Pigs are always considered dirty animals because they roll in mud．But in fact they prefer  being quite clean．They cover themselves with mud to help stay cool．During cooler weather,  they prefer to stay clean．So do elephants,who also cover themselves in dust or mud to keep cool． When they find a place with clean water they will take a bath，using their long noses to give  themselves—or each other—a nice shower

Some animals use dust to get clean．Chinchillas (南美洲栗鼠) have very fine fur． They don`t like to take water baths because water is not warm enough for them．So, instead, they roll  around in fine dust．The dust helps to keep their fur and skin dry．This protects them from disease

Usually, a small bird is a light meal for a crocodile．But when a crocodile wants its teeth  cleaned．it lies on the ground with its mouth open．The crocodile bird goes in and picks out any  parasites(寄生虫)between the crocodile`s teeth or under its tongue．The crocodile gets its mouth cleaned，and the crocodile bird gets dinner．

You wouldn`t think fish would need baths．But some undersea parasites live under the  fish`s skin．“Cleaner”fish，like the wrasse(隆头鱼)，help take them away．The wrasse stands on its head and dances to signal a big fish that it is ready to go into the cleaning business．The big fish will stop moving and open its mouth wide so the wrasse can swim inside and pick out  parasites and bits of food．

1.The passage is mainly about how animals         ．

A．stay clean                             B．help each other

C．get their food                          D．Take baths

2.What can we learn from the first paragraph about pigs?

A．They can help each other take baths．

B．They are dirtier during cooler weather．

C．They prefer taking baths to rolling in mud．

D．They like to stay cool and clean．

3.Chinchillas use dust to get clean for the following reasons EXCEPT that         ．

A． dust can dry their fur and skin

B．They are not good at swimming

C．Water is too cold for them

D．Dust is good for their health

4.From Paragraphs 3 and 4，we earl know that         ．

A．some animals can get clean from others`help

B．Most animals are friendly to each other

C．small animals couldn`t get food from big ones

D．All of the animals prefer to stay clean

5.We can infer from the last paragraph that the wrasse

A．is often eaten by other fish

B．1ikes under other fish`s skin

C．is a small kind of fish

D．1ikes taking baths

Scientists who discovered a new way of generating electricity from water say they may have come across an alternative source of clean energy to rival wind and solar power.

The breakthrough, which scientists say is the first new way to generate electricity in 160 years, could lead to batteries that use water instead of poisonous substances.

The scientists made the discovery when they were investigating what happens when tap water is forced through extremely narrow glass tubes. Water squeezed down the tubes, each of which was narrower than a tenth the thickness of a human hair, generating a small electric current that ran the length of the tube. To produce a larger electric current, the team tried forcing water through a glass water filter(滤水器)that contained thousands of narrow channels lined up side by side. “When we took a syringe(注射器)of water and squeezed it through the filter, we got enough power to light a light bulb,” said Larry Kostiuk of the University of Alberta in Canada. “The harder you push the syringe, the more electric current you get.”

The current is produced because of an effect in the glass tubes. When they are filled with water, positively charged ions(阳离子)fixed in the tubes are washed away, leaving a slight negative charge on the glass surface. When water is then forced along the tube, the surface repels negatively charged ions in the water while positively charged ions are attracted down the tube. The result is a net flow of positively charged ions that sets up an electric current.

According to Dr Kostiuk, no one has ever thought to use water to produce electricity in this way. “The last time someone came up with a way of generating electricity was Michael Faraday in 1839,” he said. “So this is the first new way of generating electricity in 160 years, which is why we are so excited about it.”

Dr Kostiuk says water batteries might one day be used to power mobile phones and calculators, but admitted that the engineering challenges might make other applications more realistic. “You’d need to be sure it wouldn’t leak, and you’d need to make sure it wouldn’t freeze,” he said.

More likely would be to install the electricity-generating devices where water is already being pumped, such as at city water filtration sites, he said. “It could compete with wind and solar power,” he added.

1.What does the passage mainly want to tell us about?

A. A kind of solar power discovered by scientists.

B. A kind of new energy source found in tap water.

C. The breakthrough to generate electricity 160 yeas ago.

D. A kind of new battery invented without poisonous substances.

2.The underlined word “repels” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _________.

A. rejects       B. identifies         C. attracts         D. rebels

3.Why were the scientists extremely happy about their new discovery?

A. They were the first to find a new way to produce electricity.

B. They could make an electric current to light a light bulb.

C. Their discovery could be used to invent water batteries.

D. Their discovery was made 160 years earlier than Faraday’s.

4.What can we infer about potential water batteries?

A. They must be used to power mobile phones and calculators.

B. They have some possible disadvantages like water leaking.

C. They would be needed greatly at city water filtration sites.

D. They would be better than wind and solar power.

If California were not already so famous for Sillicon Valley(硅谷) and Hollywood, it might be well－known for the groups of water－technology firms in its San Diego County. The reverse－osmosis (RO) spiral module, the technique that supports turning seawater and waste－water into drinkable stuff, began in San Diego in 1964. Today dozens of firms in the area supply many of the world's approximately 13，000 RO plants in places from the Persian Gulf and Israel to Australia and China.

Southern California itself, however, has not so far been a big user of its own technology. This is surprising, given that the whole American south－west faces a water problem. But now as the climate gets warmer and the population increases, there is more agreement that the existing infrastructure, consisting of vast pipes that carry water from the Sacramento Delta in the north and the Colorado River in the east, will not be enough. In places such as San Diego, which has inadequate and salty groundwater and currently imports 90% or its water, the answers must be greater conservation, reusing as much water as possible, and getting most of the rest from the sea.

The first part, conservation, has been widely accepted by the public. San Diego today uses less water with a larger population than it did in 1989, the year water consumption peaked. The second part, water recycling has been a hard sell, because of an unpleasant factor. Americans still use the term “toilet－to－tap” for recycling, even though properly treated waste－water is nowadays completely clean. Singapore made its programme acceptable in part by renaming it as NEWater.

This is where desalination comes in, which means taking the salt out of salt water. A firm called Poseidon Resources is now close to building the biggest desalination plant in America behind a power station by the beach in Carlsbad. The power plant sucks in 304m gallons of seawater a day for cooling, so Poseidon plans to change 104m gallons a day by using the RO spiral module.

Lots of people like the idea. Once fully running in 2015, the plant could produce 10% of the region's water. And there are plans for more desalination plants. Many places would need to take much less water from the endangered Colorado River. But a few people hate it a lot. Joe Geever, an expert in biology, says desalination uses too much energy and that Poseidon plant would kill too much sea life. He understands that there is a role for desalination, he says, but would rather not have it right there, right now, and on this scale.

1.Which of the following is WRONG about the RO spiral module according to the passage?

A. This technology is not widely used in its birthplace.

B. Today there are about 13，000 RO plants in the Persian Gulf, Israel, Australia and China.

C. This technology can be used in desalination plants to make sea water drinkable.

D. It is a promising water treatment technology welcomed by a lot of people.

2.How many solutions to the water problem in San Diego are mentioned in the article?

A. 2.  B. 3.  C. 4.  D. 5.

3.What can we infer from the article?

A. The Colorado River is the main water source for California.

B. Americans still use the term “toilet－to－tap” for recycling water.

C. NEWater serves as a brand for recycled clean water in Singapore.

D. Poseidon Resources stands for the power station by the beach in Carlsbad.

4.What is Joe Geever's attitude toward building a large desalination plant at present?

A. Supportive.  B. Negative.  C. Optimistic.  D. Vague.

阅读下面短文并回答问题，然后将答案写到题后的横线上（请注意题后的词数要求）。

[1]Some people's ears produce wax like busy little bees. This can be a problem even though earwax appears to serve an important purpose. Experts say it protects and cleans the ear. It traps dirt and other matter and keeps insects out. Doctors think it might also help protect against infections. And the waxy oil keeps ears from getting too dry.

[2]So earwax is good. It even has a medical name: cerumen. And there are two kinds. Most people of European or African ancestry have the "wet" kind: thick and sticky. East Asians commonly have ___________.But you can have too much of a good thing.

[3]The glands(腺体) in the ear canal that produce the wax make too much in some people. Earwax normally falls out of the ear or gets washed away. But extra wax can harden and form a blockage that interferes with sound waves and reduces hearing. People can also cause a blockage when they try to clean out their ears，but only push the wax deeper inside. Earwax removal is sometimes necessary. But you have to use a safe method or you could do a lot of damage.

[4]Experts at N.I.H., the National Institutes of Health, suggest some ways to treat excessive earwax yourself. One way to remove wax is known as irrigation. With the head upright, take hold of the outer part of the ear. Gently pull upward to straighten the ear canal. Use an injector device to gently direct water against the wall of the ear canal. Then turn the head to the side to let the water out.

[5]The experts at N.I.H. say you may have to repeat this process a few times. Use water that is body temperature. If the water is cooler or warmer, it could make you feel dizzy. Never try irrigation if the eardrum is broken. It could lead to infection and other problems.

[6]After the earwax is gone, gently dry the ear. But if irrigation fails, the best thing to do is to go to a health care provider for professional assistance.

1.What’s the purpose of the passage? (No more than 10 words)

___________________________________________________________________.

2.What’s the bad effect of too much earwax on our hearing? (No more than 15 words)

____________________________________________________________________.

3.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words. （No more than 3 words）

____________________________________________________________________.

4.What does the underlined word “this process” (Line 1, Paragraph 5) probably refer to?

(No more than 2 words）

____________________________________________________________________.

5.Will you use freezing water when trying to remove earwax? Why or why not? 

(No more than 10 words)

____________________________________________________________________.

It was the end of the school term and my son Tom had less than three months left before he would finish his six years at high school. During this time he had developed a love for basketball. Sadly, because of my work over the last twelve months, I had only been able to attend a few of his games; however, I was determined to get to his last game for the school term.

Tom’s team came out in the first 10 minutes with a burst of goals that saw them leading by just over 20 points at the end of the first half. The second half changed as the other team quickly played themselves back into the game. Tom’s team started to miss an increasing number of shots. It was at that point that the coach called his first time out.

The noise of the spectators (观众) became quiet as the coach spoke to them. He had the team standing in a half circle, but he squatted (蹲) down, looking up at them and fiving some very calm and clear instructions on what they needed to do in the last couple of minutes. As he stood up to allow the team to return to the court, I saw him give some further words of encouragement to all of them.

You could see that he knew that the team was fighting to save the game and that he needed to lift them up. By squatting down he placed himself in a position where he was talking up to them, rather than down or at them, and as the players went back onto the court his words of encouragement served to lift their energy and spirits.

Well, Tom’s team went on to win the final by 5 points. As I drove away I thought about what can happen to us all in our everyday life. One of my favourite quotes is about the half filled glass of water --- “Is it half full or is it half empty?” Like the coach, the answer to this quote all depends on how you look at things.

1.Why did the writer come to see his son play basketball?

A. Because his son would graduate from high school.

B. Because he felt sorry for never watching his son play.

C. Because it was a final his son played a key role in.

D. Because he had a strong interest in basketball himself.

2.By squatting down, the coach wanted to _____ .

A. talk about what the players were doing wrong

B. make the players feel better

C. prevent spectators from hearing what he said

D. show his anger at the bad performance of the players

3.What is the writer’s attitude towards the coach?

A. Negative.   B. Supportive.   C. Interested.   D. Unconcerned.

4.What can we infer from the passage?

A. A father should care about his son at school.

B. Playing hard is rewarded with a close match.

C. What a coach says has the most influence on players.

D. Looking at things positively is important in hard times.