Dangerous creatures

Some beach creatures are wonderful—like dolphins, but others are dangerous. Find out more about the dangerous ones –puffer fish, blue ringed octopus, and stingrays.

The blue ringed octopus

The blue ringed octopus is not a very big creature but it is very dangerous.

These octopuses are found all around the coast of Australia. They often lie in rock pools close to shore.

The blue ringed octopus is usually a dull colour but it shows its bright blue rings when it is in danger. If it is taken out of the water by someone, it is able to bite him and poison him.

If this creature bites someone, he will feel numbness (麻木) around the mouth, face and neck, Puffer Fish

Puffer Fish are found in all Australian seas. They are very easy to catch but must not be eaten because their flesh contains a poison.

Anyone who does eat the flesh can become sick very quickly. They may even stop breathing.

The Blue Bottle

The Blue Bottle is found in most Australian waters. Blue Bottles float lightly on the surface of the water but their tentacles(触角)can be as long as 10 meters.

Blue Bottles are much less dangerous than some other jellyfish, but they can give a swimmer a bad sting(刺) if the swimmer accidentally touches them.

Stingrays

There are many different kinds of stingrays in Australian waters. They usually swim and feed on the bottom of the sea. Accidents can happen if people stand on them or try to pick them up.

Stingrays have a sting on their tail. These stings have poison on them. If someone is stung, the wound can easily become infected.

If you swim in Australian waters, you will probably             .

       A．be bitten by the blue ringed octopus

       B．stop breathing because of Puffer Fish

       C．get a bad sting by the Blue Bottle

       D．become infected by stingrays

According to the text, the less aggressive (侵略性)creature is            .

       A．the blue ringed octopus   B．puffer fish

       C．the blue bottle         D．stingrays

According to this passage, the correct one of the following is that           .

       A．all creatures along the coast of Australia are dangerous

       B．poisonous creatures change the body color when in danger

       C．no accident will happen unless people touch these creatures

       D．if people stand on the beach, accidents can happen because of creatures

The main idea of this passage is about             .

      A．dangerous creatures in the sea B．interesting creatures in the ocean

       C．wild creatures in Australia seas       D．different creatures in Australian waters

Dangerous creatures

Some beach creatures are wonderful—like dolphins, but others are dangerous. Find out more about the dangerous ones –puffer fish, blue ringed octopus, and stingrays.

The blue ringed octopus is not a very big creature but it is very dangerous.

These octopuses are found all around the coast of Australia. They often lie in rock pools close to shore.

The blue ringed octopus is usually a dull colour but it shows its bright blue rings when it is in danger. If it is taken out of the water by someone, it is able to bite him and poison him.

If this creature bites someone, he will feel numbness (麻木) around the mouth, face and neck, Puffer Fish

Puffer Fish are found in all Australian seas. They are very easy to catch but must not be eaten because their flesh contains a poison.

Anyone who does eat the flesh can become sick very quickly. They may even stop breathing.

The Blue Bottle is found in most Australian waters. Blue Bottles float lightly on the surface of the water but their tentacles(触角)can be as long as 10 meters.

Blue Bottles are much less dangerous than some other jellyfish, but they can give a swimmer a bad sting(刺) if the swimmer accidentally touches them.

There are many different kinds of stingrays in Australian waters. They usually swim and feed on the bottom of the sea. Accidents can happen if people stand on them or try to pick them up.

Stingrays have a sting on their tail. These stings have poison on them. If someone is stung, the wound can easily become infected.

1.If you swim in Australian waters, you will probably             .

       A．be bitten by the blue ringed octopus

       B．stop breathing because of Puffer Fish

       C．get a bad sting by the Blue Bottle

       D．become infected by stingrays

2.According to the text, the less aggressive (侵略性)creature is            .

       A．the blue ringed octopus                        B．puffer fish

       C．the blue bottle                                     D．stingrays

3.According to this passage, the correct one of the following is that           .

       A．all creatures along the coast of Australia are dangerous

       B．poisonous creatures change the body color when in danger

       C．no accident will happen unless people touch these creatures

       D．if people stand on the beach, accidents can happen because of creatures

4.The main idea of this passage is about             .

      A．dangerous creatures in the sea               B．interesting creatures in the ocean

       C．wild creatures in Australia seas              D．different creatures in Australian waters

A whale that became stranded in the River Thames in Central London has died after attempts to save its life failed. The whole nation had been hoping for a more successful outcome to the attempted rescue, updates of which were shown on TV news programmes throughout the day and night.

 The five- meter long bottle-nosed whale, which probably weighted about four tones, was first spotted in the river on Friday. There had been reports that a pod of whales had swum into the Thames Estuary earlier in the week, which caused terror among naturalists, as this kind of whale only thrives （群集）in much deeper water. It was the first sighting of the endangered species in the Thames since records began nearly a century ago.

There was no more news of the pod, which suggests that most of them turned back and swam out to sea. However, one whale clearly became separated from this group.

Incredibly, the first person to raise the alarm was a man who saw the giant mammal from the train he was on when it crossed the river. Almost immediately, a rescue attempt was mounted and further attempts to move the whale began on Saturday morning. After unsuccessfully attempting to gently encourage it to swim downstream of its own accord towards the Thames Estuary and eventually the sea, rescuers decided to move it onto the barge（驳船）.

The rescue operation involved winching（绞车）the whale onto an inflatable raft which had been placed on the barge. 3,000 onlookers watched as the whale was treated with extreme care by the rescuers and applauded when the transfer operation was complete. The barge then set off with the intention of freeing the whale in deeper water. Sadly, it began to convulse（抽筋）during the journey and died.

Earlier in the day,  naturalist and TV presenter Terry Nuktins had warned that attempts to move the large mammal were misguided and that the proximity（靠近）of the rescuers to the whale was potentially disastrous. He said that the whale would have been terrified by the people around it and it wouldn’t have been used to the sight of boats and the noise of the engines and propellers.

56．People throughout the country learned about the attempted rescues by        .

      A．listening to the radio                             B．reading newspapers

       C．watching TV news                              D．asking some rescuers

57．Who was the first person to raise the alarm?

       A．A person who was walking on the bridge over the Thames.

       B．A naturalist who was interested in whales.

       C．A passenger who was taking the train across the Thames.

       D．A rescuer who was worried about the whale.

58．What can we learn from the second paragraph?

       A．It was common that whales were found in the Thames.

       B．Whales didn’t like to stay in deep water.

       C．Naturalists were terrified at the whales in the Thames.

       D．Whales of this kind in the Thames were in danger of dying out.

59．According to Dr. Nuktins, why did the whale die in the end?

A．Because it was badly ill.

       B．Because there were to many watchers.

       C．Because it was freed into the sea.

       D．Because the rescue itself was not peoper.

60．This passage is most probably taken from        .

       A．a newspaper                                        B．a biology textbook

       C．a guide book to saving animals’ lives     D．a travel journal

Can you imagine living in a house built by recycled waste?
Texas home builder Dan Phillips transforms trash into artful treasures, creating beautiful floors with wood pieces, kitchen counters from ivory -colored bones and roofs out of license plates （牌照）．
The fantastic houses which spring from his imagination are made almost entirely of materials which would otherwise have ended up in a garbage area．
" People have been doing this for hundreds of thousands of years; using whatever is available to build shelter, " Phillips said．"If you think about carefully what could be used, then building materials are everywhere．
The thirteen homes he has built so far would fit better in an art museum than the residential streets of Huntsville, a conservative town of about 35 ,000 people．
Living in these houses is a bit like living in a roadside attraction．"Almost every day, somebody knocks on the door and says ' Is there any way that we could see?' "said Edie Wells, an artist who rents a room in the Bone House．Her home features a stairway made of bones, floors covered in wine corks （软木塞） and beer bottle caps．Wells said visitors are most impressed when they see a bathroom with its walls, floor and ceiling entirely covered with broken mirror pieces．
In addition, each house is highly energy efficient with plenty insulation （隔热材料） , an on-demand solar hot water heater and a system that can collect and recycle rainwater to clean the toilet and wash clothes．
Phillips founded Phoenix Commotion 12 years ago with the aim of creating a new model for sustainable housing．For as little as $ 10,000 it builds affordable homes for single parents, low-income families and artists．
The company has used hundreds of tons of construction waste by recycling the materials into habitable buildings．
Phillips tries to spread his recycled-house idea by speaking at events across the United States, and by using the Internet to reach out to like-minded individuals．Phillips said: "I'm not going to be saving the world anytime soon．But there needs to be at least some visibility for this model in this century．
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT the advantage of the homes built by Phillips?

Can you imagine living in a house built by recycled waste?

Texas home builder Dan Phillips transforms trash into artful treasures, creating beautiful floors with wood pieces, kitchen counters from ivory­colored bones and roofs out of license plates(牌照)．

The fantastic houses which spring from his imagination are made almost entirely of materials which would otherwise have ended up in a garbage area.

“People have been doing this for hundreds of thousands of years; using whatever is available to build shelter，” Phillips said，“If you think about carefully what could be used, then building materials are everywhere.”

The thirteen homes he has built so far would fit better in an art museum than the residential streets of Huntsville, a conservative town of about 35，000 people.

Living in these houses is a bit like living in a roadside attraction.“Almost every day, somebody knocks on the door and says ‘Is there any way that we could see？’”said Edie Wells, an artist who rents a room in the Bone House.Her home features a stairway made of bones, floors covered in wine corks(软木塞) and beer bottle caps.Wells said visitors are most impressed when they see a bathroom with its walls, floor and ceiling entirely covered with broken mirror pieces.

In addition, each house is highly energy­efficient with plenty of insulation(隔热材料), an on­demand solar hot water heater and a system that can collect and recycle rainwater to clean the toilet and wash clothes.

Phillips founded Phoenix Commotion 12 years ago with the aim of creating a new model for sustainable housing.For as little as $10，000 it builds affordable homes for single parents, low­income families and artists.

The company has used hundreds of tons of construction waste by recycling the materials into habitable buildings.

Phillips tries to spread his recycled­house idea by speaking at events across the United States, and by using the Internet to reach out to like­minded individuals.Phillips said, “I'm not going to be saving the world anytime soon.But there needs to be at least some visibility for this model in this century.”

20．Which of the following is NOT the advantage of the homes built by Phillips?

A．Environmentally­friendly.  　B．Energy­efficient.

C．Convenient.  　D．Cheap.

21．What do we know about Dan Phillips?

A．He is serious and hard­working.

B．He is full of imagination and intelligence.

C．It didn't take him long to build the houses.

D．He didn't give speeches in the United States.

22．According to the passage, the houses are like artful treasures because they are ________．

A．made of bones  B．museums

C．admired by people  D．made of various trash

23．Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A．Home Builder Dan Phillips

B．Green Homes

C．Home Builder Dan Phillips Turns Trash into Green Homes

D．A Home Builder' s Life