planet, but I doubt that this day will come earlier than the day when the earth becomes a globe of waste, if we keep damaging the environment. Finally, the environment is essential to the further development of the world. Extensive industrialization, which has brought about all the convenience and facilities we enjoy today, has been depending on the comprehensive exploitation of the earth’s natural resources found in the environment. If we do not protect the environment properly, further development cannot be guaranteed. In a word, to protect the environment is an urgent task.
Nevertheless, environmental protection is indeed a demanding task. Many people are still, either unconscious of the urgency of the task or deliberately damaging the environment for the interests of their own. Hence, we should adopt severe measures to prohibit people from doing more harms to the environment. Meanwhile, we need to make the gravity of the present situation known to all. In other words, punishment and instruction should be equally emphasized. Only in this way can we look forward to a cleaner and greener world.
【小题1】.
. What does the underlined word contaminated（in paragraph 2）probably refer to?

  Environmental protection is frequently talked about nowadays. The authorities are doing their best to arise the public awareness of the vital importance of the environmental protection. This issue is, indeed, worth following up.

    Environmental protection is closely related not only to our personal life, but also to the entire human race and the world’s further development. For one thing, the environment, in a narrow sense, determines the quality of our individual life. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, etc. , all come directly from the environment. If they continue to be contaminated, we may have neither clean water, nor healthy food. For another thing, in a broader sense, the environment plays a decisive role in fate of mankind. As is known to all, the earth, up to now, is human being’s only dwelling place. We can expect that some day we will live on another planet, but I doubt that this day will come earlier than the day when the earth becomes a globe of waste, if we keep damaging the environment. Finally, the environment is essential to the further development of the world. Extensive industrialization, which has brought about all the convenience and facilities we enjoy today, has been depending on the comprehensive exploitation of the earth’s natural resources found in the environment. If we do not protect the environment properly, further development cannot be guaranteed. In a word, to protect the environment is an urgent task.

    Nevertheless, environmental protection is indeed a demanding task. Many people are still, either unconscious of the urgency of the task or deliberately damaging the environment for the interests of their own. Hence, we should adopt severe measures to prohibit people from doing more harms to the environment. Meanwhile, we need to make the gravity of the present situation known to all. In other words, punishment and instruction should be equally emphasized. Only in this way can we look forward to a cleaner and greener world.

1..

. What does the underlined word contaminated（in paragraph 2）probably refer to?

    A. polluted       B. protected         C. wasted           D. guaranteed

2..

 The author’s purpose in writing the passage is to ________.

    A. stress the importance of protecting environment

    B. enjoy beautiful environment happily

    C. try to develop our industrialization fast

    D. take severe measures to the environmental destroyers

3..

. From the passage we can know that ________.

    A. environmental protection is indeed a demanding task to our government

    B. not all the people in the world realize the urgency of the task

    C. only a few people are damaging the environment on purpose

D. some day we will live on another planet before the earth is damaged

Demands for stronger protection for wildlife in Britain sometimes hide the fact that similar needs are felt in the rest of Europe. Studies by the Council of Europe, of which 21 countries are members, have shown that 45 per cent of reptile （爬行动物） species and 24 per cent of butterflies are in danger or dying out.

European concern for wildlife was outlined by Dr Peter Baum, an expert in the environment and natural resources division of the council, when he spoke at a conference arranged by the administrators of a British national park. The park is one of the few areas in Europe to hold the council’s diploma for nature reserves of the highest quality, and Dr Baum had come to present it to the park once again. He was afraid that public opinion was turning against national parks, and that those set up in the 1960s and 1970s could not be set up today. But Dr Baum clearly remained a strong supporter of the view that natural environments needed to be allowed to survive in peace in their own right.

“No area could be expected to survive both as a true nature reserve and as a tourist attraction,” he went on. The shortsighted view that reserves had to serve immediate human demands for outdoor recreation should be replaced by full acceptance of their importance as places to preserve nature for the future.

“We forget that they are the guarantee （保证） of life systems, on which any built-up area depends,” Dr Baum went on. “We could manage without most industrial products, but we could not manage without nature. However, our natural environment areas, which are the original parts of our countryside, have become mere islands in a spoiled and highly polluted land.”

59. Recent studies by the Council of Europe have declared that ____ .

A. wildlife needs more protection only in Britain

B. all species of wildlife in Europe are in danger of dying out

C. there are fewer species of reptiles and butterflies in Europe than elsewhere

D. many species of reptiles and butterflies in Europe need protecting

60. Why did Dr Baum come to a British national park?

A. Because he needed to present it with a council's diploma.

B. Because he was concerned about its management.

C. Because it was the only national park of its kind in Europe.

D. Because it was the only park that had ever received a diploma from the council.

61. The last sentence in the second paragraph implies that ____ .

A. people should make every effort to create more environment areas

B. people would go on protecting national parks

C. certain areas of the countryside should be left intact （完整的）

D. people would defend the right to develop the areas around national parks

62.Which of the following can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. We have developed industry at the expense of countryside.

B. We have forgotten what our original countryside looked like.

C. People living on islands should protect natural resources for their survival.

D. We should destroy all the built-up areas.

Bluegills, which are small enough to fit in your hand, are the fish that are protecting our water. They are common freshwater fish native to America and are also known as bream or sunfish. According to the Associated Press, the bluegills were originally used by the Army to make sure water was safe. Now San Francisco, New York City, Washington D.C and several other cities use the bluegill monitoring system.

       The bluegill system works by constantly filling the fish tank with city or town water. A small group of bluegills swim in the local water and are closely monitored. Bluegills are very sensitive to their environment. Changes in the environment cause their behavior and breathing patterns to change. They cough if the water is polluted. Fish cough by flexing their gills（鳃）to get rid of unwanted particles, like grain of sand, from their breathing passages. If the bluegills are coughing the computer sends an alarm via email. The bluegills in New York City discovered an diesel spill（柴油外溢）hours before the usual monitors. Adding the bluegill system to regular water protection methods resulted in an early warning and safer water.

People use the bluegill system to monitor water supplies_____.

A. because they have high sensibility to their environment

B. because they are used to swimming in the fresh water

C. because they can cough by means of their gills

D. because they are able to send e-mails by computers

Which of the following statements about Bluegills is NOT true?

A. They are about the size of a human hand.

B. They are freshwater fish easily found in America.

C. They were used to safeguard water in the army.

D. They are smarter than any other living thing on earth.

People decide whether the water is polluted by means of _____.

A. information sent by the Army                

B. the warning e-mail the computer sends

C. observing the activities of bluegills         

D. constantly filling the fish tank with water

　Demands for stronger protection for wildlife in Britain sometimes hide the fact that similar needs are felt in the rest of Europe. Studies by the Council of Europe, of which 21 countries are members, have shown that 45 per cent of reptile (爬行动物) species and 24 per cent of butterflies are in danger or dying out.

　　European concern for wildlife was outlined by Dr Peter Baum, an expert in the environment and natural resources division of the council, when he spoke at a conference arranged by the administrators of a British national park. The park is one of the few areas in Europe to hold the council’s diploma for nature reserves of the highest quality, and Dr Baum had come to present it to the park once again. He was afraid that public opinion was turning against national parks, and that those set up in the 1960s and 1970s could not be set up today. But Dr Baum clearly remained a strong supporter of the view that natural environments needed to be allowed to survive in peace in their own right.

　　“No area could be expected to survive both as a true nature reserve and as a tourist attraction,” he went on. The shortsighted view that reserves had to serve immediate human demands for outdoor recreation should be replaced by full acceptance of their importance as places to preserve nature for the future.

　　“We forget that they are the guarantee (保证) of life systems, on which any built-up area depends,” Dr Baum went on. “We could manage without most industrial products, but we could not manage without nature. However, our natural environment areas, which are the original parts of our countryside, have become mere islands in a spoiled and highly polluted land.”

59. Recent studies by the Council of Europe have declared that ____ .

　A. wildlife needs more protection only in Britain

　B. all species of wildlife in Europe are in danger of dying out

　C. there are fewer species of reptiles and butterflies in Europe than elsewhere

　D. many species of reptiles and butterflies in Europe need protecting

60. Why did Dr Baum come to a British national park?

　A. Because he needed to present it with a council's diploma.

　B. Because he was concerned about its management.

　C. Because it was the only national park of its kind in Europe.

　D. Because it was the only park that had ever received a diploma from the council.

61. The last sentence in the second paragraph implies that ____ .

　A. people should make every effort to create more environment areas

　B. people would go on protecting national parks

　C. certain areas of the countryside should be left intact (完整的)

　D. people would defend the right to develop the areas around national parks

62.Which of the following can be inferred from the last paragraph?

　A. We have developed industry at the expense of countryside.

　B. We have forgotten what our original countryside looked like.

　C. People living on islands should protect natural resources for their survival.

　D. We should destroy all the built-up areas.